Racetrackmasters

Dr Helmut Marko admits Red Bull will need to make tweaks to its allegedly ‘bendy’ 2021 rear wing. After Lewis Hamilton made the observation about Max Verstappen’s “bendy” wing after the Spanish GP, the FIA warned that it would clamp down on the issue of flexible wings with extra checks. “This is an old story,” Red Bull top official Dr Marko told motorsport-magazin.com. “In our world championship years, I think we had to make changes to our front wings two or three times in one season. “The FIA draws up regulations and the teams try to use them as optimally as possible,” the Austrian explained. “But this is not just a Red Bull issue – other teams are just as affected,” he said. Indeed, there are reports Alpine may be even more affected by the FIA move than Red Bull. Marko admitted: “We are assuming that we may have to make minor adjustments in relation to the interpretation that is coming out now. It is a different interpretation than the previous one.” But he insisted that any rear wing tweaks will not overly affect Red Bull’s performance. When asked how much pace Verstappen’s car will lose, Marko said: “We are currently calculating that. But it’s not as if it will be decisive for the championship.”

McLaren has revealed an incredible one-off livery in the iconic Gulf colours that will be run by the team at the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix. When McLaren welcomed Gulf Oil International as its strategic partner in July 2020, the two revived a relationship that dates back to 1968 and the days of team founder Bruce McLaren. For the Monaco weekend, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo’s cars will sport the distinctive blue and orange paintwork that previously adorned the #41 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail at the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans. Both drivers will also sport helmets with “bespoke retro designs” that will be raffled to raise money for the team’s mental health charity partner, Mind. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said: “This will be McLaren’s homage to Gulf’s celebrated race car design. We’re enormous fans of brave and bold design, and the striking Gulf blue is among the most loved liveries in racing, a celebrated piece of culture which transcends the world of motorsport. “Design has always been important to McLaren – you see this in everything we do from our return to papaya to our stunning headquarters, the McLaren Technology Centre. “We’re excited to exhibit this as a team and celebrate our proud association with Gulf in Monaco.” The Gulf ‘theme’ will extend across the team’s social media platforms with team personnel also set to be fitted in one-off kit. Gulf Oil CEO Mike Jones added: “Gulf and McLaren have a relationship that dates back to 1968 and is one of the most successful partnerships in motorsport. We are incredibly excited to pay tribute to this heritage with our classic livery at the Monaco Grand Prix, the most spectacular and stylish event on the Formula 1 calendar. “To see the reaction of both Lando and Daniel as well as the whole McLaren team to this livery has been really special and we are thrilled to unveil it to motorsport fans around the world. “The distinguished racing blue and fluro orange Gulf colourways are iconic, so to mark our return to Formula 1 and showcase the livery in Monaco with McLaren is a great celebration of our bold and colourful place within the sport.”

Dave Robson, Williams’ head of vehicle performance, believes George Russell is achieving “very close” to Lewis Hamilton’s early Formula 1 career performances and “has the potential” to emulate his subsequent success. Robson worked at McLaren during Hamilton’s time as a junior driver with the team – where he would go on to make his F1 debut in 2007 and win his first world title a year later. When discussing Hamilton’s achievement of sealing 100 career F1 pole positions at last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, Robson explained how it had been clear from early in Hamilton’s time with McLaren that there was “something” he “always had” that suggested the Briton had potential to succeed in motorsport. Robson also said he had seen similar traits in Russell – a junior driver for Hamilton’s Mercedes operation and regularly tipped to follow in his footsteps with F1’s leading team – when he first met Russell ahead of his rookie F1 season in 2019. “I think there are definitely some similarities there,” said Robson, who was Jenson Button’s race engineer while he competed against Hamilton at McLaren from 2010-2012, with Robson remaining in that role until he joined Williams for 2015 to be Felipe Massa’s race engineer. “And they were obvious from the first time I met George and we ran him in the simulator in Grove. Then we went up and ran him around the airfield in a road car. “Again, there was something. There was something there. “I think the talent is there. I think he is very close to Lewis and has the potential to get there. For sure.” Robson also called Hamilton’s 100 poles record a “phenomenal achievement”. “And to do it against some fairly impressive teammates along the way as well [is impressive],” he added. “I’ve obviously not worked with him for quite a few years, but it’s something he’s always had, I think. “There is just that something about him. That special quality that you can’t really define. “That was obvious right from when he was just a kid and [McLaren] took him testing at Elvington [airfield, for a straight-line aerodynamic test run] – going up and down the runway. “He was bored stiff after 10 minutes. Whereas most kids, when you took them to Elvington, they were just chuffed to bits to be in an F1 car – even though they were just going up and down the runway. “And he was different right from the beginning. He just has that talent and that tremendous attitude. So, take your hat off to him. “He’s an annoying customer to have on the other side of the garage, for sure. But yeah, he’s a phenomenal talent.”

How big is the impact of the new regulations? That question was on the minds of fans and teams after the 2020 season. It was feared that the cars will be a lot slower as there is also a lot more downforce lost due to the floor being subjected to major changes. Auto, Motor und Sport reveals that the difference is not even as big as expected. After the first four Grands Prix, it is clear that the F1 cars have taken a step back in lap time. This is the first time since 2017 that the regulations have made for slower cars. By comparing the fastest times with 2020, AMuS has made an estimate of the loss. They arrive at a loss of three tenths by kilometres. The biggest difference in lap times was in Bahrain, where the drivers were 1.7 seconds slower. Per kilometer however this comes out to three tenths per kilometer. Also in Portugal this difference is the same. In Spain the difference is more than two tenths and in Imola the difference is only one and a half tenths per kilometer. In the race the drivers are mostly faster. In Imola the fastest time was three seconds short, due to the weather conditions. In Barcelona Max Verstappen’ s fastest time was even faster than the fastest race lap of 2020. AMuS expects to see this more often, now that the importance of each point is so high for the top teams.

Toto Wolff the team principal of the Mercedes Formula 1 team has confirmed the former head of the German manufacturer’s F1 powertrains division will not join Red Bull’s latest venture. With Honda set to depart the sport at the end of the season this year, Red Bull proceeded to buy Honda’s IP and set up the Red Bull Powertrains company. The past few weeks has seen the Austrian team poach a few members from the German team, though one individual who will not be joining them is Andy Cowell, the former head of the Mercedes powertrain division. “I talk to Andy (Cowell) regularly. He just wants to do something different, not only be known for his work in Formula 1,” Wolff told members of the media. “Andy has exciting ideas about technology and sustainability and he also said: ‘If I wanted to continue in Formula 1, I would have stayed with Mercedes.’” The war between Mercedes and Red Bull has taken on a different flavour in recent weeks. Not only are the two teams fighting for supremacy on the race track but they are also locked in a tussle regarding team personnel in what could turn out to be an interesting subplot as the season progresses.

From 2022, Formula 1 hopes to have at least two test weeks prior to the new season. Ross Brawn believes that is necessary because of the major rule changes that will come into effect next season. In 2021, teams and drivers were only given three test days to understand the new cars. This was partly because much of the cars remained the same and it saved money. In 2022 this could be changed again to at least two test weeks. “I think for 2022 we will have a longer pre-season test or series of tests. Because with the new car we need to give the teams the time to understand and settle in,” Brawn said in conversation with The Muscle Help Foundation . This year’s decision to have winter testing last only three days was not to the liking of many teams and drivers. “I think we are anticipating at least having two pre-season tests. So drivers that do change have a little bit more time and the teams will have more time to understand their cars,” Brawn concluded.

You have to feel for Valtteri Bottas. When he signed for Mercedes in 2017 – it must have felt like a dream come true. The fastest car in Formula 1, the most successful team, a championship winning package – and yet, coming into his fifth year at the team, he’s mostly had a string of second place finishes on his CV, constantly overshadowed by his team-mate, Lewis Hamilton. And finishing second is not to be sniffed at, but you ask any racing driver where they want to finish, and 10 times out of 10 it’ll be ‘the top step.’ So has this now become a case of wrong place, wrong time for the Finn? It’s difficult to answer that because it’s incredibly hard to imagine F1 without his team-mate. He’s helped shape the championship into what it is now, on and off the track, he’s smashed more titles than I can remember – he is about to become the most decorated driver in F1 history, if he wins his eighth world title. With the Briton all but signing the contract to say he’s staying on at Mercedes for a few more years, where does that leave Bottas? The 31-year-old hasn’t much helped himself this week, after posting on social media that he was putting his Mercedes GTS up for sale, leading to fresh speculation about his future at the team, despite it being to raise money for a karting circuit in Lahti. It added a bit more fuel to the fire, with one fan remembering a similar thing happened with Sebastian Vettel who sold his Ferrari collection shortly after announcing he was signing for Aston Martin F1. Bottas, who has a tough start to the season, already sits behind Max Verstappen in the Red Bull in the standings with a 44-point deficit to leader Hamilton. So who could replace him if he leaves? RED BULL’S MAX VERSTAPPEN Max Verstappen is a natural go to, if we’re talking about who can replace Bottas, however away from the fine print in his contract meaning potentially he could head to Mercedes, would he want to? At the moment, Verstappen has the second best package on the grid, and has already proved he’s an incredibly talented driver. But realistically, with Hamilton staying at Mercedes, It wouldn’t make sense for Verstappen to make the move just yet. The Dutchman would come in as the second driver to Hamilton, who has been with Mercedes for nearly a decade, winning six world titles with them. Right now, Verstappen is the number one driver at Red Bull – he’s been affiliated with the team since 2014, before being promoted to the top team in 2016, with a mid-season swap with Daniil Kvyat that saw him become the youngest ever race winner. And having made his debut in the championship at just 17 years old, he’s already in his seventh season, and admitted: “I have a contract at Red Bull until 2023, and I am very happy where I am. There is no reason to change.” And in some ways, you have to believe him. If he comes in alongside Hamilton, he could lose his stature as the best driver in the team. If he stays at Red Bull and beats Hamilton, he becomes the only driver to have beaten Mercedes in seven years of dominance. To me, that seems a much tastier choice. WILLIAMS’ GEORGE RUSSELL: Arguably the most viable replacement for Bottas, if indeed he decides to leave Williams when his contract is up for renewal at the end of the season, with some reporting they thought Mercedes could even bring the Briton in mid-season, something that looks highly doubtful will happen. Mercedes have denied this is the case, with Toto Wolff, the team-principal saying that “unless he [Bottas] gets flu and can’t drive he’s going to be in that car”. Wolff joked that they don’t intend to play “musical chairs” like a certain rival might – a nod to Red Bull’s occasional revolving door, swapping drivers mid-season as they did in both 2016 and 2019. Of course not forgetting he’s an actual junior driver for the team, Russell has been waiting in the wings patiently after getting a taste at the front when he almost won deputising for Hamilton at the Sakhir Grand Prix last season. Though there were some concerns he had blown his shot in Imola when colliding with the Finn after a high-speed crash, it was a concern that Mercedes dismissed, with the Williams driver remaining a strong contender for the seat. ALPINE’S ESTEBAN OCON: Ocon has arguably been waiting in the wings even longer than Russell, so long that he actually forfeited his role as a Mercedes junior driver in order to join Renault on a two-year deal. Despite sitting out 2019 as reserve driver for Mercedes, the Frenchman has impressed in his second year with the team with three points finishes out of four, outperforming two-time champion team-mate Fernando Alonso. And Wolff hasn’t ruled the 24-year-old out. “Ocon is in the second year of a two-year contract with Renault or Alpine F1 this year, Russell is with Williams this year. So there are some variations for 2022,” he said. “But,” he added, “until then our full support goes to Valtteri and Lewis.” MERCEDES EQ FE’S STOFFEL VANDOORNE: If you were a betting person who didn’t know how to bet, you would pick Vandoorne, who currently races in Formula E, and is Mercedes’ test and reserve driver at the team. The Belgium made his Formula 1 race debut in 2016 in Bahrain, replacing the injured two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. Vandoorne then remained with McLaren until October 2018 – before making a move over to the all electric-series to race the HWA Racelab, now Mercedes EQ Formula E Team, keeping his strong links to F1. “And I’m still involved with their [Mercedes] F1 side as a reserve driver and simulator driver. This is really my main focus and my target right…

Ex-Williams driver Damon Hill says he was shocked to see Valtteri Bottas put up a fight against teammate Lewis Hamilton as the British driver was in the process of hunting down Max Verstappen. With Hamilton on the new tyres and behind his teammate Bottas, the Finn’s race engineer came on the team radio and asked his driver to let the Englishman by. Bottas however made life very difficult for Hamilton and ultimately cost him valuable time as the defending champion was in the process of hunting down Red Bull’s Verstappen. In the end things worked out for everyone concerned by former champion Hill believes Bottas’ cost his teammate a valuable second. “He cost Lewis (Hamilton) nearly a second,” Hill said on the F1 Nation podcast. “If it comes down to a last lap battle that that second was really valuable. I watched that bit and I thought Toto (Wolff) must be absolutely fuming at Bottas after this.” Hill though like Wolff understood why Bottas chose to make things difficult for his teammate. “Nobody likes to hear that the guy behind you is faster or your teammate is faster,” Hill continued. “It’s also the worst thing his engineer wants to have to tell him (Bottas) because they feel crestfallen too. They don’t they don’t want to tell their driver, ‘Sorry, mate, you’re gonna have to accept second place here.’” One has to feel for Bottas. The Finnish driver is up against arguably F1’s best driver ever and his performances will always be benchmarkes against an outstanding Hamilton. Nevertheless the nine-time Grand Prix must lift his game given the fact that he also having one of his worst starts to the season as a Mercedes driver.

Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton makes the Forbes highest-paid athletes list. Despite the enormous paycheque he is set to take home, the British star’s position on the list may surprise you. Mercedes driver and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton unsurprinsingly is Formula 1 highest paid driver. Satistically the most successful man ever to grace the sport, the Englishman’s success warrants his extremely large salary. Despite signing only a one year contract extension with Mercedes, according to Forbes, his salary with the German outfit for the year stands at a whopping $70 million. The reigning world champion also earns an additional $12 million in endorsement deals with the most notable being with American brand Tommy Hilfiger. Despite his annual take home of $82 million, the Mercedes pilot only manages to claim eighth spot in this year’s Forbes list of highest paid athletes. What’s even more shocking is that this marks only the second ever time Hamilton has broken into the top 10 after his initial inclusion in 2017. Maybe that’s why his contract negotiations took so long! To see the full list of Forbes 10 highest paid athletes view the table below.

The war of words between Mercedes and Red Bull continues as Austrian F1 team principal Toto Wolff makes a snide remark about Red Bull Powertrains. With Honda set to depart the sport at the end of the season Red Bull were forced to procure the Japanese manufacturer’s IP in order to develop their own power-units. This lead them to form a brand new venture dubbed Red Bull Powertrains with the new company poaching a few engineers from Mercedes sparking Wolff to take another shot at his Austrian rivals. “So 15 guys and an empty building site construction is not going to be sufficient in order to be competitive in three years with a new power unit,” Wolff said to Motorsport-Total.com. “We have about 900 people working in Brixworth, they approached 100, and they got between 10 and 15, mainly manufacturing staff, no performance. And in that respect, if I were to build a new factory, I would also start (like that). “But between hiring two handful of people and having a full up and running competitive engine factory, there’s quite a long way to go.” Wolff though is not underestimating his opponents, showing awareness in the fact that the team has the necessary finances and nous to make their project work. “I think Red Bull can do that, with the resource that is being put in, but Mercedes and the others have been in the sport for many decades, building the structure,” Wolff explained. “Having said that, we’re taking them very seriously because they are a great team and have the finances to do so. But if we know one thing in Formula 1, it is that it needs time. No money can accelerate the learning curve.” The 2022 season could prove to be quite an ardous one for the Red Bull team. Not only will they have to develop their own engines but with the sport set for a major technical overhaul, the Milton Keynes-based outfit will have to juggle developing their 2021 challenger alongside their car for 2022.