2020

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto says Sebastian Vettel’s third place podium finish at the Turkish Grand prix held at the Istanbul park was a very important milestone in what has been a very disappointing season for the Ferrari team so far. Vettel was already off to a bad start with the team before the start of the 2020 F1 Season as Ferrari decided not to renew his contract beyond 2020. Vettel’s performance has been very dismal compared to the previous seasons being that he was the driver who won the drivers championship titles from 2010 to 2013. Despite a lot of struggle through the 2020 season, he managed to put on quite an impressive performance in the Turkish Grand prix which resulted to a podium finish, out-performing his teammate, Charles Leclerc for the first time in 11 races. Leclerc came later to finish fourth after Vettel after puttin on pressure on Racing Point’s Sergio Perez during the last lap. Binotto had decided not to attend the race as he was putting his focus on the efforts to develop the 2021 Ferrari car, he however congratulated the 4-time champion afterwards as he suggested Vettel had finally found some confidence in his SF1000. “I’m very pleased for Sebastian, I think a podium for him is very important. It has been a difficult season for him.” the Ferrari boss said. “I think he has started being, at least now at the end of the season, comfortable with the car. He’s delivering better.” “He had a very good start, very consistent, with good pace. He was managing the tyres, managing to keep the positions, and holding the positions. And overall, even on the last lap, he did well because he took the opportunity. And it’s great for him.” “He just finished third, very close to Perez. But great, I’m happy for him. Still three races, and hopefully we will do as well in the next one.” For his part, Vettel, who sits 13th in the driver’s standings on 33 points, joked afterwards that Binotto’s absence was the reason for his success. “I think we scored probably the most points this year for us and Mattia wasn’t here! Yeah, if the next race we don’t score as many points we try again to leave him at home,” he quipped “No, I don’t think it’s related to that. I don’t believe in this kind of stuff.”

Haas announced earlier this season that it would feature an all-new line up next season, dropping both Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. Team boss Guenther Steiner opened the door to an all-rookie line up, saying the team had discussed the pros and cons. “We discussed this, the risks, the opportunities with them,” he said earlier this month. “There is obviously a risk that two rookies, they have nobody experienced to look at [for] the data and stuff like this. They need to find out between them what is going on, and there is risk that it goes wrong. “But the pros are you can put them in the direction you want to put them, and they grow with the team. “Because it was never done, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work. For sure there is a risk that it doesn’t work. I don’t want to be ignorant to that one.” That line up, Soymotor reports, has now been decided with Schumacher set to team up with Mazepin. While reports of Schumacher heading to Haas have been around for a while, Mazepin could have the FIA to thank for his promotion. Earlier this year motorsport’s governing body announced that the number of super license points required to race in Formula 1 would still be 40 but that drivers “will have the opportunity for their case to be considered by the FIA” if they only have 30 as many drivers have missed out on a full season of racing due to Covid-19. Under the old score, Mazepin would have needed to finish seventh or higher in this year’s Formula 2 series to qualify for a super license with the Hitech Grand Prix driver currently P6 in the standings with two rounds remaining. Schumacher has to finish sixth or higher to secure the 40 points. He is currently leading the championship. “Haas has already confirmed that they are in no rush to officially announce their lineup for next year and will likely wait until the current season is over,” reports Soymotor.

Williams will field Jack Aitken and Roy Nissany at the young driver test in Abu Dhabi next month, with Nissany also set for another FP1 appearance. Formula 1 will hold a Young Driver Test on the 15th December, after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with teams given the option of staying on to take part if they wish. The test replaces the usual end of season Pirelli Tyre Test, and is specifically for Young Drivers – the definition of this being drivers who have started fewer than two Grands Prix. Williams have confirmed their line-up: Reserve Driver Jack Aitken and Test Driver Roy Nissany will drive the FW43 at the test. Aitken took part in FP1 at the Styrian Grand Prix earlier this season, while Nissany took part in FP1 at the Spanish and Italian Grands Prix. Nissany will also take part in FP1 at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday 27th of November. “Of course I’m delighted to be able to step back into the FW43 in Abu Dhabi.” said Aitken, who wraps up his Formula 2 season with Campos Racing in Bahrain. The British driver is currently P12 in the Championship, with his best results being a pair of P3s at the second Silverstone round. “After my FP1 outing with the team earlier in the year, I’ll be looking to build upon my experience with the team and get some ever-welcome laps under my belt. Although we won’t be able to test too much with the way the programme is set, there are always things to learn, and it will be a great way to finish the season.” Nissany, driving for Trident in F2, is currently P19 with five points scored this year. He says he’s looking forward to the chance to drive another FP1 session: “The Abu Dhabi test is another great opportunity for me to develop my connection with the car. In contrast to an FP1, the test gives us much more time and miles to fine tune and synergise the car and my driving.”

Aston Martin is set to share safety car duties with Mercedes at Formula 1 races from next year. Mercedes has exclusively provided the official F1 safety car since 1996, starting out originally with a Mercedes-AMG C36 and currently using a Mercedes-AMG GT R. While the German manufacturer has been fully committed up until now, discussions are underway about a revised deal for 2021, when a new Concorde Agreement comes in. Although it is understood that no final decision has been made, sources have revealed that it is looking increasingly likely that Mercedes will step back from being the sole safety car supplier. It will continue to play a major role – which will include providing F1’s medical car – but talks are ongoing about a revised arrangement that will likely result in the safety car responsibilities being shared with Aston Martin. Such a change of deal, that could see the safety car use split evenly between the two manufacturers across the season, would help share the financial burden between the two companies as F1 expands to a 23-race schedule. A deal has been made for Aston Martin to supply the safety and medical cars at 12 of the planned 23 races next season. A reliable source said that the existing Mercedes safety and medical cars will not be scrapped and they will feature at 11 of the races, with Aston Martin taking preference for which weekends they will supply their cars for. It is understood that the decision will be dictated by markets, with Aston Martin expected to pick countries where they have bigger interests, while Mercedes would supply races like the Brazilian Grand Prix where Aston Martin have a smaller market share. It is believed the Aston safety car will be a Vantage. Racefans understands the medical car at races where Aston Martin supply the cars will be a DBX, which uses the same four-litre V8 engine as the current AMG GT R cars. The Daimler group, which owns Mercedes Benz, recently took a 20% shareholding in Aston Martin. Mercedes and Aston Martin have become increasingly close over the past 12 months, having reached deals on shareholding agreements and closer technical cooperation. It was recently announced that Mercedes will increase its stake in Aston Martin to 20%, while also giving access to a range of its technologies – including powertrain and electric/electronic architecture. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff also has a private shareholding in Aston Martin, and is close friend with owner Lawrence Stroll. Next year, Aston Martin is returning to F1 with its own works team, as it takes over the naming rights for the Racing Point outfit. Stroll wants to use the marketing benefits of the series to help boost Aston Martin’s road car sales as it embarks on an ambitious renewal of its operations following some difficult years. The current Mercedes safety car is the fastest in the sport’s history, having been upgraded from the start of the 2018 season. Its 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine produces 585hp and it can reach a top speed of 198mph. The safety car is driven by Bernd Maylander. The Mercedes medical car is an AMG C 63 S Estate, which is driven by Alan van der Merwe.

Sebastian Vettel says he has “zero tolerance” for the mistake the FIA made in starting Formula 1 qualifying in Turkey with a crane still on the track. The recovery vehicle had been sent out to retrieve the stricken Williams of Nicholas Latifi, who had spun off at the high-speed Turn 8 in the first section of qualifying in Turkey. But the Q2 session began with the crane still in front of the barriers and it only being protected by local double waved yellow flags in the slippery conditions. F1 race director Michael Masi explained afterwards that the situation had been prompted because the clerk of the course had assured him that the crane would be clear by the times the cars got there. However, a delay in getting the crane behind the barriers meant that did not happen. Vettel, who is a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, remains unimpressed by the explanation and thinks that there is no room in F1 for such errors. “I think we are all humans, and mistakes happen,” said Vettel. “But this mistake has a zero tolerance. I think we’re all well aware and I’m very confident that it will not happen in the future again. But we will for sure talk about this and disclose the reasons why.” Despite Vettel’s stance, Masi said he remained “fully comfortable” with the decision he took based on the information he was being given by track officials. “It was quite close to the barrier opening, and the crane was on its way,” said Masi. “We were given assurances that it would be well and truly clear. And looking at everything, I was more than comfortable with the local assurances on that basis. “With the benefit of hindsight, you would do something different. But based on it all, and the available information at the time, that was the call that we made. Masi said that the FIA would review what happened, though, so similar mistakes were not made again in the future. “From an FIA perspective, we review every incident that takes place,” he explained. “Be it minor, major, in between or otherwise, at any point in time during a session, outside of a session, and continually learn from everything that takes place. “So from that handbook, we will continue to learn. It’s no different to a team learning about different elements over a weekend and in between. “We are absolutely no different. And from our end, as I’ve said many times, safety is our number one priority and you learn from everything, every time a car rolls out of pit lane, every time you look at something different.” Charles Leclerc backed up Vettel’s thoughts that the drivers would want to discuss the matter with Masi in the next meeting they have in Bahrain. “For the crane, obviously, I think we have all been a bit shocked to see that,” he said. “And we’ll probably speak together at the next briefing to avoid these types of situations. “There is no need to say what happened in the past with these sorts of situations. So yeah, I think it shouldn’t happen, and we need to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.” F1 has been especially mindful about the presence of cranes on the circuit since Jules Bianchi died from injuries he sustained in a collision with such a recovery vehicle during the wet Japanese Grand Prix in 2014.

Pirelli Formula 1 tyre chief Mario Isola has tested positive for COVID-19 following the latest round of screening at the Turkish Grand Prix. F1 issued a statement on Monday following the grand prix weekend at Istanbul Park announcing that Isola, who heads up the series’ tyre supplier’s activities at races, had contracted COVID-19 and tested positive on Sunday. But F1 has said that all of Isola’s close contacts have been traced and re-tested, and have all returned negative results. “The FIA, Formula 1 and Pirelli can confirm that Pirelli Head of F1 and Car Racing Mario Isola has tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday 15 November at the Turkish Grand Prix,” the statement reads. “Mario returned a positive result during the regular Sunday COVID testing schedule. “He is now isolating, and is asymptomatic and will adhere to the local medical guidelines. “All close contacts have been declared, retested, and no further positive cases have been returned.” All F1 personnel entering the circuit are required to undergo a test at least every five days across grand prix events, in line with the FIA’s COVID-19 protocols. They are also required to complete a test within 24 hours of entering the venue. Isola is the second notable manager within the F1 paddock to have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week. Acting Williams F1 team principal Simon Roberts tested positive last Wednesday, and opted not to travel to Turkey as a result. The most recent update on COVID-19 testing figures was released by F1 and the FIA on Friday, which said there had been eight positive results in addition to Roberts out of 2,543 tests conducted. Isola served on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic in his native Italy, having worked as a volunteer ambulance driver and paramedic for the last 30 years in addition to his motorsport duties and activities. Isola regularly completed shifts in Milan at the height of the pandemic in Italy through spring, as well as completing fundraising for the volunteer ambulance service and helping to train future ambulance drivers.

Mattia Binotto says he is pleased that his experiment of sitting out a grand prix at Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters over the weekend was a success. For the first time since becoming team boss, the Italian did not travel to the race location at the weekend. Ultimately, Istanbul turned out to be Sebastian Vettel’s first podium of the season, while Charles Leclerc only lost that place in a late race error. “Maybe they can leave Mattia at home more often? I’m joking obviously,” German Vettel, who will leave Ferrari after next month’s Abu Dhabi finale, laughed. Binotto had explained his planned absence in Turkey on the basis that Ferrari is now fully focused on 2021. “In general we saw a competitive Ferrari on Friday, Saturday morning and today, and this is the most important point of the weekend,” he told Sky Italia on Sunday from Maranello. “In the last few races the car has proved to be more competitive than at the start of the season, proving that we have taken the right direction of development. “We are focusing on 2021, but these are encouraging signs,” the Italian added. “So if you ask if I am sorry for not being at the track, no,” Binotto insisted. “I have to be present especially in difficult moments so I decided not to go to Turkey because the car was already improving with a few races left. “These results are welcome so now maybe I will not go to Bahrain either.” Vettel, meanwhile, dismissed any suggestion that his renowned superstitious nature could mean he wants Binotto to keep staying away for that reason alone. “I don’t believe in things like that at all,” the four-time world champion insisted. “We have so many people who do so many different things in a weekend, and ultimately that is what the picture of an entire weekend is made of.”

Lewis Hamilton will celebrate making Formula One history on Sunday in surprising fashion.The newly-crowned seven-time drivers’ world champion may be Britain’s richest sportsperson with a net worth reported by The Sunday Times of 224 million pounds ($A406 million). Yet after winning the Turkish Grand Prix he said he had become used to the strict coronavirus protocols that required him to adopt a quiet, no-frills lifestyle. “This year, I haven’t gone out and I haven’t gone to dinner,” he said. “I have just been staying in my bubble. “I get room service every day and it’s not really anything exciting and that’s naturally because I’ve got a championship to fight for. “So, I didn’t want to take any risks. I think, this year, I sacrificed more than I have in my whole life. “And, you know, it’s really made it quite difficult. I’m going to go home tonight and most likely it is not going to be the most exciting thing. “I’m probably just going to maybe watch the race and I usually have like a minestrone soup, but I’ll definitely have a bottle of wine.” Team chief Toto Wolff conceded on Sunday that Mercedes’ next contract with Lewis Hamilton had “got really more expensive.” Wolff, the man behind Hamilton and Mercedes’ amazing run of success since 2014, also forecast that the pair – who are both out of contract this year – would likely delay their contract finalisation talks until the season ends. “I don’t feel like I should add any pressure,” he said. “It has to be organic and not something that’s forced – we have three races ahead in the Middle East so it’s a bit more chilled. “It’s not done, but we will get it done I’m sure.”