Formula 1

The 2021 Formula 1 season will mark the 10th anniversary of the widely-criticised DRS overtaking aid, but STEFAN MACKLEY argues its greatest problem is down to the application by circuits rather than the device itself “Artificial”, “gimmick”, and “a band-aid” are just some of the words which have been used to describe the Drag Reduction

Formula 1 plans to make a big push to boost interest in the United States this year, as it continues to evaluate a second race in the country. Liberty Media has long had ambitions to increase F1’s foothold in the USA, and talks have advanced with a project in Miami to hold a race there.

Nikita Mazepin looks set to race under a neutral flag for the next two years following confirmation that an anti-doping ruling against Russia would extend to Formula 1. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced in December that it had upheld a ban on Russia from competing at world championship sporting events, relating to

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has urged teams to back Red Bull’s call for an engine freeze for the good of the series, ahead of a crunch meeting next week. Red Bull is hoping to take over the Honda engine project from the end of this year, following the Japanese manufacturer’s decision to pull out

Alfa Romeo Formula 1 driver and Ferrari protege Antonio Giovinazzi says the Maranello team has set clear targets for him in 2021 as he embarks on his third full season. Following a difficult rookie year alongside Kimi Raikkonen in 2019, Giovinazzi’s form improved in his sophomore campaign. He ran his vastly more experienced team-mate Raikkonen

Formula 1 is considering trialling a Saturday sprint race format in 2021, with CEO Stefano Domenicali revealing plans for reversed grid qualifying races have been shelved completely. Last year, F1 discussed the possibility of experimenting with some reversed grid races on a Saturday in a bid to spice up the show at certain venues. But

AlphaTauri has announced that it will launch its new AT02 challenger for the 2021 Formula 1 season on 19 February. The Faenza-based team, which was renamed last year after competing for many seasons as Toro Rosso, confirmed the date but no other details about the unveiling in a tweet on Thursday morning. On the back

The new era of Formula 1 featuring a budget cap and a revised governance structure will play towards McLaren’s “sweet spot”, according to Zak Brown. 2021 will be the first year in F1 history where team spending is regulated, limiting them to a $145 million cost cap in a bid to make the field more

Romain Grosjean remains open to being a substitute Formula 1 driver if he is ever needed, but is clear he considers his full-time career in the category a ‘closed book’. The Frenchman has just signed to race in IndyCar with Dale Coyne for 2021, after feeling that the American series offered him the best chance

Haas boss Gunther Steiner has revealed that the first idea for how to make his Formula 1 team’s business model work came from the championship’s current CEO Stefano Domenicali. While a host of new teams that have arrived in the sport in recent years have failed to succeed, Haas has been more successful and is

Plans to build a Formula 1 circuit in a forest on the outskirts of Rio have formally been abandoned, a local Brazilian government official has confirmed. Former F1 CEO Chase Carey was keen to move Brazil’s grand prix away from Interlagos, and a deal to run the race in Rio was formally agreed last September.

Yuki Tsunoda may have expressed some regret about not embracing his love of motorsport earlier, but that hasn’t stopped him making up lost time on his way to Formula 1. The Japanese youngster is about to embark on his rookie F1 campaign with AlphaTauri after a pretty swift rise up the ranks. But what has

Mercedes has announced that it will launch its 2021 Formula 1 car on 2 March. The Brackley-based outfit, which is gunning for its eighth consecutive F1 title double this year, had already confirmed that the new challenger will be called the W12. In a Tweet that the outfit published on Tuesday morning, it revealed the

Pierre Gasly became the sixth F1 driver to contract COVID-19 while in a training camp in Dubai. His movements, and those of his fellow drivers, have courted controversy – but also raises questions about F1 drivers’ susceptibility to the virus. LUKE SMITH investigates the reasons why News that Pierre Gasly had tested positive for COVID-19

When Ferrari was unable to upgrade its power unit throughout last season, it was stuck with a major deficit all year. With an engine freeze rule in place for this season, Ferrari’s situation acts as a warning to the Formula 1 grid on getting this year’s engine right from the start, JONATHAN NOBLE explains Ferrari

Pierre Gasly became the sixth F1 driver to contract COVID-19 while in a training camp in Dubai. His movements, and those of his fellow drivers, have courted controversy – but also raises questions about F1 drivers’ susceptibility to the virus. LUKE SMITH investigates the reasons why News that Pierre Gasly had tested positive for COVID-19

Carlos Sainz Jr made sure to thank fans who had camped out to see his first Ferrari Formula 1 test after spotting their banners trackside at Fiorano. The Spaniard got his first outing behind the wheel of a Ferrari as part of the team’s major five-day test with a 2018 F1 car at Fiorano this

AlphaTauri Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly is currently self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19. Gasly has recently been in Dubai for a training camp as part of his off-season preparations, but announced on Sunday night via social media that he had contracted COVID-19. It makes Gasly the sixth F1 driver to test positive for the

In denying Felipe Massa a morale-boosting win one year after his horrific Hungary accident and bringing Formula 1 into disrepute with cloak-and-dagger team orders, Ferrari’s call to hand the 2010 German Grand Prix to Fernando Alonso was widely unpopular. But, as LUKE SMITH argues, hindsight proved it was the right decision Delivered in his distinguishable

Stefano Domenicali says Formula 1 must continue its “active role” in highlighting social issues through the We Race As One campaign, with drivers serving as ambassadors in its messaging. F1 launched We Race As One ahead of the delayed start to the 2020 season to acknowledge the global fight against COVID-19 and a great push

Stefano Domenicali hopes Formula 1 can attract car manufacturers looking for a “fresh image”, believing it to be one of the biggest challenges facing the automotive industry today. F1 currently has four manufacturers on the grid as V6 hybrid power unit suppliers – Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda – but will drop back to three

AlphaTauri rookie Yuki Tsunoda says he is not afraid to make mistakes as he embarks on his first season in Formula 1 with the Italian squad in 2021. The Japanese is stepping up after a single season in F2 in which he finished third in the standings as the best-placed rookie, with three victories including

Mercedes technical director James Allison has provided the team’s customary warning of being tripped up by the latest Formula 1 rule changes despite the seemingly minor alterations for 2021. With preparations for the new F1 season ramping up, earlier this week Mercedes released a video in which Allison discussed the technical rule changes and feared

AlphaTauri technical chief Jody Egginton believes aerodynamic development will remain “king” in settling the close midfield fight in Formula 1 this year despite the new token system. With the new technical regulations postponed until next year, a freeze has been placed on widespread car development between 2020 and 2021 to try and cut costs in

Mercedes hit the ground running when Formula 1’s turbo-hybrid era began in 2014, as its W05 made perfect use of the best power unit to charge to world title glory. That championship was hardly a flash in the pan. Instead, the story of how Mercedes built on that early success with its subsequent cars offers

Dale Coyne says he would “love to have” ex-Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean join his IndyCar team for the 2021 season, and is targeting an announcement next week. After losing his F1 drive with Haas last October, Grosjean confirmed that he was exploring options in a number of other championships, including IndyCar, for the future.

Haas Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher completed an outing for Ferrari at Fiorano on Thursday, which he deemed “an excellent base” for his 2021 rookie season assault. The German ran over 50 laps and completed some practice starts in the team’s 2018 SF71H test car, which he had previously sampled at the same venue on

Recent discussions about which direction Formula 1 should go with its engines over the longer term has tended to focus on two clear options. On the one side there is committing to hybrids (an internal combustion engine with extra battery power) allied to greater advances in more sustainable fuel. This is the option that F1

McLaren has fired up its new Mercedes-powered MCL35M for the first time ahead of the 2021 Formula 1 season. The Woking-based outfit has had a busy winter getting its new car ready for the campaign, having switched from Renault power. The changes to the car to accommodate the Mercedes power unit have been extensive, and

Carlos Sainz Jr says his first test as a Ferrari Formula 1 driver was “a day I will never forget” in a 2018-spec car at the Fiorano test track. The 26-year-old will become only the Scuderia’s third-ever Spanish F1 race driver, following Marquis Alfonso de Portago and Fernando Alonso, when the 2021 season kicks off