Racetrackmasters

Three teams voted against adding sporting penalties for breaching the budget cap, according to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. For 2021, a new spending limit of $145m per season was imposed on the teams. This is set to reduce to $140m for 2022 and $135m for 2023. As is the case with any sport that uses a budget cap, there are always challenges when it comes to ensuring competitors operate within it and determining sanctions if they do not comply. But at the Portuguese Grand Prix, Wolff stated three teams rejected the introduction of sporting penalties for budget cap offences during an F1 Commission meeting. As reported by Autosport, Red Bull, Ferrari and AlphaTauri are believed to be the trio. “A large group of teams, seven out of 10 teams, voted in favour of introducing sporting penalties for financial cap infringements,” Wolff stated. “At the moment, there are only financial penalties. And three teams voted against it, saying ‘we’ll take a financial penalty but we don’t want to have a sporting penalty’. “That’s a bit odd. But I think the compromise we have achieved now is to understand why that is and which regulations they feel are incomplete or uncomfortable.” In a “couple of weeks”, Wolff hopes all teams will accept the same treatment for financial and technical infringements. “The target we have set ourselves is a couple of weeks to sort it out and then everyone understands that financial cap regulation infringements should be seen just the same as technical infringements in terms of sporting penalties,” he confirmed. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stated that penalties for not following the budget cap were “already clear”. And so he said ongoing talks were actually about the “procedures”, since these are new regulations that are still being refined. He hopes everything will become clear “within a month”. “There is discussion currently about procedures which, because it’s a new set of regulations, they are all being tidied up,” he added. “I hope within a month, everything will be clear in terms of procedures.”

Sebastian Vettel’s AMR21 will recieve in Barcelona this week the same aero upgrades enjoyed by Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll last weekend at Portimão. Stroll was awarded the latest developments in priority given his tally of points in the Drivers’ standings relative to Vettel. Although the German outpaced the Canadian in qualifying and on race day, for the first time this season, Aston Martin Performance Engineering Director Tom McCullogh says the result did not imply that Stroll’s updated car offered less performance, on the contrary. “In the race Sebastian slipped from his P10 grid slot to a P13 finish, while Lance climbed from his P17 grid slot to a P14 finish,” explained the Aston engineer. “You do not have to be a skilled mathematician to realise that their race performances were opposites, and the reason for that is that.” “Without aero updates, Sebastian was unable to stay ahead of three cars that had qualified behind him, while, with aero updates, Lance was able to move ahead of three cars that had qualified ahead of him. “The post-race analysis we have done duly showed that Lance was able to access greater race pace than Sebastian was, the result of the aero updates uniquely fitted to his car, which he used to good effect.” Vettel says he is eager to sample the updates this weekend at Barcelona’s high-grip Circuit de Catalunya. “This weekend, I’ll have the upgrade Lance used in Portugal – which he felt was promising – so I’m looking forward to experiencing it for myself. “Looking at the last race, it’s clear that we have better race pace than single-lap performance, so we’ll be looking to make improvements on Saturday to give us the best chance of points on Sunday. “We all know Sunday afternoons at Barcelona can be tricky for overtaking, so it’s important that we maximise our opportunities where we can.”

The Spanish Grand Prix has come under fire in recent years, as F1 races around the Catalunya circuit have generally been underwhelming, to say the least. George Russell and Lando Norris are the latest drivers to highlight the issue. Lando Norris has questioned alterations to the Catalunya track layout on the eve of the 2021 F1 Spanish Grand Prix. His comments follow those of fellow British driver George Russell, who feels that removing the final chicane of the current configuration could lead to better racing. Norris’ main source of frustration concerns new changes to Turn 10, which is now a lot less tight. According to the McLaren man, this could backfire – as the corner is suddenly less of a big braking zone. “I don’t know what that new turn is like either (Turn 10). I’m not so confident on that,” Norris told RacingNews365.com and selected members of the media. “It looks to be a weird corner. Turn 10 was probably the only other overtaking opportunity apart from the pit-straight and there’s not as much of a big braking zone now. So if they change it to that, I think I would say no.” Williams driver George Russell also recently gave his opinion on the Barcelona circuit and changes that could be made to improve the spectacle for the fans. Russell, who was recently named as a director of the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers Association), thinks that the removal of the final chicane at Barcelona could make a big difference. “An example we have at the moment is Barcelona, the circuit offers pretty poor racing. The races are always pretty dull,” the 23-year-old told RacingNews365.com. “On the whole, we think that if the circuit were to return to the last two corners that were there 15 years ago, two fast corners, you’ll actually be able to follow slightly closer. You’ll be coming onto a straight at higher speed, the slipstream effect will be greater, all the way down to Turn 1. “For the fans, you’re seeing the cars at a much higher speed, for the drivers you go around an incredibly quick corner, which is exciting. It’s a win-win.”

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has been full of praise for Sergio Perez on the back of his fourth-place finish at the Portuguese Grand Prix last weekend. The Mexican driver has so far earned a fifth and fourth in the opening three races whilst round two at Imola saw him outside the points after a spin in tricky conditions. However, he’s showing decent signs of progression with his new team and in clear air on Sunday his race pace was similar to that of the leaders, which is naturally a positive thing. There will be an expectation for him to be challenging for the top three more in the rounds to come but the early signs have been decent enough, and Christian Horner is pleased with what he has seen from the former Racing Point driver: “Here’s been really difficult because of the wind and so on. But you can see just the races are coming together for him,” he said to the press post-race in Portugal. “When he was in clean air he managed to pass Norris – who passed him fully off the track, again another track limits inconsistency. Once he was in clean air, he was doing the same lap time as the leaders and at certain points was setting the fastest lap. “So I think it’s really coming together for him. I’m happy with the progress he’s making and it’s only with more time and experience that everything just comes together for him.” ‘Checo’ is a likeable driver and many were excited to see him remain in the paddock for this season with a car that should give him the opportunity to build on the one race win he has in his career so far. Indeed, he’s not quite mixed it with the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the very front of the pack just yet – barring a brief spell on the front row at Imola – but he is finding his feet and there will be a hope he will only keep improving as the races begin to increase in frequency in the coming months.

Romain Grosjean, after retiring from F1 following his dramatic accident at last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix, will make a special one-off test with Mercedes next month. While recovering in hospital, the Frenchman received the promise from Toto Wolff of an opportunity to drive a Mercedes F1 car and ensure his accident wasn’t the end of his F1 story. Romain will drive Lewis Hamilton’s 2019 title-winning Mercedes GP in a series of demonstration laps at the French Grand Prix on June 27th, followed by a full test-day at the Circuit Paul Ricard, on June 29th. Romain is currently competing for Dale Coyne Racing in the Indycar series. Romain Grosjean said, “I am so excited to jump back in an F1 car! It will be a special opportunity for me and to drive a World Championship-winning Mercedes will be a unique experience.” “I’m very grateful to Mercedes F1 and to Toto for the opportunity. The first I heard about the chance to drive a Mercedes was in my hospital bed in Bahrain when Toto was speaking to the media and made the invitation. Reading that news cheered me up a lot!” “F1 didn’t get the chance to race in France during 2020 because of COVID so driving a Mercedes at the French Grand Prix in 2021 and then completing a test at the Circuit Paul Ricard, my home track, will be so special. I can’t wait for the day to arrive.” Team Principal Toto Wolff said, “We are very happy to support Romain with this special opportunity. The idea first came when it looked like Romain would be ending his active career in Formula One, and we didn’t want his accident to be his last moment in an F1 car. “I have known Romain since his days in Formula Three when he won the Championship. He enjoyed a long and successful F1 career and we wanted to make sure that his final memories would be at the wheel of a championship-winning car. I’m excited to see what Romain’s feedback on the W10 is.” “Romain’s accident reminds us of the dangers these guys face each time they climb into the cockpit but it’s also a testament to the incredible steps this sport has taken to improve safety over the years. I know the F1 community will celebrate seeing Romain back on track.” Lewis Hamilton said, “I’m really happy to see Romain back in an F1 car after his accident last year. When it happened, we were all praying for him and seeing him walk away from it and recover so well was a massive relief. I’m looking forward to seeing him again in France and welcoming him to the team for the weekend – although he better look after my W10!”

After being unexpectedly and swiftly removed as Renault [aka Alpine] in January, F1 team principal, Cyril Abiteboul has reemerged with an advisory role for Mecachrome Motorsport activities.Abiteboul led Renault‘s Formula 1 effort from 2014 to 2020 and looked set to lead the French team’s new Alpine era until the call, ending his duties with the team, came from Renault’s CEO Luca de Meo. The new setup has installed Laurent Rossi as head of a multi-pronged leadership running the team, with Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon in the cockpits. Christian Cornille, CEO of Mecachrome, confirmed Abiteboul’s appointment: “We are proud that Cyril can bring his support and his expertise in the sector to the teams of the group which since 1983, has supported prestigious brands within the biggest categories of motorsport: F1, F2, F3, endurance, rally. “The Mecachrome group must understand the trends and opportunities in this sector and make them consistent with the Group’s objectives and the transformation underway in its other businesses.” As for Abiteboul’s role, Cornille said the Frenchman would “propose strategic options for the medium-term development of the group’s activities in motorsport.” Mecachrome has distinguished itself by supplying the turbo V6s for Formula 2 as well as the engine blocks for Formula 3. On the Formula 1 side, Mecachrome provides Alpine F1 Team with a dedicated platform for the development and machining of cylinder heads, cylinder housings, distribution housings and cylinder head housings as well as the provision of assembly services for F1 engines. Mecachrome in F1 dates back to 1998. After the official withdrawal of Renault, the engine manufacturer based in Amboise was displayed on the Williams and Benetton (under the name Playlife). Renault engines assembled by Mechachrome powered the Red Bull team and Sebastian Vettel to F1 Constructors’ and Drivers’ titles in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Christian Horner has a radical way of taking sprint qualifying even further – floating the notion of unpopular ‘reverse grids’ and more points. Sprint qualifying is set to make its Formula 1 debut at the British Grand Prix in July via the format of a shorter race on Saturday, the result of which will set the grid for the main event on Sunday July 18. A small amount of World Championship points are due to be awarded for the top three finishers in sprint qualifying, which is expected to undergo further trials at the Italian Grand Prix and one more 2021 weekend – potentially Sao Paulo if it goes ahead. Horner, the Red Bull team principal, has been an advocate of “experimenting” with F1 formats, more so than his Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff, who has expressed firm opposition to, for example, reverse grids – something which several drivers are also against. However, Horner dropped that proposal into a discussion with Sky F1 about sprint qualifying, for which he has also suggested beefing up the points quota in order to give the format more credibility. “We campaigned very heavily for the point for fastest lap [in a grand prix] and I think that’s a positive,” said Horner. “I think I’d go with a point for pole position even because that has a value. “Maybe more can be done with sprint qualifying in the future because the points are a critical element as well. Maybe put more emphasis on the points for that race and then reverse that grid.” Some people, such as French Grand Prix promoter and former McLaren, Renault and Lotus team boss Eric Boullier, think new formats should be tested at every race of a season or not at all, in the interests of fairness to all competitors. But Horner does not concur and instead sees the appeal of trying out sprint qualifying at selected events. “I’m happy to support the promoters to give it a go because I think if we don’t try something different, how do you know if it’s any better or not?,” he said. “Part of me thinks a grand prix has a classic qualifying and a race element to it, but then this could bring something extra. And I think if it’s not on every single race, it could be something quite interesting.”

FIA race director Michael Masi has explained the reasoning for Nikita Mazepin’s penalty during the Portuguese Grand Prix. The Haas driver was handed a five-second time penalty for impeding then-race leader Sergio Perez at turn three by swinging across the apex and almost causing a collision. Mazepin’s team principal Guenther Steiner offered his own explanation for the mix-up and Masi confirmed the penalty was not given for the accumulation of blue flags bypassed. “With Nikita’s penalty, it was not so much the number of blue flags that were ignored, it was more so the incident that was shown on the broadcast with Sergio at turn three and the near-collision that was caused under blue flags,” said Masi. “So it wasn’t actually for the number of panels, it was more for not getting out of the way at the earliest opportunity and nearly causing an incident as a result.” It was not the first time over the weekend at Portimão the Russian had been accused of impeding another driver after a run-in with Williams driver Nicholas Latifi in qualifying which led to the Canadian calling his rival a “dumbass”. On that occasion, however, no action was taken, with Masi pointing to a lack of a complaint from Williams. “The team didn’t actually bring it to my attention,” added Masi. “Normally if there is someone that is impeded – and there were a couple of requests to review matters during qualifying – we need to remember there is impeding and there is unnecessarily impeding which is what is highlighted in the sporting regulations. ‘ “Regarding this incident, Williams did not bring this to race control’s attention at all.”