International Motorsport Roundup: Two 2020 F1 Car Launch Dates, Andrea Iannone Provisionally Suspended, Pirelli Wins WRC Tyre Tender, Gen 3 Formula E Car Tender

With the motorsport season for many series around the globe essentially done for 2019, plans for 2020 and beyond made up this week in the world of motorsport. The 2020 season has essentially started already for Formula One with Ferrari and Alpha Tauri (formerly Toro Rosso) being the first teams to reveal the launch date of their 2020 challengers. In the off-road arena, Pirelli has won the WRC tyre tender and will be the official tyre supplier from 2021. Speaking of tenders, the FIA has revealed one for the Gen 3 Formula E car. While the 2019 MotoGP season is over, drama has already started heading into 2020 with Andrea Lonne being provisionally suspended. Here’s all that happened this week in the world of motorsport:

Formula One

With 2019 done and dusted, you could say the 2020 Formula One season has already started with Ferrari and Alpha Tauri Honda (formerly Toro Rosso) being the first teams to reveal the launch dates of their 2020 cars. The prancing horse will be the first team to reveal its 2020 car on February 11. Alpha Tauri will unveil theirs on Valentine’s Day. Pre-season testing for the 2020 season will commence in Barcelona, Spain, with the first test scheduled from February 19 to 21.

MotoGP

There appears to be a controversy even before the 2020 season begins. Aprilia rider Andrea Iannone has been provisionally suspended, following the violation of Article 7.9.1 of the 2019 FIM Anti-doping Code (CAD). The rider was tested positive for an anabolic steroid. This is the first potential doping violation case since 2012 with Moto2 rider Anthony West having a year and a half’s worth of Moto2 results voided. This news couldn't have come at a more crucial time for Aprilia with an overhauled bike planned for 2020 and now one of their riders in the middle of a two-year contract potentially missing out on the season. 

WRC

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Heading off road, Pirelli has won the WRC tyre tender and will officially supply tyres for the WRC class, R5 class as well as the WRC2 and WRC3 categories for 4 years starting from 2021. Pirelli is no strangers to WRC and have had a long history in the sport with 181 wins and 25 titles. The tyre supplier took a break in 2017 and returned in 2018 to supply the Junior World Rally Championship. Its last season as an exclusive tyre supplier was in 2010 where Sebastian Loeb and Citroen took the world title. 

Others 

 

The off-season period in motorsports is usually a time for developments for the next season. However, it is also a time spent in announcing future plans. While Formula E is currently on a roll with the success of its Gen 2 car and world championship status for the 2020/21 season, more future plans are in the works. The FIA has revealed a tender invitation for the Gen 3 Formula E car with various requirements including a power output capable of reaching 350kW as well as fast-charging potential. Other requirements also require the car to be smaller with a drastic weight cut from 900kg to 780kg. It will continue to be an open cockpit spec car. Tyres will be either the current 18-inch or 20-inch. These tenders are for the season after the Gen 2 era namely seasons 9 (2022-23), 10(2023-24) and 11(2024-25). 

Image Source 1- Formula One

Image Source 2- Motogp

Image Source 3- WRC

Image Source 4- Formula E