Racetrackmasters

Mercedes are running a special livery on their W11 cars for the rest of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend to commemorate their continued success in Formula 1. For the seventh year in a row, the Silver Arrows have clinched both World Championships on offer. They bagged the Constructors’ title with four races to spare at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix and Lewis Hamilton added his seventh World title at the next race in Turkey to go level with Michael Schumacher on the all-time World Championship list. And, to acknowledge their remarkable achievements, Mercedes have the names of every single person who has contributed to the continued success of the team on their all-conquering W11. “The bodywork has all the names of the people who have contributed to this year’s success, be it in Kuala Lumpur, Stuttgart, Turin, Brackley or Brixworth,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. “It has been tremendously difficult at times but also rewarding for all of us with this World Championship title. “Furthermore, we will be having seven Petronas green stars on the engine cover to mark our seventh successive double World Championship.”

Max Verstappen topped the final practice session of 2020 as he went quickest in FP3 in Abu Dhabi, ahead of Alex Albon and Daniel Ricciardo. Mercedes didn’t have their best session, with Lewis Hamilton sixth and Valtteri Bottas ninth. It was an extremely slow start to the session, with the track empty for nearly 20 minutes before Nicholas Latifi broke the silence. It was Red Bull who set the best laps in the first runs, with Verstappen setting the quickest time and Albon just a few tenths slower in P2. Hamilton improved to split the pair, but Verstappen then pushed really hard, going half a second clear of the returning champion. Bottas was next to improve, briefly sitting third before Hamilton overtook him again. George Russell, moved back to Williams this weekend, seemed like he was still in the Mercedes when he momentarily went fifth on the timesheets, before falling back down again. With ten minutes to go, the midfield teams decided to turn up the heat, with Lando Norris taking P2 before Daniel Ricciardo took it away from him and then Esteban Ocon relegated the Brit to fourth. Albon had been complaining of understeer, but put in a solid lap towards the end of the session to join his teammate in the top two. Ricciardo was third ahead of teammate Ocon and Norris. Hamilton was P6, with Stroll and Sainz just behind him. Bottas could only manage P9, with last week’s race winner Sergio Perez in tenth.

Red Bull expects just 60 percent of its current Formula 1 car will be carried over into next year’s RB16B challenger. Although there is quite a strict chassis freeze heading in to next year, as part of the cost saving measures introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic, there are some freedoms to make developments. As well as aerodynamic surfaces remaining open to change, teams are allowed to use two special development tokens to choose particular parts of the car that they want to improve. More fundamental parts of the car will use up both tokens, while smaller areas will use just one. With Max Verstappen having admitted recently that there were ‘weaknesses’ in the car that would be addressed for next year, the team has hinted at quite a big revamp. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner explained that while there was a lot of carry-over, there was also going to be some fundamental work being done. “I would say that of the RB16B…60 percent of the car is the 16,” he explained. “Like all cars, there is a large amount of carry-over of components for next year.” “We’ve got the basis of a decent car. I think we know where its weaknesses have been compared to our opponents, so that’s where we’re focusing our development over the winter. “Mercedes will have an extremely strong package next year, there’s no doubt about that. But we’ve just got to use all the information and tools and data that we have to do the best job that we can.” Although this year’s Red Bull has suffered from aerodynamic anomalies, Horner is optimistic that those difficulties can be ironed out even with the mechanical aspects of the car staying the same. “I think a lot of the chassis stays the same, the suspension elements obviously stay the same, and gearbox is all carried over,” he said. “It’s basically the clothes that it’s wearing will be different, which is obviously the aerodynamic surfaces. “And of course, we go into a budget cap world as well next year, so the ability to develop is a lot more focused. It’s going to be a new challenge, a different challenge next year, but I think we have the basis of a decent car. “I think you can see that the car generally has got closer and closer to Mercedes over the last few couple of months in particular. That’s been really encouraging.”

Toto Wolff has played down suggestions that it is Lewis Hamilton’s salary demands that are holding up a 2021 contract for the seven time world champion. It is rumoured that Mercedes is not willing to meet Hamilton’s demands amid the economic impact of coronavirus – especially with a salary cap looming in Formula 1. When asked about that, team boss Wolff admitted that the financial aspect is “always part of the discussion, and it’s never much fun on either side”. He told Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper: “But in this case, it’s not an essential parameter. It’s more about how he sees himself in this world and how his thought processes are running.” At the same time, Wolff said the important thing for Mercedes is “how we can use him as a brand ambassador – how many days is he available off the track”. He says the talks should have begun last week, but Hamilton has been holed up in a Bahrain hotel with covid-19. “I take his health into account but we are absolutely in agreement on the general conditions,” said Wolff. “Now we wait for him to get back on his feet and then we’ll talk.” Austrian Wolff played down the risk that 35-year-old Hamilton could take the opportunity to either retire or switch to another team. “I don’t think Lewis will ever want to drive anywhere else,” he insisted. “I also think he has unfinished business. “From my perspective, there is nothing that prevents him from continuing, so I assume that it is very likely. But I wouldn’t rule anything out.”

Alfa Romeo driver Kimi Raikkonen claimed there was “nothing scary” about the fire which cut short his second practice session at Yas Marina despite his radio connector jamming when he tried to escape. The lead, which plugs into a connection to the right of Raikkonen’s shoulder, failed to disconnect as the Finn repeatedly pulled on the chord whilst the fire intensified at the rear of the car. The Ferrari power unit had let go with 18 minutes remaining in the session and although the unit would have been changed overnight, the damage caused by the fire could provide difficulties elsewhere within the chassis. “Obviously, there is some damage but hopefully, it is mainly bodywork,” said Raikkonen, who turned fire marshal as he took over the handling of an extinguisher from a track marshal, steering the nozzle into key areas to ensure it did not reignite. “It is a different engine and gearbox than we run tomorrow. It is just a bit more work for the guys. Nothing scary about it. It is just a shame that it gets all messed up with trying to put the fire down. It is just one of those things.

Valtteri Bottas put Mercedes on top in FP2 at Formula 1’s 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which was disrupted by a red flag when Kimi Raikkonen’s Alfa Romeo caught fire. Lewis Hamilton finished second ahead of FP1 pacesetter Max Verstappen. But all three leading drivers failed to set their best times on the soft compound tyre as a Turn 1 off, track limits and encountering slower traffic cost the trio respectively. In the only representative practice session for the 2020 season finale, the opening 20 minutes was dedicated to running the prototype C4 compound Pirelli has develop for use next season. All the cars were quickly on track for the twilight session, with Renault’s Esteban Ocon leading the way as the pitlane exit light turned green. He therefore set the P1 benchmark at 1m40.101s, before Raikkonen quickly brought it down to 1m38.943s. Bottas moved to the top of the times with his first complete lap on the 2021 rubber, a 1m37.818s, with Hamilton slotting in less than a tenth behind. The cars returned to the pits after 20 minutes, with Bottas first in slightly earlier than the rest as he discovered a slight problem with his throttle pedal travelling too far beyond its normal limit. Hamilton was first to head back out on the medium 2020 tyres, taking P1 with a 1m36.479s. But Bottas soon moved back to the top of the times at the end of the first 30 of the session’s 90 minutes with his first flying lap on the mediums – a 1m36.276s – which ended up being the sessions fastest time. This was because, although Hamilton went quicker on his first run on the soft tyre shortly before the session’s halfway point, he lost his best time for running too wide out of the final corner. Hamilton’s 1m36.097s had not been significantly faster than the best time on the mediums, but he lost because he slid just too wide exiting Turn 21 and his time was deleted for exceeding track limits. Bottas was next up on the softs, but he had to catch a snap of oversteer at Turn 1 and he ran deep into the runoff, quickly abandoning the lap. Nearly 10 minutes later, Verstappen appeared on the softs and set the session’s fastest time in the first sector, but had already faded behind Bottas’s benchmark in the middle sector before he eased off that effort after closing up behind Sakhir GP winner Sergio Perez, who was completing a race-data-gathering run for Racing Point. Verstappen did then complete a personal best run on the softs, only a fraction faster than his best on the mediums, which he also lost for running too far wide exiting the final turn. The teams had switched to long-run data gathering when the session was stopped after Raikkonen’s Alfa dramatically caught fire as he swept towards the end of the first sector with just under 20 minutes remaining. The Finn pulled over near a fire marshals post a short way down the main straight, by which time the rear of his car was engulfed in flames. Raikkonen was able to climb out as the red flags were thrown, helping the marshals to put out the blaze – with his car continuing to smoulder for a long time after the initial flames had been extinguished. The session was suspended for over 10 minutes, but did get going for the final five minutes, which featured Hamilton having to stop in the pitlane – in front of the Haas garage – as he was unable to select a gear. The Mercedes mechanics ran down the pitlane and the world champion was able to get going again, Hamilton and Bottas having returned to the 2021 prototypes for the running before Raikkonen’s car caught fire. Alex Albon finished fourth with the fastest standing lap on the softs, after losing several laps for running too wide at the final turns earlier in the session, 0.987s slower than Bottas’s session-topping best, with Lando Norris fifth for McLaren. Ocon took sixth ahead of Perez, who also set his fastest time on the mediums, with Charles Leclerc, Daniel Ricciardo and Lance Stroll rounding out the top 10. Just before Raikkonen’s fire, George Russell had had to bring his Williams back to the pitlane with a suspected MGU-K problem, smoking emitting from the rear of the car. As he was being pushed back into the garage, his mechanics had to step away from the car as its electricity warning light was flashing red and it was subsequently isolated in his garage as the problem continued long after Russell had climbed out.

Sergio Perez will take a grid penalty for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Racing Point elected to change his Mercedes power unit for the Formula 1 season finale. The Mexican had admitted that the engine that took him to victory in the Sakhir GP last weekend was getting towards the end of its life, and was already suffering from being down on power. But amid concerns that the power unit may not have enough mileage left to safely get through the Yas Marina weekend, Racing Point has bit the bullet and fitted brand new main elements. The switch to a new internal combustion engine, turbo chargers and MGU-H will push him to the back of the grid. However, having a fresh engine will allow Perez to run it to its maximum settings all weekend as he will not have to worry about it lasting after the weekend. The Perez situation will be good news to Racing Point’s rival McLaren that is locked in a tight fight for third place in the constructors’ championship.

Max Verstappen set the pace for Red Bull in opening practice for the Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi as Lewis Hamilton returned after recovering from COVID-19. Seven-time world champion Hamilton was forced to miss last weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix after testing positive for COVID-19 one day after his victory in Bahrain. Hamilton returned to the cockpit of his Mercedes W11 F1 car in first practice at the Yas Marina Circuit on Friday afternoon after returning two negative test results, and fulfilling the entry requirements to make his comeback. But it was Verstappen who was able to lead the daytime practice in Abu Dhabi, edging out Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas, at the head of the timesheets. Bottas had set the early pace for Mercedes on the soft compound tyre, only for Verstappen to make big gains when he switched tyres, taking top spot just before the one-hour mark. Verstappen’s lap of 1m37.378s was enough to give the Red Bull driver top spot by just 0.034 seconds from Bottas, who focused on hard tyre running for the majority of the session. Following his maiden F1 podium finish in Sakhir last week, Esteban Ocon continued his good recent form by finishing third for Renault, albeit 1.1 seconds off Verstappen’s time. Ocon was left to complete Renault’s programmes solo after teammate Daniel Ricciardo stopped on-track due to a fuel pressure problem on only his fourth lap of the day. Alexander Albon finished fourth -quickest for Red Bull as he again struggled to match Verstappen’s pace, as well as spinning at the Turn 12/13 chicane. Hamilton racked up 20 laps in the Mercedes en route to fifth place overall, setting his best time on the hard compound tyre. The British driver lost some track time early in the session due to a brake issue, but it was rectified to allow him to get back out swiftly. Racing Point drivers Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez finished sixth and seventh respectively ahead of the AlphaTauri pair of Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly, while Kimi Raikkonen completed the top 10 for Alfa Romeo. Carlos Sainz finished 11th in his final FP1 outing for McLaren, two places clear of Lando Norris as Charles Leclerc split the teammates for Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel ended the session 14th after having his best lap time deleted for exceeding track limits. Robert Kubica stepped in for Antonio Giovinazzi at Alfa Romeo as part of his programme for the team, finishing 15th as he got in some more laps ahead of next week’s test day. George Russell made his return to Williams following his one-race stint for Mercedes in place of Hamilton, leaving him in more familiar territory on the timesheets as he finishes 16th, beating teammate Nicholas Latifi by six tenths of a second. Mick Schumacher’s grand prix weekend debut saw him finish 18th for Haas, continuing his preparations for a full-time drive with the team next year. Teammate Pietro Fittipaldi wound up P19, lapping 2.8 seconds slower than Schumacher.

Ferrari Chief Executive Officer Louis Camilleri has retired citing personal reasons after being in the role for nearly two and a half years and Chairman John Elkann will lead the company on an interim basis, the luxury automaker said on Thursday.Camilleri’s decision to step down came after the executive suffered health problems, which made it necessary to hospitalize him for COVID-19 in recent weeks, a company source said. He is now recovering at home but his illness was not the cause of his decision to retire, the source added. Camilleri also retired as executive chairman of Philip Morris International (PMI), the Marlboro maker said separately. Ferrari’s board is identifying a permanent successor to Camilleri, it said in a statement, giving no further details. Camilleri was appointed to lead Ferrari in July 2018 after the sudden death of former CEO Sergio Marchionne. During Camilleri’s tenure, Ferrari was one of the best performing stocks in the automotive sector, as demand for the company’s high performance cars remained strong despite the coronavirus pandemic. Under his leadership, Ferrari shares have hit record levels, with those listed on Milan bourse touching an all-time high of 182.95 euros ($222.05) last month. Camilleri was also leading a careful effort to expand the Ferrari vehicle lineup and the use of its brand, without undermining the exclusivity that supported its premium pricing and profit. U.S.-listed shares of Ferrari fell about 1% in after-hours trading on Camilleri’s retirement news. Ferrari’s Elkann told employees the company respected Camilleri’s decision to retire. “It is with great regret that I, and all of us in the Ferrari family, have learned of Louis Camilleri’s decision to step down for personal reasons from his role as our Chief Executive”, Elkann said in a letter seen by Reuters. “Louis’ leadership and passion have guided Ferrari to delivering impressive results,” Elkann said, adding that Camilleri will be available for advice to Ferrari. Elkann is the scion of Italy’s Agnelli family and CEO of Exor, the family’s investment company and Ferrari’s top shareholder. Philip Morris appointed CEO André Calantzopoulos to serve in Camilleri’s stead. Its independent presiding director, Lucio Noto, will serve as interim chairman until Calantzopoulos’ succession in May, the company said.

Romain Grosjean has posted pictures of his burnt right hand sustained in his fiery crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Grosjean miraculously walked away from a huge accident on the opening lap of the race on Nov. 29, which saw him trapped inside a burning car for 28 seconds. He has since given a horrifying account of the crash from his viewpoint and the fact he had accepted he was going to die before managing to get free. Grosjean sustained burns on both hands, injuries which ruled him out of the Sakhir Grand Prix last weekend. Despite wanting to return for the final race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he has returned home to Switzerland to continue surgery. On Thursday, the bandages were removed from his right hands, although they remain on his left hand. Grosjean posted two pictures, one with him giving a thumbs up gesture with his right hand. The pictures revealed a large blister-like scar below his index finger. He shared a picture to Instagram with the caption: “Bloody hell, makes me super happy to have my right hand free from dressings. Loads of creaming all day long but it feels so good to see it in such good shape. Waiting for my left hand to recover now”. The crash has effectively prematurely ended Grosjean’s F1 career, as his contract beyond Sunday’s race had not been renewed and he failed to find another seat for 2021. Before the accident he had already talked about a future away from F1, with the World Endurance Championship mentioned as a possible next step. It is currently unclear what timeline Grosjean’s recovery is working to.

George Russell has spoken out following the news that Lewis Hamilton will return for Mercedes at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend, declaring that he is “glad” his fellow Brit is back to full health and that he is “buzzing” to return to Williams. The 22-year-old replaced Hamilton while he was absent with COVID-19 at the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain last weekend and finished ninth. But despite Russell donning Mercedes gear in the drivers’ press conference on Thursday, the Silver Arrows later confirmed that Hamilton would be returning. A team statement read: “The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team is pleased to confirm that Lewis Hamilton will drive for the team in this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. “Lewis tested negative for COVID-19 on Wednesday prior to completion of his self-isolation period in Bahrain. This enabled him to travel to Abu Dhabi on Thursday afternoon, and he tested negative on arrival. “George Russell will return to Williams Racing for the final event of the 2020 season.” And while it means Russell will not be fighting at the front of the pack at Sunday’s Abu Dhabi race, the final event of the 2020 Formula One season, he is pleased that Hamilton is well again. Posting twice on Twitter, Russell posted a picture of himself in his Williams racing suit and said: “Back home @WilliamsRacing, checking it still fits! Did I miss much?” He added in a follow-up post: “Seriously though, glad to see @LewisHamilton back and fighting fit. “Had a blast with @MercedesAMGF1 but now I’m buzzing to put everything I’ve learned into action with my team @WilliamsRacing. Gonna give it everything this weekend – just as they do for me week in, week out.” Despite ending in ninth in Sakhir, Russell enjoyed an excellent weekend overall for Mercedes, qualifying in second just behind Valtteri Bottas on pole. He overtook the Finn at the first corner on the first lap of the race and led for much of it, only to be denied a maiden victory by a tyre mix-up at a pitstop and then a puncture. Still, Russell only enhanced his reputation and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said: “We learned that George Russell is somebody to count on in the future, he has all the potential and all the ingredients that a future star needs. “In that respect, I am sad with that result that he could have had in his first race for Mercedes, but from the other side, I am happy about his performances.” “I feel for George. We didn’t want to set expectations high but he over-delivered and over-delivered and over-delivered.” “He over-delivered on Friday, he over-delivered in qualifying when he was just a few hundredths away [0.026s] from Valtteri and he over-delivered in the race.” “There is now no doubt that he’s F1 world-champion material. He didn’t make any mistakes in a challenging situation.” “He drove impeccably until he had the win taken away. Any doubts anyone had, will be gone. Clearly he’s exceptional.”

Lewis Hamilton has been given the all clear to return to Formula 1 action after passing negative coronavirus tests in both Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.The world champion was forced to miss last weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix because of being infected with the virus, but tests that have taken place in the last few days have shown him to now be all clear.

Luck is on George Russell’s side as he looks set to again substitute for recovering Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, this time for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Famously, the regular Williams driver was drafted into the World Champion’s car for the Sakhir Grand Prix, last Sunday, and might have won the race had Mercedes not made an uncharacteristic gaffe on an enthralling race in Bahrain. The scene is set for a repeat, this time 22-year-old George has a second chance at doing something special to match his incredible antics on an unforgettable evening. The same beckons this weekend for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Until to day it was not known if Lewis would return, but walking into the Yas Marina Circuit waring a Mercedes Petronas t-shirt, it appears he will be donning the Black overalls of the Champions yet again. He will team up with Valtteri Bottas again. Although yet to confirm the swap, Mercedes retweeted George’s message suggesting the decision is made.