Formula 1

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.”

Abu Dhabi GP: Max Verstappen outpaces Mercedes in FP1

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago05 mins

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was the fastest in the first practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen was two tenths of a second clear of Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas who was the second fastest as Lewis Hamilton came in third. The Friday afternoon practice session was the first opportunity Formula 1 drivers had sampling the renovated Yas Marina Circuit. The track underwent alterations on Turn 5, 9 and 12 to 15 complex. Verstappen set the pace on the early stages of the session despite complaining about his steering wheel which he described as ‘right hand down and really annoying to drive.’ However, he was able to beat title rival Lewis Hamilton by two tenths of a second in the first Red Bull runs. Lewis Hamilton was able to get within 0.055s off Verstappen but the Red Bull driver extended his lead with three tenths of a second. Hamilton would later have another flying lap getting within 0.033 of Verstappen’s 1m 25.009s time but got his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits on the last turn. Verstappen’s lap time proved unbeatable even in the final stages as Bottas managed to come within 0.196s finishing P2. Hamilton came in at P3 just 0.008s clear of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez. Yuki Tsunoda started the weekend with a stunning performance for AlphaTauri which landed him at P5, closely followed by Alpine’s Fernando Alonso. Yuki’s teammate Pierre Gasly finished P7 as Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished P8 and P9 respectively. Ferrari encountered problems as Leclerc lost the first 20 minutes of the practice session, Sainz also complained that his car felt ‘quite bad’. Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top 10. Alpine’s second car finished at P11 after Esteban Ocon experienced a technical hitch in the opening stages of the session slowing down, he also had a close shave after missing the wall on Turn 14. Lando Norris finished P12 ahead of Kimi Raikkonen who is on his final weekend racing in Formula 1. His teammate Antonio Giovinazzi finished P14. Lance Stroll finished P15 and Daniel Ricciardo closely followed in P16. Jack Aitken finished 17th in his debut practice session in Formula 1 as he acted as a replacement for George Russell in Williams. The sister car finished P18 with Nicholas Latifi as Haas duo Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin finished P19 and P20 respectively. 2021 F1 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX – FREE PRACTICE RESULTS (1) POS DRIVER NAT. TEAM TIME 1 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing 1m25.009s 2 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m25.205s 3 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m25.355s 4 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing 1m25.363s 5 Yuki Tsunoda JPN Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1m25.378s 6 Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine F1 Team 1m25.625s 7 Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1m25.822s 8 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1m25.846s 9 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1m25.886s 10 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1m26.007s 11 Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team 1m26.025s 12 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team 1m26.123s 13 Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 1m26.189s 14 Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 1m26.409s 15 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1m26.608s 16 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team 1m26.678s 17 Jack Aitken GBR Williams Racing 1m27.481s 18 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing 1m27.487s 19 Mick Schumacher GER Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1m27.698s 20 Nikita Mazepin RUS Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1m28.305s

F1 extends partnership to race in Yas Marina for 10 years

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago02 mins

F1 and Yas Marina Circuit on Thursday extended their partnership to host Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for 10 more years up to at least 2030. Formula One announced on Twitter that Abu Dhabi have extended their deal to host high-energy races with the inaugural race back in 2009 at the venue well into the future as the United Arab Emirates becomes one of the top venues on the F1 calendar. The deal also means the Abu Dhabi will continue to host the final race of the Formula 1 season in its now traditional slot to bring the curtain down on the year-long campaign. “The promoter always creates an incredible show for the final race of every F1 season and combined with the changes made to improve the racing on Yas Marina Circuit we are excited for the many years of racing in Abu Dhabi that are ahead of us,” F1 president Stefano Domenicali said. Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which is the 22nd race of this year and also the final round in the 2021 World Championship, will name this year’s champion. The 2021 title contenders, Red Bull Racing Honda’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ British star Lewis Hamilton collected 369.5 points each before this weekend’s race in the United Arab Emirates.

Haas drivers warned to be careful at Abu Dhabi finale as team runs out of spare parts

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago04 mins

Haas drivers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin will have to avoid damages to their Formula 1 cars in the Abu Dhabi season finale this weekend. This comes after the team declared that it’s running out of spare parts ahead of the final race at Yas Marina this weekend. The team suffered damage to two chassis in Qatar and Saudi Arabian Grand prix after Mick Schumacher crashed out of the Jeddah race. Nikita Mazepin also had a violent crash in the race which damaged his replacement chassis beyond repair after the previous one was lost at Losail. “The last two races, Saudi and Qatar, we had some damage and there was no time to recover or to make new parts obviously,” Haas team principal Guenther Steiner explained. “So our stock is pretty low on parts but we have got enough to do the race if we don’t have any big accidents on Friday, then we will be OK. “But the drivers will be made aware of the situation – I think they are already aware that they cannot take any risks on Friday. “It’s not like that we are completely without parts. We’ve got enough parts. If we have a Friday this weekend like we had Sunday last weekend, we wouldn’t survive that.” Haas is coming to the end of a season with what is essentially – bar minor upgrades – the same car that it started the season with in Bahrain. It has proved a tricky car for its all-rookie line-up to handle at times, with Schumacher crashing out of qualifying at Paul Ricard and missing qualifying at the Hungaroring due to an FP3 crash. His team-mate Mazepin spun out on the first lap of the Bahrain season-opener and has lost control of his Haas on multiple further occasions. When asked if it was just chassis damage that Haas is vulnerable to this weekend, Steiner admitted stock of the rest of the parts “is not high” but the chassis is the main concern. “We’ve got enough of wings and floors so we should be OK with that one,” he added. “But let’s see, normally when you do a chassis you need other parts as well so we just need to be a little bit careful on Friday but then we will be OK.”

Guanyu Zhou to race as number 24 in F1

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago01 mins

Guanyu Zhou has selected the race number 24 to use when he makes his Formula 1 debut next year. The only rookie driver on the grid for the 2022 F1 season will drive for Alfa Romeo alongside Valtteri Bottas.Zhou is named as the driver of car number 24 in next year’s entry list issued by the FIA. He is the first driver to make that selection since permanent career numbers were introduced in 2014. The last driver to use the number was Timo Glock in 2012.

Helmut Marko ‘sorry’ for comments made after Hamilton-Verstappen contact in Jeddah

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago03 mins

Helmut Marko has admitted he was wrong after comments he made on Hamilton’s ‘brake test’ claim in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko admits he was wrong after claiming that Max Verstappen had not braked excessively causing Lewis Hamilton to run into the back of the Dutchman’s car in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The clash which happened on lap 37 back straight between F1’s title rivals was a major talking point after the eventful race in Jeddah. Ahead of the stewards’ decision to hand a 10-second penalty to Verstappen for “erratic” driving and causing the incident, a furious Marko claimed that Red Bull’s data would prove that Verstappen had not brake-tested his rival as Hamilton had alleged in the heat of the moment. “Our engineers are preparing, we can prove Max was constant with his braking, he didn’t brake test like Hamilton said,” said the Austrian, according to Autosport. “Then he crashed into our car,” Marko insisted. “He unfortunately put two cuts in the rear tyre, that was so severe that we couldn’t attack anymore. We had to take speed out.” However Marko has come to apologise for the comments he made claiming the information given by the engineers was wrong. “At the time of the television interview, I passed on exactly the information that I had previously received from the engineers. They obviously weren’t right, so I’m sorry,” Marko now tells F1insider. “Hopefully the sad chapter of Saudi Arabia has now closed,” he adds. “In any case, we’re just looking ahead. We want to win in Abu Dhabi and so win the title. “We will do everything for this, but we will not take any unfair actions. In Saudi Arabia we already had the pace to keep up with Hamilton. The route in Abu Dhabi should be more accommodating to us.”

Mercedes terminates Kingspan sponsorship deal

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago02 mins

Mercedes Formula 1 team has ended controversial sponsorship deal with Kingspan, saying it is “not appropriate” to continue the partnership. Kingspan’s logo appeared on the helmet of Lewis Hamilton at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday, sparking protests after it emerged Kingspan products were used in Grenfell Tower, where 72 people were killed in a fire four years ago. Mercedes said in a statement: “The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team and Kingspan have announced they have mutually agreed to end their partnership. “Announced last week, the new partnership included Kingspan chairing a new Sustainability Working Group for the team, and aimed to deliver carbon reductions through their leading-edge environmentally sustainable solutions for the team’s future campus. “However, both parties have subsequently concluded that it is not appropriate for the partnership to move forward at the current point in time, notwithstanding its intended positive impact, and we have therefore agreed that it will be discontinued with immediate effect.”

Oscar Piastri to take part in Abu Dhabi post-season young driver test with Alpine

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago04 mins

Alpine has announced academy driver Oscar Piastri will drive for the team in the Formula 1 post-season young driver test in Abu Dhabi. Last month Piastri was confirmed as Alpine’s official reserve driver for next season, following a stellar debut campaign in Formula 2. The Australian leads the drivers’ championship by 51.5 points ahead of the final round this weekend after winning two of the three races in Saudi Arabia. Although Piastri failed to land an F1 seat for next year, Alpine said the test “will build towards his 2022 role with a day behind the wheel of the race winning A521 car.” “I’m very excited to drive in the Young Driver Test,” Piastri said. “It’s almost like my first official day in my new job for next year when I become the Team’s Reserve Driver. “Any day in an F1 car is pretty special but to drive the current one with other drivers on track in a somewhat competitive environment is very cool. Thanks to the team for this opportunity, I’m certainly looking forward to it and working through a very full testing programme on the day.” Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi is clear Piastri will play a key role in helping the French outfit prepare for the 2022 major regulations changes over the two-day test, as well as continue is own personal development. “Oscar has had a fantastic Formula 2 season this year, again showing his class, and this Young Driver Test appearance is well earned.” Rossi said. “This test will be part of Oscar’s ongoing development as he prepares to become the team’s Reserve Driver for 2022, to aid and assist Fernando and Esteban and our development teams on and off the track. “In parallel, as Oscar gets up to speed with the current car, we will already be looking forward to 2022 with our current drivers as they experience the new 18” tyres for next year. It’s a good opportunity for us to learn in preparation for the challenges of the next year on all fronts.” Alpine also confirmed current drivers Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon would be behind the wheel of a 2018-spec car to get accustomed to Pirelli’s new 18 inch tyres.

Yas Marina Circuit will be 14s quicker after track changes

Kevin Peterson3 years ago3 years ago03 mins

Yas Marina Circuit is set to be 14 seconds quicker this year due changes made to several corners. This is according to Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli Abu Dhabi’s purpose-built Yas Marina was constructed in 2009 but has received criticism for its layout, frequently producing subdued racing, and opted to make changes for 2021. The most dramatic changes are the removal of the Turn 5/6 chicane, with the hairpin opened up and brought forward, while the old Turn 11-14 complex has been replaced by a 180-degree sweeper. The corners closest to the W Hotel have also had their negative camber removed and have been opened up to create faster apex speeds. These alterations have reduced the lap distance by 273 metres, with Pirelli’s simulation suggesting that lap times will be up to 14 seconds quicker. Last year’s pole position time, set by Max Verstappen, was a 1:35.246s. Pirelli has once more nominated the three softest compounds – the C3s, C4s and C5s – from its range as it does not expect significant changes to the energy put through the rubber. “This will be the first time we face the new configuration, including some areas with new asphalt, but we have been able to rely on simulations and other information in advance to prepare,” explained Pirelli chief Mario Isola. “In general, with the creation of some quicker turns, the track is now faster and with more overtaking opportunities. “The result of these changes are bigger vertical loads, especially on the front tyres. But we don’t expect the overall severity for the tyres to change significantly, which is why we’ve nominated the softest tyres in the range.”