2021 - Racetrackmasters

Ferrari to consider extending Carlos Sainz contract beyond 2022

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago03 mins

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto has revealed that his team will consider offering Carlos Sainz a contract extension. The Spaniard’s future will be decided by the team over the winter break after the 2021 Formula 1 season came to a conclusion last weekend in Abu Dhabi. Carlos Sainz managed to put Ferrari on the podium in the dramatic season finale by finishing third. However, his achievement went unrecognized as all attention was on the championship battle between Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Sainz joined the duo on the podium after the race. “A podium to end a magic season… first season for me at Ferrari,” Sainz said. “P5 in the championship I think.” Ferrari commended the 27-year old for doing well in his debut season with the team amid struggling to keep up with his teammate Charles Leclerc. “Carlos had a great year,” Binotto confirmed. The Ferrari boss was also asked on whether they will be rewarding Carlos Sainz with a contract extension beyond 2022 after a successful 2021 season. “When we signed him a year ago, we said that the winter would be the time to talk and review everything that happened during the season,” said Binotto. “So we will do that in the winter. There will be a joint review of the entire season and we will talk about what our future will look like.” “When we signed Carlos, we wanted two good drivers in the race who are consistently scoring points. That’s been the case this season,” Binotto added. “I’m very happy with what Carlos has done this season, his first with Ferrari, which was not easy. But we signed him because he is a good driver who scores points and is able to learn.”

Hamilton’s name missing in the Sports Personality of the Year short-list, Verstappen nominated

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago02 mins

Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton is missing on the short list for the Sports Personality of the year. This comes as the 36-year old missed securing his eighth Formula 1 title in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend. The BBC holds the Sports Personality of the Year event annually on December with an aim to celebrate and acknowledge successful sportsmen and women in Britain. However, this time round Hamilton’s name did not appear for the award despite winning twice in previous years. The Brit’s hopes of winning a record eighth title were shattered on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took the lead. The move was very controversial as a late Safety Car put Verstappen directly behind Hamilton after clearing five lapped cars between the title rivals to overtake the Safety Car. The Race Control intervention widely received criticism as it saw the title fight fall in Verstappen’s favor. With Hamilton’s name missing in the Sports Personality of the Year shortlist, Max Verstappen was nominated for the International World Sports Star gong. The award acknowledges the successes of sportsmen from overseas. Some of the athletes that were nominated for the Sports Personality of the Year awards were tennis player Emma Raducanu who won the United States Open. Raducanu is a close friend of Hamilton besides being a Formula 1 fan. Tokyo games Olympic gold medalist Tom Daley was also nominated next to boxer Tyson Fury and 100m breaststroke gold medalist Adam Peaty.

Marko: We are yet to see the best of Max

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago04 mins

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has claimed that Max Verstappen is still growing stronger after securing his maiden title in Abu Dhabi last weekend. In a dramatic season finale at Yas Marina, Verstappen snatched victory from title rival Lewis Hamilton on the final lap in a move that brought a lot of controversy considering Hamilton had dominated over most of the race. 24-year old Verstappen is not new to Formula 1 as he has been on the pinnacle of motorsports for seven seasons despite the young age. However, Helmut Marko believes that the new champ is yet to get to his ‘climax’. “He is a driver who I’m sure is not at the end of his abilities,” the Red Bull boss told the BBC. “We saw his qualifying performance at the last two races, in Jeddah and Abu Dhabi. He did qualifying laps that were so much more than the car could deliver.” “And that’s why we believe we haven’t seen the climax of Max Verstappen. The more he wins, the more relaxed he gets.” Max Verstappen made his debut back in 2014 just aged 17 years driving for the Red Bull junior Formula 1 team Toro Rosso(currently AlphaTauri) in the Japanese Grand Prix Free Practice. In the 2015, the Dutchman got a seat with the team before getting promoted to the senior team the following season. On his debut year with Red Bull, Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix. This proved to Red Bull that they were already having a champion. Helmut Marko also admits that he spotted the young talent in Formula 3 just 15 years old, adding that Verstappen’s fast learning and development impressed him. “The first serious discussion I had with him was when he was 15. I saw him in a Formula 3 race where he was so much better than anyone else,” said Marko. “It was wet and dry conditions and after this race, which he won by miles, I had a discussion with him for nearly two hours normally with a young person I talk for 20 minutes – and I was surprised what a mature human being he was in a very young body.” “His determination or his will to win…he knew what he wanted to do,” Marko continued. “We were talking about the future and so on and after two or three weeks we said ‘forget all the other junior activities, we go straight into Formula 1.”

Lewis Hamilton set to receive knighthood award

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago02 mins

Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton is set to receive a knighthood award on Wednesday at Windsor Castle Investiture. The 36-Year old will be knighted tomorrow, just days after completing the 2021 Formula 1 Season which saw him miss an eighth championship win in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton was beaten to the title by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen after a dramatic final race. Lewis Hamilton was also named in the New Year Honours list back in 2020 despite a long wait for the award considering he is one of the most successful sportsmen in the history of United Kingdom. Adding to the wait was the Brit’s pending tax cases which made him to get overlooked for the award nomination. However, he was finally awarded in the overseas category having relocated to Monaco in 2010. Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen were level on points after 21 races in 2021 and the title fight went down to the last lap of the final race, when the Red Bull driver overtook Hamilton, benefitting from a sudden change in decision by race officials to withdraw the safety car in the final lap.Though Mercedes registered a formal protest, it was rejected by race stewards, ensuring Verstappen won his debut world championship.Despite the loss, Hamilton was gracious in defeat as he congratulated his rival, with whom he clashed—physically and verbally—multiple times over the year. Hamilton was made a member of the order of the British Empire in 2008 after his first championship victory with McLaren.

Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou make their debut with Alfa Romeo in Abu Dhabi Post Season Test

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago01 mins

After completing the 2021 Formula Season with Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas was back on the track with his new team Alfa Romeo. This comes after Alfa Romeo announced their all new 2022 driver line-up back in November. Partnering Bottas for the 18 inch Pirelli tyre Post Season Test was Guanyu Zhou who made a debut in Formula 1 after racing for Uni Virtuosi in Formula 2. Zhou was the runner up in Formula 2 Championship after Oscar Piastri claimed the F2 title. The two Alfa Romeo drivers set out to the track at Yas Marina with Bottas sporting 18 inch Pirelli tyres which are set for 2022. Zhou on the other hand, got to experience the Alfa Romeo 2021 car after getting acquainted with the Swiss team. However, Bottas was running on a mule car which Zhou will switch to on Wednesday for Pirelli tyre test.

Max Verstappen back on the track after maiden championship win

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago03 mins

2021 Formula one champion Max Verstappen has gone back to work just a day after winning Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday claiming the world title. Amid night long celebrations for the newly crowned champion, business was back to usual at Yas Marina Circuit as the Formula 1 Post Season test is underway. Pirelli is currently conducting tests on 18 inch tyres for the 2022 season as Young drivers get a chance to test the 2021 Formula 1 cars. Formula 1 teams are also making preparations for the 2022 Formula one season with their regular drivers as they run on the 18 inch rims. Some drivers also got the first chance to run for their new teams following the 2022 driver line-up announcements made through the season by the teams. This include George Russell who switched from Williams to Mercedes replacing Valtteri Bottas who was taken in by Alfa Romeo. Indycar Arrow SP McLaren driver Pato O’ Ward was also given a chance to test with McLaren Formula 1 team for the first time. Red Bull was also not left behind as they got to test their junior driver Liam Lawson. However, the 2021 DTM runner up did not test with the Red Bull car but alternatively went out with AlphaTauri. Formula 2 driver Logan Sargeant was also backed by Williams for the test while his fellow driver in F2 Oscar Piastri made a test debut with Alpine. Another F2 driver expected to make a debut in Formula 1 is Guanyu Zhou who will partner with Bottas in Alfa Romeo. The Post Season test is scheduled to run for two days as preparations are underway for the 2022 F1 season.

Max Verstappen parties all night after championship win

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago04 mins

After a thrilling and dramatic 2021 Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was crowned the champion after a last minute dash overtaking title rival Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen left nothing to imagination after clinching maiden Formula 1 title as celebrations for his victory kicked off almost immediately after the race. It was very evident his teammates at Red Bull were very overjoyed as they carried the new champ on their shoulders chanting songs and the party started. The team would later party all night and proved a little hard for Verstappen to leave early. The 24-year old found himself leaving the party at 0700 hrs local time as the sun was rising. Talking on a video call on Monday, the sleepy and tired Red Bull champion talked about the party. “All the emotions they come out… So it was a lot of fun. Of course when I woke up it wasn’t so fun. I maybe regretted that final drink,” Verstappen said. Verstappen also talked on receiving a congratulatory message from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. “Toto sent me a text… congratulations on on the season and that I deserve to win it,” Verstappen said. “So that was very nice of him, of course. Emotions run very high to that last lap from both teams. It is what it is. We will see.” Mercedes lost its initial protests at the track on Sunday. One of the protests centered on whether Verstappen broke rules by passing Hamilton before the safety car period had ended, the other on the restart procedure itself, and the number of lapped cars that were given the green light to overtake the safety car. Mercedes argued Hamilton would have won the race if all had overtaken the safety car due to the time required, making a final lap showdown impossible. The confusion over the regulations and application of them has led to calls for greater clarity. “You’re going to look into what can we do or what should have been done,” Verstappen said. “This is with all kinds of decisions, isn’t it? The same in football with the referee. Should it have been a penalty, shouldn’t it have been a penalty? What can we improve? Should we have had a different camera angle? All these kind of things, you’re going to bring up, for sure.”

Mercedes appeals rejected by F1 Stewards

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago05 mins

Formula 1 Stewards rejected two appeals lodged by Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton lost the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Verstappen won the last race of the season claiming his maiden Championship title after a controversial last minute move on Hamilton. The Dutchman was able to overtake the Mercedes driver on the final lap. Mercedes later launched a protest claiming that Verstappen initiated an overtake on Hamilton while the Safety Car was still on the track. The race stewards later dismissed the appeal citing that the pictures presented were inconclusive. Red Bull argued that Car 44 was not “overtaken” by Car 33, that both cars were “on and off the throttle” and that there were “a million precedents” under Safety Car where cars had pulled alongside then moved back behind the Car that was in front. Conclusions of the Stewards: The Stewards consider that the protest is admissible. Having considered the various statements made by the parties. The Stewards determine that although Car 33 did at one stage, for a very short period of time, move slightly in front of Car 44, at a time when both cars where accelerating and braking, it moved back behind Car 44 and it was not in front when the Safety Car period ended (i.e. at the line). The second appeal lodged by Mercedes was all about allowing lapped cars to overtake the Safety Car. After the Safety Car was brought out following Nicholas Latifi’s crash, Hamilton opted to stay on the track as Verstappen was called in to the pits for fresh tyres. Coming back to the track, the Red Bull driver was five lapped cars behind Hamilton. The Race Director later cleared the lapped cars to overtake the Safety Car, a move that directly landed Verstappen just behind Hamilton. Running on fresh soft tyres Verstappen had the advantage over Hamilton who had older tyres. The Race Stewards dismissed the protest stating that, Having considered the various statements made by the parties the Stewards determine the following: That Article 15.3 allows the Race Director to control the use of the safety car, which in our determination includes its deployment and withdrawal. That although Article 48.12 may not have been applied fully, in relation to the safety car returning to the pits at the end of the following lap, Article 48.13 overrides that and once the message “Safety Car in this lap” has been displayed, it is mandatory to withdraw the safety car at the end of that lap. That notwithstanding Mercedes’ request that the Stewards remediate the matter by amending the classification to reflect the positions at the end of the penultimate lap, this is a step that the Stewards believe is effectively shortening the race retrospectively, and hence not appropriate. Accordingly, the Protest is dismissed. The Protest Deposit is not refunded.

Mercedes lodges two appeals after controversial Verstappen win in Abu Dhabi

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago03 mins

After Hamilton’s dramatic last lap overtake by Red Bull title rival Max Verstappen in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Mercedes has presented two appeals. Max Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday evening claiming his first World Championship title. This was after a dramatic last lap overtake on Hamilton at Turn 5 which brought a lot of controversy surrounding the situation under which the overtake was initiated. Mercedes presented their appeal to the FIA for Verstappen’s overtake on Hamilton under the safety car. They also presented another on safety car procedure itself questioning why only a number of lapped cars were allowed to overtake the Safety Car. Lewis Hamilton had dominated over the final race in the 2021 Formula 1 calendar which would decide the title champion as he was on level points with Verstappen. Stretching his lead over the Red Bull driver as the race progressed, it was certain the Briton would add one more championship title to the seven titles under his name. Fortunes changed after Williams’ Nicholas Latifi crashed bringing out the Safety Car on lap 53. With only five laps left, Red Bull took advantage of the delay to bring in Verstappen for fresh soft tyres. Meanwhile Hamilton opted to stay out and maintain the lead and track position despite running on old tyres. As Verstappen headed back to the track, there were five lapped cars between him and Hamilton. Still rallying behind the Safety car, the Race Director Michael Masi cleared the lapped cars to overtake the safety car despite disallowing the same initially. With the lapped cars out of the way, Verstappen was now trailing behind Hamilton and the battle to the chequered flag was imminent. Verstappen soon got to overtake Hamilton on Turn 5 maintaining the lead all the way to the finish.

Max Verstappen wins maiden championship title after a dramatic last lap overtake on Hamilton

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago07 mins

Red Bull ace Max Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race at Yas Marina claiming his maiden Formula 1 Championship title. Verstappen won the final race of the 2021 Formula 1 Season after a dramatic last lap overtake on his title rival Lewis Hamilton who had dominated over the race after overtaking Verstappen on race start. Hamilton was leading the race with a considerable margin over Verstappen but a virtual safety car saw the Red Bull driver clear the time gap. However, a second controversial virtual safety car was effected and against all odds Verstappen landed just behind the leading Mercedes. With the title fight down to the last lap, Verstappen pulled off an overtake on Hamilton at Turn 5 leading all the way to the chequered flag. Disappointed Hamilton finished second ahead of Carlos Sainz who got Ferrari a podium after an impressive performance in the Sunday evening race. The fight was down to the wire from the race start as Hamilton who was starting from the second spot on the grid took the lead from Verstappen after a fast launch. Going through Turn 6, Verstappen would try to pull off an overtake on Hamilton from the inside forcing the Mercedes driver to run wide. Despite the efforts, Hamilton maintained the lead as the Race Stewards saw no need to investigate Verstappen’s move. As the race progressed, Verstappen could not keep up with Hamilton’s pace despite going in for the hard tyres on Lap 13. Heading back to the track, the Dutchman was held up behind Carlos Sainz stretching the time margin from Hamilton to eight seconds. Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez who was leading the race at the time assisted the sister Red Bull recover the time by holding up Hamilton. Perez cost Hamilton six seconds by slowing down in the final sector. Once again, Hamilton took the lead after a slipstream on Perez and again extended the gap over Red Bull. Kimi Raikkonen was not so lucky on his final race in F1 after spinning off Turn 6 after a brake problem which forced his retirement. Williams’ George Russell also retired from his final race with the team after losing his drive. Antonio Giovinazzi’s retirement at Turn 9 saw both Red Bulls pit for hard compounds as the virtual safety car was out. Hamilton, on the other hand opted to stay out stretching the lead over Verstappen to 20 seconds. Running on brand new slicks, Verstappen’s Red Bull was faster and Hamilton was not gaining more time despite a strong lead. All fortunes changed for Red Bull after forcing Verstappen to pit for soft tyres during the virtual safety car which was brought out after Nicholas Latifi crashed on Turn 14. Being the last lap, Formula 1 race director Michael Masi cleared the four lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to overtake the safety car despite initially stating that it was not allowed. Verstappen was now trailing just behind Hamilton in the final lap and the battle to the chequered flag was on. Capitalising on the situation and on fresh soft tyres, Verstappen took the lead on Turn 5 all the way to the finish becoming the first Dutch World Champion. Despite a disappointing second place for Hamilton, Mercedes won its 8th constructors championship in a row. 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Results: Pos No Driver Nat. Car Time/Retired PTS Laps 1 33 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing 1:30:17.345 26 58 2 44 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team +2.256s 18 58 3 55 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari +5.173s 15 58 4 22 Yuki Tsunoda JAP Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda +5.692s 12 58 5 10 Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda +6.531s 10 58 6 77 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team +7.463s 8 58 7 4 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team +59.200s 6 58 8 14 Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine F1 Team +61.708s 4 58 9 31 Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team +64.026s 2 58 10 16 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari +66.057s 1 58 11 5 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team +67.527s 0 58 12 3 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team +1 lap 0 57 13 18 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team +1 lap 0 57 14 47 Mick Schumacher GER Uralkali Haas F1 Team +1 lap 0 57 15 11 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing DNF 0 55 NC 6 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing DNF 0 50 NC 99 Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN DNF 0 33 NC 63 George Russell GBR Williams Racing DNF 0 26 NC 7 Kimi Räikkönen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN DNF 0 25

Mercedes made change to a part of Hamilton’s power unit

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago01 mins

Lewis Hamilton run the Saturday’s Final Practice and Qualifying round of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on a new engine component. Hamilton’s car will also run on the new exhaust system for Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race. This was confirmed from the Technical Delegate’s Report from FIA. The report also indicates that Hamilton has previously used four exhaust systems throughout the 2021 Formula 1 Season. However, Hamilton will not be incurring any penalty as there is no limit of exhaust system use. “The exhaust system used by Lewis Hamilton is one of the eight new exhaust systems allowed for the 2021 Championship season and this is in conformity with Article 23.2a of the 2021 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations,” the note read.

Verstappen will be starting the Abu Dhabi GP on pole after topping in Quali – Results

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago05 mins

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen will be starting the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the top spot on the grid after finishing the fastest in the Qualifying round. Max Verstappen beat title rival Lewis Hamilton taking pole position for the final race in Abu Dhabi which will decide the 2021 Formula 1 World Champion. Verstappen made the fastest lap recording a jaw breaking 1m 22.109s lap time beating Hamilton with more than a third of a second in the Saturday evening session. This was after Red Bull pulled off a slipstream with Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez along the back straight which was very crucial in the battle for the top spot in the Qualifying round. Lewis Hamilton tried to take over the record time but to no avail as the session came to an end. McLaren’s Lando Norris maintained a good form after finishing the third fastest despite a slow start on the Friday practice. Coming in at P4 was the second Red Bull car with Sergio Perez despite team efforts to land him directly behind Verstappen on the grid. Carlos Sainz also put an impressive performance for Ferrari after finishing P5. Valtteri Bottas will be starting Abu Dhabi Grand Prix down in sixth place with Charles Leclerc just beside him in P7. The first AlphaTauri and Alpine cars will start on P8 and P9 with Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon respectively. Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top ten slots for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after making a compromise for Fernando Alonso in the last sector. This did not sit well with Alonso as he was eliminated in Q2 and will be starting from P11. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly was the second to be eliminated in Q2 on P12 despite complaining his brakes were too cold and too much slow traffic. Lance Stroll finished P13 ahead of Antonio Giovinazzi as Sebastian Vettel landed himself P15. Both Williams will be starting from P16 and P17 with Nicholas Latifi and George Russell respectively. Kimi Raikkonen will start from 18th place for his final race in Formula 1. Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin will start from the back of the grid in P19 and P20 respectively. 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Qualification Results Pos No Driver Nat, Car Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps 1 33 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing 1:23.322 1:22.800 1:22.109 20 2 44 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1:22.845 1:23.145 1:22.480 19 3 4 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team 1:23.553 1:23.256 1:22.931 20 4 11 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing 1:23.350 1:23.135 1:22.947 24 5 55 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari 1:23.624 1:23.174 1:22.992 22 6 77 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1:23.117 1:23.246 1:23.036 20 7 16 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari 1:23.467 1:23.202 1:23.122 23 8 22 Yuki Tsunoda JAP Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1:23.428 1:23.404 1:23.220 22 9 31 Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team 1:23.764 1:23.420 1:23.389 20 10 3 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team 1:23.829 1:23.448 1:23.409 19 11 14 Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine F1 Team 1:23.846 1:23.460 12 12 10 Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1:23.489 1:24.043 16 13 18 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1:24.061 1:24.066 17 14 99 Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN 1:24.118 1:24.251 17 15 5 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1:24.225 1:24.305 18 16 6 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing 1:24.338 8 17 63 George Russell GBR Williams Racing 1:24.423 7 18 7 Kimi Räikkönen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN 1:24.779 8 19 47 Mick Schumacher GER Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1:24.906 9 20 9 Nikita Mazepin RAF Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1:25.685 9

Abu Dhabi GP: Mercedes dominance continues as Hamilton tops FP3 – Results

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago05 mins

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton remained unbeaten in the Third Free Practice of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Hamilton topped the timesheets in the final practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with 1m 23.274s. His title rival, Max Verstappen was second fastest just two tenths of a second off the benchmark time as Valtteri Bottas rounded out the top three fastest lap times in the afternoon session. The conditions at Yas Marina Circuit were at 39 degrees for the track temperatures and 26 degrees for air temperature. Pirelli tyre options were the soft compound C5, medium compound C4 and hard compound C5. Verstappen was the first driver to set a time benchmark of 1m 24.997s on the medium tyre compound using the low downforce wing. Bottas went after Verstappen but only managed 1m 25.290s on the soft compound tyres which was a third of a second off Verstappen’s time. Lewis Hamilton experienced delays after coming in a little later than the other drivers as his mechanics raced against time working on the brakes. The Briton later set a benchmark time of 1m 24.241s on soft tyres. However, Hamilton’s lead was shortlived as Bottas made a flying lap recording 1m 24.238 in the sister Mercedes beating the benchmark time with just 0.003s. Lewis Hamilton later set a jaw breaking flying lap recording 1m 23.274s widening the margin over Bottas with 0.8s. Red Bull’s Verstappen recorded 1m 23.488s which was two tenths of a second slower than Hamilton after his flying lap on the softs after the team made changes to his rear wing. In the closing stages of the session, Hamilton’s time remained at the top of the timesheets. Verstappen taking P2 and Bottas P3, Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez came in P4 late in the session with 1m 24.047s. Yuki Tsunoda continued his good form which landed him P5 ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris who put quite an impressive performance despite a slow weekend start on Friday. Pierre Gasly in the second AlphaTauri came in P7 as Carlos Sainz marked the first Ferrari at P8. Daniel Ricciardo was impressive today after finishing P9 for McLaren as Charles Leclerc rounded out the top ten. 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP3 Results: Pos No Driver Nat. Team Time Gap Laps 1 44 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1:23.274 22 2 33 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing 1:23.488 +0.214s 23 3 77 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1:24.025 +0.751s 21 4 11 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing 1:24.047 +0.773s 20 5 4 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team 1:24.106 +0.832s 16 6 22 Yuki Tsunoda JAP Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1:24.223 +0.949s 21 7 10 Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1:24.251 +0.977s 22 8 55 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari 1:24.595 +1.321s 19 9 3 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team 1:24.733 +1.459s 15 10 16 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari 1:24.758 +1.484s 20 11 18 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1:24.821 +1.547s 21 12 31 Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team 1:24.834 +1.560s 17 13 7 Kimi Räikkönen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN 1:25.037 +1.763s 22 14 99 Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN 1:25.048 +1.774s 17 15 14 Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine F1 Team 1:25.094 +1.820s 19 16 5 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1:25.115 +1.841s 24 17 63 George Russell GBR Williams Racing 1:25.220 +1.946s 21 18 6 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing 1:25.322 +2.048s 18 19 47 Mick Schumacher GER Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1:25.340 +2.066s 17 20 9 Nikita Mazepin RAF Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1:26.332 +3.058s 18

Wolff and Horner play cool ahead of the final title decider

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago03 mins

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and Red Bull’s Christian Horner played cool and even ‘shook on it’ on the Friday press briefing ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale. The rival team bosses have had a somewhat ‘shaky relationship’ throughout the 2021 Formula 1 season. This was evident as the pair barely looked each other in the eye a couple of weeks ago discussing about the 2021 Formula 1 championship. However, today the duo put all the tension aside by shaking twice. The pressure build-up between Red Bull and Mercedes has been immense as they contend for both Drivers and Constructors championship titles. This comes as seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are equal on points as they head to the final campaign of the 2021 Formula 1 season. Verstappen leads with 9 wins ahead of Hamilton with 8. Looking at the Constructors championship, Mercedes is ahead of Red Bull with 587.5 and 559.5 points respectively with Horner saying it would take a miracle to win the Constructors title. “Good luck. May the best man and the best team win,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff reaching out to shake Horner’s hand with the constructor’s Championship trophy laying between them. “Exactly,” Red Bull boss Horner replied accepting the handshake,”We’re competing for two of the biggest trophies in sport of course, the competition is intense.” “It would be totally fake to sit here and say how much we love each other… because I’m not going on holiday with you after this weekend.” “The only chance we have to win this championship is to beat Lewis, and we want to do that on the track,” Horner added.

Abu Dhabi GP: Hamilton fastest in second practice as Raikkonen crashes out – Results

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago05 mins

Lewis Hamilton put Mercedes on the top spot after setting the fastest lap in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix second free practice. Running on the soft tyre compound, the seven-time world champion set a time of 1m 23.691s on the revamped Yas Marina track being the only driver in the 1m 24s. Hamilton’s title rival Max Verstappen ended the session ranking P4, six tenths of a second off the benchmark time. In the early stages of the session, most drivers opted to run on medium tyres and Hamilton topped the time sheets with 1m 24.9s. Verstappen tried to beat the time but got his time deleted for exceeding track limits. The Red Bull driver later tried his luck again recording 1m 25s. Another driver who got his lap time deleted was Fernando Alonso after trying to be as fast as his teammate Esteban Ocon who was the second fastest. Valtteri Bottas finished third just three tenths of a second slower than his teammate. With darkness setting in on the track, the drivers had a brief experience of track conditions as they head to the Qualifying round on Saturday and the race on Sunday. Sergio Perez was the fifth fastest driver behind Verstappen in the sister Red Bull as Fernando Alonso finished P6 despite his lap time getting deleted earlier on. Yuki Tsunoda put an an impressive performance for AlphaTauri after being the seventh fastest as his teammate Pierre Gasly was down in 10th. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished P8 and P9 respectively. Daniel Ricciardo led McLaren in 11th place with Lando Norris finishing 13th as Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi separating the duo in 12th place. Sebastian Vettel was the fastest of the Aston Martins at P14 ahead of Lance Stroll. Kimi Raikkonen was P16 despite bringing out red flags in the closing stages of the session after crashing heavily into the barriers at Turn 14. George Russell on his first stint of the day finished P17 for Williams ahead of his teammate Nicholas Latifi in P18. Mick Schmacher led Haas in P19 six tenths of a second clear of Nikita Mazepin. 2021 F1 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX – FREE PRACTICE RESULTS (2) POS DRIVER NAT. TEAM TIME 1 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m23.691s 2 Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team 1m24.034s 3 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m24.083s 4 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing 1m24.332s 5 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing 1m24.400s 6 Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine F1 Team 1m24.495s 7 Yuki Tsunoda JPN Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1m24.532s 8 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1m24.557s 9 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1m24.844s 10 Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1m24.940s 11 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team 1m24.959s 12 Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 1m25.108s 13 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team 1m25.153s 14 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1m25.195s 15 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1m25.385s 16 Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 1m25.440s 17 George Russell GBR Williams Racing 1m25.549s 18 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing 1m25.687s 19 Mick Schumacher GER Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1m25.748s 20 Nikita Mazepin RUS Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1m26.336s

Mercedes rules out having a new power unit for Lewis Hamilton

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago03 mins

Mercedes announced they have no plans to issue Lewis Hamilton with a fresh power unit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale. Lewis Hamilton will not be having a new Internal Combustion Engine this weekend which will mark the end of the 2021 Formula 1 season. Hamilton has already used five engines in the 2021 campaign which exceeds the permitted engine allocation which is three. The 36-year-old had to incur grid penalties in the Turkish and Sao Paulo GPs for the extra two engines used. Word had been going round that Mercedes may be in consideration of having a new ICE on Hamilton’s car giving him an edge in performance over Max Verstappen. The two title rivals are currently equal on points as they head to Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale. Mercedes engineer Andrew Shovlin shut down the engine change allegations in an interview with Sky Sports. “Not on the plan… If we do that, something has gone wrong. It wouldn’t feel like a good idea. That would only be if we suffer a big problem, and even that wouldn’t be Plan A if we did lose an engine,” Shovlin said. There has been a lot of talk over the ICE that Hamilton used in Brazil, as Red Bull boss Christian Horner described it as ‘unraceable’ after Mercedes dominance in Brazil and Jeddah rounds. “It’s not as big a deal as it’s perhaps being made out to be, I think Red Bull were inferring it was a huge difference and I think Toto did the same at one point. It’s a useful step in the right direction,” Shovlin added. “Whether we had it in, or not, at the last race, it’s not going to cover the kind of gap that we were seeing to Max over a single lap. But it’s a step in the right direction.”