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Formula One 2019


Lineker

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10 minutes ago, Chris2K said:

To be fair, something I rarely am to the Stroll family, it must be hard not to be able to just name the team after yourself like Williams, McLaren, Jordan, Tyrrell, Brabham, Ligier, Prost etc.

A name like Stroll doesn't exactly resonate with "speed".

 

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The FIA's investigation into the Belgian Grand Prix start crash has concluded the halo saved Charles Leclerc from being hit on the visor by Fernando Alonso's endplate, Autosport can reveal.

Following weeks of analysis of video footage and data from the cars involved, the final report on the accident has concluded that the halo did play a crucial role in saving Leclerc from injury or worse.

The report by the FIA Global Institute, the findings of which are revealed here for the first time, have given the clearest indication yet of how well the halo stood up to the crash.

Not only did the cockpit protection system remain "structurally intact and in a usable condition" following the 58kN impact from Alonso's right front wheel - with Sauber able to remove the halo without issue after the event - it also helped deflect the McLaren away.

Pictures of the accident captured by the FIA's high-speed cockpit camera showed that Leclerc was only hit by small pieces of carbon debris from Alonso's car as it flew over his cockpit.

Although the investigation concluded that the front-wheel trajectory would not have brought it into contact with Leclerc's head, it believes the McLaren's front wing endplate was on course for Leclerc's visor.

Speaking exclusively to Autosport about the results of the investigation, the FIA's safety director Adam Baker said: "From the available data and video footage, we are confident that the wheel would not have hit Leclerc's helmet.

"But, as Alonso's car continued to yaw relative to Leclerc's, we believe that Alonso's front wing endplate would have just contacted Leclerc's visor.

"It is difficult to predict the severity of the contact with any precision, though."

The report confirmed that the main point of contact was Alonso's right-front wheel striking the right-hand upper side of Leclerc's halo.

Analysis shows that the relative velocity between the two cars was approximately 30km/h (19mph), with an estimated impact angle of 90 degrees.

This clash with the halo was enough to break the suspension on Alonso's car, but the right-front wheel rim remained intact and the tyre appeared to have remained inflated. Leclerc's right rear suspension was broken in the accident.

Key report findings:

  • The estimated peak force imparted on the Halo was 58kN, this being 46% of the 125kN FIA prescribed load requirement for the Halo and chassis attachment points. The contact position during the crash was close to the load application point for the homologation tests.
  • If the wheel had contacted Leclerc's helmet with a similar force, there would have been potential for a very serious head or neck injury.
  • The energy and force of a wheel impacting the halo is inherently limited by the speed and mass of the wheel assembly and strength of the attached suspension. If the full mass of the car had impacted the halo loading through the primary structure, the impact energy would have been approximately 30kJ (based on 840kg at 30km/h). Such energy would have devastating consequences if it loaded directly onto the driver. However, the halo would not be able to absorb all this energy without significant deformation and probable failure.
  • An investigation by Sauber has confirmed that the halo structure, its attachments and the chassis were not damaged or deformed due to the engagement with the wheel.
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Maurizio Arrivabene is to be replaced as team principal of the Ferrari Formula 1 team by its technical chief Mattia Binotto, senior sources have confirmed.

Ferrari has continually denied that it was considering a major management reshuffle after its failed attempt to win the world championship in 2018.

But Ferrari's shake-up has now leaked out, and insiders with good knowledge of the situation have revealed that Ferrari president John Elkann has decided that Binotto is the right man to lead Ferrari in 2019.

Although there has been no official announcement, a report in Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport hinted that confirmation could come as early as today.

The move to replace Arrivabene has come after a season in which management errors were viewed as one of the key factors for its defeat to Mercedes in 2018, despite having the quickest car at several stages of the year.

The failure to deal with the issue of team orders in a clear manner like Mercedes did triggered unnecessary flash points between Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel at the German and Italian Grands Prix.

There were also a number of strategic blunders such as Ferrari opting for the wrong tyres in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, which then prompted a remarkable outburst from Arrivabene about the approach his staff were taking.

Arrivabene later switched his attention to blaming lack of progress with car development.

There have long been rumours that Binotto and Arrivabene had disagreements about the direction and approach of the team.

Before the Christmas break, Arrivabene hit out at what he called "fake news" over reports that Binotto was so frustrated with the situation that he could leave Ferrari.

"The rumours about Mattia are a fake news, put around to create instability in the team," Arrivabene said.

"It is an attempt to try to create problems where there are no problems, and I do not want to comment on false rumours any more.

"During this season there have been many attempts at destabilisation, sometimes with stories about the drivers, others about the technicians.

"My position? Ask [Ferrari] managing director [Louis] Camilleri."

But it appears that Ferrari has decided that its hopes of stopping Mercedes' dominance are better served with Binotto in charge.

Ferrari stalwart Binotto has been technical chief since 2016, when he stepped up to the role following the team's split with James Allison.

Binotto first joined Ferrari in 1995, originally as a test engine engineer - and then performed a similar role for the race team from 1997 to 2003.

After a spell as a race engine engineer and chief engineer, he became the head of engine and KERS in 2009.

He then stepped up to become chief operating officer of the power unit at the end of 2014.

It is unclear who will replace Binotto as head of Ferrari's technical department, but there are suggestions the team may elect to hand more responsibility to aero chief Enrico Cardile and the head of its engine department Corrado Iotti.

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Former Mercedes protege Pascal Wehrlein will work with the Ferrari Formula 1 team this season in a development role.

Wehrlein, who spent two years racing in F1 in 2016 and '17 with Manor and Sauber, split with long-time backer Mercedes at the end of last year following a season back in the DTM.

He will make his Formula E race debut this weekend with the Mahindra team and combine his racing commitments in the electric single-seater series with work on Ferrari's simulator.

Wehrlein's position has not been confirmed by Ferrari but the team needs new development drivers for this season.

It relied heavily on Antonio Giovinazzi and Daniil Kvyat in 2018, and both of those drivers have landed full-time F1 race seats for this season with Sauber and Toro Rosso respectively.

Wehrlein was under contract at Mercedes until December 31 last year, which is why he did not take part in the FE season opener in Ad Diriyah with Mahindra, but is understood to have visited Maranello in a working capacity for the first time on Monday this week.

A second development driver is understood to be under consideration.

Ferrari made good use of its development team in 2018, bouncing back from difficult Fridays to perform better in qualifying and the race on several occasions.

The most notable example was the Canadian Grand Prix, where Sebastian Vettel was uncompetitive in Friday practice but went on to qualify on pole and win the race on Sunday.

Asked by Autosport at the 2018 season-ending Abu Dhabi GP how important the right replacements for Giovinazzi and Kvyat (pictured above) would be, Vettel said: "You get the point, it is very important.

"Based on our findings [after practice], we changed the car [for qualifying], both of us did, and it was better and we were happier.

"It's not the first time that this has happened so we're extremely thankful for the guys, taking the time.

"It's not the nicest job on Friday night, especially when you're young, but it's important, it all adds up.

"I think we will find people that fit in very well and very quickly, so I'm confident we will have a strong team on that front as well [in 2019]."

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McLaren have revealed a radical look at a possible future for Formula 1 with a vision for the sport in 2050.

 The future of Formula 1? Images courtesy of McLarenskysports-mclaren-concept-car_4554715.pnskysports-mclaren-concept-car_4554719.pnskysports-mclaren-f1_4554727.jpg?2019012

McLaren Applied Technologies, the Formula 1 team's sister company, has unveiled an extreme concept of how grand prix racing could look in 2050.

As part of the vision it has released images of a car concept dubbed the MCLExtreme, a 500km/h (310mph) rear-wheel drive electric car powered by a "foldable battery moulded to the aerodynamic package".

The aero would be "shape-shifting", while the car technology would include an onboard AI co-pilot and "self-healing tyres".

It is not the first time McLaren has unveiled a futuristic concept, having shared its MP4-X idea in December 2015.

But MAT's Future Grand Prix "vision" goes much further, assessing what car, driver, tracks and fan experiences could evolve into.

McLaren says it conducted extensive research that included speaking to fans, assessing "international policy on vehicle electrification and emission targets" and evaluating how human and car technology is likely to change.

Its idea for a futuristic race circuits include huge sidewinding banks, pitlanes with the capacity for battery charging and circuits that can adapt to extreme weather.

There would also be "black-out-zones with no communication or AI assistance for the driver", who would have a specialised race suit reinforced to handle extremely high speeds.

The AI co-pilot element would "learn" from its driver, whose emotion would be "reflected on the chassis".

McLaren's circuit concept also includes transparent roofs to allow fans to see more track action, and fan engagement is another element that has been explored in detail.

It envisages "fan sentiment being projected in the cockpit of the car" and what it calls "mixed reality giving fans access to multiple camera angles and race data".

Esports competitors would be able to compete in the race virtually, in real-time - something that has been explored already in Formula E - while gamers could race the track before grands prix to "teach the AI new race strategies".

Explaining the concept, MAT motorsport director Rodi Basso said: "We are always looking to innovate to find the solution for tomorrow today.

"In recent years, we have seen concepts and ideas about how a Formula 1 car could look and operate in the future.

"However, this is the first time anyone has given detailed thought and insight into a viable vision of motorsport in the future.

"Our hope is for this to stimulate debate about how motorsport responds to changes in technology and sports entertainment trends to ensure we can meet the needs of fans in 2050."

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The Sauber name will disappear from the Formula 1 grid in 2019 as the team officially rebrands as Alfa Romeo Racing.

Alfa's title sponsorship of Sauber last year marked its first major F1 involvement since the 1985 season.

That partnership was always intended to expand onto a technical front to enable Alfa, part of the Fiat group that includes Ferrari, to become more actively involved.

The team will be entered into the 2019 world championship as Alfa Romeo Racing, effectively reviving the works entry that won the inaugural F1 titles in 1950 and '51.

It is not strictly an out-and-out factory operation, as Sauber's ownership and management remain unchanged and independent of Alfa.

The cars, which will be driven by 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari test and development driver Antonio Giovinazzi, will sport Alfa's four-leaf clover emblem that denotes its high-performance vehicles.

Alfa team principal Frederic Vasseur said: "It is a pleasure to announce that we will enter the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship with the team name 'Alfa Romeo Racing'.

"After initiating the collaboration with our title sponsor Alfa Romeo in 2018, our team made fantastic progress on the technical, commercial, and sporting side.

"This has given a boost of motivation to each team member, be that track-side or at the headquarter in Switzerland, as the hard work invested has become reflected in our results.

"We aim to continue developing every sector of our team while allowing our passion for racing, technology and design to drive us forward".

The rebadged project has been tipped as the team to watch in F1 this year following its improvement with contemporary Ferrari engines and an enhanced technical effort in 2018, when it finished eighth in the constructors' championship.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Mike Manley added: "Alfa Romeo Racing is a new name with a long history in Formula 1.

"We're proud to collaborate with Sauber in bringing Alfa Romeo's tradition of technical excellence and Italian panache to the pinnacle of motorsport.

"Make no mistake: with Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi on one side of the pit wall and Alfa Romeo and Sauber expertise on the other, we are here to compete."

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Speaking of them, I've only just found out about this from the BBC preview article:

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Stroll Sr is very ambitious for his son, and ran into friction at Williams on occasions as a result. One example being when he demanded a new front wing was taken off Sergey Sirotkin's car in Hungary last year and given to Lance when Stroll had damaged his. The team refused, which led to a sizeable argument.

And now this guy runs his own team. Sergio Perez is going to have a difficult season it seems.

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