Motorsports
SAINZ STAYS WITH WILLIAMS
Carlos Sainz has signed a multi-year contract extension with Williams, ending speculation over his Formula One future despite a difficult season with the British team.
The announcement came a day after Williams confirmed that Alex Albon would stay for the 2027 campaign. The two drivers will continue to lead the team as it works to regain its competitive form.
Sainz joined Williams after previous stints with Ferrari, McLaren, Renault and Toro Rosso. The four-time Grand Prix winner has failed to score in the past six rounds, while the team has struggled throughout the opening half of the season.
Williams also missed the first pre-season test, which left the squad playing catch-up before the campaign began.
Despite those setbacks, Sainz said he believes the team has the people and resources needed to recover.
“I’m thrilled to announce my continued journey with the Williams family,” the 31-year-old said.
“I truly believe in the people that form this team, both at the factory and at the racetracks, and the investments and hard work that are happening in the background.”
Sainz added that he was as committed as he was on his first day with Williams and wanted to help return the team to the front of the grid.
Team principal James Vowles welcomed the decision ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.
“Carlos is a leader of this team, and I’m thrilled that he can see what’s possible as we continue to rebuild it,” Vowles said.
He added that Sainz shares Williams’ ambitions and described the Spaniard and Albon as one of the strongest driver pairings on the grid.
Toyota Motor Philippines has opened qualifiers for the 2026 TGR Philippines Esports GT Championship, with participants given online and onsite routes into the national sim racing tournament.
Qualifying runs from August 17 to September 13. Players without their own gaming equipment may record their qualifying times at 11 GR performance dealerships across the country.
The participating dealerships are Toyota Makati, Toyota Alabang, Toyota Silang, Toyota San Fernando in Pampanga, Toyota Calamba, Toyota Cebu City, Toyota Otis, Toyota Commonwealth, Toyota Manila Bay, Toyota Global City and Toyota Santa Rosa.
Players may also compete from home if they have a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5, Gran Turismo 7, an active PlayStation Network account and a PlayStation Plus subscription.
Both online and onsite participants must register at tinyurl.com/TGRPh-Esports-Reg to secure a qualifying schedule.
Toyota introduced a Junior Class this season for players aged 18 and below. Participants aged 19 and above will compete in the Sporting Class.
The new format expands a tournament that previously placed all competitors in one category. It also gives younger sim racers a separate route into the national and regional stages of the competition.
The 10 fastest players from each class will advance to the National Finals at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on September 27.
Three competitors will earn places in the regional finals. The Sporting Class and Junior Class champions will take the first two slots, while the third will go to the runner-up from either category with the higher points total after the final round.
Each class champion will receive P100,000, while the two runners-up will take home P75,000 each. Other national finalists will also receive cash prizes and official Gazoo Racing merchandise.
The championship serves as Toyota’s main sim racing competition in the Philippines. Previous winners have moved from virtual racing into the TGR Philippine Cup, which gives competitors a possible route from Gran Turismo 7 to an actual racetrack.
Toyota Motor Philippines will hold Race Weekend 3 of the 2026 Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippine Cup at Batangas Racing Circuit in Rosario, Batangas, on August 15.
The event will be the championship’s first visit to the country’s oldest permanent car racetrack. Admission is free, while the races will also be shown live on the Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippines Facebook page.
Drivers will compete across the Super Sporting, Sporting and Legacy classes using Vios one-make race cars. The Tamaraw class will return with the Tamaraw one-make race car introduced this season.
Batangas Racing Circuit’s technical layout will give competitors a different challenge as they adjust to a new venue.
TMP Senior Vice President for Marketing Sherwin Chua-Lim said the circuit will test the drivers while introducing the racing series to more car enthusiasts.
“Our aim at Toyota Gazoo Racing has always been to provide opportunities for racers to test their limits for better and to bring racing closer to different car communities,” Chua-Lim said.
The race cars will continue using low-carbon fuel blends introduced during the previous round. The Vios race cars will run on E20, which contains 20 percent bioethanol, while the Tamaraw entries will use B5 fuel with a five percent coco-biodiesel blend.
TMP said the program supports the study of lower-carbon fuels and their possible wider use. It also seeks to contribute to energy security and the development of local biofuel supply chains.
TMP First Vice President for Corporate Affairs Josephine Villanueva said racers gave positive feedback on the performance of the blended fuels under demanding track conditions. Toyota will continue studying their feasibility for future motorsports events.
The race weekend is supported by partners including GT Radial, Petron, Denso and the Toyota Gazoo Racing Academy.
Nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia were taken to hospital after a high-speed crash while leading the Rally of Finland on Saturday.
Ogier was traveling at around 130 kph when he lost control of his Toyota on a series of turns along a forest dirt road. The car rolled several times before hitting a tree.
Both men managed to get out of the vehicle without assistance before they were transported to a hospital in Tampere for precautionary examinations, according to the World Rally Championship.
Toyota assistant team principal Juha Kankkunen said he had spoken with the crew following the accident.
“Seb was more shocked than anything else, nothing broken,” Kankkunen told Rally TV.
Ogier held a 20-second advantage when the crash ended his rally.
The accident handed the lead to Toyota teammate Sami Pajari, who entered the final day 46 seconds ahead of Oliver Solberg. World championship leader Elfyn Evans was running third.
“There are still two long stages to do and anything can still happen,” Pajari said.
