2021

Following a long-running push to introduce some kind of race weekend format change, F1 received “broad support” from teams to stage three sprint races this year to set the grid for the final grand prix. The plan is to run a 100km race in Canada, Italy and Brazil, with qualifying taking still place in its usual format on the Friday to set the grid for the sprint event. It was agreed at the last F1 Commission meeting to form a working group to outline the precise details for sprint races, with clarification required on points and prize money payout, as well as how it would impact driver contracts. Aston Martin technical director Andrew Green explained that there were still a number of areas that needed to be clarified from a technical side, too, before the team could give its complete support. “We need a set of regulations, and we haven’t got a whole set of regulations yet around it,” Green said. “We’ve seen a proposal, which I think most teams were in favour of examining, but the devil is in the detail and the detail hasn’t been thrashed out yet. “There are there are lots of discussion points. You could just think of quite a few off the top of your head, like changing of the car between the events, how much you are allowed to change. “Brakes, are we allowed to change the brakes? And more importantly, what happens to the power unit allocation? We’re sort of locked in, the engines have been designed and dyno signed off for a certain type of season – and then to go away from that for a period perspective is going to be quite a challenge. “So there’s a lot to discuss. There’s a lot of details to sort out. I think there’s a general willingness to make it happen. But like I said, the devil is in the detail here.” Although teams have been provisionally supportive of plan, drivers have been less enthusiastic, with many unsure of the rationale behind the proposal. Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel has been the most vocal opponent so far, saying sprint races “make no sense” for F1 and could draw attention away from the Sunday event. Team boss Otmar Szafnauer echoed Green’s feeling that the final regulations had to be on the table before full support could be given, but understood Vettel’s fear that it could devalue the Sunday grand prix. “In order for us to do sprint races, getting the rules around is paramount,” Szafnauer said. “If we don’t get the rules right, because the cars are already designed and built, we could jeopardise the main race for the sprint race.”

Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher are a duo at Haas this season. The two rookies will want to prove themselves at all costs in their debut season and Mazepin is looking forward to competing against Schumacher. Mazepin and Schumacher are not teammates for the first time. The new Haas pair have driven together in karts before embarking on their single-seat careers. Schumacher has since won titles in Formula 2 and Formula 3, while Mazepin’s best result in 2018 is a second place in the F3 championship. Last year in Formula 2, Mazepin finished fifth in the championship with 51 points less than Schumacher. Despite the statistics speaking in Schumacher’s favour, Mazepin sees his chances positively. “I’ve done it before [beaten him], when we’ve competed in the same car. I’ve also been beaten by Mick when we’ve competed in the same car,” Mazepin explains. “I think it’s all up for grabs. He is a very good racing driver, which is an obvious fact.” Mazepin has not exactly been uncontroversial in the run-up to the season. Primarily because of his behaviour on and off the track, but also because of the Russian’s perception that he is in Formula One because of his father’s money. “I’m not the only driver who’s having to deal with. But it doesn’t really bother me because I’m proud of my family. I’m proud of my father, and I’m not taking this in a negative way.”

According to RacingNews365, the 30-year-old Czech racer had posted a subsequently deleted video on his YouTube channel claiming Ferrari had decided to axe Binotto as team principal or were about to. The report said Kral’s claim was that Ferrari were waiting until after pre-season testing in Bahrain next week to announce Binotto’s exit and “thank him for a good car” in a farewell message. However, Kral, who won a GP2 race at Spa in 2012 and describes himself as a “Ferrari 488 GT3 racing driver” on his Twitter profile, has now backtracked and said his comments were “taken out of context”. He posted: “Just to make it loud and clear…some of my recent comments about Scuderia Ferrari have been misinterpreted and taken out of context… “What I said was based on my own opinion and without any real base or information…I apologise if these speculations have created any issue.” Binotto received heavy criticism last year for Ferrari’s poor performance which saw them finish sixth in the constructors’ World Championship standings. From winning three consecutive races in September 2019, they fell off the pace due to a deficit of engine power following technical directives issued by the FIA. That is a problem the Italian giants have worked to address for the forthcoming campaign as they hope to push their way back up the order, but a title challenge with drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz is unlikely to occur until 2022 at the earliest when the sport’s new regulations are introduced. In the meantime, Ferrari have announced changes to their management structure aimed at helping Binotto lead the team back to success. Binotto, who began stepping away from attending races towards the end of 2020, is due to continue spending more time at the Maranello factory. The changes will see the chassis department reorganised into four key areas. David Sanchez will lead the vehicle concept section, chassis performance engineering will be headed by Enrico Cardile, chassis project engineering overseen by Fabio Montecchi, while Diego Ioverno will be in charge of vehicle operations. Reporting to Binotto on the technical side will be Cardile for the chassis department, Enrico Gualtieri for the power unit, Laurent Mekies for racing and Gianmaria Fulgenzi, leader of supply chain activities. As part of his leading role on the racing side, Mekies, Ferrari’s sporting director, is set to act as deputy team principal when Binotto does not attend race weekends.

Rumour has it that Formula 1 team boss Mattia Binotto will be sacked from his role as team principal for Ferrari, which would be an astounding move on the eve of the 2021 F1 season. It is said that Ferrari is looking at options beyond Mattia Binotto after two seasons with the team, both of which are considered ‘underwhelming’. The main source for this rumour is from Czech Ferrari GT driver Josef Kral via his Youtube channel. (edit – at around 9.05am GMT, this video was changed to private) According to Kral, it has already been decided that Binotto will be let go, and at the moment Ferrari is only waiting for testing to see how the car performs. If it performs well, he will be given a dignified goodbye and “thanks for building a good car for the team”. If true, the news would represent a real twist. 2021 should be a transition year for the Italian team in view of the major regulatory change of 2022. Binotto himself had announced that he would spend less time on the track this season in order to be able to follow the development of next year’s car more closely. Laurent Mekies will replace the current Ferrari Team Principal in the races in which he will not take part. Further, according to the journalist Serhan Acar, Binotto will have been removed from the role of team principal to join the FIA ​​World Motorsport Council, representing Ferrari. Therefore, the team would avoid letting one of the best engineers of the current F1 run free, as recently happened with Aldo Costa, Lorenzo Sassi or James Allison. Binotto admits that everything is on the line this year saying: “As the team principal of Ferrari, I am fully aware of the responsibility I have got. I don’t feel the pressure, but the responsibility and the pride. We simply need to do better and that is part of my responsibility.” Former Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali says he has “nothing to recommend” to Mattia Binotto other than to stay focused on Ferrari’s “priorities”. Interviewed by Corriere Della Serre, he said: “I see a company looking for stability that can guarantee competitiveness, but I have nothing to recommend to my friend Mattia Binotto. “At Ferrari, it’s about staying focused on priorities without being distracted by the enormous pressure that surrounds you.” It remains to be seen how soon the change will happen, but sources indicate it could be imminient.

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has leaked a few more details about this year’s new sprint races, one of which is that they won’t end with champagne celebrations. This season Formula 1 is set to trial sprint races at three grand prix weekends, Canada, Italy and Brazil. Qualifying for the sprint race will be held on the Friday, taking the slot usually reserved for free practice two. The race will then take place on the Saturday instead of the normal qualifying session. Points will be awarded from first to eighth, slightly less than half the points awarded for Sunday’s grand prix. But what the sprint races won’t have is a podium celebration. “We are defining the sprint races now and we will present the programme before the Bahrain Grand Prix,” Domenicali told Motorsport.com. “We have to make sure that there is a difference between the iconic celebration of the race – which is the iconic moment at the end of the event on Sunday afternoon. “That’s the peak of the event and that has to be kept separate from the other moments. So the most important celebration will still be Sunday afternoon, and not Saturday.” The name for the sprint races has yet to be decided on with ‘super qualifying’ one suggestion. “Sprint races, or whatever they’re going to be called – super qualifying – it’s excitement over three days,” said Renault executive director Marcin Budkowski. “We can qualify on the Friday, race on the Saturday, and race again on the Sunday. And we’re going to go a lot less prepared into qualifying. For the fans at the circuit or at home, it’s three days of excitement. “Teams sometimes look at it, and we’re so obsessed about competing with each other, we’re so obsessed about proving our competitiveness and performance, but we need to put on a good show. “I think that’s going to help putting a good show for the fans. So let’s try new formats. It’s a great opportunity to see if it’s something we want to carry over for the next seasons.”

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix organizers have confirmed that the 2021 race in Baku should go ahead as planned, but the event is set to take place behind closed doors. The 2020 race in Baku was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the race was ultimately called off when it became evident that the lockdown period needed to be extended. The beloved street race is due to make its return this year with its date scheduled for 4-6 June. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix race organisers have confirmed in a statement that the race will be staged without fans as the world is still grappling with the Covid-19 crises. “This decision was taken in light of ongoing health and safety concerns caused by the coronavirus pandemic and comes after extensive deliberation between BCC and the Government of the Azerbaijan Republic, F1 and the FIA.” “While the global situation and pandemic response is continuing to improve, it has become clear that the 2021 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix race weekend has arrived too soon for BCC to safely host the event with fans present.” Commenting on the announcement, Baku City Circuit executive director Arif Rahimov said: “We are, of course, thrilled to welcome F1 back to Baku after such a difficult period but we will deeply miss our amazing fans that have played a vital part in making this race weekend such a special occasion year after year. “Our message is as simple as it is heartfelt: we miss you and we will see you again! Our main priority this year will continue to be the health and safety of everyone working and participating at the event, whilst still delivering an awesome spectacle to for the world to savour watching from home. “We are once again expecting no shortage of drama, high-speeds and excitement when F1 arrives back in Baku for the fifth time this summer, so please sit back, relax and enjoy the 2021 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix and we will see you all again in person in 2022,” Rahimov concluded.

Williams has revealed images of its 2021 car, the FW43B after their initial launch plan was disrupted. Originally, the British team had hoped to use augmented reality, but a hack of the app meant that couldn’t go ahead forcing Williams to a more simple unveiling. The new car is merely an updated version of their 2020 design, hence the chassis name, but does feature a bold new livery harking back to the team’s past. Williams hopes it will see them be more competitive than last season, when they had good performance in qualifying but slipped back in the race. As a result, the team finished bottom of the Constructors’ Championship for the third straight year with no points. Once again, Williams has Mercedes junior George Russell and Nicholas Latifi behind the wheel of their two cars.

Williams has cancelled plans to launch its FW43B using an augmented reality app today, claiming it had been “hacked prior to launch”. The ‘Williams Racing AR Launch 2021’ app has been pulled from the Apple App Store and Android Google Play store.The team did not confirm details of the hack, but it is believed to have occured within two days of the app being made available on the Apple App Store on Tuesday. The launch was originally due to go ahead at 2pm today. Williams intends to distribute images of the new car instead. “Williams Racing planned to reveal its 2021 challenger, the FW43B, via an augmented reality app later today,” said the team in a statement. “However, sadly, because the app was hacked prior to launch, this will no longer be possible. We have subsequently removed the app from both the Apple App Store and Android Google Play store. “We were very much looking forward to sharing this experience with our fans, particularly during this difficult time when being able to bring in-person experiences directly to our fans is sadly not possible. We can only apologise that this has not been possible.” George Russell said the disruption to the team’s plans was a “massive shame”. “I’ve seen the app and it was going to be an awesome experience for you guy. Whoever did this, seriously not cool.”

Aston Martin will be making its long-awaited return to Formula 1racing in more ways than one. The British marque has just announced that it will provide two models to serve as the official safety car and official medical car for F1. The safety car will be none other than the stunning Aston Martin Vantage, with numerous upgrades for this specific task, along with the DBX SUV which will be the new F1 medical car. Both models will debut in Bahrain at the pre-season F1 test which will be held from 12 to 14 March. This is the first time that Aston Martin cars will serve as the safety and medical F1 cars and take over from Mercedes-AMG in doing so. A pace-setting safety car needs to be quick, which is why this particular Vantage has had its output bumped up by 24 horsepower to 528 hp. The torque figure of 505 lb-ft remains the same but is now produced over a wider range than before. Powered by this enhanced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, the Vantage safety car will be capable of reaching 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. The transmission has also been fettled for more precise shifts. Just as important is the DBX official medical car, which hopefully won’t have to be put into use to rescue drivers from horrific fireballs this season. Like the Vantage, it’s finished in the same Racing Green paint. For its specific duties, this DBX comes with two fire extinguishers, a defibrillator, and even a burn kit. There is no center rear seat, but the four remaining seats are each sport buckets with a six-point safety harness. Aston Martin logged nearly 9,300 miles in both safety cars to ensure their durability. CEO of Aston Martin Lagonda, Tobias Moers, described the two vehicles taking on the roles of official safety and medical cars as “a proud moment for us all.”

Haas revealed a striking new design for its VF-21 car on Friday that featured the red, white and blue colours of the Russian flag to reflect new title sponsor Uralkali, which is the backer of driver Nikita Mazepin. But it raised concerns about its compliance with a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which announced in December that Russian athletes were banned from competing at world championship events for the next two years. The ban related to state-sponsored doping and cover-ups at the 2014 Winter Olympics following investigations by WADA, which had recommended a four-year ban. The Russian Automobile Federation confirmed in February that this would extend to the FIA’s world championships, meaning Mazepin cannot race under the Russian flag this year. Mazepin is also prohibited from using national emblems, flags or symbols, as well as the word “Russia” or “Russian”, on his clothing or equipment. Haas claimed its livery was not designed to circumvent the CAS ruling, but WADA has revealed it is looking into the matter. “WADA is aware of this matter and is looking into it with the relevant authorities,” a spokesperson from WADA told Motorsport.com. The uncertainty would appear to lie within the clause of the ruling that says Russian athletes “shall not display publicly […] any national emblem or other national symbol of the Russian Federation, including without limitation, on their clothes, equipment or other personal items.” Following a request for comment from Motorsport.com about the compliance of the Haas livery, the FIA said: “The team has clarified the livery with the FIA – the CAS decision does not prohibit the use of the colours of the Russian flag.” The initial statement by the Russian Automobile Federation said Mazepin and other Russian drivers in FIA world championships could still use the colours of the Russian flag, as well as the acronym RAF, which stands for ‘Russian Automobile Federation’. “Obviously we cannot use the Russian flag as the Russian flag, but you can use colours on a car,” said Haas F1 boss Gunther Steiner. “In the end, it’s the athlete which cannot display the Russian flag and not the team. The team is an American team.” Mazepin said on Thursday that it was “very unfortunate” the ban had come into force ahead of his debut F1 season, where he is expected to compete as a neutral athlete from Russia. “Currently I’m still in a discussion on how I will be classified,” Mazepin said. “There is no decision yet.”

Portuguese Grand Prix has been confirmed by Formula 1 that it will be held on May 2 at Portimao. This means that it will be the third round of the 2021 Formula 1 Championship. This will be the second time that The Algarve international Circuit will be holding a Formula 1 race after holding its first Formula 1 race last October as the COVID-19 pandemic lead to the reshuffling of the 2020 F1 calendar. he race was open to 27,000 fans and Portimão is working with the Portuguese government to allow spectators to fill its grandstands in May. “We are thrilled to announce that Formula 1 will be racing again in Portimao after the huge success of the race last year,” said Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1. “We want to thank the promoter and the Portuguese Government for their hard work and dedication in getting us to this point. “We are confident and excited about our 2021 season, having shown last year that we could deliver 17 races safely and bring our millions of fans thrilling racing at a difficult time. “We hope to welcome fans to Portimao again this season in a safe way and are working with the promoter on the details of that plan.”

Sebastian Vettel’s career at Aston Martin formally begun on track after the four-time world champion completed his first laps for the team at Silverstone. On a filming day with their AMR21 car after Wednesday’s glitzy launch event, Vettel shared driving duties with Lance Stroll as the newly-rebranded team completed the 100km-limited test amid mixed track conditions. In addition to his first outing for his first new team in six years, it was also a debut experience for the German with a Mercedes F1 engine. The majority of Vettel’s 14-year career, which has included four world championships and 53 race wins, has been spent in cars running Ferrari or Renault power. Mercedes has generally been the sport’s benchmark power unit since the hybrid-turbo engine era started in 2014. Vettel arrives at the former Racing Point team on the back of a disappointing end to his six-year Ferrari career, when he endured the worst full-season of his career in 2020 and finished 13th in the Drivers’ Championship. But his new team boss is confident the 33-year-old will prove a big asset for the team as they build towards challenging for F1’s top honours in future seasons.

Sir Lewis Hamilton’s preparations for the new season have been rocked by the surprise departure of his right-hand man and friend, Marc Hynes. The 43-year-old was the seven-time world champion’s trusted lieutenant, taking care of his business interests and logistics, as chief executive of the ‘Project 44’ management company Hamilton set up after dispensing with Simon Fuller nearly seven years ago. Sportsmail can reveal that Hynes’ continued involvement was discussed over the winter, during which time his boss was knighted and crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year for a second time. The two parties officially separated last week, with a source close to Hamilton calling the split ‘amicable’. The news comes less than a month after Hamilton signed a one-year deal to remain at Mercedes – a shorter-than-expected contract that leaves the Briton’s participation in Formula One beyond next season in doubt, with obvious implications for Hynes’ old role. Hynes, a former British Formula Three champion, played no significant part in Hamilton’s contract talks, with the driver himself negotiating his own terms. Hamilton will now have to move fast to fill the void in his inner circle ahead of the opening round of the world championship in Bahrain on March 28. The source close to Hamilton said: ‘Marc has left Project 44 to pursue other opportunities within motorsports and Lewis wishes him well knowing that he will be as valuable to his next challenge, as he was to P44. ‘Lewis is very grateful for all his support over the last five years, both personally and in helping him build his company. ‘During that time Lewis won four world championships and broke numerous records, and Marc was part of and shared in that success. ‘Marc and Lewis have known each other since they were young, as friends first and business partners second, so, while they are parting ways in a business sense, they remain close friends.’

Sebastian Vettel is continuing his tradition of naming his cars and is looking to James Bond girls for inspiration for his first Aston Martin. The German has become renowned for giving each of his F1 cars a female name from his first, Julie, to his most recent, Lucilla. With less than a month to go until the start of the 2021 campaign, he has yet to decide on what he’ll name his AMR21, but he has a few ideas connected to his new team… “The problem is I don’t know yet,” Vettel said at Aston Martin’s AMR21 launch. “James would be a bit too obvious, but you know I’m thinking about it and playing around with the Bond theme. “But it’s a fun thing and it’s always been a female name, so check out all the Bond girls to see which one is the best match. “I was going to say we should meet them all, but some of them are the age of my grandmother.”

Haas F1 driver Mick Schumacher has said he is not feeling any additional pressure to live up to his historic surname as he prepares to make his debut at the top tier of motorsport this season. Speaking to journalists including RacingNews365.com after the reveal of the team’s new car design for 2021, Schumacher said the expectations placed on him and comparisons with his father, seven-time world champion Michael, were a source of motivation rather than pressure. “I would never say that (the surname) brings pressure and I’m pretty sure I won’t ever say that because I am very happy to carry that surname and that name back into Formula 1 and I’m very proud of it,” he said. “It’s like a boost to me and it gives me motivation every single day to work as much as I can and as hard as I can.” On his relationship with Ferrari, with whom the driver remains contracted as a junior, Schumacher confirmed that they remained in contact and would be there in the background to support his rookie season in the sport. “Obviously we have different things that we do together such as simulator driving and Ferrari Driver Academy activities and also working with the Ferrari staff. “So definitely the connection is there, I’m still an FDA driver so it’s great to have that backup and help from the background to support me in my first F1 season.” Schumacher also said he was looking forward to competing with his fellow rookie teammate, Russian Nikita Mazepin, and said he was sure his teammate was just as hungry for success as he is. “In this case I see myself and how hungry I am for the season and how I want to do well, and I’m pretty sure that Nikita is the same. “Now we have two very hungry drivers and drivers that are pushing for every little detail and eventually that is what is going to bring the team forward and that is what we really want to do.”