Category: F1

27th March 202127th March 2021

Max Verstappen lights up Bahrain, taking a thrilling pole position in the desert

Max Verstappen shone under the lights to take the first pole position of the season, his first back-to-back pole in his career.

What looked to be a dramatic showdown between Mercedes and Red Bull did not disappoint, both teams swapping places at the top of the time sheets all session.

After running wide on the penultimate corner in (Q1), a piece of carbon fibre came loose on Verstappen’s car, causing doubt as to whether the car would suffer as a result.

However, the Flying Dutchman took the fastest time by almost four tenths of a second, clinching pole and will also have the advantage of starting on the mediums, having set his fastest time on the compounds in (Q2).

Max Verstappen is the first non-Mercedes driver to take pole on F1’s opening weekend since Sebastian Vettel in 2013.

Lewis Hamilton had to eventually settle for second alongside Valterri Bottas who starts third.

Interestingly, if Verstappen, Hamilton and Bottas finish on the podium together, they will be tie the record for most appearances on the podium as a trio (14), currently held by Hamilton, Rosberg and Vettel.

The other superstars of qualifying were Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly who qualified in fourth and fifth respectively. Importantly, the Alpha Tauri driver will start the race on the medium tyres giving him a massive advantage on a track known for high degradation. Additionally, the Scuderia will see this as a sign of improvement and a turn of fortune for the coming season.

Daniel Ricciardo impressed on his first outing in McLaren in sixth, outqualifying his teammate Lando Norris in seventh. Carlos Sainz, who set the fastest time of (Q2) failed to improve on his first run and will line up in eight.

Fernando Alonso reached (Q3) for the first time since Monaco ’18 – a fantastic achievement for the returning two-time world champion. Alonso’s teammate Esteban Ocon failed to escape (Q1) in 16th. Lance Stroll in the Aston Martin rounded out the top ten.

Sergio Perez failed to reach (Q3) and will start in 11th, but importantly with a free tyre choice for tomorrow’s race. Other notable mentions should include an improved Alfa Romeo who finished a respectable twelfth with Antonio Giovinazzi and 12th with Kimi Raikkonen 14th.

Sebastian Vettel had a difficult first outing for his new team Aston Martin going out in 18th place, Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda, the 20-year-old at his first F1 meeting put in a good run with 13th for AlphaTauri. George Russell was 15th for Williams, with his teammate Nicholas Latifi 17th.

Mick Schumacher, the 22-year-old son of seven-time world champion Michael, acquitted himself well on his F1 debut, keeping it clean in a very uncompetitive Haas. He was in 19th place, beating teammate Nikita Mazepin into 20^th, who brought out multiple yellow flags in (Q1).

13th March 2021

F1 testing: Bottas fastest on day 2 despite more Mercedes problems

Valtteri Bottas ended the second day of pre-season testing in Bahrain with the fastest time, despite more mechanical problems afflicting Mercedes and their customer Aston Martin.

Bottas set his pacesetting lap of a 1:30.289s late in the afternoon session, on a run on the softest C5 tyres. However, Bottas lost a considerable amount of running earlier in the session due to an issue with his car’s floor, which compounded the gearbox problems that held him back yesterday.

Similar Mercedes gearbox issues stopped Sebastian Vettel from getting any meaningful running with Aston Martin. The German managed just six laps in the morning session before his car began a lengthy spell on jacks in the garage. Vettel did return to the track before the end of the session, but only recorded four more laps before handing over to Lance Stroll for the afternoon.

Lewis Hamilton also had a troubled day of testing for Mercedes. The defending champion drove in the morning but spun into the gravel towards the end of the session and brought out the red flag. He ended the day 15^th fastest, only ahead of Vettel.

Not all the Mercedes-powered teams had problems today, however, with McLaren continuing the strong pace displayed yesterday. Daniel Ricciardo was one of the early pacesetters and topped the morning session, while Lando Norris was quickest for a while in the afternoon before ultimately ending the day fourth behind Bottas, Pierre Gasly and Stroll.

Alpine also had a solid day with Fernando Alonso at the wheel of the A521. The Spaniard was second-quickest behind Ricciardo in the morning session, and logged a total of 128 laps by the end of the day. He also completed a comprehensive run plan that included testing three different floor configurations and two different engine covers.

Following Esteban Ocon’s 129 laps from day one, Alpine are now leading the way in terms of combined mileage heading into the final day of testing. Meanwhile, all four Mercedes-powered teams have the fewest total laps, with Williams on 215 followed by McLaren (195), Aston Martin (177) and Mercedes themselves (162).

However, Nicholas Latifi did record the most laps of any driver on day two, with 132 for Williams.

Day 2 classification:

Pos.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:30.289	58
2	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri-Honda	+0.124	87
3	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin-Mercedes	+0.171	70
4	Lando Norris	McLaren-Mercedes	+0.297	52
5	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo-Ferrari	+0.471	124
6	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.597	73
7	Nicholas Latifi	Williams-Mercedes	+1.383	132
8	Sergio Perez	Red Bull-Honda	+1.393	117
9	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren-Mercedes	+1.926	52
10	Fernando Alonso	Alpine-Renault	+2.050	127
11	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri-Honda	+2.395	57
12	Mick Schumacher	Haas-Ferrari	+2.594	88
13	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+2.783	56
14	Nikita Mazepin	Haas-Ferrari	+2.812	76
15	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+3.110	58
16	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin-Mercedes	+8.560	10

13th March 202113th March 2021

Formula One: Sprint Races

Mark Thompson, Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Image courtesy of Red Bull content pool

Formula One is to debut sprint races at Silverstone and two other weekends in 2021. Reported to fill the vacant spots are the Italian, Canadian or Brazilian Grand Prix. The go ahead for sprint races comes after the consensus that teams support the concept, more meetings are to follow to finalise the decision expected in the coming week.

Regarding the format of the weekend, the sprint race will replace qualifying on the Saturday with finishing positions setting the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix. So, Friday will have qualifying to set the grid for the sprint race. There will also be two practice sessions, one before qualifying and one before the sprint race.

There have been many attempts to change the weekend format in recent years including the notorious ‘elimination qualifying’ in 2016 under Bernie Ecclestone. Sprint races have emerged next in line for rigorous testing, after amassing a great deal of attention in recent weeks. The principles are to increase the likelihood of closer and unpredictable racing in Sunday’s Grand Prix whilst spreading the excitement and engagement across the entire weekend for fans.

The 2021 season is already regarded as an ‘interim’ for the extensive regulation changes to come in 2022. But for Sprint races to join the already rogue season comparatively to recent years with shuffled driver line-ups, new teams, cost caps and token system; there is already much optimism for this to be a thrilling and likely unpredictable season.

Raising the argument that sprint races would mitigate the DNA of the sport is almost an uninformed remark, as Formula One has evolved exponentially since the inaugural championship race in 1950. Change has been a constant, otherwise the sport wouldn’t be what is loved today. But what hasn’t changed all that much is the dominance, like the partnerships of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari or currently Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, and as such many factors have been engineered into the sport to prevent it but haven’t succeeded.

Sprint races, however, will raise many questions about whether it is worth it and the implications that might follow. For instance, whether it would count as a win or a pole position? Will it detract from the main race? What happens if a sprint race decides the championship? Thus leading to potential debates and disputes on the significance of records and unravelling more comparisons. However, Formula One often centres around comparison as speed, wins and all out success rate often lands drivers in the better teams.

Financially, there are implications that raise concerns. Teams, especially those who consistently start in the midfield, will be more susceptible to damage over the season. The complete change in tactics for teams, as well as the development plans of their cars for better performance behind others, will also be an interesting follow in the run-up to the first race.

This will, of course, be a financial benefit for organisers, as it will attract more fans to buy weekend tickets and tune in throughout the weekend. The weekend is already full of support races, the most notable addition to this year is the W Series and, as always, Formula 2. With this in mind, are sprint races needed to gain a more tangible excitement across the race weekends, or will we already have that with support races? And should there be more encouragement to watch those races as well? What happens to those who work on the Friday as well and enjoy watching qualifying live?

All in all, it will certainly amass greater discussion and controversy leading up to the weekends that it will be tested on, whether it’s beneficial or not? Whether it would actually change anything? With all the questions that have collated on the topic, there is only one way to understand, namely to encourage and test the idea.

By Joe

12th March 202112th March 2021

Bahrain Test Part Two

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 12: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing RB16B Honda on track during Day One of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on March 12, 2021 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images)

Here we go, four more hours but I can’t see much changing except for the odd driver and the weather.

Daniel Ricciardo still on top of the timing sheets as we start with Gasly and Verstappen close behind in the standings

This session can be described in one word, dusty! They can’t push the cars and are having to short shift and are actually off the throttle at some points on the track.

Coming up to the three hour remaining mark and very little has changed, we’re waiting on the first appearance of the seven time World Drivers Champion Lewis Hamilton

Will they refer to him as Sir Lewis?

First sight of Carlos Sainz in his new Ferrari, it’s a big year for the young Spaniard.

Three hours and two minutes and the World Champion joins the track for the first time and looks straight on it power sliding his way around the track. Times are still down on Ricardos best set earlier today in the morning session, laps are around four to five seconds slower.

Verstappen goes fastest on a 1:31.4O on the hard tyre After completing 80 laps.

Drivers seem to be finding some grip now as Max remains out gaining valuable data for the team.

Tsunoda has impressed on his first outing in the AlphaTauri it’s a little odd seeing the number 22 and not having Jenson Button driving behind the wheel.

With 1 hour 37 minutes left on the clock Lewis and the Mercedes seem to be getting into their stride with a lap still a full 1.5 seconds behind the pace set by Verstappen.

With 90 minutes remaining

1 VER 1:31.412

2 NOR +0.397
3 GIO +0.533
4 OCO +0.716
5 RIC +0.791

The number 9 Haas has completed 48 uneventful laps.

55 minutes to go and Verstappen puts in a flier 1:30.6 and has completed 113 laps just as Carlos Sainz spins his Ferrari.

Hamilton getting the laps in, still off the pace but getting valuable data and obviously we don’t know his fuel levels.

Lando Norris is comfortably third on the timing sheets behind Ocon and Verstappen. The McLaren looks very happy with its new Mercedes engine.

24 minutes to go and Lando posts a faster lap taking him into second place overall. McLaren have had a solid first day of testing.

Lance stroll posts an impressive 1:31.7 and moves up to fourth in the over all rankings.

Hamilton is out lapping in his Mercedes, but he is seriously lacking in traction, spectacular to watch but he’s not improving his times.

Under five minutes to go and the virtual safety card has been deployed, and that brings the session to an end.

1 VER 1:30.674 139

2 NOR +0.215 46

3 OCO +0.472 129

4 STR +1.108 46

5 SAI +1.245 57

6 GIO +1.271 68

7 RIC +1.529 45

8 GAS +1.557 74

9 TSU +2.053 37
10 HAM +2.238 42

12th March 202112th March 2021

Bahrain Testing Day One, Part one

The first day of testing is always an exciting event for Formula 1 fans but this year with Covid still affecting global sports we kick of in Bahrain instead of what has become the usual annual pilgrimage to Barcelona.

What’s different? Well the big difference other than location is this year we have just three days of testing instead of the usual six.

It’s an early 7am start for us in Europe, first things first as Haas officially launch their 2020 challenger.

Flo fizz and aero rakes at the ready and off we go, for the first four hour session.

First shock of the day, Mercedes has a gearbox issues and Valtteri Bottas has missed over 100km plus of valuable testing time. With sands storms threatening every valuable minute needs to be taken advantage of.

The first couple of hours, how we’ve missed the sounds of Formula 1.

Early form Daniel Ricciardo is setting the pace in his McLaren Mercedes with Max Verstappen Red Bull Honda just behind and Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri with the third fastest time.

The Ferrari in the hands of Charles Leclerc in fourth seems to have made up some of the lost time from last years challenger.

Into the second half of the morning stint and Gasly is now on top of the timing sheets with a 1:32.5

Ricardo straight back out onto track and posts an even faster lap taking three tenths of Gaslys time. Still no sign of Bottas in his Mercedes.

It’s fantastic to see that Micks Schumacher’s three letter code is MSC and not SCH A nice nod to his dad who of course was MSC as he raced alongside his brother Ralf Schumacher.

With just 90 minutes remaining there’s still no sign of the Mercedes and Bottas

On the plus side the new liveries look resplendent in the sunshine. Personal opinion but the Alpine, Aston Martin and dare I say Haas are my favourites.

Roy Nissany driving the Williams has a green light on the back of his car indicating that he’s not got his super license points, I had to fact check this with my colleagues at Crow Towers. James Matthews pointed out that L plates wouldn’t stay attached to a F1 car at speed! He’s here all week.

Bottas is finally out in his Mercedes and is running almost five seconds off the pace with a large Aero rack on the back of the car.

The top three with under 30 minutes to go are Daniel Ricardo Pierre Gasly and Max Verstappen.

Ten minutes to go and Charles Leclerc has stopped at turn four with what sounds like an engine miss fire, bringing out the red flag. After initially impressing the Ferrari isn’t looking on top of things, early days though.

That’s the first four hour session done.

1 RIC1:32.203 45 M
2 GAS+0.028 74 M
3 VER+0.042 60 H
4 OCO+0.756 55 M
5 LEC+1.039 59 M
6 RAI+1.117 63 H
7 VET+1.539 51 T
8 NIS+2.586 39 M
9 MSC+3.924 15 H
10 BOT+4.647 6 H

10th March 202110th March 2021

Drawing the past but looking to the future – the SF21 launches Ferrari into the 2021 season

By Rhea Morar

The final piece of the Formula One car reveal puzzle has now been put in place, with Scuderia Ferrari revealing their challenger, the beautiful SF21.Broadcasting from Museo Ferrari, Mattia Binotto the Team Principal of Ferrari presented the single seater using hologram technology, instead of the usual Ferrari fanfare, no doubt due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

As with all the 2021 cars, there was a partial freeze on development, with the SF21 being described as “born out of last year’s car” with revised aerodynamics and a new power unit (which will bring music to the ears of Tifosi everywhere). Ferrari have had a torrid time in recent years and are seeking a season in which they can provide a title challenge again. Power unit 065/6, as it has been named, has been worked on extensively with Ferrari’s technical partners with an efficiency in areas such as recovery of exhaust fumes being targeted. Ferrari have also made major changes to their aerodynamics, spurred on by regulation changes which has seen them focus on increasing aerodynamic charge and reducing drag. The new front wing and nose have added to the aerodynamic efficiencies that Ferrari have worked on for the 2021 season. The technical changes are arguably overshadowed however by the stunning new livery.

The standout features of the sleek livery are the burgundy coloured rear which is a nod to the very first Ferrari racing car, most recently seem at the Mugello Grand Prix in 2020, and bright green on the engine cover featuring the logo of title sponsor Mission Winnow. The deeper red effect is certainly eye-catching and will bring a smile to the hearts of the loyal fans of this iconic brand.

Ferrari and certainly the F1 world need a better 2021 and one can only hope that the optimism of the launch will be rewarded on track as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz take to the track

Technical specifications Ferrari SF21

Power unit 065/6
Capacity 1600 cc
Max RPM 15,000
Supercharging Single turbo
Fuel flow 100 kg/hr max
Configuration V6 90°
Bore 80 mm
Stroke 53 mm
Valves 4 per cylinder
Injection 500 bar – direct

ERS System
Configuration Hybrid energy recovery system via electrical Motor Generator Units
Battery pack Lithium-Ion batteries of minimum 20 kg weight
Battery pack max energy storage 4 MJ
MGU-K max power 120 kW (161 hp)
Max MGU-K RPM 50,000
Max MGU-H RPM 125,000

5th March 2021

Williams’ love letter to former glories with FW43B release

Williams were the latest team to unveil their charger for the 2021 season – the FW43B. The car is something of a homage to the team’s former glories, with a focus on the new era under new ownership.

There was a change to the original plan as their innovative augmented reality app was hacked, meaning the team had to close down the app and unveil the car via rendered images instead.

The Grove outfit released a statement, saying: ‘We were very much looking forward to sharing this experience with our fans, particularly during this difficult time when being able to bring in-person experiences directly to our fans is sadly not possible. We can only apologise that this has not been possible.’

The Williams ‘W’ is still a prominent feature. (Image Credit: Williams Racing)

The car was revealed via images and sported some subtle throwbacks to previous Williams liveries. The car is largely blue in different shades of light and dark. There are some flashes of yellow with a white front. These are all historic colours synonymous with Williams’ glory days in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.

The history was a large factor according to Jost Capito, Williams Racing CEO: “We looked and discussed what the theme should be. So we wanted the car to remember the good old times and the heritage of the team. But we also wanted to show that we’re doing a step forward. We don’t forget our history, our heritage, but we are moving on to a bright future.”

George Russell commented on the design too: “I like the new look. It’s exciting, it’s got a hint of heritage in there. There’s a hint of yellow, which is cool. Altogether think it’s exciting, I think that’s the team at the moment, new team, new look, new brand, and the start of a new beginning.”

Nicholas Latifi was glad to see some traditional aspects remain: “I think just looking at the side profile of the car, the stripes which go up the bodywork and the engine cover and the way the Williams ‘W’ is still there in the background and I think it’ll look quite nice.”

The same sponsors remain on the car, with Sofina, Lavazza and Acronis all present, and while the design is eye catching, it resembles a new dawn, with a nod to the past.

While things are changing for Williams, there is some stability in their driver line-up, as George Russell and Nicholas Latifi remain for another season. While Jack Aitken and Jamie Chadwick remain as reserve and development drivers.

With most of the cars unveiled, there is a much needed splash of colour to this year’s grid, and when the lights go out in Bahrain at the end of the month, Formula One will be back.

2nd March 2021

Alpine’s 2021 F1 car officially unveiled

Alpine has unveiled its new contender for the 2021 season, the A521. The first car built by the newly rebranded team at Enstone.

Although a new name to F1, Alpine have been a part of motorsport since the 1950’s. After being bought out by Renault in 1973 they have developed a reputation as Renault’s ‘high performance’ brand. The Alpine name was used for Renault’s rallying and endurance endeavours, resulting in an Alpine-Renault World Rally Championship in 1973, and the 1978 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Alpine ceased production in 1995 but was revived in 2017, before the decision last year to elevate their long-forgotten brand to the pinnacle of motorsport.

During a virtual launch, the car was unveiled in a striking blue, white and red livery.

On the new livery, Laurent Rossi, Alpine CEO stressed the symbolism of French and British collaboration:

“This car identifies the Alpine identity. It’s livery conveys it’s values. The blue, white and red is a reference to both the French flag and Union Jack. Representing the soul of this multicultural team that merges flamboyant skills under one banner.”

At first glance, the A521 looks to have the trademark 2021 shrunken sidepods and more complex outboard vanes to the bargeboards – all because of the new floor and diffuser setup created by changes in the aerodynamic rules. The rear wing looks subtly different too with more complex endplates.

“We had to adapt, we had to innovate, but that’s what we do best.” said Marcin Budkowski, speaking on the new technical changes.

“This year’s car is an evolution of last years contender. […] we’ve worked and tried to improve every area that was left free to develop.”

“But also the FIA, to spice things up a bit, have changed the aerodynamic regulations that means we have lost a lot of performance which we’ve tried to recover.”

“Interestingly, they are in an area that normally doesn’t behave in the same way on track than our tool and simulations tell us. So it’s going to be very important to get the best collaboration between people at the factory and on track to develop the car aerodynamically and allow us to realise our ambitious development programme for the first few races.”

In addition, Renault will have a new and improved power unit, looking to maintain and improve it’s impressive position as one of F1’s most powerful units in terms of straight line speed.

On the team’s power unit, Laurent Rossi stated: “The delay in the technical (engine) regulations means we will be using an evolutions of our RE20A unit. There are a few developments with the power train and we have worked specifically for optimum performance and reliability.”

The team finished fifth in the constructors championship in 2021, with three podiums to there name, their first in almost a decade of racing.

With returning two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, they will be hoping to have similar success with what will be a formidable line-up with a mix of youth and proven championship winning pedigree.

“The team at Enstone are highly experienced and motivated” said Racing Director, Davide Brivio. “I’m very lucky to have two very excellent drivers.”

“The dynamic between Fernando and Esteban is going to be an interesting one, they can definitely benefit from each other. “

The Alpine A521 will make its first extended on-track appearance at the start of pre-season testing in Bahrain, which takes place from 12-14 March.

2nd March 2021

Mercedes unveils “old friend” W12

Mercedes has unveiled its new W12, the car with which it hopes to win an eighth consecutive pair of F1 titles in the hands of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

The Mercedes AMG F1 W12 keeps the black base livery introduced last year as part of the team’s anti-racism commitments, fading to silver on the engine cover. It also features much more prominent AMG branding across the car as per Mercedes’ plans to foreground its high-performance division within its F1 marketing.

The most visible changes to the design that’s carried over from 2020 are towards the rear, which is more tightly packaged around the engine. The front of the car is largely the same, which bucks the trend of the front-end development seen in the launches so far, but that could still change before testing next week.

Mercedes technical director James Allison called the W12 “an old friend in many ways”. However, he admitted that the launch spec of the car was missing some aero developments to the floor, which the team wanted to keep hidden from its rivals before testing.

Allison also said that AMG High Performance Powertrains have added more power to the engine for 2021. Beneath the chassis, the W12 features further improvements to the suspension and cooling systems.

Although the W12 is the clear title favourite for 2021, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff greeted the new challenger with his trademark scepticism. “Every year we reset our focus,” he said. “The scoreboard goes to zero and there’s always more performance to be found.

“It’s very natural to get used to success, and therefore not fight as hard for it. But this team has not shown any of that. I see the same fire, hunger and passion now as I did the first time I walked through the doors in 2013.”

23rd February 202123rd February 2021

‘It’s the same, but different’: Red Bull Launch the RB16B ahead of the 2021 F1 season

After much speculation, the day finally came for Red Bull to unveil the RB16B, ahead of the 2021 season. The announcement was delivered with as much fanfare a virtual launch can muster, hammering home what we all expected; it’s the same, but different.

Red Bull have made themselves the talk of the off-season, after signing Sergio Perez to replace Alex Albon, who is now a reserve and test driver in the team, and the more recent announcement to take over their contract with Honda, and begin developing their own power units from 2022 onwards.

Some fans were a little disappointed to see the standard livery that has remained largely unchanged for a number of years, and Red Bull have made no secret of the fact that there has been a lot of carryover from the 2020 car, due to the deferral of the change in regulations.

Image courtesy of Red Bull

In spite of that, the team are keen to emphasise that the real changes have taken place beneath the surface. ‘For it’s final season in F1, Honda is introducing a new power unit’ amongst other changes.

Though it’s difficult to determine the extent of these changes from a carefully positioned press photo, it looks like there may be some change to the side-pods on the car, which in turn would mean greater downforce on the car.

Image courtesy of Red Bull

The RB16B ‘aims to carry the momentum of 2020 into the new season in a bid to fight for this years title’. The team feel confident this will help them take the fight to the as-yet unchallenged Mercedes, who have remained the dominant team in F1 for the past 7 seasons.

It will be all eyes on Silverstone tomorrow, when Max and Checo take to the track in the RB16B for the first time for a day of filming.

Will we see a shakedown livery? Do we have a new contender for the championship title, or will it just turn out to be the same, but different for another year running?

We don’t have too long to wait!