Racetrackmasters

McLaren driver Lando Norris finished a disappointing seventh place despite starting the race from pole position. Norris was leading for much of the Russian Grand Prix but things didn’t go well in the final laps of the race as rain pounded the circuit. As Mercedes was bringing Lewis Hamilton in, Land Norris opted to stay out in the track in slicks. Although he did not want to come in either, but it was the team at fault for having no information for Norris. According to Ralf Schumacher, the team made a very huge mistake and Norris missed the victory because the McLaren weatherman did not provide information to the driver which could have forced him to pit. ”The fault lay with the McLaren weatherman. Team boss Seidl said to Sky that they had assumed light rain and that Norris had therefore been left out. There’s nothing the driver can do about that. If he had gone against his team, it probably would have been different, but he just didn’t have the information that the team has. But his crew just had the wrong information”, says Schumacher in his column for Sky Germany. “I would have brought him in one lap after Hamilton to at least bring home second place. Even a slightly damp track makes it much harder for the driver to drive. A few splashes don’t matter, but when it’s wet all over the surface, the slicks lose all grip, it’s like driving on soap”, the German concludes.

2021 Turkish Grand Prix venue will be treated to give drivers more grip and prevent 2020 drama with drivers spinning allover. The circuit had not been in use since 2011 and was re-carpeted in 2020 just a few weeks to the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix. This made the drivers struggle for grip especially with the hard tyres as they could not retain temperature. Pirelli said they would have prepared tyres with softer compounds had they known the circuit had been re-carpeted just prior to the grand prix. However, the situation became much worse as rain hit the circuit in qualifying and the race itself making it extremely difficult for the drivers to find grip. Michael Masi, the FIA race director updated all the teams that the track had been treated to add more grip. This means that all the data that the teams had collected at the circuit back in 2020 will be irrelevant. “We do regularly each season send updates to the teams about any circuit changes for upcoming events,” said Masi. “Be they be barriers, fences, gates, whatever. It may be areas of resurfacing. “So yes, the surface in Turkey has been effectively water-blasted, would probably be the best way to put it, which is a regular treatment that happens. “We have seen that regularly used in Singapore as an example, where the public roads that are used they resurface those quite regularly because of the movement. That is what has happened there, along with a few other changes.” F1 managing director, Ross Brawn commented that lack of grip was a good challenge for the drivers after the 2020 race. “I appreciate drivers were not happy with overall grip levels,” he said. “But it was a consequence of the late decision to race there as the calendar was revised to respond to COVID-19. “I think drivers sometimes need to remember it’s a competition of who crosses the line first, so while grip levels weren’t high, it was the same for everyone. “Some drivers got their head down and came to terms with it, others found it a distraction. “Having a challenging surface as we had this weekend was no bad thing. It showed a driver’s talent to the max. I don’t think grip levels are a measure of the level of competition you will have.”

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz is looking at a grid penalty in the Turkish GP. This comes as Ferrari plans to change the engine on the Spaniard’s SF21 to give him more speed. This means that the engine swap will see him start from the back of the grid in the race. This will be the third time Ferrari is changing the engine exceeding the regulated number of engine changes. The Italian team believes that by changing the engine, Sainz will have a better chance of finishing in the points in Turkey despite starting from the back of the grid. Carlos Sainz’s engine upgrade in Turkey will be the same as Leclerc’s during the Russian GP. Despite the Monesgague finishing 15th in the Russian GP, Ferrari insists that the new engine yielded positive results and had nothing to do with the low performance. The team believes Sainz can also benefit with the change. The Italians are back on level terms this year after a poor season. The team is fighting with McLaren for third place in the world championship, where they are 18.5 points behind the competition. Sainz has so far amassed 112.5 points, while Leclerc has yet to score more than 104.

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has admitted he ‘often’ thinks about retiring from Formula 1 but also insists he is ‘still hungry’ to win more F1 races. The Brit won his 100th grand prix in Russia last weekend adding to his list of record Formula 1 wins. The 36-year old is locked in a tight battle for the 2021 championship with RedBull driver Max Verstappen with only two points separating the latter with only seven rounds remaining in the 2021 Formula 1 season. Hamilton signed a two-year contact with Mercedes that will see him drive for the team upto 2023. When asked about his retirement after so much success in Formula 1, Lewis said, “That thought often happens to me. It’s like a wave.” “It comes and goes, there have been many occasions in the last four or five years when I didn’t know if I still wanted to try, sacrifice myself with training at the expense of personal life.” “There are other things I like to do. So many things I would like to try. But on the other hand I tell myself that I am so lucky to be doing this job.” “In a rather long period of time, the career in the car becomes only a small part, there is a lot of time to retire. It is a question of finding the balance. I tell myself that if I am still hungry and I train like I was a boy, which I am doing, and if I still get great results and I’m still hungry…” “If I find myself slower, lacking strength to train, and unmotivated, then I’ll know it’s time to stop.” Hamilton will be joined by George Russell at Mercedes in 2022 which will see a brand new car and new regulations put in place. He also praised the new generation of young F1 drivers such as Lando Norris, George Russell and Charles Leclerc and insisted he was not ‘scared’ of facing them in 2022 under new regulations.

Ferrari’s vice chairman, Piero Ferrari has admitted that Ferrari is helping Mick Schumacher, the son of legendary Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher a more competitive car in Formula 1. The Italian team is helping Mick Schumacher, who is currently driving for Haas Formula 1 team speed up in F1. “He is making his way in a team that we support,” Ferrari, the only living son of the great Maranello marque’s iconic founder Enzo told the Italian media. “His team (Haas) has made the choice not to spend in 2021 so they are using a car that was already not good in 2020,” he added. “But they are spending for 2022 and we at Ferrari are also helping Haas. For his second year, we hope to give Schumacher a car with which he can demonstrate his qualities.” Piero Ferrari also admitted he misses Michael Schumacher, who is the legendary seven time world champion having won five titles under Ferrari. “I had the pleasure of having Schumacher as a guest in my home, drinking a bottle of red win together. He really enjoyed these moments of intimacy and tranquillity. “He was a simple person – clear, precise, a very linear personality,” Ferrari said. “I’m sorry that we talk about him today as if he is dead, because he is not. Michael is there but he cannot communicate.”

Losail International Circuit will be hosting its first ever grand prix this year with a 10 year deal in place starting from 2023, Formula 1 has confirmed. The track has hosted MotoGP since 2004 and its inclusivity in the Formula 1 calendar means the three final rounds of the 2021 Formula season will be taking place in the Middle East. The Qatar Grand Prix will be acting as a replacement for the Australian Grand Prix which was cancelled due to travel restrictions imposed by the Australian government due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The round will be happening from 19th to 21st November just between the Brazilian GP and the inaugural Saudi Arabia GP. “There was a strong will from Qatar to be helpful to F1, and in the course of this process, the vision for a longer partnership was discussed and agreed for 10 years,” a statement from F1 said. The 10-year agreement was driven by the fact that Qatar will be hosting FIFA World Cup in 2022 and the biggest strategy was to showcase Qatar after the 2022 games. “As part of the longer-term deal, discussions will continue regarding the location for the Grand Prix from 2023 with further details to be provided at a later time.” F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali praised the efforts of the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) and the Qatari Authorities in helping to arrange the Grand Prix at short notice, saying: “We are very pleased to welcome Qatar to the Formula 1 calendar this season and for the longer term from 2023.” It is understood that the race will be classified as a twilight start, similar to the Abu Dhabi GP and with lights out at 18:00 local time.

Antonio Giovinazzi says his Russian Grand Prix was “a mess” after the Italian lost radio communication with his team on the opening lap of the race. The Alfa Romeo driver started from 17th on the grid despite changing his gearbox, one place higher than where he qualified, with bigger penalties to other drivers actually helping him out. However, his efforts to move further up the grid during the race were compromised early on when he lost radio contact with his team on Lap 1. In the end Giovinazzi finished 16th, with the radio issues and contact with Mick Schumacher proving too much to overcome. “I had no radio from Lap 1, so it was impossible to communicate with the team, and it was just a difficult race with the fuel saving,” Giovinazzi said in an interview. “I tried to watch my pit on the main straight to see what I need to do, but without the radio it was just a mess. “And then also with the rain in the end I had no communication. It was just a silence race for myself, so just a difficult race from lap one. “It was also difficult to overtake, so I lost a lot of time there. Then when I was in free air the pace was good. But we lost a lot of laps.” Giovinazzi’s future at Alfa Romeo remains unclear at this time as he has yet to be confirmed by the team for 2021, with the Italian outfit already announcing that Valtteri Bottas will join from Mercedes.

Ross Brawn is fully expecting Lewis Hamilton to go on and stretch his record haul of grand prix wins to at least 120 before he finally retires from F1. Hamilton hit the magical 100 mark with his Russian Grand Prix triumph, although had been left lingering on 99 for over two months after reaching that figure at Silverstone. With the 36-year-old to continue with Mercedes through to the end of 2023 at least, F1 managing director motorsports Brawn sees no reason why Hamilton cannot push his victory haul beyond the reach of any other driver. “It’s a milestone no one thought anyone would ever reach,” said Brawn, via his regular post-race column. “Michael’s tally of 91 was so far ahead of what anyone else had ever done at that point that it never seemed conceivable that anyone would get near it. “But then Lewis beat it and now Lewis has 100 wins. There is nothing stopping him. Who knows where it’s going to end up? “He’s with us for another couple of years at least and he will win races every year. “I don’t think we could predict 200 wins, but I think we could certainly predict 20 more as he’s still massively competitive and motivated. “It’s just staggering and congratulations to him, as it’s a centenary that no one ever thought would be achieved.” Brawn further applauded Mercedes and Hamilton for overcoming a rare off day in qualifying as the team erred tactically before the seven-time champion made two mistakes of his own, including hitting the pit wall. Brawn, though, feels the challenge Mercedes is facing this year from Verstappen and Red Bull is having an impact. “It’s a measure of a world champion in a world championship team, that little glitches, such as Lewis hitting the wall in qualifying, look glaring because you make them so infrequently,” added Brawn. “Mercedes and Lewis weren’t on it in qualifying, at a track where they were expected to dominate given recent history. “Friday practice showed they were much quicker on the long runs. It was all there for them to take advantage of. So the fact it didn’t go to plan shows that this is not a slam dunk for them. “They’re going to have to fight hard all the way to the end if they are going to win the championship. Fighting hard internally is different than fighting hard externally. “When you’re fighting hard internally, what’s the worse that can happen? If one driver doesn’t win, the other would do. “They had years where it was Nico [Rosberg] or Lewis as there was no one to pick up the pieces if they didn’t deliver. Mercedes had that cushion if they messed up. Now there is no cushion. “Max is putting up a massive challenge for the championship, he was fantastic on Sunday, delivering a masterclass in damage limitation to recover to second from last and while he lost the championship lead, he’s only two points behind Lewis now.”

Starting next year, Lewis Hamilton will have a new teammate at Mercedes. George Russell will take the place of Valtteri Bottas. The Italian side of Sky Sports spoke to Hamilton about the changes for next year and his new teammate. “There is exceptional talent in the new generation. It’s something exciting for the sport. It’s great for me, for Bottas, for Vettel. For me, it’s fun because I can ask myself ‘How can I meet the challenge of these guys?’”, Hamilton says in the interview. “I’m much older. They [the new generation] are not afraid of anything. They are in top form and I love to see them drive. I hope I can still earn my place here, that I can respond to them as best I can. That’s what I’m focused on.” About his age, Hamilton has no further worries compared to the younger generation. “To be honest, I’m not worried about it. If we look at next year, the performance of the cars will probably be closer. The races will be more intense, so driving skills will play a big role. That’s why I want to stay in F1, because it will really be a chance to show my skills.” Indeed, the Briton has been driving in Formula 1 since 2007, giving him plenty of experience. “I think my mind can help the team move forward, because I know what I need from the car and where the performance needs to go. I hope to be important in that sense and be part of the growth of Russell, who will be next to me. He is already very fast, but he will definitely learn from me because I have been in F1 longer. I can learn from him as well. I have no problem learning from a younger person.”

Sebastian Vettel says his clash with Aston Martin Formula 1 teammate Lance Stroll in the Russian Grand Prix was down to a “misunderstanding”. The Aston Martin pair made contact in the latter stages of Sunday’s race at the Sochi Autodrom. With Stroll struggling for pace as the rain started to fall, Vettel closed in on his teammate. On the approach to Turn 10, a gap opened to the left of Stroll, allowing Vettel to make a move, but as he did, the Canadian closed the door and the pair collided. Remarkably, there was no significant damage to either car as Vettel go through unscathed. Reflecting on the incident, Vettel said: “I guess it was a misunderstanding, maybe he didn’t see me or expect me, fortunately nothing happened, but unfortunately we are both out of the points.” Giving his side of the story, Stroll explained: “It became very slippery out there and I did not see Sebastian alongside me. We will learn from today and move on to Turkey in a few weeks’ time.” After running most of the race outside of the top 10, Vettel moved into the points just before the rain arrived on Lap 48. The four-time champion was one of the few drivers to stop later for intermediates in a bid that the rain would clear. “In the end gambling on the wrong option to stay out with the dries, not the only one, but it hurts us in the end,” Vettel added. “Initially the rain was coming but it wasn’t coming a lot, it looked like we were doing the right thing but then it became more intense with rain, standing water, no chance to stay with the slicks. “Very slippery, you lose tyre temperature and have no profile to get rid of the water, was very very slow, we had a very slow lap the whole lap, which was very costly.”

Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes needs to target a 1-2 finish at Formula 1’s Russian Grand Prix in order to capitalise on Max Verstappen’s penalty. Title leader Verstappen will start Sunday’s grand prix from the back row of the grid after taking on a fresh power unit. Mercedes finished at the front of the field through both practice sessions at Sochi Autodrom on Friday with Valtteri Bottas heading Hamilton. “It’s a tough year for everyone with reliability, so it’s definitely a shame for him,” said Hamilton. “But we have to try and capitalise on that naturally and try to get maximum result. A 1-2 would be spectacular for us.” Bottas, meanwhile, continued his strong form from Monza at a circuit where he has twice previously triumphed. Bottas’ maiden win came at Sochi in 2017 while last year the Finn took the most recent of his nine career victories. “I find the flow on this track and I enjoy this type of corners – I really enjoy,” he said. “And when the car works nicely here, then it is very enjoyable. “From the first run I had good confidence with the car, the balance was actually very good, so all we had to do were minor adjustments during the day. “I could really just focus on the driving and finding small gains here and there. But I’d say that both in the short and the long runs I was pretty comfortable.”

Valtteri Bottas led a Mercedes 1-2 during second practice for Formula 1’s Russian Grand Prix, with Pierre Gasly third for AlphaTauri. Bottas set a time of 1:33.593s to finish 0.044s in front of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, as the duo replicated their positions from the first practice session. Mercedes has not been beaten since Formula 1’s arrival at Sochi Autodrom in 2014, with Bottas taking his maiden win at the venue in 2017, as well as his most recent victory last year. While Friday’s running took place in fine and sunny conditions, teams and drivers are also braced for potential disruption to Saturday’s track action due to forecasted heavy rain. Qualifying could be shifted to Sunday morning in the event of rain not abating, though current forecasts indicate a potential improvement towards the end of Saturday. Pierre Gasly maintained his and AlphaTauri’s recent strong one-lap form as he placed third, behind only the two Mercedes, just two-tenths behind Bottas. His position was in stark contrast to rookie team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who placed only 18th, two seconds adrift of Gasly. However it was not plain sailing for Gasly after an unusual incident at Turn 2 late in the session. Gasly went wide into the corner and ran heavily over the raised orange kerb to such an extent that the AT02’s front wing detached from the car. There were also contrasting fortunes at McLaren. Lando Norris finished the session in fourth place but team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was a low-key 17th. However Ricciardo’s Soft tyre run came late in the session, and was far from a clean lap, after his entry into the session was delayed while McLaren fitted an old-spec power unit to his MCL35M. That decision came after an issue was found on Ricciardo’s original power unit which McLaren expects to repair in time for Saturday’s running. Red Bull had been tipped to equip Verstappen’s RB16B with a fresh Honda power unit and made the call after the opening practice session. As a result Verstappen will start Sunday’s grand prix from the back row of the grid, alongside Charles Leclerc, who has also taken on fresh components in the wake of Ferrari readying its new hybrid system. Verstappen previously started from the back in Russia in 2018, having taken on a fresh power unit, and from there he raced to fifth position. The decision to take a fresh power unit effectively eradicates the impact of the three-place drop Verstappen received for colliding with Hamilton in Italy. Antonio Giovinazzi is in the midst of a fight to save his Formula 1 career at Alfa Romeo but suffered an untimely crash during the session. Giovinazzi, on a qualifying simulation, skated wide exiting Turn 8 and backed the Alfa Romeo C41 into the barriers. The rear of the C41 sustained substantial damage and while Giovinazzi was able to continue driving he was swiftly told by the team to halt the car. The session was halted while repairs were undertaken to the barriers. 2021 F1 RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX – FREE PRACTICE 2 RESULTS POS DRIVER NAT. TEAM TIME 1 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m33.593s 2 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m33.637s 3 Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1m33.845s 4 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team 1m34.154s 5 Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team 1m34.402s 6 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing 1m34.621s 7 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1m34.678s 8 Fernando Alonso CHI Alpine F1 Team 1m34.762s 9 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1m34.837s 10 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1m34.925s 11 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing 1m34.938s 12 Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 1m35.052s 13 George Russell ISR Williams Racing 1m35.094s 14 Antonio Giovinazzi GBR Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 1m35.178s 15 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1m35.334s 16 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing 1m35.411s 17 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team 1m35.630s 18 Yuki Tsunoda JPN Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1m35.934s 19 Nikita Mazepin RUS Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1m36.099s 20 Mick Schumacher GER Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1m36.230s

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will start from the back of the grid after the team elected to change the Dutchman’s powerunit. The championship leader already had a three-place grid penalty for his clash with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix. However, Red Bull has chosen to fit a raft of new power unit components to his car which will see the 23-year-old start at the back of the grid for the Russian GP. Verstappen has taken a new internal combustion engine, a new turbo, MGU-K, MGU-H, and a fresh energy store. His RBR-16B will also be fitted with a new set of control electronics and a new exhaust system. Verstappen will have exceeded his allowed allocation of each of the power unit components except the exhaust. This will put Red Bull at a significant disadvantage with Verstappen needing to fight his way through the field for Sunday’s Grand Prix in order to score points. The Dutchman will be joined by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who has also received a power unit change as the Scuderia has introduced a new-spec engine for this weekend.