WHAT WE DON’T KNOW RATHER THAN WHAT WE DO KNOW
Tweaks to the qualifying format and a doubling of the hybrid boost allowance for the British Touring Car Championship in 2024, while interesting and perhaps even tantalising, aren’t exactly the kind of thing that will be keeping enthusiasts awake at night while they shake with excitement under their duvets. And that’s the biggest news to come out of the series this winter.
But the grapevine suggests that there are a couple of exciting things going on regarding who goes where. This certainly hasn’t been an F1-style silly season and, if what I’ve heard is true, at least a couple of absolute top-liners are going to be entertaining us on track in cars new to them.
Beyond that, my passion has long been the junior single-seater scene, where there is plenty to anticipate in 2024. There is more buzz around Andrea Kimi Antonelli than we’ve had about anyone since Max Verstappen a decade ago. How will he go in Formula 2? Well, don’t just focus on him, because his Prema sidekick Ollie Bearman, plus Victor Martins at ART, looked dynamite in their rookie seasons in the category last year. Martins isn’t confirmed yet, but expect these two to be in the thick of the title battle.
F3 is shaping up nicely too, while Formula Regional and F4 are already rolling in the Middle East, where we’ll get a glimpse of some of those likely to shine in Europe. Among them is Deagen Fairclough, who built up a fair old fan club for his tenacious racing style and car control in his maiden single-seater season in British F4 last year.
He’s back for more, which will give us something to enjoy at BTCC events in between the qualifying format and hybrid boost chat.