Formula 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Organisers of the Chinese Grand Prix say they have asked Formula One management to move the Shanghai race from April to later in the 2021 calendar, Motorsport.com has reported. “We have been in contact (with F1) via conference call almost every week,” Yibin Yang, the general manager of race promoter Juss Event, was quoted as saying by the website. “Despite the calendar being in place as usual, I think it’s hugely uncertain the F1 race would take place in the first half of the year, in April. “We aim to swap it to the second half of the year, and we have formally submitted the request that we hope to move it to the second half of the year.” Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll said this week that agreement had already been reached to postpone the Australian Grand Prix to the back end of the season with Bahrain replacing it as the opening race in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sport saw many races cancelled last year due to the pandemic with the race calendar eventually reduced from 22 rounds to 17 across Europe and the Middle East and some circuits including Bahrain hosting two Grands Prix. Formula One announced a 2021 calendar in November featuring a record 23 rounds with 21 races the highest in a single season till date. China, which is the host of the 2022 Winter Olympics, has either cancelled or rescheduled all global sporting events since the start of the pandemic. “To move it to the second half of the year, it depends on the plan of the city government,” Yang added in Shanghai. “If we put all international events to the second half of the year, it will be over the capacity for the city.”

For the upcoming Formula 1 season many drivers will change employers, where it is especially important to get acquainted with the car and the team as soon as possible. Sainz seems to get an extra test, unlike a number of colleagues. It is no secret that teams can vary a lot in Formula 1. From the setup of the car to how the team works during a race weekend. Therefore, when changing teams, spending time with your new colleagues and driving the car before the season is extremely important. Reducing the number of test days from six to three, as it looks at the moment, does not help. The regulations only allow teams to organize an extra test to drive a car that has been used in one of the three calendar years before 2020. “Of course we plan to organize something for Carlos Sainz to make sure he is integrated into the team as soon as possible and is familiar with the car, the engineers, our way of working and our procedures. The simulator is important for this, but we are also trying to arrange something for him in January to drive an old car,” explains Mattia Binotto to Formula1.com. So while Sainz is likely to get an important extra day of testing, Daniel Ricciardo doesn’t have that luxury. “The rules are pretty clear about what we are allowed to do. We don’t currently have the opportunity at McLaren to drive an old car and we are of course working as hard as we can to integrate him into the team as soon as possible,” team boss Andreas Seidl said of his new employee. Sebastian Vettel also doesn’t get the luxury of driving an old car at Aston Martin. “We don’t have the opportunity to drive a two year old car. So we will do a lot of sim work with Seb and make the best use of the three days of testing to get him ready for the first race,” concludes Otmar Szafnauer.

Bahrain will be hosting the 2021 season-opener as the Australian Grand Prix, which has been the first race of the season in modern Formula One in recent years is likely to take place in the Autumn, according to Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll who is among the owners of the Aston Martin F1 Team which was formerly Racing Point before rebranding. Lawrence Stroll made the comments on Thursday. “Melbourne has been…it’s not officially announced but it will be not cancelled but postponed,” Stroll told Reuters, “We will go there sometime in the fall [autumn] and the first race will be Bahrain.” The billionaire, who is also the father to Lance Stroll who will be driving for the newly rebranded Aston Martin F1 team also commented on the upcoming 2021 F1 season and the Covid-19 pandemic in general and said there is ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. He also praised Formula 1 for successfully putting together the 2020 F1 Championship amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “I do believe we’re in for a difficult two or three months. There is a light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine. I think the first few races will be slightly challenging,” Stroll added. “But Formula One management and the FIA, I really take my hat off to them to deliver 17 races as we did last year in 23 weeks, without really any major hiccups, in a very impressive manner.” “I think the worst is behind us and we’ve learnt through last year how to proceed with this year.” Earlier, it was reported that the Chinese Grand Prix could be cancelled and Formula One is likely to return to Imola and Algarve towards the start of the season.

Mercedes has hit out at what it calls the “pure fiction” of rumours swirling around the future of Lewis Hamilton. The seven time world champion has kicked off 2021 without a contract, amid speculation Mercedes is balking at his demands for a EUR 40 million salary, a $3m AMG-One hypercar, and a 10 percent share in the team’s title bonuses. A Mercedes source calls those reports “pure fiction”, while a spokesman said there are “no reasons to be concerned” about the team’s 2021 lineup. Indeed, the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera claims that new team co-owner Ineos, headed by billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is prepared to make up the difference between Hamilton’s demands and what Mercedes is willing to pay. In turn, Hamilton would be expected to appear in some of the forthcoming marketing campaigns of Ineos, a British multinational chemicals company which now owns a third of the title-winning team.

The days of seeing Sebastian Vettel in Ferrari red are officially over, with Aston Martin releasing the first image of him in British racing green. The team formerly known as Racing Point have made the first big steps in their official rebrand after announcing US IT firm Cognizant as their new title sponsor. Alongside the news came some pretty big hints that the traditional Aston Martin green is on its way back, replacing the striking pink livery which came as a result of Racing Point’s sponsorship with Austrian water treatment manufacturer BWT. The green colour scheme can be seen on as Aston Martin F1’s official website, while the team also uploaded images of Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll in dark green racing overalls. “I can’t wait to start working with Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team,” Vettel said upon confirmation of Aston Martin’s new title sponsor. “There’s so much for me to discover over the next few months and I’m incredibly determined to help make this team even more successful. “Before we know it, we will be at the first race, seeing this famous name back where it belongs. I’m proud to be part of this journey.” Lance Stroll added: “Seeing Aston Martin back in Formula One is a huge deal – especially with a new title partner, Cognizant. “Whenever I’m at the factory, you can feel the buzz and energy. We’re ready for this. There’s so much hunger in the team and I just can’t wait to get the season started.” The official Aston Martin press release also stated ‘in March, we’ll be unveiling our car livery to the world at Aston Martin’s global HQ in Gaydon, including the introduction to our driver line-up, featuring four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel and multiple Grand Prix podium finisher Lance Stroll.’

Nikita Mazepin has hit out at Mick Schumacher despite the pair being new team-mates for Formula One team Haas. Both drivers from Formula 2 were signed as Haas’ drivers for the 2021 F1 season with the pair knowing each other from their go-karting days. When Mick Schumacher was asked about his relationship with Russian driver Mazepin, he claimed that they both have a good relationship but they have been distant for while. The German said recently, “He was very nice and there was a healthy respect between us as teammates…then we lost touch with each other a bit and of course we have both changed since then.” But Mazepin has hinted at a colder friendship with Schumacher, who is the son of Formula One legend Michael, telling Russian channel Match TV this week, “We are not friends. At most we are old acquaintances as we raced together in karts…I honestly don’t care about his name. Because of the name he will have more power, but also more pressure.” “But when I lower the visor, I don’t think about these things anyway.”