Japan Is Reportedly Aiming to Go All-Electric and Hybrid Around 2035
Welcome to The Grid, R&T's quick roundup of the auto industry and motorsports news you should know this morning.
Japan Reportedly Aiming to Go All-Electric and Hybrid Around 2035
Is the age of cars powered solely by internal-combustion coming to an end? It certainly seems so, with more governments issuing proclamations about when they're aiming to transition to electrified cars. Nikkei's newswire reports that Japan is targeting the mid 2030s for when its cars are all electrified as part of its aim to become a zero-emission country by 2050. It's not as ambitious as the U.K.'s recently announced goal to ban internal combustion entirely by 2035, but still a big deal, as Japan's is a huge auto market.
Fernando Alonso, 39, Confirmed for Formula 1 Young Driver Test
Fernando Alonso first raced a Formula 1 car nearly 19 years ago, and yet, Sky Sports reports that you'll see the two-time champion in the F1 young drivers test later this month. The 39-year-old is rejoining the F1 grid with Renault next year, and he needs seat time to get back up to speed after a few years away. Alonso has raced LMP1 cars since exiting F1 in 2018, but even then, you can't just jump in a modern F1 car and expect to be on the pace right away. Renault faced opposition in entering Alonso, as the test is designed for drivers with less than two starts. Alonso has 311, yet the FIA granted Renault an exception.
Bentley Ending Its Factory GT3 Program
There's been lots of Volkswagen Group racing news this week, first with Audi announcing it's pulling out of Formula E in favor of sports prototypes and Dakar, and the Volkswagen brand ending its motorsports arm entirely. Here's more. Sportscar365 reports Bentley is ending its factory GT3 program after eight years of competition in various series around the globe. The last outing for Bentley's six factory drivers will be this month's Kyalami 8 Hours, where they'll drive two Continental GT3s entered by M-Sport, the UK firm that builds the cars. "As Bentley moves rapidly towards becoming the world’s leading luxury sustainable mobility brand, the GT3 category no longer supports the strategy," said Bentley motorsport head Paul Williams in a statement.
This isn't necessarily the end for the Continental GT3, however, as Bentley may support customer teams to run the car.
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