Formula 1

Lando Norris signed a multiyear contract extension with McLaren on Wednesday that will keep the 21-year-old driver with the Formula One team for the immediate future. The British driver earned the second podium finish of his career at this season’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and is fourth in the drivers’ standings ahead of this weekend’s Monaco GP. McLaren’s announcement cements its driver lineup with Norris and 31-year-old Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who joined at the start of the 2021 season on a multiyear deal. The British team’s statement didn’t specify the length of the extension, noting only that it includes “2022 and beyond.” “My commitment to McLaren is clear: my goal is to win races and become Formula 1 world champion and I want to do that with this team,” Norris said. “Since joining in 2017 our progression has been consistent and we have clear ambitions together for the future.” Norris was promoted to a full-time race seat for the 2019 season. McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown said Norris is “one of the brightest talents” on the F1 grid. “He’s been instrumental in our return of form here at McLaren,” Brown said, “and we’re proud of the growth he’s shown since he first started with us back in 2017.”

Honda is still trailing Mercedes in terms of ultimate engine performance, Alpha Tauri boss Franz Tost has admitted. Tost heads the second Red Bull-owned team in Formula 1 that is also powered by Honda, the Japanese engine manufacturer that is officially leaving the sport at the end of this season. “Honda did a very good job over the winter. And last year too,” the Austrian told Auto Motor und Sport. “They have caught up in terms of both performance and durability. “It really is a shame that they are quitting now because they have reached a really great level,” Tost added. “If they had stayed, I believe that sooner or later the engine would have caught up with Mercedes or been even better.” From 2022, Red Bull is taking over Honda’s engine IP and setting up shop with its new on-site Red Bull Powertrains operation, which has already attracted over a dozen key Mercedes staff. As for 2021, however, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher is not sure the Red Bull-Honda package is strong enough to de-throne Mercedes this year. “I am slowly losing hope,” he told Sky Deutschland. “Red Bull needs to take a big step forward.” Tost admits engine power is one slight deficit for Red Bull. “It depends on the track,” he said, “and the power unit management. I think Mercedes is still the benchmark.” Meanwhile, the Alpha Tauri chief admitted that the Faenza based team will share many components with sister team Red Bull Racing in 2022. “We will take everything from Red Bull Technologies that the regulations allow,” said Tost. “That’s the transmission, the complete rear suspension and many parts of the front suspension – maybe even the whole thing. “The parts we will use stays the same, but it will be a lot more expensive for us because we are sourcing new parts. Until now we have always taken the parts from the previous (Red Bull) car,” he added.

Upon Honda’s departure from Formula 1 after 2021, Red Bull Racing will take over the engine project, and continue it as Red Bull Powertrains. It seems like a good time to take that step, now that the Honda powerplant is performing better than ever. Christian Horner elaborates on the ambitious project. The Red Bull team boss says the right structure of leadership is important to shape the rest of the organisation. A large proportion of the top jobs will be held by staff recruited from the Mercedes camp. According to Horner, the priority is to attract people with experience in developing Formula One engines. “That’s our best chance of hitting the ground running,” the 47-year-old Briton said in an interview with The Race. He stresses that they don’t bring any of Mercedes’ intellectual property with them. “But they’ve produced the benchmark engine over the years, and that’s fantastic for us. When you’re starting from scratch with a clean sheet of paper you want to bring in as much talent as you can.” From 2022 to 2025, there is a development freeze on F1 engines, meaning Red Bull has about three years after 2021 to build a competitive powerplant. “There is a very aggressive timeline to get that building fully commissioned and operational,” said Horner. “It’s gathering pace, we’re getting the right people, we’re using all the same philosophy as on the chassis side of bringing the right people in.” “We’ve demonstrated that we can do it on the chassis side. People I don’t think took Red Bull seriously when they entered the sport as a chassis manufacturer. We were famously called just an energy drinks company by a certain driver’”, with Horner referring to a statement made by Lewis Hamilton.

The FIA has introduced a new, more thorough technical inspection for the start of the 2021 Formula One season. For this, a car is randomly chosen after each Grand Prix to be inspected. At the Spanish Grand Prix, it was Sergio Perez who had to report with his Red Bull Racing car. What’s striking about this choice is that Lewis Hamilton’s comments about Red Bull’s flexible rear wing, which he made the day before, put Red Bull under a magnifying glass. It remains to be seen whether the FIA’s choice, in this case, was entirely arbitrary. During the in-depth technical inspection parts of the car are removed, and conformity and software checks are performed. Perez’s car passed the inspections successfully. “All inspected components were found to comply with the technical regulations of Formula 1 in 2021,” reads the FIA. Apart from this thorough check, the FIA announced shortly after the Spanish Grand Prix that there would be additional tests, to check that the rear wing is not too flexible. Red Bull Racing has passed all current tests successfully but may need to make adjustments to pass the new tests. This is probably not only true for Red Bull: other teams are also expected to make adjustments to the rear wing and will be given time to do so until the French Grand Prix.

Nikita Mazepin is a much talked about driver in Formula 1, and actually was before his debut at Haas. This is just not for the reason he probably hoped. However, the Russian driver thinks that opinions about him are going to change. Mazepin is in a tricky position anyway: as a ‘pay driver’, who in short pays for his seat, he first has to prove that he has the necessary talent. So far, he hasn’t exactly succeeded in doing so. He himself acknowledges that his debut in Formula One has not been the easiest. “But to be honest I didn’t expect that either,” Mazepin said in conversation with Motorsport.com. “There’s a reason there are only 20 seats available because the level is incredibly high and so are the demands. What makes F1 special is that everyone is very good, no matter what position you are fighting for. So it’s always difficult, whether you’re fighting for P1, P10 or P20.”

Valtteri Bottas would need to be driving “extremely badly” to be dropped mid-season, that’s according to former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher. And the German says he isn’t there, but it is “slowly becoming difficult” for the Mercedes driver. Bottas entered this year’s championship promising to be selfish and demand what he needs to achieve his goal of winning the World Championship. Instead he has found himself once again lagging behind his team-mate Lewis Hamilton, resulting in a first round of team orders as the Spanish Grand Prix. With 47 points to Hamilton’s 94, there is speculation in the media that the Finn’s time at Mercedes is fast running out, some even suggesting he could be replaced mid-season. Schumacher doesn’t see that happening, conceding that while Bottas isn’t doing that poorly at this stage of the season. “There was talk of Valtteri having to leave his place during the season,” the Sky Germany commentator told Speedweek. “I don’t see that. “To do that, he would have to drive extremely badly, and he isn’t.” That, though, doesn’t mean he’ll be a Mercedes driver for much longer with Schumacher saying his seat should go to George Russell next season. “In the medium term, I would allow George Russell to drive a Mercedes,” he said. “I also think the Englishman would do a better job there than Bottas because after all the setbacks, the whole thing is slowly becoming difficult for Valtteri.” The German also weighed in on Daniel Ricciardo, who made the move to McLaren at the start of the year. Although it was thought the Aussie would get the better of his team-mate Lando Norris, at present it is the Brit who is leading the charge for McLaren. “McLaren has to do the construction work,” said Schumacher. “Formula 1 is developing very quickly, Daniel Ricciardo is behind, and we’ve seen his usual smile get a little lost. “Of course it stinks to him, as he was inferior to his team-mate Lando Norris until Barcelona. Ricciardo knows: Actually he, Daniel, should be the team leader. “Maybe that will change this weekend, because Daniel has captured two of his three pole positions in Monaco, he should have won in 2017, a mistake by the team when changing tyres cost the triumph, and in 2018 he made up for it. “This is a driver who feels very comfortable in Monaco. The question will be how comfortable he feels in the McLaren in order to be able to play to his full strength. ”

A race-winning Formula 1 car driven by Lewis Hamilton is to be auctioned for the first time at this year’s British Grand Prix. The McLaren MP4-25A, driven by Hamilton during the 2010 season, will be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s on the Saturday afternoon of the British Grand Prix. It is the first time any of the Formula 1 cars raced by Hamilton during his 14-year career has been auctioned for public sale. An estimate of $5m-$7m has been placed on the car. The MP4-25A is set to be demonstrated around Silverstone while the auction takes place prior to the inaugural Sprint Qualifying session. Hamilton claimed victory at the Turkish Grand Prix using the chassis that is up for sale. RM Sotheby’s outlined that it is an “unrepeatable opportunity given the model’s scarcity.” It added that “while client confidentiality precludes knowing exactly how many cars exist in private ownership it is believed to be only a scarce few. “As such these examples remain highly coveted and largely in private hands, unlikely to be sold in the near future.”

A question mark is still hanging over this year’s running of the postponed and rescheduled Australian GP. While other countries are making progress in moving out of the pandemic, it’s a different situation in Australia – where the country is locked up tight to keep out all international cases of covid-19. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it is “premature” to say whether the grand prix and other similar events can go ahead this year. “I would note how different it is coming to Australia, because in most of the countries they (Formula 1) are moving around in, covid is riddled through them,” he said on Tuesday. “Australia is not riddled with covid, so the risk profile in other countries is very different. That is something that we certainly want to protect.” Nonetheless, race promoter the Australian Grand Prix Corporation’s chief executive Andrew Westacott insists it is “all systems go” for the rescheduled Melbourne race in late November. “As you can imagine, it’s something very, very complex, it’s very, very much a work in progress, and we’re working with the government on every one of the details right now,” he told local broadcaster ABC. Westacott also played down rumours that Melbourne could follow Austria’s example with a second race in 2021, especially with a big question mark hanging over the Brazilian GP. “I think the people in Brazil are very, very dead-set on hosting their grand prix two weeks earlier than us,” he said. However, he also told SEN radio that a realistic deadline for clarity about whether the 2021 Australian GP will go ahead is mid September. “The current date we’re looking at is around the 13th or 17th of September from a build commencement point of view,” said Westacott.

At least two other Formula 1 teams will have to change the design of their rear wings in 2021, according to Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko. The FIA’s new clarification about rear wing flexibility has been reported as directly implicating Red Bull, after Lewis Hamilton referred to the “bendy” wing on Max Verstappen’s car in Barcelona. “Our rear wing has passed all the required load tests,” team official Marko told motorsport-magazin.com. “Now there is a new criterion that has different parameters regarding downforce,” he added. “This happens normally when new regulations are introduced and teams discover grey areas. “But we are not the only ones to do it,” Dr Marko insisted. “This will affect other teams as well. Both Alpine and Alfa Romeo are using rear wings that flex at high speed. “They will also have to make changes,” he said.

The fact that Williams is already working on the 2022 season is not that surprising. Just like every other F1-team on the grid, the British team is already busy preparing for next year. Dave Robson, head of vehicle performance, sees his team in the same situation as Ferrari. This is what he says in conversation with Autosport. According to Ferrari sport director Laurent Mekies the Italian team is already 90 to 95% committed to 2022. Robson thinks Williams will be close to that as well. “We’re probably not too far away from that I think. Certainly, the time in the windtunnel is almost entirely next year’s car. The vast majority, a massively high proportion of the aero department are all working on next year’s car. The same goes for the design office. So, we’re just in the final throes of the last few new bits for this car. Yeah, we’re probably very similar to Ferrari in those percentages.” Robson said. Still, Robson thinks there’s a bit more to come from the car this year. “There are a few bits and pieces we’re not fully on top of – a few test pieces that we’ve had on the car, we’ve taken back off and we’re still refining. So, I think there’s still a bit more to come from it. It probably isn’t going to change our world massively as the season goes on, but there’s still more to come. Definitely. We will keep pushing that. I think we can eek a bit more out of it.” So expect a few more minor updates for Nicolas Latifi and George Russell this year.

Dr Helmut Marko admits Red Bull will need to make tweaks to its allegedly ‘bendy’ 2021 rear wing. After Lewis Hamilton made the observation about Max Verstappen’s “bendy” wing after the Spanish GP, the FIA warned that it would clamp down on the issue of flexible wings with extra checks. “This is an old story,” Red Bull top official Dr Marko told motorsport-magazin.com. “In our world championship years, I think we had to make changes to our front wings two or three times in one season. “The FIA draws up regulations and the teams try to use them as optimally as possible,” the Austrian explained. “But this is not just a Red Bull issue – other teams are just as affected,” he said. Indeed, there are reports Alpine may be even more affected by the FIA move than Red Bull. Marko admitted: “We are assuming that we may have to make minor adjustments in relation to the interpretation that is coming out now. It is a different interpretation than the previous one.” But he insisted that any rear wing tweaks will not overly affect Red Bull’s performance. When asked how much pace Verstappen’s car will lose, Marko said: “We are currently calculating that. But it’s not as if it will be decisive for the championship.”

McLaren has revealed an incredible one-off livery in the iconic Gulf colours that will be run by the team at the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix. When McLaren welcomed Gulf Oil International as its strategic partner in July 2020, the two revived a relationship that dates back to 1968 and the days of team founder Bruce McLaren. For the Monaco weekend, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo’s cars will sport the distinctive blue and orange paintwork that previously adorned the #41 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail at the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans. Both drivers will also sport helmets with “bespoke retro designs” that will be raffled to raise money for the team’s mental health charity partner, Mind. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said: “This will be McLaren’s homage to Gulf’s celebrated race car design. We’re enormous fans of brave and bold design, and the striking Gulf blue is among the most loved liveries in racing, a celebrated piece of culture which transcends the world of motorsport. “Design has always been important to McLaren – you see this in everything we do from our return to papaya to our stunning headquarters, the McLaren Technology Centre. “We’re excited to exhibit this as a team and celebrate our proud association with Gulf in Monaco.” The Gulf ‘theme’ will extend across the team’s social media platforms with team personnel also set to be fitted in one-off kit. Gulf Oil CEO Mike Jones added: “Gulf and McLaren have a relationship that dates back to 1968 and is one of the most successful partnerships in motorsport. We are incredibly excited to pay tribute to this heritage with our classic livery at the Monaco Grand Prix, the most spectacular and stylish event on the Formula 1 calendar. “To see the reaction of both Lando and Daniel as well as the whole McLaren team to this livery has been really special and we are thrilled to unveil it to motorsport fans around the world. “The distinguished racing blue and fluro orange Gulf colourways are iconic, so to mark our return to Formula 1 and showcase the livery in Monaco with McLaren is a great celebration of our bold and colourful place within the sport.”

Dave Robson, Williams’ head of vehicle performance, believes George Russell is achieving “very close” to Lewis Hamilton’s early Formula 1 career performances and “has the potential” to emulate his subsequent success. Robson worked at McLaren during Hamilton’s time as a junior driver with the team – where he would go on to make his F1 debut in 2007 and win his first world title a year later. When discussing Hamilton’s achievement of sealing 100 career F1 pole positions at last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, Robson explained how it had been clear from early in Hamilton’s time with McLaren that there was “something” he “always had” that suggested the Briton had potential to succeed in motorsport. Robson also said he had seen similar traits in Russell – a junior driver for Hamilton’s Mercedes operation and regularly tipped to follow in his footsteps with F1’s leading team – when he first met Russell ahead of his rookie F1 season in 2019. “I think there are definitely some similarities there,” said Robson, who was Jenson Button’s race engineer while he competed against Hamilton at McLaren from 2010-2012, with Robson remaining in that role until he joined Williams for 2015 to be Felipe Massa’s race engineer. “And they were obvious from the first time I met George and we ran him in the simulator in Grove. Then we went up and ran him around the airfield in a road car. “Again, there was something. There was something there. “I think the talent is there. I think he is very close to Lewis and has the potential to get there. For sure.” Robson also called Hamilton’s 100 poles record a “phenomenal achievement”. “And to do it against some fairly impressive teammates along the way as well [is impressive],” he added. “I’ve obviously not worked with him for quite a few years, but it’s something he’s always had, I think. “There is just that something about him. That special quality that you can’t really define. “That was obvious right from when he was just a kid and [McLaren] took him testing at Elvington [airfield, for a straight-line aerodynamic test run] – going up and down the runway. “He was bored stiff after 10 minutes. Whereas most kids, when you took them to Elvington, they were just chuffed to bits to be in an F1 car – even though they were just going up and down the runway. “And he was different right from the beginning. He just has that talent and that tremendous attitude. So, take your hat off to him. “He’s an annoying customer to have on the other side of the garage, for sure. But yeah, he’s a phenomenal talent.”

How big is the impact of the new regulations? That question was on the minds of fans and teams after the 2020 season. It was feared that the cars will be a lot slower as there is also a lot more downforce lost due to the floor being subjected to major changes. Auto, Motor und Sport reveals that the difference is not even as big as expected. After the first four Grands Prix, it is clear that the F1 cars have taken a step back in lap time. This is the first time since 2017 that the regulations have made for slower cars. By comparing the fastest times with 2020, AMuS has made an estimate of the loss. They arrive at a loss of three tenths by kilometres. The biggest difference in lap times was in Bahrain, where the drivers were 1.7 seconds slower. Per kilometer however this comes out to three tenths per kilometer. Also in Portugal this difference is the same. In Spain the difference is more than two tenths and in Imola the difference is only one and a half tenths per kilometer. In the race the drivers are mostly faster. In Imola the fastest time was three seconds short, due to the weather conditions. In Barcelona Max Verstappen’ s fastest time was even faster than the fastest race lap of 2020. AMuS expects to see this more often, now that the importance of each point is so high for the top teams.

Toto Wolff the team principal of the Mercedes Formula 1 team has confirmed the former head of the German manufacturer’s F1 powertrains division will not join Red Bull’s latest venture. With Honda set to depart the sport at the end of the season this year, Red Bull proceeded to buy Honda’s IP and set up the Red Bull Powertrains company. The past few weeks has seen the Austrian team poach a few members from the German team, though one individual who will not be joining them is Andy Cowell, the former head of the Mercedes powertrain division. “I talk to Andy (Cowell) regularly. He just wants to do something different, not only be known for his work in Formula 1,” Wolff told members of the media. “Andy has exciting ideas about technology and sustainability and he also said: ‘If I wanted to continue in Formula 1, I would have stayed with Mercedes.’” The war between Mercedes and Red Bull has taken on a different flavour in recent weeks. Not only are the two teams fighting for supremacy on the race track but they are also locked in a tussle regarding team personnel in what could turn out to be an interesting subplot as the season progresses.

From 2022, Formula 1 hopes to have at least two test weeks prior to the new season. Ross Brawn believes that is necessary because of the major rule changes that will come into effect next season. In 2021, teams and drivers were only given three test days to understand the new cars. This was partly because much of the cars remained the same and it saved money. In 2022 this could be changed again to at least two test weeks. “I think for 2022 we will have a longer pre-season test or series of tests. Because with the new car we need to give the teams the time to understand and settle in,” Brawn said in conversation with The Muscle Help Foundation . This year’s decision to have winter testing last only three days was not to the liking of many teams and drivers. “I think we are anticipating at least having two pre-season tests. So drivers that do change have a little bit more time and the teams will have more time to understand their cars,” Brawn concluded.