2021 Formula 1 Thread

[ZCanadian]

At least they are more flexible, as they've been through it already last year and know what has to be done.

Pirelli must be starting to get worried, though, as those tires need to be made any day now. I suspect they would be different compounds for sprig in Portugal vs the desert.

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by ZCanadian

At least they are more flexible, as they've been through it already last year and know what has to be done.

Pirelli must be starting to get worried, though, as those tires need to be made any day now. I suspect they would be different compounds for sprig in Portugal vs the desert.

Yes and NEW one's tested last year! No team liked them lol

[DLSTR]

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/15...-hamilton-deal

Toto Wolff says the decision to only agree to a one-year contract extension with Lewis Hamilton was the result of both parties wanting time to finalise a longer deal.

Mercedes ended weeks of speculation on Monday when it announced that seven-time Formula 1 world champion Hamilton would be staying on with the team in 2021.

But the fact that only a single-season contract was agreed prompted some surprise, and fuelled talk that 2021 could be the British driver's last season in F1.

Speaking to media on Monday, Wolff explained the background to Hamilton's contract length - and made clear that there was a desire from both to delay lengthier discussions regarding 2022 and beyond until the current season got going.

Wolff said that complications caused by both he and Hamilton catching coronavirus, which derailed hope of talks taking place towards the end of last season, forced a change of plan.

"We jointly agreed on a one year deal," said Wolff.

"First of all, there is a substantial regulation change in 2022.

"We also want to see how the world develops, and the company. Plus on the other side, it's because we kept it very late.

"We wanted to discuss the contract at the end of the [2020] season between the Bahrain races and then obviously, Lewis didn't feel well.

"In the end, we started our conversation just before Christmas so it was important to get it done as soon as possible.

"And in that respect, we thought, let's postpone the discussion about 2022 and onwards to a later stage in 2021."

Wolff explained that the ongoing uncertainties about the impact of coronavirus on F1, and especially in relation to team budgets, meant that it was difficult to make certain commitments now about a longer term contract.

That is why he feels contract talks in summer will be much clearer - and will allow time for proper discussion.

PLUS: Why F1 driver contracts are fraught with peril

"There are uncertainties in the world that affect the way that the sport can operate, that have an influence on our revenue, TV monies, and on sponsorship income," he said.

"Daimler, Mercedes, is in a huge transformation towards electric mobility and that means investments. So we are living in a financial reality that is very different to what it was a few years ago.

"But having said that, we are totally in line, Lewis and me and the wider group at Mercedes about the situation. So there was never any discrepancy in opinion.

"It was just that we felt we could get a good signature on the 2021 contract because we just need to get going and then find some time during 2021, earlier than this time around, to discuss the future.

"And it's not only specifically to 2022, but also beyond. And that is not something that we wanted to carve out via videoconferencing between Christmas and the end of January."

Wolff also rubbished any talk of Hamilton demanding a driver veto in his contract to avoid being partnered with another superstar driver, like Red Bull ace Max Verstappen.

He added that suggestions pay talks had hit a sticking point over a potential revenue share of Mercedes incomes were "baseless".

"On the specific clauses that were out there in the media, I don't know where they came from because none of that is true," he said.

"I actually read about this, and I found it interesting, but the truth is that there was not one second of discussion about any driver specific clause.

"He has never asked for that in the last eight years and it's a team decision.

"And the other clause about a revenue share - that came out of nowhere.

"That rumour was baseless too, so none of that was ever part of our discussions."

[Hotrodz]

LMAO!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[ZCanadian]

Schedule update:

"Formula 1 has given the green light for the Portuguese Grand Prix to take the vacant slot on the calendar, Autosport can reveal, with teams to be informed on Thursday."

Refers to April 30-May 2

[DLSTR]

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/15...race-decisions

An engine freeze, the final 2021 calendar and a sprint race experiment will dominate talks between teams and the sport's chiefs in a meeting of the Formula 1 Commission today.

The meeting, which will be attended by F1 management, teams, and the FIA, is set to vote on a series of changes that could have huge ramifications for the sport over the next few years.

As Autosport revealed yesterday, F1 is expected to tell teams that it has given approval for the Portuguese Grand Prix to go ahead on May 2.

The move, while finalising the opening stages of the season, will however require some extra commitment from teams because of quarantine restrictions in the United Kingdom.

Portugal is currently on the UK's 'red list' of countries where anyone returning needs to complete a 10-day hotel quarantine on arrival.

With elite sports having not been granted an exemption, it means F1 personnel are included on such a requirement, so any staff attending the Portuguese Grand Prix will be unable to return home prior to the following event in Spain.

One of the most interesting decisions that will be taken is whether or not to approve a proposal from F1 to trial Sprint Races at three grands prix this year.

F1 wants to run a Saturday 100-km sprint qualifying race at the Canadian, Italian and Brazilian Grands Prix this year to see if the change of format helps improve the weekend experience.

While a previous push to trial reverse grid races failed to get unanimous support, because Mercedes was wholly against the idea, there may be more backing for a sprint race format.

Furthermore, a new governance structure that has been introduced for 2021 as part of the new Concorde Agreement means that unanimous support is no longer needed.

Now a 'super majority' of 28 votes out of the 30 available (F1, the FIA and teams have 10 each) will be enough to get it passed.

The most complicated discussions of the meeting, though, could revolve around the possibility of an engine freeze from 2022.

The proposal has been pushed hard by Red Bull, which wants a freeze in place so it can take over the Honda engine project from next year without the need for an expensive development budget.

But the move is not just about Red Bull, because F1 is clear that if a freeze is in place from 2022 onwards, then that will mean manufacturers can focus their efforts and budgets solely on a future powerplant that should come into play for 2025.

The situation is quite complicated though, because a push to use ever-greater sustainable fuels means that there could be the need for some engine developments in the short term.

Furthermore, there are some concerns that if one engine manufacturer finds itself on the back foot at the start of 2022, the lack of any development could leave them facing several years of struggle.

One idea being looked at, but not yet agreed, is for some form of equalisation structure to come into play - which will allow for all the power units to deliver roughly the same amount of performance.

This could be achieved through allowing an increased fuel flow for any engine that is down on power at the start of 2022.

But such a 'Balance of Performance' strategy for F1 risks opening a can of worms and has not so far had universal approval from all teams.

[DLSTR]

Results!

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/15...-plan-for-2022

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, Autosport understands that unanimous approval was given to an engine freeze to come into play from the start of next year.

The push for a freeze was originally led by Red Bull as it hopes 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 first came up at the end of last year, discussions have moved forward in recent weeks and teams are now in agreement.

F1 teams 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.

PLUS: Why F1 shouldn't wed itself to tradition over sprint race decision

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, while the plans did not get a formal green light to be put into the rules, teams were open to the idea and have requested more time to look into the finer details.

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 salary cap coming into force over the next few years, but no final decision was made on whether to proceed.

[DLSTR]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/56030222 - Better report on today via BBC

[ZCanadian]

How would you like to be working in the garage (especially for Red Bull or Aston Martin) if you have to repair the damage from a first lap collision on a Saturday sprint race for the Sunday main feature? Sounds really dumb to me - in a sprint, every corner is important and there's bound to be carnage.

So, if they qualify on Fridays for the Saturday grid, when do they get to practice / set up the car?

Don't know why that one is even in discussions. Make three Sunday races on the calendar into sprints - they are exciting at this level as we saw last year (when red flags and late race SC's caused several races to become multi-stage sprints).

Engine freeze? How is it that this would be from 2022 if Honda is out before then? RBR wouldn't develop for 2022 but the other teams could? Or the engine has to be used in 2021 to qualify (in which case, it is mostly the 2020 engines moving forward as only a few changes have been allowed, as I understand it - Ferrari being a notable exception).

Hope the changes that Ferrari are planning for 2021 amount to something. If they have to keep running their 2017 spec engine through 2025, they might as well throw in the towel now (along with the customer teams). They had some neat plans to split the turbocharger and supercharger, similar to Mercedes' design. But I thought that was a 2022 enhancement. They are reportedly still working on that.

[ZCanadian]

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by ZCanadian

How would you like to be working in the garage (especially for Red Bull or Aston Martin) if you have to repair the damage from a first lap collision on a Saturday sprint race for the Sunday main feature? Sounds really dumb to me - in a sprint, every corner is important and there's bound to be carnage.

So, if they qualify on Fridays for the Saturday grid, when do they get to practice / set up the car?

Don't know why that one is even in discussions. Make three Sunday races on the calendar into sprints - they are exciting at this level as we saw last year (when red flags and late race SC's caused several races to become multi-stage sprints).

Engine freeze? How is it that this would be from 2022 if Honda is out before then? RBR wouldn't develop for 2022 but the other teams could? Or the engine has to be used in 2021 to qualify (in which case, it is mostly the 2020 engines moving forward as only a few changes have been allowed, as I understand it - Ferrari being a notable exception).

Hope the changes that Ferrari are planning for 2021 amount to something. If they have to keep running their 2017 spec engine through 2025, they might as well throw in the towel now (along with the customer teams). They had some neat plans to split the turbocharger and supercharger, similar to Mercedes' design. But I thought that was a 2022 enhancement. They are reportedly still working on that.

Sprint race them in a bunch of Alfa 4C's not F1 cars. Very very very very very STUPID! Qualy should reflect the speed of the best cars in order not some silly sprint event NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RedBull can leave for all I care. They asked, by choice to take over Honda PU system. So LIVE WITH IT and PAY FOR IT. Dont make others WAIT For you.

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by ZCanadian

Alpine issued a statement on Thursday evening confirming that Alonso was "conscious and well in himself", pending further examinations.

In an update issued by the team on Friday morning, Alpine confirmed that Alonso had undergone a successful operation, and that he would be remaining in hospital for the next two days.

But it is anticipated that Alonso will be able to resume his preparations for the new season soon, and be fit for the opening round in Bahrain next month.

Per Alpine earlier today:

"Following his cycling accident yesterday Fernando Alonso was kept under observation in hospital in Switzerland," the statement from Alpine reads.

"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.

"Looking forward, after a few days of complete rest, he will be able to progressively resume training. We expect him be fully operational to undertake preparation for the season."

[DLSTR]

Mercedes admits it is battling some "issues" with its engine preparations for the new Formula 1 season, but is confident it can have fixes in place for the first race.

The German manufacturer is chasing an eighth consecutive F1 title double this season, having been undefeated during the turbo-hybrid era.

But, as it ramps up work for the start of the 2021 campaign, its engine chief Hywel Thomas has revealed that it is facing some early year challenges.

"We have got some issues with the power units," he said in a video released by Mercedes.

"We know we have issues but we have plenty of plans in place to fix all of those issues.

"I'm sure it will all be ready for the first race."

Mercedes is no stranger to facing dramas in the pre-season build-up, and 12 months ago its then engine chief Andy Cowell admitted that the team was facing troubles in its preparations for the new campaign.

While the team endured some reliability dramas in testing, it was eventually able to get on top of the matter by the time the delayed season started in July.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/15...e-preparations

[ZCanadian]

Originally Posted by DLSTR

Mercedes admits it is battling some "issues" with its engine preparations for the new Formula 1 season, but is confident it can have fixes in place for the first race.

The German manufacturer is chasing an eighth consecutive F1 title double this season, having been undefeated during the turbo-hybrid era.

But, as it ramps up work for the start of the 2021 campaign, its engine chief Hywel Thomas has revealed that it is facing some early year challenges.

"We have got some issues with the power units," he said in a video released by Mercedes.

"We know we have issues but we have plenty of plans in place to fix all of those issues.

"I'm sure it will all be ready for the first race."

Mercedes is no stranger to facing dramas in the pre-season build-up, and 12 months ago its then engine chief Andy Cowell admitted that the team was facing troubles in its preparations for the new campaign.

While the team endured some reliability dramas in testing, it was eventually able to get on top of the matter by the time the delayed season started in July.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/15...e-preparations

Sure, and "everybody else looks faster than us" and "I don't think that these tires are going to last". Sounds like just more BS from MB.

[God-Speed]

Originally Posted by ZCanadian

Sure, and "everybody else looks faster than us" and "I don't think that these tires are going to last". Sounds like just more BS from MB.

Same story just a different year.