The German manufacturer conducted a deep analysis of the troubles it suffered in pre-season testing, when main rival Red Bull enjoyed a confidence boosting three days of running. PLUS: Is this Red Bull’s best chance to beat Mercedes? It thinks a combination of the impact of the new harder Pirelli tyres, allied to the implications
Taking the place of Rally Chile – which has been cancelled due to COVID-related restrictions in the country – the classic gravel event will host round ten of the WRC from 9-12 September. Famed for its unforgiving rocks and high temperatures, the Acropolis was one of the first events to sign up to the WRC
Zarco stepped up to the premier class in 2017 with Tech3 Yamaha as reigning double Moto2 world champion, scoring six podiums across his first two years. However, he has only claimed one podium since then following a miserable half-season with KTM in 2019 and mixed campaign with Avintia Ducati last year. Zarco has been promoted
5:07 AM ET Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton said he had spoken to Bahrain officials about human rights in the country after promising last year he would not let any abuses go unnoticed. 1 Related The Mercedes driver, who will be chasing a record eighth world title in a season that starts in the
This year, F1 will again hold a pre-race moment for drivers to express their personal views following the ceremony’s introduction in 2020 in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests that followed the killing of George Floyd. A change has been made ahead of the 2021 season, with the moment no longer being held
The reigning IMSA SportsCar Championship title winner, who notched up his second Daytona victory in January, will partner full-season drivers Ben Hanley and Henrik Hedman in the DragonSpeed ORECA-Gibson 07 LMP2 car at the Barcelona series opener on 18 April. The team will subsequently bring in a different star driver for each of the remaining
The fundamental rule surrounding track limits has not changed as such for 2021, but the policing has become stricter. Last season, riders could go one wheel off circuit onto the painted run-off area and still keep their lap times, while both wheels off-track resulted in that sector – and ultimately the lap – being cancelled
1:39 PM ET Lewis Hamilton said his newly signed one-year deal with Mercedes should not be seen as him keeping the door open to leave Formula One at the end of the year. 1 Related Hamilton and Mercedes only agreed his 2021 extension earlier this year, although the final duration was much shorter than most
The daily F1 weekend podcasts that Autosport began producing in 2020 will now be hosted by motorsport broadcaster Ariana Bravo. Bravo is an experienced motorsport podcaster, who currently co-hosts the ‘Driven by Diversity Podcast’, which shines the spotlight on a range of individuals from underrepresented backgrounds and discusses their journey into motorsport, with the hope
The current 2.2-litre twin-turbo V6s used in the IndyCar Series will be replaced in 2023 with 2.4-litre V6 units, still using twin turbos but also with a hybrid unit. To simulate the effects of the 100hp boost that IndyCar is striving for from the hybrid unit on ovals as well as road and street courses,
Honda announced on Monday that, following consultation from his doctors, Marquez would not stage his long-awaited MotoGP return in the season-opening Qatar double-header despite his accelerated training programme. The six-time world champion was cleared to begin riding motorcycles again earlier this month and undertook two trackdays at Barcelona and the Algarve on a Honda RC213V-S,
1:45 PM ET Lewis Hamilton will continue to take a knee ahead of Formula One races this year in the hope it will spark more “uncomfortable conversations” on issues related to racism. Throughout the 2020 season, F1 invited all 20 drivers to unite against racism ahead of the start of each race. Not all drivers
The one billion fans figure has been projected by sports industry analytics company Nielsen Sports. Nielsen’s forecast is based on its analysis of individuals with an interest in F1 that are aged between 16-69 in the championship’s key markets, and it claims to have detected a noticeable increase in F1 interest mainly coming from the
Rumours emerged earlier in the week on the run up to the opening round of the 2021 MotoGP season that Vinales’ Yamaha crew chief Esteban Garcia had tested positive for COVID-19. Vinales confirmed Garcia had an initial test which proved reactive – meaning the result didn’t count – but tested negative on Wednesday. Despite this,
The Petronas SRT rider came to within 13 points of the 2020 title on his older ‘A-spec’ Yamaha after winning three races and emerging as the Japanese marque’s leading runner. Despite remaining on the ‘A-spec’ M1 – which was given “substantial” updates during testing – many expect Morbidelli to once again be a factor in
6:09 AM ET Sixty British parliamentarians joined campaigners on Wednesday in urging Formula One to commission an independent inquiry into the human rights impact of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Rights groups said in an open letter to chief executive Stefano Domenicali that they also wanted him to seek “redress for those victims of abuses directly
If F1 can navigate the problems still being caused by COVID-19 around the world, a record 23 races will be held this year. This includes the return of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort and a new addition in the form of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at a street circuit in Jeddah. The global pandemic
The airwaves were full of emotion in the desert night. Tune in to Radio F1 from the Bahrain Grand Prix… and try not to cry! For more F1® videos, visit http://www.Formula1.com Like F1® on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Formula1/ Follow F1® on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/F1 Follow F1® on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/F1 #F1 #BahrainGP
Encouraged by the success of the Blancpain Endurance Series, world-renowned Swiss watch manufacture Blancpain and the SRO Motorsports Group decide at the end of 2013 to extend their partnership to the Sprint series, previously promoted as the FIA GT Series, offering teams and drivers the opportunity to compete for an overall Blancpain GT Series title,
The British team, co-owned by 2009 Formula 1 champion Jenson Button, announced back in December that it would field a McLaren 720S in the revamped DTM series this year, taking advantage of its switch to GT3 machinery. This was supposed to mark the next stage in the expansion of the outfit after it spent the
11:43 AM ET Laurence Edmondson Close F1 Editor • Joined ESPN in 2009• An FIA accredited F1 journalist since 2011 Nate Saunders Close F1 Associate Editor • Previously worked in rugby union and British Superbikes • History graduate from Reading University• Joined ESPNF1 in February 2014 The Formula One season starts with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28. While
It’s also a question that is impossible to answer, simply because even the man himself is adamant that he doesn’t yet know. Speculation about Hamilton’s career plans has been rife since his new one-year deal was finally announced on 8 February, a little over a month before the start of testing in Bahrain. It’s not
Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso are regarded as one of F1’s greatest-ever rookie intakes, the trio each enjoying standout seasons with the Williams, Sauber and Minardi squads that would set them up for lengthy top-line careers. Montoya overtook Schumacher three times on track during the season and finally broke his duck in
The Honda rider has only recently been able to start training on motorcycles again following his third operation on the right arm he broke in last July’s Spanish GP. Despite this, videos of the six-time world champion tearing up the Barcelona and Algarve circuits aboard an RC213V-S track bike led almost the entire MotoGP paddock
12:41 PM ET Formula One drivers will gather again in a moment of unity on the starting grid pre-race this season but in support of wider social and environmental issues than a sole focus on anti-racism. The sport this week announced international advocacy organisation Global Citizen as a charity partner of Formula One’s WeRaceAsOne platform,
Alonso will make his F1 comeback at this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, returning to the grid after spending the last two seasons racing in IndyCar, the World Endurance Championship and the Dakar Rally. The two-time F1 world champion is beginning his third stint with the Enstone-based operation, having raced for Renault between 2003-2006 and 2008-2009.
Ferrari commenced work with the FIA last year on its new Girls On Track scheme to find female talent for the Ferrari Driver Academy. Maya Weug, 16, became the first woman to join the FDA after winning the initiative, and started work at Maranello earlier this year. Ferrari announced on Wednesday that following the success
Gasly enjoyed a solid 2020 season by finishing tenth in the drivers’ championship, capped off by a shock maiden win in the Italian Grand Prix. AlphaTauri’s 2020 car allowed Gasly and former teammate Daniil Kvyat to be firmly in the midfield mix, the pair scoring points on 17 occasions as the team finished seventh. Despite
The only British event on the GTWCE calendar, originally set for 2 May, was postponed earlier this month, with publication of a new date pending. It has now been set for 29 August, making it the fourth of the five weekends that make up the sprint segment of the series. The original postponement was made
Honda had a mixed test in Qatar last week after its riders registered 10 crashes across four days, with Marquez accounting for five of those – the last one resulting in a fractured foot. The Japanese marque’s top rider at the end of testing was factory team rookie Pol Espargaro in 10th, 0.716 seconds off