F1 News

Bottas confirmed himself as runner-up in the 2020 drivers’ standings by finishing second in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.
The result clinched Bottas second place by nine points from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, but the Finn ended the year a distant 124 points off Hamilton at the top of the standings.
Asked after the race in Abu Dhabi how satisfied he was to secure second in the ...Keep reading

For this latest #ThinkingForward, we spoke to Toto about the future role of manufacturers in the sport, the eventual showdown between hybrid and electric racing for dominance and whether F1 should have a drivers’ salary cap.
We start with Formula 1 and with all that's happened this year, the Concorde Agreement, budget cap, successful racing restart programme after the lockdown, does Wolff ...Keep reading

Racing Point, which will be rebranded Aston Martin Racing for the 2021 F1 season, is reportedly in talks with US information technology services corporation Cognizant regarding a title sponsorship deal.

Cognizant is believed to be in “advanced negotiations” with the Silverstone-based team, according to Motorsport-Total.com.

READ: Sergio Perez Fires Jibe At Lance Stroll As He Praises McLaren

Racing Point’s current title sponsor, Austrian water treatment manufacturer BWT, may continue to sponsor the team in a reduced capacity.

The team is looking to work its way up the pecking order and establish itself as a front-runner in Formula One over the coming years.

It hopes it will benefit from F1’s budget cap, which will come into effect next season, and the more equitable distribution of prize money.

Their signing of Sebastian Vettel is a clear indication of the team’s growing ambition in Formula One, and the addition of the four-time World Champion to the constructor is likely to help them attract new, more lucrative sponsorship deals.

Although Racing Point narrowly missed out on securing third in the 2020 Constructors’ Championship, team principal Otmar Szafnauer believes there are many positives to carry into the new season ahead of their rebrand to Aston Martin Racing.

‍”It’s been a year of missed opportunities for several reasons – including more than our fair share of bad luck that cost us valuable points,” Szafnauer said after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

‍”We will take the disappointment tonight in our stride and focus on the positives of an incredibly strong season where we enjoyed some great moments.

“We have shown that we have a competitive car and team, which will give us a great base to come back even stronger in 2021 under the Aston Martin name,” he added.

READ: Callum Ilott To Serve As Ferrari Test Driver After Missing Out On Haas Seat

The post Cognizant Negotiating Title Sponsorship Deal With Aston Martin Racing appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix served as F1’s season finale since 2014, and hosted the final round of the revised 2020 calendar last weekend.
But the last six editions of the race have all been won from pole position, while the track layout has been a regular point of contention for drivers left frustrated by the limited overtaking opportunities.
Sunday’s race featured just two overtaking ...Keep reading

Third place in the constructors' championship was a boost for McLaren but their real success on Sunday was the announcement of £185 million in new investment.

Valtteri Bottas says finishing second in the Formula 1 drivers' championship "can't be that satisfying" following another defeat in the title race to Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton

In his second season at Ferrari, Charles Leclerc routed four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel, asserting himself as the new number one at the Scuderia.

The Briton had been loaned out to Mercedes as replacement for Lewis Hamilton for the Sakhir Grand Prix, and looked all set to grab his maiden F1 victory before a botched pitstop and a late puncture wrecked his hopes.
With Hamilton able to return for last weekend's F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi, Russell returned to the Williams team where he has been racing since 2019.
Reflecting on switching ...Keep reading

Red Bull says alignment among rival teams over a Formula 1 engine freeze has made it hopeful it can still secure a deal to keep running Honda engines from 2022

Callum Ilott will serve as Ferrari’s test driver next season, the Scuderia announced this week.

“I am very pleased to be joining Ferrari as its test driver from next year,” Ilott said in a statement.

READ: ‘Social Media Is An Evil’: Ex-Russian Motorsport Official On Nikita Mazepin Groping Video

“I look forward to contributing to the work the team does on and off track, and to all of the new things I can learn by taking on this exciting new challenge.

“I will give my all to do a good job and gain as much experience as possible to continue making progress as a driver.

“I would like to thank the Ferrari Driver Academy and Scuderia Ferrari for this great opportunity and their support. It has been an honour to be part of their programme for the past three years and I am pleased to continue our journey together,” he added.

Ilott, a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, finished second in the Formula Two Drivers’ Standings, just 14 points adrift of Mick Schumacher.

The British driver was previously tipped to join the Haas F1 Team next year, but he missed out after the American racing outfit opted to sign Nikita Mazepin, who finished fifth in the 2020 F2 Championship.

Ilott took part in the Young Drivers’ Test in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday with Alfa Romeo, lapping around 1.5 seconds slower than the fastest lap of pacesetter Fernando Alonso in the Renault.

Commenting on the test, Ilott said: “It’s been an amazing day, driving an incredible car.

“From my personal point of view, I’ve really enjoyed it. It took a lot of focus to keep performing at this level, in such a powerful car, but it’s been really good and I hope to get more opportunities to drive this car in the future.”

READ: Red Bull ‘Close’ To Finalising Deal To Use Re-Branded Honda Power Units From 2022

The post Callum Ilott To Serve As Ferrari Test Driver After Missing Out On Haas Seat appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

With Honda officially pulling out of F1 after the end of next year, Red Bull is currently weighing up its future engine situation.
It has been clear that its preferred route is to take over the IP of the Honda project, so it can keep running its current power unit.
However, the only way Red Bull can realistically push on with the Honda platform is if it does not have to keep developing the ...Keep reading

Red Bull are “close” to finalising a deal with Honda which will allow them to rebrand and continue to use the Japanese car-maker’s power units for the 2022 F1 season and beyond, team principal Christian Horner has revealed.

Horner said their discussions on the matter with the FIA have been “constructive”, adding that Honda have been “very accommodating.”  

READ: Luca Di Montezemolo Not Ruling Out Return To ‘Weak’ Ferrari

This agreement would allow Red Bull and Scuderia AlphaTauri to stay in Formula One without having to find a new engine supplier – and they are pushing for a freeze on engine development to prevent them falling behind the likes of Ferrari and Renault, and ending up with an even larger engine performance deficit to Mercedes.

“Well, obviously we are very focused on Plan A and Honda have been very accommodating, but nothing is finalised,” Horner said.

“We’ve got constructive discussions going on with Honda and the FIA and I think that we are close to coming to a conclusion.

“Obviously, the FIA are consulting with the other teams. I think there’s alignment regarding the freeze, it’s just should there be a safety net if an engine manufacturer undershoots from one season to the next,” the Red Bull team principal added.

Continuing in this vein, Horner conceded that locking in engine performance for several years via a freeze on development “could be quite damaging” as it would prevent weaker power unit manufacturers from closing the gap to their rivals.

If this deal were to fall through for any reason, Red Bull and Scuderia AlphaTauri’s other option would be to arrange an engine supply deal with one of the three other existing F1 power unit manufactures.

Mercedes have already ruled out supplying engines to Red Bull due to supply constraints, as they will be supplying four teams from next year, with McLaren ditching Renault power for Mercedes.

Meanwhile, Ferrari and Renault have suggested they would potentially be open to supplying Red Bull and Scuderia AlphaTauri, though discussions on the matter have not been held.

READ: Yuki Tsunoda To Replace Daniil Kvyat At AlphaTauri Next Year

The post Red Bull ‘Close’ To Finalising Deal To Use Re-Branded Honda Power Units From 2022 appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Despite a disappointing run to 14th on a weekend where Ferrari did not have much pace, Vettel was determined to do something special in his final outing for the Maranello team.
On his slow down lap after the chequered flag, as his team thanked him for all he had brought to the Maranello squad, he told them over the radio that he had a surprise.
In Italian he said: “You know that sometimes ...Keep reading

McLaren Formula 1 team chairman Zak Brown insists that the team's jump to third place in the world championship is more about prestige than any financial benefit

Japanese racing driver Yuki Tsunoda will replace Daniil Kvyat at Scuderia AlphaTauri next season, the Italy-based team announced on Wednesday morning.

This comes as over six weeks ago, Formula1News.co.uk revealed that Tsunoda would partner Pierre Gasly at AlphaTauri in 2021 as long as he secures a Super Licence.

READ: Lewis Hamilton Looking To Sign New Mercedes Contract Before Christmas

The Honda-backed driver, who will become the first Japanese driver to compete in Formula One since Kamui Kobayashi retired from the sport in 2014, has said he is looking forward to joining the grid and representing Japan.

“Like most racing drivers, it has always been my goal to race in Formula 1, so I am very happy with this news,” said Tsunoda.

“I want to thank Scuderia AlphaTauri, Red Bull and Dr. Marko for giving me this opportunity, and of course everyone from Honda, for all their support so far in my career, giving me great opportunities to race in Europe.

“I must also thank the teams that I have raced with to get to this point, particularly Carlin, with whom I have learned so much this year. I realise that I will be carrying the hopes of a lot of Japanese F1 fans next year and I will be doing my best for them too,” the 20-year-old added.

Meanwhile, Scuderia AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost said: “Red Bull has been following Yuki’s career for a while now and I am sure he will be a great asset to our team.

“Watching him in Formula 2 this year, he has demonstrated the right mix of racing aggression and good technical understanding. During the test in Imola in November when he drove our 2018 car, his lap times were very consistent over a race simulation, he progressed throughout the day and gave our engineers useful feedback.

“In addition, his integration with the Honda engineers has been seamless, which certainly helps. At the test in Abu Dhabi this week, he proved to be a fast learner and that he is ready to make the step to Formula One.”

Tsunoda tested a 2018-spec Toro Rosso at Imola several weeks ago and took part in the Young Drivers’ Test in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

The Imola test, combined with his P3 finish in the F2 standings, are enough for him to qualify for a Super Licence.

READ: Luca Di Montezemolo Not Ruling Out Return To ‘Weak’ Ferrari

The post Yuki Tsunoda To Replace Daniil Kvyat At AlphaTauri Next Year appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Sebastian Vettel has explained why he burst in to song for his Ferrari Formula 1 team after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Swiss debris fence manufacturer Geobrugg, which supplies ten of the current F1 circuits, has formed a partnership with lighting provider DZ Engineering SRL to provide a value-for-money system that will work at most tracks.
The idea is that the lights from DZ Engineering, which already supplies the Singapore GP with its system, can be fitted to current debris fences to provide an economic ...Keep reading

An all-new lighting system revealed for the first time today could open the door for more night races to be added to the Formula 1 calendar

The AlphaTauri Formula 1 team has confirmed Yuki Tsunoda will partner Pierre Gasly in 2021, replacing Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull's sister team

The news has been expected for some weeks, with the Japanese driver having begun his preparations with an outing in a 2018 Toro Rosso at Imola last month.
He enjoyed his first run in the current car and on proper race tyres in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, setting the seventh best time of the day.
The 20-year-old, who is a protege of both Red Bull and Honda, will be the first Japanese driver to ...Keep reading