Racetrackmasters

Romain Grosjean’s proposed Formula 1 test with Mercedes has been postponed due to travel restrictions. Mercedes offered Grosjean a farewell Formula 1 test in the wake of his fiery accident at last November’s Bahrain Grand Prix. That action was Grosjean’s last for Haas, with the Frenchman ruled out of the final two events of 2020, having already confirmed he would exit Formula 1. Grosjean, who has since competed in IndyCar with Dale Coyne Racing, carried out a seat fit in Mercedes’ 2019 title-winning W10 earlier this year. Mercedes announced plans for Grosjean to demonstrate the car at the French Grand Prix ahead of a full day of test action on June 29. The rescheduling of France’s Formula 1 round created a clash with Grosjean’s IndyCar commitments but the test day was still set to go ahead. However Mercedes announced on Wednesday that this can no longer take place due to travel restrictions and quarantine requirements in place between the United States and France. Mercedes stressed that it remains committed to giving Grosjean a chance in its Formula 1 car and is “working to reschedule the test later this summer.”

French driver Esteban Ocon will stay with Alpine until 2024, the Renault-owned Formula One team said on Wednesday ahead of his home grand prix at Le Castellet. The announcement rules out Ocon as a potential Mercedes driver, with the reigning world champions having him under contract as a youngster and reserve before his move to the French team. “I’m delighted to continue with the team beyond this year and it’s a fantastic feeling to secure my future with Alpine,” said the 24-year-old, who joined what was the Renault team at the end of 2019, in a statement. Ocon finished second in Bahrain’s Sakhir Grand Prix last year, his best result to date and first Formula One podium appearance. His current team mate is Spain’s two-times world champion Fernando Alonso, who began his comeback this season on a two-year deal. Alpine chief executive Laurent Rossi said Ocon had grown in confidence and stature. “Despite his young age, he is very experienced in Formula One and he’s on a positive trajectory in both his maturity and ability behind the wheel. “He is a strong asset for us now, and also going forward as we meet the challenge of the new regulations,” he added, referring to major changes coming in 2022.

Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko believes Valtteri Bottas has no option but to swap seats with George Russell for the 2022 F1 season. Both drivers are out of contract at the end of this year and the growing feeling is the duo will trade places for next season. That will see Bottas returning to Williams, the team where he started his F1 career, with Russell finally getting his promotion after three years with the back-of-the-grid outfit and forming an all-British driver line-up at Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton. Marko’s words are unlikely to be welcomed by Mercedes whose team principal Toto Wolff recently traded verbal blows with Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner over the recent flexi-wing furore. Speaking to F1 Insider with regard to the Russell-Bottas trade, Marko said: “You can’t hold it off any longer otherwise the funding no longer makes sense, even if Hamilton won’t be happy.” As for Bottas, Marko added: “Bottas doesn’t have to call us. There is no space. Actually, I can only imagine a swap with Russell. I think Williams will be the only option for him.” Marko’s comments indicate Red Bull will opt to retain Sergio Perez alongside Max Verstappen for next season when it appears the driver market will remain stable. Hamilton has indicated his desire to continue with Mercedes, beyond which the seats at McLaren, Ferrari and Aston Martin are filled for 2022. Although Esteban Ocon is out of contract with Alpine he appears certain to remain, leaving very limited options available for Bottas, underlining Marko’s comments that Williams is his best bet. New Williams team boss Jost Capito recently told Sky Deutschland: “We would like to keep George, but we all know that Mercedes will make the decision.”

The British Grand Prix is close to a 120,000 sell-out but major doubt has been cast on running the event at full capacity following the confirmation of delaying ‘freedom day’ in the United Kingdom. The country was due to remove all COVID-19 induced restrictions on June 21st, but on Monday evening Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the release will be moved to July 19th. The 2021 British Grand Prix is set to take place on 16-18th July meaning restrictions won’t be lifted in time. However, reports suggest that the event at the Silverstone circuit could be exempt from the rules as part of a pilot event by the UK government. A senior sports reporter at the BBC believes Silverstone are part of the discussions for exemptions.Should the exemption not be permitted, the grandstands will be open under current restricted measures. In 2020, Silverstone Circuit hosted two Formula 1 races behind closed doors. The 2021 version will be the first Grand Prix weekend completed with the new format. This includes a sprint race during Saturday which will form the grid for the Grand Prix. Fans have been allowed in sports stadiums across the United Kingdom since the middle of May. The likes of Premier League football, Premiership Rugby and the Euros2020 have seen stadiums open, but under reduced capacity.

Williams Grand Prix Engineering is in rough shape. Despite having scored nearly as many points as McLaren in F1’s hybrid era, the two British racing concerns have been on opposite trajectories with Williams trending significantly downward from 2016 to today. Continuing on the 2020 theme with a few flashes of brilliance thus far this year in qualifying, Williams has continued to be unable to deliver on the promise of a turnaround during races. And it’s only going to get worse when the team loses its star driver, George Russell, at the end of this year. Signed to a three-year contract in 2018, Russell has failed to deliver even a single point for the team from Grove. The car just hasn’t been up to the task of competing in a Formula One Grand Prix for the last few seasons, and hasn’t allowed young Russell to deliver on the talents we all know he has (and has displayed in the past). While Russell has failed to deliver in those few rare instances he’s been within a shout of a point or two, the team has failed him far more often. Russell has already stated that he is looking for a long-term contract to kick off next season, and a new set of F1 regulations, with a bang. Clearly George wants a team with more competitive edge than Williams currently offers, but perhaps the team’s new capital investment firm ownership and the departure of Claire and Sir Frank from the team, have imbued a confidence that turnaround is possible. Is that enough to make the young phenom stick with the team? Does he believe Williams can re-gain its former glory and become a title winner again? [Does anyone?] “It’s been fantastic working with him right from when we first put him through the evaluation,” Senior Williams Executive Dave Robson said. “It was obvious he had something about him, some genuinely outstanding talent to drive the car. It’s been a great. Probably frustrating at times, but a great journey to be on with him. Of course he’d be a massive loss – he’s genuinely very quick. “I think we’ve all put in a lot of time and effort to help him where he needed a bit of help, to guide him, and it would be a real shame to lose that without really seeing the benefits of it in our car. It would be a massive loss, but I’m not sure it’s something certainly that I’ve got great control over. If we could keep him, it would be fantastic, but we have to see how that pans out.” We saw last year at the Sakhir Grand Prix what Russell was capable of in a top-tier car. If it weren’t for the Mercedes team’s rare pitstop fuckup, he’d have won the race going away in a car he barely fit in. One would hope that if he were given an opportunity to develop a Mercedes that actually had enough space for his frame, he’d be pretty competitive. Maybe not Lewis Hamilton competitive, but the world of F1 has never seen anyone as finely-meshed as Lewis and Mercedes and I doubt we ever will again. “He can take a good amount of credit, to be honest,” Robson continued. “2019 was an incredibly difficult baptism of fire, and once he’d got his head around the situation we were in, he was extremely good at being clear about the order of the problems that needed tackling, and his understanding of the compromises you need to make was very good. “It’s not just his technical input to all of that, all the work he does in the simulator and guiding those designs, but also the way he interacts with everyone and his positivity. “There’s something about him. When he talks, people listen, which is important – provided he’s talking about the right thing. Perhaps right at the beginning he didn’t always get right, but it didn’t take him long to suss that out and understand. “He’s been a big part of it.” Team bigwig Robson had a lot of praise to heap upon Russell, but there’s no telling if it was blowing smoke in an effort to convince him to stay, or if he actually believes it. I believe it. I think Russell will one day be an F1 champion, if he plays his cards right and joins the right team at the right time. Ferrari doesn’t look promising as their lineup will surely pick Mick Schumacher before Russell, and Charles Leclerc is around for the long haul. Red Bull would chew that poor boy up and spit him out like the first time you taste Red Bull. McLaren? I could see him replacing the poor showing Daniel Ricciardo, perhaps. Maybe not.

McLaren is “observing” and “monitoring” the premier electric series Formula E. The Woking based Formula 1 outfit, already now in Indycar, surprised the motor racing world last Friday by revealing it is entering Extreme E – the off-road offshoot of Alejandro Agag’s Formula E concept. McLaren supremo Zak Brown admits he is also considering entering the world endurance championship. And the team has also announced that it has a contractual “option” with Agag to enter Formula E for the 2022-2023 season “as part of (our) ongoing evaluation of potential new motorsport platforms”. “McLaren Racing is precluded from competing as a team in Formula E while McLaren Applied is the exclusive battery supplier to the series,” McLaren explained. “However, with that contract expiring at the end of the 2021-22 season, the team can now consider participation. “McLaren Racing will spend 2021 continuing to evaluate the feasibility of entering the series against a range of established criteria before deciding whether to proceed,” McLaren said in a statement. Brown admits that McLaren has been “closely observing” Formula E “for some time”. He also says the “financial situation” at the company is “extremely strong”. “Yes, we are financially very healthy, which is allowing our competitiveness in Formula 1, has allowed us to look at Indycar, has allowed us to enter Extreme E,” said Brown.

According to reports, Toto Wolff has informed George Russell’s management that the Brit will replace Valtteri Bottas next season. There has been speculation about the Brit replacing Bottas ever since he impressed when standing in for Lewis Hamilton at last season’s Sakhir Grand Prix. That speculation has only ramped up this season as the Mercedes driver has failed to impress, trailing his team-mate and the Red Bull pair in the Driver’s Championship. Now, both F1 Insider and Sky Italia have suggested that the decision has been made and an announcement is imminent. “Information from F1-Insider.com coincides with that of Sky Italia,” said the German site. “According to this, Mercedes junior George Russell is to replace the Finn Valtteri Bottas in 2022. “Mercedes team boss Dr. Toto Wolff is said to have already told Russell’s management – i.e. himself – that he should be ready.” Helmut Marko believes that it would be the “logical” thing for them to do, even if it’s not what Lewis Hamilton wants, as has been rumoured in the past. “It would be the logical step,” he told the site. “You can’t hold it off any longer. Otherwise, the funding no longer makes sense. Even if Hamilton won’t be happy.” If Bottas was indeed to be dropped by his current employers, his options regarding a seat for 2022 would be scarce to say the least, with many drivers having multi-year contracts. One seat that would be free is, of course, the one that Russell currently occupies at Williams, and Marko wouldn’t be surprised if the Finn ended up back where he started his career. In fact, he believes that it’s the only option he has, and has ruled out any chance of Red Bull making a move for him. “Bottas doesn’t have to call us. There is no space,” the Austrian added. “Actually, I can only imagine a swap with Russell. I think Williams will be the only option for him.” Both Bottas and Russell have stated a desire to have their futures wrapped up sooner rather than later, with the Finn saying it’s a case of the sooner the better and the Brit wanting clarity by the summer break. “I think, naturally, we all want something decided either way by the summer break, really,” Russell told Autosport. “I think it’s in everyone’s best interests.

Aston Martin Racing team boss Otmar Szafnauer says that Aston Martin’s goal is to win a World Championship by 2026 at the latest and compete for them sooner. The British company returned to the world of Formula 1 this season with the team formerly known as Racing Point undergoing a rebrand. They’re very much a midfield team this year, but like every over outfit, will be hoping to move up the order when the new regulations are introduced next year. In fact, Szafnauer has stated that they’re aiming to be fighting for titles as soon as three years from now, and want to be winning them two years after that. “If we could be a World Championship contender in three to four years, it would be a success. I think we would consider winning the World Championship within five years as a success,” he said as per motorsport-total.com. “If we look at the teams that have recently won multiple world championships in a row, it took Mercedes four years to buy Brawn, ” “And as far as I can remember, the time frame at Red Bull after buying Jaguar Racing was a similar one, also three to four years.” Brawn GP became Mercedes after the 2009 campaign in which they ended up winning both World Championships, but despite that, it still took a long time for the German team to become the dominant force that they are, with the outfit not claiming a title double until the start of the hybrid era in 2014. Aston Martin on the other hand are a team that, with their previous identity, were permanently in the midfield with P4 in 2020 being their best-ever result in the Constructors’ Championship. The team principal does admit, because of that, it could be a slightly longer journey to the top for Sebastian Vettel and co. “We are starting on a lower basis, I think,” he added. “When Mercedes bought Brawn, the team was just world champion. We were fourth a few times and were never contenders for the World Championship.” Szafnauer recently revealed, as part of their mission to win titles, the team are in the process of expanding their workforce from 535 to roughly 800, while a new wind tunnel and factory are also currently being developed by Lawrence Stroll’s team.

Marcus Ericsson and Kevin Magnussen are the latest ex-Formula 1 drivers to experience success whilst competing Stateside in Detroit. Over two years on from making his IndyCar debut, former Caterham and Sauber/Alfa Romeo driver Ericsson can now call himself an IndyCar race winner after winning a chaotic first race as part of a weekend double-header at the Chevrolet Grand Prix of Detroit. Ericsson is now the seventh different winner in as many rounds in IndyCar and the relief of finally claiming his first victory was clear for all to see. “It’s been such a long time for me. It’s been tough. I feel so good,” Ericsson told reporters at Belle Isle. “It was still a bit disappointing in qualifying [starting P15], but we knew we had a good race car — particularly once things fell my way. “It feels really good. It was about time. I thought, for once, the [last] laugh was on my side. I think we deserved that.” There was no such joy for Romain Grosjean, though, who crashed out at Turn 9 with five laps remaining. But there was also delight for Kevin Magnussen at the same venue just a few hours later, who was able to turn his first IMSA pole into a first career win since 2013. “I haven’t won a race since 2013 and it feels great,” Magnussen said. “The whole season we have been fast, but just not getting it to the end. We led a lot of laps this year and finally the right laps. Chip Ganassi Racing had an impressive weekend [referring Ericsson’s IndyCar win earlier]. I was happy to contribute to that with a win as well. “Coming here and knowing I was going to be able to fight for wins was a real privilege. “To go racing with this awesome car at these awesome tracks with this team is a dream. I feel very fortunate and blessed to be able to do that. “To come out of this weekend with the big trophy it’s pretty special. I am back in a winning situation and really enjoying it.” Magnussen was asked the almost inevitable question of whether he would one day like to return to Formula 1 – but only a very unlikely scenario would see that happen.

Scuderia AlphaTauri has announced a new partnership with ICM.com, a UK-based global multi-regulated financial service provider and confirmed Fantom – a leading smart contract platform – as an Official Team Partner. ICM.com is an international online Foreign Exchange (FOREX) and CFD trading firm that operates globally. The new relationship, which began at the iconic Monaco Grand Prix, is the first year of an exciting venture for the two outfits that wish to continue to develop a strong partnership for many years to come. The partnership with Scuderia AlphaTauri will accelerate the global brand awareness strategy of ICM.com through marketing campaigns across the team’s social and digital platforms. Furthermore, prominent branding will feature on a variety of team collateral; with both drivers displaying the logo on their race apparel and team kit, as well as further brand visibility throughout the garage environment and on the AT02. Commenting on the announcement of the new partnership, Team Principal Franz Tost said: “I’m pleased to announce this exciting partnership with ICM.com who, like Scuderia AlphaTauri, operates on a global scale every day. As a team that competes in an international championship, we are exposed to FOREX transactions daily, which is one of the core competencies of the ICM.com business. It’s great to welcome such a future-oriented company to our team and we look forward to building a strong relationship together this season.” “We are excited to enter the world of Formula One with this team partnership – the highest class of single-seater racing, distinguishable by its otherworldly-looking cars and phenomenal speeds, added Shoaib Abedi, Founder and CEO of ICM.com. “With a cumulative audience of almost 2 billion television viewers and a highly engaged fan base, the partnership with Scuderia AlphaTauri will add significant value to ICM’s brand awareness strategy. With races in 23 countries Formula 1 is a truly global platform, aligning with ICM’s global vision which currently covers over 20 countries,” he said. Furthermore, the Faenza-based team entered into a partnership with Fantom, which is a global blockchain platform designed for instant transactions with low costs and is revolutionising the user experience.Setting the groundwork for a digital financial system, Fantom focusses heavily on eco-friendly technology and has dramatically reduced the energy consumed in the blockchain process. Holding a similar high-tech driven philosophy to Motorsport that regularly disseminates its innovation into the real-world, Fantom also sees real-life applications of its platform in industries such as pharmaceuticals and education. This partnership will allow Fantom to utilise the team’s established platform to continue its staggering growth on a global scale, with the logo visible on the top of the halo of the AT02 at both the Monaco and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix. Furthermore, Pierre Gasly will continue his Brand Ambassador role with Fantom, displaying the logo on his cap throughout the season. “This is another great partnership for Scuderia AlphaTauri and I’m happy to welcome Fantom on-board.” commented Tost. “As a team working at the pinnacle of motorsport, we’re always interested in new, innovative technologies and Fantom shares with us a constant hunger for success, which put them at the forefront of the blockchain industry, while operating sustainably. “We are pleased to support their continuing growth on a global scale and I look forward to seeing the Fantom logo displayed on our cars as we race through the streets of Monaco,” the Austrian concluded. Harry Yeh, Quantum Fintech Group Managing Director said: “We are extremely excited about this partnership. Fantom’s technology is incredibly fast but at the same time it is following a green and eco-friendly approach, which aligns perfectly with the Scuderia AlphaTauri F1 team and with the ambitious sustainability strategy of the sport. “I haven’t been this bullish about a tech start-up investment as I am with Fantom. We want to continue to attract even more people globally to the platform through this partnership.”

Mclaren driver Daniel Ricciardo has sent some encouraging words to a young F1 fan who has been a victim of bullying. A message was posted on Twitter by the youngster’s parent explaining that bullies had stolen his McLaren cap and stomped on it, leaving the boy with marks on his face. This came to the attention of Ricciardo, who responded by sending a positive message as well as the promise of a brand new cap. “Sorry to hear this, but don’t stress buddy,” the Australian wrote on Twitter. “Makes you look tough! Bullies are the weak ones, don’t forget that. “I’ll sort you out with a new hat and some other goodies. Stay up lil homie” McLaren themselves also reacted to the boy’s story and made it clear that, with the help of Ricciardo and Lando Norris, they would make sure that he would receive some new merchandise. “To all the kind and wonderful fans out there who have supported this strong young man, we just want to let you know that together with @LandoNorris and @DanielRicciardo we’ve got him covered,” a Twitter post on the McLaren account read. “Bullying is a scourge and we stand with you all against it.”

The puncture and subsequent crash of Max Verstappen at the Baku Grand Prix will be fresh in the minds of many Formula 1 fans. Despite the speed of the car when the Dutchman lost control and the ferocity of the crash, the damage to the Red Bull car is not too bad, Motorsport reported earlier today. “The car from the Milton Keynes plant has not reported any structural damage to the chassis,” reports the Italian branch of Motorsport.com. “However, the integrity of the transmission will need to be checked. If necessary, it can be replaced without penalty.” “The left rear suspension is most likely damaged, this due to the sagging of the rubber.” There is still disagreement over what exactly caused the Dutchman’s puncture. Pirelli insists it was dirt on the track, an interpretation that several drivers have already questioned. At the front of the car the damage is not too bad: “At the front it should be sufficient to replace the nose and front wing, because the body remained intact and at the rear only a dent in the structure was noticed.”