- F1 Russian GP: Bottas heads Mercedes 1-2 in opening practice
24/09/2021 - 11:41
The much-discussed wet weather did not arrive at Sochi in time for the start of the 60-minute session, but, although FP2 is expected to also be dry, it is thought highly likely that rain will impact final practice and qualifying on Saturday.
This led to the teams completing more varied run plans for the opening action at Sochi, with Ferrari sending Charles Leclerc out immediately on the soft ...Keep reading
- Mick Schumacher happy to offer "private intel" in Netflix F1 movie
24/09/2021 - 10:59
The film, which has proved to be a hit on the streaming service since its release last week, charts the life and career of Mick's seven-time F1 world champion father Michael Schumacher.
Some of the most moving moments of the documentary are when Mick and his mother Corinna speak openly about the emotions they feel as Michael continues to recover from the head injury he suffered in a skiing ...Keep reading
- Vettel unsure why F1 would ditch traditional Monaco rest day
24/09/2021 - 09:38
F1 will ditch its traditional four-day race weekend format for the Monaco Grand Prix from 2022, bringing the principality’s race in line with every other grand prix weekend.
Traditionally, Monaco had staged its opening F1 practice sessions on the Thursday before then taking the Friday off and resuming its track action with FP3 and qualifying on Saturday.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali confirmed ...Keep reading
- Shwartzman: F1 teams could benefit from 2022 rookie FP1 outings
24/09/2021 - 09:29
Earlier this month, it was confirmed that from next season it will be compulsory for teams to field rookie/young drivers on Fridays at grand prix weekends, although the exact number of practice outings is yet to be defined.
Under current regulations teams can run junior drivers in Friday practice, with several outfits having taken up the opportunity in recent seasons.
However, the ...Keep reading
- Haas considers hiring experienced reserve driver for 2022
24/09/2021 - 09:08
Steiner admits that having two rookies this season left the team with “no reference” after previously employing Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen.
Next year’s rule changes mean a reset for all teams, and Steiner concedes that having a more experienced driver in the camp would be a benefit.
Haas currently employs Pietro Fittipaldi, who did two races as Grosjean’s replacement at the ...Keep reading
- Hamilton's pressure claim "shows he doesn't know me" - Verstappen
23/09/2021 - 17:32
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Russian Grand Prix, two weeks on from the second controversial crash of the season between the pair last time out at Monza, Hamilton said: "I remember what it was like when I had my first [title fight] and it definitely mounted up".
The Mercedes driver also said when considering Verstappen's position as a first-time F1 world title contender, his attitude is to ...Keep reading
- Leclerc not expecting "big changes" from Ferrari F1 power unit upgrade
23/09/2021 - 16:08
Ferrari revealed over the summer break that it was working on bringing a “significant” step in performance for its power unit during the second half of the season.
The team announced on Wednesday that it would debut its updated hybrid system at this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix, fitting Leclerc’s car with a new power unit.
Leclerc will take a fresh set of power unit components in ...Keep reading
- Verstappen: People "hypocritical" over Monza crash walkaway
23/09/2021 - 15:31
Hamilton was one of those who expressed his surprise after their incident at Monza that Verstappen left the scene without ensuring that the Mercedes driver was uninjured.
That response came a few weeks after Verstappen had hit out at Hamilton for celebrating his victory in the British Grand Prix while the Dutchman was in hospital undergoing medical checks following their opening lap ...Keep reading
- Miami confirms May date for inaugural grand prix in 2022
23/09/2021 - 15:20
Miami will become the latest race to debut on the F1 calendar next year, taking up its planned Q2 slot on the schedule.
The race will take place around the Hard Rock Stadium that is home to the Miami Dolphins NFL team at a purpose-built track known as the Miami International Autodrome, with construction already well underway.
With a 23-race F1 calendar set to be finalised by the World Motor ...Keep reading
- Bottas would accept team orders to support Hamilton’s title bid
23/09/2021 - 13:43
Hamilton and Verstappen are separated by just five points at the top of the F1 drivers’ championship, with Bottas a distant 85 points off the lead in third place.
Mercedes has previously employed team orders to try and help Hamilton’s title bids, most notably at the Russian Grand Prix in 2018 when Bottas moved aside to allow his team-mate through to win.
It was a decision that Bottas ...Keep reading
- Hamilton: Pressure of first title chance could be impacting Verstappen
23/09/2021 - 13:08
With the pair coming off the back of another controversial collision at the Italian Grand Prix, Hamilton suggests that an element of the way their rivalry has developed is the vast differences in the experience they have.
While Hamilton has won seven titles, and been involved in three more title contests, Verstappen's push this year is the first proper shot at a championship he has ...Keep reading
- Vettel: Extending Aston Martin F1 deal ‘not really’ in doubt
23/09/2021 - 12:26
Aston Martin ended suggestions that four-time F1 world champion Vettel could leave the team by announcing last week that he had triggered an option to extend his contract for next season.
Vettel will partner Lance Stroll once again next year, having linked up with Aston Martin for 2021 following his exit from Ferrari.
Vettel said on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix that ...Keep reading
- Netflix would "think about" F1 buyout to stream races
23/09/2021 - 11:45
With streaming services getting more involved in bidding against traditional television channels for live sporting rights, there has been speculation that F1’s broadcast plans could shift in the long term.
Amazon has shown recent deals to stream exclusive football and tennis can work in attracting interest beyond movies and series, and F1 would be a logical championship to further drive up ...Keep reading
- The changes that took Williams from the back to the podium
23/09/2021 - 11:14
But alarm bells were ringing from the first test when it emerged that the Grove-based squad was battling a particularly aero sensitive car, which meant on windy days drivers George Russell and Nicholas Latifi could find themselves struggling.
With a gusty season opener in Bahrain, the difficulties were exposed, and it would have been easy to suspect at the time that the team could be facing ...Keep reading
- Haas confirms Schumacher and Mazepin for 2022 F1 season
23/09/2021 - 10:36
Schumacher and Mazepin both graduated from Formula 2 to F1 with Haas for the 2021 season, and were widely expected to continue for next year.
In a statement made ahead of Mazepin’s home grand prix in Russia this weekend, Haas confirmed it would be running with an unchanged line-up next season.
“We knew we wanted continuity behind the wheel in 2022 and I’m happy to confirm exactly that ...Keep reading
- 2022 Formula 1 Driver Market: Which drivers are going where?
23/09/2021 - 10:30
While multiple Formula 1 driver deals have been confirmed for 2022, only a handful of race seats still need to be officially filled. Here’s how next year’s grid is shaping up.
Mercedes
Mercedes, arguably, has been the team with the most attention on its driver line-up. Rumours of Mercedes young driver George Russell getting the call up have surrounded it for years, though so far Valtteri ...Keep reading
- F1 team bosses: We must listen to the fans’ opinions in survey
23/09/2021 - 09:56
A Global Survey run by Motorsport Network and supported by the F1 organisation has provided an opportunity for fans around the world to air their views.
It comes at a time when F1 is making the transition to new technical regulations in 2022, and other ideas are being mooted or even trialled. The experiment with a sprint weekend format – tried thus far at Silverstone and Monza – has ...Keep reading
- Ferrari to debut updated F1 hybrid system at Russian GP
22/09/2021 - 18:52
Ferrari revealed over the summer break that it was planning to bring a “significant step” in the performance of its power unit by bringing evolutions for its power unit through the season half of the season.
Under the regulations, teams are permitted to make one specification update per year on each of its power unit components.
Ferrari F1 chief Mattia Binotto previously said that the ...Keep reading
- Ferrari struggling to find F1 opportunities for junior drivers - Binotto
22/09/2021 - 17:16
Ferrari has a place at Haas that is currently used by Mick Schumacher, but the contract that guaranteed a slot at Alfa Romeo – used by Charles Leclerc in 2018 and subsequently by Antonio Giovinazzi – has been changed for 2022.
While Alfa boss Fred Vasseur hasn’t ruled out keeping Giovinazzi, he is looking at other options to fill the seat alongside Bottas - and with the absence of other ...Keep reading
- F1 to shrink Monaco GP to three-day race weekend from 2022
22/09/2021 - 16:41
Monaco has traditionally spread its race weekend over four days, holding the opening two practice sessions on Thursday before using Friday as a rest day for the F1 paddock.
The tradition dated back to the race’s original scheduling on a bank holiday weekend, but was maintained to allow traffic to flow through the area and assists businesses in preparing for the weekend.
But as F1 plans for ...Keep reading
- How F1’s “process-driven” improvement plans are listening to the drivers
22/09/2021 - 14:10
F1 managing director Ross Brawn has said the series should wait for the third sample at Interlagos before forming a definitive view and making any modifications. Nevertheless, after the first try at the British Grand Prix he met with the drivers and canvassed their views on how it played out.
It’s far from the first time that Brawn has sought the opinions of drivers. Both he and F1 CEO ...Keep reading
- Gap between Russell and Latifi in F1 not "as big as everybody believes"
22/09/2021 - 13:00
Russell has been Williams's leading driver since he joined the team in 2019, and has outqualified Latifi in every grand prix since the Canadian made his F1 racing debut at the start of the 2020 season.
The British driver will leave Williams for Mercedes next year, leading to suggestions that the team will not be as strong.
Russell will be replaced by Alex Albon alongside Latifi next ...Keep reading
- Perez: One-year F1 deal doesn’t heap extra pressure on me
22/09/2021 - 11:42
The Mexican has had an up-and-down first season with Red Bull in 2021 as team-mate to world championship challenger Max Verstappen.
While his highlight was victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he has also endured his fair share of frustrations as he has had difficulties adapting to the unique handling characteristics of the RB16B.
Although he has been retained by Red Bull for 2022, it is ...Keep reading
- Honda reveals fast-tracked F1 power unit upgrade introduced at Spa
22/09/2021 - 10:57
Honda will quit F1 at the end of the season following a seven-season stint back in the series, during which it has worked with McLaren, Red Bull and AlphaTauri.
Red Bull has a chance to give Honda a farewell championship as it goes head-to-head with Mercedes for the constructors’ title, as well as seeing Verstappen in the thick of the fight for the drivers’ crown.
Honda worked to ...Keep reading
- Brawn: 'New world' thinking opens door for better F1
22/09/2021 - 09:59
Liberty Media’s takeover of F1 from 2016 has already resulted in a change of attitude to fans – with grand prix racing opening up its social media channels and embracing concepts like the Netflix Drive to Survive series.
But there have been differences in the way the series is run too, with Liberty trying out radical concepts like the new sprint qualifying format ...Keep reading
- 2021 F1 Russian GP – how to watch, session timings and more
21/09/2021 - 17:52
Following the reaction to the controversial crash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the Italian GP last time out, with both F1 world title contenders taken out of the race in the incident, the Red Bull driver heads into this weekend with a three-place grid penalty after being judged as predominately at fault for the clash.
The incident ensured Daniel Ricciardo grabbed victory for ...Keep reading
- Formula 1 must design cars to race in rain, says Todt
21/09/2021 - 16:51
Last month's wet race at Spa-Francorchamps had to be abandoned after three laps behind a safety car because conditions were not good enough to allow the current generation of cars to race.
The high levels of downforce produced by the latest grand prix machinery, plus wider tyres, means more spray is thrown into the air in wet running, and that makes visibility too bad.
Todt thinks the matter ...Keep reading
- Does Gasly have reason to be 'sad and frustrated' over his Red Bull snub?
21/09/2021 - 15:31
Before Gasly's retirement and Yuki Tsunoda's failure to start the race at Monza, AlphaTauri had been the only team to score points in every race this season, putting it in the hunt for fifth place in the constructors' championship.
A large part of that contribution has come courtesy of Gasly, who had failed to score points in only three races this year prior to Monza. While rookie team-mate ...Keep reading
- Former McLaren boss Whitmarsh to return to F1 with Aston Martin
21/09/2021 - 14:53
The Briton was most famous for a lengthy spell he had at McLaren from 1989 to 2014, which included him being the team’s CEO as well as team boss from 2008 until his departure.
Since leaving F1 he has been involved in various projects, including being chairman of technology start-up business BAR Technologies, and fulfilling a similar role at Offshore Wind Growth Partnership. He was also ...Keep reading
- Why Aston Martin's new F1 base marks a significant step
21/09/2021 - 13:01
I am old enough to remember the 1989 Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams, in which Costner plays an Iowa farmer who builds a baseball pitch in his cornfield that attracts the ghosts of legendary baseball players from the past.
It’s a hokey but fun movie – most memorably, however, it introduced the phrase, ‘If you build it, they will come’ into our cultural lexicon. It is the idea that ...Keep reading
- Berger: Intense Hamilton/Verstappen fight what F1 needs
21/09/2021 - 11:53
Hamilton and Verstappen will resume their fight in Russia this weekend fresh from their latest collision at the Italian Grand Prix a fortnight ago.
With the Monza clash coming quite soon after the pair tangled at the British Grand Prix in July, there is no indication of there being any let up in their fight for glory.
PLUS: How Verstappen his ruining his F1 title battle with ...Keep reading
- Honda: Tough F1 return critical for building title fight form
21/09/2021 - 11:53
The Japanese manufacturer is helping Red Bull in its fight with Mercedes for the world championship this year, ahead of its withdrawal from grand prix racing at the end of the campaign.
The current success is a world away from the struggles Honda faced when its first came back to F1 with McLaren, as it battled with a lack of performance and poor reliability.
Those difficulties prompted a ...Keep reading
- Albon explains why Williams was first choice for F1 comeback
21/09/2021 - 10:24
Albon emerged as one of the candidates to replace George Russell after he secured a move to Mercedes, and the Anglo-Thai driver quickly landed the Williams drive to partner Nicholas Latifi next season.
Albon was also linked to a drive with Alfa Romeo before securing the Williams seat, but reckons the British squad's recent progress made it a better option.
Williams endured its ...Keep reading
- Bottas to compete in 2022 Race of Champions in Sweden
21/09/2021 - 10:01
After years of racing in stadiums around the world, ROC is returning to its off-road roots with a course on the frozen Baltic Sea at the Swedish resort of Pite Havsbad.
Located near the arctic circle, the organisers have dubbed the ROC Sweden course as the event's "fastest and widest" track in history.
Mercedes F1 star Bottas is the latest name on the entry list for the off-season all-star ...Keep reading
- Tsunoda contract extension was never in doubt for Tost
20/09/2021 - 16:46
Rookie Tsunoda arrived in F1 with high expectations, but has endured an erratic campaign so far, with several crashes in the first half of the season and being overshadowed by team-mate Pierre Gasly.
AlphaTauri announced earlier this month that it would retain both Gasly and Tsunoda for 2022, and the Japanese driver admitted he was surprised to have his contract extended given his on-track ...Keep reading
- Mazepin: New chassis has "massively improved" F1 pace
20/09/2021 - 13:12
The Russian felt that his performance over the first half of the campaign had been hindered by him having a slightly heavier chassis than his teammate Mick Schumacher.
Haas agreed to provide him with a new chassis after the summer break, but team principal Gunther Steiner was sceptical that it would make much of a difference because the weight difference was not that much.
Although Mazepin ...Keep reading
- Alonso: F1 needs more equal cars to open up podium battle
20/09/2021 - 11:42
While F1 is about to embark on an all-new rules era from next year, with cars hopefully able to run much closer to each other, there are concerns that the gap between the top teams and the rest could actually grow in the short term.
Alonso, who has raced through many different regulation eras in F1, believes it is critical that the championship focuses more on trying to level the performance ...Keep reading
- Alpine expects return to normal F1 form at Russian GP
20/09/2021 - 10:53
Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon qualified only 13th and 14th at Monza, and eventually finished last Sunday's race eighth and 10th, helped by the attrition ahead.
The positive outcome was that the team gained five points in the battle with AlphaTauri for fifth place in the world constructors' championship, which it now heads by 95 to 84.
Budkowski said the team knew in advance that Monza ...Keep reading
- Seidl: McLaren must not forget it was "destroyed" at Zandvoort F1 round
20/09/2021 - 10:04
The Woking-based squad became the first team to take a 1-2 in 2021, with Daniel Ricciardo leading home Lando Norris at Monza.
But despite the joy of the triumph, team principal Andreas Seidl is clear about just how much room for improvement he thinks his squad needs to make.
He says that the drubbing it took compared to the top teams at the Dutch GP a week before Monza highlighted ...Keep reading
- Why summer refresher was all Ricciardo needed to turn F1 season around
19/09/2021 - 16:05
As the Australian ended the first half of the season having faced another pointless afternoon in Hungary, on a day when team-mate Lando Norris could have finished on the podium, you could tell that some self-doubts had started to creep in.
Sure he had made some progress in getting on top of the struggles with his car, but for every two steps forward there had often been one step back.
In ...Keep reading
- Sainz "happy" for McLaren's Monza F1 win despite points blow
19/09/2021 - 13:00
Sainz spent two years at McLaren in 2019 and 2020 before deciding to move to Ferrari, with Daniel Ricciardo leaving Renault to fill the Spaniard's seat.
Sainz, who scored two podiums for McLaren and came agonisingly close to winning last year's Monza race behind shock winner Pierre Gasly, said he was happy to see Ricciardo and his former crew win McLaren's first race in nine years after ...Keep reading
- Wolff: F1 cannot ‘freestyle’ format changes with ‘confused’ ideas
19/09/2021 - 10:59
F1 staged its second sprint race last Saturday at Monza, with the 100km event to set the grid for Sunday’s grand prix offering little on-track action or overtaking.
It came after F1 managing director of motorsports Ross Brawn revealed consideration was being given to changing the sprint race format for next season, while Ferrari expressed its support for a possible introduction of reversed ...Keep reading
- Williams race pace biggest confirmation of F1 progress, says Capito
18/09/2021 - 15:47
After a relatively disappointing qualifying session saw him only finish 15th, George Russell had a strong race to ninth place, while his team-mate Nicholas Latifi just missed the points in 11th.
For much of this season the team has struggled to back up its strong qualifying pace in races, with Russell often slipping back.
However, Capito suggested that Monza showed that its Sunday form ...Keep reading
- Ricciardo: "Surreal" having Monza F1 trophy next to Senna's
18/09/2021 - 12:14
Ricciardo handed McLaren its first win since 2012 at Monza last Sunday, with Lando Norris' second place ensuring the Woking team's first 1-2 finish in 11 years.
His victory made Ricciardo the 20th different driver to win an F1 grand prix for McLaren, joining an illustrious list featuring the likes of Senna, Alain Prost, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton.
The occasion was not lost on the ...Keep reading
- Albon owes Russell ‘a couple of beers’ for Williams seat assistance
18/09/2021 - 10:18
Red Bull reserve driver Albon will make a return to racing in F1 next year after signing for Williams, having dropped off the grid at the end of the 2020 season.
Albon will partner Nicholas Latifi next year, replacing the Mercedes-bound Russell, who is a close friend of the Anglo-Thai driver.
Albon and Russell raced against each other through much of their careers, stretching back to go ...Keep reading
- The unresolved issues hanging over F1's sprint race experiment
17/09/2021 - 17:47
While lacking the novelty value of the first attempt at Silverstone, the weekend did see some intrigue generated by the Saturday event, with Lewis Hamilton dropping a couple of spots from his original grid position, and McLaren drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris gaining one apiece.
F1 boss Ross Brawn has always said that the you can’t really judge the sprint in isolation, and have to ...Keep reading
- Zhou favourite for second 2022 Alfa Romeo F1 seat
17/09/2021 - 15:45
Zhou’s pace in F2 this season, allied to some healthy backing from Chinese sponsors, has left the 22-year-old Alpine Academy driver as the most likely candidate to step up and race alongside new Alfa signing Valtteri Bottas in 2022.
Sources have suggested that a deal is all but agreed, and now just needs to be signed off.
However, Vasseur insists that Alfa Romeo remains open ...Keep reading
- Hamilton saved by science not luck in Monza crash, says halo university director
17/09/2021 - 14:40
F1 title rivals Hamilton and Verstappen clashed while battling for position during Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, resulting in Verstappen’s Red Bull car flying over the top of Hamilton’s Mercedes.
One of Verstappen’s wheels made light contact with Hamilton’s helmet, but the majority of the impact was buffeted by the halo cockpit protection device.
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff believed ...Keep reading
- Red Bull: Slow Monza pitstop resulted from FIA clampdown
17/09/2021 - 13:48
The FIA informed teams at the end of June that it would be moving to slow down pitstops on safety grounds, removing some elements of automation.
It was a move that Horner said at the time would “dilute” the times achieved by teams in the pits, but the FIA brought the clampdown into force from the Belgian Grand Prix.
In last Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, Red Bull - routinely the fastest ...Keep reading
- Alonso: Alpine "best team" in the midfield without fastest car
17/09/2021 - 12:19
The French squad overtook both its rivals to move into fifth place in the constructors' championship after a sensational Hungarian GP, won by Alonso's teammate Esteban Ocon. The Spaniard finished in fourth place in the race.
Alpine has been able to hold on to fifth since then despite Alonso believing the A521 is not as competitive as the AlphaTauri and the Aston ...Keep reading
