Formula One 2020

[Chris2K]

Third corner crash on the first lap took out Gasly and Verstappen, and this clusterfuck on the safety car restart took out the others. Somehow Romain Grosjean has been involved in both and is still running.

[LUKIE]

Hard to hold Bottas to account for that. It seems like the midfield didn't time it properly causing the back of the pack to think that the race had started resulting in the crash.

[Bobfoc]

This has all been a bit wild.

[Meacon Keaton]

It's almost a "just survive and win points" race. 

[Chris2K]

Not sure who I want to finish third more, Ricciardo or Albon. I certainly know who I don't want to get it.

Well that solves that. Bye Lance!

ANOTHER red flag. Come on guys, I've got a Zoom meeting at 8pm.

[Meacon Keaton]

Hey Albon with the podium. Nice.

I liked this track.

[Bobfoc]

Russell just misses out on a point again. That's a shame.

Now Hamilton is only one win behind Schumacher's record.

[Chris2K]

So great of Lewis to wear the Breonna Taylor shirt, and somehow even more respectful to take it off before the champagne gets sprayed. 

[Chris2K]

13 years in the making.

[Lineker]

Quote

Ex-Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali is set to become the new CEO of Formula 1, taking over from Chase Carey ahead of the 2021 season.

Sources have confirmed to Autosport that Domenicali, 55, will step into Carey's role by the end of the year.

While a final agreement is still to be finalised with Domenicali over the role, it is poised to be completed in the near future.

Official confirmation of Domenicali's appointment has not yet been issued by F1, but teams were informed of the news on Tuesday.

Carey is set to remain involved in F1 beyond the end of the year in a revised position.

Domenicali was the team principal of Ferrari in F1 between 2008 and 2014, having previously served as its sporting director. He played a key role in its run of six consecutive constructors' championships victories at the turn of the century.

After resigning from Ferrari in April 2014, Domenicali joined Audi later that year as its vice-president of new business initiatives, before moving to sister VW Group brand Lamborghini in 2016 as CEO.

Throughout his time with Lamborghini, Domenicali has retained a role within the FIA as its president of the single-seater commission that he took up in late 2014.

Domenicali's primary brief through this period was to push forward a restructuring of the junior single-seater ladder, helping revive Formula 2 as a category and form a new international Formula 3 platform.

But Domenicali will now make a full return to F1 as the series' new boss in place of Carey, whose time as CEO will end after over three-and-a-half years.

Carey was appointed chairman of F1 upon Liberty Media's acquisition of F1 back in September 2016, and became CEO once the deal was finalised in January 2017, taking over from Bernie Ecclestone.

During his time as CEO, Carey has helped oversee the completion of the new Concorde Agreement, with all 10 teams signing up to F1's revised commercial terms in August.

The new agreement is set to bring about a more equitable distribution of income moving forward, underpinning further drives for sustainability overseen by Carey such as the new regulations for 2022, which included a groundbreaking budget cap.

F1 has also agreed plans to expand into new markets such as Vietnam during Carey's time in charge, as well as reviving previous events such as the Dutch Grand Prix and negotiating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic to secure a 17-race calendar for 2020.

The appointment of Domenicali (below, left) means he will join former Ferrari colleagues Jean Todt and Ross Brawn at the helm of F1. Todt has been FIA president since 2010, while Brawn joined F1 as its managing director of motorsports in 2017 following Liberty Media's takeover.

Speaking exclusively to Autosport earlier this year for the #thinkingforward series, Domenicali stressed the need for F1 to focus on cost control and sustainability moving forward in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The FIA and Liberty, together with the teams, I feel that what they are really thinking about for the future, they are heading in the right direction," Domenicali said.

"This is a take it or leave it opportunity and you cannot leave it, you need to take it. Otherwise the risk will be very high of it not returning to be the platform it was.

"I see this as an opportunity for the motorsport industry to reshape."

 

Quote

Formula 1 team bosses have backed the idea of a rotating calendar in the future, so the schedule gets injected with fresh events each year.

The 2020 schedule features a number of one-off events in light of the coronavirus pandemic in order to boost calendar numbers, with the likes of Mugello, Algarve and Imola all gaining races this year.

The success of the Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello has highlighted the benefits of F1 visiting new venues, rather than sticking rigidly to the same tracks each year.

One idea that has gained traction is for the F1 schedule to be mixed up a bit year-on-year, with some events appearing every few seasons.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has even put forward the idea of having 'invitational' grands prix so F1 can have one-off specials.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff reckons shaking up the calendar each year would be great for F1.

Asked if calendar rotation was something that should be adopted, he said: "Yes, I think it's an interesting new concept that was born out of the necessity to have more races in this COVID era, and it's interesting.

"You can certainly see more vulnerability.

"Teams show up with not a lot of knowledge from these tracks, and you can see that performances are very different to a track where we've been a lot of times.

"You come to the Nurburgring or you come to Silverstone, and we've been there every single year, so there's not a lot you can optimise by just being creative or being flexible in the thinking because we've been there so many times."

Haas boss Gunther Steiner says the Mugello example was proof of how new F1 venues are a good thing, as he reckoned making venues like that a permanent addition would perhaps not work.

"I don't know if it's because it was new it was so exciting, or could it be exciting every year," he said.

"If you were to rotate them, there could be some of that newness every time we do it. I'm completely for that one.

"I like change, if you're always doing the same thing, you always know the outcome of it - it's much more predictable when you do more of the same.

"I think it would be great if we could rotate it, if it's possible commercially, and that's for Formula 1 to look into.

"Seeing what happened at Mugello, I'm now really looking forward to the Nurburgring, Portimao and Imola."

 

[LUKIE]

Imagine if Perez had the upgrades instead of Stroll.

[FestiveJack]

Sochi is such a crap track.

[METALMAN]

yeah, I mostly watched this one to fill an empty Sunday afternoon but there wasn't much to get excited about.

[Lineker]

Even Sky F1 sent the bare bones of their reserve crew to cover!

[Lineker]

Quote

Mick Schumacher will make his official Grand Prix weekend debut with Alfa Romeo at the Nurburgring, Ferrari have announced.

Mick, son of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher, is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA), and is currently leading the F2 championship with just two rounds to go at Bahrain in November and December.

The 21-year-old has already driven contemporary Formula 1 machinery, having got behind the wheel of the Ferrari SF90 at a test at Bahrain last year, and he has also driven several of his father's former cars, including the Ferrari F2004 at Mugello earlier this month. But now he is set to take part in an F1 race weekend for the first time at the Eifel Grand Prix, where he will drive Alfa Romeo’s C39 car in the first practice session.

Schumacher’s fellow FDA drivers Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman will also make their Grand Prix weekend debuts this year, with Ilott driving Haas’s car in FP1 at the Nurburgring, while Shwartzman will get his chance at the final Friday of the 2020 championship in Abu Dhabi.

Alfa Romeo have confirmed Schumacher will step into Antonio Giovinazzi's car for the first practice session at the German track next month.

Schumacher said: “I am overjoyed to get this chance in free practice. The fact that my first participation in a Formula 1 weekend will take place in front of my home audience at the Nurburgring makes this moment even more special.

"I would like to thank Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN and the Ferrari Driver Academy for giving me the opportunity to get another taste of Formula 1 air one and a half years after our common test drive in Bahrain.

"For the next ten days I’m going to prepare myself well, so that I can do the best possible job for the team and gain some valuable data for the weekend.”

Alfa Romeo Team Principal Fred Vasseur added: “There is no doubt that Mick is one of the great talents coming through the feeder series’ ranks and his recent results have been showing it. He is obviously quick, but he is also consistent and mature behind the wheel – all hallmarks of a champion in the making."

Schumacher's F2 title rival Ilott said he is thrilled to be able to drive the Haas VF-20 at the Nurburgring.

“It’s a real privilege to get my first run in a free practice session, especially to do it with Haas F1 Team,” the 21-year-old said. “It’s amazing to have this chance at a track that is one of my favourites – it was where I scored the first podium of my career back in 2015.

"The Nurburgring means a lot to me and is a track with a real heritage, so it’s great that I’ll have my first outing at a Formula 1 race weekend there. Thanks to Haas F1 Team and to the Ferrari Driver Academy for giving me such a great opportunity. It should be really fun and exciting. I plan to make the most of it, I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

Ferrari have announced that to prepare their three F2 aces for F1 running, they will conduct a test session with the team’s 2018 race car at Fiorano on Wednesday.

Laurent Mekies, FDA Director and Ferrari Sporting Director said: “We wanted to organise this test session so that our three best youngsters would be as well prepared as possible to tackle an event that will always be a special moment for them.

“It will be a chance to get to grips with a Formula 1 car, which is much more complicated than the car they are currently used to driving.

“I would like to thank Haas and Alfa Romeo Racing for offering Callum, Mick and Robert this opportunity. We believe strongly in our Academy, which has already proved its value, with Charles Leclerc, a driver on which the Scuderia can build its long term future.

“Callum, Mick and Robert have already proved their worth in the current Formula 2 season and this test is a further step in their education.”

 

Quote

Australian Grand Prix organisers intend for the race to return to its usual March calendar slot for the 2021 season opener, after the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Called-off at the last minute after a McLaren team member tested positive for the coronavirus, an immediate return for the race next year has come into question with strict travel restrictions in place and Melbourne recovering from the effects of a recent second wave.

However according to Autosport, organisers are still planning for a March 14, 2021 date for the race, with the hope that Australia, whose international borders are currently closed to non-citizens/residents, will be open by then.

Additionally, it is hoped that F1 personnel will be allowed to make use of “alternative quarantine methods” recently posited by Australian prime minster Scott Morrison, and not be subject to the current mandatory 14 day isolation period.

Should the race go ahead, it would mark the first time F1 has raced outside Europe or the Middle East since the COVID-19 pandemic began, with all races in east Asia and the Americas cancelled.

A regular host of international sporting events, Melbourne’s first real test will come with the Australian Open tennis tournament, scheduled for January 18-31. Intending to go ahead with limited fan attendance, that event will be a key indicator of what to expect with the race at the Albert Park Street circuit, which can host over 100,000 spectators under normal circumstances.

 

[Twist]

Honda are leaving F1 at the end of 2021.

Which means Red Bull (and Alpha Tauri) need a new supplier. By default Renault have to supply them (as the supplier with the least teams currently) unless RB can convince Mercedes or Ferrari to supply them. Which feels unlikely.

And given how the RB/Renault relationship came to an end it should be interesting whatever happens.

Im not sure if there are any other manufacturers that RB might be able to coax into the sport with 2 years notice?

[METALMAN]

And it's been a decent year for Honda teams too: 2 wins so far.

I also didn't realise it's been over a decade since BMW and Toyota were there. Apparently if the new engine is going to be simpler and cheaper it might be easier to get other manufacturers in? Although if it was simpler and cheaper you wouldn't expect Honda to leave on the eve of its introduction...

[Chris2K]

I would think it's more of a climate conscious issue than a financial one.

While I understand that, I also think it's a bit of a dick move with such short notice, given how the Red Bull teams have salvaged Honda's reputation after the McLaren debacle.

[Lineker]

A big shame. I hope another engine manufacturer comes in sooner rather than later to keep the choices open to Red Bull and other teams plenty diverse.

[Gazz]

F1 2025 is just going to be Lance Stroll and Mick Schumacher racing each other in Dallara's while Max Verstappen wins the Formula E title with Mercedes.