February 2021

AlphaTauri have taken the wraps off their car for the 2021 Formula 1 season, the AT02, and outlined their targets to take on big-name midfield rivals. Unveiled by drivers Pierre Gasly and new signing Yuki Tsunoda in a pre-recorded digital video, the car features changes to its nose and suspension while the livery has been slightly reworked from last season with blue now the predominant colour. Entering the second year under the name of Red Bull’s fashion label, the former Toro Rosso team are aiming to build on a strong 2020 when they won a race for the first time in 12 years. Although a seventh-place championship finish was actually one spot lower than 2019, the team scored more points from fewer races and won for just the second time in their history on home soil at Monza with Gasly in September. They are now aiming to improve their consistency and finished ahead of a number of the sport’s bigger teams in a midfield battle that was fiercely competitive last year. “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,” said team boss Franz Tost. “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 per cent concentrated on our job, race after race, on and off the track, because our competitors are hard to fight.” Gasly has rebuilt his reputation back at Red Bull’s sister team since an ill-fated brief stint at their main squad in early 2019 and said he is “ready to take on the role of team leader” after the departure of the more experienced Daniil Kvyat. The 25-year-old Frenchman is joined by 20-year-old Tsunoda from Japan, who impressed the Red Bull hierarchy with a race-winning single season of F2 when he finished third in the standings behind the more experienced Mick Schumacher and Callum Ilott.

It is Williams, not Haas, that has leapt into pole position to turn pink in 2021. Kolner Express newspaper claimed this week that with Aston Martin switching to a green livery for this season, the pink-coloured Austrian water treatment company BWT had turned its attention towards a move to Haas. But the German broadcaster RTL said those reports were “incorrect”. “According to our information, BWT will not sponsor the American racing team Haas,” RTL reported. Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that BWT expressed interest in linking up with the Alpine team for 2021, but the talks broke down. In fact, correspondent Lorenzo Pastuglia says BWT is now “very close to an agreement with Williams”. “The negotiations are at an advanced stage and close to the end,” the famous Italian sports daily added. Pastuglia claims the Alpine talks broke down because BWT wanted its corporate colour pink to feature strongly on the 2021 livery, as it did at Racing Point.

Ferrari and Shell will continue to work together in Formula 1 in the coming years. The two unique companies have announced a multi-year deal in which sustainability is central. Ferrari and Shell have been partners for many years. 70 years to be precise, but this anniversary is far from the end of this successful collaboration. Ferrari announced on Thursday that a new multi-year agreement has been signed, and the main focus will be on sustainability. However, Ferrari and Shell will also be hoping to add more titles to the total of ten drivers’ titles and twelve constructors’ titles. ‘We share many common values, not least excellence, passion for racing and teamwork, which have made this partnership unique in the history of motor sport. As our Innovation Partner we will continue to work with Shell on the transfer of racing technology to mobility as well as the ambitious challenges that lie ahead in particular the aim of Formula 1 to reach a net-zero emissions level by 2030,” Mattia Binotto revealed in the statement. ‘Our partnership with Ferrari has bred truly remarkable innovations – innovations that Shell regularly relies upon when developing new fuels and lubricants for our customers. We’re now entering a very exciting time in our history together as we leverage this partnership to not only strive for success on the track, but also to develop cleaner fuels and lubricants for our customers,” concludes Istvan Kapitany, Shell’s chief executive officer.

Just when we thought F1 was no longer in the pink, sponsor BWT could be bringing their splash of colour back to the grid. For the past four seasons, Racing Point’s cars carried the distinctive pink livery favoured by the Best Water Technology company based in Austria. It looked as if the colour scheme had disappeared with Racing Point’s transformation to Aston Martin and their preference for British racing green, which is set to be displayed at their car launch on March 3, plus a new main sponsor in Cognizant. But not necessarily, Motorsport-Total are reporting that BWT may yet remain involved as the new principal sponsor of the Haas team, which would mean last year’s grey and red livery turning pink. The notion stems from a comment made by Ralf Schumacher, uncle of one of Haas’ two new rookie drivers Mick Schumacher. The 45-year-old ex-Williams, Jordan and Toyota racer has a connection with BWT via his son David, who wore their colours when competing for the BWT Mucke team in Formula 4. In discussing his nephew’s F1 debut campaign for Haas, Schumacher, who lives in Salzburg, only 17 miles from Mondsee where BWT are based, said, as quoted by German newspaper Express: “A sponsor has just become available, not that this special colour comes into play for Mick.” Express are certainly running with the possibility of Haas becoming F1’s new pink panthers, if not the pink Mercedes as the Racing Point was described last year – although possibly the pink Ferrari considering the American-owned team’s close links with the Scuderia. They say Haas are “negotiating a million-dollar deal with BWT”. Motorsport-Total report they have tried to stand up that claim by seeking confirmation from each of Haas – specifically team principal Guenther Steiner – BWT and Ralf Schumacher, but that none of those three parties responded to them. Also, BWT’s F1 options – they also sponsored the HWA team in Formula 2 last year – may not only be limited to Haas. Another possibility could be Williams, whose deal with telecommunications firm ROKiT was terminated even before the 2020 campaign got under way and have subsequently undergone a change of ownership. They did respond to an enquiry, although gave little away, telling Motorsport.com: “Williams Racing is shaping an exciting new brand direction and commercial strategy and this is resulting in significant interest as we begin a new era for the team. “By their nature, these discussions are confidential so as a policy, we do not comment on any specifics or speculation.”

The Monaco government has confirmed preparations for a trio of events, including the Formula 1 Grand Prix, will begin on February 23. Last year, Monaco was one of 13 cancellations on the F1 calendar as the sport was forced to adapt to the global pandemic. It was the first time since 1954 that the Monte Carlo streets had not played host to the championship. The Historic Monaco Grand Prix was another casualty of the pandemic last year, but the principality is set for a bumper period of action this time around with authorities giving the green light for Formula 1, the Historic Grand Prix and Formula E. A statement read: “After a private year 2020 of racing on the circuit – hardships cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic – the principality is resuming its habits and preparing its molt to exceptionally welcome three grands prix of 23 April to May 23, 2021. “The 2021 edition promises to be outstanding. Three events are planned: in addition to the traditional Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix (and its ancillary events). The Historic Monaco Grand Prix and the Monaco E-Prix will be held in the same year while they usually play alternating.” The Historic Grand Prix will open the trio of events on April 23, with Formula E racing on May 8 and Formula 1 rounding things off between May 20-23. The statement confirmed: “Assembling work and related restrictions will begin on February 23 in the port area and March 31 in the Monte-Carlo neighbourhood.”

Sergio Perez will be in action at Silverstone circuit next week. Max Verstappen’s new teammate has been given extra track time to get used to the Red Bull. Sergio Perez made the switch from Racing Point to Red Bull Racing at the end of last year and will team up with Max Verstappen in 2021. To ensure the Mexican is fully settled in before winter testing begins and to prepare for the new F1 season, he will be given extra track time by the team. Racetrackmasters.com understands that the plan is to let Perez test in an older model Red Bull for one or two days at Silverstone circuit in the UK next week. The number of test days will depend on the weather conditions, which have been changeable recently. The Red Bull in which Perez can complete his laps must be at least two years old according to regulations, which means the 2019 Honda-powered car would be an option. However, this is dependent on Red Bull having a car fully ready for this test. So don’t be surprised if Perez takes a seat in the 2018 AlphaTauri, which was already equipped with a Honda engine at that time. Red Bull’s sister team recently drove this car at Imola circuit in Italy as part of its preparations for 2021.

George Russell and Nicholas Latifi got their first taste of their 2021 office when they took the new Williams FW43B for a spin at a chilly Silverstone… A day after McLaren became the first team to run a 2021 car at the Northamptonshire track as part of their first of two allocated filming days, Williams followed suit, running the FW43B in a plain livery. The car is the first to be produced following the departure of the Williams family, who sold the team to investment firm Dorilton Capital, with Jost Capito drafted in as CEO. It’s understood the day ran smoothly and Williams completed their programme as hoped, with rules dictating only 100km of running can be completed on demonstration Pirelli tyres. Williams, who have finished last in the constructors’ championship for the past three years running, are hoping this season is the start of a new chapter for the iconic British outfit. They will officially launch their new car – complete with new livery – on Friday March 5, one week before pre-season testing in Bahrain begins.

Mick Schumacher will join Haas as a regular driver. A successor in the German family. Yet it does not mean that the young Schumacher has everything under control. The German told Auto, Motor und Sport that there are certainly differences with Formula 2. “It will be the first time I drive a car that has power steering. That is already a very big difference. It creates a completely different feeling in the car. You feel it very differently as a driver. You wait for different inputs from the car, which you then have to analyse quickly. It just takes a bit of time to get used to it.” In order to have the best possible control of the car, Schumacher prepares in an old-fashioned way. “I like to write things down and take notes”, he said. The 21-year-old also sees making flying hours as essential. “In general, it’s about the process in a race and on a race weekend. I’ve done a lot of races in my career, but nothing comes close to the situation that a Formula 1 weekend brings. It becomes very special. I had a lot of zoom calls with my team to prepare. But a race is going to be an event that you have to be there to understand. I also like to write things down and take notes. All in all, it’s learning by doing.” Schumacher will have to deal with fewer test days in his preparation. As for all other teams, there are only three test days this year. “We only have three test days as a team instead of six or eight as in previous years. That means I only get one and a half test days before my first race – and then one hour less training. No, I don’t like to hear that. But those are the rules. I’m sure we’ll get around the rounds with that too. But of course my biggest goal is to drive as much as possible.”

Lando Norris said he has a “lot of respect” for Alex Albon and described F1 as a “very unfair world.” McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris has said he feels “sorry” for Alex Albon, who lost his seat at Red Bull to Sergio Perez in December. Speaking at a press conference attended by Formula1News.co.uk on Monday afternoon, ahead of McLaren’s 2021 car launch, Norris described F1 as a “very unfair world” but tipped Albon to fight his way back. “Formula 1 can be a very hard world and we’re seeing that again,” Norris said. “It’s difficult because I’m good friends with Alex. We get along well and have always had good conversations, although we haven’t actually talked much about Red Bull. “I’m sorry for him, he’s a very good driver. It’s hard, it just goes to show again how hard Formula 1 can be. It can even happen to an extremely good driver. “He beat everyone in all the junior categories, but once you’re in Formula 1 it’s all different, just a bit more competitive. It can be a very unfair world. “You can lose your spot just like that and it’s all over as quickly as it started.” Continuing, the British driver, now entering his third season with McLaren, said: “I don’t know what to say about it. “I like Alex and have a lot of respect for him. It’s a shame he lost his seat but I’m sure he’s going to do everything he can to fight back and get back into F1.” On 18 December, Red Bull announced that they had signed Sergio Perez to partner Max Verstappen for 2021, with Albon becoming their reserve and test driver. This came around six weeks after a Red Bull source told Formula1News.co.uk that they had decided to drop Albon and he would only be on the grid in 2021 if Yuki Tsunoda failed to get a Super Licence. In addition to his reserve and test driver duties at Red Bull, Albon will compete in DTM races this year which don’t clash with his other commitments.

Daniel Ricciardo felt his maiden Formula 1 outing with McLaren went “really smooth” after sampling the MCL35M car for the first time at Silverstone on Tuesday. Following his winter switch from Renault, seven-time grand prix winner Ricciardo helped unveil McLaren’s new F1 car for the 2021 season on Monday at its factory in Woking. McLaren opted to give the MCL35M a maiden run-out at Silverstone on Tuesday, using its filming day allocation for a shakedown to ensure all systems were running as expected. After seeing team-mate Lando Norris complete a run in the morning, Ricciardo turned his first laps in a McLaren F1 car in the afternoon on a greasy and damp Silverstone track. Although the test was limited to just 17 laps due to the filming day restrictions, Ricciardo was glad for the opportunity to get back up to speed after the winter. “It feels longer than two months actually!” Ricciardo said. “It always takes a little bit to get the confidence up. I think as well in these conditions, it’s greasy, they don’t fill you with a lot of confidence after it being a while since being in a car. “But no, it’s nice. Everything’s run really smooth, we completed what we had to. Really, that’s all you can ask for. I know the more laps I turn, the more confidence and comfortable I’ll feel with this team.” The initial shakedown in the MCL35M was all the more important for Ricciardo given the limited amount of pre-season testing in 2021, which has been cut to just three days ahead of the new season. Ricciardo is set to get one-and-a-half days behind the wheel in Bahrain next month, but is confident the team can get everything ready for the opening race of the season. “Every little bit helps, getting up to speed with the team, going through all the procedures,” Ricciardo said. “Really the plan is and the target is to get to Bahrain, Sunday afternoon, be on the grid and for there to be no inch of panic. It’s really just about feeling comfortable and familiar with all the crew. “We’re going through that, trying to go through scenarios that we would face on a race weekend, and yes, we don’t have the atmosphere around us now, but we can certainly try to replicate it and put a little bit of pressure on ourselves. “McLaren started on the right foot with the fire-up, that was a day early, and first day of running on-track, everything has been smooth. “You can’t ask for too much more in this part of the season. So everything is firing on the right cylinders now, and we’re all good.”

Sebastian Vettel has put eight cars up for sale ahead of the 2021 F1 season getting underway. Vettel is selling eight cars ahead of his debut with the Aston Martin F1 Team in just a few weeks’ time. As reported by Motoring Research on Wednesday, Vettel is selling five Ferrari supercars, in addition to three German exotic vehicles, via supercar dealer Tom Hartley Jnr. Specifically, the Ferraris that Vettel is selling are a 2004 Ferrari Enzo, a 2016 Ferrari LaFerrari, a 2016 Ferrari F12tdf, a 1996 Ferrari F50, and a 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale. The four-time World Champion is also selling his 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series, 2002 BMW Z8 Roadster, and 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The LaFerrari and the F50 have already been sold for an undisclosed amount, while the Enzo’s price is only available upon the request of a serious buyer. The remaining five cars have a combined asking price of £1.7 million.

McLaren is the first team to unveil its F1 contender for the 2021 season which is now powered by Mercedes and led by the Norris-Ricciardo duo. Mclaren was third in the constructors’ championship back in 2020. Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo had seen the new Mclaren MCL35M with papaya orange and blue livery colors on Sunday evening. “It’s always special to join a new team, but seeing the car for the first time, with its name, is all the more special, ” Ricciardo said. The Australian driver was chosen for his impressive performances at Renault and Red Bull Racing, but also to advance Lando Norris, a young driver 10 years his junior. Something Norris appears to be taking quite seriously, in defiance of his reputation over the last 2 years as a ‘bit of a joker’, particularly when associated with former teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. In fact, Lando Norris says the pressure is on big-name signing Daniel Ricciardo to deliver at McLaren this season and according to an interview with the Press Association, claims that the Australian isn’t really a ‘big step up’ when compared to Sainz. A surprising statement of intent. “I don’t think the arrival of Daniel will make it any harder for me, I worked with Carlos who is an extremely good driver and there are things Carlos is going to be better at than Daniel and vice-versa.” “I don’t believe Daniel is a big step above anything that Carlos has achieved, and there is more pressure on him because he has been in Formula One for longer and he has to come in and perform very well.” Although Norris clearly is saying that it’s in relation to his challenge against his teammates, it’s a surprising claim for the normally less serious British driver. Perhaps this marks a step-change in Norris’ attitude in Formula 1? Renowned for his funny memes and silly behaviour off track, especially on social media, the youngster makes clear now that he’s serious these days and says that as of last year he opting against making light of on-track struggles as he may have done in the past. “On the whole, I would say there have been a lot less times and a lot less things, I guess mainly I post in social media, which are jokey,” Norris told Motorsport.com. “A lot of that is where it comes from, just what I decide to post post-race. When it’s a difficult day [in 2019], I always took it as a bit of a joke, or portrayed it as a joke with some of my comments on social media and things. “Sometimes [last] year all I’ve done is [write], ‘tough day in the office, head down onto the next one’. And it’s as simple as that.