Racetrackmasters

Formula One has confirmed that it would continue its #WeRaceAsOne initiative in 2021 with the sustainability, the diversity and inclusion and the community named as key pillars of the programme. Formula One launched a fantastic initiative in 2020 which ran under the name of We Race As One. The campaign was set to support the PurposeDriven Movement launched by the FIA. The initiative was created in June last year, just a few weeks before the pandemic-delayed 2020 F1 season kicked off at July 5 in Austria. By launching this initiative, Formula One intended to show its determination to tackle the major issues that the sport and the whole society are currently facing. A statement outlining the new plan said: “On our return to racing in 2020 we wanted to recognise the two major issues dominating society’s consciousness during that time, COVID-19, and inequality. “Throughout the season we paid tribute to people around the world for the incredible strength and fortitude shown against the global pandemic. The rainbow was chosen by Formula 1 to sit alongside #WeRaceAsOne as it became a symbol used internationally to bring communities together. Equally we used our restart to show that we as a sporting community stand united against racism and are doing more to address inequality and diversity in Formula 1. The sport has confirmed in its statement that it would drop the rainbow branding from its campaign in 2021. “This was highlighted at every race with the twenty drivers uniting in their support of ending racism before the start of the race. We plan to include a moment before the start of each race this season to show our united support for important issues and will be discussing this with the drivers and the teams ahead of the start of the season. This season the rainbow will no longer feature alongside the #WeRaceAsOne platform.” “This season the rainbow will no longer feature alongside the #WeRaceAsOne platform. While the COVID-19 pandemic is still an ongoing battle, we are focussing the platform on the three core pillars of our ESG strategy: sustainability, diversity & inclusion, and community. Formula One has also confirmed that the ambitious goals set out in 2019 will also remain part of the campaign with sustainability forming a key pillar of the programme. “In 2019, Formula 1 set out its ambitious sustainability, diversity, and inclusion strategy to improve the long-term future of our sport. This included our commitment to be net zero carbon as a sport by 2030 and create a more inclusive and diverse culture across Formula 1, attracting more diverse talent across technical, commercial, corporate, and on-air roles. “Additionally, the plan, in partnership with the FIA, looks at promoting a diverse driver talent pipeline by identifying and systematically eliminating barriers to entry from grass roots karting to Formula 1. “As set out in our #WeRaceAsOne announcement last year, recent events have reinforced the importance of those issues and the need for us to accelerate and take further action to make our sport better, improve opportunity and have a positive impact on the world we live in.”

Formula One could award championship points for Saturday ‘sprint’ races this season under a proposal to be discussed by bosses on Thursday. The shorter races would set the starting grid for the main grand prix on Sunday if the Formula One commission votes in favour of the format. Qualifying for the sprint race would be on Friday instead of second practice. The commission includes the 10 teams, commercial rights holders Liberty Media and the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA). The BBC reported that the top eight drivers in the sprint race, lasting an hour and about a third of the distance of a regular race, would earn roughly half the points awarded in a grand prix. To become reality, the proposal would need the backing of eight teams. A previous plan to hold sprint races with reversed grids failed to win approval. One team source told Reuters the plan was to trial the shortened race at three grand prix weekends — Canada, Brazil and Monza in Italy — although the calendar could yet change due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Formula One’s current format is for two practice sessions on Friday, followed by a third on Saturday before qualifying for Sunday’s race. The change is aimed at creating more excitement through increased track action. New Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali said last week that the sprint format was being considered. “We are thinking if this could be tested already this year,” he told reporters. “Discussions are going on with the teams in the right forum.” Formula One’s motorsport managing director Ross Brawn last month told the racefans.net website that he would like to see some weekends follow a different format to gauge responses without committing the whole championship to change. The BBC said a sticking point to the latest plan was that the potential cost of damage to the cars in the sprint race exceeded the extra money being offered by Formula One to the teams.

The 2021 Spanish Grand Prix is set to be open to fans with the tickets having specific COVID-related guarantees. The race organisers are preparing to welcome fans to the Spanish Grand Prix, set to be Round 4 of the 2021 season with the race held on May 9. The 2020 staging of the Spanish Grand Prix was forced to take place with no fans in attendance at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but a new deal was struck to ensure that the event remained on the calendar for 2021. Formula 1 tried to move away from the policy of closed events as the season progressed, with the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi Autodrom seeing the highest attendance of the 2020 season at around 30,000, but sadly the closing stages of the campaign saw a return to empty grandstands. But in a statement the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya revealed details around ticket sales which are set to begin “next Thursday”, coupled with a COVID guarantee and extensive safety measures. “In order to keep the safety distance on grandstands, the circuit has designed a purchase system which, every time a user chooses a seat or group of seats, the system will automatically block the seats located above, below and on either side,” read the statement. “Another implemented safety measure is that all tickets will be nominal and users will have to enter the name and surname of each person accessing the facilities during the grand prix, who will have to show their Personal ID or passport at the entrance. “The facilities will be divided into five different zones to control the capacity and optimise circulation for all attendants, creating bubbles and sub-bubbles which won’t include more than 3000 people in each sector created for each grandstand. “Fans will have access to the facilities through the nearest gate and park their car in the nearest parking space, with the aim of avoiding the mixing of groups belonging to different bubbles. “Both the capacity of the car parks and the access of each of the gates will ensure the access of the different volumes of fans corresponding to each bubble. Thus it will be possible to keep the necessary safety distance for all users. “Considering the global health situation, should the event finally not be staged or staged without spectator attendance, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will offer all purchasers two options: transferring the ticket to the next season or a 100% refund of the ticket price.”

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says multiple venues in Africa have showing an interest in joining the World Championship schedule. Africa is the only inhabited continent not to currently host a grand prix with South Africa’s Kyalami last holding an event in 1993. Kyalami currently holds an FIA Grade 2 safety rating but the venue is awaiting a fresh inspection which could see it move to Grade 1, potentially paving the way for Formula 1 to return. Kyalami was due to host a round of the World Endurance Championship this month but it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Formula E, meanwhile, has held events in Marrakesh, in Morocco, which was the only other African country to host a grand prix, back in 1958. World Champion Lewis Hamilton last year commented his priority would be for Formula 1 to return to Africa. “There are areas that I can tell you have shown interest; basically in North Africa and South Africa,” Domenicali is quoted by RACER. “This is something that’s very important I think in terms of having new places or old places with heritage back in Formula 1. “We don’t have to forget that we have lost some European races that now are showing interest in being considered again. “For sure if we are doing a good product you may say that if the value is high you may reach the same kind of business without being too numerous in terms of races, and that could be the approach. “If you are able to do the right choices, I think that will be the way to go. It may not be in the shortest time but that is the target, I would say.” Formula 1 has added Saudi Arabia to its 2021 calendar, as the only new venue, while Zandvoort is due to return after its planned 2020 comeback was postponed due to the pandemic.

The Portuguese Grand Prix is set to be confirmed on the 2021 Formula 1 calendar in a meeting of the Formula 1 Commission on Thursday. Racetrackmasters has learned the current vacant May 2 slot on the calendar is set to be taken by Portimao, the circuit that last year held the first Portuguese Grand Prix since 1996. It had been hoped an announcement confirming the finalised calendar could be made sooner but a rise in coronavirus cases held up the process with F1 monitoring and evaluating the ever-changing situation. Portugal was recently added to the United Kingdom’s ‘red list’ with travellers returning from the country required to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days. Unlike with previous travel restrictions, elite sportspeople are not exempt. With the Spanish Grand Prix following directly after the Portimao weekend, however, it was unlikely personnel would have planned to return home between races, although it does mean some will stay in Europe until the quarantine period has elapsed. 2021 F1 calendar28 March – Bahrain GP18 April – Emilia Romagna GP2 May – Portuguese GP9 May – Spanish GP23 May – Monaco GP6 June – Azerbaijan GP13 June – Canadian GP27 June – French GP4 July – Austrian GP18 July – British GP1 August – Hungarian GP29 August – Belgian GP5 September – Dutch GP12 September – Italian GP26 September – Russian GP3 October – Singapore GP10 October – Japanese GP24 October – United States GP31 October – Mexico City GP7 November – Sao Paulo GP21 November – Australian GP5 December – Saudi Arabia GP12 December – Abu Dhabi GP

Formula One teams will hold a vote on Thursday to determine whether sprint races should be introduced to grand prix weekends. F1 bosses have put forward the idea of a shorter race on Saturday, which would replace qualifying, and determine the grid for Sunday’s grand prix. The new format could be trialled at this season’s Canadian, Italian and Brazilian Grands Prix. Eight of the 10 teams will need to vote in favour of the idea on Thursday to turn the concept into reality. F1 chiefs are keen to shake up the format of a GP weekend which currently sees two practice sessions on Friday, followed by a third on Saturday ahead of qualifying. The second practice session on Friday would be replaced by qualifying to make up the grid for Saturday’s proposed shortened race. It is expected that the top eight drivers in the sprint race would be awarded points which will count towards the championship. Testing for the new season takes place in Bahrain in the second week of March, with Lewis Hamilton to begin his bid for an unprecedented eighth world championship in the Gulf kingdom a fortnight later.

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has warned the team’s new drivers that they will soon have a problem on their hands if they come together on the track. Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin will both make their debuts in F1 as part of the American squad’s 2021 line-up, and Steiner understands that both will be keen to make an impression. However, he has also made it clear that there are boundaries as to how far they can take their battles. “[They are] two ambitious young drivers who want to show who is the better one,” Steiner told RTL. “If they fight without damaging the team, I have no problem with that. “Only [if they do] when they get in their car, I’ll have a problem and then they’ll have a problem.” Steiner appreciates that the two youngsters will be on a learning curve in 2021, but hopes that they can learn from any errors and go into the 2022 season as much more developed drivers. “For me, it would be a success to have two drivers at the end of the year who have learned a lot and are ready for 2022, so that we don’t make any more mistakes then,” the Italian explained. “[They need] the chance to develop. At the end of the year we should still have two young, but also experienced drivers. Two ‘young-experienced’ drivers should come out.” It sounds likely that the plan is for the line-up to remain the same in 2022. “Just one year wouldn’t do much. A rookie needs a year, has to get used to the team and to Formula 1. Then in the second year you can make progress. The driver and also the team around the driver.” Despite the challenge ahead, Haas will be hoping to make steps forward after a difficult season in 2021 saw them finish in ninth place in the constructors’ championship, with just three points to their name.

After plenty of speculation over the past few months about his future, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes finally agreed a new one-year deal yesterday. The seven-time world champion had been out of contract since January 1, but has now committed to the Mercedes outfit for another season at least. The new deal makes him the highest-paid driver on the grid by some distance. Hamilton dwarfs his teammate Valtteri Bottas’ salary by a cool £34m. He is still paid almost double his nearest rival on the grid Max Verstappen. Charles Leclerc, the promising Ferrari driver, and the experienced Daniel Ricciardo are tied in third place, with both picking up a cool £10.19m per year from Ferrari and McLaren respectively. Leclerc’s teammate at Ferrari Carlos Sainz and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, starting his first season at Aston Martin, complete the top six with them both earning £7.28m per year from their respective teams. Fernando Alonso, widely thought of as one of the finest drivers of his generation, alongside Hamilton, is in seventh place. Hamilton’s teammate Bottas is down in eighth place. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Alfa Romeo complete the top 10 list with £4.37m and £3.64m respectively. Top 10 driver salaries in 20211) Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes – £40m 2) Max Verstappen: Red Bull – £18.2m 3) Charles Leclerc: Ferrari – £10.19m 4) Daniel Ricciardo: McLaren – £10.19m 5) Carlos Sainz: Ferrari – £7.28m 6) Sebastian Vettel: Aston Martin – £7.28m 7) Fernando Alonso: Alpine – £6.55m 8) Valtteri Bottas: Mercedes – £5.82m 9) Sergio Perez: Red Bull – £4.37m 10) Kimi Raikkonen: Alfa Romeo – £3.64m

Former Haas F1 driver Kevin Magnussen says he doesn’t have “much interest” in returning to Formula 1 as a stand-in for one of Haas’ new signings in 2021. Magnussen was recently announced as Peugeot World Endurance Championship driver and will be racing for the team when they will be staging a comeback in 2022. After losing his Haas seat at the end of 2020, bringing to a close a six-season run in F1, Magnussen will compete in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in North America this year with Chip Ganassi Racing. Haas team principal Guenther Steiner had revealed he would consider calling upon the services of former drivers Magnussen or Romain Grosjean if the American outfit needed a substitute to replace either Mick Schumacher or Nikita Mazepin this year. This comes as the F1 teams are making preparations to have stand-in and reserve drivers who have played a very major role in the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Magnussen’s former teammate at Haas, Romain Grosjean declared he would be open to stepping-in for a one time-off appearance with an F1 team. Magnussen on the other hand declares that the given role does not stand to be appealing to him. “I think it’s pretty difficult to say at this moment,” Magnussen said about being a potential F1 stand-in. “I don’t think it would really be that interesting.” “I’m always going to be there for the team, I spent some good years with them and I’ll be available for advice. Guenther is a good friend, as are many people in the Haas Formula 1 team. But any talks about racing for like a one-off race, I don’t really have much interest in that.” “I like to be fully focused on what I’m doing, and I think, again, I miss winning too much. I’ve done seven years in Formula 1 – doing one more race, just for the matter, I don’t think it’s that interesting.” The 28-year-old driver also said he pretty much considered that his F1 career was over. “I mean, if Mercedes came and asked if I wanted to drive, I think everyone would look at that very seriously. But I think I’ve given Formula 1 a very fair shot.” “I think I’ve tried my best to be very successful in this sport, I feel very very lucky to have been able to live my childhood dream of racing in Formula 1, I have a trophy at home from a Formula 1 race, which is something I was dreaming about as a kid.” “I just feel like I gave it a good shot, I’ve done it and I feel like I’m ready to go and win some stuff again, so that’s really where I’m at.”

Callum Ilott will appear during some Friday practice sessions in 2021. That is the news from Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto, who has already announced that while the 22-year-old Briton missed out on a race debut this year, he will be Ferrari’s official test driver and reserve instead. Ilott, alongside Robert Shwartzman, is another key member of Ferrari’s driver development ‘academy’. “We have Mick (Schumacher), who is starting his Formula 1 career at Haas, and we have other talents in Formula 2, like Robert Shwartzman and Marcus Armstrong,” said Binotto. “Callum Ilott will be our test driver and will be in the simulator quite often, and he will also drive free practice sessions.” Ilott is likely to get his Friday practice outings with Ferrari-powered teams Haas or Alfa Romeo.

Formula 1 is looking to trial a ‘sprint race’ format in 2021. The teams earlier baulked at Liberty Media’s plans to radically spice up the weekend format, and new CEO Stefano Domenicali ruled out reviving the ‘reverse grid’ idea. “That is over,” international media reports quote the Italian as saying. “That is something I can tell you. “It is important to think of new ideas to be more attractive or interesting, but we must not lose the traditional approach to racing. I think we learned that when we changed the qualifying format all the time. “What we are studying is what could be the approach of the so-called sprint race on Saturdays. We are wondering if this could be tested already this year,” said Domenicali. “There are ongoing discussions with the teams.”