Racetrackmasters

Sebastian Vettel is convinced he can win another Formula One title with his new Aston Martin team. The four-times world champion has also delivered a cutting barb to Ferrari, his former team, by praising the work ethic at Aston Martin, who launched their car on Wednesday, marking the British manufacturer’s return to F1 after a 61-year absence. Vettel was told he would be dropped by Ferrari before last season began and went on to endure the worst season of his career. He struggled with the car and finished 13th. The German has signed with Aston Martin, formerly known as Force India and Racing Point, and has embraced the challenge ahead: succeeding with a smaller but decidedly ambitious outfit. “The team is still growing and things are different here,” he said. “It is not about the fancy looks or the expensive, designer chairs in the office but more about the work done behind the scenes and from what I have seen the people are very capable and very talented. Its the first time in the last one or two years that they are getting the oxygen to breathe.” Vettel won his four titles with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013 and came close with Ferrari in 2017 and 2018 but was beaten by Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes. There was speculation the 33-year-old might retire but he remains motivated and believes he has moved on from the travails of last season. “It’s not a secret that at stages last year I was not at my happiest, I know it wasn’t to my standards but I am very much at peace with it,” he said. “This year I am very much looking forwards. “I think I have another world championship in me. It has been in me before and it was a big relief winning the first one and knowing you can do it. Since then, I don’t see why it is not there any more. I am not too old and I still have a long time in me.” Vettel struggled with the rear instability of the Ferrari last year but is likely to be far more comfortable with the low-rake design philosophy of his Mercedes-influenced car that offers the stability he prefers. He also has the full-backing of Szafnauer, who is confident Vettel remains a potent force in F1. “I’ve always said, and will continue to say so, at 33 years old you don’t forget how to drive a Formula One car fast,” said the team principal. “We will work hard to make sure the car is to his liking and the setup is like he wants it.”

Aston Martin will kick off their 2021 season on Thursday, with both Sebastian Vettel & Lance Stroll driving the AMR21 at Silverstone. Having launched their 2021 car, the AMR21, on Wednesday, Aston Martin will bring along their new car to Silverstone on Thursday. Both race drivers Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll will have the chance to drive the car over the course of 100 kilometres of track time, as the team shake down their new car. Filming days are obstensibly marketing days for teams to get on-track imagery and footage of their current car on track. Equipped with specially designated Pirelli tyres and with the mileage limit, teams aren’t able to use these two permitted days as development tests. But they do serve well as a means for teams to carry out shakedowns ahead of the crucial on track tests, with 2021’s official pre-season testing getting underway in Bahrain on the 12th of March. While largely an evolution of last year’s Racing Point RP20, the new Aston Martin features an all-new chassis, as Technical Director Andrew Green outlined some of the lessons they’ve learned from last year and taken into this season. “2021 is going to be a tough battle and it’s probably going to be a very close fight with small margins making the difference – like it was at the end of 2020, if not closer.” said Green. “We want to show what we’re capable of delivering, weekend in and weekend out: consistency is going to be the key for us.” “Last year, it was a new car with a completely different development philosophy, and it was always going to take time to realise the car’s full potential. In Formula One you never stop learning, and over the years we’ve learnt a lot. The AMR21 is an expression of that never-ending learning curve. With the 2021 car being closely related to 2020, we should start the new campaign with a much better understanding and we can aim even higher again.” “With Vettel getting his first drive of one of the team’s cars on Thursday after his high profile departure from Ferrari after six years, Green says his signing underlines Aston’s growing credibility within the sport: “Having Sebastian in the team is a massive statement and again it shows how far we’ve come in the past few years to attract a driver of his experience and ability. “He’s already driven the car in the simulator and the feedback was promising and insightful. Sebastian’s experience and knowledge is exactly what we as a team need right now. It’s incredibly exciting to have a four-time World Champion working with us as part of the team.” “On the other side of the garage, Lance continues to impress and he’s still only 22. Every time he drives the car, he climbs out of it with a little more experience, and experience is crucial to any driver. And now he has a four-time World Champion as a team-mate, so, like every single one of us, he’s going to be able to benefit from the different perspective that Sebastian will bring. Lance is extremely talented, make no mistake about that. He delivered some truly superb drives last season. Now, as he gains more experience – and as he learns from Seb, as we all will – I’m sure he’ll build on the form he established in 2020 and deliver even more in 2021.”

Aston Martin has launched its 2021 challenger, the AMR21, marking its return to Formula One after over six decades. As part of the team’s rebrand from Racing Point to Aston Martin, their 2021 car has a radically different livery to its predecessor, with them switching out pink for British racing green. However, as BWT will continue to sponsor the team this upcoming season, the car has accents of pink and features a number of BWT logos, in addition to the logo of their new title sponsor, Cognizant. Speaking during the car’s unveiling, team owner and Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll said they are looking to make “real progress” over the coming seasons. “We have the pieces, partners and experience in place to make real progress in Formula One,” Stroll said. “I have dreamed about this day for a very long time. I have always been a car guy, since I was a child. I have always loved racing, too. “My first dream was to own a Formula One team. My second dream was to acquire a significant shareholding in Aston Martin Lagonda. “Today is about the merging of those two dreams. So, as I say, today is all about dreams, and it shows that dreams really can come true, in the shape of our new AMR21. “Aston Martin returning to Formula One after an absence of 61 years will have a powerful effect on the sport, the media and the fans, commanding global attention,” he added. Meanwhile, Lance Stroll, who is entering his third season with the team, said he is aiming for them to finish at least third in the 2021 Constructors’ Championship after they missed out on P3 last season despite having the third-fastest car. “I think we can accomplish that this year, if not more,” the 22-year-old said. Sebastian Vettel joined Aston Martin from Ferrari at the end of 2020, and the four-time World Champion is clearly optimistic about the future of his new team. “Even though I have raced for four Formula One teams and for many years, starting a new season with a new team still gives me a sense of excitement,” Vettel said. “As a driver, I have always kept my eye on the competition and this team has consistently impressed me with what they have been able to do without the biggest of budgets. “So, when Lawrence [Stroll] and Otmar [Szafnauer] approached me last year, and explained what their ambitions were, I was immediately very motivated to join the team. “I love the history of motor racing and Aston Martin is one of the great names of the past, so it is fun to be part of their return to Formula One after an absence of 61 years. “Having visited the factory and met the senior people as well as my engineers and mechanics, I can see they are a really good group. “I feel confident that, by the support Lawrence brings together with the Aston Martin name, we will make real progress together,” the German added. Stroll and Vettel will give the AMR21 its initial shakedown during a filming day on Thursday, before putting the car through its paces in pre-season testing in Bahrain later this month.

Alpine took their first Formula 1 challenger to Silverstone for a filming day. In a virtual launch event Alpine revealed the A521, which honours its French heritage with a predominantly blue livery, featuring splashes of red and white. Esteban Ocon, one half of Alpine’s 2021 driver line-up, took part in the virtual launch and then got the chance to drive the A521 for the first time on Wednesday. Fernando Alonso, who returns to Formula 1 to partner Ocon, was unable to take part in the A521 launch event due to his altered schedule that was brought about by a cycling accident. Silverstone set the scene then for Ocon to take the vibrant A521 onto a race track for the first time, and even under the grey, misty Northamptonshire skies it looked sublime! The A521 could be heard in the distance as the Alpine crew headed to the fence, and it wasn’t long before Ocon came into sight and powered down the straight. Ocon completed 100km of running, the amount which teams are restricted to in official filming days for their current challengers. After struggling in the early stages of the 2020 campaign upon returning to Formula 1, Ocon went some way to disproving the critics as the season progressed. The second-half of the season was a far stronger showing for the Frenchman after being off the pace of team-mate Daniel Ricciardo in the early rounds, and his P2 finish at the Sakhir Grand Prix was the perfect way to crown that progression. That momentum needs to continue into 2021 with Ocon’s Alpine deal up at the end of the year, but Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said that Ocon remains in his thoughts for 2022. Nonetheless, Ocon’s full focus is on Alpine. “I’m an Alpine driver, fully committed to the plan of the team and the challenges that are inside here, Ocon is quoted by RacingNews365.com. “My goal is to make the team improve, and at some point get the result that we want, which is fighting for wins in the future.”

Aston Martin finally announces its car on Wednesday. The AMR21 should ensure more podiums and perhaps even victories with Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll behind the wheel. The iconic Aston Martin brand will finally return to Formula 1 in 2021 after a brief stint in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Lawrence Stroll has transformed Racing Point into the legendary name. When we see the team’s new merchandise, we can expect a dark green car, as Aston Martin often uses in racing. The curtain comes off the car at 15:00 GMT.

Former AlphaTauri driver Daniil Kvyat has been nominated by the Alpine Formula 1 Team as their reserve driver. The Russian was replaced by Formula 2 driver Yuki Tsunoda in AlphaTauri for the 2021 F1 season. The 26-year-old has been in Formula 1 for six seasons with AlphaTauri, Toro Rosso and Red Bull having a total of 110 race starts, 202 points, 3 podiums and one fastest lap in his F1 career. As part of the Red Bull Junior Programme, Kvyat demonstrated his talent in junior categories, taking the GP3 title in 2013 and Formula Renault 2.0 ALPS crown in 2012. “Throughout his career, Daniil has forged a reputation as a very quick driver,” said Alpine CEO, Laurent Rossi, “but has also shown great resilience. “We are pleased to have yet another determined and talented driver in our ranks as we make our first F1 campaign as Alpine F1 Team.” “I am very excited to join the Alpine family,” said Kvyat. “The team has achieved some great results in the past year and is very technologically advanced. “Development has been strong, and I am aiming to contribute to this positive trend. I will try to bring my experience on and off track to help develop the A521 and future cars as well. “As a reserve driver you need to keep sharp and I look forward to integrating into the team in several different areas.”

Alpine has revealed the first livery of its post-Renault era, and the car two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso will drive on his comeback.

Mercedes Formula E driver Nyck de Vries has been nominated as one of Mercedes F1 reserve drivers for the 2021 season. De Vries will be joining his teammate at Mercedes Formula E team, Stoffel Vandoorne who also has the same reserve role with the F1 champions. The 2019 Formula 2 Champion got a chance with Mercedes following his F2 championship victory and joined the Mercedes Formula E team for the 2019-20 FE Championship. The 26-year-old scored his maiden Formula E victory last weekend in Diriyah after dominating throughout the whole race. Mercedes F1 Team had previously given the reserve driver role to former Mclaren F1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne and Esteban Gutierrez who was a former Haas driver. Mercedes revealed this during the launch of their 2021 F1 car, the W12 and stated that de Vries will be joining them for the reserve driver role in their 2021 campaign. “We also have a strong reserve driver line-up for the 2021 season, with Stoffel Vandoorne continuing in the role alongside his Mercedes teammate in Formula E, Nyck de Vries.” This marks a first official F1 role for de Vries, who previously only served as a development driver with McLaren when he was part of its young driver academy. De Vries enjoyed his first F1 test at the end of last year when he took part in the Abu Dhabi rookie test at Yas Marina for Mercedes, running alongside Vandoorne. Gutierrez has not been listed as part of Mercedes’ line-up for the coming year, but it emerged last summer that his superlicence had expired, making him ineligible to race in F1.

Formula 1 will be having sparkling wine replacing champagne for the podium. This is after F1 made a deal with Italian winemaker Ferrari Trento making it the official F1 drinks partner for the podiums and paddock club. This will be not the first time that Ferrari Trento will feature on the podium as it previously made an appearance on the podium during the 1981 Italian Grand Prix. “We are thrilled to announce Ferrari Trento as an official Partner of Formula 1,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said. “Celebrating success is in both our DNA and having Ferrari Trento at the heart of the sport’s most iconic celebratory moment makes them such a natural partner for us. “For more than a century, Ferrari Trento has been synonymous with Italian excellency, pouring their passion into creating fine sparkling wines capable of elevating any moment, and we look forward to working together to create and enhance our fan experience on and off the podium.” Ferrari Trento CEO Matteo Lunelli added: “We are very excited to announce this partnership with Formula 1 which is both an achievement and a starting point for us. It’s an achievement because it demonstrates the renown and the appeal that Ferrari Trento wines enjoy internationally, thanks to our team that works tirelessly across the board.

Seven-time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton has revealed that his future with Mercedes will be determined by only one year as he insists that there is no need to plan too far ahead. The 36-year-old recently signed a contract with Mercedes after a long wait and the contract only covers the 2021 F1 season making it his ninth year with the German outfit. His 2022 campaign with Mercedes will be determined in the 2021 season as he targets to take an eighth driver’s title beating Michael Schumacher’s record. There have been suggestions that if the Briton does not take the 2021 championship, it would be the best time for him to retire as he holds very many interests out of Formula 1. With the launch of the W12 in which he will be campaigning for the 2021 world title, Hamilton aired his insights that he was not intending on strapping himself down with Mercedes on a multi-year deal. However, the Briton was non-commital on how long he intends to continue driving. “I’m kind of in a fortunate position where I’ve achieved most of the stuff I’ve wanted to achieve up until this point, so there’s no real need necessarily to plan too far ahead in the future,” said Hamilton. “I think we live in quite an unusual period of time in life and I just wanted one year – then we can talk about if we do more and keep adding [to] it if we have to.” Team principal and Mercedes F1 co-owner Toto Wolff was also quizzed about Hamilton’s new deal, but more so on why it took so long to sign the contract. “It is very simple, the explanation,” Wolff commented. “With Lewis there was a particular media attention on our contract negotiations.” “It was actually quite funny because him and me, we are so aligned. While we were in the season we just didn’t have scope to spend enough time with each other to have that conversation.” “We thought about doing it between the two Bahrain races, but then he fell ill and then we both went into our holidays. We talked, and then I had Covid so that delayed it.” “Our conversations are really partners discussing, but it’s down to the details and then we felt now we have to close this conversation because the season is right in front of us.” “We had been talking a lot about the future, about Lewis driving the car in the future, but also about our partnership going forward.” “So we felt ‘let’s discuss this during the season when we can find more time.”

Reigning world champions Mercedes have unveiled the first images of its 2021 contender, the W12, with which the Brackley squad will defend its Constructors’ title in Formula 1. Mercedes, which will formally present its 2021 team later today, has retained the base black livery that it introduced last year in the wake of its anti-racism message. However, contrary to its predecessor, the new car engine cover no longer features a constellation of three-point stars but includes the visible presence of its AMG brand. The W12’s design, which will be entrusted once again to Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, is obviously based on last year’s W11 as teams were forced to carry over their 2020 chassis while implementing a series of aero changes mandated by this season’s regulations. But Mercedes tech boss James Allison has yet to reveal where the team has spent its two development tokens. News emerged over the winter that Mercedes HPP engine unit department in Brixworth had encountered a few problems with the German manufacturer’s latest power unit development. However, engine boss Hywel Thomas said that plans had been put in place to solve all of the new unit’s issues. “Our scepticism and hunger drive us and get us fired up for every new season – because the scoreboard goes to zero and there’s always more performance to be found. And that’s exciting,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff who has remained at the helm of the championship winning team. The W12 will complete its first laps on the opening day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, on Friday 12 March.

Jost Capito, the new Williams CEO, admits the British team could lose George Russell to Mercedes for 2022. 2021 is 23-year-old Russell’s third season in Formula 1 with Williams, but he got a taste of life in the fastest lane late last year when Lewis Hamilton had covid-19. “When he drove the Mercedes last year, that catapulted his self-confidence up even more,” Capito told the German broadcaster n-tv. “He is a very open guy and a demanding driver for the team. He’s a true professional, which is rarely seen at his age. I am sure he will become champion one day.” Seven time world champion Hamilton has only signed a new one-year deal with Mercedes, with team boss Toto Wolff openly admitting Russell is a clear option for the future. When asked if Williams needs to be prepared to lose Russell, Capito answered: “Let’s see how the situation develops and whether he will remain at Williams next year. “It depends largely on the prospects at Mercedes for 2022, when the regulations will change a lot, but also on the development within our own team.” As for Capito himself, he said returning to Formula 1 with Williams was an offer he “couldn’t say no to”. “Williams is the greatest challenge for me – and the greatest honour,” said the 62-year-old German. “Taking over the team from the (Williams) family is a special task.”

Formula 1 has turned down an offer to get closer to its pre-covid days by getting vaccinated by the Bahraini government. Officials of the season opening grand prix at Sakhir, who will also host pre-season testing this month, have written to the sport offering members of the travelling circus the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. “As a UK-based organisation, Formula 1 has no plans to get vaccinated as a travelling group ahead of the planned rollout of vaccines through the UK health system,” a F1 spokesperson told international publications. F1’s ‘no’ to Bahrain comes despite Liberty Media admitting it recorded an almost $400 million loss in 2020. The sport is at least hoping that spectators can return to the grandstands this year. “At this point, I am still optimistic that we will see spectators at the majority of the races,” F1 marketing boss Chloe Targett-Adams is quoted by Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali agrees: “Obviously we would like to welcome fans back to the track and we will still work closely with local governments to understand any possibilities. “However, we are grateful for the efforts made by various governments to allow Formula 1 to continue to travel during a period of global quarantine,” he is quoted by Corriere dello Sport. Silverstone boss Stuart Pringle said one option for a full crowd to return for the British GP could be the introduction of so-called ‘vaccine passports’. “There have been discussions between myself, other sports and the government as to whether our electronic ticketing systems could be linked to the passport,” he said. Formula 1 says it is not worried about its survival in the long-term as a result of the pandemic. Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei said: “All of our businesses will be ready to turn a profit once Covid-19 is over. F1’s balance sheet and agreements are fine, so I’m not really worried about it. “If I’m optimistic, I think we’ll be back at 100 percent by the end of the year.”