Formula 1

Netflix is looking to cash in on F1’s recent boom in America with their new documentary Schumacher. It makes sense they would make a full-blown movie as the streaming service has seen massive success with their original show Drive to Survive.

Sunday, September 5, 2021, saw the un-official restart of the 2021 season at Zandvoort in The Netherlands. Orange smoke clouded the circuit almost all day as the Dutch crowd went crazy whenever their hometown boy flew past in the RedBull race car. It all started with the best un-official season restart ever, with Max Verstappen landing a three-second gap ahead of Hamilton early in the race.

Bad weather always has to throw a wrench in everyone’s plans. It managed to do that on a massive scale in Belgium on August 28th for the restart of the 2021 Formula 1 season.
However, there is a silver lining behind all of this - the next ten races could have some of the best racing we have seen in a long time.

Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 Formula 1 Champion who currently drives for the Alfa Romeo team, took to his Instagram account to announce his retirement from the pinnacle of motorsport at the end of this season. It also marks the end of his current contract with Alfa.

Legendary motorsports journalist and commentator Murray Walker has left us on Saturday, March 13 2021. As big a car enthusiast as you’ll ever come across, Murray was brought up in a family of bike racers and nurtured a lifelong dream of being behind the mic at snooker tournaments. With a career spanning five decades, he became as recognizable as any F1 world champion although he began in radio even before F1 as we know it today was a thing.

More than 60 years have passed since Aston Martin raced in Formual 1 so the news that the carmaker is making a comback in the Big Circus can be counted as a major reason to celebrate. The new F1 car is called AMR21, which is obviously an immense step forward from the 1960 DBR5 named after David Brown but closely related to the Valkyrie.

Lockdowns the world over have re-shaped the calendar of the 2020 Formula 1 season thus bringing to the fore tracks that either had never featured in the championship before or had been absent for a number of years. We’ve had races at Imola, Mugello, and Portimao and the F1 circus simply couldn’t leave Europe without staging a race at arguably one of the best Tilke-era tracks, Turkey’s Istanbul Park. However, track conditions have caused a myriad of problems for teams and drivers in the days leading up to the first Turkish GP in nearly a decade and one of the solutions found was ingenious to say the least.

Ferrari is one of the world’s most recognizable brands and, as a carmaker, the Prancing Horse is synonymous with some of the world’s finest super sports cars, supercars, and hypercars. The heritage, built over the past seven decades, is intimately linked to the world of racing and, more importantly, with Formula 1. This weekend, the Tuscan hills surrounding the popular Mugello Circuit will be filled by the roar of Formula 1, and as it happens, this will be the Scuderia’s 1,000th World Championship round they will partake in. The Italians had to mark the special moment somehow and chose to do so by unveiling a new livery that’s reminiscent of the first Ferraris to race in F1 back in 1950.

Formula One racing is one of the most predictable sports in the world. There’s one dominant team (Mercedes), a handful of challengers (Ferrari and Red Bull), middle-of-the-pack teams, and cellar dwellers. But just because we know the pecking order of competing teams before a specific season even starts, that doesn’t mean the sheer spectacle of motor racing is dulled by the sport’s predictable results. It does have an effect, sure, but before a champion is crowned, races still need to be won, and it is in the moments of those individual races when excitement and unpredictability can turn the tide of a specific race, But what happens when an exciting in-race moment like overtaking doesn’t happen with regularity because the makeup of today’s crop of Formula One race cars makes it difficult to create those opportunities? Formula One organizers have noticed the lack of overtaking maneuvers in recent seasons, and it’s responding by proposing a bevy of rules and equipment changes for the 2021 season, none more significant than the actual race cars. Formula One has released a few scale models of the proposed 2021 Formula One car, and as far as first impressions are concerned, these proposed racers are a far departure from the ones competing in the ongoing 2019 Formula One season.

What you’re now looking it at is a 1/8 scale display model of one of the prettiest F1 cars ever, the 1991 Jordan-Ford 191. It’s the exact car in which Michael Schumacher made his F1 debut at Spa-Francorchamps 28 years ago, and it will set you back about as much as a running and driving BMW X5 from 2005.

Model cars are the best way to own the cars of your dreams if said cars are million-dollar exotics or rare racing cars. The Jordan 191 is such a car and, while any Schumacher fan would be glad to park one in his or her garage, you’ll need to locate one of the very few chassis built for the ’91 season and then proceed to piece together a full-blown racing team with enough mechanics and engineers onboard to make the thing run again. As such, it’s much cheaper to buy this model car that’s eight times smaller than the original, so you can forget about occupying a whole garage spot with it.

It goes without saying that Formula 1 (and indeed, pretty much all of motorsport in general) is completely dominated by men. From the drivers, to the teams, to the people running the show, it’s pretty much a sausage fest through and through out there. Sure, there are a few exceptions, but on balance, I’d say we’re a long way from gender equality in racing. Now, Formula 1 is taking steps to get a little more in step with the times, and will ditch the grid girls starting with the 2018 season.

“Over the last year we have looked at a number of areas which we felt needed updating so as to be more in tune with our vision for this great sport,” said Managing Director of Commercial Operations at Formula 1, Sean Bratches. “While our practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula 1 Grand Prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern societal norms. We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world.”

Last year, the U.S. behemoth Liberty Media purchased Formula 1’s commercial rights and started shifting things around. Bernie Ecclestone got the boot, and F1’s administration got a thorough reworking.

Granted, getting rid of the grid girls won’t do anything for gender equality, but it does address part of Formula 1’s cultural stagnation. On the other hand, you could see the move as no more than an empty gesture to appear more “modern.”

What do you think?

The 2018 Formula 1 season kicks off March 25th in Melbourne.

Michael Schumacher is still regarded as the greatest Formula One driver in history. The maestro holds a long list of records, including most championships won (7), most race wins (91), and most podium finishes (155). Now we can add “driver of the most expensive modern Formula One racing car ever sold at an auction” to that list. $7.5 million. That’s how much a Ferrari F2001, the same race car that Schumacher drove to romp his way to the 2001 World Championship, sold for that amount at the RM Sotheby’s auction in New York late last week. The legend of Schumi continues.

All the same, the Ferrari F2001 is arguably the most sought-after Formula One race car of this century. Not only did it help Schumacher win the 2001 driver’s title by a whopping 58 points (123 - 65) over runner-up David Coulthard, it also spearheaded the Prancing Horse’s dominance throughout the season, which saw the Italian team finish on the podium in all 17 races. The specific car that was up for auction contributed heavily to the team’s championship cause since it’s the same one that Schumacher drove at the Monaco and Hungary Grand Prix, winning both on his way to his fourth world championship. Given its provenance, it’s not surprising that the car sold for exactly $7,504,000, far exceeding the $5 million estimate the auction house placed on it. It also blew the existing record for most expensive modern F1 car to sell at an auction, displacing the $3.2 million Ferrari F2004 that RM Sotheby’s sold back in 2005. It’s hard to imagine another modern Formula One Car fetching that kind of price at an auction in the foreseeable future, at least unless either Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel start closing in on all of Schumacher’s records. For now, the Ferrari F2001 can lay claim to the title of most expensive modern Formula One car in history. 16 years after its dominant run in 2001, it’s still setting records like a boss.

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Liberty Media’s plan to reshape Formula One in the competitive image it wants is already getting some blowback from some of the sport’s top teams and, to no one’s surprise, Ferrari is right in the middle of it. Worse, Ferrari isn’t just up-in-arms over Liberty’s plans. To be more specific Ferrari is up-in-arms over the engine proposals set for 2021 - so much so that it’s actually threatening to quit the sport entirely if the proposals are enacted. Yep. Imagine Formula One without Ferrari in it. You can’t? Well, neither can I because that’d be like Major League Baseball not having the New York Yankees or the NBA suddenly finding itself without the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s unfathomable to think about and yet, Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has made no bones about his plans to take the Prancing Horse out of the sport if the new proposals did not “deliver a platform that was beneficial to Ferrari’s brand and its marketplace.”

The big issue that has Ferrari questioning its motivations to continue racing in Formula One involves the aforementioned engine proposal. And, in a weird twist, it’s not the only high-profile team to voice its objections. Mercedes-Benz and Renault are also concerned about the engine proposal and while neither has threatened to quit the sport entirely like Ferrari just did, it speaks to the significance of the issue that these three teams are in unison in voicing their displeasure over the proposal. For his part, Marchionne isn’t mincing his words regarding the automaker’s position. "I understand that Liberty may have taken these into account in coming up with their views, but I think it needs to be absolutely clear that unless we find a set of circumstances, the results of which are beneficial to the maintenance of the brand, and the marketplace, and to the strengthening of the unique position for Ferrari, Ferrari will not play."

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Formula 1 has always been a bastion of the high-tech, a series where futuristic ground-bound spaceships boom by at terrifyingly high speeds, challenging what we think is possible when a human pilot takes the helm on four wheels. For the past 40 years, Renault has taken part in this orgy of speed and technology, and now, we’re getting a peek at the French automaker’s vision of things to come. Long story short, expect even more of the heart-stopping pace we know today, plus more excitement, higher levels of spectator engagement, reduced costs, increased safety, and even a dash of environmental responsibility as well.

You gotta love it when a press release kicks off with the line “the year is 2027,” so I was keen to dive into the specifics as soon as I saw this thing roll across my desk. And while these sorts of design studies don’t always nail it in terms of predicting the real future, they almost always come with a nice set of interesting ideas that could gain some traction (in one form or another, at least) in the years to come. Not only that, but the aesthetic-driven renderings are a surefire way to light the imagination and set you off on a little sci-fi day dreaming…

Updated 09/18/2017: Renault R.S. 2027 Vision made quite an appearance at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. Hit the "Pictures" tab to see it on the auto show floor.

Continue reading to learn more about the Renault R.S. 2027 Vision.

I’m running out of superlatives to describe Lego. Really, I thought I had reached my limit when the company unveiled the life-size Lego version of the Mclaren 720S at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. Turns out, I was dead wrong because Lego, in all its genius, has found a way to raise its own bar yet again. Feast your eyes on this beauty, a life-sized version of Ferrari’s 2017 Formula One Race car, or as it’s otherwise known in F1 circles, the SF70H.

If the mere sight of the completed work isn’t enough to make your eyes pop out, the facts about this creation are certainly going to do it. According to Lego, every crevice of the model is made out of the studded plastic bricks, right down to the wheels, tires, and even the control knobs and gear switches on the car’s steering wheel. All in all, the model features a staggering 349,911 specific pieces. To put that in perspective, the aforementioned life-sized McLaren 720S that was presented at the Goodwood Festival of Speed “only” had 267,300 specific pieces. Adding to the ridiculousness of Lego version of the Ferrari SF70H is the fact that the whole model weighs 1,250 pounds, which is close to the actual weight of the SF70H.

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After a spectacular comeback to the market with vehicles such as the 4C sports car, Giulia Quadrifoglio sedan, and the Stelvio SUV, Alfa Romeo could return to high-profile racing after a very long hiatus. According to Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne, an Alfa Romeo Formula One project could be used to help up-and-coming Italian drivers join the sport. No Italian has started an F1 race since 2011 and Ferrari hasn’t fielded an Italian pilot since 2009 (but it has hired GP2 rookie Antonio Giovinazzi as its reserve driver for 2017).

"Alfa Romeo in F1 could become a fine breeding ground for young Italian drivers. The best one, Giovinazzi, is already with us, but there are others besides him, and they are struggling to find room. Alfa Romeo, more than our customer teams, could offer them that space," Marchionne told Italian media, according to Motorsport.com.

There’s no specific deadline as to when Alfa Romeo might join F1, but Marchionne said that the project would have to wait due to the several road cars launched that are underway.

"The problem is that, at the moment, because of the launch of road cars that will come out soon, there already numerous commitments from a financial point of view. With the launch of the Giulia and the Stelvio we have to wait for a bit, but I hope to be able to bring it back," he added.

I wouldn’t get my hopes up to see the Alfa Romeo badge in Formula One before 2019.

The Italian brand has been an important figure in motorsport since the early days, fielding several cars in pre-WWII Grand Prix events. After joining sports car racing and winning three back-to-back 24 Hours of Le Mans races in the 1930s, Alfa Romeo joined Formula One in its maiden season in 1950. The Italians dominated the series in 1950 and 1951, but withdrew after that and didn’t return as a construction to this day. However, Alfa Romeo supplied several F1 teams with engines, including McLaren, March, and Brabham. Alfa’s last appearance in F1 as an engine supplier was in 1988 alongside the small Italian team Osella. In 1987, Alfa Romeo made a deal to supply engines to Ligier, but all was cancelled when Fiat took control of the brand.

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Formula One bosses have shelved plans to install the halo safety device on Formula One cars, reversing the introduction of the device for the 2017 season because it would be too late to introduce it in the designs for next year’s cars and it needed more time to be tested and developed. The Strategy Group, which is made up of bosses from the top six teams, plus FIA president Jean Todt and F1 honcho Bernie Ecclestone, made the 11th hour reversal after the device was believed to be fully ready to be introduced for next season.

Not surprisingly, the Strategy Group’s decision caused a lot of uproar in the paddocks, none louder than from the F1 drivers themselves. Four-time world champion and current Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel called the about-face “stupid” before adding that “95 percent” of the drivers voted for the device to be included for the 2017 season. McLaren driver Jenson Button echoed Vettel’s statement, saying that the device is a “great solution.”

But apparently, their bosses thought otherwise, including Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who called the device “an inelegant solution.” While not necessarily speaking for the rest of his colleagues, Horner added that he preferred to have more tests done on the device to determine if it really offers the best solution in protecting the drivers heads from flying debris in an event of the crash. Another year of testing development could provide the best possible solution, or at least that’s what the Strategy Group had in mind when it shot down the device’s implementation.

That said, the halo device could still be introduced next season if the FIA deems it necessary on the grounds of safety. Such a move would not need the approval of F1 teams or Ecclestone himself. But given that Todt, being the FIA president, was one of those who decided on delaying the introduction of the device, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to exercise this power to take action and introduce the device anyway.

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Bernie Ecclestone’s mother-in-law, 67-year-old Aparecida Schunck, was reportedly kidnapped in Sao Paulo, Brazil last Friday and is currently being held for ransom. According to the Brazilian magazine Veja, Ms. Schunck was abducted from outside her home in the Sao Paulo neighborhood of Interlagos. The report goes on to say that the kidnappers are demanding 120 million Brazilian Reals (approximately $36.5 million) for her return, to be paid in pound sterling divided into four separate bags. If confirmed, it’ll be the highest kidnapping ransom in Brazilian history.

Ecclestone, the 85-year-old chief executive of the Formula One Group, is believed to be one of the wealthiest men in sports, with a net worth of billions of dollars. Ms. Schunck is the mother of Ecclestone’s third wife, 38-year-old Fabiana Flosi.

This isn’t the first time Ecclestone has faced a kidnapping. Four years ago, British citizen Martin Peckham was sentenced to five years in jail for blackmail after demanding 200,000 pounds from Ecclestone, claiming that he could foil a plot to kidnap Ecclestone’s daughter, Tamara.

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Formula One cars are about to look different beginning in the 2017 season when the halo protective structure will be incorporated on all F1 cars as an increased safety measure meant to protect drivers from impact and flying objects. The increasing demand for protection on open-cockpit race cars has been getting louder and more urgent in the wake of high-profile tragedies of racers Jules Bianchi, Justin Wilson, and Dan Wheldon, all of whom lost their lives because of on-track accidents in recent years.

With these tragedies still looming over the motorsports world, Formula One has taken the steps to ensure that the kind of accidents that cost the life of Bianchi can be prevented with the introduction of a safety structure that would enhance the safety of the cars’ open cockpits. Red Bull had previously tested an aeroscreen with Mercedes doing the same with a similar halo structure design to the one that Formula One appears to plan on using next season. That design was tested by Ferrari and is comprised of a carbon fiber frame that can be installed over the cockpit of the F1 race cars when the drivers are ready to race and removed just as easily when they get out of the car.

The teams’ technical directors agreed to proceed with the halo structure during a meeting in Monaco over the weekend. That said, the design is still subject to modifications and more tests as the current season moves along, possibly to make it less intrusive for the drivers who are going to need some time to get acclimated to the safety device. Further testing for the halo device is scheduled to begin on June 24 before Formula One’s decision-makers make one last sign-off on July 6.

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