2021

Renault has presented a new plan for the future and an important part of that plan is the Alpine Formula 1 project. The first images of the new livery now appear online. In 2021, Renault will no longer be at the start of the Formula 1 season, but it will be Alpine F1 that will have to uphold the honour of the French manufacturer. On Thursday morning, Renault already presented the new plan for the future, where Alpine will have to provide innovative sports cars for the highest segment. For those who hoped for a blue car that reminded of the time Fernando Alonso won with Renault, there is disappointing news. The 2021 car will remain predominantly black, but there are blue accents, in the French flag that is visible on the car. Whether the model shown by Formula 1 journalist, Thomas Maher, will actually become the livery or whether this is a first concept by Alpine, is not yet clear.

Reports that Formula 1 is considering postponing the introduction of a major overhaul in its technical regulations have been firmly denied by the F1 sport management. The far-reaching new rules were originally scheduled to be introduced in time for the start of the 2021 season, but teams agreed to delay them by a year as a result of the disruption to world motorsport caused by the coronavirus outbreak. There had been suggestions that with the pandemic continuing to impact the sport and the world in general, the change in regulations could be pushed back another year. However, F1 has responded to the speculation emphatically, stating that the idea of delaying the regulations for another year had “not been discussed”. A spokesman said: “Any suggestion the 2022 regulations will be delayed is wrong and has not been discussed. “The new regulations are designed to improve competition on track and give our fans closer racing. This combined with the new financial regulations will improve F1 and create a healthier and stronger business model for the whole sport.” In the past, F1 managing director Ross Brawn hinted that some teams were in favour of delaying the regulation change until 2023, but argued that the new regulations could actually make the sport more affordable. “I think some teams pushed to delay them a further year,” he said during the 2020 season. “I think there’s a justifiable need to carry these [current] cars over into next year because we’re in the middle of the [lockdown]. That’s completely justified. “The initiatives we’re bringing with these new regulations are to make the sport more economically viable in terms of the complexity, where the money is spent. “With the cars we have now, they’re so complex that with the more you spend the quicker you’ll go and we need to level off that slope and create a situation where money is not the only priority in how competitive you’ll be. Therefore, we need these new cars to even that slope.”

French driver Romain Grosjean revealed his injured hands free of bandages on Tuesday, six weeks after he clambered from the fiery wreckage of his car following an horrific accident at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The 34-year-old, who has now left Formula One, suffered burns to both hands when his Haas car split in two and erupted in flames after piercing a metal crash barrier. Grosjean, a veteran of 179 Grand Prix starts, was engulfed in the flames for 28 seconds before he clambered out, with the assistance of FAI doctor Ian Roberts and medical car driver Alan van der Merwe. He has been recovering at home in Switzerland since leaving hospital three days after the accident, missing the last two races of 2020. “Dressing fully off and Petrus happy,” he said on Twitter above a picture of him cradling the family pet cat and another close up of his hands, the left looking purple and raw.” Grosjean had the dressings on his right hand removed last month. The father of three said he could “clearly” feel his hands burning on the chassis of his stricken car when he pulled himself from the vehicle. “For the sake of my children, I told myself I had to get out. I put my hands in the fire and I could clearly feel my hands burning on the chassis,” Grosjean said after the accident. “There’s going to be some psychological work to be done, because I really saw death coming. When you see images, not even Hollywood is capable of doing that,” Grosjean told French broadcaster TF1 from his hospital bed in Bahrain. “To come out of the flames that day is something that will mark my life forever.”

A judge in Sao Paulo has thrown a spanner in the works of the new five-year deal between Formula 1 and the Interlagos circuit. According to Folha de S.Paulo, judge Emilio Migliano Neto “suspended” the contract between the city and the new promoter MC Brazil Motorsport Holding. The judge claims there was not a sufficient bidding process for the contract. Formula 1’s previous deal to race at Interlagos expired after 2020 – though last year’s event never took place due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There had been proposals for Formula 1 to move its Brazilian round to a new venue, supported by the President, for 2021. But the planned circuit, set to be located in the Deodoro suburb of Rio de Janeiro, faced opposition owing to environmental concerns. A new five-year contract was instead agreed for Formula 1 to remain at Sao Paulo from 2021 through 2025, with the event renamed in lieu of the city rather than the country. The deal was made possible through the event securing a new promotor in the form of Brasil Motorsport, a company owned by the Abu Dhabi-backed Mubadala investment entity. The previous contract, which had been agreed under Bernie Ecclestone’s stewardship of Formula 1, was not financially lucrative for the championship. But the new contract has been suspended in order for the city judiciary to assess the use of the prefecture’s public funds as well as the levels of transparency involved in the deal, owing to the alleged absence of an invitation to tender. Documents revealed by the court show that R$100,000,000 ($18.5m) of public funding will be used to subsidise the event across the course of the five-year contract. Court documents explain that “the hiring of a private company without the opening of a bidding process, at the high value mentioned, in the midst of a global health crisis, constitutes a true aberration and will bring enormous losses to the treasury.” Judge Emilio Migliano Neto has outlined that organisers have five days to submit the relevant documents for assessment. “These facts reveal without a doubt that, at least in this summary cognitive phase, the principles of advertising and transparency are being violated explicitly,” he said. “There is a need to suspend the execution of the contract in question, in order to assess whether there were effectively resources to cover expenses.” This year’s renamed Sao Paulo Grand Prix is due to take place on the rescheduled date of November 7 as part of a triple header with Austin and Mexico City.

Despite Lewis Hamilton currently being out of contract with the Mercedes F1 Team, both sides have said it is almost certain they will still be racing together this year. Recently, reports suggested that their contract extension negotiations were faltering due to Hamilton demanding a pay rise which Daimler, in particular, wasn’t willing to meet. Mercedes later slammed these reports as “pure fiction”, but more recently, it has been reported that this isn’t the only thing holding up a new Hamilton-Mercedes deal. Specifically, the De Telegraaf newspaper has cited a source as saying that “the negotiations between the two parties are anything but smooth.” It added that Mercedes is only willing to offer the seven-time World Champion a one-year extension, while he is insistent on securing a fresh multi-year deal. If true, this would suggest that Mercedes want to keep their options open for 2022, so they could potentially sign George Russell as a low-cost replacement for Hamilton. Last month, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said he believes a new deal with Lewis Hamilton will be agreed “sooner or later”, adding that it could take until pre-season testing in March for a contract extension to be finalised. “He [Hamilton] is on the top of his game and he will be for a while. And that’s why continuing together is a no-brainer,” Wolff said. “If you refer to why haven’t we got a signed contract? The reason is simple. We always prioritised getting this Championship done, and not being distracted by sometimes difficult discussions, as is the nature of negotiation. But then COVID struck. “So it has delayed us a little bit, but we are not worried in eventually getting it done. “We are putting no special date to it, because we don’t want to be put under pressure from you guys [the media] while it’s not signed yet. So sooner or later, it needs to be done. At the latest before we go testing,” Wolff specified.

Formula 1 has denied claims the sport is working on a secret plan to vaccinate every member of the travelling circus in 2021. With the published 2021 calendar already at risk amid reports Melbourne, Shanghai and other races will be postponed, the Swiss newspaper Blick claimed F1 was working on a plan to minimise the disruptions with a widespread covid-19 vaccination program. “I can confirm that the report is wrong and there is no such plan from the FIA or from Formula 1,” a spokesman told the n-tv broadcaster in Germany. Another race at risk early in 2021 is Monaco, where a spectator-free event is not viable. But even bigger question marks hang over whether UK-based teams can travel at all amid the surging outbreak of the reportedly more contagious covid-19 strain.

When Lewis Hamilton cruised to a seventh F1 Drivers’ Championship last year, a new Mercedes contract appeared a formality. However, the Brit is still yet to sign a new deal – and is currently a free agent. But those worried about his future in the sport shouldn’t be, if comments made by his father are anything to go by. Hamilton was unparalleled in 2020, cruising to another F1 crown to draw level with the legendary Michael Schumacher on seven titles. But, in the aftermath of that triumph, his Formula One future has become muddled. Hamilton has indicated he wants to stay with the Silver Arrows but no agreement has been thrashed out yet. He’s previously held talks with Ferrari about a sensational move across the divide but that won’t be happening, with their drivers for 2021 already confirmed. So what now? Some have suggested Hamilton could retire, with the Brit keen to pursue other avenues such as Electric E racing. But his father has already suggested his son doesn’t want that to happen, claiming in November the 36-year-old was still hungry to achieve more success. “As far as I’m aware, he carries on racing,” he said. “He loves racing, he loves what he does. He has a voice now in the sport, which is also fantastic, but as far as I’m aware he’s carrying on racing.” “It’s a definite, as far as I know, the last time I spoke to him yesterday, he’s definitely carrying on racing.” Hamilton’s father also claimed the Brit was committed to chasing down his dreams, rather than pursuing targets he’s set for himself. “It’s nothing to do with targets,” he added. “He’s not racing for trophies, he races because he loves what he does and also he loves to inspire others.” “At the moment his achievements, we hope, are inspiring young kids who have a dreams they want to achieve.” “As far as Lewis is concerned, and we as a family as well, it really is about hope, opportunity, dreams, achievements, and not so much targets [on the track].” Meanwhile, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has claimed the Silver Arrows must be ready for ‘curveballs’ amid uncertainty over Hamilton’s future. “It doesn’t worry me at all, because I will always respect Lewis’s decisions,” he told Autosport.com. “Whether this is staying with us for a long time, or whether that means leaving the sport and pursuing different interests. I think we need to be ready for all kinds of curveballs being thrown at us. “But at the same time, we talk a lot, and we are very transparent with each other. I think there is more to achieve together.” Wolff also hailed Hamilton, admitting his skills go beyond merely being the fastest driver. “It’s not one dimensional,” the 48-year-old added.

Renault Formula 1 team boss Cyril Abiteboul is leaving the French car manufacturer, it was announced on Monday. The Frenchman had been expected to move into a new role within the company following a management shake-up at the rebranded Alpine squad, but instead he is departing completely. His exit has resulted in Laurent Rossi, director of strategy and business development at Renault, being appointed as the CEO of Alpine. Rossi will take charge of Alpine cars, its F1 team and other motorsport activities. He will report directly to Luca de Meo, Renault’s CEO. It is expected that Abiteboul’s position as team principal of the F1 squad will be taken by Marcin Budkowski. Speaking about his departure, Abiteboul said that he felt that he was leaving behind a strong base for the French car manufacturer to grow. “I would like to thank the Groupe Renault for having trusted me for many years, particularly with the relaunch and reconstruction of the team since 2016,” he said. “The solid foundations of the racing team and the entities in France and England built over these years, the strategic evolution of the sport towards a more economically sustainable model, and more recently the Alpine project which provides a renewed sense of meaning and dynamism, all point to a very fine trajectory.” De Meo added: “I would like to warmly thank Cyril for his tireless involvement, which notably led the Renault F1 Team from the penultimate place in 2016 to the podiums last season. “His remarkable work in F1 since 2007 allows us to look to the future, with a strong team and the new Alpine F1 Team identity to conquer the podiums this year.”

Kevin Magnussen expected to fight for the Formula 1 world championship after his debut podium with McLaren, but feels no regret over how his career played out. Magnussen finished second in his very first F1 race at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix after being handed a McLaren drive following his title victory in Formula Renault 3.5 the previous year. But the Dane was unable to better that result during spells with Renault and Haas through the remainder of his F1 career, only recording a next-best finish of fifth Magnussen made what he expects to be his final F1 appearance in Abu Dhabi last month, and has since moved into the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Chip Ganassi Racing for 2021 after losing his Haas seat. The Dane revealed that he had high expectations about what he would achieve in F1 after his debut podium, believing he might even battle for the world championship in his rookie season. “It’s hard to know how things are going to go,” Magnussen told Motorsport.com when reflecting on his time in F1. “I have to say, when I started my F1 career in Melbourne 2014, I had pretty high expectations. I thought I was going to be fighting for the championship in my first year after that first race. “You can’t ever predict how things are going to go in Formula 1. You’ve just got to do the best, and enjoy it while it lasts.” Magnussen went on to finish the season 11th in the standings, 329 points behind world champion Lewis Hamilton as McLaren scraped past Force India to finish fifth in the constructors’ championship. Magnussen ended the season uncertain if he would continue racing for McLaren the following year as the team weighed up whether to drop him or Jenson Button to make room for the incoming Fernando Alonso. Although Magnussen said it was “a big task” to face such uncertainty as a rookie, he did not hold any grudges over the situation. “I can’t complain, I’m thankful for the opportunity McLaren gave me as a rookie,” Magnussen said. “I can’t really say that I regret anything. I thought I was going to get into Formula 1 with Force India back then. That was almost a done deal, that was my expectation, and what McLaren was telling me, that they would place me in Force India. “At the last minute, it changed, and they put me in McLaren. It was also a very hectic time around my debut, but at the end of the day, I’m happy with how things turned out. “You can always look back and find things that I would have done differently if I could do it again, and decisions I would have done differently if I could do it again. “But at the end of the day, I got a career in Formula 1. Not many people get to do that. As a young kid dreaming of Formula 1, it’s a pretty difficult dream to realise. “I did that, and I’m thankful for that, and pleased that I got the opportunity.” Asked if there was one big decision he would make differently if he had another opportunity, Magnussen replied: “Yes, but I’m not going to dwell on it. “It is what it is, and I’m pleased with how things turned out.”

The story of Rich Energy is still not over. Williams Storey, the CEO of the brand that previously sponsored Haas in Formula 1, now announces a return to the royal class of motorsport. In early 2019, Haas presented a new sponsor in the form of Rich Energy. The energy drink was their new title sponsor of the American team and the cars were shrouded in the black and gold of that brand. However, Haas was swindled and never saw a penny of the promised mountain of money that Storey would come up with. In recent months, Williams Storey has been making himself heard on his Twitter account. For example, he has already announced that there will be a large announcement on 11 February, which seems to hint at Formula 1. He confirms this step in a video on 10 January, in which he says he is looking forward to a return to Formula 1. It is not yet known which team is involved and if this team knows it itself. More will be announced today, but the unique story will have a sequel.

Jos Verstappen admits that his son Max will probably never share a team with Lewis Hamilton, but he wouldn’t mind if it does happen. “I would only applaud that. Then it will be clear, wouldn’t it?” said the former F1 driver. Indeed, Verstappen senior says his 23-year-old son is more than ready to win a title. “He was three years ago already,” he told the Dutch magazine Formule 1. “You know, Max always drives at 110 percent. As a result, we don’t really know how good or bad the car is. Maybe our car was worse than Ferrari’s. It’s possible no one knows,” said Jos. For 2021, Verstappen will be paired with yet another Red Bull teammate, after Alex Albon struggled to keep up in 2020. “The only thing you can do is compare Max to his teammate,” said Jos. “And Albon really wasn’t that bad in karting and the lower classes – he did well there. “But this year he had quite a problem compared to Max.” Jos Verstappen admits that he sees his son in the same league as seven time world champion Hamilton. “It’s the same as what I say about Max – he’s incredibly strong,” he said. “Even in the way he goes against his teammate.” “But it really worked out for Hamilton at Mercedes. We saw at McLaren that there were a few years where it really didn’t work for him. You don’t become a world champion if you don’t have a champion team and a champion car. “Let me put it this way – I wouldn’t mind if Max was next to him,” said Verstappen. “I think it would be a very good thing and I think the whole world is waiting for that.”