Australian Auto Action

Formula 1 has confirmed a 10-year agreement to bring Grand Prix racing back to Africa, with Rwanda set to host the championship for the first time in the early 2030s, ending an absence dating back to 1993. Formula 1 announced the agreement on 13 October 2026, confirming that the Formula 1 African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda, will be staged at a purpose-built circuit in Bugesera, approximately 40km south of the capital, Kigali.

Jarrod Hughes says he is ready for the hard heads of the Supercars Championship as he prepares for his first solo start with Erebus Motorsport at the Gold Coast 500. It has been confirmed by Erebus Motorsport that the 21-year-old Erebus Academy graduate has been promoted to a full time seat for the remainder of the season, and says the opportunity is the reward for years of work from his family and supporters.

Cooper Murray has joined PremiAir Racing with immediate effect, replacing Declan Fraser for the Gold Coast 500, while Jarrod Hughes will take over Murray’s #99 Chevrolet Camaro at Erebus Motorsport. The changes bring forward what had been shaping up as a major reshuffle of the Chevrolet ranks for 2027, with both teams confirming their new driver arrangements following the Bathurst 1000.

Erebus Motorsport CEO Barry Ryan says Jarrod Hughes has already proven he can lead a Supercars race on speed, as the Erebus Academy graduate prepares for his full time debut at the Gold Coast 500. Hughes steps into the seat vacated by Cooper Murray. The team and Murray agreed to part ways amicably ahead of the Surfers Paradise street race. Speaking to Auto Action, Ryan said Hughes had ticked the most important box during his two seasons as an Erebus endurance co-driver.

Team 18 has confirmed an issue with its fuel strategy software caused the miscalculation that cost Anton De Pasquale and Lee Holdsworth a potential Bathurst 1000 victory, with team owner Charlie Schwerkolt declaring that nobody will lose their job over the mistake.

Newly crowned Australian Formula Ford champion Seth Burchartz is preparing to step up to another national category in 2027, with the Sonic Motor Racing Services driver assessing his options as he pursues a career in Supercars. Burchartz will not defend his Yokohama Australian Formula Ford Championship title next season, with discussions already underway about opportunities in other national categories.

Chase Briscoe has survived a disintegrating tyre and a last-corner clash with teammate Christopher Bell to win the NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte by 0.029 seconds, while Shane van Gisbergen delivered another outstanding oval result to finish seventh.

Oscar Piastri has called on McLaren to “be honest” about its shortcomings after a bruising Singapore weekend exposed both the team’s deficit to its rivals and the internal tensions still simmering after its Sprint collision, with Andrea Stella demanding a more united front as the championship battle intensifies.

Liam Lawson let Racing Bulls’ results do the talking in Singapore, with a 10-point weekend stretching the team’s advantage over Alpine to 32 points, though the Kiwi was quick to remind himself that fifth in the Constructors’ Championship is far from locked in. The championship fight was at the forefront of Lawson’s mind when the five lights went out in Singapore, with the Kiwi’s self-declared “frustrating” route to a top ten starting position burying him behind Pierre Gasly.

Carl Faux has ended his nine-year association with Walkinshaw Racing with a difficult Bathurst 1000, but the departing team principal says getting both Toyota Supras into the Supercars Finals is an achievement worth celebrating as he prepares for his next role in Charlotte, North Carolina.