Formula 1

Newly-crowned seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton continued to lead the way in 2020 by topping the opening practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Following up on his record-equalling title triumph last time out in Turkey, Hamilton set the fastest time with a 1m29.033 to outpace Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas by 0.449 seconds in the first 90-minute practice at the Bahrain International Circuit. FP1 in Sakhir is considered to be one of the most unrepresentative Friday practice sessions of the season due to it being held during the day in conditions that differ from both qualifying and the race which take place at night. The drivers did get their first proper taste of Pirelli’s 2021 specification tyres with the latest test being run across both practice sessions in Bahrain following a ‘blind’ 30-minute programme which was conducted in Portugal last month, providing the teams with an important data-gathering exercise ahead of next season. Now that both teams’ and drivers’ titles have already been settled, attention has turned to an intense midfield battle to secure third place in the constructors’ championship with four teams in contention to land the coveted spot inside F1’s top three. Racing Point had the upper hand in the opening session at the first of two races to be staged in Bahrain as Sergio Perez, fresh from his first podium finish of 2020 at the Turkish Grand Prix, ended FP1 third-quickest – nearly a full second behind the dominant Mercedes duo. Carlos Sainz was just 0.018s adrift of Perez’s time in his McLaren, while Pierre Gasly completed the top five for AlphaTauri. The Red Bulls were next up with Max Verstappen marginally faster than Alex Albon in sixth and seventh respectively, with the Dutchman complaining of “understeer city” in his RB16 in the cooler conditions as he ended practice in the garage with floor damage. Renault duo Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo were split by the second Racing Point of Lance Stroll as they rounded out the top-10 positions, ahead of Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel. In his fourth FP1 outing of 2020, Robert Kubica – deputising for Alfa Romeo regular Kimi Raikkonen – finished 13th fastest ahead of Romain Grosjean, who was fortunate to escape a high-speed spin at Turn 7 with only flat-spotted tyres on his Haas. Roy Nissany was also in action marking his third FP1 appearance of the season for Williams, as he ended up slowest of all and three-tenths behind Nicholas Latifi in George Russell’s FW43.

Haas Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean has allleged that the previous Formula 1 bosses that he has raced for in the previous years were better managing him than Haas. Grosjean will be walking away from Formula 1 after Haas said they won’t be renewing his contract beyond 2020, and this will end his five-year relationship with the American outfit. Haas Formula 1 team principal, Guenther Steiner said Grosjean, who joined the team ahead of its debut in 2016 was ‘tough to manage’. Steiner said this ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix which will be taking place this weekend. Grosjean was asked on his thoughts about Steiner’s remarks and he said, “I don’t want to go into too much detail. I think I’ve brought a fair bit to the team and I’ve had moments, yes, I’ve made mistakes – but who doesn’t?” “Also, when you have a poor car, you need to be able to drive to 105% to get anything good and when you drive to that level there is high chances you’re going to make mistakes.” “When you have a top car, you can drive at 99.8% and that means you’re more consistent. I’ve known both situations and that’s why I can say that.” “Am I difficult to manage? I don’t know. [But] some people did that very well with me in the past, so I guess it’s possible.” Grosjean has just one points finish to his name in 2020 with a ninth place finish at the Nurburgring, ending a run of 20 races without scoring that stretched back to last year’s German Grand Prix. Despite the VF-20 lacking raw speed throughout most of the season, Grosjean is still satisfied with his performances this year. “Apart from Turkey in the wet, where I was absolutely nowhere,” Grosjean said. “Generally I’ve got the maximum of the car, whenever possible – Germany is a good example, and the race in Monza was pretty good, as well as Mugello. “So yeah, I’m happy with the season. It’s difficult to say how good the season is because of the car we have – but I think it’s a really good season.”

Robert Kubica and Roy Nissany will take part in the opening practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix as they get behind the wheel of the 2020 car of the Alfa Romeo and Williams team respectively. One-time Grand Prix winner Robert Kubica will return to the Formula One paddock this weekend as he prepares himself for an outing in one of the two Alfa Romeo Orlen C39s. The Polish driver will take over the car of Kimi Räikkönen for the first 90-minute session in Manama. “I am very pleased to be back in the driving seat for the first time since August,” said the Pole. „It may sound like a long time, but my season has been really busy with my simulator work at the factory and my DTM programme, so it actually felt like it went quite quickly. Kubica competed in the German Tourenwagen Masters this year, driving a BMW for the ART team. Beside his role in DTM, he also worked for Alfa Romeo as development driver. His outing in Bahrain will mark his fourth appearance at a race weekend this year after driving at Silverstone, in Styria and Hungary. “Now that my DTM season is over, I am keen to get back into my Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN role full time: there is still a lot to fight for and I am confident my work will make a positive contribution to the team’s efforts.” Team Principal Frederic Vasseur added: “We are all pleased to see Robert get back in the car for FP1. His contribution to the team has been important so far this season and to be able to get the most of his experience and skills here in Bahrain is going to help the team continue its current path of progression. Sakhir is a circuit he knows really well and this will really help our work this weekend.” Kubica will not only be the only third driver to get behind the wheel of a Formula One car this weekend as he will be joined by Roy Nissany. The Israeli driver will perform driving duties for Williams in FP1 which will mark his third appearance in 2020 after completing runs in Spain and Italy.“Bahrain is a very special track for me, driving a Formula One car around it for the first time means a lot. It is always a great opportunity to develop on such a technical and demanding track,” said Nissany.

Haas Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen is set for a switch to sportscar racing in 2021, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing’s revived IMSA team. The 28-year-old Dane will be one of the full-time drivers in Ganassi’s single Cadillac DPi-V.R entry in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, a program confirmed last week. Magnussen’s future has been the subject of much speculation since he announced his departure from the Haas F1 team last month and his father Jan Magnussen, the former sportscar ace who manages his son’s career, advised him to seek opportunities within IndyCar and WEC. However, with WEC set for a ‘transition year’ as the first Hypercars are introduced, Magnussen was unlikely to find a particularly appealing opportunity on the European sportscar scene. Meanwhile, although it’s understood that he approached all but one of the IndyCar teams that still had a seat available in October, most owners were seeking a driver who could bring money. That left Magnussen without an obvious option since his personal sponsor Jack & Jones – a Danish clothing company – has a negligible footprint in the USA, and its Canadian parent company Bestseller filed for bankruptcy this past summer. But the seven-year F1 veteran’s approach to Chip Ganassi led to talks regarding the team’s IMSA program, which lay dormant this year following the end of the highly successful partnership with Ford in the GT Le Mans class. Jan Magnussen did not respond to Motorsport.com’s attempts to confirm this news. Kevin Magnussen, the 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion, made his F1 debut for McLaren in 2014, scoring second place on his debut in the Australian Grand Prix. He would score 11 more top-10 finishes that season and take 11th in the drivers’ championship. However, the team made him reserve driver in 2015 when it signed Fernando Alonso, and at year’s end he was released. Magnussen then spent a season at the struggling Renault team before being hired by the one-year-old Haas squad in 2017, his highlight being ninth in the championship the following year. Since Wayne Taylor Racing elected to clean house regarding driver line-up as it switches from Cadillac to Acura for next year, it means WTR’s 2020 full-timers Ryan Briscoe and Renger van der Zande became available to partner Magnussen. Despite Briscoe’s seven-year association with Ganassi – three in IndyCar, four in sportscar –Motorsport.com is given to understand that van der Zande will be confirmed as the second full-timer in the Ganassi Cadillac. The 34-year-old Dutchman helped drive the WTR Cadillac to two Rolex 24 and two Petit Le Mans triumphs. Ganassi’s six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon is set to join Magnussen and Van der Zande for IMSA’s four endurance rounds – the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, Sebring 12 Hours, Watkins Glen 6 Hours and Petit Le Mans.

Daniel Ricciardo insists he’s “fired up” to help Renault put right its double DNF from last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sakhir circuit this weekend. Bahrain marks the start of the final run-in to the end of the 2020 season, with just three of the 17 races remaining. Renault was on course to secure a double points finish at the 2019 event, only for both Ricciardo and team-mate Nico Hulkenberg to retire simultaneously just a few laps from the end of the race. Ricciardo, who acknowledged his recent unblemished record in Bahrain, feels there is “unfinished business” for Renault to address. “The Sakhir circuit in Bahrain is a good one, I’ve always enjoyed racing there and night sessions are always fun to take part in,” Ricciardo said. “In recent years, I haven’t had the best results in Bahrain, but I’m looking to set that right this weekend. “I’m feeling much more on top of the car since we were last in Bahrain, so I think we should be in a good place. We also have a bit of unfinished business there after last season, so I’m pretty hungry and fired up.” Ricciardo’s current Renault team-mate Esteban Ocon is targeting a points finish a difficult run of form, with three retirements out of the last six races. The Frenchman, who will partner double world champion Fernando Alonso when Ricciardo leaves to join McLaren in 2021, believes luck has evaded him of late but is eager to perform this weekend. “I’m definitely feeling motivated after what happened at the last two races” Ocon said. “I’ve said it doesn’t feel like we have too much luck on our side of the garage, but I believe it’s in our own hands to turn that around. “There’s not much time to feel sorry for ourselves, so I’m determined to have a solid weekend and take some big points at a strategic time of the season.” Renault lost ground to its main rivals McLaren and Racing Point in the battle for third in the constructors’ championship after scoring just one point at the Turkish Grand Prix. The Enstone-based outfit has slipped to fifth in the standings, 13 points adrift of fourth-placed McLaren, with Racing Point a further five points clear in P3.

Roy Nissany will be back in action for Williams at the Bahrain Grand Prix, putting in the laps in FP1. The 25-year-old Israeli driver will replace George Russell in the weekend’s opening practice session. Nissany has already had two Friday practices with Williams, driving the FW42 in Spain and again in Italy. “Bahrain is a very special track for me, driving a Formula One car around it for the first time means a lot,” he said. “It is always a great opportunity to develop on such a technical and demanding track.” Nissany will swap from Formula 1 to Formula 2 over the course of the weekend as he contests the final two rounds of the F2 season with Trident Racing. He is currently P19 in the championship having scored five points. He will also drive the FW43 in the post-season Abu Dhabi test next month, taking up the driving duties along with reserve driver Jack Aitken. Williams said in its statement that the team is looking ‘forward to hearing Roy’s feedback on how the car has changed since his previous outing in Monza, and to his feedback on the test components.’ Williams is the only team yet to score a single point this season. Russell and Nicholas Latifi have both had near misses with P11s with the team hoping to break its duck before the season is over. “I am really looking forward to these final three races, it has been a very intense season and it has absolutely flown by,” said Russell. “Bahrain is a circuit that I always enjoy and is a race that takes place at dusk which is an exciting dynamic to experience again. “There is plenty to look forward to and we want to end this season strong, to be satisfied and pleased with the job we have done before heading into the winter break and 2021.”

Lewis Hamilton is “better than Michael Schumacher”, this was according to the latter seven time world champion’s former Ferrari teammate. Rubens Barrichello was commenting on his former rivals after Mercedes’ Hamilton matched F1 legend Schumacher’s record seven-title tally recently in Turkey. “I have raced against both Lewis and Michael, but I only fought against Lewis at the beginning of his Formula 1 career,” said the 48-year-old Brazilian, who retired with more than 300 grands prix to his name after 2011. “Still, I think Hamilton is better than Schumacher,” Barrichello added. The former Ferrari, Honda and Williams driver was also asked about two-time world champion Fernando Alonso’s return to Formula 1 with Renault-Alpine next year. “I think Fernando is ready for a comeback,” he said. “He looks very fit and I think that’s the biggest difference between him and Michael in 2010. Alonso is better prepared and has also raced in other categories in recent years,” Barrichello added. He even revealed that he was in Barcelona recently when Alonso, 39, got his first taste of Renault’s 2020 car for a filming day. “Honestly, I saw the driver I knew from 2005,” said Barrichello. “He discusses every detail and always looks ahead. I’m convinced that he still has the same will to perform.”

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has dismissed suggestions that the 2022 Formula 1 regulations are designed to stop Mercedes from dominating and says they “need to make racing more exciting”. In 2022, F1 moves to all-new technical regulations with cars designed to improve the show through a reduction of downforce. The shift from downforce primarily generated by the surface of the car to a more ground-effect driven concept should reduce turbulent air, which has prevented drivers from racing each other closely for a number of years. The technical changes coincide with the introduction of a budget cap and a more equitable prize money structure, as part of a wide-ranging overhaul of the sport to level the playing field. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff argued some of the changes are designed to put the brakes on his team’s crushing display of dominance in the V6 hybrid era, Mercedes scooping up all drivers’ and constructors’ titles since 2014. Wolff said that “everything has been done to stop us”, but that the new 2022 challenge “will motivate” the Brackley outfit to stay on top. Red Bull’s Verstappen, the driver who has been the biggest threat to Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in both 2019 and 2020, refutes Wolff’s claims that the new regulations are designed to stop Mercedes from winning. Verstappen argues that the technical changes are necessary to improve the show. “No, I think those rules are just the result of new owners listening to teams and drivers,” Verstappen said in Turkey when asked about Wolff’s comments by Motorsport.com. “They hear that it is really difficult to overtake and that we want more close racing. “You could see the current issues at Imola for example. Valtteri drove around with a car that was three to four tenths slower because of the damage, but I couldn’t get past him. “Even though I was much faster, you could see that once I did get past him. We have to find a solution for that.” Verstappen has enjoyed the unpredictability of the 2020 MotoGP season and hopes F1’s new rules will make qualifying less decisive in the future. “We need the racing in F1 to be more exciting and drivers to be able to follow other cars more closely and not that qualifying is the deciding factor during a race weekend as it is right now,” the Dutchman added. “Take a look at the MotoGP championship for example. Even if you qualify tenth, you can still win the race. That hardly happens in Formula 1, just because it’s so difficult to follow other cars at most of our circuits. “I think that’s why the new regulations are coming in from 2022 onwards. And whether those new rules will slow Mercedes down or not, you can’t even say that at this moment.”

Renault has fallen a long way behind in Turkey in the battle for third place and now even has to look back, because Ferrari is very close. According to Esteban Ocon, however, the team does not need to worry. The 2020 Formula 1 season is particularly exciting behind Mercedes and Red Bull Racing. There McLaren, Racing Point, Renault, Ferrari and sometimes AlphaTauri are fighting for the points and that results in an exciting championship. However, Renault has been hit hard in Turkey because it only managed to score one point. Because of that one point, Renault is suddenly eighteen points behind Racing Point and thirteen points behind McLaren. In addition, Ferrari has also suddenly come closer and the Italians are only six points behind the French. With three races to go, however, anything is still possible and Ocon thinks that those races are in Renault’s favour. “I think we generally perform very well when it is very hot. Normally we can handle the tyres very well on these kind of heavy circuits, so I am really looking forward to it,” said Esteban Ocon. “The car has always done well this season in these kinds of conditions, so I have no doubt it won’t be good for the weekend either”, added the Frenchman.

Despite the global pandemic that has impacted the lives of so many this year, Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz will likely look back on 2020 as a banner year, at least in terms of his personal finances, thanks to a €343m windfall. The Austrian billionaire and co-founder of the energy drink company is among the happy few who have received a special €550m dividend paid out by Red Bull. According to filings published on Monday by Austria’s market regulator, Red Bull GmbH distributed a €211.4m dividend to the family of Chaleo Yoovidhya, the former Thai duck farmer who invented the company’s energy drink and who died in 2012. But the bulk of the one-off payment was made to Mateschitz, the man who discovered and skilfully marketed through extreme sports – and Formula 1 in particular – the famous beverage, called Krating Daeng in Thai, that gives one’s wings. According to reports, Red Bull sold an estimated 7.5bn cans around the world in 2019. Mateschitz, a former globetrotting marketer who used to sell toothpaste, discovered the energy drink and its benefits on jet-lag in 1984 on a business trip to Thailand, and subsequently acquired an interest in the founding company in 1987. Thirty-three years, many billions of cans and 65 wins in Formula 1 later, the 76-year-old billionaire, worth an estimated $27.5bn, still holds a 49% stake in Red Bull, while another 49% is owned by 11 family members of the late Chaleo Yoovidhya. The remaining 2% is in the hands of Chaleo’s eldest son, Chalerm.

Carlos Sainz has admitted that he’s concerned that the slashing of pre-season testing in 2021 will leave him at a big disadvantage to Charles Leclerc when he moves to Ferrari over the winter. Sainz will exit McLaren at the end of the season and move to Maranello, but new cost-cutting rules coming into effect mean that there will be only three days of pre-season testing before the first race in Australia in March. Previously teams had been able to spend eight days on track over the course of two weeks at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Next year’s test is expected to be held in Bahrain. Teams will only be running one car at the test, meaning that drivers will have to share seat time. The cut in track time is unlikely to be a big problem for the teams themselves or for drivers staying with the same squad But it has the potential to be a major setback for drivers like Sainz, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo who are switching to a new team. And it will be an even bigger challenge for Fernando Alonso returning to F1 after two years out, and for any new drivers stepping up to F1. Haas is expected to field an all-rookie line-up in the form of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin. “A day and a half to be prepared for a season without knowing previously the car is practically impossible to be prepared for the first race,” Sainz said last week in Turkey. “That will make my first half of the season at Ferrari very difficult,” he added. “[And] for Fernando, Ricciardo and other drivers who change team. “I don’t understand why it’s only three days, one and a half days per driver,” Sainz said. “I’m not in favour of it, especially as there are no tests during the season.” The only other track opportunity is the post-season young drivers test at Abu Dhabi on December 15. But Sainz isn’t eligible to take part in that as it’s for drivers who have started no more than two Grand Prix races. Renault has been trying to ge special dispensation from the FIA for Alonso to take part due to his time out of F1, but the move has been opposed by other teams. Sainz would like the same waiver but admits that it’s unlikely to happen. “It is no secret that I would be interested in being in that test and driving the Ferrari,” he said “It depends on the personal interests of other teams, which have to be agreed, and the FIA would have to give the okay. “But it’s not a secret that I would be interested in being in that test.”

Red Bull wants to know what F1 power unit they will be using for 2022 before the end of the month says Team Principal Christian Horner, with taking over the Honda intellectual property (IP) their preferred option. The four-time world champions and their sister team AlphaTauri were left in a dilemma when Honda announced last month that they would be leaving the series at the end of the 2021 campaign, leaving only three engine suppliers. By regulation, Renault must supply Red Bull and AlphaTauri if they can’t find another option, as they have the fewest customers – but both the French manufacturer and energy drinks company would prefer not to work together again, with Red Bull instead pursuing the possibility to continue on with the Honda engine. It is understood Red Bull and Honda have had several discussions with regards Red Bull taking over the Japanese manufacturer’s IP as well as their Milton Keynes facilities and the Honda engineers who work there. “I think our preferred option would be to continue with the power unit that is in the car next year, obviously rebadged as something else,” said Horner. “If we can make an agreement with Honda regarding the use of the IP and product moving forward it would be a great shame to see those engines just in a warehouse somewhere in Japan, so subject to what the regulations are, it would be the preferred route would be to find an agreement to continue with those power units.” However, should Red Bull go down the route of taking on the Honda power unit themselves, they are pushing for an engine development freeze across all manufacturers. Mercedes would accept such a freeze, and while Ferrari and Renault have suggested they would be against, it is understood one of those are willing to change their stance. “I think we’ve been having quite productive discussions behind the scenes with the Commercial Rights Holder and the governing body,” added Horner. “Obviously there’s some key elements that need to be in place, before making any commitment on future engine plans, regarding engine freezes and so on.” While Horner said Red Bull technical chief Adrian Newey would push the deadline to get the right engine deal, with teams permitted to start working on their 2022 cars on January 1, Horner said a final call was ideally needed by the end of November. “Adrian is always the last of the late brakers on those kinds of things so he’ll hold out for what the best option is, but of course there are some practical things that need to be decided,” he said. “Engine stuff is such long lead time and if we were to take on a project like that then there’s quite a lot of work behind the scenes that would obviously need to happen and be put in place. Really by the end of this month we need to be firming up on a position.”

Formula One is planning to expand to 24 races in the near future, with some rotation of circuits, chief executive Chase Carey said on Thursday (Nov 19). The sport has pencilled in a record 23 for next year, dependent on developments in the Covid-19 pandemic which forced organisers to rewrite this season’s schedule and limit races to Europe and the Middle East. Carey, who is handing over to former Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali in January while remaining as non-executive chairman of the Liberty Media-owned sport, was speaking to investors. “We expect to move to a 24-race calendar in the next few years, and will probably rotate a few races so we will be able to accommodate a few new partners,” said the American. “But they will be limited as long-term partnerships continue to be our priority.” Formula One had two new races this year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, at Portugal’s Algarve circuit and Mugello in Italy, while also bringing back the Nuerburgring in Germany, Italy’s Imola and Turkey’s Istanbul Park for the first time in years. Those races were stand-ins for others that had to be cancelled on what ended up as a 17-round calendar. Saudi Arabia will be the new round on the calendar next season with a night race in Jeddah. Formula One has never had more than 21 rounds in a season and extending the calendar has caused concern about the burden placed on team staff. Carey said Formula One’s viewership was up slightly on last year despite the dominance of Mercedes for a seventh year in succession and a lacklustre showing by Ferrari.

Callum Ilott will return to the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team when he takes part in the post-season test that follows next month’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Ilott had a test outing with the Hinwil-based squad in Barcelona in May last year, and recently took part in a Ferrari F1 test in a 2018-spec car at Fiorano, which was set to act as preparation for a scheduled FP1 session with Haas at the Eifel GP in October, only for bad weather to cause the cancellation of the day’s running. Mick Schumacher, who was supposed to drive for Alfa Romeo in FP1 at the Eifel GP, is expected to be at the wheel of a Haas in Abu Dhabi, as he is tipped to join the US-owned team next year. Ilott is in the fight for the 2020 Formula 2 title, having taken three wins and logged four pole positions in an impressive second season in the category. He currently lies second in the championship, 22 points behind Schumacher, with just the two Bahrain rounds to come. “I am really looking forward to being in the car again in Abu Dhabi and I am grateful to Alfa Romeo Racing and the Ferrari Driver Academy for this opportunity,” said the 22-year-old. “Any chance to drive a Formula 1 car is important: it’s a way to grow my experience, not just in the cockpit, but also working with the team: the engineers and crew are among the best in the world and there is so much to learn from them, so I am going to make it count.” “Callum is one of the most promising young drivers coming through the ranks, as his performance in F2 has shown this year,” said Alfa Romeo boss Fred Vasseur. “He was unlucky to miss out on a chance to show his ability last month, when FP1 was called off at the Nurburgring, so he thoroughly deserves his outing with the team in Abu Dhabi.” “His attitude and work ethic have left a very positive impression with the team when he tested with us last year and testing with him in Abu Dhabi is something we are really looking forward to.”

During the Turkish Grand Prix that was held last weekend, both Redbull drivers, Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon found themselves being stuck on the wet starting grid literally as the lights went out with the rest of the cars slipped past the two RB16s. However, the track was largely wet and slippery and the two drivers were on the dirty side of the grid, making a slow getaway due to a procedural error and not an error from the drivers’ side. This was the analysis according to former Renault driver and columnist Jolyon Palmer. “The start was a relative disaster for the two Red Bull drivers,” Palmer said in his latest column for the F1 site. “By starting second and fourth they were both on the dirty and wetter side of the grid and that certainly had an effect, with other drivers like Leclerc and Norris also having hideous starts from twelfth and fourteenth place.” “Without any doubt, the best side to take the start was the outside, which was drier. We saw in the last part of the race how little grip there was outside the line and how easy it was to turn from the wetter part.” “It was this difference in grip that hurt the Red Bulls, Leclerc and Norris the most, because they barely managed to take off from the outside.” This indicates that all these shortcomings were as a result of poor grip, although Verstappen pulled in the clutch for the second time during the race start as the engine revs slowly reduced making his start even worse than Albon’s. Also, both Redbull cars started on the first gear which is the convectional way to start on the dry track, but on the wet Istanbul track the top 10 cars started on the second gear to avoid a lot of wheel spin on the clutch release. AlphaTauri also used the first gear in the other Honda powered cars and they had a better getaway making the gear start issue not a reason enough for the slow start.