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I read something a week or two ago, that Alfa was looking forward to the new regs, as it's a chance for them to fix the 'mistake' they made at the front of the car. IIRC, Alfa & Ferrari both went with the heavily downturned wing elements at the end plates, and Alfa didn't have the capability to redesign the car to make a significant change with the front wing.
Maybe, they get it right, similar to Williams in 2014 & are near-er the front come Australia '22
It'll be interesting to see the between LH & GR. Curious just how much George will be 'allowed' to push Lewis in his first year.
My brother is great friends with the man charged with designing ALL of the MBZ team's kit from t's, polos, shorts, pants, jackets and vests-everything. PJ is a former designer for Hilfiger, a native of NY's Southern Tier (Horseheads). PJ has loaded my brother up with boxes of MBZ Team Wear only the team gets. He keeps telling me "You should switch to MBZ from Ferrari dude." Can't do it . . . . Here's my nephew holding up some of the goodies from the last shipment:
Last edited by Chief F1 Fan; 09-07-2021 at 03:22 PM.
Raikkonen announced his retirement from F1 ahead of last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, shortly before he tested positive for coronavirus and had to miss the Zandvoort race weekend.
While the Finn has not yet made any plans about what he will do in the future, beyond spending more time with his family, Alfa Romeo is keen to tap into his experience and insight.
Team boss Fred Vasseur, who signed Raikkonen after he was dropped by Ferrari at the end of 2018, said he would like to talk to his driver at some point to see if they can continue working together.
He thinks it would be wrong, however, to try to rush Raikkonen into making a decision about 2022 plans immediately, with his retirement news having only just come out.
“I think I saw that already he had some proposal for other series or something like this, so I think it's much better to let things calm down,” explained Vasseur.
“Then we'll have time to discuss about what we could do in the future. I would be more than keen to have Kimi on board somewhere, but I think he has to take time.
“I think it would be a mistake [for him] to take another option today, and say: ‘Okay I will do this, and I will do this.’ He has to calm down to realise what the decision means and then it will be time to decide about the future.”
Vasseur says that although Raikkonen may not have delivered the results with Alfa Romeo that both would have liked, there were many great qualities he brought the Swiss team.
“He was able to bring to the team huge experience,” said Vasseur. “He drove the last 20 years, in a winning team, always fighting for the championship.
“This was a huge support to the development of the team. I'm not speaking about results on the day-by-day basis, but midterm development on the project. He knows perfectly where the performance is coming from.
“And also in parallel, in terms of image for the team, it was a huge push. I would have loved to have better results and to do more, but that's also the purpose of racing, that you always want to do more and to get more. But it is like it is and the support from Kimi was an impressive one.”
Following his positive Covid-19 test last week, Kimi Raikkonen will sit out this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, with Robert Kubica set to race in his place for Alfa Romeo.
Raikkonen – who announced last week that he would be retiring from Formula 1 at the end of this season – tested positive for the virus ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, and sat out that race as a result.
Reserve driver Kubica stood in for the Finn – making his first Grand Prix appearance since the end of the 2019 season when he drove for Williams – and finished 15th, despite not taking part in either of the Friday practice sessions.
And it was announced on Wednesday that Raikkonen would also miss this weekend's race at Monza, with Kubica again taking his place.
A team statement said: “Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN can confirm that reserve driver, Robert Kubica, will continue to deputise for Kimi Raikkonen at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
“Kimi missed last week’s race in Zandvoort after testing positive to Covid-19 and has not yet been cleared for a return to racing. As per health authority requirements, he is still isolating in his home.
“Robert, who performed admirably in the Netherlands after stepping in at short notice before FP3, will return to the car alongside Antonio Giovinazzi.”
Kubica added: “First of all, I want to share my best wishes for Kimi: I hope he makes a full recovery and returns to the cockpit soon. I am looking forward to racing in Monza, an incredible track in which I claimed my first podium, in 2006.
"Unlike Zandvoort, it is a track I know well and this will help, particularly since the Sprint Qualifying weekend format means we will be one practice session short. I am happy with what I did in Holland and I can’t wait to help the team out one more time in Monza.”
Alfa Romeo will sport the Italian tricolore flag on their cars for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, celebrating their history with Monza and other Italian circuits. Their driver Antonio Giovinazzi is also sporting a stylish new helmet for his home race – while Aston Martin have a stirring new livery for Monza...
Over seven decades after Nino Farina won the first Formula 1 World Championship at the wheel of the Alfetta 158, Alfa Romeo's 2021 C41s will sport a new livery created by Centro Stile Alfa Romeo – the marque's in-house design team – also celebrating the brand's 111th-anniversary with a logo they used during the Styrian GP weekend.
Alfa calls the green on the upper engine cover 'Quadrifoglio' green, turning their red-and-white paintjob into the Italian flag – while their drivers' race suits will also be styled to match the cars.
Homecoming driver Giovinazzi also has a new helmet for the weekend, which you can view below.
Aston Martin also have a special new addition to their design this weekend, celebrating the upcoming James Bond film No Time To Die with a 007 badge on their AMR21 cars at Monza, as you can see below.
It's not the first time we've seen the suave spy's logo on a Formula 1 car, Red Bull having celebrated F1's 1007th race with a swanky new paintjob in 2019.
Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel will not only compete in the Italian GP, but the team promise that their drivers will face off against each other to build LEGO models of Bond's Aston Martin DB5 – and the F1 team's website will receive a new look this weekend too.
So, that just leaves Alfa seat #2 & the Haas seats, as the TBC for '22? Don't remember if Mick or Mazespin have contracts beyond this year.
The Haas seats are not locked in. I believe the following are the seats still to be confirmed:
Aston Martin: Vettel's option has not been picked up yet. It appears to just be a formality. Unless Vettel decides to retire...
Alfa Romeo: Giovinazzi's seat is open.
Haas: Schumacher and Mazepin are not locked in. I'd imagine Schumacher will be confirmed shortly. Haas is now effectively the Ferrari B team, and Schumacher is Ferrari's top junior prospect. Mazepin will either stay at Haas or go to Alfa.
At least RK will get the full weekend on running, and on a familiar track.
RK did very well for getting back into a F1 for racing no less in years
To me what's sad about AF in general is the 1st two WDC in 1950-51 were won in a AF where they built the entire car including the engine.
Heck even in their 2nd F1 period (late 70's to mid 80's) they also built the car and engine (gearbox Hewland). Now it's just a Sauber sponsored car with a Ferrari drivetrain, like the Aston Martin.
Here's their last F1 car they designed and developed in 1985.
Valtteri Bottas has revealed that his new contract at Alfa Romeo is for a full three years.
Officially, the Swiss team is saying only that the current Mercedes driver has inked a multi-year deal starting in 2022.
"I will not comment on this further," team boss Frederic Vasseur told RTL.
However, 31-year-old Bottas has in fact confirmed the duration of his new deal.
"It's a relaxing feeling," he told Finnish broadcaster MTV.
"Everything is clear, and I know what will happen for the next three and a half years from now. It lifts a burden from the shoulders so I can focus on what I do."
It is unclear whether it is a fixed three-year term, or it involves 'options'.
"It depends on a few different things, but yeah - I will be there for at least three years," Bottas insisted.
"That was really important to me," the Finn explained. "My whole career here has been one year at a time, so it's good to have a project that really is for the longer term.
"There's no need to stress about my job as a driver for at least a few years."
Bottas says he drove for team boss Vasseur in Formula 3 and GP3, knows "a few of the guys" at the Sauber team, and sees "a lot of potential in Alfa and the future".
He is also delighted with Vasseur's assertion that he will be the lead driver.
"Now I can really make a difference," said Bottas. "The team has assured me that I am a bit like a project leader.
"Obviously, if you have more responsibility when you are saying something and it really happens, then yes it motivates you a lot."
In fact, Bottas claims he would have turned down Mercedes if the offer of another one-year deal for 2022 had been presented to him.
"Yes. If Mercedes had offered a multi-year contract, it would certainly have been the number one option. But for one year, I would have left."
He also said Alfa Romeo was a better option than returning to Williams.
"All I really have to say about that is that of course I try to choose the best deal for myself in every respect," said Bottas.
"In the conversations I was involved in, Alfa was the most convincing option. Williams has done well to move forward and I hope it continues for them."
Vasseur is no longer contractually committed to take a Ferrari Driver Academy member and, while incumbent Antonio Giovinazzi could still retain the seat, the team is keeping its options open.
The Italian is understood to still be Ferrari’s preferred option, although there have been suggestions that Mick Schumacher could be switched across from Haas.
Alpine junior Guanyu Zhou is understood to be Giovinazzi’s main competition, and has a significant budget from China behind him.
Zhou currently lies second on the F2 standings, but the series still has half its season to run, with four race weekends remaining at Monza, Sochi, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi - meaning the season's results will not be decided until December 12.
Although he didn’t name Zhou, Vasseur made it clear that he is waiting for the F2 season to develop: “The choice is important. We have some young kids that need to do more races. And we won't be able to have a clear picture before.”
Vasseur suggested early in the Zandvoort weekend that he was wary of taking a rookie due to a lack of testing, but having confirmed Bottas as his lead driver he now admits that it is a possibility.
He is keen to eventually run protege and ART driver Theo Pourchaire, but he has previously indicated that 2022 would be too early for the 18-year-old. Pourchaire currently lies sixth in the F2 championship, but could yet move up the order.
The chance for Nyck de Vries, who missed out on the Williams seat that went to Alex Albon, appears to have receded.
“Everything is open, including Antonio,” Vasseur told Motorsport.com. “Antonio is doing a good job. But I think that to be able to recruit and to welcome Valtteri is a huge opportunity for us.
“Then it doesn't matter if the teammate is a rookie or an experienced guy, we will benefit of the experience and the speed of Valtteri.
"I won't make any comment on who is on the list and who is not. On some of them it's looks a bit difficult due to the link they have with engine suppliers.
“We have a contract with Ferrari, and it looks difficult to do these kinds of deals, or impossible. And let's see about the others.”
Vasseur suggested that Giovinazzi, who qualified seventh at Zandvoort, still has a chance to justify retaining the seat.
“I think that with Antonio, let's see over the next two or three events,” said Vasseur.
“But perhaps he has turned the page of the past, and this situation could be a good wake-up call also. I want to have a clear picture before I take any decisions with my shareholders.”
With F1 continuing to cut back on the amount of testing that is allowed, plus having reduced Friday running this year, there are concerns that the next generation of drivers lack opportunity to get mileage in current cars under their belt.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has said he is aware of the problem, and thinks it is not good for the long-term health of the sport if young drivers cannot get a chance to show what they can do nor gain experience.
Speaking ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, whose sprint race format means there is just a single practice session on Friday, Domenicali explained that one idea F1 was looking at was changing the rules to force teams to run youngsters.
At the moment, teams have the option to run a third drivers on Fridays but not all outfits do it.
"This weekend, on Friday, there is only one hour of free practice and then we go straight to the qualifying," said Domenicali.
"This forces you to prepare for the GP in a different way, with less data. In my time, I remember that we ran tests for 90,000km, where we were on the track every day. Today, these kilometres are done in the simulator, with less and less on the track to test the cars.
"But I believe that one of the topics to be discussed and explored will be the management of young drivers' growth.
"The topic of young drivers is very important and interests us, and that is why, at a time when tests are so regulated, there are some ideas that we will discuss in the next meetings with the teams.
"In particular, we want to make the presence of young drivers mandatory in free practice."
Domenicali said that the idea of teams having to run young drivers would deliver a double benefit, as it would be beneficial to the rookies in gaining experiences, but it would also help make races more unpredictable by restricting practice time for the established drivers.
"This will give the teams less time to try things in view of the race, making the event even more exciting," he said.
"But it would also give the juniors the opportunity to try in a dynamic and competitive context. We are talking about it because it is important for the whole F1 supply chain."
The potential rule change is likely to be discussed at the next meeting of the F1 Commission, which takes place on October.
Mercedes put an end to months of speculation by announcing on Tuesday that Russell would be joining its works F1 team next year, replacing Valtteri Bottas after spending three seasons with Williams.
Russell has been a member of Mercedes’ young driver programme since 2017, and deputised for Hamilton at last year’s Sakhir Grand Prix after the seven-time world champion was ruled out by COVID-19.
The move will provide Russell the first chance of his F1 career to regularly fight at the front of the field, with many expecting there to be a close fight against Hamilton, a driver 13 years his senior.
But Russell is not joining Mercedes expecting to play a number two role to Hamilton, saying that he would be “definitely going on level terms” next year.
“That was made very clear to me,” Russell said.
“I think Mercedes are always respectful in that regard, to give both drivers the best opportunity.
“Naturally I believe in myself, and I have high aspirations. But equally I know just how tough it is going to be.
“Lewis is a seven-time world champion for a reason, and I think I’m in probably one of the most fortunate positions on the grid to be able to go out there and learn from him.
“For myself, I see this partnership with Mercedes as a long-term thing, and I guess I need to use next year as a real opportunity to learn, and take it race by race, and just see how I get on.
“But I’ve got no initial thoughts really.”
Mercedes has always given its F1 drivers equal opportunities within the team, and has only implemented team orders when one driver looks firmly out of the title race, seen most clearly at the 2018 Russian Grand Prix when Bottas moved aside to let Hamilton win the race.
Russell was confident there would be no repeat of any intra-team issues at Mercedes upon his arrival, and that the team had learned from previous experiences.
“I think Mercedes have had clear experience of a poor dynamic within the team, and they’ve made it absolutely clear that they don’t want a repeat,” Russell said.
“On a personal level as well, I don’t want that either. I think it’s so important as teammates to work together, to push the team.
“Next year it’s a new car and new regulations. There’s no guarantees who is going to have the fastest car. I guess it’s our job as drivers to push that forward.
“I'd say as well, Lewis and I are at very different stages of our career, which I think also helps, and I have a huge amount of respect for him, I think being so much younger and looking up to him as a young karting driver changes that dynamic a lot too.
3 grid place penalty for Max, it was a desperate move that I agree with Damon Hill that it sorta looked like retaliation for Silverstone
for McLaren and Daniel, 9 years since last win and a 1-2 at that. After Dennis firing, the Honda debacle, then lackluster Renault results, the MB McLaren is showing well.
Kinda boring race but Bottas did well for getting on the podium from last. The gasp for the first 6-8 cars was close but not much action.
I was thinking, maybe LH and MV should just duke it out in a NASCAR Cup Series car at Bristol when this season is said and done. ….cause rubbin’ is racing.
I still believe that it was a racing incident. They were side by side and then Lewis squeezed him out of road, Max hit the sausage kerbs and that bounced him back into Lewis.
But whatever. F1 hasn't been very consistent with it's penalties in...years.
I'm really happy for Ricciardo and McLaren. I hope this is the start of more podiums for them. Bottas drove his ass off too.
Not a Lewis fan, never have been, never will be. I don't agree that was a racing incident at all. Lewis was ahead going in to the chicane on the inside turning right. Max was on the outside with his front axle line a bit ahead of LH's mid-point of his car just at the point LH was turning left to complete the chicane when they collided. Max should've backed off a little bit and let LH finish going through the chicane. To me, he was trying too late in the chicane to make his pass and caused the collision. Max was behind LH going in to the chicane and didn't get next to him until they were in the chicane getting ready to turn left on to the run down to Curva Grande. That corner was Lewis'.
Not a bad race at all.
More enjoyable without a runaway at the front.
Hugely happy for the Honey Badger & for McLaren. 11 years since their last 1-2. Heard them mention that only Ligier had a longer gap between wins (89-96, IIRC).
Bottas was flying, even on the hards, scything through the back & midfield. Knew the top 5-6 would take a bit more work to get around.
09-06-2021, 08:34 AM
between LH & GR. Curious just how much George will be 'allowed' to push Lewis in his first year.
RK did very well for getting back into a F1 for racing no less in years 
3 grid place penalty for Max, it was a desperate move that I agree with Damon Hill that it sorta looked like retaliation for Silverstone
for McLaren and Daniel, 9 years since last win and a 1-2 at that. After Dennis firing, the Honda debacle, then lackluster Renault results, the MB McLaren is showing well.
