Tag: formula one

Formula One: Ferrari and Shell Extend Partnership Till 2030

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Ferrari and Shell who have been associated since 1929 have extended their partnership till 2030, meaning they will be partners for over 100 years when this new contract ends.

“The relationship between Scuderia Ferrari and Shell dates back to 1929, the year our team was founded,” said Mattia Binotto, Ferrari Managing Director and team principal.

“In that time we have produced so many victories together. We are delighted therefore that our collaboration is now set to go on even longer.” The partnership has resulted in 10 constructors’ F1 World Championships and 12 drivers’ titles.

“We share many common values, not least excellence, passion for racing and teamwork, which have made this partnership unique in the history of motorsport”, Binotto added.

Shell, meanwhile in the release added that they will continue to work together to improve the team’s V6 turbo-hybrid power unit, which already has a thermal efficiency of close to 50%, making it one of the most efficient engines in the world.

The two companies will also work hand-in-hand to define how fuels can be developed for the future, including advanced sustainable biofuels and synthetic liquid fuels, both of which are being explored to help meet Formula 1’s goal of fully sustainable fuels in the cars.

“This new chapter of one of the longest partnerships in motorsport will see the Scuderia and Shell working together not just in search of wins on the track, but also in defining the regulations relating to the power units of the future.”

This comes at an important time for Ferrari who had their poorest season in F1 in 40 years where it came just 6th in the constructors. It hasn’t won a drivers world title in 13 years since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 and hasn’t won the constructors in 12 years.

In 2021 it will introduce a new engine followed by another innovative engine as per reports in 2022 which will be set in stone till 2024 due to the engine development freeze. From 2024 onwards, sustainability and performance will be a huge factor and Shell as the fuel supplier will have to play a huge role in the success of the team.



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

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Daniel Ricciardo showed off McLaren’s new Formula One car on Monday but the Australian also had his eye on something from his boss’s private collection.

The 31-year-old, who joined teammate Lando Norris in pulling the wraps off the papaya and blue car in an online launch, has joined from Renault on a three-year contract and as a proven winner.

He stood on the podium twice last year, winning a bet that obliged then-Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul to get a tattoo of his driver’s choice.

The inking has yet to happen, and Abiteboul has since left Renault, but Ricciardo’s thoughts have turned already to his new situation and what he might wager with McLaren chief executive Zak Brown.

“Only a couple of hours ago we were having some lunch with Zak and he mentioned something about him hating needles,” the Australian told reporters ahead of the presentation.

“So I can’t see the tattoo thing happening with Zak but we’ll think of something else. I know he’s got a pretty good car collection, so maybe we could just bet for one of his cars or something.”

Brown’s collection includes McLaren and Ferrari road cars, as well as Formula One cars raced by champions such as Mario Andretti and Arton Senna.

Ricciardo, winner of seven races with Red Bull, will be the senior driver alongside 21-year-old Norris who is starting his third season.

“I’m certainly the more experienced in F1, this being my 11th season, but actually in terms of McLaren, Lando is the more experienced,” said Ricciardo.

“For sure there’s some things I can learn from him, particularly within the team itself and integration into the McLaren family.

“Every time you have a new teammate it’s a real opportunity to learn something new, whether it’s work ethic or a driving technique. Or both.”

Norris suggested he would be doing more of the learning than Ricciardo.

“He knows what he needs to get out of a team, he knows what he wants, he knows how to speak to his engineers and get them to do what he wants,” said the Briton. “His experience of being in Formula One over-rides his lack of experience with McLaren.”



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Christian Horner Sees Max Verstappen as a Top Target for Mercedes

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Max Verstappen will be the top target for Mercedes once seven-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton decides to retire, according to Red Bull boss Christian Horner. Asked on Monday whether he expected the champions to be “sniffing around” for his 23-year-old Dutch driver as a possible replacement for the Briton, Horner had no doubt they would be interested.

“I’m sure that should Lewis decide to stop, then Max will naturally be the driver at the top of the list. But they also have George Russell, they’ve also got other drivers available to them,” he told reporters.

Horner said ultimately it would come down to relationships and producing a winning car, with new rules and a fresh start for all in 2022. Mercedes will again start this year as favourites.

“Of course, as there has always been, there is an element of performance related to Max’s contract,” said the team boss, who described the relationship with Verstappen — winner of two races last year — as very strong.

“I’m confident that we won’t need to refer to any contractual clauses. It will ultimately be down to us to deliver a competitive car, that’s what he wants and that’s what we want.”

Red Bull announced on Monday that they will take on departing Honda’s technology and run their own engines from 2022.

Horner said Verstappen believed in the project and could see the investment Red Bull were making.

Hamilton has signed only a one-year extension to his contract with Mercedes, triggering speculation that the 36-year-old may walk away at the end of a year that could bring him a record eighth title.

Verstappen is under contract at Red Bull until 2023 but much will depend on the team’s performance meeting his expectations.

The youngster finished third overall last year, best of the rest after Hamilton and Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas, and has won 10 of his 119 races to date.

Britain’s Russell, the 2018 Formula Two champion, races for Williams but has a long-term Mercedes contract and stood in for Hamilton in Bahrain last year when his compatriot tested positive for COVID-19.



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Formula One Driver Fernando Alonso Leaves Hospital after Cycling Crash

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Two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso has left the hospital following surgery on his jaw, Alpine F1 said Monday. Alonso fractured his jaw in a cycling accident in Switzerland on Thursday.

After a period of 48 hours observation at hospital in Switzerland, Fernando Alonso has now been discharged to complete his recovery at home, the team wrote on Twitter. He will now have a short period of complete rest before progressively resuming training to undertake preparation for the start of the season.

Preseason testing begins at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir on March 12. The first race will be held at the same venue on March 28.

The 39-year-old Spaniard has won 32 F1 races, with 97 podium finishes. He is due to make his comeback in F1 after retiring at the end of the 2018 season.

“I’m ok and looking forward to getting 2021 underway,” Alonso wrote on Twitter on Friday after the team said he would be fully “operational” for the start of the season.

Alonso won his titles in 2005 and 2006 with Renault, which was re-branded as Alpine for 2021.



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Red Bull to Use Honda-based Formula One Engines from 2022

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Red Bull have formed their own powertrain company and will continue to race from 2022 with engines using Honda technology, the Formula One team said on Monday. Honda, who are engine partners to Red Bull Racing and Italy-based sister team AlphaTauri, announced last year they would be leaving the sport as a power unit manufacturer at the end of 2021 to focus on zero-emission technology.

Monday’s announcement comes after Formula One teams and manufacturers agreed last week to “freeze” power unit development from the start of 2022. The agreement with Honda covers the duration of the freeze, which will run until the sport introduces the next generation of power units in 2025.

“We were understandably disappointed when Honda made the decision to leave the sport as an engine manufacturer…but we are grateful for their support in facilitating this new agreement,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. “Honda has invested significantly in hybrid technology to ensure the supply of competitive power units to both teams.”

Red Bull Powertrains Limited will be based at the Red Bull factory in Milton Keynes, England.

Both Red Bull-owned teams won races last year and Honda, who have restored their reputation after a dismal previous stint with McLaren, have promised to develop their engines further before they depart.

Red Bull are hoping to make a serious title challenge to Mercedes’s long domination of the V6 turbo hybrid era this year with Dutch youngster Max Verstappen and experienced Mexican Sergio Perez.

AlphaTauri have Frenchman Pierre Gasly, who won at Monza last year, and Honda-backed Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda in their lineup.

The engine freeze was a vital part of the puzzle for the former champions, who had said they would not have been able to afford the costs of continuing to develop the Honda power unit to stay competitive.

The alternative would have been Renault, whose engines powered Red Bull to four successive drivers’ and constructors’ championships with Sebastian Vettel from 2010-13 at the end of the V8 era.

Red Bull fell out with Renault before switching to Honda engines for 2019 and were reluctant to go back to the French manufacturer, who supply only their own team and would have capacity.

The move means Formula One will still have four different engines competing next year — Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Red Bull’s.

“The establishment of Red Bull Powertrains Limited is a bold move by Red Bull but it is one we have made after careful and detailed consideration,” said Red Bull’s motorsport adviser Helmut Marko in a statement.



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Formula One: Fernando Alonso Has Successful Operation on Fractured Jaw, Alpine F1 Confirm

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Spanish Formula One driver Fernando Alonso underwent an operation for a fractured jaw and will remain under observation for the next two days following a road accident while cycling in Switzerland, his Alpine team said on Friday.

The 39-year-old double world champion, who was involved in the accident on Thursday, is due to make his Formula One comeback this season after two years out of the sport.

“Following his cycling accident yesterday Fernando Alonso was kept under observation in a hospital in Switzerland,” a team statement said.

“Medics discovered a fracture in his upper jaw and conducted a successful corrective operation. The attending medical team are satisfied with his progress.

“Fernando will remain under observation in hospital for a further 48 hours.”

Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper reported on Thursday that the Spaniard, a keen cycling fan, had been hit by a car while training on his bike near his home in Lugano.

Alpine, formerly known as Renault and renamed after the French manufacturer’s sportscar brand, said they expected Alonso “to be fully operational to undertake preparation for the season”.

The Formula One championship is due to begin in Bahrain on March 28, with pre-season testing in the Gulf kingdom from March 12-14.

Alonso, who took his titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006 and has won 32 Grand Prix, last raced in Formula One with McLaren in 2018.



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Formula One: Fernando Alonso Recovering after Cycling Accident, Alpine F1 Confirm

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Formula One driver Fernando Alonso is recovering from a cycling accident in Switzerland, his team Alpine F1 said Thursday.

Alpine said Alonso was involved in a road accident but did not give further details.

Fernando is conscious and well in himself and is awaiting further medical examinations tomorrow morning, the team said in a statement. Alpine F1 Team will not make any further statement at this point in time. Further updates will be given tomorrow (Friday).

The 39-year-old Spaniard has won 32 F1 races, with 97 podium finishes. He is returning to F1 this year after retiring at the end of his final season with McLaren in 2018.

Alonso won his two world titles with French manufacturer Renault, which was re-branded as Alpine for 2021.

Preseason testing begins at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir on March 12 and the first race will also be held there on March 28.



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Portugal Set to Take Vacant Slot on Formula One Calendar in May

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Portugal’s Algarve circuit is set to return to the Formula One calendar this season, taking the vacant slot left by Vietnam on May 2. The BBC and Sky Sports television said teams would be told officially at a meeting of the Formula One commission on Thursday that the third round of the season would be in Portugal.

Sources told Reuters the news, first reported by motorsport.com, was correct.

The Algarve circuit near Portimao hosted a grand prix for the first time last October on a heavily revised calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The return would have been confirmed last month but that was thrown into doubt by the country seeing a spike in cases and imposing a nationwide lockdown.

Bahrain, which opens the season on March 28, could have hosted two successive races if the plans for Portugal had been cancelled.

The Portuguese Grand Prix will be on the weekend before the Spanish round at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.

That would mean the mostly British-based teams would stay abroad, avoiding the need for a period of hotel quarantine that would arise under present rules if they returned directly from Portugal.

Portugal is on Britain’s ‘red list’ of countries with a heightened risk.

Formula One personnel have to undergo regular testing during the season, with teams operating in protective ‘bubbles’ at racetracks.

New F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali said last week that the sport still aimed for a record 23 races this year after holding just 17 last season.



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Lewis Hamilton Signs New One-year Deal with Mercedes, F1 Team Announces

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Lewis Hamilton finally put pen to paper to a new one-year deal with Mercedes after much delay, the Formula One team made the announcement on Monday. Hamilton is the reigning world champion while Mercedes is the reigning F1 World Constructors’ Champion. The upcoming one year will be the ninth consecutive season that Hamilton spends at Mercedes. Since joining Mercedes in 2013, Hamilton is now the all-time race win record holder after he broke Michael Schumacher’s record of six Drivers’ Championship last year.

“A significant part of the new agreement builds upon the joint commitment to greater diversity and inclusion in motorsport that was made last year by Lewis and Mercedes. This will take the form of a joint charitable foundation, which will have the mission of supporting greater diversity and inclusion in all its forms in motorsport,” Mercedes said in its statement.

“I am excited to be heading into my ninth season with my Mercedes teammates. Our team has achieved incredible things together and we look forward to building on our success even further, while continuously looking to improve, both on and off the track.

“I’m equally determined to continue the journey we started to make motorsport more diverse for future generations and I am grateful that Mercedes has been extremely supportive of my call to address this issue. I’m proud to say we are taking that effort further this year by launching a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport. I am inspired by all that we can build together and can’t wait to get back on the track in March,” Hamilton said in Mercedes’ official press release.

Mercedes CEO and Team Principal Toto Wolff said, “We have always been aligned with Lewis that we would continue, but the very unusual year we had in 2020 meant it took some time to finish the process. Together, we have decided to extend the sporting relationship for another season and to begin a longer-term project to take the next step in our shared commitment to greater diversity within our sport. Lewis’s competitive record stands alongside the best the sports world has ever seen, and he is a valued ambassador for our brand and our partners. The story of Mercedes and Lewis has written itself into the history books of our sport over the past eight seasons, and we are hungry to compete and to add more chapters to it.”



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