F1 2021
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1%er
Well-Known Member
The white, blue and Red is the Russian flag (Uralkali are their title sponsor owned by Nikita Mazepin's dad) and may well have to be changed according to some news reports as Russia have been banned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport because of doping. This ban also covers Formula one who are a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Russia cannot compete officially in any World Championship sporting event until the end of 2022. Individuals can complete as “neutral athletes”, that is also why General Victor Kiryanov can no longer sit as a member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, the ruling also states that officials/representatives may not attend World Championships organized or sanctioned by any signatory, so it will be interesting to see how F1 rename the Russian GP and who attends to give out the awards on the podium. they could name it the Sochi Grand Prix or perhaps the Grand Prix of Krasnodar Krai.
While sports people can't represent Russia there seems to be some debate over if they can wear the Russian flag on their clothing, if they can, then maybe the livery may well be allowed.
spitfire
Walty McWaltface
I like them as well.
cybershot
Well-Known Member
I miss the good old days when every F1 car looked like a packet of fags, and lights-out was like looting the tobacconist's.
Its pretty much the same now, majority of the grids teams colours seem to be dictated by whoever the title sponsor is.
I can see what Williams were trying to do, but the colour scheme is a hotch-potch of design elements to my rheumy, oystery eye.
It's a bit Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen thrown into a wind-tunnel.
But what do I know?
I can't decide if I like the Williams livery or not...
I saw it elsewhere described as like something from an unbranded computer game called 'G1 Racing' for team Walliams.
Grosjean crash update
Romain Grosjean suffered 67G in fiery Bahrain GP crash - report
Romain Grosjean suffered an impact of 67G in his fiery crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the official report into the incident concludes.
www.bbc.co.uk
1%er
Well-Known Member
Ferrari rumour about Binotto
There is a lot of whispering that Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto will be fired very soon. Ferrari are reportedly just waiting for the three days of testing next week to see how the SF21 performs. If expectations are met, Binotto will be given a dignified farewell and "thanked for building a good car for the team". Last week it was announced that Binotto would no longer be present at every Grand Prix in 2021. Laurent Mekies would then take over Binotto's duties and manage everything on the circuit during the weekend. If the rumour is true, Mekies is the ideal candidate to take over.
It is thought Binotto will work as a member of the FIA World Motorsport Council, representing Ferrari. This is to prevent Binotto, who is still considered one of the best engineers in the premier class of motor sport, from moving on to Red Bull Racing, Mercedes or any other team.
The FIA reveals its findings into Grosjean's crash at the Bahrain GP
Formula One’s governing body has revealed the cause of Romain Grosjean’s fireball crash at last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix and also outlined areas in order to improve driver safety. The Swiss-born French driver sustained a scary crash on the opening lap at Bahrain on November 29 when he crashed into the barrier 180 metres after the apex of Turn 3. Grosjean Grosjean's car was travelling at 241 km/h when he lost control on the exit of Turn 3 following contact between his right rear wheel and Daniil Kvyat’s left front wheel when attempting to pass from the left to right-hand side of the track. The contact lifted the French driver’s car and impacted the triple guardrail barrier behind the run-off area at 192 km/h and at an angle of 29 degrees, with an estimated yaw of 22 degrees to the direction of travel and a resultant peak force equivalent to 67g. The high-energy impact saw his Haas F1 team car catch fire while it also led to the separation of the power train assembly from the survival cell.
The Geneva-born driver was able to climb out of his car unaided and was out of the Haas machinery after 27 seconds. Grosjean suffered burns to the back sides of both hands. “The arrival of the Medical Car carrying the FIA F1 Medical Rescue Coordinator Dr Ian Roberts, FIA F1 Medical Car Driver Alan van der Merwe and a local doctor, provided immediate assistance with each performing a pre-determined role. Ian Roberts went immediately to the scene of the incident and instructed a marshal to operate the dry powder extinguisher around the cockpit where he identified Romain Grosjean as trying to make his egress. Alan Van der Merwe retrieved a fire extinguisher from the rear of the FIA Medical Car whilst the local doctor prepared the trauma bag,” read the statement.
FIA President Jean Todt said: “Important learnings have been drawn from these investigations that will drive our continuous mission to improve safety in Formula 1 and global motor sport. The enduring commitment of the FIA, particularly the Safety Department, on reducing risks associated with motor sport enabled Romain Grosjean to maintain consciousness and survive an accident of this magnitude. Safety is and will remain FIA’s top priority.” Commenting on the investigation, FIA Safety Director Adam Baker said: “Incidents involving fire of this scale are thankfully rare, so it is very important to learn what we can, including the interaction with the high voltage system. The efforts of those involved were heroic and have quite rightly been the subject of much praise. Following the approval of our findings by the World Motor Sport Council, we will integrate the actions into the ongoing work.”
The FIA has outlined a total of 22 areas where driver safety can be improved as a result of the investigation, including changes to the fuel hatch, footwell and headrest. The full list of areas the FIA will look to address are as follows:
Vehicle
Circuit
Driver safety equipment
Medical and Rescue
Additionally, the FIA Safety Department is also planning further research projects such as:
There is a lot of whispering that Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto will be fired very soon. Ferrari are reportedly just waiting for the three days of testing next week to see how the SF21 performs. If expectations are met, Binotto will be given a dignified farewell and "thanked for building a good car for the team". Last week it was announced that Binotto would no longer be present at every Grand Prix in 2021. Laurent Mekies would then take over Binotto's duties and manage everything on the circuit during the weekend. If the rumour is true, Mekies is the ideal candidate to take over.
It is thought Binotto will work as a member of the FIA World Motorsport Council, representing Ferrari. This is to prevent Binotto, who is still considered one of the best engineers in the premier class of motor sport, from moving on to Red Bull Racing, Mercedes or any other team.
The FIA reveals its findings into Grosjean's crash at the Bahrain GP
Formula One’s governing body has revealed the cause of Romain Grosjean’s fireball crash at last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix and also outlined areas in order to improve driver safety. The Swiss-born French driver sustained a scary crash on the opening lap at Bahrain on November 29 when he crashed into the barrier 180 metres after the apex of Turn 3. Grosjean Grosjean's car was travelling at 241 km/h when he lost control on the exit of Turn 3 following contact between his right rear wheel and Daniil Kvyat’s left front wheel when attempting to pass from the left to right-hand side of the track. The contact lifted the French driver’s car and impacted the triple guardrail barrier behind the run-off area at 192 km/h and at an angle of 29 degrees, with an estimated yaw of 22 degrees to the direction of travel and a resultant peak force equivalent to 67g. The high-energy impact saw his Haas F1 team car catch fire while it also led to the separation of the power train assembly from the survival cell.
The Geneva-born driver was able to climb out of his car unaided and was out of the Haas machinery after 27 seconds. Grosjean suffered burns to the back sides of both hands. “The arrival of the Medical Car carrying the FIA F1 Medical Rescue Coordinator Dr Ian Roberts, FIA F1 Medical Car Driver Alan van der Merwe and a local doctor, provided immediate assistance with each performing a pre-determined role. Ian Roberts went immediately to the scene of the incident and instructed a marshal to operate the dry powder extinguisher around the cockpit where he identified Romain Grosjean as trying to make his egress. Alan Van der Merwe retrieved a fire extinguisher from the rear of the FIA Medical Car whilst the local doctor prepared the trauma bag,” read the statement.
FIA President Jean Todt said: “Important learnings have been drawn from these investigations that will drive our continuous mission to improve safety in Formula 1 and global motor sport. The enduring commitment of the FIA, particularly the Safety Department, on reducing risks associated with motor sport enabled Romain Grosjean to maintain consciousness and survive an accident of this magnitude. Safety is and will remain FIA’s top priority.” Commenting on the investigation, FIA Safety Director Adam Baker said: “Incidents involving fire of this scale are thankfully rare, so it is very important to learn what we can, including the interaction with the high voltage system. The efforts of those involved were heroic and have quite rightly been the subject of much praise. Following the approval of our findings by the World Motor Sport Council, we will integrate the actions into the ongoing work.”
The FIA has outlined a total of 22 areas where driver safety can be improved as a result of the investigation, including changes to the fuel hatch, footwell and headrest. The full list of areas the FIA will look to address are as follows:
Vehicle
- Regulation of survival cell front geometry, plus additional load tests in that area
- Review of existing regulations regarding rear view mirrors
- Review of steering column mounting requirements
- Review of regulation and homologation requirements for headrest assembly
- Analysis of Power Unit mounting and mount failure modes
- Ongoing research project: Wheel Restraint Cables (tethers)
- Design review of safety fuel bladder installations in all FIA single seater categories
- Recommendations for safety fuel bladder installation best practice
- Update of the FIA Standard for safety fuel bladders
- Review of regulations for design of safety fuel bladder connections and inspection hatches
- Fuel homologation to include compatibility of bladder material and specific fuel
Circuit
- Increased functionality for Circuit Safety Analysis Software (CSAS) including quantitative impact probability classification
- Review of existing circuit barrier opening installations
- Review of guidelines/process for circuit homologation and licence renewal
Driver safety equipment
- Investigation into improvements to the gloves’ Heat Transfer Index (HTI)
- Ongoing research project: Visor opening/locking mechanisms; project scope extended to include requirements to ensure that visor opening systems are operational after being exposed to fire
- Ongoing research project: Extinguisher system for open cockpit cars; project scope extended to include investigation of improved activation mechanisms
Medical and Rescue
- Updates to Medical Intervention Vehicle equipment, including alternate extinguisher types
- Provide ASN guidance on post-fire decontamination
- Ongoing development of FIA firefighting training module for ASNs
- Ongoing development of FIA high voltage safety training module for ASNs
- Ongoing development of FIA Incident Command/Co-ordination training module for ASNs
Additionally, the FIA Safety Department is also planning further research projects such as:
- Investigation of options for proximity warning systems and electronic visibility aids - Research into retrofit and upgrade options to improve impact performance of existing guardrail barriers
- Research into novel barrier systems, effective across a wider range of impact conditions
- Research to assess current fire extinguishing media, firefighting equipment and personal protective equipment and assess new technologies
1%er
Well-Known Member
Ferrari driver clarifies ‘misinterpreted’ Binotto axe comments
Ferrari GT driver Josef Kral sent the rumour mill into overdrive on Friday when he suggested Ferrari Formula 1 team boss Mattia Binotto had been sacked by the team, and would depart following the upcoming pre-season test in Bahrain. Several less than credible websites reported Kral’s now deleted comments as fact, leading to intense social media speculation amongst Ferrari and F1 fans. However the Czech driver clarified his comments on Saturday in a post on his Twitter account, in which he explained that he was simply sharing an opinion that Binotto’s position was under threat because of the Italian outfit’s recent run of poor form.
Some websites picked up on his comments and ran them as fact because of his links to Ferrari. In the deleted video, Kral suggested Binotto’s future was questionable and that he could face the chop if pre-season testing proves Ferrari has designed another dud. But on Saturday, he posted the following: “Just to make it loud and clear… some of my recent comments about Scuderia Ferrari have been misinterpreted and taken out of context,” he wrote. “What I said was based on my own opinion and without any real base or information. I apologise if these speculations have created any issue.”
Binotto’s position isn’t thought to be under threat as Ferrari looks for some stability heading into 2021 and particularly 2022 when F1 undergoes a regulatory overhaul. However the team will be looking for an improvement in its performance after it suffered one of the worst seasons in its long history, in which it finished a lowly sixth in the Constructors’ Championship with just 131 points, less than a quarter of champions Mercedes. Binotto recently confirmed he would be absent from some races this season as he focusses his efforts on next year. Sporting Director Laurent Mekies will take charge at those events.
Where have all the huge F1 sponsorship deals gone?
It’s February 13 1997, the venue is North London’s Alexandra Palace. The occasion is the launch not just of a new racing car but the start of a new era where the dayglo red hues of what was Marlboro McLaren are to be replaced with the silver grey and black tones of what will become Reemtsma Tobacco’s West McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team. Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard look on bemused as the Spice Girls, the UK’s biggest pop stars, take centre stage. Among the glaring lights and booming sounds, it would be easy to forget the purpose of the evening’s entertainment the launch of the McLaren MP4/12, which paved the way for the team’s return to world championship success the following year. With tabloid newspapers and the morning television news carrying images and reports of the launch front and centre, the tobacco executives pointed to a job well done, regardless of the eye-watering seven figure costs of staging the launch of the West McLaren Mercedes era.
In those days, with tobacco on an unchecked trajectory towards European and worldwide advertising restrictions, Formula 1 provided the leaf barons with one last hurrah before the shutters came down. For tobacco in the 1990s read betting in the 2020s, as social unacceptance triggers legislation to restrict and to thwart industry marketing messages. Since the heady days of tobacco, Formula 1 has failed to attract the really big-spending sponsors with large global activation budgets that make us all sit up and take notice.
Post-tobacco, the banks led the way with major sponsorships see ING (with Flavio Briatore’s Renault team), RBS (with Williams) and Santander with Ferrari (and McLaren). Since then, there has been very little in terms of front-and-centre sponsors paying proper title sponsorship fees. The recent BWT, DP World and Martini deals would have been laughed at in the 1990s and early 2000s in terms of sponsorship fee size and activation budget dollars. But what’s the issue here? Are F1 commercial teams failing to set out a sufficiently compelling proposition to lure big marketing dollars? Is Formula 1 still attracting a sufficiently sizeable audience with the right profile to justify big sponsorships? Or has the media landscape changed with digitalisation to become so fragmented and so click-through quantifiable that brands prefer to spread their marketing dollars over a number of different properties to attract their desired demographic?
In truth, the answer is probably a combination of each one of these points. Leaving aside Lawrence Stroll’s revitalised Aston Martin F1 team (of which more later) and with the exception of the hard-working men and women at McLaren, I don’t see the invention, creativity and commitment from F1 commercial and marketing teams to address an ever-changing world that demands a unique approach to marketing its products or services. Recent F1 proposals that I have seen still follow a prosaic approach and focus on the sticker size on the car, how many hospitality passes are issued and offer a bunch of rights that many partners could never practically use.
The F1 commercial teams are not helped by archaic FIA legislation that demands that the two team cars must be presented in substantially the same livery at each race of the season “to avoid the public from being confused”. Personally, I’ve never heard that NASCAR and IndyCar fans are getting confused by livery changes. They know that the #27 Andretti Autosport Dallara-Honda is being driven by Alexander Rossi regardless of whether the car is in the blue/yellow colours of NAPA or the pink/grey hues of Auto Nation. So why do F1’s rulemakers stifle the commercial teams’ ability to think out of the box and to get creative?
Imagine if Ferrari was permitted for one race to turn its cars pink in deference to a multi-million dollar sponsorship and corporate social responsibility deal from Swedish fintech giant Klarna, which perhaps coincided with breast cancer awareness day. Now that would be some launch. It’s also true that Formula 1 is failing to deliver the audience demographic sought by many brands that want to address a younger demographic than F1 currently attracts. But that’s not true for all brands, and through smart activation and creativity those audiences can be targeted with the lure of Formula 1 and the imagery of racing driver heroes. What is hurting F1 now is quite simply choice. The proliferation of digital channels and the way content is consumed, particularly in short-form, does not sit well with races lasting 100 minutes or more which require an appointment to view to understand the complexity of the F1 rules, the absurdity of the tyre regulations and predictable performance and results.
Put simply, targeted consumers with disposable incomes have moved on from Sunday afternoons watching television sets to being (in a pre-pandemic world) free to engage in whatever form of media they want at the time that suits them or to spending time in pursuit of their own healthy lifestyles. This means that if you are controlling a sizeable marketing budget you are going to be unlikely to place your sponsorship budget bet on one single platform. So, scroll forward to the 2021 F1 launch season and putting aside the obvious COVID-19 issues, F1 car launches are very corporate, nondescript affairs where nothing new is learnt and the major players go out of their way to downplay chances, hide any technical secrets and to spout fluff about nothing. Not exactly Spice Girls territory is it?
It’s taken the vision and balls of someone from outside of the traditional F1 world to change and improve things within F1 and right now you have to admire the way Lawrence Stroll is going about building his F1 team. In a few short years, Stroll senior has moved his Silverstone team from administration and the dark clouds left by Vijay Mallya to being a premium marketing asset that uses the lustre and brand equity of a British automobile icon to attract premium partners. His commercial team is delivering well against the platform that he has created for it but these days it will be a multi-partner approach across a wide spectrum of brand sectors that wins the day for all of the reasons previously outlined. In a post-COVID world, it’s not difficult to imagine the 2022 Aston Martin F1 car being rolled out to an expectant high society audience at Goodwood or the Royal Albert Hall. But perhaps the entertainment will be more Katherine Jenkins than Geri Halliwell and covered extensively in the Tatler rather than The Sun.
Ferrari GT driver Josef Kral sent the rumour mill into overdrive on Friday when he suggested Ferrari Formula 1 team boss Mattia Binotto had been sacked by the team, and would depart following the upcoming pre-season test in Bahrain. Several less than credible websites reported Kral’s now deleted comments as fact, leading to intense social media speculation amongst Ferrari and F1 fans. However the Czech driver clarified his comments on Saturday in a post on his Twitter account, in which he explained that he was simply sharing an opinion that Binotto’s position was under threat because of the Italian outfit’s recent run of poor form.
Some websites picked up on his comments and ran them as fact because of his links to Ferrari. In the deleted video, Kral suggested Binotto’s future was questionable and that he could face the chop if pre-season testing proves Ferrari has designed another dud. But on Saturday, he posted the following: “Just to make it loud and clear… some of my recent comments about Scuderia Ferrari have been misinterpreted and taken out of context,” he wrote. “What I said was based on my own opinion and without any real base or information. I apologise if these speculations have created any issue.”
Binotto’s position isn’t thought to be under threat as Ferrari looks for some stability heading into 2021 and particularly 2022 when F1 undergoes a regulatory overhaul. However the team will be looking for an improvement in its performance after it suffered one of the worst seasons in its long history, in which it finished a lowly sixth in the Constructors’ Championship with just 131 points, less than a quarter of champions Mercedes. Binotto recently confirmed he would be absent from some races this season as he focusses his efforts on next year. Sporting Director Laurent Mekies will take charge at those events.
Where have all the huge F1 sponsorship deals gone?
It’s February 13 1997, the venue is North London’s Alexandra Palace. The occasion is the launch not just of a new racing car but the start of a new era where the dayglo red hues of what was Marlboro McLaren are to be replaced with the silver grey and black tones of what will become Reemtsma Tobacco’s West McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team. Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard look on bemused as the Spice Girls, the UK’s biggest pop stars, take centre stage. Among the glaring lights and booming sounds, it would be easy to forget the purpose of the evening’s entertainment the launch of the McLaren MP4/12, which paved the way for the team’s return to world championship success the following year. With tabloid newspapers and the morning television news carrying images and reports of the launch front and centre, the tobacco executives pointed to a job well done, regardless of the eye-watering seven figure costs of staging the launch of the West McLaren Mercedes era.
In those days, with tobacco on an unchecked trajectory towards European and worldwide advertising restrictions, Formula 1 provided the leaf barons with one last hurrah before the shutters came down. For tobacco in the 1990s read betting in the 2020s, as social unacceptance triggers legislation to restrict and to thwart industry marketing messages. Since the heady days of tobacco, Formula 1 has failed to attract the really big-spending sponsors with large global activation budgets that make us all sit up and take notice.
Post-tobacco, the banks led the way with major sponsorships see ING (with Flavio Briatore’s Renault team), RBS (with Williams) and Santander with Ferrari (and McLaren). Since then, there has been very little in terms of front-and-centre sponsors paying proper title sponsorship fees. The recent BWT, DP World and Martini deals would have been laughed at in the 1990s and early 2000s in terms of sponsorship fee size and activation budget dollars. But what’s the issue here? Are F1 commercial teams failing to set out a sufficiently compelling proposition to lure big marketing dollars? Is Formula 1 still attracting a sufficiently sizeable audience with the right profile to justify big sponsorships? Or has the media landscape changed with digitalisation to become so fragmented and so click-through quantifiable that brands prefer to spread their marketing dollars over a number of different properties to attract their desired demographic?
In truth, the answer is probably a combination of each one of these points. Leaving aside Lawrence Stroll’s revitalised Aston Martin F1 team (of which more later) and with the exception of the hard-working men and women at McLaren, I don’t see the invention, creativity and commitment from F1 commercial and marketing teams to address an ever-changing world that demands a unique approach to marketing its products or services. Recent F1 proposals that I have seen still follow a prosaic approach and focus on the sticker size on the car, how many hospitality passes are issued and offer a bunch of rights that many partners could never practically use.
The F1 commercial teams are not helped by archaic FIA legislation that demands that the two team cars must be presented in substantially the same livery at each race of the season “to avoid the public from being confused”. Personally, I’ve never heard that NASCAR and IndyCar fans are getting confused by livery changes. They know that the #27 Andretti Autosport Dallara-Honda is being driven by Alexander Rossi regardless of whether the car is in the blue/yellow colours of NAPA or the pink/grey hues of Auto Nation. So why do F1’s rulemakers stifle the commercial teams’ ability to think out of the box and to get creative?
Imagine if Ferrari was permitted for one race to turn its cars pink in deference to a multi-million dollar sponsorship and corporate social responsibility deal from Swedish fintech giant Klarna, which perhaps coincided with breast cancer awareness day. Now that would be some launch. It’s also true that Formula 1 is failing to deliver the audience demographic sought by many brands that want to address a younger demographic than F1 currently attracts. But that’s not true for all brands, and through smart activation and creativity those audiences can be targeted with the lure of Formula 1 and the imagery of racing driver heroes. What is hurting F1 now is quite simply choice. The proliferation of digital channels and the way content is consumed, particularly in short-form, does not sit well with races lasting 100 minutes or more which require an appointment to view to understand the complexity of the F1 rules, the absurdity of the tyre regulations and predictable performance and results.
Put simply, targeted consumers with disposable incomes have moved on from Sunday afternoons watching television sets to being (in a pre-pandemic world) free to engage in whatever form of media they want at the time that suits them or to spending time in pursuit of their own healthy lifestyles. This means that if you are controlling a sizeable marketing budget you are going to be unlikely to place your sponsorship budget bet on one single platform. So, scroll forward to the 2021 F1 launch season and putting aside the obvious COVID-19 issues, F1 car launches are very corporate, nondescript affairs where nothing new is learnt and the major players go out of their way to downplay chances, hide any technical secrets and to spout fluff about nothing. Not exactly Spice Girls territory is it?
It’s taken the vision and balls of someone from outside of the traditional F1 world to change and improve things within F1 and right now you have to admire the way Lawrence Stroll is going about building his F1 team. In a few short years, Stroll senior has moved his Silverstone team from administration and the dark clouds left by Vijay Mallya to being a premium marketing asset that uses the lustre and brand equity of a British automobile icon to attract premium partners. His commercial team is delivering well against the platform that he has created for it but these days it will be a multi-partner approach across a wide spectrum of brand sectors that wins the day for all of the reasons previously outlined. In a post-COVID world, it’s not difficult to imagine the 2022 Aston Martin F1 car being rolled out to an expectant high society audience at Goodwood or the Royal Albert Hall. But perhaps the entertainment will be more Katherine Jenkins than Geri Halliwell and covered extensively in the Tatler rather than The Sun.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Abiteboul will not be missed: "He is a rascal, a crook"
One of the people who has not made it to the end of the winter break is Cyril Abiteboul. The former Renault team boss will not be allowed to stay on as he moves to Alpine this year. However, the Frenchman will not be missed in the paddock.
Not an honest man
Abiteboul was fired from the team immediately during the winter break and replaced by Davide Brivio. The Frenchman's departure is discussed in the Formule 1 Café programme on Ziggo Sport, where the reaction is not exactly mourning. "You've got to be kidding, how sad," commentator Jack Plooij responds sarcastically to Abiteboul's departure. "He is a rascal, a crook," Plooij continues. "In general they all are, of course, but he just wasn't that honest in front of and behind the cameras." Olaf Mol also reacts via a video link and doesn't mind Abiteboul's departure.
Childish
Tom Coronel once again cites the bickering between Abiteboul and Red Bull. "What they brought out and how they were irritating each other, that's not business. That is just childish." When Renault still supplied the engines for Red Bull, the last years of cooperation were not exactly pleasant between the two parties. According to Plooij it is especially Abiteboul's character that he has trouble with. "If you compare it to other team bosses, he was really so arrogant. He thought he was so good." About Abiteboul's replacement Brivio, the Ziggo Sport commentator is a lot more positive. "That's a good name, a good guy. I expect a lot from him."
One of the people who has not made it to the end of the winter break is Cyril Abiteboul. The former Renault team boss will not be allowed to stay on as he moves to Alpine this year. However, the Frenchman will not be missed in the paddock.
Not an honest man
Abiteboul was fired from the team immediately during the winter break and replaced by Davide Brivio. The Frenchman's departure is discussed in the Formule 1 Café programme on Ziggo Sport, where the reaction is not exactly mourning. "You've got to be kidding, how sad," commentator Jack Plooij responds sarcastically to Abiteboul's departure. "He is a rascal, a crook," Plooij continues. "In general they all are, of course, but he just wasn't that honest in front of and behind the cameras." Olaf Mol also reacts via a video link and doesn't mind Abiteboul's departure.
Childish
Tom Coronel once again cites the bickering between Abiteboul and Red Bull. "What they brought out and how they were irritating each other, that's not business. That is just childish." When Renault still supplied the engines for Red Bull, the last years of cooperation were not exactly pleasant between the two parties. According to Plooij it is especially Abiteboul's character that he has trouble with. "If you compare it to other team bosses, he was really so arrogant. He thought he was so good." About Abiteboul's replacement Brivio, the Ziggo Sport commentator is a lot more positive. "That's a good name, a good guy. I expect a lot from him."
1%er
Well-Known Member
He hasn't had it yet but Danny Ric said in an interview that he believes he will get it soon, I'm not so sure now they wont bump into each other that offten
1%er
Well-Known Member
Everything you need to know about 2021 pre-season testing
After a relatively short winter break, the drivers and teams are back to it, as they prepare for 2021 Aramco Pre-Season Testing on March 12-14 ahead of what’s set to be the longest season in Formula 1’s history. So, with the 2021 cars getting ready to be run in anger for the first time, let’s look at everything you need to know ahead of pre-season testing this year, including who’s driving, how long they’ll have behind the wheel, and why testing is still so vital for the teams.
Where is testing taking place this year?
Pre-season testing 2021 will be taking place at the Bahrain International Circuit. F1 has, in recent years, tested at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain. But with the calendar having been moved around and with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28 now set to kick off the season the decision was taken to hold testing at that venue too.
How many days of pre-season testing are there in 2021?
The drivers and teams have just three days to put their cars through their paces at Bahrain this year making it a tall order in particular for F1’s fresh intake of rookies, as well as for drivers like Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez who've switched teams over the winter. The three days of pre-season testing in 2021 is down from six days in 2020, and eight in 2019 – and it’s not even three days per driver either, with teams allowed to run just one car on track, meaning most drivers will get a maximum of 1.5 days each.
Why are teams testing this year if their chassis are the same as last year?
It is true that, due to the impact of coronavirus, teams have been ordered to reuse their 2020 chassis in 2021. But with a change to the technical regulations designed to reduce downforce levels, new Pirelli compounds to comprehend, as well as the reasonable amount of aerodynamic and power unit changes that the teams were permitted to make over the winter, the 2021 cars will have moved on a step since last year and will need to be understood as best as possible before the season proper gets underway on March 28. While McLaren have a whole new power unit supplier to contend with, having switched from Renault to Mercedes for this year.
Why do teams still need to test at all?
While some drivers would probably be happy doing away with testing completely, for teams, it’s an essential part of their preparation for the season ahead. Systems checks need to be carried out, while aerodynamic data needs to be gathered and correlated to figures gained in wind tunnel and CFD [Computational Fluid Dynamics] simulations a process done on track using tools like aero rakes and flo-vis paint. There are also new mechanical parts as in the case of Mercedes’ revelatory DAS system last year that need to be tried out in the wild, while quite simply, pre-season testing is a chance for teams to try and iron out as many bugs and reliability issues as they can before the first race of the year. The drivers, too, benefit, with testing giving them a chance to blow the winter cobwebs off and get their bodies and especially their necks in the zone ahead of the first race of the season. For the mechanics, meanwhile, pre-season testing is also an opportunity to practise pit stops, as well as rehearse working on their new machines outside of the pressure cooker environment of a race weekend.
Who are the main drivers and teams to look out for in 2021?
All eyes will naturally be trained on reigning seven-time champions Mercedes who, among other things, have admitted that they’re yet to reveal the proper floor of their W12 challenger while their chief rivals from last year Red Bull, now with Sergio Perez in situ, have also been very secretive about the RB16B coming into testing, suggesting they may have something up their sleeve too. Fresh entities in Aston Martin and Alpine with new faces Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso respectively at their wheels will be worth watching too, while it will be interesting to see where McLaren stack up with their new Mercedes engines. Can Ferrari’s own all-new power unit, meanwhile, allow drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc to close the gap to the front of the pack this year and give a helping hand to Ferrari’s customer teams Haas and Alfa Romeo as well? And while we’re on Haas, be sure to look out for their two rookie drivers Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher in action, along with AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda while Williams will also be running their Test Driver Roy Nissany on one day of testing.
Does the order in testing dictate the order for the rest of the season?
Sort of. Pre-season testing certainly gives a flavour of who’s hot and who’s not, as well as exposing reliability concerns for teams. It’s also true that Mercedes topped the times comfortably last year, with Max Verstappen putting Red Bull a distant second a result then played out in the season’s constructors’ standings while Ferrari’s lukewarm Barcelona test in 2020 was subsequently followed up by their worst season since 1980. But pre-season testing can create false impressions, too and with fuel loads, engine maps and so on all kept under lock and key by the teams, the picture created by testing can sometimes be misleading.
Is there a maximum number of laps?
There is not! Drivers are free to lap to their hearts’ content, barring any stoppages for red flags, breakdowns and such of course. Timing-wise in 2021, the Bahrain track will go green at 1000 local time each day until 1400. There’s then an enforced hour-long lunch pause, before the action gets going again from 1500 to 1900 with the day then topped off with media interviews, engineering debriefs and some sorely-needed physio sessions for the drivers.
Do the teams and drivers have to attend?
They do not. There’s no penalty for teams for missing pre-season testing if they so choose. But with on-track running so limited these days, a team not turning up at testing usually means that something fairly undesirable has gone on behind the scenes, such as when Williams missed the first two days of running in 2019 due to their FW42 not being ready in time. Assuming the teams do turn up, meanwhile, it’s worth noting that they are then obliged to keep their garages open and their cars uncovered, unless either the floor has been taken off, or the car is being recovered back to the pits after stopping out on track.
After a relatively short winter break, the drivers and teams are back to it, as they prepare for 2021 Aramco Pre-Season Testing on March 12-14 ahead of what’s set to be the longest season in Formula 1’s history. So, with the 2021 cars getting ready to be run in anger for the first time, let’s look at everything you need to know ahead of pre-season testing this year, including who’s driving, how long they’ll have behind the wheel, and why testing is still so vital for the teams.
Where is testing taking place this year?
Pre-season testing 2021 will be taking place at the Bahrain International Circuit. F1 has, in recent years, tested at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain. But with the calendar having been moved around and with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28 now set to kick off the season the decision was taken to hold testing at that venue too.
How many days of pre-season testing are there in 2021?
The drivers and teams have just three days to put their cars through their paces at Bahrain this year making it a tall order in particular for F1’s fresh intake of rookies, as well as for drivers like Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez who've switched teams over the winter. The three days of pre-season testing in 2021 is down from six days in 2020, and eight in 2019 – and it’s not even three days per driver either, with teams allowed to run just one car on track, meaning most drivers will get a maximum of 1.5 days each.
Why are teams testing this year if their chassis are the same as last year?
It is true that, due to the impact of coronavirus, teams have been ordered to reuse their 2020 chassis in 2021. But with a change to the technical regulations designed to reduce downforce levels, new Pirelli compounds to comprehend, as well as the reasonable amount of aerodynamic and power unit changes that the teams were permitted to make over the winter, the 2021 cars will have moved on a step since last year and will need to be understood as best as possible before the season proper gets underway on March 28. While McLaren have a whole new power unit supplier to contend with, having switched from Renault to Mercedes for this year.
Why do teams still need to test at all?
While some drivers would probably be happy doing away with testing completely, for teams, it’s an essential part of their preparation for the season ahead. Systems checks need to be carried out, while aerodynamic data needs to be gathered and correlated to figures gained in wind tunnel and CFD [Computational Fluid Dynamics] simulations a process done on track using tools like aero rakes and flo-vis paint. There are also new mechanical parts as in the case of Mercedes’ revelatory DAS system last year that need to be tried out in the wild, while quite simply, pre-season testing is a chance for teams to try and iron out as many bugs and reliability issues as they can before the first race of the year. The drivers, too, benefit, with testing giving them a chance to blow the winter cobwebs off and get their bodies and especially their necks in the zone ahead of the first race of the season. For the mechanics, meanwhile, pre-season testing is also an opportunity to practise pit stops, as well as rehearse working on their new machines outside of the pressure cooker environment of a race weekend.
Who are the main drivers and teams to look out for in 2021?
All eyes will naturally be trained on reigning seven-time champions Mercedes who, among other things, have admitted that they’re yet to reveal the proper floor of their W12 challenger while their chief rivals from last year Red Bull, now with Sergio Perez in situ, have also been very secretive about the RB16B coming into testing, suggesting they may have something up their sleeve too. Fresh entities in Aston Martin and Alpine with new faces Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso respectively at their wheels will be worth watching too, while it will be interesting to see where McLaren stack up with their new Mercedes engines. Can Ferrari’s own all-new power unit, meanwhile, allow drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc to close the gap to the front of the pack this year and give a helping hand to Ferrari’s customer teams Haas and Alfa Romeo as well? And while we’re on Haas, be sure to look out for their two rookie drivers Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher in action, along with AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda while Williams will also be running their Test Driver Roy Nissany on one day of testing.
Does the order in testing dictate the order for the rest of the season?
Sort of. Pre-season testing certainly gives a flavour of who’s hot and who’s not, as well as exposing reliability concerns for teams. It’s also true that Mercedes topped the times comfortably last year, with Max Verstappen putting Red Bull a distant second a result then played out in the season’s constructors’ standings while Ferrari’s lukewarm Barcelona test in 2020 was subsequently followed up by their worst season since 1980. But pre-season testing can create false impressions, too and with fuel loads, engine maps and so on all kept under lock and key by the teams, the picture created by testing can sometimes be misleading.
Is there a maximum number of laps?
There is not! Drivers are free to lap to their hearts’ content, barring any stoppages for red flags, breakdowns and such of course. Timing-wise in 2021, the Bahrain track will go green at 1000 local time each day until 1400. There’s then an enforced hour-long lunch pause, before the action gets going again from 1500 to 1900 with the day then topped off with media interviews, engineering debriefs and some sorely-needed physio sessions for the drivers.
Do the teams and drivers have to attend?
They do not. There’s no penalty for teams for missing pre-season testing if they so choose. But with on-track running so limited these days, a team not turning up at testing usually means that something fairly undesirable has gone on behind the scenes, such as when Williams missed the first two days of running in 2019 due to their FW42 not being ready in time. Assuming the teams do turn up, meanwhile, it’s worth noting that they are then obliged to keep their garages open and their cars uncovered, unless either the floor has been taken off, or the car is being recovered back to the pits after stopping out on track.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Former Mercedes chief turned down Red Bull engine project
According to reports, Red Bull Racing has certainly been interested in working with Andy Cowell, the former Mercedes engine boss. The British engineer is known as one of the founders of the great Mercedes success since the hybrid era of 2014. Cowell's arrival has been shelved, however, but it is possible that a collaboration could still happen in a few years' time. "At the top of Red Bull's wish list for the engine project (and later possibly the collaboration with Porsche) was ex-Mercedes engine boss Andy Cowell." However, the 52-year-old Briton has thanked Red Bull and announced that he is unavailable. Cowell is going into business for himself with a company that deals with environmentally conscious future technologies in the car industry.
For the team of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez it is not a big disaster, as the engine regulations are frozen until 2025. After that, new engine rules will enter Formula 1. That would be a very good time to reopen talks with Cowell. How the former Mercedes chief feels about this is not entirely clear. Marko casually let it be known that talks had indeed been held with Cowell. "It is usual to talk to competent engineers of the competition, of course, to persuade them to join our ambitious project. We can even imagine building a new engine for the new regulations and offering it to other teams, even without an industry partner. But a partnership with a major manufacturer would of course be the ideal scenario", the Austrian consultant is referring to the talks with Porsche.
In August of last year Cowell also reportedly turned down an offer from Ferrari. The Italian racing team wanted to completely reorganise after a dramatic 2020. This has now been done, only without Cowell.
Marko admits discussions between Red Bull and Porsche
Last week, there were reports suggesting that the Volkswagen Audi Group and Porsche were thinking about a possible arrival in F1 under biofuel usage on the grid, Red Bull Racing, which is looking for an engine partner for 2025, could get closer to the German manufacturer. The development of biofuels in Formula 1 is the solution to avoid an instant switch to all-electricity automotive solutions, a development which therefore still allows the exploitation of thermal engines, and several constructors are already attentive and interested in these new fuels. Formula 1 is not mistaken and thinks that it is a way to attract new engine manufacturers.
Last week it was reported that the Volkswagen brand was looking at the new regulations for Formula 1 engines for 2025, and that Red Bull were very likely a team that would work with Porsche. Who in the VAG group will take the step towards F1, Audi or Porsche? It is with the Stuttgart based manufacturer that Red Bull Racing would start discussions, which Helmut Marko did not deny. “We are talking, but nothing is set in stone” declared Helmut Marko. “It is too early to talk about details, but it is no secret that we have had discussions with the manufacturers in the past. We are open to partners.”
Contacted by several members of the media, Porsche remains silent on the story. On the other hand, some say that Helmut Marko is close to several people at Volkswagen, including Fritz Enzinger (Vice President of Porsche Motorsport), Herbert Diess (Managing Director of the Volkswagen Group) and Wolfgang Porsche. “We can even imagine building a new engine for the new regulations without a partner from the automotive industry,” he added. “But a partnership with a major manufacturer would of course be the ideal scenario”.
Red Bull has indeed officially launched the Red Bull Powertrains structure to operate Honda engines on its own account for the period 2022-2025. The challenge is great since the objectives are no less than the world title and above all the necessary demonstration that Red Bull can achieve it to hope to keep Max Verstappen for 2022, as Helmut Marko reminds us. “We simply have to provide Max with a car that is capable of winning, in which case nothing will stand in the way of our collaboration going further” concludes Helmut Marko.
According to reports, Red Bull Racing has certainly been interested in working with Andy Cowell, the former Mercedes engine boss. The British engineer is known as one of the founders of the great Mercedes success since the hybrid era of 2014. Cowell's arrival has been shelved, however, but it is possible that a collaboration could still happen in a few years' time. "At the top of Red Bull's wish list for the engine project (and later possibly the collaboration with Porsche) was ex-Mercedes engine boss Andy Cowell." However, the 52-year-old Briton has thanked Red Bull and announced that he is unavailable. Cowell is going into business for himself with a company that deals with environmentally conscious future technologies in the car industry.
For the team of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez it is not a big disaster, as the engine regulations are frozen until 2025. After that, new engine rules will enter Formula 1. That would be a very good time to reopen talks with Cowell. How the former Mercedes chief feels about this is not entirely clear. Marko casually let it be known that talks had indeed been held with Cowell. "It is usual to talk to competent engineers of the competition, of course, to persuade them to join our ambitious project. We can even imagine building a new engine for the new regulations and offering it to other teams, even without an industry partner. But a partnership with a major manufacturer would of course be the ideal scenario", the Austrian consultant is referring to the talks with Porsche.
In August of last year Cowell also reportedly turned down an offer from Ferrari. The Italian racing team wanted to completely reorganise after a dramatic 2020. This has now been done, only without Cowell.
Marko admits discussions between Red Bull and Porsche
Last week, there were reports suggesting that the Volkswagen Audi Group and Porsche were thinking about a possible arrival in F1 under biofuel usage on the grid, Red Bull Racing, which is looking for an engine partner for 2025, could get closer to the German manufacturer. The development of biofuels in Formula 1 is the solution to avoid an instant switch to all-electricity automotive solutions, a development which therefore still allows the exploitation of thermal engines, and several constructors are already attentive and interested in these new fuels. Formula 1 is not mistaken and thinks that it is a way to attract new engine manufacturers.
Last week it was reported that the Volkswagen brand was looking at the new regulations for Formula 1 engines for 2025, and that Red Bull were very likely a team that would work with Porsche. Who in the VAG group will take the step towards F1, Audi or Porsche? It is with the Stuttgart based manufacturer that Red Bull Racing would start discussions, which Helmut Marko did not deny. “We are talking, but nothing is set in stone” declared Helmut Marko. “It is too early to talk about details, but it is no secret that we have had discussions with the manufacturers in the past. We are open to partners.”
Contacted by several members of the media, Porsche remains silent on the story. On the other hand, some say that Helmut Marko is close to several people at Volkswagen, including Fritz Enzinger (Vice President of Porsche Motorsport), Herbert Diess (Managing Director of the Volkswagen Group) and Wolfgang Porsche. “We can even imagine building a new engine for the new regulations without a partner from the automotive industry,” he added. “But a partnership with a major manufacturer would of course be the ideal scenario”.
Red Bull has indeed officially launched the Red Bull Powertrains structure to operate Honda engines on its own account for the period 2022-2025. The challenge is great since the objectives are no less than the world title and above all the necessary demonstration that Red Bull can achieve it to hope to keep Max Verstappen for 2022, as Helmut Marko reminds us. “We simply have to provide Max with a car that is capable of winning, in which case nothing will stand in the way of our collaboration going further” concludes Helmut Marko.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Ferrari unveils SF21
Ferrari has taken the wraps off its 2021 Formula 1 car, the SF21, as it plots its recovery back to front-running contention in the championship. Ferrari plunged to sixth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2020, its worst result in four decades, amid season-long issues with its SF1000. The car lacked aerodynamic performance but was particularly hamstrung by its power unit, in the wake of a private settlement between Ferrari and the FIA relating to its 2019 specification.
The SF21 features a slightly tweaked livery, with the usual red blended towards a burgundy rear-end, similar to the colour used at Mugello last year, which itself was a nod to Ferrari’s 125S. Green branding from title partner Mission Winnow also features on the engine cover. The team enters the 2021 season with a revised driver line-up of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Leclerc shaded Sebastian Vettel during their first season as team-mates in 2019 before spearheading Ferrari’s charge during its troubled 2020 campaign. Sainz joins following prior spells at Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren.
Ferrari has focused its development tokens on the rear-end of the SF21, recognising it as a key weakness last year, and has introduced a new power unit, transmission and suspension, while the nose section has also undergone a reprofiling. It means all 10 teams have displayed their 2021 Formula 1 machines. The SF21 is set to run for the first time when pre-season testing begins at the Bahrain International Circuit on Friday.
Ferrari has taken the wraps off its 2021 Formula 1 car, the SF21, as it plots its recovery back to front-running contention in the championship. Ferrari plunged to sixth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2020, its worst result in four decades, amid season-long issues with its SF1000. The car lacked aerodynamic performance but was particularly hamstrung by its power unit, in the wake of a private settlement between Ferrari and the FIA relating to its 2019 specification.
The SF21 features a slightly tweaked livery, with the usual red blended towards a burgundy rear-end, similar to the colour used at Mugello last year, which itself was a nod to Ferrari’s 125S. Green branding from title partner Mission Winnow also features on the engine cover. The team enters the 2021 season with a revised driver line-up of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Leclerc shaded Sebastian Vettel during their first season as team-mates in 2019 before spearheading Ferrari’s charge during its troubled 2020 campaign. Sainz joins following prior spells at Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren.
Ferrari has focused its development tokens on the rear-end of the SF21, recognising it as a key weakness last year, and has introduced a new power unit, transmission and suspension, while the nose section has also undergone a reprofiling. It means all 10 teams have displayed their 2021 Formula 1 machines. The SF21 is set to run for the first time when pre-season testing begins at the Bahrain International Circuit on Friday.
1%er
Well-Known Member
F1 Testing 2021
Formula 1 returns this week and that means new cars will hit the track for the first time as a group during pre-season testing this weekend, but things have changed slightly this year as a result of the pandemic. The test will now take place in Bahrain, at the Bahrain International Circuit, moving from its traditional home at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. This was done to ensure easier movement of freight as the first race also takes place in Bahrain a fortnight later, following the postponement of the traditional curtain raiser in Australia.
This year’s testing will consist of just one test covering three days (Friday to Sunday) and they will run from 10:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 19:00 local time, with an hour’s break for lunch. [GMT: 07:00 to 11:00 and 12:00 to 16:00 / EST: 02:00 to 06:00 and 07:00 to 11:00] Testing would normally begin at 08:00 and run through to 17:00, but the decision has been taken to allow for some night time running under the lights, with sunset falling at around 17:45. With such little running a decision linked to stable regulations and the move to continue using the same cars as last year, albeit with some minor modifications teams will be keen to make the most of the track action. As per previous years teams are only permitted to field one car on each day.
It’s likely that full-time drivers will get the bulk of the track time, with only Williams so far confirming that it will run a test driver on one of its days; Roy Nissany will take part in the opening day’s running for the team, before Nicholas Latifi and George Russell take over for Saturday and Sunday. Some teams have opted to split running on more than one day, with drivers swapping after the lunch break. So far only a handful of teams have confirmed their plans.
2021 F1 Testing Driver Line-Up
Only three teams enter the season with the same driver line-up (Mercedes, Alfa Romeo and Williams), therefore driver acclimatisation will be an important part of the test, however nearly every team has already completed a ‘filming day’, which allows them to run up to 100km in a private test.
WADA Still Investigating Haas Livery
With WADA still investigating the matter, the Haas F1 Team may yet be penalised and could be forced to change the livery. The legality of the Haas F1 Team’s 2021 livery is still being investigated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), a source at the international doping watchdog told Formula1News.co.uk on Thursday. On 5 March, it transpired that WADA was investigating if the Haas F1 Team’s recently unveiled 2021 livery is in violation of the two-year ban on Russian athletes competing under the Russian flag or having it featured on their sports attire.
“WADA is aware of this matter and is looking into it with the relevant authorities,” the international doping watchdog told reporters. Following WADA saying that it was investigating Haas’ livery last week, the FIA revealed that the American racing outfit had already clarified with them that the livery is not in violation of the aforementioned ban. “The team has clarified the livery with the FIA, the CAS decision does not prohibit the use of the colours of the Russian flag,” the FIA said.
However, with WADA still investigating the matter, Haas may yet be penalised and could be forced to change the livery. The livery in question is based on the colours of the Russian flag, arranged in a way to resemble the flag itself on many areas of the car, particularly the front-wing. This raised eyebrows immediately after the livery was unveiled last week, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had announced a two-year ban for Russian athletes at world championship sporting events in December. The ban, which relates to state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics and was imposed following a WADA investigation, means that Russian athletes, including racing drivers, won’t be allowed to compete under their national flag or have it on display at official Championship events.
Due to the CAS ruling, Haas rookie Nikita Mazepin won’t be allowed to race under the Russian flag this upcoming season. Instead, he will most likely race as a “neutral athlete from Russia”, though he said last week that he is yet to make a final decision on how exactly he wants to be classified.
Formula 1 returns this week and that means new cars will hit the track for the first time as a group during pre-season testing this weekend, but things have changed slightly this year as a result of the pandemic. The test will now take place in Bahrain, at the Bahrain International Circuit, moving from its traditional home at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. This was done to ensure easier movement of freight as the first race also takes place in Bahrain a fortnight later, following the postponement of the traditional curtain raiser in Australia.
This year’s testing will consist of just one test covering three days (Friday to Sunday) and they will run from 10:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 19:00 local time, with an hour’s break for lunch. [GMT: 07:00 to 11:00 and 12:00 to 16:00 / EST: 02:00 to 06:00 and 07:00 to 11:00] Testing would normally begin at 08:00 and run through to 17:00, but the decision has been taken to allow for some night time running under the lights, with sunset falling at around 17:45. With such little running a decision linked to stable regulations and the move to continue using the same cars as last year, albeit with some minor modifications teams will be keen to make the most of the track action. As per previous years teams are only permitted to field one car on each day.
It’s likely that full-time drivers will get the bulk of the track time, with only Williams so far confirming that it will run a test driver on one of its days; Roy Nissany will take part in the opening day’s running for the team, before Nicholas Latifi and George Russell take over for Saturday and Sunday. Some teams have opted to split running on more than one day, with drivers swapping after the lunch break. So far only a handful of teams have confirmed their plans.
2021 F1 Testing Driver Line-Up
| Team | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| Red Bull | M. Verstappen (AM) | S. Perez | S. Perez (AM) M. Verstappen (PM) |
| McLaren | D. Ricciardo (AM) L. Norris (PM) | TBC | TBC |
| Aston Martin | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| Alpine | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| Ferrari | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| AlphaTauri | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| Alfa Romeo | K. Raikkonen (AM) A. Giovinazzi (PM) | A. Giovinazzi | K. Raikkonen |
| Haas | M. Schumacher (AM) N. Mazepin (PM) | N. Mazepin (AM) M. Schumacher (PM) | M. Schumacher (AM) N. Mazepin (PM) |
| Williams | R. Nissany | N. Latifi | G. Russell |
Only three teams enter the season with the same driver line-up (Mercedes, Alfa Romeo and Williams), therefore driver acclimatisation will be an important part of the test, however nearly every team has already completed a ‘filming day’, which allows them to run up to 100km in a private test.
WADA Still Investigating Haas Livery
With WADA still investigating the matter, the Haas F1 Team may yet be penalised and could be forced to change the livery. The legality of the Haas F1 Team’s 2021 livery is still being investigated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), a source at the international doping watchdog told Formula1News.co.uk on Thursday. On 5 March, it transpired that WADA was investigating if the Haas F1 Team’s recently unveiled 2021 livery is in violation of the two-year ban on Russian athletes competing under the Russian flag or having it featured on their sports attire.
“WADA is aware of this matter and is looking into it with the relevant authorities,” the international doping watchdog told reporters. Following WADA saying that it was investigating Haas’ livery last week, the FIA revealed that the American racing outfit had already clarified with them that the livery is not in violation of the aforementioned ban. “The team has clarified the livery with the FIA, the CAS decision does not prohibit the use of the colours of the Russian flag,” the FIA said.
However, with WADA still investigating the matter, Haas may yet be penalised and could be forced to change the livery. The livery in question is based on the colours of the Russian flag, arranged in a way to resemble the flag itself on many areas of the car, particularly the front-wing. This raised eyebrows immediately after the livery was unveiled last week, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had announced a two-year ban for Russian athletes at world championship sporting events in December. The ban, which relates to state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics and was imposed following a WADA investigation, means that Russian athletes, including racing drivers, won’t be allowed to compete under their national flag or have it on display at official Championship events.
Due to the CAS ruling, Haas rookie Nikita Mazepin won’t be allowed to race under the Russian flag this upcoming season. Instead, he will most likely race as a “neutral athlete from Russia”, though he said last week that he is yet to make a final decision on how exactly he wants to be classified.
dessiato
🇪🇸 my spirit is crying for leaving
I have a 24/7 F1 package. Price has gone up this year, and I only get two UHD channels, but they’ve “given” me Premier and Champions league matches instead of the multi camera angles I had.
Indeliblelink
\......👁&👁......./
You can watch a their (Sky) preview (well Martin, Karun, Ted & Rachel doing a 30min webchat at least) of the season for free
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
If you get all the English Premier League matches, that alone is a nice extra to get.
In the UK I need Sky, BT Sport and Amazon Prime to see every PL match, and I hesitate to guess what that lot costs.
