April 2021

In recent months, Liberty Media has been working on a more favoured version of a sprint race format without the reverse grid element that saw three previous attempts blocked. The proposed idea, known as ‘sprint qualifying’, would see a regular qualifying session on Friday to decide the grid for a 100km race on Saturday, with the results from that used to form the grid for the Grand Prix on Sunday. Despite initial approval, further discussions have been taking place on a range of issues from points scoring to a recently agreed financial arrangement, which will see teams receive a lump sum from Liberty Media to cover additional costs. And now CEO Stefano Domenicali is confident the final go-ahead from teams can come as soon as this weekend. “The sprint race experiment on Saturday? We are defining the final details, the goal is to close for the Imola Grand Prix,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “We would like a much more intense weekend with an hour of free practice on Friday and then qualifying with the sprint race to define the starting order of the real race on Sunday. “We hope to define all the details to start with the experimentation [this year], that if successful we will see how to define next year.” It has been confirmed that the new format would only be used at select races if adopted with three races targeted in 2021, the British, Italian and Sao Paulo GP’s. Uncertainty over the dire Covid-19 situation in Brazil could see the third trial moved if the race at Interlagos can’t go ahead.

The schedule for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola has been altered to avoid clashing with the funeral of Prince Philip. The Duke of Edinburgh sadly passed away at the age of 99 last Friday. His funeral will take place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor at 3pm UK time on Saturday April 17, the same day as qualifying for the Made in Italy and Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. And in a mark of respect, qualifying has been brought forward to 2pm (1pm British time) to avoid clashing with the funeral. It also means Free Practice 3 on Saturday moves to 11am local time to ensure a two-hour gap between the end of that session and qualifying, as per the regulations. On Friday, FP1, the opening session of the race weekend, will now begin at 11am local time, with FP2 following at 2.30pm at Imola (1.30pm British time). The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will go ahead as planned on Sunday at 3pm local time, while before qualifying there will be a minute’s silence in honour of Prince Philip. Imola returned to the Formula 1 calendar last season as a late addition, providing one of the most memorable races of the season as Sir Lewis Hamilton led home a Mercedes one-two ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo. Updated Emilia Romagna Grand Prix schedule Friday April 16: Free Practice 1, 1100-1200 (1000-1100 British time)Friday April 16: Free Practice 2, 1430-1530 (1330-1430 British time)Saturday April 17: Free Practice 3, 1100-1200 (1000-1100 British time)Saturday April 17: Qualifying, 1400 (1300 British time)Sunday April 18: Race, 1500 (1400 British time)

Work has officially begun on the street circuit which will host the inaugural Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in December. At the weekend, Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Faisal, chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), officially got things underway by cutting the ribbon to signal the start of construction. Officials are predicting a completion date of mid-November. “It means a lot,” Prince Khalid told Arab News. “We know Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsports, it’s the biggest event that Saudi Arabia will host. It’s very important for the Kingdom, for our youth, for the sport, for the economy, and for tourism. “We are preparing ourselves to host the most thrilling and exciting race ever,” he added. “The Jeddah circuit will be amazing. It’s the fastest street circuit, and it’s the longest street circuit. “Normally, street circuits are a bit boring in terms of racing because of the location, there’s not a lot of changes that can be done, but we are very lucky here in this area of the Corniche. It’s still not developed, so this gave us the opportunity to do a street circuit that is fast and thrilling and exciting, so it’s going to beat Monaco.” “How many Formula 1 race tracks are on the side of the sea?” added Martin Whitaker, the event’s CEO. “It’s a fantastic location, the community of Jeddah is going to experience something completely different. This will be a real differentiator for F1 racing as well. It’s a great new home for F1.” Other than the race to complete the facility in time for the race, which takes place on 5 December, there remains the uncertainty over the pandemic, which could see the event take place behind closed doors, or at least with heavily reduced numbers of spectators. “We have two plans,” said Whitaker. “We’re planning for a race with full spectators, but also, we have a COVID plan as well.” “With what the Kingdom is doing regarding vaccination, and the progress we are seeing, from here until December I’m sure that a lot of people will be vaccinated,” said Prince Khalid. “And I pray and I hope that the situation will be much better and we’ll be in a position where we can allow our fans to come and enjoy this lovely race with us.” As work on the Jeddah track gets underway, another permanent facility is under construction in Qiddiya, Riyadh, and is scheduled to host the Saudi Arabia event once completed in a “couple of years”.

F1 boss Stefano Domenicali says that if Sprint Qualifying passes the litmus test this year, the format will not feature on the schedule of every Grand Prix in the future. F1 is set to give the go-ahead to a three-race Sprint Qualifying trial that shall be conducted this season after teams reportedly agreed on the financial terms proposed by the sport’s chiefs. The first Sprint Qualifying should take place at the British GP at Silverstone, with Monza and Interlagos also being projected as trial venues. If the concept proves successful, it would be employed at a yet-to-be-determined number of events from 2022, but Domenicali made clear that the 100-km mad dash would not become a permanent fixture on race weekends. “It’s very simple, for the statistics, the driver who wins the qualifying race on Saturday gets pole position,” Domenicali told Auto Motor und Sport. “There is only one [Grand Prix] winner, and it will be announced on Sunday. We don’t want to do this format at every Grand Prix in the future. This should be a Grand Slam for selected events.” Domenicali says the format’s introduction would give fans more bang for their buck and help boost tickets sales for promoters. “When we went public with the announcement that we wanted to try such a sprint qualification, the organisers who were eligible for the test immediately had many more ticket inquiries. And the TV stations were thrilled,” explained the Italian. “This format has many advantages. The less time for free practice sessions, the more action on the track. Nobody is waiting for better conditions in the garage anymore. That has already been shown in Bahrain. “With free practice and qualification, the organiser can sell fans a better Friday. With the second free practice as preparation for the race and the sprint qualifying in the afternoon, a better Saturday. This is an additional platform for stories and for the sponsors. “The more unpredictable everything becomes, the more interesting the racing action. If we don’t try, we’ll never know if it’s an asset or not.”

Reigning Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton signed a new contract with Mercedes at the start of the season, ensuring he would race with them for another year. There was much speculation about whether Hamilton would put pen to paper on a new deal, with the contract only finalised a month before the season was due to begin. Hamilton was said to be earning around £29m on his previous deal with Mercedes and, according to a report from Race Fans, the 36-year-old took a pay cut when he signed his new one-year contract. It is claimed Hamilton’s salary was reduced to £21.7m for the current F1 season. However, the seven-time world champion does have a bonus package which may mean he does not miss out on maximising his earnings. Mercedes chief Toto Wolff recently expressed confidence that Hamilton would remain with the team for further seasons. He said: “I very much hope so; the journey that we have had together was very successful. “He has been a Mercedes driver – a Mercedes kid since his go-karting years. “He never raced a single weekend in Formula 1 without a Mercedes power unit, so it’s the logical continuation of the story. “We don’t want to leave it until January to confirm the two drivers. “Valtteri [Bottas] was pretty regular during the summer – this is when it should happen. “Also, to give the driver peace of mind, or be able to concentrate on the job. “And obviously for next year there’s lots of balls in the air and we will always try to do the best for the team long-term while also giving total loyalty to our current driver line-up. “We are not doubting either Valtteri or Lewis but discussions obviously are going to happen – but not in January next year.” Hamilton won the opening race of the season in Bahrain last month, finishing ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Speaking after the victory, Hamilton said: “Wow. What a difficult race that was. “Stopping early we knew would be difficult but we had to cover Max, they have had an amazing performance all weekend. “Max was all over me at the end and I was just about able to hold him off. That was one of the hardest races I’ve had for a while.”

Heading into the 2021 campaign Alpine hoped to be among the cluster of midfield teams battling it out for P3 in the Constructors’ Championship. The opening round in Bahrain suggested they have an outside chance as Fernando Alonso made Q3, and was then in the hunt for points before a sandwich wrapper got stuck in a brake duct on his A521. But in terms of outright pace, Alpine appear to be slightly adrift of McLaren, Ferrari and AlphaTauri. Speaking ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Budkowski said Alpine were searching for “a few tenths” on their rivals, but added that an upgraded aerodynamic package is available to the team in Imola, as are a few other bits to test. “We have an aerodynamic upgrade package coming to the car for this grand prix,” he confirmed. “In addition, we have some test items to assess during Friday practice, which will help define further upgrades planned over the next few races. “It will be interesting to see how our car performs on a different circuit, having only been to Bahrain for testing and the first race so far this season. It will also generate new data to help our development effort.” Alpine certainly have reason for optimism ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Last year while competing under the Renault name, the Enstone outfit secured a podium finish at the event courtesy of Daniel Ricciardo. As a Max Verstappen tyre failure prompted a Safety Car appearance with the Red Bull driver stuck in the gravel, Ricciardo found himself in P3 after Sergio Perez pitted for fresh tyres behind the SC. He would go on to turn that into a P3 finish behind the Mercedes duo of Sir Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, securing a second podium of the 2020 season for Renault. This time around it will be Alonso and Esteban Ocon who attempt to bag a first podium of the Alpine era.

Former Ferrari team boss Marco Mattiacci is set to return to Formula 1 with the Aston Martin team. The 50-year-old Italian led Ferrari for a short time following Stefano Domenicali’s ousting in 2014. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Mattiacci is now “one step away from Aston Martin”, with correspondent Lorenzo Pastuglia claiming that he will be in charge of the growth and development of the Lawrence Stroll-owned team. “The news has been verified and confirmed by Gazzetta Motori,” Pastuglia said. The journalist said Mattiacci forged a relationship with billionaire Stroll when in charge of Ferrari’s North American operations a decade ago.

Lewis Hamilton came under fire from fans for not posting a Twitter tribue to Prince Philip, who passed away peacefully on Thursday, but the F1 star did pay his respects on Instagram. The Mercedes ace wrote a touching message to wrapper DMX, who died on the same day, and was quickly bombarded by supporters. The Queen’s husband battled with health problems over the past few years and sadly passed away aged 99. Prince Philip’s funeral will take place on Saturday and many leading celebrities around the world have paid tribue to the Duke of Edinburgh. Rapper DMX also passed away on Thursday, five days after suffering a heart attack, with his family by his side. The chart-topping artist was only 50 years old and his death has left the world saddened. Hamilton reposted Vogue’s tribue to Prince Philip alongside the message: “So sad… my thoughts and prayers go out to the royal family.” However, fans had already started criticising. “But no word on the death of Prince Philip, a man who did so much good for the underprivileged youth in so many ways through the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, founded in 1956. He stood for all that’s great about the UK,” one angered person wrote. Another added: “Disappointed in you Lewis, no respect for a much bigger and better man you’ve chosen to ignore the passing of, and disrespect for his wife – suggest you return the honour they bestowed upon you!! Was a massive fan now not so much.” A third said: “Prince Philip has died mate. Probably did a lot more for society than DMX!” And a forth commented: “You took a knighthood from our queen and can’t mention her husband in your tweets! Shameful! My son, who looks up to you for inspiration I shall be pointing him in another direction from now on.” A fifth wrote: “Yeah he was a real role model and such an inspirational character. No mention of the death of a true legend, role model and inspiration – HRH Duke of Edinburgh, you know, the husband of your Queen. No wonder you are becoming one of the most hated people on the planet.” Although Hamilton came under heavy criticism, there were some who stuck up for the 36-year-old. “I see everyone complaining about you not saying anything about Prince Phillip,” one person wrote. “It’s shocking for me to see how obsessed some UK citizens are with the monarchy.” Another said: “His own hard work brought him the honour. He owes nothing to the royals.” And a third added: “For all of you blasting Lewis for condolences to DMX ahead of Royalty, Lewis is from hardship to Kingship not born into it. Bad decisions of DMX in life stem from poverty, a fight royalty never knows. So if you’ve battled to the top you can identify.”

Max Verstappen will always be remembered for his victory as a rookie at the Barcelona Grand Prix. It was a remarkable achievement for the then 18-year-old. He has now gained a lot of experience. Motorsport.com held an interview with him, questioning whether Verstappen is still the same guy as back then. “Well, you gain more experience over the years. That makes everything easier. You also get a better understanding of the car and – especially if you stay with one team for a long time – you get a better idea of how everything works within a team. As a person, you also grow as you get older, but that’s logical. I haven’t really changed, I think. I feel like I’m still the same person I was back then.” Despite saying he has remained the same person, he feels he has become a more complete driver. “That’s mainly because of the understanding of Formula 1 as a whole, the car and of course the whole team. You handle certain situations better because you have experienced them before. That applies, for example, to the start, to a hectic first lap and also to managing the tyres.”

Charles Leclerc has received a very special addition to his garage collection from Ferrari – his race-winning SF90 from the 2019 season. Leclerc will have very fond memories of the SF90 having won back-t0-back races with it at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix and, more notably, Ferrari’s home race at the 2019 Italian Grand Prix. He was the first Ferrari winner at Monza since Fernando Alonso in 2010 and the victory helped take him further into the hearts of the Tifosi faithful. On Friday, Leclerc teased on Instagram that he had just received “something special” from the Scuderia. On his memorable Monza victory, Leclerc said it gave him “the chills” when he passed the chequered flag in P1. “It’s very difficult to find the words to describe what I felt during this race [at Monza],” Leclerc told Autosport. “I had a lot of pressure – the whole team had a lot of pressure – because obviously we were in Italy, Ferrari is huge in Italy, and everyone wanted us to win so there was big pressure around the whole team. “The week started from the Monday, which is quite different from the other grands prix because normally as drivers we start on the Thursday, but we started on the Monday with some events in Milan and things like this. “So the pressure was building up. Then doing the pole was something special already, but then I had to focus on the race and in the race I had no space to breathe. I had Lewis all the race at less than two seconds, I think, so a lot of pressure. “And then to be on the podium, to finally have won the race, and to see the red army under the podium was something extremely special. “It gave me chills and made me realise what it is like to be a Ferrari driver, which of course I realised a little bit before, but I think you really realise it once you win in Monza and see the passion [that] you can really see in the eyes of the people – the passion that they have for the brand. “It’s unbelievable to see.” Ferrari gifting their drivers a Formula 1 car is nothing new. In 2020, Kimi Raikkonen received the SF71H he won the 2018 United States Grand Prix