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Formula 1 teams have approved plans for an engine freeze from 2022 and are open to the idea of sprint races, but have requested more details.
Following a meeting on Thursday of the F1 Commission, made up of teams, the FIA and the F1 organisation, it is understood that unanimous approval was given to an engine freeze to come into play from the start of next year.
The freeze was originally pushed for by Red Bull, which is hoping to take on the Honda engine project after the Japanese manufacturer pulls out of F1 at the end of this year.
Red Bull was clear that it had the resources to continue running the power units for the next few years, but could not afford to take on the project if it also had to develop the engines itself.
While there had not been initial full support for the freeze when it was first talked about at the end of last year, discussions have moved forward in recent weeks and there was full backing for the idea in Thursday’s F1 Commission meeting.
The Commission also discussed the idea of sprint races, which have been proposed by F1 management as a trial for this year to see if the concept can work.
F1 wants to run an experiment of the sprint race format at three grands prix this season – in Canada, Italy, and Brazil – to see if it can help improve the spectacle of a race weekend.
The idea is for F1’s official qualifying session to be moved to Friday afternoon, with Saturday’s action then being dominated by a 100km sprint race that will decide the grid for Sunday’s main race and potentially offer half points.
It is understood that although the plans did not get a formal green light for approval, teams were open to the idea but have requested more time to look into the finer details of the matter.
The introduction of sprint races could result in some unintended consequences, so teams will likely want their sporting directors to look at potential pitfalls before committing fully to the idea.
F1 teams also discussed with the FIA and F1 the idea of a driver salary cap coming into force over the next few years, but no final decision was made on that matter.
Alpine driver Fernando Alonso is “conscious and well in himself” after being involved in a road cycling accident, according to his team – with the Spaniard due to undergo further medical examinations on Friday morning.
The two-time champion, who’s currently preparing for a return to Formula 1 after two seasons out of the sport, was caught up in the cycling crash while riding his road bike in Switzerland, after which he was taken to hospital.
A statement from his team said: “Alpine F1 Team can confirm that Fernando Alonso has been involved in a road accident while cycling in Switzerland.
“Fernando is conscious and well in himself and is awaiting further medical examinations tomorrow morning.”
The team added that it would provide more details on Friday morning following an additional medical exam for Alonso.
The news will create worries for the Alpine squad, who are currently in the process of preparing for testing at Bahrain in just over a month’s time on March 12-14 – with Alonso set to contest his first F1 race since the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix two weeks after at the same track.
Fernando Alonso has undergone a “successful corrective operation” for a fractured jaw following a cycling accident in Switzerland, according to his Alpine team – with the Spaniard expected to be declared fit for pre-season testing in March.
Following the accident while training in Switzerland, Alonso was immediately taken to hospital, with x-rays revealing a fracture to his jaw that required surgery.
A statement released on Friday morning from Alpine said: “Fernando Alonso was kept under observation in hospital in Switzerland. 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.”
The statement also added optimistically that Alonso “will be able to progressively resume training. We expect him be fully operational to undertake preparation for the season.”
Swiss police have also confirmed that Alonso collided with a motorist outside a supermarket car park.
They said in a statement: "The cantonal police report that yesterday [Thursday] just before 2pm in Viganello, a 42-year-old Swiss motorist domiciled in the Lugano area was driving in via La Santa in the direction of Pregassona.
"According to an initial reconstruction and for reasons that the police investigation will have to establish, while making a left turn maneuver to enter a supermarket parking lot, there was a collision with a 39-year-old Spanish citizen, who was riding his bicycle, as he was passing the column of stationary vehicles in the opposite direction on the right.
"The collision occurred against the right side of the car. On the spot agents of the cantonal police intervened and, in support of the police of the city of Lugano as well as the rescuers of the Green Cross of Lugano who, after having given the first care to the cyclist, transported him by ambulance to the Hospital. The 39-year-old suffered a fractured jaw."
Alonso himself tweeted a message to his fans on Friday afternoon, writing: "Thanks for all your wishes, I’m ok and looking forward to getting 2021 underway."
Alonso's prognosis will be a relief to both the driver himself and Alpine as they prepare for his F1 comeback, with Alonso set to return to the sport this season, having left at the end of 2018 following four largely frustrating seasons at McLaren.
Alonso is due to try out Alpine’s new F1 car, set to be called the A521, at the Bahrain International Circuit for pre-season testing on March 12-14, ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28.
In joining Alpine, meanwhile, Alonso will be returning to the ‘Enstone’ organisation with whom, in their Renault guise, he won his two World Championships in 2005 and 2006.
Woulda though with Vettel as the current owner, these would be selling for more of a premium.
Adam Cooper
Wed, February 17, 2021, 8:40 AM·5 min readVettel has been an avid collector since his success on the track gave him some spending power, and along with a fleet of sportscars he has bought several desirable historic F1 machines, including an Ayrton Senna McLaren and Nigel Mansell’s 1992 world championship-winning Williams.
However, he has now decided to slim down his Swiss-based collection by putting eight cars up for sale via well known dealer Tom Hartley Jr. Two have already been sold, but the rest remain available.
The cars give an intriguing glimpse into the life of a man who carefully guards his privacy.
The models that the German ordered new all have very high-end specs – even by the standards of Ferrari – but his choice of an ostentatious “Vettel” logo on the seat headrests may come as a surprise.
All of the cars have completed very low mileages.
Asked by Motorsport.com Vettel’s spokesperson would only confirm that the sale was happening, and would give no details as to why he has chosen to let go of the cars.
An Aston Martin F1 team spokesperson said that the timing had nothing to do with Vettel’s new employers, noting: “We have no knowledge of Sebastian’s plans with regard to his car collection and have made no stipulations or requests of any kind in connection with it."
Here’s the full list of cars that Vettel is parting with:
2016 Ferrari LaFerrari (Sold)
One of three Ferraris put up for sale that Vettel ordered new while driving for the Italian team, his LaFerrari was one of the last of the 500 examples made. The high-tech hybrid machine features KERS and an electric motor as well as a 6.3-litre V12. Hardly used by Vettel, who put his surname on the seats and steering wheel but logged just 304 miles, it has already found a new owner.
2004 Ferrari Enzo (Price on application)
The Enzo is the most valuable of the Vettel-owned cars that have yet to sell – and indeed dealer Tom Hartley, who calls it “the very finest example offered for sale anywhere,” has not published the price. Powered by a 6-litre V12 and featuring F1 tech including a semi-automatic transmission, this particular car was originally sold to Germany before Vettel added it to his collection. Given that it has run only 1112 miles it’s apparent that he hardly used it.
1996 Ferrari F50 (Sold)
The F50 is the oldest car that Vettel has put up for sale, and given that he was only eight when the model was launched, it’s probably safe to assume that he had admired it for a long time before he could afford to buy an example. Much of the F50’s ongoing appeal comes from the fact that it uses a 4.7-litre V12 developed from the F1 engine of the early nineties. This car was originally delivered to Denmark, and Vettel bought it soon after joining Ferrari in 2015. Having run only 4312 miles in its 25-year life it was particularly attractive to collectors, and has already sold.
2016 Ferrari F12TDF (£750,000)
Vettel acquired his bright yellow F12TDF in his second year at Ferrari, specifying triple layer paint (‘Giallo triplo strato’) among the many high-end extras, along with a Vettel logo on the seat headrests. The car's name pays homage to the Tour de France race/rally event, which was won several times by Ferrari. Vettel's example of the 6.3-litre V12-powerd machine has logged only 738 miles from new – and its service history suggests that it has hardly been used in the last three years.
2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale (£350,000)
The 458 Speciale was the first Ferrari that Vettel ordered from new, and it came with a very special spec that included metallic black with gold fleck paint and a racing stripe, along with his Vettel logo on the headrests of the carbonfibre seats. The 4-5-litre V8-equipped car has completed just 1905 miles since he bought it.
2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series (£275,000)
The SL65 is the only car Vettel is selling that he didn’t actually buy – it was a gift from the race organisers for winning the first Abu Dhabi GP for Red Bull in 2009. Powered by a 6-litre V12, only 350 examples were made of the ‘Black Series’ version, which featured major bodywork modifications and extensive use of carbonfibre. In Vettel’s sole ownership it has run just 1752 miles.
2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG (£175,000)
Vettel clearly enjoyed seeing the F1 safety car so much that he bought one of his own. The first complete car built by AMG, the SLS was powered by a 6.3-litre V8, and it served as F1’s safety car in 2010-2012. Vettel ordered this example new while a Red Bull driver, and it came with the ultimate spec. It has run just 4305 miles.
2002 BMW Z8 Roadster (£175,000)
Although Vettel was a BMW-backed driver early in his career he bought the two-owner Z8 from the USA in 2015, his first year at Ferrari. After importing it to Switzerland he sent it to BMW Classic for refurbishment, with the project including a switch from US to European spec electronics. Although nearly 20 years old the 5-litre V8-powered car has run only 13,494 miles.
2004 Ferrari Enzo of Sebastian Vettel
2004 Ferrari Enzo of Sebastian VettelTom Hartley Jnr.Tom Hartley Jnr.
Interesting - I like the BWT pink livery, hope it sticks around in some fashion.
Well, Autosport is now reporting that BWT is in talks with both Haas and Williams. So it definitely looks like we will get pink cars on the grid this year.
I'd imagine that Aston Martin's branding strategy is to have their cars in green. Otherwise, BWT would probably be sticking around. This would be a fascinating rare instance where a team dumps a good paying sponsor because of colour preferences.
Really don't want Haas to go pink as I would love to get some of their merch with them being somewhat local to me but they have had nothing inspiring ever so can't say it can get much worse. Their best merch was the first year as well I thought the livery was the best they have ever had. Since then not been a fan of any of it. Just hope it isn't going to be a the same livery with Haas on the side.
Would be sad to loose the look of Williams even though they are gone really anyways.
The battleship gray Haas was my favorite.
Loved the Martini-esque Williams last year.
We'll see how they turn up this year. Pink on either seems odd in my mind, but it worked well on the FI/RP cars.
All my current merch is MB & VB77
May pick up a MCL piece or two, a bit of DR3 to add in the mix. Never was a big RBR fan & didn't care for the Renault stuff.
AlphaTauri have become just the second team to reveal their 2021 car, the Italian squad unveiling the new AT02 that Pierre Gasly and F1 debutant Yuki Tsunoda will pilot this season – and team boss Franz Tost has made his target for the new season clear.
The second ever AlphaTauri to be fielded in F1, the AT02 features Honda’s new-for-2021 power unit on the inside and a brand new livery on the outside, as the team look to build on a strong 2020, which saw Pierre Gasly win the Italian Grand Prix, while Gasly and former team mate Daniil Kvyat’s ultimate haul of 107 points was the most ever secured in the history of either AlphaTauri or Toro Rosso.
Also new at the team is Tsunoda, the 20-year-old Japanese driver replacing Kvyat after finishing the 2020 Formula 2 season in third place. AlphaTauri have been busy getting Tsunoda – one of three drivers to step up from Formula 2 this year, and the first ever F1 driver to have been born after the millennium – prepped for his F1 debut with a number of outings in Toro Rosso and AlphaTauri machinery, including driving a Toro Rosso STR14 at Italian track Misano earlier this month.
Team Principal Tost has set his squad and new driver line-up an ambitious target for the 2021 season.
“In 2020 Scuderia AlphaTauri was a midfield team, we were fighting successfully against the other teams like McLaren, Renault and Racing Point but our target for this year is to consistently be at the top of this midfield pack and to improve further," he said.
"To achieve this, we have to avoid reliability issues and finish all races in the points. This can only happen if we do not make any mistakes, so we have to be 100% concentrated on our job, race after race, on and off the track, because our competitors are hard to fight. We will do our best to provide a good show for all the F1 fans, who I hope to see backat the track filling the grandstands soon."
For Gasly, meanwhile, 2021 will represent the fifth season in which he has wielded a Toro Rosso or AlphaTauri car, with the Frenchman – who revealed in January that he’d been forced to self-isolate after contracting coronavirus – looking to build on a fine 2020, which saw him voted the fifth best performer of the year by his fellow drivers.
Looking ahead to the 2021 season, meanwhile, the AT02 will be on track at Bahrain for pre-season testing on March 12-14, ahead of the season start at the same circuit with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28.
The Sauber-run team unveiled its new car in Warsaw at an event held in partnership with its co-title sponsor PKN Orlen, with drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi joined by third and reserve driver Robert Kubica. The Ferrari-powered car has some aerodynamic changes with the main area of focus being the front end, in similar form to the approach taken by AlphaTauri as teams were limited on where they could spend development tokens.
Front structure looks more Mercedes like. Otherwise, seems very similar to last year's car.
Funny how Alfa skipped their car numbering from C39 to C41.
So far, this is the best looking (of the 3 debuted).
The car or the livery?
All three cars looks fairly similar, so I'll focus my comments on the livery.
The McLaren livery is very similar to last years, but with enough minor changes to make it look fresh.
I prefer the 2020 AlphaTauri livery. It looked bolder than the new version. However, it does appear that the photos above for the 2021 car is CGI. Looking at a real car on track might change my mind.
The 2021 Alfa Romeo pretty much inverted the colors on the engine cowling. It actually looks good, especially with the green Quadrifoglio.
The original target was 2022 and it is only the effects of the global health pandemic, rather than any infrastructure issues, that are potentially delaying the project.
South Africa last staged a Formula 1 race, at Kyalami, in 1993 when it opened the campaign in mid-March and was won by Alain Prost in a Williams.
The race then folded due to financial reasons but a company by the name of SAGP, whose CEO is Warren Scheckter, son of Jody, the 1979 World Champion, is looking to bring it back.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali recently hinted Africa could be on the agenda again as an F1 venue when he said: “Something very important, I think, is having a new place or an old place with a great heritage back in Formula 1.”
Scheckter jnr has said “the most logical place” for a South African Grand Prix would be Kyalami, which staged races between 1967 and 1985 and then twice more in 1992-93.
He also said, quoted by RaceFans: “The target date is still 2022 but that could shift due to the effects of the pandemic, so 2023 is maybe more likely.”
Sir Lewis Hamilton said last year that Africa is “such an important place to go back [to]…bringing the attention back to Africa and highlighting the beautiful place it is, I think that’s the most important place that we have to go to”.
Scheckter added: “It’s great that Lewis, a person as high-profile and influential as himself, has indicated his support for an African Grand Prix.
“Obviously South Africa is the most likely place for that to happen, being a country that has a huge history in Formula 1. It had its own Formula 1 racing series back in the seventies, had a Formula 1 World Champion itself and as a country has quite a big following.
“Most importantly it has a race track that’s really ready to go, that’s very close to being F1 standard. If there was to be an African Grand Prix, South Africa and Kyalami is the most logical place it would happen.
“It’s great that Lewis is showing his support for an African Grand Prix. An African Grand Prix would be a huge boost for bringing diversity to the sport at all levels.”
One of the most hotly-anticipated cars of the 2021 launch season has broken cover, with Red Bull unveiling the RB16B set to be campaigned by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez this season.
The new car will look to build on the solid foundations set by its two Grands Prix-winning RB16 predecessor – with Red Bull hoping that the RB16B, in the hands of the new Verstappen-Perez driver pairing, will return the team to championship-winning ways this season for the first time since 2013.
The RB16B will also mark something of a swansong for Honda in F1, with Red Bull set to take on the running of the Japanese manufacturer’s power units from 2022 onwards – with that process aided by an engine freeze recently agreed amongst the teams, and currently set to last until the end of 2024.
However, with Red Bull having caused a sensation in December when they signed the out-of-contract Sakhir Grand Prix race winner Perez to replace Alex Albon in the team, the Mexican is due to test in an older-spec Red Bull in order to get him up-to-speed with the team’s systems ahead of the Bahrain test.
Albon, meanwhile, will still maintain a role within the team as their test and reserve driver, with the Thai having told the media a day prior to the RB16B’s launch that he was targeting an F1 return in 2022, admitting he would even be prepared to take a drive with Red Bull’s AlphaTauri sister team to get back on the grid.
Toto Wolff says Mercedes will begin to weigh its options for 2022 when it undertakes a mid-year evaluation of its drivers, including George Russell and Esteban Ocon.
Both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will see their contracts expire at the end of the season. While the Finn is expected to fight to retain his seat in 2022, Hamilton's plans will likely depend on whether the Briton secures or not a record eighth world title.
But Wolff confirmed that Russell and Ocon - who are both contracted to Mercedes - are the two drivers most likely to fill a possible empty seat at the Brackley squad.
"Esteban (Ocon) is in the second year of a two-year contract with Renault and Alpine F1, and George (Russell) is with Williams this year," Wolff told Speedweek.
"So we have some options for 2022, but until then our full support goes to Valtteri and Lewis. We will evaluate in the middle of the year whether there will be a change in 2022."
Queried on the reason why Hamilton and Mercedes had settled on a one-year deal recently, Wolff reiterated that a lack of time was the underlying factor behind the short-term contract.
"We only started negotiating just before Christmas," he said. "A multi-year contract is more complex than one for one season, so we said we’ll sign this for a year and see about it later.
"Everything is currently open on both sides after 2021."
As for Wolff's own future, the Austrian repeated that he could rein in his daily management responsibilities at some point, but he would always remain a partner in the championship winning team.
"I am a partner in the team and it will stay that way forever," he said. "I really enjoy my own role in it, but it is not forever.
"At some point, younger and hungrier managers will have their say. I'm watching this situation and want to put the team in an optimal position."
Date published: February 24 2021 BWT’s association with the team now known as Aston Martin will continue, it has been announced.
The Austria-based Best Water Technology company were the main sponsors of Racing Point for the past four seasons, with the cars sporting a distinctive pink livery.
Recent reports suggested that as Racing Point have now become Aston Martin, with Cognizant named as their chief sponsor, BWT would be looking for a different Formula 1 team to join up with.
Now it has been confirmed BWT will retain a connection with the team based at Silverstone – but Aston Martin, who launch their car on March 3, will no longer be the ‘pink panthers’.
It has been described as a “partnership”, with Aston Martin saying “the look and feel of the new team will be very different, featuring an all-new base colour” – which is generally expected to be British racing green.
However, it sounds very much as though the pink has not been completely jettisoned for they added that “today’s news ensures that subtle BWT brand accents, as well as BWT brand logos, will remain a feature of the all-new Aston Martin Cognizant Formula 1 team livery”.
Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer said: “Our friends at BWT have been loyal supporters of this team and I am delighted they have chosen to be a partner of Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team.
“BWT will support our efforts to become more sustainable in all areas of the business, but especially in our trackside operations – a goal that marries up with Formula 1’s own sustainability objectives.
“This is a strong and historic partnership entering an important new era, and we are all excited to see what we can achieve together.”
Andreas Weißenbacher, CEO of BWT, added: “I am proud to continue supporting this wonderful team of people and to start a new chapter with Aston Martin’s return to Formula 1.
“Having seen the team enjoy such a strong 2020 season, we believe the years ahead are full of great promise and we want to continue supporting this team’s journey towards the front of the grid.”
BWT already have a relationship with Lance Stroll, son of Aston Martin F1 owner Lawrence Stroll, who is entering his third year with the team. Their branding will also now be sported by Sebastian Vettel, the four-time former World Champion who has joined from Ferrari.
This makes me sad. I was looking forward to Aston green and maybe the lime green we saw in their posts.
That's not what the article says. It says the car will be green, but there will be some kind of BWT branding. If anything, the pink color will be very small.
That's not what the article says. It says the car will be green, but there will be some kind of BWT branding. If anything, the pink color will be very small.
Go to 0:39 to see MGU-H and the split turbo assembly. I've never seen a pic anywhere of that before, so it's pretty revealing to see the MGU-H positioned near the compressor section (assuming less heat from the hot exhaust driven turbine section).
How that very long turbo shaft is balanced must be incredibly difficult to have the 100k+rpm spinning centrifugal compressor and turbine so far apart.
Truly amazing the technology the MB power unit has the people who've created it.
02-09-2021, 09:15 AM
?
Vettel has been an avid collector since his success on the track gave him some spending power, and along with a fleet of sportscars he has bought several desirable historic F1 machines, including an Ayrton Senna McLaren and Nigel Mansell’s 1992 world championship-winning Williams.
2004 Ferrari Enzo of Sebastian VettelTom Hartley Jnr.Tom Hartley Jnr.
