WRT Opens New Headquarters, Carlos Sainz Sr. Might Run The FIA, and Acosta Cleared After Surgery

Team WRT just opened a brand new headquarters in Bierset, Belgium, and it’s a big step up from where they started. The team began 15 years ago in a small garage and now they’ve got a massive 20,000 square meter facility that brings everything together under one roof. Before this, WRT had stuff spread out across six different locations, which obviously made things more complicated.

Now, everything from design to assembly to logistics happens in one place. It’s built to handle serious volume too. WRT puts together about 120 cars a year—BMW M4 GT3s and GT4s, rally cars, TCR machines, and even builds cars for brands like Toyota, Hyundai, and Citroën. It’s more like a small car factory than just a race team shop.

They also made sure it’s environmentally friendly. The building is BREEAM “Excellent” rated, which is a big deal in Europe. Around 70 percent of the energy comes from solar panels, and 95 percent of waste is either reused or recycled. It’s clear they’re thinking long-term.

The grand opening had a solid turnout with around 300 guests, including people from the FIA, ACO, and even motorsports legend Jacky Ickx. WRT’s co-CEOs, Vincent Vosse and Kathleen Schurmans, called it a major milestone—not just for them but for Belgian motorsport as a whole.

WRT is busy this year with BMW’s factory GT3 programs and is also running in the World Endurance Championship and IMSA in the U.S. They’re clearly building for the future, both on and off the track.

Carlos Sainz Sr. Might Run for FIA President

Carlos Sainz Sr. is thinking about running for FIA President in the next election, which is coming up in late 2025. He talked about it with Motorsport.com and said he’s been talking to people and weighing the decision. Right now it’s not official, but it sounds like he’s seriously considering it.

Sainz is one of the most respected figures in the sport. He’s a two-time World Rally Champion and has also won the Dakar Rally three times. While a lot of fans today know his son, Carlos Sainz Jr., as the F1 driver, the senior Sainz has been a legend for decades and stays heavily involved in motorsport behind the scenes.

He said the possible FIA run has nothing to do with his son’s career and is more about his own love for the sport and wanting to improve it. If he does go for it, he’d likely be running against current president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Ben Sulayem’s time in charge has had some rough patches. A bunch of high-level FIA people have resigned during his term, and there’s been criticism about how things are managed. There was also the investigation into whether F1 teams like Ferrari and Mercedes were influencing rule changes, which caused a lot of drama even though it ended with no wrongdoing found.

If Sainz runs, it could bring a big change to how the FIA is run. He’s got experience, respect, and a more driver-focused view of the sport. It’ll be interesting to see if he officially jumps into the race.

Pedro Acosta Cleared to Race After Arm Surgery

Pedro Acosta is set to race this weekend at Le Mans, just days after having surgery for arm-pump. That’s the issue where a rider’s forearm swells up and loses strength, and it’s super common in MotoGP. Acosta had been dealing with it since the first race in Qatar, but it got worse at the Jerez test, which finally pushed him to get it taken care of.

He said the problem was showing up early in the weekend, not just late in races, and it was affecting his performance. So he had the usual surgery that relieves pressure in the forearm, something a lot of riders end up doing at some point.

Acosta hasn’t been qualifying great lately—nothing better than 12th in the last couple rounds—but he’s still getting solid race results, finishing eighth in Qatar and seventh at Jerez. He’s been super consistent for a rookie, and fans are excited to see what he can do now that the surgery is done.

His recovery was quick, and doctors gave him the green light for Le Mans. He’ll be looking to bounce back strong, though he may still be feeling the effects of the procedure. His teammate Maverick Viñales has been picking up speed lately too, so Tech3 has a pretty solid lineup heading into the weekend.

On the flip side, Somkiat Chantra, another Moto2 rider who also had arm-pump surgery recently, hasn’t recovered in time and will miss the race.

MotoGP has become even more physically demanding in recent years, and these kinds of injuries are common with how hard the riders have to brake and push the bikes. For Acosta, this weekend is a big test to see if the surgery worked and if he can keep up the momentum in his rookie season.