Racetrackmasters

The Circuit de Catalunya has been undergoing reconstruction in recent weeks, and not an insignificant one at that. The change they made at Turn 10 might have a significant impact on the racecourse. La Caixa, as it is also called, used to be a long left-hander. Because this corner was just after the back straight, it was decided in 2004 to make it a right-angle, almost hairpin corner. This, in combination with the straight, was supposed to provide more overtaking opportunities. In Formula 1, however, it had relatively little effect. With the introduction of DRS, things started to improve, but the straights between corners 9 and 10 are just too short to allow serious overtaking. In MotoGP, it worked better, but it is for that class in particular that the corner has been modified again. The speed difference here is very high for motorbike riders. After a very fast section, they had to slam on the brakes. The new corner is much more like the old situation in that respect.

Lewis Hamilton is set to end the uncertainty over his Formula 1 future “soon” by signing a contract extension at Mercedes. The seven-time world champion’s seat is the last one still TBC for 2021, and since the turn of the year, there has been great speculation over the terms he is demanding regarding salary and even having a say on who his teammate is. But in recent days, the story has progressed to the point where Hamilton now appears poised to put pen to paper following comments by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff “The lawyers are working hard,” he told ORF this week. “We don’t make life easy for them, of course, when we both argue over Zoom and keep sending curveballs to the lawyers. “He’s in America now and I’m here. At some point, we will finalise it. It’s how it is with negotiations. “You always come from different corners, but that’s quite normal. We have a really solid basis in our relationship. “We have celebrated great successes together and want to continue doing so in the future. “Sometimes you have to talk things out in detail, and that took or still takes us some time. But before Bahrain at the latest, you have to sign something at some point.” Then, in a separate interview with Germany’s RTL, Wolff confirmed an announcement was coming “soon”. “Soon is a flexible term but yeah, soon,” he said. Perhaps due to his demands, however, the Mercedes chief appeared to rule out a three-year contract for Hamilton, something else he was hoping for. “I don’t think so,” he said. Instead, it has been suggested the 36-year-old might only get a one-year extension at the Brackley-based team. This as George Russell looks set to be promoted from Williams for 2022 and, potentially, Max Verstappen might have a release clause in his Red Bull contract.

A documentary into the career and life of Michael Schumacher is ‘finished’ and is set to air later this year, offering a rare glimpse of the Ferrari legend’s life since suffering a serious brain injury in a skiing accident eight years ago. Schumacher, 52, has not been seen publicly since the 2013 accident and so the new film, entitled ‘Schumacher’, will provide a rare insight to Formula One fans on his health battle. The film, which was first reported to be in production in May 2019, was due to launch in December last year, only to be faced by delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic but Express in Germany have reported it is now ‘ready’ to go. Schumacher’s family have backed the film and are reported to have provided private recordings to the filmmakers. The driver’s wife Corinna, who has rarely spoken in public and is believed to be largely responsible for guarding the secrecy of his health, is expected to be among the interviewees spoken to in the film. His father Rolf, 74, and his son Mick, preparing for his first season in F1 with Haas, are also involved. ‘Schumacher’ is the work of German documentary filmmakers Michael Wech and Hanns-Bruno Kammertons. The Ferrari icon hit his head on a rock going off-piste down a mountain and was later airlifted to hospital. He went through two rounds of surgery before being placed into a medically-induced coma for six months. Now back home in Geneva, Switzerland, updates on his condition have been a closely guarded secret by the family, something that will perhaps change upon the release of the documentary. The film will also focus on his incredibly successful career, something the family hope son Mick will be able to replicate as he follows in his father’s footsteps this season. Schumacher won his first championship in 1994 with Benetton before retaining his title in the ensuing campaign. The German then moved to Ferrari where he went on to dominate the sport before calling time on his career in 2006. He returned to the grid with Mercedes in 2009 but endured a largely disappointing three-season spell.

Nikita Mazepin may not be able to race under the Russian flag in Formula 1 this year. Recently, Nikolay Gryazin had to contest the Monte Carlo rally as a ‘neutral athlete’, following the world anti-doping agency’s decision to ban Russia from international competition over a widespread cheating scheme. Russian F1 pundit Alexey Popov thinks Haas rookie Mazepin may be similarly affected. “There is a solution,” the Match TV commentator said. “In many sports now they compete under the flag of the national federation – in this case, it would be the Russian Automobile Federation. “As for the anthem, we’ll see, but you’d have to be a strong optimist to imagine him winning at Haas in the first year. But the flag is everywhere – over the circuit, over the garages, on the overalls. “It wouldn’t be very pleasant to be deprived of that,” Popov added. There has also been speculation that Formula 1 will have to rename the Russian GP, instead calling it the Krasnodar or Sochi GP.

Mick Schumacher completed an afternoon of testing with Ferrari at Italian circuit Fiorano ahead of his rookie Formula One season. Schumacher, son of seven-time world champion Michael, is part of the Ferrari driver academy and will race for American team Haas this season. Ferrari has booked out its Fiorano race track for a week of testing with its 2018 car, the SF71H. On Thursday afternoon, Schumacher completed over 50 laps in the car. After the test, Schumacher said: “We managed to get through the entire programme that we had scheduled without any problem and it was clearly very useful to be able to get through so much mileage at the wheel of a Formula 1 car in view of the coming season that will be starting in about a month and a half with the pre-season testing. “The SF71H is a car from 2018, but its behaviour on the track and the feelings that it gives to the driver are very similar, both in terms of how it behaves on the track and physical stress to a current car. “That makes it an excellent base when it comes to preparation for the new season.” The German driver won last year’s Formula 2 championship. He has joined Haas’ all-rookie lineup with Russia’s Nikita Mazepin. Schumacher took over from new Ferrari signing Carlos Sainz on Thursday afternoon. Sainz had completed a day and a half of testing, having taken over from new teammate Charles Leclerc, who drove on Tuesday. Friday will conclude the test, with Schumacher driving in the morning before handing over to Ferrari test driver Callum Ilott on Friday afternoon. The official F1 pre-season tests will take place in Bahrain between March 12-14, down from six days last year. The opening race of the season is the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28.

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have still not reached an agreement on a new contract. The new F1 season starts in about six weeks and so there is some urgency. If we are to believe Toto Wolff however, a deal could be agreed soon. However, the team boss of the German racing team does not want to pin down a date. When asked by RTL if an announcement is imminent, Wolff replied: “Soon is a flexible term, but yeah soon.” The question of course is what duration Hamilton’s contract will be. In all honesty, the Austrian doesn’t think Hamilton will be awarded a three-year contract. “I don’t assume that. We see in the near future a development not only with the cost cap but also with the technical regulation and you have to keep your eyes open, so we are still discussing what the right term is.” According to the latest rumours, Mercedes and Hamilton are therefore mainly arguing over the length of the contract. Hamilton is aiming for a three-year deal, while Wolff’s team reportedly does not want to go much further than a one-year deal. It is possible that both parties will soon agree to a two-year deal.

Aston Martin is currently in the news with all the hints at its livery and outfits for 2021, and above all of course the arrival of Sebastian Vettel. However, according to Formula 1 journalist Joe Saward, there are also dark clouds hanging over the Silverstone factory. In recent years much has changed at the team formerly known as Force India. Lawrence Stroll bought the team and together with his partners it was renamed Racing Point. However, that name soon disappeared, because after Aston Martin was bought by Stroll, it was announced that Aston Martin would be the new name of the team. According to Joe Saward, an experienced F1 journalist, there’s also a possibility that Aston Martin could be bought again, with a Chinese company reportedly interested. He wrote on his own blog, “This morning there was an interesting story from China’s East Money, a website that watches the financial markets, which suggested that China’s BYD Auto Company is preparing to acquire the Aston Martin car company, in a deal that would value the British firm at £4.1 billion.” BYD Auto Company is said to be looking for a way to become known in Europe and sees Aston Martin as an ideal showcase. Additionally, it already has a partnership with Daimler, which also has a share in Aston Martin. So Stroll’s era could be a short one, as could Aston Martin’s period in Formula 1.

McLaren will launch its 2021 Formula 1 car, the MCL35, on 15 February at its headquarters in Woking. The British squad is the second F1 team to confirm its launch plans ahead of the upcoming 2021 season, with Alfa Romeo unveiling its latest contender at an event in Warsaw a week after McLaren on 22 February. As well as taking the wraps off its newly-named, Mercedes-powered MCL35 in a live launch show that will be broadcast on Sky Sports F1 in the UK, McLaren will also present its revised driver line-up consisting of Lando Norris and new signing Daniel Ricciardo. McLaren fired up its new MCL35M for the first time on Tuesday, with the process overseen by team principal Andreas Seidl and CEO Zak Brown. The announcement of McLaren’s launch date is one of the earliest, despite the particularly busy winter the Woking-based outfit has faced as it raced to get its new car ready for the upcoming campaign, having switched from Renault power. McLaren is the only F1 team changing its power unit supplier in the off-season, requiring the team to essentially build a brand new car despite teams largely carrying over most of their cars from 2020 with development heavily restricted amid a delay to the technical regulation overhaul that will now come in 2022.

Four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel completed his seat fitting at Silverstone where his new team, the Aston Martin Cognizant Team is located, but for everyone who has seen the latest Aston Martin F1 promotional video featuring their latest acquisition in 4-time F1 drivers Champion, the first thing that’s discussed is his hair, or lack of it.

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has gone on record stating that the two were in discussions over Zoom but admitted their talks has caused a few “curveballs” for the lawyers overseeing the deal. Former team boss Jordan, however, believes the sticking points in the new deal are over Hamilton’s worth to Mercedes, who recently announced petrochemical company, Ineos, had become a three-way owner alongside Mercedes Benz and Wolff. Jordan also says he understands the 36-year-old is pushing hard for 10 percent share of the team’s TV revenue. “I have a little snippet of information and Lewis is saying ‘look guys, this is my salary, is this what I am being paid as a driver and for various other things that go along with the interviews and other aspects? “‘But am I being compensated for bringing in sponsors? Am I being compensated for the arrival of Ineos? “‘Am I being compensated for the increased television income you are getting as the constructors’ champion in the form of TV money?’”. Jordan reckons that Hamilton should be also focusing efforts on getting a slice of the lucrative TV payments Mercedes receive from F1. He added: “If I was his manager, I would be saying to Mercedes, ‘look, we add a lot of value to Mercedes’ overall income over the year. It is positively wrong to ignore that’. “I believe Lewis is looking for 10 percent of the team’s television money and it is hard to understand why he would not be worth that. “We are in the media and the amount of opportunities we have to interview Lewis are very slim. We stand in line like everybody else. “But he is the first one we all want. We are at the press conferences because we need Lewis as he is a value to me and you and everybody else. “It is like what is happening now in golf and basketball in America and the major stars are taking a piece off the top. “The world of economics is changing but one thing that is for sure is the value of Lewis Hamilton has increased, that’s a fact.”