2021

Losail International Circuit will be hosting its first ever grand prix this year with a 10 year deal in place starting from 2023, Formula 1 has confirmed. The track has hosted MotoGP since 2004 and its inclusivity in the Formula 1 calendar means the three final rounds of the 2021 Formula season will be taking place in the Middle East. The Qatar Grand Prix will be acting as a replacement for the Australian Grand Prix which was cancelled due to travel restrictions imposed by the Australian government due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The round will be happening from 19th to 21st November just between the Brazilian GP and the inaugural Saudi Arabia GP. “There was a strong will from Qatar to be helpful to F1, and in the course of this process, the vision for a longer partnership was discussed and agreed for 10 years,” a statement from F1 said. The 10-year agreement was driven by the fact that Qatar will be hosting FIFA World Cup in 2022 and the biggest strategy was to showcase Qatar after the 2022 games. “As part of the longer-term deal, discussions will continue regarding the location for the Grand Prix from 2023 with further details to be provided at a later time.” F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali praised the efforts of the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) and the Qatari Authorities in helping to arrange the Grand Prix at short notice, saying: “We are very pleased to welcome Qatar to the Formula 1 calendar this season and for the longer term from 2023.” It is understood that the race will be classified as a twilight start, similar to the Abu Dhabi GP and with lights out at 18:00 local time.

Antonio Giovinazzi says his Russian Grand Prix was “a mess” after the Italian lost radio communication with his team on the opening lap of the race. The Alfa Romeo driver started from 17th on the grid despite changing his gearbox, one place higher than where he qualified, with bigger penalties to other drivers actually helping him out. However, his efforts to move further up the grid during the race were compromised early on when he lost radio contact with his team on Lap 1. In the end Giovinazzi finished 16th, with the radio issues and contact with Mick Schumacher proving too much to overcome. “I had no radio from Lap 1, so it was impossible to communicate with the team, and it was just a difficult race with the fuel saving,” Giovinazzi said in an interview. “I tried to watch my pit on the main straight to see what I need to do, but without the radio it was just a mess. “And then also with the rain in the end I had no communication. It was just a silence race for myself, so just a difficult race from lap one. “It was also difficult to overtake, so I lost a lot of time there. Then when I was in free air the pace was good. But we lost a lot of laps.” Giovinazzi’s future at Alfa Romeo remains unclear at this time as he has yet to be confirmed by the team for 2021, with the Italian outfit already announcing that Valtteri Bottas will join from Mercedes.

Ross Brawn is fully expecting Lewis Hamilton to go on and stretch his record haul of grand prix wins to at least 120 before he finally retires from F1. Hamilton hit the magical 100 mark with his Russian Grand Prix triumph, although had been left lingering on 99 for over two months after reaching that figure at Silverstone. With the 36-year-old to continue with Mercedes through to the end of 2023 at least, F1 managing director motorsports Brawn sees no reason why Hamilton cannot push his victory haul beyond the reach of any other driver. “It’s a milestone no one thought anyone would ever reach,” said Brawn, via his regular post-race column. “Michael’s tally of 91 was so far ahead of what anyone else had ever done at that point that it never seemed conceivable that anyone would get near it. “But then Lewis beat it and now Lewis has 100 wins. There is nothing stopping him. Who knows where it’s going to end up? “He’s with us for another couple of years at least and he will win races every year. “I don’t think we could predict 200 wins, but I think we could certainly predict 20 more as he’s still massively competitive and motivated. “It’s just staggering and congratulations to him, as it’s a centenary that no one ever thought would be achieved.” Brawn further applauded Mercedes and Hamilton for overcoming a rare off day in qualifying as the team erred tactically before the seven-time champion made two mistakes of his own, including hitting the pit wall. Brawn, though, feels the challenge Mercedes is facing this year from Verstappen and Red Bull is having an impact. “It’s a measure of a world champion in a world championship team, that little glitches, such as Lewis hitting the wall in qualifying, look glaring because you make them so infrequently,” added Brawn. “Mercedes and Lewis weren’t on it in qualifying, at a track where they were expected to dominate given recent history. “Friday practice showed they were much quicker on the long runs. It was all there for them to take advantage of. So the fact it didn’t go to plan shows that this is not a slam dunk for them. “They’re going to have to fight hard all the way to the end if they are going to win the championship. Fighting hard internally is different than fighting hard externally. “When you’re fighting hard internally, what’s the worse that can happen? If one driver doesn’t win, the other would do. “They had years where it was Nico [Rosberg] or Lewis as there was no one to pick up the pieces if they didn’t deliver. Mercedes had that cushion if they messed up. Now there is no cushion. “Max is putting up a massive challenge for the championship, he was fantastic on Sunday, delivering a masterclass in damage limitation to recover to second from last and while he lost the championship lead, he’s only two points behind Lewis now.”

Starting next year, Lewis Hamilton will have a new teammate at Mercedes. George Russell will take the place of Valtteri Bottas. The Italian side of Sky Sports spoke to Hamilton about the changes for next year and his new teammate. “There is exceptional talent in the new generation. It’s something exciting for the sport. It’s great for me, for Bottas, for Vettel. For me, it’s fun because I can ask myself ‘How can I meet the challenge of these guys?’”, Hamilton says in the interview. “I’m much older. They [the new generation] are not afraid of anything. They are in top form and I love to see them drive. I hope I can still earn my place here, that I can respond to them as best I can. That’s what I’m focused on.” About his age, Hamilton has no further worries compared to the younger generation. “To be honest, I’m not worried about it. If we look at next year, the performance of the cars will probably be closer. The races will be more intense, so driving skills will play a big role. That’s why I want to stay in F1, because it will really be a chance to show my skills.” Indeed, the Briton has been driving in Formula 1 since 2007, giving him plenty of experience. “I think my mind can help the team move forward, because I know what I need from the car and where the performance needs to go. I hope to be important in that sense and be part of the growth of Russell, who will be next to me. He is already very fast, but he will definitely learn from me because I have been in F1 longer. I can learn from him as well. I have no problem learning from a younger person.”

Sebastian Vettel says his clash with Aston Martin Formula 1 teammate Lance Stroll in the Russian Grand Prix was down to a “misunderstanding”. The Aston Martin pair made contact in the latter stages of Sunday’s race at the Sochi Autodrom. With Stroll struggling for pace as the rain started to fall, Vettel closed in on his teammate. On the approach to Turn 10, a gap opened to the left of Stroll, allowing Vettel to make a move, but as he did, the Canadian closed the door and the pair collided. Remarkably, there was no significant damage to either car as Vettel go through unscathed. Reflecting on the incident, Vettel said: “I guess it was a misunderstanding, maybe he didn’t see me or expect me, fortunately nothing happened, but unfortunately we are both out of the points.” Giving his side of the story, Stroll explained: “It became very slippery out there and I did not see Sebastian alongside me. We will learn from today and move on to Turkey in a few weeks’ time.” After running most of the race outside of the top 10, Vettel moved into the points just before the rain arrived on Lap 48. The four-time champion was one of the few drivers to stop later for intermediates in a bid that the rain would clear. “In the end gambling on the wrong option to stay out with the dries, not the only one, but it hurts us in the end,” Vettel added. “Initially the rain was coming but it wasn’t coming a lot, it looked like we were doing the right thing but then it became more intense with rain, standing water, no chance to stay with the slicks. “Very slippery, you lose tyre temperature and have no profile to get rid of the water, was very very slow, we had a very slow lap the whole lap, which was very costly.”

Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes needs to target a 1-2 finish at Formula 1’s Russian Grand Prix in order to capitalise on Max Verstappen’s penalty. Title leader Verstappen will start Sunday’s grand prix from the back row of the grid after taking on a fresh power unit. Mercedes finished at the front of the field through both practice sessions at Sochi Autodrom on Friday with Valtteri Bottas heading Hamilton. “It’s a tough year for everyone with reliability, so it’s definitely a shame for him,” said Hamilton. “But we have to try and capitalise on that naturally and try to get maximum result. A 1-2 would be spectacular for us.” Bottas, meanwhile, continued his strong form from Monza at a circuit where he has twice previously triumphed. Bottas’ maiden win came at Sochi in 2017 while last year the Finn took the most recent of his nine career victories. “I find the flow on this track and I enjoy this type of corners – I really enjoy,” he said. “And when the car works nicely here, then it is very enjoyable. “From the first run I had good confidence with the car, the balance was actually very good, so all we had to do were minor adjustments during the day. “I could really just focus on the driving and finding small gains here and there. But I’d say that both in the short and the long runs I was pretty comfortable.”

Valtteri Bottas led a Mercedes 1-2 during second practice for Formula 1’s Russian Grand Prix, with Pierre Gasly third for AlphaTauri. Bottas set a time of 1:33.593s to finish 0.044s in front of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, as the duo replicated their positions from the first practice session. Mercedes has not been beaten since Formula 1’s arrival at Sochi Autodrom in 2014, with Bottas taking his maiden win at the venue in 2017, as well as his most recent victory last year. While Friday’s running took place in fine and sunny conditions, teams and drivers are also braced for potential disruption to Saturday’s track action due to forecasted heavy rain. Qualifying could be shifted to Sunday morning in the event of rain not abating, though current forecasts indicate a potential improvement towards the end of Saturday. Pierre Gasly maintained his and AlphaTauri’s recent strong one-lap form as he placed third, behind only the two Mercedes, just two-tenths behind Bottas. His position was in stark contrast to rookie team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who placed only 18th, two seconds adrift of Gasly. However it was not plain sailing for Gasly after an unusual incident at Turn 2 late in the session. Gasly went wide into the corner and ran heavily over the raised orange kerb to such an extent that the AT02’s front wing detached from the car. There were also contrasting fortunes at McLaren. Lando Norris finished the session in fourth place but team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was a low-key 17th. However Ricciardo’s Soft tyre run came late in the session, and was far from a clean lap, after his entry into the session was delayed while McLaren fitted an old-spec power unit to his MCL35M. That decision came after an issue was found on Ricciardo’s original power unit which McLaren expects to repair in time for Saturday’s running. Red Bull had been tipped to equip Verstappen’s RB16B with a fresh Honda power unit and made the call after the opening practice session. As a result Verstappen will start Sunday’s grand prix from the back row of the grid, alongside Charles Leclerc, who has also taken on fresh components in the wake of Ferrari readying its new hybrid system. Verstappen previously started from the back in Russia in 2018, having taken on a fresh power unit, and from there he raced to fifth position. The decision to take a fresh power unit effectively eradicates the impact of the three-place drop Verstappen received for colliding with Hamilton in Italy. Antonio Giovinazzi is in the midst of a fight to save his Formula 1 career at Alfa Romeo but suffered an untimely crash during the session. Giovinazzi, on a qualifying simulation, skated wide exiting Turn 8 and backed the Alfa Romeo C41 into the barriers. The rear of the C41 sustained substantial damage and while Giovinazzi was able to continue driving he was swiftly told by the team to halt the car. The session was halted while repairs were undertaken to the barriers. 2021 F1 RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX – FREE PRACTICE 2 RESULTS POS DRIVER NAT. TEAM TIME 1 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m33.593s 2 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m33.637s 3 Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1m33.845s 4 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team 1m34.154s 5 Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team 1m34.402s 6 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing 1m34.621s 7 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1m34.678s 8 Fernando Alonso CHI Alpine F1 Team 1m34.762s 9 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1m34.837s 10 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1m34.925s 11 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing 1m34.938s 12 Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 1m35.052s 13 George Russell ISR Williams Racing 1m35.094s 14 Antonio Giovinazzi GBR Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 1m35.178s 15 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1m35.334s 16 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing 1m35.411s 17 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team 1m35.630s 18 Yuki Tsunoda JPN Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1m35.934s 19 Nikita Mazepin RUS Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1m36.099s 20 Mick Schumacher GER Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1m36.230s

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will start from the back of the grid after the team elected to change the Dutchman’s powerunit. The championship leader already had a three-place grid penalty for his clash with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix. However, Red Bull has chosen to fit a raft of new power unit components to his car which will see the 23-year-old start at the back of the grid for the Russian GP. Verstappen has taken a new internal combustion engine, a new turbo, MGU-K, MGU-H, and a fresh energy store. His RBR-16B will also be fitted with a new set of control electronics and a new exhaust system. Verstappen will have exceeded his allowed allocation of each of the power unit components except the exhaust. This will put Red Bull at a significant disadvantage with Verstappen needing to fight his way through the field for Sunday’s Grand Prix in order to score points. The Dutchman will be joined by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who has also received a power unit change as the Scuderia has introduced a new-spec engine for this weekend.

Valtteri Bottas made a fast start to the Russian Grand Prix weekend by topping opening practice from Mercedes Formula 1 teammate Lewis Hamilton. The Finn, a two-time Russian GP winner, produced a best lap of 1m34.427s to finish 0.211s clear of Hamilton in the first 60-minute practice session as Mercedes looks to maintain its unbeaten record in Sochi. Mercedes has won every single race to be staged at Sochi since the former Winter Olympics venue joined the F1 calendar in 2014, while it is also the circuit where Bottas took both his first and most recent grand prix victory. F1 Russian GP: Bottas fastest from Hamilton and Verstappen in opening practiceF1Lewis Larkam24 Sep 2021 Bottas leads Hamilton in opening Russian GP practiceValtteri Bottas made a fast start to the Russian Grand Prix weekend by topping opening practice from Mercedes Formula 1 teammate Lewis Hamilton. The Finn, a two-time Russian GP winner, produced a best lap of 1m34.427s to finish 0.211s clear of Hamilton in the first 60-minute practice session as Mercedes looks to maintain its unbeaten record in Sochi. Mercedes has won every single race to be staged at Sochi since the former Winter Olympics venue joined the F1 calendar in 2014, while it is also the circuit where Bottas took both his first and most recent grand prix victory. Max Verstappen ended up just 0.016s behind his main rival Hamilton as the Red Bull driver wound up third-fastest. Verstappen holds a five-point advantage over Hamilton in the championship standings but is carrying a three-place grid penalty into the weekend after being penalised for causing the race-ending collision with Hamilton at Monza. Red Bull is yet to decide whether it will replace the Honda engine in Verstappen’s car in Russia, a move that would trigger an automatic grid penalty for exceeding the permitted power unit allocation for the season. Charles Leclerc was fourth and over six-tenths off the pace as he debuted Ferrari’s upgraded power unit that will consign the Monegasque driver to a back-of-the-grid start for Sunday’s race. Sebastian Vettel was fifth-fastest for Aston Martin, ahead of Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri and Carlos Sainz, who is continuing to run Ferrari’s older-spec engine this weekend. McLaren’s Lando Norris finished eighth-quickest, while Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso completed the rest of the top ten order for Red Bull and Alpine respectively. After claiming a shock victory to end McLaren’s near-decade-long winning drought at the Italian Grand Prix last time out, Daniel Ricciardo was only 14th-fastest, behind the likes of Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll and Antonio Giovinazzi. Fresh from being confirmed as a Haas driver for 2022, home favourite Nikita Mazepin outpaced teammate Mick Schumacher as the rookie pairing once again rounded out the bottom of the timesheets. 2021 F1 RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX – FREE PRACTICE RESULTS POS DRIVER NAT. TEAM TIME 1 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m34.427s 2 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m34.638s 3 Max verstappen NED Red Bull Racing 1m34.654s 4 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1m35.117s 5 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1m35.781s 6 Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1m35.794s 7 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1m35.811s 8 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team 1m35.959s 9 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing 1m36.188s 10 Fernando Alonso CHI Alpine F1 Team 1m36.225s 11 Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team 1m36.236s 12 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1m36.522s 13 Antonio Giovinazzi GBR Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 1m36.795s 14 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team 1m36.877s 15 Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 1m36.952s 16 Yuki Tsunoda JPN Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1m37.794s 17 George Russell ISR Williams Racing 1n38.013s 18 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing 1m38.155s 19 Nikita Mazepin RUS Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1m38.586s 20 Mick Schumacher GER Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1m38.977s

Formula 1 qualifying at the Russian Grand Prix could shift to Sunday morning due to fears over heavy rain threatening Sochi and already shaking the schedule. After the Belgian Grand Prix washout, F1 is keen to avoid a repeat of fans sitting in the grandstands waiting for track action that is unlikely to arrive. With 27,000-weekend tickets sold for the Russian event, feeder series F3 has already pulled forward its first race of the weekend from Saturday morning to Friday evening. “The FIA Formula 3 Race 1 at Sochi Autodrom has been re-scheduled to today, Friday 24th September 2021, at 17.25 local time,” read a brief press release. “It was originally planned for tomorrow, Saturday 25th September, at 08.35, but due to the uncertain weather forecast, the decision was made to bring it forward by one day.” Weather reports suggest heavy rain will fall throughout Saturday, with the uncertainty over any running compounded by a flat track surface that is unlikely to drain quickly. Speaking on Friday morning, McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl explained conversations had already taken place to ensure a Belgian GP scenario is avoided “I think for Sunday it doesn’t look too bad at the moment with what I have seen so I think there is actually a chance to have some dry running on Sunday,” he said. “There was good dialogue yesterday already just in order to be prepared for different scenarios for this weekend. “So I think everyone is prepared to react depending on how the weather forecast keeps developing.”

Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One team’s new factory in Northamptonshire has started construction in a ceremonial breaking-ground event. Aston Martin executive chairman Lawrence Stroll and JCB chairman Lord Bamford both attended the ceremony, which marks the official start of an 18-month construction and installation phase for a new headquarters for race team. The 37,000m2 buildings will become the new home of the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One team, which has outgrown its existing facilities and will rapidly grow its current headcount by the expected completion date of late 2022 or early 2023. The new three-unit factory will be constructed on land across the road from the historic Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit. One building will house the team’s design, manufacturing and marketing resource; a second will be occupied by the brand-new windtunnel; and the third will redevelop and repurpose the existing factory premises as a central hub featuring staff amenities and a logistics centre. The construction marks the first all-new factory in F1 in the UK for 17 years, the most recent being the McLaren Technology Centre, in Woking, which was officially opened in 2004. The team’s executive chairman Lawrence Stroll says he plans to develop, expand and upgrading every facet of the organisation in a quest for World Championship-winning performance. For the first time, the new factory will house every manufacturing resource within a single campus – the team currently operates from several discrete buildings, with additional work outsourced externally. In addition to the upgrade and expansion of facilities and machinery, the new factory will be complemented by a brand-new windtunnel and a brand-new Formula One simulator. The new tunnel will use the latest steel-belt rolling-road system, and a state-of-the-art flow-imaging section area. For the first time in the team’s history, the site will incorporate the windtunnel, model support and production facilities – a move that will bring significant development-rate benefits. The commissioning of the windtunnel is due to start in Q3 2023. Mr Stroll commented: “It is inspiring to look at where we are now in the context of the architectural and organisational challenges and ambitions that lie ahead. “Our new buildings reflect not only the scope of our determination to become a World Championship-winning force, but also the scale of our growth and development as an organisation. “I feel strongly that any building is a powerful representation of the people who work within it, and I am thrilled that we are creating a new home in which people can work, collaborate, create and win together. “It is exciting to think that the entire team will be in its new home by the end of 2022 or the start of 2023, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our partners who are working on the project, especially JCB and Cognizant.” Lord Bamford, chairman of JCB, added: “This ambitious project firmly positions the new team headquarters on the Formula One landscape and provides a fantastic home and working environment for a group of extraordinarily talented and motivated men and women. “I am inspired by Lawrence’s compelling vision for the team. It is an ambition we wholeheartedly share: to build a better industrial future for our country.”

Red Bull have strongly denied any suggestion Max Verstappen deliberately collided with Lewis Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix. The two championship contenders touched for the second time this season at Monza, but unlike at Silverstone where only the Dutchman retired, this time both were eliminated as the Red Bull went over the top of the Mercedes at the first chicane. Unsurprisingly, offering their reaction, Verstappen and Hamilton blamed each other, drawing comparison to a similar incident on Lap 1, when Lewis bailed across the kerbs at the Roggia chicane. “I don’t think you can judge them exactly the same because he just kept squeezing and squeezing while I was really alongside,” said Max. “You need two people to work together to make the corner. If one guy is not willing to work, it’s not going to happen. “We are fighting for position and unfortunately we touched. It’s very unfortunate what happened today, nobody likes to see that.” Lewis said: “I was in exactly the same position, but I gave way, and that’s racing. “He didn’t want to give way today. He knew that when he was going into Turn 2 what was going to happen. He knew he was going over the kerbs, but he still did it. “We’ll speak to the stewards and see. But I don’t really know what else to say.” Verstappen was given a three-place grid penalty for the Russian GP after the race, and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff hinted that there was a decision by Max to touch. “The stewards are going to decide who is to blame, or predominantly to blame. We’ve seen that in the past,” he told Sky Sports. “[Verstappen] doesn’t look like [he’s] alongside, then you go over the sausage kerb. But if you compare it to what Lewis said at Turn 4 in Lap 1, there was no space left and he was pushed off the track actually. “But let the stewards make the judgement. I don’t want to be a panther, like some of my colleagues do. “I think at that stage, [Hamilton] was on the inside and [Verstappen] just went straight off at the sausage kerb and jumped into him.” Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko quickly shot down Wolff and 1996 world champion Damon Hill, who also suggested Verstappen decided to “take Hamilton out”. “It’s clear the two of them will not be friends,” he was quoted by grandpx.news as saying. “It’s our fault with the pit stop that Max was near Hamilton, but I would declare it a racing incident. “Hamilton could have left more space, but assuming Max did it intentionally is nonsense. It’s not like [Alain] Prost and [Ayrton] Senna either. The difference is huge. “The result may be the same, but that was on purpose. This time neither of them had any such intention. You cannot plan for both of you to be out.” The Mercedes boss did conclude with a call for the race officials to ensure the situation between Verstappen and Hamilton didn’t escalate further. “If we don’t manage that in the right way – I’m sure the stewards will look at it in the right way – this is going to continue,” he said. “We had a high-speed crash at Silverstone, we had one car landing on top of the other one on Lewis’ head, so how far can it go? Maybe next time we’ll have a high-speed crash and land on each other. “If you see the car, the whole thing is damaged over the Halo and the wheel was on Lewis’ head.”

The FIA are set to take a closer look at the crash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix, due to the potentially serious outcome the accident could have had. While innocuous at first glance, the Verstappen/Hamilton clash on Lap 26 of the Monza race could have had very serious consequences as Verstappen’s car came to rest on Hamilton’s Halo cockpit protection system and made contact with his helmet. It’s this potential outcome that has led the FIA to decide that their Safety Department will investigate the accident. “Incidents that are different, so it’s not necessarily high G impacts or anything like that, but are unusual, we do look at,” said FIA Race Director Michael Masi to media. The FIA’s Safety Department was set up to analyse serious accidents in order to generate relevant learnings and applicable solutions to safety concerns. “Our Safety Department does look at them in detail, investigate, and see what we can learn and what we can improve for the future,” Masi said. “That’s how we have a whole lot of the safety features that we have today, and will continue to evolve into the future. “We are already collecting all of the data, so we have all of the information, and that will all go to our Safety Department, together with any photographs and anything else we have along the way.” Despite it being Verstappen and Hamilton’s second collision in five races, Masi said there was nothing untoward about the Italian GP incident that warranted special treatment or intervention from him or the stewards. “They’re in a very tight championship fight, two fantastic drivers and they’re extremely close,” he said. “Once you are in that situation, both drivers will take more risks one way or the other. “There wasn’t anything, in our perspective, silly – the stewards looked at it in exactly the same manner as they would any other incident and decided that one driver was predominantly to blame.”

Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo have revealed special liveries they will be using for the Italian GP which will be held this weekend at Monza. Aston Martin have added the iconic James Bond film logo 007 on the AMR21 to celebrate the release of the newest James Bond Film, No Time To Die. However, the green colour scheme will remain the same. The Aston Martin brand has been associated with the James Bond franchise for long with the starring character being well known for driving Aston Martin cars, and will be driving the same in the upcoming film which will be released on 30th September. This is not the first time a Formula 1 car will feature the 007 logo as Red Bull ran a special James Bond livery back in 2019 to celebrate Formula 1’s 1007th race. Alfa Romeo on the other hand has also created a special livery for their home race this weekend. They have replaced the white colour on the engine cover with green creating the Italian flag and also acting as a replica of their logo. The change will not only be on their F1 cars as the team also revealed their drivers will be in race suits that will be matching the cars, meaning the suits will be having shades of green. The team has been renowned for using special liveries, such as the Valentine’s Day livery they sported during pre-season testing last year.