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Formula One 2020


Lineker

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DTS was great again. It's a shame the restrictions meant they couldn't cover the Ferrari collision in Brazil, but the rest of the coverage of that race was superb. The coverage of the Gasly/Albon situation and Anthoine Hubert's death was also top notch.

Also it was hilarious that one of the last lines of the series was Lawrence Stroll complaining about the spending of the top teams.

Seems like they're already filming for Season 3 too.

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AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost believes it would be "unfair" for Formula 1 to allow the Australian Grand Prix to go ahead if several teams are absent over Coronavirus travel restrictions.

While a host of major sporting events, including the MotoGP season opener in Qatar and the following Thailand Grand Prix, have been called off because of coronavirus, the latest news from Australia is that F1 is pushing on with its season opener on March 15.

But amid a quickly developing situation, especially with Italy being the source of a major outbreak of the virus, there is a risk that some team personnel could yet struggle to make it to the early season races if travel bans or strict quarantine rules are put in place.

It was Qatar's decision to quarantine Italian citizens for 14 days on arrival in the country that prompted MotoGP to call off its race there, despite series organisers Dorna Sports initially putting plans in place for all paddock personnel to avoid this.

Struggles for Italian staff could prompt an unprecedented situation where teams like Ferrari and AlphaTauri cannot get enough personnel to races to run their teams, while other outfits are all good to go.

It is unclear how F1 would react in a situation where one or two teams could not compete, but Tost is adamant that it would not be fair for the race to go ahead in those circumstances.

Asked by Autosport if there were any assurances about what would happen in that scenario, Tost said: "If [some] teams can't run for whatever reason, and I have not thought about this and also I'm not a decision maker, but then I think it would be unfair to start the season.

"This is a big disadvantage for whoever it is [who is missing from the grid]."

With F1 already struggling to find a slot later in the year for the postponed Chinese Grand Prix, any change of plans for other races would almost certainly mean them dropping off the calendar.

However, Tost says F1 could still use the August summer break or extend the season well into December to find space for races.

"I'm optimistic that we will have the 22 races because in November and December we have a lot of time where we can do races, and also August," he added.

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said that any problem for his staff getting in to races would likely have an impact on its customer teams in Alfa Romeo and Haas too - so an issue for Italy could affect four outfits in total.

"I say it's not only two [teams] because we are supplying assistance to Haas and the Alfa Sauber team, so it will be four teams at least, plus the Pirelli situation which we need to understand.

"So what will be the situation that if eventually four teams cannot run and if the race will take place or not? That is not my decision."

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The non-Ferrari powered teams have properly kicked off about the FIA's investigation into Ferrari's engine last year, the outcome of which has only been described as a "settlement". The teams are quite rightly asking why, if there was enough evidence for Ferrari to pay a settlement, there hasn't been any in-race punishment for the many races they were seemingly using an engine that didn't meet the regulations.

Also it's no coincidence how Ferrari (and Haas/Alfa) were noticeably slower in qualifying after the decision was made at the US Grand Prix.

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Bahrain has decided to run its Formula 1 grand prix behind closed doors as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Just days after the kingdom announced that it was halting ticket sales as it moved to evaluate its response to the situation, it has now announced that spectators will not be allowed at the 22 March event.

In a statement issued on Sunday morning, Bahrain said that the second round of the championship would be a televised event only.

"In consultation with our international partners and the Kingdom's national health Taskforce, Bahrain has made the decision to hold this year's Bahrain Grand Prix as a participants-only event," it said.

"As an F1 host nation, balancing the welfare of supporters and race goers is a tremendous responsibility.

"Given the continued spread of COVID-19 globally, convening a major sporting event, which is open to the public and allows thousands of international travellers and local fans to interact in close proximity would not be the right thing to do at the present time.

"But to ensure that neither the sport, nor its global supporter base, is unduly impacted, the race weekend itself will still go ahead as a televised event."

Bahrain said that the strict measures it had made to limit the spread of the virus over recent weeks would have been scuppered if thousands of fans had visited the race.

It added: "Bahrain's own early actions to prevent, identify and isolate cases of individuals with COVID-19 has been extremely successful to date.

"The approach has involved rapid, proactive measures, identifying those affected by the virus, of which the overwhelming majority of cases relate to those travelling into the country by air.

"Aggressive social distancing measures have further increased the effectiveness of preventing the virus' spread, something that would clearly be near impossible to maintain were the race to have proceeded as originally planned. 

"We know how disappointed many will be by this news, especially for those planning to travel to the event, which has become a cornerstone event of the international F1 calendar, but safety has to remain our utmost priority."

The move by Bahrain comes just hours after Italy announced that many of its regions were being put under quarantine - including Modena where Ferrari is based.

Next weekend's season opening Australian Grand Prix is still due to take place though.

The FIA has dropped the rule that restricted how many times a Formula 1 driver could change their helmet livery during the season.

The rule was originally introduced to help the spectators identify drivers more easily.

However, it was unpopular with many competitors who liked to change their designs on a regular basis, such as Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel.

The rule stated: "In order for drivers to be easily distinguished from one another whilst they are on the track, the crash helmet of each driver must, with the exception of one event of the driver's choice, be presented in substantially the same livery at every event during a championship season.

"A change to helmet livery will also be permitted if a driver changes team during a championship season."

However, the teams agreed to drop the rule, and that decision was officially approved today by the WMSC, who noted that "unrestricted variations to driver helmet designs between races" will henceforth be allowed.

The WMSC also formally confirmed the 2020 minimum car weight increase from 745kg to 746kg, and clarified that the post-season test in Abu Dhabi will be used to assess Pirelli's 2021 18-inch tyres.

A series of changes were also approved for the 2021 technical regulations, which have undergone extra scrutiny since they were published in October.

They include some designed purely to give the teams extra bodywork space for sponsorship logos, as well as stricter impact tests that have been influenced in part by last year's Spa F2 accident:

  • Changes to the front wing profiles to prevent downwash which would have resulted in a severe compromise to the overall objectives to allow cars to race more closely
  • Front wing endplates, top bodywork and rear wing endplates have been modified to give the teams more commercial space
  • Drastic improvements to the strength and energy absorption of the chassis in front, lateral and rear impacts
  • A number of updates to considerably improve electrical (high voltage) safety on the cars
  • Tethers will be mandated for rear wing and rear impact structures

The WSMC also confirmed that US company Kulite Semiconductor Products has been appointed as the official supplier for power unit pressure and temperature sensors for 2021-23.

In a change to the new 2021 financial regulations, it now allows "monitoring activities to be performed by Cost Cap Administrators at any point in time, remotely or at F1 teams' premises."

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Three Formula 1 team personnel have been taken in to self isolation at the Australian Grand Prix while tests are conducted to see if they have coronavirus.

Amid concerns about the impact an outbreak of the virus could have on the tightly-knit paddock, teams are acting with extreme caution to head off the chance of any unwell personnel being able to infect anyone else.

In the wake of some team members showing fever symptoms at the track, a contingency plan has been put in place to deal with the first cases.

One member of the McLaren team, plus two personnel from Haas, have been evaluated at the Albert Park track's bespoke isolation unit and swab tests have been completed.

McLaren issued a statement regarding the situation that read: "We can confirm that one team member has self-isolated in the hotel as a precaution, in line with our policy, after showing symptoms similar to coronavirus.

"We are awaiting test results and currently do not have a definitive timeframe for these. The team is operating as per our normal schedule."

With the results of those tests likely to take several hours, both teams have confirmed that their staff have returned to their hotels and been put in to a self isolation condition until it is known if they have caught the virus.

It is unclear what the implications for F1 and the Australian Grand Prix will be if any of the team members are confirmed as having coronavirus.

Australia has ramped up its attempts to try to contain the virus, with it announcing that it is banning Italians from travelling to the country from Wednesday evening.

That move will not affect the Italian personnel from Ferrari, AlphaTauri and Pirelli who were able to travel to Melbourne beforehand.

F1 issued a statement earlier this week saying it was taking a scientific approach to handling the coronavirus crisis and was setting up an action plan if personnel were struck down.

"Dedicated teams of experts will be deployed at airports, transit points and at circuits to safeguard personnel, focused on the diagnosis, management and extraction of suspected cases," it said.

"Bespoke quarantine points are being installed by promoters for any suspected cases."

This comes just after Australian media reported a citizen who attended a function at an unopened hotel near the Albert Park circuit was diagnosed with COVID-19, having ignored symptoms for several days.

The hotel is not open to the public just now, however, so no F1 personnel have been affected by this.

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Here's the new F1 opening with the best F1 music that isn't The Chain:

Highlights include the footage of Nelson Piquet punching Eliseo Salazar, and Max Verstappen's intro being on a backdrop of when his dad was engulfed in flames during a pit stop.

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I think it's safe to assume this race isn't going to go ahead, even if it takes all the teams withdrawing to get it to happen.

Saying that it wouldn't surprise me if Ferrari refused to budge and we end up with just Vettel and Lelclerc doing procession laps on Sunday.

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Knowing Ferrari, they'd be the only two cars on the grid and somehow, Mercedes would still win.

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So in the continuing shitshow that is this race:

- It's still not officially called off, and the FIA / F1 haven't said anything...
- McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault didn't show up to the paddock this morning, but the other 6 did
- Apparently a vote last night with the teams was split 5-5 in terms of going ahead / cancelling
- And Seb and Kimi reportedly have flown home.

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This weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne has been cancelled. The news follows McLaren’s withdrawal from the race on Thursday, after one of their team members tested positive for the coronavirus.

A statement issued jointly by F1, governing body the FIA and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation read: "Following the confirmation that a member of the McLaren Racing Team has tested positive for COVID-19 and the team’s decision to withdraw from the Australian Grand Prix, Formula 1 and the FIA convened a meeting of the other nine team principals on Thursday evening. Those discussions concluded with a majority view of the teams that the race should not go ahead.

"Formula 1 and the FIA, with the full support of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) have therefore taken the decision that all Formula 1 activity for the Australian Grand Prix are cancelled.

"We appreciate this is very disappointing news for the thousands of fans due to attend the race and all ticket holders will receive a full refund and a further announcement will be communicated in due course.

"All parties took into consideration the huge efforts of the AGPC, Motorsport Australia, staff and volunteers to stage the opening round of the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship in Melbourne, however concluded that the safety of all members of the Formula 1 family and the wider community, as well as the fairness of the competition take priority."

 

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.formula-1-fia-and-agpc-announce-cancellation-of-the-2020-australian-grand.KKpXZDcd77WbO6T0MGoO7.html

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Formula 1 has announced Bahrain and Vietnam Grands Prix have been postponed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Following the cancellation of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, F1 confirmed the second and third rounds of the 2020 campaign will be called off as well.

No new date has been announced for the races, and F1 said it will "monitor the situation and take the appropriate amount of time to study the viability of potential alternative dates for each grand prix later in the year should the situation improve".

"The global situation regarding COVID-19 is fluid and very difficult to predict and its right we take time to assess the situation and make the right decisions," said F1 CEO Chase Carey.

"We are taking this decision with the FIA and our promoters to ensure the safety of everyone involved in Formula 1 and our fans."

The cancellation of the first three races means the season would, in theory, start with the Dutch Grand Prix in early May, but F1 admitted that "given the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Europe in recent days, this will be regularly reviewed".

As revealed by Autosport earlier on Friday, however, Formula 1 could be looking at kicking off the season in Azerbaijan in June.

"Together with Formula 1, the Bahrain Motor Federation, the Automobile Association of Vietnam, and the local promoters, postponing both the Bahrain and Vietnam Grands Prix was the only possible decision given all of the information currently available to us," said FIA president Jean Todt.

"We continue to rely on the input and advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and governments and will work with them throughout this unpredictable period to safeguard the fans, competitors and all of the motor sport community."

The Bahrain GP, originally scheduled for March 22, had announced earlier this month that it would take place without spectators.

"We have been in continuous discussions with F1 and the FIA in recent weeks, as the situation with regards to COVID-19 has evolved globally," Bahrain circuit boss Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalif said.

"The mutually agreed decision to postpone the race is the right thing to do, given recent developments and the overwhelming priority to protect the health of all concerned.

"We will be working closely with our partners at F1 and the FIA on monitoring the global situation and hope to be able to welcome the return of F1 later this year, once it is right to do so."

The Chinese Grand Prix had been already called off a month ago as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

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Don't think it got mentioned - but the new rules and regulations due for next season have been pushed back until 2022 - and several teams are pushing for that to be put off even longer, until 2023:

Ferrari says the delayed introduction of the 2021 regulations has likely put it at a disadvantage to its rivals, but had to accept it for the sake of Formula 1.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic wrecking the F1 schedule, and teams facing huge financial pressure with a likely cut in prize money and sponsor incomes, the sport's chiefs have moved to make drastic changes over recent weeks.

Following discussions between teams, governing body the FIA and F1, it has been agreed that the current generation of cars will be used for next year as well; with the major rules revamp put back until 2022.

That decision will make Ferrari's life more difficult, because it accepts that its current car is not as competitive as it would like against Mercedes and Red Bull.

But team principal Mattia Binotto has made it clear that it was more important Ferrari backed efforts to try to save smaller teams than focus on its own competitive chances.

Speaking to Sky Italia about its support for the plan, Binotto said: "Considering the current baseline and the feedback from the tests, we don't think we have an advantage with this choice.

"It wasn't an easy decision, but it had to be made.

"It is a special moment, and it was important to give a responsible signal for the future."

Binotto says discussions were still needed to finalise exactly what teams would and would not be allowed to change for next year.

"The regulations [for 2021] remain the same [as in 2020], but there will still be room for aerodynamic development," he explained.

"We have yet to define that in detail.

"We are discussing it with all the representatives of the teams and with the FIA, to understand what will be frozen and what will be open to development.

"But we aim to maintain the DNA of Formula 1, which remains competition and comparison."

Binotto also confirmed, as first reported by Autosport that in the wake of the McLaren team member in Australia being testing positive for coronavirus, his outfit would not have competed even if the event went ahead.

"Our position was immediately clear, we would not have raced even if the weekend had taken place regularly," he said.

"Ferrari would not have raced to ensure the safety of all members of the team.

"Already in the course of the night we let Charles [Leclerc] and Sebastian [Vettel] know they were free to go home."

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https://www.racefans.net/2020/04/01/aston-martin-officially-confirms-return-to-f1-in-2021/

Racing Point becoming Aston Martin is official now.

Aston Martin has officially announced it will return to Formula 1 as a full team next year when it takes over Racing Point.


The car manufacturer previously competed in F1 60 years ago. The moves to bring the brand back to grand prix were first revealed by RaceFans in December last year.


The car manufacturer’s shareholders gave formal approval on Monday to an investment of £260 million from Racing Point team owner Lawrence Stroll towards a total fundraising of £536m in the business.

“A brand with the pedigree and history of Aston Martin needs to be competing at the highest level of motorsport,” said Stroll. “I think it’s the most exciting thing that’s happened in recent memory in Formula 1 and it’s incredibly exciting for all stakeholders in the sport, especially the fans. I can’t think of a better name for a Formula 1 team.

“Our investment strategy places Formula 1 as a central pillar of the global marketing strategy, and it makes perfect sense to rebrand Racing Point for this purpose. Aston Martin has been competing very successfully in various classes of motorsport throughout its history, but we now have an opportunity to create a works team in Formula 1.

“The global spotlight of Formula 1 is second to none and we will leverage this reach to showcase the Aston Martin brand in our key markets.”


Aston Martin’s participation in F1 will also create the opportunity for “technology cross-over” with its road cars, said Stroll.


“I’m incredibly excited to see what technology can filter down from the racing programme into the road cars. This will be particularly relevant for the mid-engine road cars that will be launched in the future. There will be a genuine collaboration to ensure that our road cars share the DNA of our success on the track as well.”


Stroll’s deal to invest in the company was announced two months ago. Since then the global pandemic has badly disrupted the start of the 2020 F1 season.

However Stroll said the situation has not jeopardised his plans to bring Aston Martin into F1.

“I don’t think there is any area of life or business that hasn’t been touched by this devastating pandemic and the racing community is certainly adapting as best it can,” he said. “Of course, as racers, we are all very frustrated not to be competing, but we all understand the bigger picture in this global fight and so we stay at home.

“The team is also supporting Project Pitlane to help accelerate the production of ventilators. In the meantime, we can rely on video conferences to keep our plans for 2020 and 2021 moving forward. I am committed to Formula 1 with a long-term vision and this is just a temporary pause in the journey.”

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