Tag: F1

Full list of Teams and Drivers line-up for 2021 F1 Season

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The 2021 Formula One season will be the 72nd year of the Formula One World Championship and it will have 23 Grand Prix held around the world where the drivers and teams will compete for the World Drivers’ Champion and World Constructors’ Champion, respectively.

This year’s calendar consists of twenty-three races, considering the reinstatement of the suspended Sao Paulo Grand Prix contract and of course, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which hampered the championship in a big way last season. The first race of the season is set to be the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir on March 28 and the last is supposed to be the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

There have been some changes to teams too, with McLaren moving to a Mercedes engine from Renault. Team name changes include Racing Point becoming Aston Martin and Renault will now be known as Alpine.

With loads of team and driver changes, we take a look at the final line-up of the 10 teams and 20 drivers taking part in this year’s competition:

MERCEDES

Lewis Hamilton – 44

Valtteri Bottas – 77

Last year’s constructors champion will continue with the same driver line-up of Britain’s Hamilton and Finland’s Bottas as they chase another successful season at the top. Mercedes won their seventh Constructors’ Championship last year, thus, breaking the record for most consecutive constructors’ championships.

Hamilton won the championship last season, his sixth with Mercedes and seventh overall, while Bottas came second.

RED BULL

Max Verstappen – 33

Sergio Perez – 11

Red Bull finished second last year in the constructors championship and will now look to improve on their performance and give Mercedes a run for their money this season. They have made one change in their line-up with Mexico’s Perez coming in place of Alex Albon.

Verstappen was very fast last season and will look to go head-to-head with Mercedes boys again, while Perez, who was dropped by Racing Point, finished fourth behind Max.

FERRARI

Charles Leclerc – 16

Carlos Sainz – 55

Big and bold changes were made by the Italian giants as they decided to let go of their long-serving driver in Sebastian Vettel and pursue with two youngsters in Monaco’s Charles Leclerc and new boy Carlos Sainz of Spain. Ferrari finished a lowly sixth last season.

While Leclerc showed enough promise to lead for Ferrari, he finished eighth last season while Sainz, who was racing for McLaren, was sixth on the charts.

MCLAREN

Daniel Ricciardo – 3

Lando Norris – 4

This will be a fun team to watch with both Ricciardo and Norris being good drivers. McLaren had a sensational season last year and finished third behind Mercedes and Red Bull and will look to do the same with two fast exciting drivers.

Britain’s Norris, who is in his third season in the grid, was ninth last year, while Australia’s Ricciardo was fifth on the driver’s standings.

ASTON MARTIN

Sebastian Vettel – 5

Lance Stroll – 18

Racing as ‘Racing Point’ last year, the rebranded Aston Martin team will look to better their fourth place in this year’s championship. For this, they will have a newly acquired four-time drivers champion from Germany — Sebastian Vettel and Canada’s Stroll.

Vettel, who was with Ferrari last season, had a torrid run and finished 13th, while Stroll was 11th in the standings.

ALPINE

Fernando Alonso – 14

Esteban Ocon – 31

Another rebranded team. Known as Renault last year, they are lining up with the returning two-time world-champion from Spain Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon of France. Alpine finished fifth last year and will look to go up from here instead of staying in the midfield.

Ocon finished 12th last season in the standings, while Alonso is returning to the grid once again after 2 years. He left the grid in 2018.

ALPHATAURI

Pierre Gasly – 10

Yuki Tsunoda – 22

AlphaTauri finished seventh last year and will be represented by France’s Gasly and the young Japanese Tsunoda, who was promoted from Formula 2 by Red Bull.

Gasly finished 10th last season in the standings, while Tsunoda will be having his first season at the top level.

ALFA ROMEO

Kimi Raikkonen – 7

Antonio Giovinazzi – 99

The team based out of Switzerland has made no changes and will be going into the season with the same line-up for the third season in a row. They finished 8th last season.

Finland’s Raikkonen and Italy’s Giovinazzi finished 16th and 17th respectively last season.

HAAS

Nikita Mazepin – 9

Mick Schumacher – 47

Haas, who finished ninth last season, will have more eyes on them because of Mick Schumacher, who is the son of seven-time world champion and F1 legend, Michael Schumacher.

Haas has dropped both their drivers of last season (Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen) and will now go with the Russian Mazepin and German Schumacher — both graduating from Formula 2.

WILLIAMS

Nicholas Latifi – 6

George Russell – 63

Canada’s Latifi and Britain’s Russell will be racing for Williams for the second season in a row, despite them finishing at the bottom of the pile last year.

In the driver’s standings, Latifi was 20th, while Russel finished 18th.

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Mick Schumacher Follows His Father to the Letter

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The letters MSC on a Formula One timing screen once charted the dominance of seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher but this season they denote the presence on track of his son Mick. The Ferrari great first took the abbreviation to set himself apart from younger brother Ralf on screens that display the first three letters of a surname, but Mick has his own justification.

After winning the 2020 Formula Two title accompanied by the letters SCH, the third Schumacher to enter the sport asked Formula One — now headed by ex-Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali — to make a change.

“I wanted that MSC,” the 21-year-old Haas driver told reporters during pre-season testing in Bahrain ahead of his F1 race debut there on March 28.

“It’s an emotional bond I have to it. I think it’s quite nice for everybody watching the timing screens and seeing MSC back on the screens as well. I think there’s a positive to it.”

There will be those who expect the famous name to bring its own magic but Mick has shown through the junior series that he is well-grounded.

For him, taking the Schumacher name back onto the starting grid is a source of pride more than pressure.

“I’m very happy to carry that surname, and I’m very happy to carry that name back into Formula One, and I’m very proud of it,” the Swiss-born German said at the launch of his team’s new Ferrari-powered car. “It’s like a boost for me and it gives me motivation every single day.”

Schumacher senior, who has not been seen in public since he suffered severe head injuries in a 2013 skiing accident, made an instant impression when he qualified seventh on his Formula One debut with Jordan in Belgium 30 years ago.

He was snapped up for the next race by rivals Benetton, with whom he won a race in his second season and then championships in 1994 and 1995 before five in a row with Ferrari between 2000-04.

Mick can expect a less dramatic debut with a U.S.-owned team who scored only three points last year and have already made clear that their main focus is on preparing for 2022 when new rules come into play.

The German’s enthusiasm, even when the prospect of a possible year without points is raised, is undimmed.

“I do feel ready, I would go racing tomorrow if it were up to me,” he said. “I cannot tell what is going to happen this season but I know that I will do everything in my toolbox… to hopefully get some points.”

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Max Verstappen Fastest in Testing, Mercedes Have Work To Do

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Formula One teams wrapped up three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain on Sunday with Max Verstappen fastest for Red Bull and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda close behind in a one-two for Honda-powered cars.

Mercedes and seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, recognised they had plenty of work to do before the season starts at the same Sakhir circuit on March 28.

Mexican Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s new team mate, had been top of the morning session with a best lap of one minute 30.187 seconds on soft tyres. Verstappen took over after lunch and produced a best time of 1:28.960.

It was the second time he had topped the end of day timesheets after setting the pace on Friday.

“In general I would say the car feels good and I’m looking forward to going racing,” said Verstappen, winner of the last race of 2020.

The Dutch youngster said before he got in the car that he thought Mercedes were still the favourites but, if so, the dominant champions of the past seven years were hiding any advantage.

Hamilton was only fifth fastest and just quicker than compatriot George Russell who did nearly three times as many laps in the Williams — 157 to Hamilton’s 54. Sunday was Russell’s first day in the car.

The older Briton seemed to struggle to get a stable lap together, spinning late on.

“We’ve had issues in recent years with pace in winter testing and managed to make good progress before the first race but we may have our work cut out this time,” said Mercedes trackside engineering head Andrew Shovlin.

He said the car was more predictable on high fuel loads but “we can see from the data we’ve collected over the last few days that on race pace, we’re not as quick as Red Bull.”

EYE-CATCHING TSUNODA

Tsunoda was the name that caught the eye with the Japanese rookie just 0.093 slower than Verstappen as he completed 91 laps for the Red Bull sister team.

Ferrari, gathering strength again after their worst season in 40 years, had Carlos Sainz third overall despite an hydraulics issue after Charles Leclerc was second in the morning. The pair managed 159 laps between them.

“When we were here last year in Bahrain for the race and for qualifying we have been very slow on the straights,” said Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto.

“Now… I think at least on the straights the speed is alright. It doesn’t seem to be such a disadvantage as it was last year.”

Kimi Raikkonen, in the Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo, did more laps than anyone — 165.

Valtteri Bottas opened the session for Mercedes and was seventh fastest when he handed over to Hamilton, with 84 laps completed.

The Finn felt the team had made up ground after a difficult opening Friday when he had managed only six laps due to a gearbox problem.

“I feel like we made a decent recovery,” Bottas told reporters.

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Bahrain limits F1 tickets to vaccinated and COVID recovered | Racing News – Times of India

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Fans will be allowed to attend Formula One‘s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix this month if they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have recovered from the virus, organisers said on Thursday.
The race at the Sakhir circuit is scheduled for March 28.
Organisers said there would be health screening on entry and masks would have to be worn at all times. There will be no ‘Paddock Club’ hospitality or corporate lounges.
Bahrain hosted two races in November and December last season, with only health workers in the grandstands.
The Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) has offered vaccinations to teams and personnel attending March 12-14 testing and the race but they are not expected to take up the offer.
“Formula One, as a UK-based organisation, has no plans to be vaccinated as a travelling group ahead of the already established rollout of vaccines through the health system in the UK,” an F1 spokesman said.

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Mercedes Unveil New Car for Formula One 2021 Season: A Look at the Black Beauty

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Mercedes unveiled their new car ahead of the upcoming 2021 season of Formula One on Tuesday. Their new car the Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance will be used by their drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas during the course of the 2021 season. This is Mercedes’ first car to use the ‘E PERFORMANCE’ designation, signifying their closer alignment to the Mercedes-AMG performance division in the future. ‘E PERFORMANCE’ is the new technology label that will be used in product names and badges on all forthcoming Mercedes-AMG performance hybrid cars — which feature direct cascade technology from F1 and, in particular, the work of Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth.

The team’s closer cooperation with AMG is also reflected in the new 2021 livery, with AMG branding replacing the star pattern on the engine cover which now fades to Mercedes’ traditional racing silver from the black base livery introduced in 2020. The most prominent colour remains the iconic green of Title Partner PETRONAS on the front and rear wings, nose, mirrors and halo, with the parallel green and silver stripes on the flanks of the car symbolising more than a decade of partnership between Mercedes and PETRONAS. The visual identity is completed by the burgundy of team shareholder and Principal Partner INEOS, which features on the airbox and the inside of the front wing endplates.

“Every year we reset our focus and define the right objectives,” said Team Principal Toto Wolff. “That may sound simple but it’s damn hard and is probably why there are no sports teams out there with seven consecutive titles. So many things can happen and 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. Every season presents a new challenge and therefore, a new goal for us to achieve. 2021 brings changes to the regulations, which could impact our competitiveness, plus the cost cap and working on the major rule changes of 2022. These challenges excite us.”

Hamilton and Bottas will be entering their fifth season as teammates at Mercedes.

“The launch day of a new car is always a really exciting one,” Hamilton was quoted as saying in the Mercedes press release. “It’s great to reveal to the world the result of everyone’s hard work at the factories and to see some of my team-mates in person, which has been so rare during the past year. I’ve been in touch with the engineers through the winter, keeping track of their preparations as I prepare myself for the season ahead. The excitement has been building and building, so now I just can’t wait to get out on track in the W12.”

“Obviously we haven’t been able to visit the factory much in the past year, so firstly, I’m really happy to be back here and to see the new car in person for the first time,” said Bottas. “I’ve been getting regular updates on how things are progressing, so it’s nice to now be able to see the end result in the flesh and that just gets me more fired up for the new season. The cars are pretty similar to last year but there are some interesting aero changes that will have an impact on how the car handles and performs, so I’m looking forward to seeing how it feels on track in Bahrain.”



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Formula One Season Kicks-off This Month with Mercedes, Ferrari Unveiling New Cars

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Formula One season is set to kick off at the end of this month with Bahrain Grand Prix. Following the postponement of the Australian Grand Prix, which was scheduled for March 21, the focus of the new season is firmly on Bahrain with testing due to run from March 12 to 14 with the opening Grand Prix of the 2021 season taking place there on March 28. However, before the start of the first race of the season, there are plenty of launches to look forward to.

Here is how the F1 calendar is March looks like:

March 2: Mercedes and Alpine Launches

March 3: Aston Martin Launch

March 4: Haas Livery Reveal

March 5: Williams Launch

March 10: Ferrari Launch

March 12-14: F1 Testing, Bahrain

March 19: Drive to Survive Season 3

March 26-28: Bahrain Grand Prix

Mercedes, who have been ruling the roost in both the Drivers and Constructors Championship, will be the first to launch their car for the upcoming season. While there are three more launches in between, the next big thing will be Ferrari’s launch on March 10.

Also on March 19, the third season of the popular web series on Netflix ‘Drive to Survive’ will be released. The first season of the show was a 10-part series focussing on the 2018 World Championship.

The series was so popular that Netflix launched season 2 with focus on the 2019 World Championship. And now the 2020 World Championship will be in the limelight when the third season comes out.

Ahead of the Bahrain GP, the country offered to vaccinate all teams and personnel against Covid-19 when they arrive for pre-season testing this month. However, according to an AFP source within F1, the offer will be rejected.

“The vast majority of participants will be present in Bahrain for a three-week period ahead of the race,” Bahraini organisers of the Grand Prix said in a statement on Sunday evening. “This, in turn, allows a unique opportunity to provide additional protection for those who wish to take up the opportunity in the form of vaccination (Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine).”

(With AFP inputs)



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F1 Set to Reject Bahrain’s Covid-19 Vaccines Offer During Pre-season Testing in March

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Formula One is set to turn down an offer by Bahrain to vaccinate all teams and personnel against Covid-19 when they arrive for pre-season testing this month. Following the postponement of the Australian Grand Prix, which was scheduled for March 21, the focus of the new season is firmly on Bahrain with testing due to run from March 12 to 14 with the opening Grand Prix of the 2021 season taking place there on March 28. “The vast majority of participants will be present in Bahrain for a three-week period ahead of the race,” Bahraini organisers of the Grand Prix said in a statement on Sunday evening.

“This, in turn, allows a unique opportunity to provide additional protection for those who wish to take up the opportunity in the form of vaccination (Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine).”

Highlighting “one of the highest vaccination rates globally” with now “five different vaccines” available to the population, Bahrain said it was “extending the programme to major events in the kingdom — on a voluntary basis — where timescales allow”.

According to a source within Formula 1, the offer will be rejected.

Based in the United Kingdom, like the vast majority of teams, F1 intends to remain in line with the British vaccination schedule so that its employees are not seen to be benefitting from privilege.

More than 20 million people have already received a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in the UK, which has recorded almost 123,000 deaths, the most of any country in Europe.

The decision to run Grands Prix in Bahrain has stirred controversy in the past on account of the kingdom’s human rights record.

In November 2020, 16 human rights groups wrote to Formula One accusing them of playing a “central role in ‘sportswashing’ the Bahraini government’s human rights abuses and “performing invaluable PR for Bahrain’s government and risk further normalising the violation of human rights in the country”.



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Ferrari’s F1 Chief Mattia Binotto Hoping for Revival in 2021

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Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto conceded on Thursday that however the upcoming Formula One season pans out, “we know that we need somehow to do better in 2021” after last year’s disastrous campaign.

Binotto was speaking at the team’s virtual launch on Friday ahead of the unveiling of their new car next month.

With Carlos Sainz replacing Sebastian Vettel alongside Charles Leclerc, Binotto and all the Scuderia’s legion of fans are anticipating a marked upturn in the team’s fortunes.

“Certainly last year was a big, big disappointment,” Binotto said of Ferrari’s worst season since 1980, when they mustered a mere 131 points compared to over 500 in 2019, and came in an embarrassing sixth in the constructors table.

“We know that we cannot repeat such a bad result,” said the man whose job it is to lead the famous F1 name out of the doldrums.

“That is what I’m expecting,” he added, “so I think it’s really a matter of mentality: team mentality, drivers’ mentality, and as Team Principal, no doubt I’m fully aware of the responsibility I’ve got, being part of such a team.

“I feel… not pressure, but I feel the responsibility, as well the pride, and I know that, as I said, initially we simply need to do better, and that’s part of my first responsibility.”

Ferrari’s hopes to turn the corner rest in large part on the SF21 car, which will be fitted with a brand new power unit and is due to be unveiled on March 10, two days before pre-season testing at the Bahrain International circuit ahead of the opening grand prix in the Gulf kingdom on March 28.

But Binotto was careful not to raise expectations, with Ferrari’s last win coming back in Singapore in 2019.

“What I think will (lead to our recovery) is our will to win,” he said.

“I’m not saying that we will win –- I think that we need to be realistic.

“There are cars (champions Mercedes for instance) that have been very, very strong last year, and with the car (development) being partially frozen, they will be certainly very strong again in 2021.”



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F1: Franz Tost Skeptical of Haas Rookie Nikita Mazepin’s Ability to Succeed

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Nikita Mazepin (Photo Credit: Haas F1 Team Twitter)

Nikita Mazepin (Photo Credit: Haas F1 Team Twitter)

As a keen observer of fresh talent racing in the junior ranks, Franz Tost’s doubts emerge from Nikita Mazepin’s temperament and character.

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AlphaTauri principal Franz Tost is highly doubtful that Nikita Mazepin, who will be making his debut at Haas, will have much of a career in Formula 1. Tost, who has mentored many young talents in F1, is skeptical of the Haas F1 Team rookie based on what he’s seen so far from the young Russian. As a keen observer of fresh talent racing in the junior ranks, Tost’s doubts emerge from Mazepin’s temperament and character. The Austrian values these key components for any young gun who aims to race at the highest level. The Alpha Tauri boss reckons that Mazepin’s ways don’t bode well for his F1 career prospects.

In a recent interview with Auto Motor und Sport, when asked about Mazepin, Tost commented, “I could get brutal again and say you can’t make a tiger out of a cow! In the end, it always depends on how much brain a driver has and then switches on in the cockpit.” He added that for him what matters more is how much of a brain the driver has. The way he sees it, only intelligent drivers become successful in the cockpit and they behave accordingly as well. Tost, in his long time in motorsport, has found that intelligent drivers who know why they are doing something, will only prevail.

Mazepi will pair with Mick Schumacher at Haas this season. The 21-year-old Russian has been a constant in the limelight, thanks to his off-track antics. Since his junior racing seasons, he has been a regular of backlash on social media and has made headlines for the wrong reasons. Last year, he issued a public apology for his inappropriate behaviour online. Mazepin’s on-track antics have also proved unpopular in the past. Following a race incident, he slapped teammate Calum Illot following. Last summer, he was portrayed on video in an alleged groping incident. After the Russian uploaded the abhorrent video, massive outrage on the internet followed. This controversy had ended in a ban by the F1 community from the series before his debut.



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McLaren’s Lando Norris Preparing for His Hardest But Best Formula One Season

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McLaren’s Lando Norris expects 2021 to be the hardest but best season of his fledgling Formula One career, with a new teammate in Australian Daniel Ricciardo, a switch to Mercedes engines and absolutely no excuses.

The 21-year-old will be starting his third year in grand prix racing having already established himself as the youngest Briton to stand on the podium after finishing third in Austria last year.

He ended that season ninth overall after finishing 11th in his debut year.

“In many ways it’s going to be the hardest season altogether but I am hoping the best season too,” Norris told reporters ahead of the online launch of McLaren’s new MCL35M car at the factory alongside Ricciardo.

“The hardest for different reasons and one of them being that I’m the guy with the experience at McLaren so I need to take on a bit more of that role and show how it is done and lead the team in the right direction.

“It’s a bigger opportunity for me to take up that lead and something I will work very hard on.”

ALSO READ | Formula One: McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo Launches One Car and Has Eyes on Another

Ricciardo has replaced Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who has moved to Ferrari, at the Woking-based team and Norris suggested the challenge for him would not be very different with the driver change.

“I don’t think it makes it any harder. Carlos is an extremely good driver and there are things Carlos is going to be better at than Daniel and vice-versa,” he said.

“I don’t believe Daniel is a big step above anything that Carlos has achieved so it doesn’t really change much for me.

“There’s probably more pressure on him because he has been in Formula One for longer,” added Norris, who said he had fully recovered from contracting COVID-19 in January while in Dubai.

Norris said there would be no excuses in his third year and he would have to perform.

He said he had stepped up in training, mentioning that he had also modified habits such as “trying not to have a pizza as often”.

“I am trying to think outside the box and dedicating more time and thinking more than normal to work out what is good for me and push myself to the next level,” he said.

The season starts in Bahrain on March 28.



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