Ogier wins at Monte-Carlo, Porsche claims back-to-back victories, and Hamilton dazzles the tifosi

Welcome to Draft Line Digest, your weekly racing newsletter for the latest motorsport news! From the track to the garage and beyond, we’ve got you covered, whether you're a die-hard Formula 1 fan or a rookie regarding anything with four wheels and an engine.

In this issue: The 2025 WRC season starts with the Rallye Monte-Carlo, fast-paced action at Daytona and Lewis Hamilton starts his new adventure with Ferrari. Rev it up and let’s go!

Starting Grid

• 🇲🇨Sébastien Ogier takes his 10th Rallye Monte-Ca …

• ⏰The 2025 24h of Daytona has a winner

• 🇬🇧Lewis Hamilton is officially a Scuderia Ferrar …

• 🏎️HAAS makes history with Laura Mueller

• 🎙️SPEEDY WISDOM

🇲🇨Sébastien Ogier takes his 10th Rallye Monte-Carlo win

The first round of the WRC Championship kicked off on Thursday, January 23, with the legendary Monte-Carlo Rally. The Monegasque event was highly anticipated, featuring four World Champions at the start (Sébastien Ogier, Ott Tänak, Kalle Rovanperä, and Thierry Neuville).

The 93rd Rally Monte-Carlo saw Sébastien Ogier take victory for the 10th time on the French Alpine roads. The French driver was emotional at the finish line: “I don't know where to start, what a weekend. I think I have my lucky star with me this weekend. It was my uncle, who we lost one year ago. I am sure he was bringing me everything, and this one is for him. Quite a few moments this weekend... like I said, my lucky star was there. [On his 10th win] I don't know what it means, but for me, it means the world. I have no idea if this is my last one now. It would be a good place to stop."

This is Toyota’s 94th victory since its debut in the World Rally Championship in 1973 and Sébastien Ogier’s 62nd win, during which he surpassed 750 stage victories.

On the podium, he was joined by Englishman Elfyn Evans, with Adrien Fourreau completing the podium. A great performance by the Frenchman in the Hyundai, showing that he will be a strong contender this season. “Really positive for us, for the beginning of the season. It's been a really good rally for us, it's a shame we didn’t make it on the last day, but it's Monte so you never know. Thanks to the team, I am really happy to start my first rally with them by getting a podium, it’s perfect."

The next rally is the Rally Sweden, which will take place from February 13 to 16.

⏰The 2025 24h of Daytona has a winner

We take the same ones and start again! Porsche, after winning the 24 Hours of Daytona 2024, wins for the second consecutive time in 2025.

The Porsche Penske Motorsport team, composed of Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, and Laurens Vanthoor, claims the ultimate victory. The Acura driven by Tom Blomqvist, Felix Rosenqvist, Scott Dixon, and Colin Braun finishes in 2nd place, and a second Porsche is on the podium—Matt Campbell, Kevin Estre, and Mathieu Jaminet complete the podium.

The full results are available here.

🇬🇧Lewis Hamilton is officially a Scuderia Ferrari driver

This is the news that shook the F1 world last week: Lewis Hamilton is officially a Ferrari driver. At 40 years old, Sir Lewis stepped through the doors of Maranello on Monday, January 20, and is now under the leadership of Frédéric Vasseur. The Frenchman knows Hamilton well, having been his team boss in 2005-2006 with the ART Grand Prix team.

In addition to wearing a new racing suit, Hamilton will also reunite with a familiar face: Angela Cullen, the physiotherapist of the seven-time World Champion, is back by his side. This reunion comes a year after the duo decided to take separate paths.

Hamilton’s move to Ferrari has sparked unprecedented enthusiasm among F1 fans. A photo of Hamilton standing in front of Enzo Ferrari’s house alongside the F40 (the Briton’s favorite car) became the second most-liked Formula 1 photo on Instagram, trailing only behind Charles Leclerc’s podium shot at the 2024 Monza Grand Prix.

On January 22, Lewis Hamilton drove the Ferrari SF-23 at Fiorano in front of nearly 1,000 amazed spectators and enjoyed mingling with the crowd alongside his mother, Carmen Larbalestier.

Pre-season testing will take place in Bahrain from February 26 to 28, and all the 2025 Formula 1 cars will be unveiled at the O2 Arena in London on February 18.

🏎️HAAS makes history with Laura Mueller

For the first time in Formula 1 history, a woman will take on the role of race engineer. Laura Mueller, a 33-year-old German, has been appointed as Esteban Ocon’s race engineer. She has been with HAAS since 2022, starting in the American team’s simulator department. Prior to that, she earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in automotive engineering from the Technical University of Munich.

“What she’s really good at is when she sees a problem, she digs deep and doesn’t stop at the first answer. Some people, when they find the first solution, stop there. They think, ‘Oh, perfect, I’ve found the solution, let’s move on.’ She has a strong work ethic, so when she finds the first solution, she knows there are ten more things to solve. Her determination is what impresses me the most,” said Ayao Komatsu, HAAS F1 Team principal.

Before joining Formula 1, Mueller gained experience in Formula Renault 2.0, WEC, ELMS, and DTM.

🎙️SPEEDY WISDOM