Racetrackmasters

Bahrain will be hosting the 2021 season-opener as the Australian Grand Prix, which has been the first race of the season in modern Formula One in recent years is likely to take place in the Autumn, according to Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll who is among the owners of the Aston Martin F1 Team which was formerly Racing Point before rebranding. Lawrence Stroll made the comments on Thursday. “Melbourne has been…it’s not officially announced but it will be not cancelled but postponed,” Stroll told Reuters, “We will go there sometime in the fall [autumn] and the first race will be Bahrain.” The billionaire, who is also the father to Lance Stroll who will be driving for the newly rebranded Aston Martin F1 team also commented on the upcoming 2021 F1 season and the Covid-19 pandemic in general and said there is ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. He also praised Formula 1 for successfully putting together the 2020 F1 Championship amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “I do believe we’re in for a difficult two or three months. There is a light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine. I think the first few races will be slightly challenging,” Stroll added. “But Formula One management and the FIA, I really take my hat off to them to deliver 17 races as we did last year in 23 weeks, without really any major hiccups, in a very impressive manner.” “I think the worst is behind us and we’ve learnt through last year how to proceed with this year.” Earlier, it was reported that the Chinese Grand Prix could be cancelled and Formula One is likely to return to Imola and Algarve towards the start of the season.

Mercedes has hit out at what it calls the “pure fiction” of rumours swirling around the future of Lewis Hamilton. The seven time world champion has kicked off 2021 without a contract, amid speculation Mercedes is balking at his demands for a EUR 40 million salary, a $3m AMG-One hypercar, and a 10 percent share in the team’s title bonuses. A Mercedes source calls those reports “pure fiction”, while a spokesman said there are “no reasons to be concerned” about the team’s 2021 lineup. Indeed, the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera claims that new team co-owner Ineos, headed by billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is prepared to make up the difference between Hamilton’s demands and what Mercedes is willing to pay. In turn, Hamilton would be expected to appear in some of the forthcoming marketing campaigns of Ineos, a British multinational chemicals company which now owns a third of the title-winning team.

The days of seeing Sebastian Vettel in Ferrari red are officially over, with Aston Martin releasing the first image of him in British racing green. The team formerly known as Racing Point have made the first big steps in their official rebrand after announcing US IT firm Cognizant as their new title sponsor. Alongside the news came some pretty big hints that the traditional Aston Martin green is on its way back, replacing the striking pink livery which came as a result of Racing Point’s sponsorship with Austrian water treatment manufacturer BWT. The green colour scheme can be seen on as Aston Martin F1’s official website, while the team also uploaded images of Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll in dark green racing overalls. “I can’t wait to start working with Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team,” Vettel said upon confirmation of Aston Martin’s new title sponsor. “There’s so much for me to discover over the next few months and I’m incredibly determined to help make this team even more successful. “Before we know it, we will be at the first race, seeing this famous name back where it belongs. I’m proud to be part of this journey.” Lance Stroll added: “Seeing Aston Martin back in Formula One is a huge deal – especially with a new title partner, Cognizant. “Whenever I’m at the factory, you can feel the buzz and energy. We’re ready for this. There’s so much hunger in the team and I just can’t wait to get the season started.” The official Aston Martin press release also stated ‘in March, we’ll be unveiling our car livery to the world at Aston Martin’s global HQ in Gaydon, including the introduction to our driver line-up, featuring four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel and multiple Grand Prix podium finisher Lance Stroll.’

Nikita Mazepin has hit out at Mick Schumacher despite the pair being new team-mates for Formula One team Haas. Both drivers from Formula 2 were signed as Haas’ drivers for the 2021 F1 season with the pair knowing each other from their go-karting days. When Mick Schumacher was asked about his relationship with Russian driver Mazepin, he claimed that they both have a good relationship but they have been distant for while. The German said recently, “He was very nice and there was a healthy respect between us as teammates…then we lost touch with each other a bit and of course we have both changed since then.” But Mazepin has hinted at a colder friendship with Schumacher, who is the son of Formula One legend Michael, telling Russian channel Match TV this week, “We are not friends. At most we are old acquaintances as we raced together in karts…I honestly don’t care about his name. Because of the name he will have more power, but also more pressure.” “But when I lower the visor, I don’t think about these things anyway.”

Images have been leaked of the 2021 Formula 1 Alpine livery (formerly the Renault F1 Team), of which Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon will contest the coming F1 season. Sourced from someone close to the Renault CEO Luca de Meo, the teaser images will no doubt be published officially in the near future. If they are to be proven correct, then the livery appears to be very similar to the European Regional Formula Championship by Alpine livery revealed back in Imola last year. It is understood that the livery below could be a testing special livery as it incorporates more black in the design than was expected. It was confirmed back in September that the car would be blue, white and red.

With the budget cap introduced in 2021, the FIA has taken the first step towards a fairer championship. During the 2020 season, a season did eventually get underway, but without fans and with little income for Liberty Media. As a result, the teams will also receive less money from F1 next season. The money the teams receive will even be halved. That is what Auto, Motor und Sport says. This means that a team such as Racing Point only gets USD 30 million, whereas it should have been USD 59 million. For the big teams, there is even less money coming in. Mercedes now receives USD 126 million in prize money instead of 177 million, a reduction of USD 51 million. The German medium has made a comparison with 2019, the last year that F1 could organise a season without major problems. The biggest loser is Ferrari, which gets more than fifty million dollars less. Mercedes sees a decrease of 32 million dollars, because the Bernie Ecclestone arrangement also gives the German team a history bonus of 21 million dollars. Teams that receive more in 2021 are mainly those in midfield, because they will have scored much more points in 2020 than in 2019. The entire field was a lot closer together, so midfield also managed to take the podium more often. In the end Racing Point got the most points. They will receive 41 million dollars more in 2021 than in 2019.

Haas is not bowing to social pressure to oust 2021 recruit Nikita Mazepin. Some social media users, including members of the specialist Formula 1 media, called on the American team to oust the Russian rookie after footage emerged of Mazepin allegedly groping a female friend. “Haas F1 Team would like to reaffirm that Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher will form its driver lineup for the 2021 FIA Formula 1 world championship,” the team said. “As per the team’s previous statement regarding the actions of Nikita Mazepin, this matter has now been dealt with internally and no further comment shall be made.” Kevin Magnussen’s departing team sponsor Jack and Jones also weighed into the controversy, clarifying that while the deal was always scheduled to end, the company “takes distance from the behaviour of Nikita Mazepin”. As for 21-year-old Mazepin, whose father Dmitry is tipped to sponsor Haas via the Uralkali brand, he said he is used to being criticised. “There are certain reasons unrelated to the racing world for which I am perhaps treated a little differently,” he told Match TV. “I am used to it and absolutely unbothered by it.” Mazepin also admitted that he is likely to spend his first season in Formula 1 next year near the very back of the grid. “Most probably I will fight with no one,” he told the Russian broadcaster. “It is important to remain realistic as we are expecting a difficult season. I don’t think there are many cars that we can compete with.”

Lewis Hamilton may well get what he wants after months of negotiations over a new contract, according to reports. The British racing superstar was recently knighted after securing a record-equalling seventh F1 world championship. The 35-year-old was once again by far and away the best driver on the grid last season he has blown past his rivals. But amazingly he’s the only driver on the grid not signed up for next season with just a matter of weeks before teams begin unveiling their new-look liveries. Drivers are usually pulled out for photo opportunities with their new cars with last year’s Mercedes W11 being unveiled mid-February. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has remained calm about Hamilton’s contract situation despite no deal being signed as of yet. However, he did set a deadline for an agreement to be made before pre-season testing begins in March. “We are not worried about eventually getting it done,” he said last month. “We are not putting a special date to it because we don’t want to be under pressure. “Sooner or later it needs to be done and at the latest before we go testing [ahead of the 2021 season].” Part of the hold up in a new contract being signed is reportedly due to Hamilton’s demands. Corriere dello Sport claim the British racing driver wants his pay to stay the same in his new deal, although Mercedes are looking to make some cutbacks due to the financial repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic. Hamilton is the highest paid driver in F1 history, with his previous contract seeing him earn close to £40million-a-year. But Mercedes may have found a way to give Hamilton what he wants without hurting themselves financially in the process. There has been a huge shake up behind the scenes with INEOS becoming a one-third shareholder in Mercedes with Daimler and Wolff sharing the remainder equally between them. And Corriere report that Ineos may well take on a large chunk of Hamilton’s contract to ensure he stays in F1. Hamilton leaving Mercedes before the start of the 2021 season could prove disastrous both for the defending constructors’ champions and the sport as a whole. But Hamilton has stated on numerous occasions in recent months that he plans to continue driving in F1, suggesting an agreement isn’t far away from being announced.

An advert for Carlos Sainz Sr’s Madrid-based kart circuit which featured a man wearing blackface has triggered a barrage of criticism against his son, Ferrari F1 driver Carlos Sainz, on social media. The advert depicts the “Three Kings” at the kart circuit, with one of them wearing blackface. The advert has left F1 fans divided, with some calling for Carlos Sainz to be “cancelled” while others have stressed that his father owns the kart circuit, not him. The controversial advert quickly unleashed a tirade of criticism and anger at Carlos Sainz, with some even calling for him to be fired by Ferrari. However, some F1 fans have defended the Ferrari driver, stressing that the kart circuit is owned by his father, so he is unlikely to have had any involvement in the production of the advert.

The Williams Formula One team announced on Tuesday a switch to gearboxes and hydraulic components provided by engine supplier Mercedes from 2022 in a significant step for the struggling former champions who changed hands last year. The British team, now owned by U.S.-based Dorilton Capital after the founding family sold up and departed, have scored just one point in the last two seasons despite using the sport’s dominant engine. A proudly independent constructor since 1978, Williams currently design and build their own gearboxes but have also been in decline for years. They last won a grand prix in 2012 while rivals Racing Point, now renamed Aston Martin, were race winners last year with a car that drew heavily on the title-winning 2019 Mercedes. The regulations will be undergoing a major overhaul in 2022 and the new deal will allow Williams to focus resources on other areas. “Williams is an independent team, but Formula One is always evolving, and as a team we must be agile to react to the current climate in order to put the team in the best position to be competitive on track,” said principal Simon Roberts in a statement. “This long-term agreement with Mercedes is a positive step and forms part of our strategic objectives for the future whilst we will still retain our design and manufacturing capabilities in-house.” Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said the expanded technical cooperation made sense for both sides. “For Williams, it makes sense to acquire the integrated powertrain after running our power units since 2014 and for our team, it makes sense in terms of economies of scale to supply another team under the new rules,” said the Austrian. “This is a project we have been discussing with Williams for some time and I am glad we have been able to bring this extension to fruition.” Williams driver George Russell also has a long-term contract with Mercedes and stood in for Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain last month when the seven times world champion tested positive for COVID-19.

Lando Norris announced on Tuesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 while holidaying in Dubai. The Mclaren driver found himself in hot water after testing positive for coronavirus while on holiday in Dubai “ahead of a planned training camp.” The Brit announced on Tuesday that he tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing mild symptoms. “Yesterday I lost my sense of taste and smell so immediately self-isolated and took a test,” Norris wrote on social media. “It’s come back as positive, so I’ve told everyone that I’ve been in contact with and will be self-isolating for the next 14 days. “I feel alright and have no other symptoms but I just wanted to let you all know. Take care,” he added. This development prompted a mixed reaction on social media, with most F1 fans wishing Lando Norris well, while others criticised him for being on holiday just before England enters a national lockdown.

James Allison, technical director of the Mercedes Formula 1 team, admitted that Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas failed to optimise the use of the DAS system fitted to the W11 in 2020, a unique ‘party trick’ now banned for this year. Last season, the Mercedes team caused quite a stir in the winter test when the media discovered live a brand new ingenious system mounted on the W11 called DAS (Dual Axis Steering). This system allowed the driver to pull the steering wheel at the beginning of the straight, which resulted in a change in the camber angle and front-wheel toe-in when the car was running. At first, nobody knew what such a system could be used for, but Mercedes eventually revealed that the drivers used the DAS to get the front tyres warmed up before the start of the race or before a qualifying timed lap; happy to reveal the secrets for the system once it was banned. The DAS is now deemed illegal in relation to article 10.5.2 of the technical regulations which stipulates in the “driving” chapter that: “the alignment of the front wheels must only be done by a constant function of a movement of rotation of the steering wheel.”

In November it was already known that Max Verstappen had bought his own private jet. In the meantime, the Red Bull Racing driver has received the plane. The Dutchman immediately gave the plane a different look. Verstappen opted for the colour matt blue (the colour of employer Red Bull) with orange details. The plane seats eighteen guests and is said to be able to fly 8,340 kilometres without refuelling. The maintenance of the private jet is quite expensive, according to Liberty Jet, the up keep of a Falcon 900EX costs between one and two million euros on an annual basis. The service provider estimates that the purchase price is between six and eight million euros for a second-hand aircraft.