Formula One: 2021 Season News and Discussion Thread

I believe for the Sprint they are dictated a compound.
I took @F-C 's double-header comment to be about the Styria/Austria double. Hence my comment of having very different compound options for each weekend.
Yes. I meant having two races at the same circuit. I get that last year F1 had to do it because everything was so uncertain, and they had to get a certain number of races on the books to complete the championship (and probably satisfy tv contracts). But there's just no reason to do it again this year.
Hey, I like the different tyre compound suggestion. Something to change things up.
Hey, I like the different tyre compound suggestion. Something to change things up.
Our Home: Mercedes F1 Factory Tour!
Pretty cool brief video tour of the MB factory in the UK, love to visit that facility.
1800 PC's, 24 CNC machines include eleven 5-axis, 7 post test rig,.....
1800 PC's, 24 CNC machines include eleven 5-axis, 7 post test rig,.....

Last edited by Legend2TL; May 16, 2021 at 03:12 PM.
This will look pretty cool driving around Monaco. They have merchandise available too.
https://www.mclarenstore.com/gb/en/f1/gulf/
F1 site has some nice pics up now.
https://www.mclarenstore.com/gb/en/f1/gulf/
F1 site has some nice pics up now.
Last edited by West6MT; May 16, 2021 at 07:05 PM.
Wallpaper for the F1 and well, the F1 cart...a la Gulf livery... 
https://acurazine.com/forums/car-tal.../#post16720292

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-tal.../#post16720292
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This will look pretty cool driving around Monaco. They have merchandise available too.
https://www.mclarenstore.com/gb/en/f1/gulf/
F1 site has some nice pics up now.
https://www.mclarenstore.com/gb/en/f1/gulf/
F1 site has some nice pics up now.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only historical connection between McLaren and Gulf is from Le Mans where a customer team raced a McLaren F1 GTR in those gap years between Group C and LMP. It's kind of a tenuous connection that the factory F1 team is trying to make right now if you ask me.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only historical connection between McLaren and Gulf is from Le Mans where a customer team raced a McLaren F1 GTR in those gap years between Group C and LMP. It's kind of a tenuous connection that the factory F1 team is trying to make right now if you ask me.


The Gulf-McLarens broke with tradition and ran in Gulf’s official corporate colours – dark blue and orange – for two of the three seasons before reverting to the iconic Gulf racing colours in 1997. During this time the team took nine race wins and, with Ray Bellm and James Weaver, won the Global GT Championship title in 1996.
"
https://gulf.no/gulf-sport/our-motor...tory__trashed/
Meh, I am all for the hotness.......and from a historical perspective,...good enough.
Could have done it with Aston too (longer/more successful partnership between Aston and Gulf).
Last edited by West6MT; May 18, 2021 at 05:57 PM.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only historical connection between McLaren and Gulf is from Le Mans where a customer team raced a McLaren F1 GTR in those gap years between Group C and LMP. It's kind of a tenuous connection that the factory F1 team is trying to make right now if you ask me.


And for the life of me, I couldn't recall the factory McLaren team having any Gulf sponsorship. And I don't equate the Le Mans win as a Team McLaren victory. So my first reaction was that this was some quasi historical connection for marketing purposes.
Well, I guess I was wrong. Looks like Team McLaren did have a partnership back before I was born...



But since I just can't help nitpicking...to be period correct, they should ditch the baby blue and go for pure orange. Leave the baby blue for Ford Racing.

https://www.mclaren.com/racing/team/...-lando-norris/
McLaren Racing is pleased to announce it has extended its relationship with Lando Norris, the team’s current Formula 1 driver, in a multi-year agreement.
The 21-year-old from Somerset, UK, has been part of the McLaren family since early 2017, initially joining as Test and Simulator driver, following championship victories in all but one of the single-seater junior formulae he competed in. Lando became McLaren Test and Reserve driver in 2018, taking part in a number of free practice sessions, before being promoted to a full-time race seat for the 2019 season.
Since his Formula 1 racing debut at the Australian Grand Prix in 2019, Lando has emerged as one of the sport’s most talented and popular drivers, impressing with performances resulting in two podium finishes at the Austrian Grand Prix in 2020, and most recently at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix earlier this season.
This announcement cements the McLaren driver line-up, confirming Lando Norris alongside 31-year-old Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who also began a long-term relationship with the team at the start of the 2021 season.
The confirmation of its driver pairing beyond 2022 signals McLaren Racing’s commitment to stability for the future and represents a further step in the team’s long-term plan to compete at the front of the field.
“My commitment to McLaren is clear: my goal is to win races and become Formula 1 World Champion and I want to do that with this team. Since joining in 2017 our progression has been consistent and we have clear ambitions together for the future.
“I want to say thank you to Zak and Andreas for the belief they’ve shown in me since the beginning, and to the whole team for giving me such a strong environment to continue my career in. We’ve already had some incredible moments together which I’ll never forget – two podiums and securing P3 in the championship – and together with Daniel and the rest of the team I’m looking forward to pushing for even more success in the years to come.”
The 21-year-old from Somerset, UK, has been part of the McLaren family since early 2017, initially joining as Test and Simulator driver, following championship victories in all but one of the single-seater junior formulae he competed in. Lando became McLaren Test and Reserve driver in 2018, taking part in a number of free practice sessions, before being promoted to a full-time race seat for the 2019 season.
Since his Formula 1 racing debut at the Australian Grand Prix in 2019, Lando has emerged as one of the sport’s most talented and popular drivers, impressing with performances resulting in two podium finishes at the Austrian Grand Prix in 2020, and most recently at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix earlier this season.
This announcement cements the McLaren driver line-up, confirming Lando Norris alongside 31-year-old Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who also began a long-term relationship with the team at the start of the 2021 season.
The confirmation of its driver pairing beyond 2022 signals McLaren Racing’s commitment to stability for the future and represents a further step in the team’s long-term plan to compete at the front of the field.
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said:
“I’m delighted with the extension of our agreement with Lando for 2022 and beyond. He’s been instrumental in our return of form here at McLaren and we’re proud of the growth he’s shown since he first started with us back in 2017. Lando is one of the brightest talents on the Formula 1 grid and we look forward to seeing him continue to go from strength-to-strength both on and off track.”Andreas Seidl, Team Principal, McLaren F1, said:
“Our decision to confirm Lando’s long-term future at McLaren was very straightforward. Lando has impressed us since his rookie year with his performances, and his evolution as a driver since then has been clear to see. He’s an integral part of our performance recovery plan and his record so far, securing two podiums with the team over the past year, has shown he’s a formidable competitor on track. Like him, we have strong ambitions for our future together and I’m pleased we’re continuing this journey into the next chapter for both Lando and the team. In Lando and Daniel we have a hugely talented and exciting driver line-up, and this announcement is a strong signal of commitment to the next chapter for McLaren from 2022 onwards.”Lando Norris, McLaren Formula 1 driver, said:
“I’m really pleased to have extended my relationship with McLaren from 2022. Having been with the team for almost five years, I feel very much part of the family here and I couldn’t imagine starting the next phase of my career anywhere else. McLaren has been a huge support since my days in junior series and I’ve really enjoyed learning and developing as a driver since.“My commitment to McLaren is clear: my goal is to win races and become Formula 1 World Champion and I want to do that with this team. Since joining in 2017 our progression has been consistent and we have clear ambitions together for the future.
“I want to say thank you to Zak and Andreas for the belief they’ve shown in me since the beginning, and to the whole team for giving me such a strong environment to continue my career in. We’ve already had some incredible moments together which I’ll never forget – two podiums and securing P3 in the championship – and together with Daniel and the rest of the team I’m looking forward to pushing for even more success in the years to come.”
Last edited by West6MT; May 19, 2021 at 04:17 PM.
In fall 1992 I was in Nice, France on business and spent one weekend day visiting Monaco. Drove my rental Renault Safrane around the street circuit (all that's part of public roads which is the vast majority of it) around midnight to minimize traffic. To say it's tight is an understatement
That track setup video is really interesting. Two things struck out to me.
1. The location of that pool is very awkward. When the GP isn't there, it just sits in the middle of streets. It looks so misplaced.
2. Was the old super cramped pit garages also prefab units that were dropped into the pit lane during the GP month? I always thought that they were permanent structures.
1. The location of that pool is very awkward. When the GP isn't there, it just sits in the middle of streets. It looks so misplaced.
2. Was the old super cramped pit garages also prefab units that were dropped into the pit lane during the GP month? I always thought that they were permanent structures.
Until you visit this track in person, you'll never grasp just how compact it is. If you're sitting in the Rascasse grandstands, cars are passing by right to left, beyond that not too bar away, you're looking right at the garages and the happenings there. It is such an awesome place to see F1 cars in all their fury and glory at speed.
Last night I was trying to remember when you were there and who won that year? It was like 4 or 5 years ago, no? And I can only imagine how nuts it must be in person.
Hoping it leads to some unpredictability:https://www.racefans.net/2021/05/21/...nd-up-21-05-4/
Following F1’s decision to add a second race at the Red Bull Ring this year, Pirelli has decided to bring different tyre compounds to the two races in the hope of producing more varied events.
The sport’s official tyre supplier originally nominated the C2, C3 and C4 tyres for the Austrian Grand Prix. A spokesperson advised RaceFans these will instead be brought for the Styrian Grand Prix, which is being held one week earlier at the same track.For the Austrian Grand Prix, Pirelli will now provide the softest tyre compounds in its range. This is the C3, C4 and C5, which are also being used at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Last year the C2, C3 and C4 tyres were brought to both races at the Austrian circuit, as Pirelli was not able to bring different allocations. They did bring different selections for the two races at Silverstone.
The sport’s official tyre supplier originally nominated the C2, C3 and C4 tyres for the Austrian Grand Prix. A spokesperson advised RaceFans these will instead be brought for the Styrian Grand Prix, which is being held one week earlier at the same track.For the Austrian Grand Prix, Pirelli will now provide the softest tyre compounds in its range. This is the C3, C4 and C5, which are also being used at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Last year the C2, C3 and C4 tyres were brought to both races at the Austrian circuit, as Pirelli was not able to bring different allocations. They did bring different selections for the two races at Silverstone.











but Mrs. 