Formula 1

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and Mercedes chief Toto Wolff would both back a delay of Formula 1’s increased use of biofuels planned for 2022. F1 is currently pushing to increase the sustainability of its fuels, with the existing level of biofuel components required to be used by teams standing at 5.75%. Under the

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff thinks there is no chance Formula 1 teams will be able to produce faster cars next year in the wake of downforce cuts. In a bid to reverse the dramatic performance gains that teams have unlocked, which are putting tyres under more and more stress, a raft of changes have been

Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc believes his 2020 season was his “best season in F1” as he battled to finish eighth in the championship with an uncompetitive car. While Ferrari slumped to its worst result in the constructors’ championship since 1980 in sixth, Leclerc often managed to drag his underpowered Ferrari SF1000 to the

Lewis Hamilton believes there is no need for Valtteri Bottas to defend his Formula 1 performances through 2020, praising a “big showing” of his personality and character this year. Bottas finished 2020 as runner-up in the F1 drivers’ championship for the second time, but failed to maintain a sustained challenge to Mercedes team-mate Hamilton for

McLaren Formula 1 racing director Andrea Stella says the close relationship between Carlos Sainz Jr and Lando Norris encouraged both men to open their “box of secrets” and share information. Stella hopes that Norris and new arrival Daniel Ricciardo will also form a fruitful partnership, although he says inevitably it won’t be the same and

New AlphaTauri Formula 1 recruit Yuki Tsunoda will be pushing team-mate Pierre Gasly hard within a few races next season, predicts his Formula 2 team boss Trevor Carlin. Carlin has watched Tsunoda become the 27th driver to graduate from his squad to an F1 race seat, and he reckons the Japanese ace will shine. “He’s

In cartoon land, Stirling Moss had a legendary team-mate in Skid Solo in the iconic Tiger and Speed comic book, which despite being fantasy loosely based on reality, drew far closer to the truth than anyone would foresee. ANDY HALLBERY looks back The magical story Martin Brundle tells in this week’s Christmas issue of Autosport

Esteban Ocon feels it will still be hard for Formula 1 drivers to stray from their strict precautions to avoid getting COVID-19 during the winter break. Three F1 drivers missed races across the course of the 2020 season through illness as the FIA enforced strict protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the paddock.

Daniil Kvyat thinks he still has a lot more to offer in Formula 1, especially as he feels only now he is fully capable of delivering for a top team. The Russian looks set to sit on the sidelines in 2021, after AlphaTauri elected to replace him with F2 frontrunner Yuki Tsunoda for next year.

The remarkable 2020 Formula 1 season is the subject of discussion in Autosport’s season review podcast. From the genuine possibility of not having an F1 season at all amid the coronavirus pandemic which forced the last-minute cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix, the series crammed in 17 races with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes ultimately prevailing

Sir Frank Williams has been discharged from hospital and is recovering at home, the former Formula 1 team principal’s squad has announced. Williams had been admitted to hospital just over a week ago, with his family confirming he was in a stable condition, while keeping the details of his medical situation private. Earlier on Thursday

Williams says it has no desire to become a Formula 1 B-team, despite the closer alliances some rivals are forming with the top squads. As F1 heads into a new era of limited resources, thanks to tighter cost controls and the arrival of a budget cap, there has been a move for some outfits to

McLaren has no plans to abandon its “very targeted” approach to its young Formula 1 driver programme, wishing to avoid the issue of struggling to place its talent. The team has brought a number of young drivers into F1 through its junior programme, including seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and current McLaren F1 driver Lando

The Haas Formula 1 team has reiterated its intention to run Nikita Mazepin for 2021 and has concluded its internal investigation into his recent conduct in an online video. The team released a statement on Wednesday that confirmed the Russian driver would join Mick Schumacher as an all-rookie line-up for 2021 as previously announced. The

Ferrari thinks only a “bad” situation for the team next year will prompt it to compromise its aggressive focus on the opportunities of Formula 1’s new 2022 rules. Although Ferrari is coming off the back of a disappointing 2020 campaign, it is open that it cannot expect to be back fighting at the front next

Esteban Ocon feels his progress through his comeback Formula 1 season with Renault has been “very strong” after building his confidence following a year on the sidelines. Ocon spent 2019 serving as Mercedes’ F1 reserve driver after missing out on seats at Renault, McLaren and Racing Point, falling through the cracks in the driver market.

Williams says that George Russell returned from his Mercedes outing with several ideas for car improvements – including new clutch paddles – that could help the Formula 1 team in 2021. Russell was drafted in by Mercedes for the Sakhir Grand Prix as replacement for world champion Lewis Hamilton, who had been sidelined by coronavirus.

Lewis Hamilton feels he has learned from his penalty slip-ups through the 2020 Formula 1 season, saying the stewards “won’t be able to catch me out again”. Hamilton received in-race penalties on three occasions this year, the first coming at the opening round in Austria when he received a five-second penalty for a collision with

Kevin Magnussen has credited his former Haas Formula 1 team-mate Romain Grosjean with making him a better qualifier as he claimed the Frenchman is “phenomenal on one lap”. Both Magnussen and Grosjean are leaving F1 after being replaced by rookies Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin at Haas for the 2021 season, with the Dane joining

Kevin Magnussen has credited his former Haas Formula 1 teammate Romain Grosjean with making him a better qualifier as he claimed the Frenchman is “phenomenal on one lap”. Both Magnussen and Grosjean are leaving F1 after being replaced by rookies Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin at Haas for the 2021 season, with the Dane joining

Renault Formula 1 driver Esteban Ocon believes adding cambered corners to Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit would help improve the quality of the racing. While the Yas Marina Circuit boasts state-of-the-art facilities, its actual layout has been subject to a lot of criticism over the years. In 2010 Fernando Alonso famously lost the world title

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has been crowned the BBC’s 2020 Sports Personality of the Year, making it a second time that the Mercedes driver has won the accolade. Hamilton beat footballer Jordan Henderson, jockey Hollie Doyle, snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan, cricketer Stuart Broad and boxer Tyson Fury to the 2020 award. He previously

Toto Wolff feels “committed to life” to Mercedes’ Formula 1 project after increasing his shareholding and agreeing to continue as its team principal for at least three more years. Mercedes announced on Friday that its ownership had been restructured after British chemicals giant INEOS took a one-third shareholding in the team. Wolff has upped his

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr will start the 2021 Formula 1 season with equal status as drivers, says Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto. Sainz comes into replace Aston Martin-bound Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari, having spent the last two seasons with McLaren. Although Leclerc will be entering his third season at the Italian team, while

Red Bull says neither Sebastian Vettel nor Nico Hulkenberg were ever seriously considered for a 2021 Formula 1 race seat with the team. With Red Bull weighing up its options from the middle of the season about whether or not to stick with Alex Albon or look elsewhere, both Vettel and Hulkenberg were linked with

Lewis Hamilton feels “proud” that Toto Wolff will continue to serve as Mercedes’ Formula 1 team principal for the next three years, calling him “a great figurehead”. Mercedes announced on Friday that Wolff would remain in the role of team principal and CEO of its F1 team until at least the end of 2024, having

Lewis Hamilton says Sergio Perez “truly deserved” a move to Red Bull, and relishes the challenge of fighting both he and Max Verstappen in Formula 1 next year. Perez was installed as Alex Albon’s replacement at Red Bull for next year on a one-year deal, with the Anglo-Thai driver handed a test and reserve role

Ferrari plans to unveil its 2021 Formula 1 car, the SF21, just ahead of pre-season testing at Barcelona in Spain next year. Although there is a chassis freeze for teams, which means they must run their current basic cars again, aerodynamic changes are allowed and teams can spend two development tokens to make other modifications.

Christian Horner feels Red Bull had to “trust the facts opposed to emotion” in replacing Alexander Albon for 2021 after he failed to cut the gap to Max Verstappen. Red Bull announced on Friday that it had signed outgoing Racing Point driver Sergio Perez for next season to replace Albon, who has dropped into a

Formula 1 and MotoGP venue Barcelona will reinstate a modified layout of the old Turn 10 following safety improvements made in conjunction with the FIA and FIM. The original Turn 10 at the Barcelona circuit was a long left-hander which fed into the long right at the top of the hill at Turn 11. However,