Formula 1

There’s always an air of excitement around a new chapter in F1 and 2022 has a lot of anticipation as it’s hoped it’s going to generate closer racing and shake up the running order after the turbo-hybrid era and Mercedes’ dominance of it. Certainly, everyone wants to see more teams up near the front – it’s why Red Bull’s charge this season has been so refreshing – and hopefully 2022 can provide plenty more of that, though Mercedes are obviously going to want to try and remain one of the teams to beat. Excitingly, they’ve dropped some teaser images on their social media of how the new model is going to look for next season and for the years to come, and you can just about make out the outline with some pretty dramatic changes of note, particularly around the rear-wing section.

F1 fans will get their first taste of the look of 2022, when a full-scale model is revealed at Silverstone this weekend. Though the 2021 championship is still underway, teams, even the big guns are turning their attention to next season, as the sport undergoes one of the biggest changes in its history. In a bid to spice up the action whilst levelling the playing field, the aero rules have undergone a massive overhaul, which, among other things, will seriously reduce the effects of dirty air. Though the first cars won’t be revealed until February, at Silverstone this weekend fans will get a sneak preview of the look of 2022. On Thursday, fans will witness F1 One Begins, which according to the sport’s official website, is a “dynamic launch event that will take fans on a journey through the ages before arriving at the most futuristic racing car of all-time. “Fans will not only get to see a life-size 2022 F1 car for the first time,” it adds, “they’ll also be talked through the machine’s revolutionary design by a panel of experts, who will explain the thinking behind the new concept, which will enable drivers to race each other harder than ever before.”

Sergio Perez will remain at Red Bull for 2022, with the possibility of this going into 2023, according to reports. Whilst there has been no official confirmation as of yet, Spanish newspaper Marca claims that talks to renew Perez’s contract are well under way, and that the only thing that is uncertain is whether the contract will be just for one year – which is reportedly the wish of Red Bull – or for two years, supposedly the preference of Perez. It is unclear when a deal might be announced, but Perez has previously spoken about his desire to start contract discussions as soon as possible. “I see it as a natural thing,” the Mexican told RacingNews365.com and other select media. “Once you’re comfortable in a team, working with them and the team working with you, it’s something that naturally should happen very smoothly.” Perez has fitted in well with the Milton Keynes-based outfit since joining them for the 2021 season, and has developed a good working relationship with teammate Max Verstappen. With Verstappen’s previous teammates Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon struggling to match his level of performance, Perez has been able to play the team role which has enabled Red Bull to lead the Constuctors’ Championship with an impressive 44-point advantage over nearest rivals Mercedes. Perez also secured his first win for the team at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, meaning they were able to pull back some points following Verstappen’s sudden exit from the race due to a tyre failure. The Mexican has additionally showed his skill at adapting to different strategies, and is particularly strong when it comes to managing the tyres over a long stint. Team boss Christian Horner recently spoke about how pleased he has been with Perez since the 31-year-old joined the team. “Really since Daniel [Ricciardo] left, obviously we had drivers come in very young, and Max was running solo,” Horner told the Beyond The Grid podcast. “And it’s only really since Checo [Perez] has now arrived [that has changed]. “He’s a great team player. He was out at the end of last year, he would have been unlikely to find a seat, certainly not a competitive seat, so I think he’s enormously grateful for this opportunity, grabbing it with both hands. “He’s a really rounded guy, a lot of experience, and he’s playing the team role fantastically well.”

There has been plenty of rumours that George Russell will be confirmed as a Mercedes Formula 1 driver this weekend at the British Grand Prix, but according to Russell himself, it’s nothing more than speculation. Russell is in the running to partner Lewis Hamilton at the reigning championship-winning team after the seven-time champion signed a new two-year deal, confirming his seat until at least 2023. However the identity of who will sit on the opposite side of the Mercedes garage remains up in the air, with Valtteri Bottas’ under pressure following a disappointing start to his 2021 campaign. Russell is believed to be favourite for the seat, leading to speculation that an announcement could be made this weekend at Russell’s home race, but he confirmed that won’t happen as nothing has been agreed yet. “I signed with Mercedes five or six years ago now, that is 100 per cent true, as everybody knows they look after me,” he told the F1 Nation podcast. “With regards to my drive for next year, nothing has been signed or sealed and nothing will be announced in Silverstone so I can let you know that.” The Briton is looking forward to racing in front of his home crowd, with an expected 140,000 capacity crowd on Sunday, but denied the extra support gives a driver a performance boost. “I always think, when people say ‘I’m going to try a bit more’, well, why weren’t you trying a little bit more the previous week? There’s nothing more I think a driver can give purely because it’s a home race, because you’re giving your absolute maximum,” added Russell. “But I think that additional excitement of your home race does naturally give you a bit more enthusiasm. So maybe that’s where the extra performance comes from. “The difficult bit, I guess, is there’s a lot of media scrutiny and a lot of activities going on during that week. And just balancing that out, really, because it is the biggest from a marketing perspective, the biggest event of the year for us. But ultimately, we can’t let that have an effect on the racing. So it’s just finding that right balance.”

Lewis Hamilton has announced the findings of his commission investigating how to improve diversity in motorsport.The seven-time Formula One champion Hamilton established the Hamilton Commission last year, in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering, to investigate why there are few black people entering motorsports.The report released by the commission on Tuesday titled “Accelerating change: improving representation of black people in UK motorsport” identifies areas where long-term changes are needed. The report calls for F1 teams to adopt a diversity and inclusion charter, for teams and motor racing businesses to offer more apprenticeships, as well as scholarship programmes to help black students transition into motorsport.The report also urges the need for a fund to address the factors for why black students are excluded from school, approaches to increase the number of black teachers in STEM subjects as well as supplementary schooling led by black community groups to promote greater interest in STEM subjects.“Through the commission’s research, we can see there are clear meaningful steps the motorsport industry needs to take towards creating a more inclusive environment where diversity can thrive,” said Hamilton. “But also we must tackle the barriers facing black students that exist throughout their educational journey.“Our findings have opened my eyes to just how far-reaching these problems are. Now that I’m armed with the commission’s recommendations, I am personally committed to ensuring they are put into action.”Stefano Domenicali, F1’s president and CEO, said in a statement: “The Hamilton Commission has delivered a comprehensive and impressive report that shows the passion Lewis has for this very important issue.“We will take the time to read and reflect on all of the findings, but we completely agree that we need to increase diversity across the sport and we have taken action to address this and will be announcing more actions in the coming days.”

Formula One driver Lando Norris was mugged outside Wembley Stadium in London after attending the Euro 2020 final on Sunday. The McLaren driver, who is fourth in the Drivers Championship and preparing for the Silverstone Grand Prix this weekend, also had his £40,000 ($55,000) Richard Mil watch stolen. The timepiece was created specifically for Norris and the 21-year-old has been pictured with the watch at races this season. In a statement, McLaren said Norris was “unharmed” but “shaken.” “McLaren Racing can confirm that Lando Norris was involved in an incident, after the Euro 2020 final match at Wembley, during which the watch he was wearing was taken. “Thankfully, Lando was unharmed but he is understandably shaken. The team is supporting Lando and we are sure that racing fans will join us in wishing him all the best for the British Grand Prix this weekend. “As this is now a police matter we cannot comment further.” the statement read. The attack on Norris was just one of a string of incidents that took place in London on Sunday. The Metropolitan Police said 86 arrests had been made around the final. Before the game, fans without tickets stormed past police to break into the stadium leaving many fans who had purchased tickets without seats. Italy manager Roberto Mancini’s son was reportedly one whose seat was stolen and he was forced to watch from the stairs. After the game, British police said offences included public order offences, actual bodily harm, drunk and disorderly behaviour, and criminal damage. The Met also said 19 of its officers received injuries. On social media, the three players who missed a penalty during the shootout were racially abused. The abuse of Jadon Sancho, Bukayo Saka, and Marcus Rashford was condemned by England manager Gareth Southgate, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and the Football Association, with Southgate saying it was “unforgivable.” In Manchester, a mural of Rashford was vandalised with racist insults but has since been covered by messages of support for the Manchester United player.

Daniel Ricciardo admits he’s open to the possibility of doing sim racing like his teammate Lando Norris. During the lockdown ahead of the delayed 2020 F1 season, several drivers including Norris, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and more took part in virtual races using their simulators at home. Ricciardo was not one of those to get involved as racing online has never appealed to him. However, the Australian is remaining open-minded about the possibility of trying it out. “I have thought about it,” Ricciardo told Auto Motor Und Sport when asked if his avoidance of sim racing could be a disadvantage. “At the beginning I always said: I don’t want to have a simulator at home because I have something better to do on the free weekends. These virtual races have never excited me. “But I don’t want to be narrow-minded here either. Maybe it really is a help. That’s something you’d have to find out. “It could be that you learn something from it, but also that you get into bad habits. But Max, Lando and Charles are very active there, and maybe it does help. “It’s still not my thing, but I’m not going to ignore it, I’m going to give it a try.” Ricciardo may perhaps be hoping that trying sim racing could be beneficial in terms of continuing to become more comfortable with his real-life McLaren car after some difficulties adjusting since joining the team this season. The 32-year-old has mostly been outperformed by Norris so far during 2021, with the Briton currently in fourth place in the Drivers’ World Championship on 101 points whilst Ricciardo is in eighth place with 40 points. However, the Australian has showed signs of improvement at times and, with 14 more races lined up on the calendar, there is still plenty of the season remaining in which to turn things around.

A capacity crowd of 140,000 could attend this year British Grand Prix. But is a second race at the track on the cards for later in the year? The crowd across the 3-day weekend coming up will be the largest sporting crowd in the UK since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Despite this positive news, there is much uncertainty as to how the second half of the calendar will look. So far whenever a race has dropped off a suitable replacement has been found, but is it only a matter of time until we are forced to visit the same circuit twice? Silverstone managing director, Stuart Pringle, has had his say on the possibility of a second race at Silverstone: “If we can help by having a race later in the season then we would be delighted to assist Formula 1 deserve remarkable credit that they completed 17 races last year – the only global sport to have achieved such a feat – and I hope they can complete the calendar again. “We haven’t been asked, and it’s not a conversation I’ve prompted, but if us hosting another race gets the championship to a sensible level, of course, we would help.” In 2020 Silverstone was one of a number of venues to hold two races. The first race being one of the most memorable of the season as Lewis Hamilton won on three wheels, just imagine the scenes if 140,000 people were there to witness it. Limbs everywhere. Some people have spoken out at how they’d like to see different layouts of the circuit used, but the most realistic option is Pirelli just switching the tyre compounds up, to try and force teams into a different strategy.

George Russell has heaped praise on Lewis Hamilton for remaining at the very top of his game despite having the best machinery in F1. Hamilton’s success has been called into question over recent years because no other manufacturer has been able to build as quick a car as Mercedes. The Silver Arrows gave Hamilton the tools to equal Michael Schumacher’s record seven world titles. Red Bull’s title challenge Max Verstappen has regularly put Hamilton’s achievements down to his car. But Russell, who is hoping to join Mercedes for the 2022 campaign, believes his fellow Brit’s success is down to more than just his vehicle. “The best drivers often find themselves in the best car,” Russell told Autocar. “There is no doubt that Lewis has probably had the best car over the last few years, but in tricky circumstances, he’s the one who doesn’t drop the ball.” “He’s the one who can sometimes pull something out of the bag. So it goes hand in hand. “If you’re a good driver, you can often pull more from the car, but if the car is good, that enhances the driver as well. The package between them has been pretty formidable.” Hamilton is contracted with Mercedes until the end of the 2023 season after penning a two-year extension earlier this month. Russell may get the chance to race alongside the 36-year-old if he replaces Valtteri Bottas at the end of the season. “Everyone wants to go up against the best driver,” Russell explained. “Everyone believes in themselves, but for me, I’d love that challenge because the pressure would be off and I’d find myself in a win-win scenario. “I’d go in with that mentality if I ever found myself up against one of the best drivers of all time. “You have got nothing to lose – which I think is great really. That is the sort of situation that Sergio Perez finds himself in at the moment. “He’s got no pressure because he’s got nothing to lose – and so you go out there and enjoy it, and show them what you can do.” He added: ” I believe in myself and I feel ready to fight for victories and world championships. “I had the massive challenge in Bahrain last year, being thrown in at the deep end with no preparation and no laps in the car. “I think it has been proven how difficult it is to jump between cars and get up to speed. I felt far from up to speed for that race but we still managed to do a pretty decent job so I think I feel ready. Obviously.”

Everyone is anxiously waiting to see who will be Lewis Hamilton’s teammate in 2022. Rumours are strong that George Russell will take the place of Valtteri Bottas. This would be announced this weekend at Silverstone. To Motorsport-total.com Hamilton talks more about his relationship with teammate Bottas. “As for my relationship with Valtteri, he’s a great teammate. I’ve always said that. And if I’m honest, I feel like at the moment we have the combination that is the best in terms of balancing the team and knowing how to develop our car.” “At some point that will change. I won’t be here forever and neither will Valtteri. But for now I think we have performed well in the last few years and we can continue to do that,” the world champion continued. Bottas is not having his best season in Formula 1. He is currently fifth in the championship with 92 points and is not having the most consistent season. “People also need to leave him alone sometimes, so he can concentrate on his work,” Hamilton believes. “We will continue to work together as a team, as we have done well for many years,” said the seven-time world champion. “I’ve always said that Valtteri is generally the best teammate I’ve ever had. And when I say that, I don’t just mean the performance, but the morale in the team and how they work together in that environment.” This coming weekend we’re going to see if the rumours about Russell are indeed true. It seems that Bottas will at least have other options next to Mercedes by then.

Mercedes is poised to announce the signing of George Russell for 2022 and beyond, according to a growing number of authoritative sources. British commentators Martin Brundle and David Croft, as well as 1996 world champion Damon Hill, all admit they are expecting the news to be made official at the British GP this weekend. “Then it’s game over for Valtteri (Bottas),” racing driver and Finnish pundit Toni Vilander told the broadcaster MTV. “You could tell it was in his mind already,” the Finn added. “The most important thing for Mercedes was to confirm that Hamilton is staying part of the team. So now the main pillar is in place. “I don’t think Russell would be happy to sign another Williams agreement. You could say that Hamilton’s two-year contract will be his last, in which case the next champion will be raised next to him. “Unfortunately these are all things that Valtteri has little influence over.” If 23-year-old Briton Russell does get the call-up, Nico Hulkenberg or Daniil Kvyat – both F1 reserve drivers this year – are said to be in pole position to replace him at Williams. Bottas, 31, has also been linked with a return to Williams, and also Alfa Romeo. Russell said: “I am in constant touch with Mercedes. They have always taken care of me. “No matter what happens, I’ll have a Mercedes engine behind me next year. I’m a Mercedes driver – I’m loyal to them,” he insisted. “I’ve always said ‘if you do a good job, you will be rewarded’. It’s as simple as that.”

Lewis Hamilton fears British Grand Prix fans will not enjoy too much excitement from sprint qualifying’s debut at Silverstone. The new format makes its bow on the Saturday afternoon with the intention of spicing up the race weekend and adding a different dimension to the action. The usual one-hour qualifying session has been moved to the Friday evening. That sets the grid for sprint qualifying, a 17-lap ‘race’, the result of which determines the starting order for Sunday’s main event which takes place as normal. With no scheduled pit-stops, it is hoped drivers will go for broke in sprint qualifying to try to put themselves as high up the grid for the grand prix as possible. However, there is also a theory that some may be advised to apply caution by their teams in order to preserve their tyres and potentially also avoid running out of fuel. On the other hand, there could be thrills and spills galore, especially with sprint qualifying never having taken place before, but Hamilton is sceptical. Asked if he had high hopes for the spectacle sprint qualifying could produce, Hamilton, quoted by Motorsport.com, said: “Not particularly. “It’s going to be a train, probably. Hopefully there will be some overtaking, but it most likely won’t be too exciting.” While qualifying has been scheduled for between 6pm and 7pm on the Friday evening, sprint qualifying also occupies a later-than-usual slot as it is due to begin at 4.30pm. Of the sprint qualifying concept in general, which has been pencilled in to happen on two other weekends this year, probably the Italian Grand Prix and a ‘flyaway’ race, Hamilton said: “I don’t really have an opinion about it. We’ll wait and see. There’s no point judging it before we even get into it. It doesn’t matter.” Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, has said he is “open-minded” about what is at this stage only a trial of the new format, although he admits to also being something of a traditionalist. “I think it’s fair to wait all three weekends and if there are any positives from it and people like it, then why not keep it in the future?” said the Frenchman. “But I think we have to review after all three weekends. What does it bring? Does it really make it more exciting? Because I think that’s the whole point of it. “If it does, then why not? But if it doesn’t, it’s important to keep the format we have, which I think is good. “I enjoy the qualifying on Saturday and having only one single race during the weekend.”

Daniel Ricciardo has switched teams twice in recent years. After 2018 he left Red Bull Racing to hunt for success at Renault, but after two seasons he left to take a seat at McLaren. He’s now driving his first season there and doesn’t seem entirely comfortable yet. In conversation with Auto, Motor und Sport the Australian explains why. “At Renault I immediately felt that I could keep my old driving style, but that I just had a bit less grip than with the Red Bull car. Compared to McLaren, the differences with the car are a bit bigger.” “It has its strengths and weaknesses, but somehow my normal driving style doesn’t quite match the car. It could be to the braking or acceleration, but the car doesn’t react like I’m used to”. Ricciardo has therefore had more trouble than usual getting up to speed, he himself acknowledges. “That’s why my move to McLaren has been a little more challenging than the move to Renault. The first step was to find out what made my driving style not work in all the corners and only then could I start working on new techniques to master,” Ricciardo concludes.

Jos Verstappen says he knew his son Max “had something special” about him as a driver when he was only seven years old. A decade later, of course, Verstappen junior was making his Formula 1 debut aged 17 years and 166 days for Toro Rosso at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix. Another six years on, the Dutchman is now driving for Red Bull and is 32 points clear in the Drivers’ World Championship, although he can no longer beat Sebastian Vettel’s record for being the youngest racer ever to secure the individual title. With Jos having raced in Formula 1 himself between 1994 and 2003, and twice finished on the podium while Michael Schumacher’s team-mate at Benetton, racing is very much in Max’s genes – and also because his mother, Sophie, competed in karting herself. It soon became apparent that Max was a prodigious talent. Jos, quoted by Speedweek, said: “When he was seven years old, I saw he had something special. “He was always incredibly fast on the first lap on cold tyres. And when overtaking. You can see where someone can overtake, how he prepares it – Max was always very good at that.” Therefore it was no surprise that Verstappen invested all the time he could into ensuring his son fulfilled his limitless potential. “For me, it was between 80,000 and 100,000 kilometres with the bus every year,” added the 49-year-old. “I also prepared the engines, was a mechanic and a stay-at-home dad. That cost me a lot of time and money and I wouldn’t have done that if I hadn’t seen his talent.” Verstappen admitted he had been a hard taskmaster. “I do think it was tough for Max,” he added. “We didn’t go to the track to chase the others. We went there to win, and that’s what I taught Max. I always just wanted to win, win, win. That’s what I asked him to do.” After becoming settled in at Toro Rosso, that was the time when Jos started taking a step back and allowing Red Bull to guide Max’s career. Of that first season, 2015, Jos said: “I was fully involved, also to show Max how to work with the team. “The nice thing is we still talk to each other every day Max drives. We call each other and talk about how things went and what’s going on. “I also tell him my thoughts on it. I’m just telling him, he doesn’t need to answer, but I know he’s thinking about it. That’s the only thing I want.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has revealed what he believes his driver Sergio Perez has which the previous drivers at the team didn’t, and how it has played a major part in the teams performance this year. The Mexican is currently third in the drivers standings, just three points clear of McLaren driver Lando Norris, and has helped the team gain a lead in the constructors championship over rivals Mercedes for the first time in the hybrid era, something that previous drivers such as Pierre Gasly, Daniil Kvyat and Alex Albon have failed to do. But there is one thing that Perez has that the others didn’t. “I think he just gives us that experience,” said Horner, speaking to the Beyond the Grid podcast. “He’s got 10 years worth of experience. He’s got an ability to manage the tyres within a race that is second to none. It just brings a different dynamic into the line-up,” The revolving door policy at Red Bull has been a frustrating one. They have a junior programme which has brought in many young drivers to the sport and to the team, but they have not been able to get the driver combination at the team right to challenge their rivals. When Daniel Ricciardo left the team at the end of the 2018 season in a move to Renault, he was replaced by Frenchman Pierre Gasly. But half way through the 2019 season, Gasly was dropped in favour of Alex Albon, with Gasly demoted back to Red Bull’s sister team Alpha Tauri. The team decided to monitor the performance of both drivers to assess who would be the better driver to partner star driver Max Verstappen and take the fight to Mercedes. It turns out Albon didn’t fair much better, despite him gaining the full time seat for the 2020 season. Albon was dropped after just one year, and Red Bull decided to look outside of their driver programme for the first time since 2007, when Mark Webber took a seat. “Both Pierre and Alex are tremendously gifted drivers, but timing just wasn’t right,” continued Horner. “Then the pressured environment that we have, and the expectation, it was very tough for them. It was a bold move to step out of the scheme this year with Sergio. For the first time since Mark Webber, we’ve taken a non-Red Bull junior driver.” Perez was signed from Racing Point, who have now re-branded to Aston Martin. The team sensationally dropped him at the end of 2020, despite finishing ahead of his team mate Lance Stroll in the driver standings, in favour of ex Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel. He was available, and it was clear that Red Bull needed a serious shake up in order to have a chance at winning the championship. “But the way he settled in and the way he’s delivering, particularly after that victory in Bahrain last year, it would have been very tough for him not to be in Formula 1. I think he brings the dynamic in the fight that we have with Mercedes. That’s starting to pay dividends. You saw that in the French Grand Prix, and also Azerbaijan getting his first victory. The way he fended off Lewis, Lewis probably would have won that race had it not been for Sergio so he’s absolutely delivering.”

Formula One’s single tyre manufacturer Pirelli has brought its latest 2022 18-inch tyre test to an end, racking up high mileage with AlphaTauri’s race drivers, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda. Beside the revolutionary new aerodynamic configuration, Formula One is set to introduce a brand-new tyre specification next year with the 18-inch tyres due to make their debut in 2022. With the world still grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, the introduction of the new tyres was postponed to 2022. The postponement meant that Pirelli cancelled its preparation and on-track runs that were scheduled for 2020 and is instead working on the new tyres this year. After requesting a permission from the FIA to increase the number of test days, the Milan-based was granted a 30-day test programme that began on February 23 with Ferrari completing test runs at Jerez. Pirelli and AlphaTauri stayed for a two-day tyre test programme at the Red Bull Ring while the rest of the field left the track which hosted the Styrian and the Austrian Grands Prix over the last two weekends. Tuesday saw Pierre Gasly get behind the wheel of his modified AlphaTauri car that was fitted with the prototype 2022 18-inch slick tyres. The Frenchman completed 69 laps in the morning and performed a busy afternoon to rack up 164 laps in total. The second day of the tyre development programme continued with his team mate, Yuki Tsunoda, who tried out a number of different options on Wednesday. The Kanagawa-born driver completed 59 laps in the morning and a further 72 laps in the afternoon to finish Pirelli’s experiment with its all-new product for Formula One’s 73th season. Pirelli is set to continue its excessive tyre testing at Silverstone after next weekend’s British Grand Prix.