World Grand Prix Championship 21
| Races | 10 |
|---|---|
| Start Event | Abovian Grand Prix |
| End Event | Liventian Grand Prix |
| WGPC 20 | WGPC 22 |
The World Grand Prix Championship 21 is the twenty-first season of the World Grand Prix Championship (WGPC). The championship was contested over ten Grands Prix, starting with the Abovian Grand Prix and concluding with the Liventian Grand Prix.
A record-breaking thirty-two drivers and fifteen teams competed for the titles of World Drivers' Champion and World Constructors' Champion, respectively. Ted Pressley won the title of World Drivers' Champion, leading Ælund Stølskapp Grand Prix to a Constructor's Championship.
Entries
The following constructors and drivers are under contract to compete in the World Championship. Each team is required to enter at least two drivers, one for each of the mandatory two cars:
| Team | Constructor | Chassis | Engine | Tyre | # | Race Drivers | Rounds | Test Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ælund | AGP-007 | Ælund CMYK-T20V8H | Tropicorp | 88 | 1-6 | |||
| 89 | 1-6 | |||||||
| Cygnus-Sturmburgher | C102 | Sturmburgher PD02/25 | Brimstone | 1 | 1-6 | |||
| 85 | 1-6 | |||||||
| Eminent-Sidus | E21 | Sidus 616W-1 | Blue Sulphurate | 7 | 1-5 | |||
| 40 | 1-5 | |||||||
| HiTEN.gpt-Franklin | TBA | Franklin Motorsport WGP-X2 | Brimstone | 10 | 1-6 | |||
| 95 | 1-6 | |||||||
| HMG-Preston | H01.1 | Preston Autos Skychief V6 | Tropicorp | 14 | 1-6 | |||
| 74 | 1-6 | |||||||
| KISMO | KSH03 | Kissan Motors KS.APEX-01 | Solymok | 55 | 1-6 | |||
| 58 | 1-6 | |||||||
| Nexus Racing-Paragon Warp | UHSGV-6 | Paragon Warp Array v3.3.2.14 | Phoenician-In Motion | 17 | 1-6 | |||
| 94 | 1-6 | |||||||
| Piers Ivchenko-UrGa | TBA | UrGa ZhS-1000 | Brimstone | 21 | 1-6 | |||
| 51 | 1-6 | |||||||
| Pressley-Tropicorp | PRE-025 | Tropicorp TRE-2T24V8 | Tropicorp | 22 | 1-6 | |||
| 27 | 1-6 | |||||||
| Preston | PGP-04 | Preston Autos Skychief V6 | Brimstone | 82 | 1-6 | |||
| 84 | 1-6 | |||||||
| Pryfors Bilar | PF-3 | Pryfors Bilar VelFire VF-21 | Phoenician-In Motion | 33 | 1-6 | |||
| 37 | 1-6 | |||||||
| Race Eelandii-Tropicorp | TBA | Tropicorp TRE-2T24V8 | Tropicorp | 23 | 1-6 | |||
| 77 | 1-6 | |||||||
| UrGa | GPC21-2 | UrGa ZhS-1000 | Solymok | 63 | 1-6 | |||
| 66 | 1-6 | |||||||
| Viska | VK-04HS | Viska Re:Genesis VT-250F/H-IIS "Kiiruja" | Phoenician-In Motion | 12 | 1-6 | |||
| 96 | 1-6 | |||||||
| WGPC Motorworks-Franklin | TBA | Franklin Motorsport WGP-X2 | Blue Sulphurate | 9 | 4-6 | N/A | ||
| 13 | 1-6 | |||||||
| 16 | 1-3 | |||||||
| 18 | 1-6 | |||||||
| 30 | 1-3 | |||||||
| 91 | 4-6 |
Team changes
Exited the WGPC
Four teams, all in the bottom four finishing positions of WGPC 20, did not return for WGPC 21:
- After competing in the prior two seasons, scoring a total of 105 points, Kaylan Racing Team did not return.
- Carvenlo Racing, after having run their fifteenth intermittent WGPC season during WGPC 20 and finishing 13th, chose not to return for a third consecutive season.
- Sivaleinen LCR Origas, after finishing 14th in WGPC 20, did not return.
- Scuderia Orange Cow, after finishing 12th in WGPC 20, chose to suspend their WGPC operations instead of renewing their license for the season.
- Preston Autos Grand Prix Engineering became a bi-national team before the Nimban Grand Prix, coming under the partial ownership of Valentine Z.
- Eminent WGPC Team had its team license revoked following the mid-season break.
Entered the WGPC
- Kissan Motorsport returned to WGPC competition for the season. The team last competed in WGPC 16, after which they sold their WGPC operations to Badai Angin Tim Motorsport.
- HMG Grand Prix, after a 13th place campaign in the WGP2 Season 6 Teams' Championship, opted to promote themselves to the WGPC.
- HiTEN.gpt, an all-new team from Hodori, joined the WGPC for this season.
- Piers Ivchenko Motorsports was admitted to the WGPC after initially missing the season entry list, after the revocation of GPA Pryfors Bilar's license. Pryfors Bilar would later be reinstated by the WGPO, while also retaining Piers Ivchenko's entry.
- The season also marked the return of WGPC Motorworks, after the WGPO's works outfit sat out WGPC 20. The team is based in Liventia and is supplied by Franklin Motorsport engines and Blue Sulphurate tyres.
Name and Supplier Changes
- UrGa GMBE Motorsports Division will have their in-house engine this season, replacing Preston Autos, and will also supply engines to Piers Ivchenko Motorsport. They also switched tyre suppliers from Tropicorp to Solymok, with the latter making their return to WGPC competition.
- Tropicorp-Colourworks Grand Prix regained its original Ælund Grand Prix branding, reflecting a change in ownership structure following the clearance from Abovian authorities of their WGPC operations. They switched engine suppliers from Tropicorp to their in-house engine in a similar move with UrGa, but retained Tropicorp as their tyre supplier. Ælund initially featured title sponsorship from Nordenflyg, before displacing them with Stølskapp prior to the pre-season tests.
- In parallel with UrGa and Ælund, Cygnus Motorsport Team switched from using customer engines, Tropicorp in their case, to an in-house engine program supported by Esmerelian automaker Sturmburgher. They also switched tyre suppliers from Tropicorp to Brimstone.
- Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing also switched tyre suppliers from Tropicorp to Brimstone.
- Tumbran outfit Pressley gained co-ownership by Thomas Kim, becoming Pressley-Kim Racing Engineering. They switched engine and tyre suppliers from Kaylan and Brusteinn to become a Tropicorp customer team.
- Fireline Motorsports parted ways with Eminent WGPC Team, leaving the team fully administered under Lisanderian control. They changed tyre suppliers from Phoenician-In Motion to Blue Suphurate.
All other teams, namely Viska Racing, Race Eelandii, GPA Pryfors Bilar, and Nexus Racing, retained their engine and tyre suppliers from last season.
Driver changes
Pre-season changes
- The exit of Kaylan, Carvenlo, Scuderia Orange Cow, and Sivaleinen left a number of drivers without a racing seat for WGPC 21: Darian Vilau (27th in WDC), Dom Falepeau (22nd in WDC), Jordan Crowe (NC in WDC), Batu Tüvshinbayar (19th in WDC), Kingston Walcott (24th in WDC), and Lillý Náttmörðsdóttir (25th in WDC). Ted Pressley was signed to Ælund Grand Prix to replace Ji So-Yeong, while R.L. Cruisin was signed to Piers Ivchenko Motorsports to ensure that his record for the most consecutive seasons spent in WGPC will be extended by at least a season. Tüvshinbayar would later find a test and reserve driver seat at KISMO during the off-season.
- Despite contributing to UrGa's first World Constuctors' Championship on debut in WGPC 20, Skiia Vialiv and Adonis Fitzpatrick were both not retained by the team for this season. They were replaced by Nepö Kinder who was promoted from being their test and reserve driver, and Vincent von Visp, making his season debut. The pair they replaced would find themselves driving for HMG Grand Prix this season.
- Pressley Racing decided to not retain their last season's lineup of Sophie McCreary and Bryce Yannec, with the former finishing 6th in the WDC. Nini Johnsilvaturr, who finished 3rd in WGP Season 6, was promoted from their WGP2 team, while Dario Nülkeschläger, who was the team's test and reserve driver last season, was promoted to drive for the team for this season. McCreary would take Nülkeschläger's place as the team's test and reserve driver for this season, effectively swapping seats within the team. Yannec meanwhile became the test and reserve driver for HMG Grand Prix.
- Cygnus did not extend Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling's contract beyond WGPC 20, choosing to promote test driver Olivia Stone to pair up with World Drivers' Champion Brendan Faloe. Stella would find a seat at Preston Autos, pairing up with Kinu Luminna, previously the test and reserve driver for Viska Racing. The two replaced William Archer, who would go on to sign for Viska Racing, and Rudy Edwards, which the Hapiloppian team demoted to being their test and reserve driver. Viska paired William Archer with Katzeburgian driver Ron Sommer, replacing both Aaron Deering and Sara Luna.
- Ælund Grand Prix parted ways with WGPC 19 World Drivers' Champion iBen Toralmintii, replacing him with Abdoulaye Goita, who returned to WGPC after two seasons' absence. The Turorian would make his way to Race Eelandii VTGP to replace Lane Carter, with the TJUN-ian moving to a test and reserve driver role with UrGa along with Zsanett Bokor. Bokor would also be appointed as a test and reserve driver for KISMO as both teams are supplied by Solymok.
- With five teams either entering or returning to WGPC this season (HMG Grand Prix, KISMO, HiTEN.gpt, Piers Ivchenko Motorsports, and WGPC Motorworks), the following drivers will make their WGPC debut this season: Gil Langdon, Shuhei Kamado, Ankei Souzare, Hanna Berezowska, Nik Hazrin Lutfi, Pierre-Louis Archer, Azalia Kawakai, Giancarlo Rahel, and Otto Markul. Of these drivers, Archer is the only one with WGP2 experience, finishing 17th in the WGP2 Drivers' Championship in Season 6.
- Only three teams retained the same lineup from last season: Nexus Racing, GPA Pryfors Bilar, and Eminent.
Mid-season changes
- WGPC Motorworks dropped Azalia Kawakai and Otto Markul after the Nimban Grand Prix, despite the latter scoring the only points scoring position for the team. They were replaced by Batu Tüvshinbayar and Naveen Kalkar.
Regulation changes
Sporting regulations
- The number of cars allowed to start a Grand Prix was decreased from 28 to 26. While this initially lined up with the WGPO's intent to have a maximum of 13 teams on the entry list, 15 teams were ultimately accepted. The reduction in grid size marks the first season since WGPC 14 where drivers are at risk of failing to qualify for a Grand Prix, discounting the WGPC Motorworks entries in seasons 18 and 19. This rule was repealed starting from the Grand Prix d'Île Saint-Joseph, after the revocation of Eminent's team license after the mid-season break meant that the non-Motorworks grid reduced to 26 cars.
- In each Grand Prix, the top 26 qualifying times, subject to the 107% rule, qualify for the race. The WGPC Motorworks entries, as with previous seasons, will operate under a slightly different rule: no more than two Motorworks drivers will be eligible to qualify for a Grand Prix. Should more than two qualify in the top 26, any drivers behind the faster two will be skipped over in determining the starting grid. The number of qualifiers was raised to 28 starting from the Grand Prix d'Île Saint-Joseph.
- Additional pre-qualifying sessions will take place for the sprint races at the Patriotlandian and Ajian Grands Prix, as these races' grids are set by championship position. The bottom eight drivers in the Drivers' Championship at each race will pre-qualify for the final two spots on the grid in the sprint; the feature races will feature qualifying with all drivers as normal.
Calendar
The WGPC 21 calendar comprises three pre-season tests and ten Grands Prix. The Patriotlandian and Ajian Grands Prix are set to feature the sprint race format, returning after its absence the previous season. In a departure from previous seasons, there are no mid-season tests, instead featuring a one-week break between the fifth and sixth rounds of the championship.
| Round | Grand Prix | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abovian Grand Prix | 23 February | |
| 2 | Doubeinese Grand Prix | 2 March | |
| 3 | Nimban Grand Prix | 9 March | |
| 4 | Turorian Grand Prix | 16 March | |
| 5 | Patriotlandian Grand Prix | Sprint Race: 21 March Feature Race: 23 March | |
| 6 | Ajian Grand Prix | Sprint Race: 4 April Feature Race: 6 April | |
| 7 | Île Saint-Joseph Grand Prix | 13 April | |
| 8 | Hapiloppian Grand Prix | 20 April | |
| 9 | Esmerelian Grand Prix | 27 April | |
| 10 | Liventian Grand Prix | 4 May |
| Event | Event type | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| WGPC Pre-season Test #1 | Pre-season test | 1-2 February | |
| WGPC Pre-season Test #2 | Pre-season test | 8-9 February | |
| WGPC Pre-season Test #3 | Pre-season test | 14-16 February |
Calendar changes
- Several circuits that held either Grands Prix or testing events during WGPC 20 did not return to the calendar for WGPC 21:
- The Togonistani Grand Prix was dropped from the calendar after no Togonistani circuit was submitted.
- The Cocoabo Preservation Grand Prix, while submitted for consideration, ultimately did not make the calendar.
- The same was true for the Ramgardian Grand Prix, marking the first WGPC season without a visit to Diarcesia since WGPC 18.
- The Tumbran Grand Prix was planned to be moved to the Couno Harbor Circuit, which first hosted a race event during WGP2 Season 6. However, the Grand Prix did not materialise for WGPC 21.
- The Gernache Circuit and Astena Asterwynth Circuit were both not submitted for consideration after being used as preseason and midseason testing circuits, respectively, in WGPC 20.
- The Aurun Grand Prix, while avoiding being dropped from the calendar altogether, was relegated to a preseason testing event.
- Several circuits that have previously held WGPC events, but did not hold a race event during WGPC 20, returned to the calendar for WGPC 21:
- The Turorian Grand Prix is scheduled to return as the fourth round of the season, being promoted to a race date after serving as a preseason test in WGPC 20. The event, to be held at the Eelandii Grand Prix Course, last hosted a Grand Prix in WGPC 19.
- The Ajian Grand Prix also returns to the calendar, and is scheduled as the sixth round. WGPC last visited the event, at the Serizawa Racing Circuit, in WGPC 16 when it replaced the canceled Liventian Grand Prix on short notice as the season's second round. It will be the first time in WGPC that the venue will be held in a sprint-feature race weekend format, though the last WGP2 race event held at the circuit had this format as well.
- The Ile Saint-Joseph Grand Prix, held on the city streets of the tiny island nation, makes its Grand Prix debut this season as the seventh round, having held a race event during WGP2 Season 3 and a non-championship race in WGPC 18.
- Two Grands Prix for WGPC 21 are scheduled to be held on tracks entirely new to the WGPC scene:
- The Doubeinese Grand Prix, at the Queensland Street Circuit, made its debut this season as the second round.
- The Patriotlandian Grand Prix is scheduled to make its debut at the Ridgeline Raceway, as the fifth round. It will be the first of two Grands Prix held in a sprint-feature race weekend format, the other being the Ajian Grand Prix.
- The remaining Grands Prix on the schedule were all retained from WGPC 20. All five, however, had their positions in the schedule changed:
- The Abovian Grand Prix was moved forward from the penultimate round of WGPC 20 to the first round of WGPC 21.
- The Nimban Grand Prix will be moved forward from the fifth round of WGPC 20 to the third round of WGPC 21.
- The Hapiloppian Grand Prix will be moved back from the seventh round of WGPC 20 to the eighth round of WGPC 21.
- The Esmerelian Grand Prix will be moved forward from the final round of WGPC 20 to the penultimate round of WGPC 21.
- The Liventian Grand Prix will be moved back from the first round of WGPC 20 to the final round of WGPC 21.
- The WGPC made a return to Hodori after missing the nation for the first time in WGPC 20. The event, however, held at the Ikasamo Speedway for the first time, was only a testing event.
- The WGPC also visited the nation of Crpostran for the first time, as the Montelago International Circuit was the site of the first official pre-season test.
Results and Standings
Grands Prix
Scoring System
Points are awarded to the top ten classified drivers. After its absence in WGPC 20, the fastest lap point returned for this season. Furthermore, one additional point is now given to the driver who finishes in fourth place, in comparison to previous seasons under this points system. In the case of a tie on points, a countback system was used where the driver with the most Grand Prix wins was ranked higher (if the number of wins was identical, then the number of second places was considered, and so on).
The points are awarded for every race using the following system:
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 25 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
The sprint races at the Patriotlandian and Ajian Grands Prix will award points as follows to the top eight classified drivers:
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
Drivers' Championship
P - Driver qualified in pole position. F - Driver set the fastest lap of the race / feature race. † - Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as they had completed 90% of the race distance. Constructors' Championship
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