Formula 1

There have been rumors of Lewis Hamilton wanting more money or a bigger stake in the team, on the other hand, there have been rumors of Mercedes unwilling to give Lewis a long term contract, there are some other rumors that state Mercedes is not even willing to match the money they paid Lewis Hamilton in their previous contract.Amidst all of this, there have been talks about Lewis Hamilton losing his bargaining power because of George Russell’s performance at the Sakhir GP. Many pundits have given their views as well, as we saw Eddie Jordan famously said that he would have fired Hamilton if he were to make such demands. Lewis Hamilton is the best driver on the grid. There aren’t many drivers on the grid that can do what Lewis did in Turkey in 2020. Having a car incapable of winning and taking the chequered flag with it is something not many can boast of in their careers. Mercedes, in all likelihood, would not have won the race in Turkey. Valterri Bottas showed that by finishing the race a lap down. It was only Lewis and his ability that made this possible for him. This is the gap that Lewis fills in that Mercedes. The change in regulations in 2022 can shrink Mercedes’ advantage. The 2022 regulations have two specific goals. The first is decreasing the budget for the teams and the second is bringing the grid closer when it comes to pace. With the changes in regulations, the role and the impact of drivers on the race is bound to increase. Now, for Mercedes to continue their reign at the top of the sport they would need someone of the caliber of Lewis to win those crucial races, to be consistent, and most importantly to help them win the titles. George Russell is yet to prove himself. Russell had a great weekend at Sakhir, he showed great pace and was able to display a great run of pace. But at the end of the day, it’s just one weekend. Can he do it race after race? Can he keep the pressure of Max Verstappen at bay all the time? Can he perform in all conditions? Can he win when the car is not up to the mark?

Roy Nissany will debut Williams’ 2021 Formula 1 machine during the upcoming pre-season test in Bahrain, as part of his role in the team’s academy programme. The Israeli is currently enjoying Formula 2 testing duties in Sakhir with DAMS and will remain out in Bahrain for the F1 tests, with Williams handing him a full day of track time in the FW43B on day 1. Former F2 racers Nicholas Latifi and George Russell will then step in on days 2 and 3. “We’ve split the test up, a driver each day,” said Williams Team Principal Simon Roberts. “It’s good for Roy Nissany to get that experience in the car. We can use the day with Roy to do stuff that then leaves the race drivers to focus on other parts of the programme.” Switching from Trident to DAMS, Nissany is hoping to challenge towards in the front in his third full campaign at this level.

In the 2021 Formula 1 season, sprint races are likely to be held at a number of Saturday race weekends. A new idea from the management, which Nico Hulkenberg described as ‘rubbish’. Nico Hulkenberg announced on Monday that he will work for Servus TV in 2021. Red Bull’s station broadcasts all Formula 1 races in Austria. According to him, Formula 1 has nothing to gain from sprint races. ”It is rubbish. It sounds to me like something artificial to create excitement. The teams and manufacturers put a lot of money in this sport and thousands of people are involved, and then something like this is thrown at them. It doesn’t fit with Formula 1, where sometimes unexpected things can happen,” the German said according to Motorsport-total.com. According to the man, who is reportedly still considering a possible reserve role at Mercedes and Aston Martin, Formula 1 does not need this kind of measure at all. ”The main race as we know it on Sunday is still worth more than a sprint race on Saturday. You have the main event with one winner”, concludes Hulkenberg.

Williams Racing is delighted to announce a new technology and innovation partnership with B&R Industrial Automation, a unit of ABB’s Robotics and Discrete Automation business. B&R is a global leader and pioneer of factory automation solutions. The agreement will see B&R Industrial Automation embed their class-leading PLC hardware and I/O modules in the wind tunnel facilities at the team’s base in Grove. Controlled by B&R Industrial Automation’s APROL Edge Controller, the enhancements will provide measurement and recording of energy consumption of the wind tunnel infrastructure, and more granular control and management of the facility that will drive improvements in energy consumption, preventative maintenance optimisation and business efficiencies. Behind the scenes of every Grand Prix, the Williams Racing team work to continually develop and improve its performance and reliability, not only for their racing cars on track, but also for their business and operations at their UK headquarters. With ever increasing demands on business efficiency, coupled with a drive to Net Zero carbon emissions, capturing more data that generates greater insights of the team’s plant and infrastructure is a key contributor to enabling a higher performing and more sustainable business. Al Peasland, Head of Technical and Innovation Partnerships at Williams Racing said: “Following a long-standing, working and supportive relationship, we are delighted to welcome B&R Industrial Automation as a Williams Racing Official Supplier. With a shared vision on plant and process optimisation and B&R’s expertise in process control and automation, we’re excited for the business benefits and operational efficiencies our partnership will bring to the team. We very much look forward to working with our friends at B&R throughout 2021 and beyond.” Jason Johnson, Business Development Manager at B&R Industrial Automation, added: “Although they operate at the pinnacle of engineering, Williams Racing still face the same manufacturing challenges that we all encounter – a requirement to reduce energy usage and carbon footprint whilst maintaining and improving asset effectiveness and availability. We are delighted that Williams Racing has chosen the B&R APROL platform as the basis for their digital strategy. The APROL Edge Controller allows decisions to be made faster using real time data and analytics by making use of disparate data sets from equipment across the facility, and augmenting that with increased data visibility to achieve energy efficiency and productivity goals.”

Mercedes-AMG has presented the new colors of its GT R safety car and C63 S Estate medical car for the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. The two cars feature a new red paintwork, corresponding to the Affalterbach brand’s signature color, and display the name of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team partner CrowdStrike. Sharing the safety tasks with the Aston Martin Vantage safety car, which will hit the track at the season opener on March 28 at the Gulf Bahrain Grand Prix, the GT R will debut on April 18, at the second round of the F1 World Championship in Imola, with AMG’s Brand Ambassador and Driving Academy instructor Bernd Maylander at the helm. “In all the years my safety cars have never let me down. This exemplary reliability is also a fundamental safety factor. The high race track performance thrills me over and again. I am delighted that I am continuing to drive the FIA Safety Car and in this season it will be even more interesting, not just because of the new color”, said Maylander, who has been driving the FIA F1’s safety cars since 2000. The GT R, which features the AMG Track Package with roll-over protection and ceramic brakes, has no mechanical changes. Thus, the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 still produces 577 HP (585 PS / 430 kW), allowing it to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.6 seconds from a standstill and reach a maximum speed of 198 mph (318 km/h). With Alan van der Merwe behind the wheel, the C63 S Estate medical car will carry medics to the scene of an accident as quickly as possible. It retains the stock engine, producing 503 HP (510 PS / 375 kW), and has the optional ceramic brakes and four individual racing seats inside with four-point seat belts. In addition to the carbon fiber roof light bar, both cars have two additional screens inside, one that broadcasts the race and a second one that shows the current track position of the racers on a graphic.

Toto Wolff has denied Mercedes is struggling with an engine reliability problem ahead of the 2021 season. The title-winning team supposedly ‘turned down’ its engines when Max Verstappen dominated the season ending Abu Dhabi GP, and Mercedes engine boss Hywel Thomas said recently there had been “problems” with the unit ahead of the new calendar. “We don’t have any particular problems with the reliability of the power unit,” team boss Toto Wolff now insists. “Of course, the operation of the power unit at peak power for a long time gives us a lot of information for study, but we have everything under control,” he insisted. “For some years we had problems with engine cooling, but this was because our pre-season simulations did not accurately reflect what was happening on the track. “I believe we have now made a big step forward in this direction,” said Wolff.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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