Airborne hazards and open burn pit registry

Valtteri Bottas has been given a three-place grid penalty for spinning in the pit lane during today’s second practice session at the Red Bull Ring. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The stewards deemed the incident was “potentially dangerous”. Bottas lost control of his car as he pulled away from his pit box, and came to a stop near a group of McLaren mechanics. Following the session Bottas said the team had been trying something different when he left the pit box. The stewards noted Mercedes had been trying to improve the speed of their departure from the pits by using second gear instead of first. “When [Bottas] pulled away from his designated pit stop position, he lost control of the car when he turned into the fast lane. He oversteered, spun and came to a stop across the fast lane near the McLaren pits. “During the hearing [Bottas] stated that in the past they have been losing time in the pit departure. So they tried something new, which was to leave … [Read more...] about Bottas given three-place grid penalty for “potentially dangerous” pit lane spin · RaceFans

Alfa Romeo is ending its current title arrangement with Sauber at the end of this season and has not yet finalised whether or not it will continue any involvement in F1. At the Monaco Grand Prix, a meeting between Haas team boss Gunther Steiner and Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato prompted suggestions that the team and carmaker were set for a title sponsorship arrangement in 2024. Speaking ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, Steiner said that talk of a deal was premature, even though it would obviously be an attractive thing for Haas. Asked by Motorsport.com if the team would be sponsored by Alfa Romeo in 2024, Steiner said: "A lot of people are telling that to me, but the only ones who haven't told me that yet are Alfa Romeo. "Obviously they are looking at what they are doing in the future, and they came to see us, to see how we are doing. It was an introduction, nothing else. "I had never met the CEO before in my life and we just got introduced Obviously there was … [Read more...] about Haas open to Alfa Romeo F1 deal but no offer yet

The Finn successfully navigated the 3.23km test, held across a mix of tarmac and gravel surfaces in host city Olbia, to clock a time 0.2s faster than M-Sport’s Ott Tanak . "This is fun. You have enough space, it's wide enough, you can play with the car,” said Lappi, who is planning to run a measured gamble on set-up for this weekend’s rally. “On the gravel you just go fully sideways and keep the foot on the throttle because it's so slippery, that's the only way to do it.” Tanak produced a committed run through the test to reach the finish just shy of the Finn’s earlier benchmark. The 2019 world champion is running upgraded suspension components on his Ford Puma, which he feels has improved the car. "We did a good job in between [rallies], it was necessary after Portugal,” said Tanak, who encountered a small scare going over one of the jumps in the stage. “I wouldn't say we should be too confident at the moment but for sure we are better than in Portugal.” Hyundai’s … [Read more...] about WRC Sardinia: Lappi pips Tanak to lead after super special opener

As high as the stakes are in modern Formula 1, the battle for the sport’s future which raged at the dawn of the eighties was fought with particular ferocity. The political fall-out even led to some races being cancelled. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free But, as a trove of documents unearthed by @DieterRencken reveals, this fraught period in the sport’s history played a unique role in shaping modern F1. In early 1980 Formula 1 was a battleground. The lines were drawn between the mostly British teams, dubbed ‘garagistes’ by Enzo Ferrari on account of building cars using proprietary components from suppliers (Cosworth engines, Hewland gearboxes), and their opponents headed by FISA, then the sporting arm of the FIA. The FISA-aligned teams ‘grande’ teams included manufacturers Ferrari, Renault and Alfa Romeo, who surveyed the ongoing skirmishes nervously, and periodically switched allegiances according to their agendas. The ‘garagistes’ battled under the … [Read more...] about WPDC: Ecclestone’s breakaway threat which set the template for modern F1 · RaceFans

Tony Kanaan cherished every moment of his final Indianapolis 500 start, and his final race as an IndyCar Series driver – but reaffirmed he has no plans to reconsider his retirement after the race. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free “The coming back part? I don’t think I want to spoil the moment that I had,” Kanaan said after a 16th-place finish in his 22nd Indy 500 start. “I’ll come back, but as a spectator.” Kanaan summed up his feelings, saying he was “grateful, relieved, happy, sad at the same time.” “There are so many emotions right now,” he added, “but one thing is for certain. I sat here three years ago, and I said I’m not retiring because I don’t want to race in an empty stand.” Kanaan planned to retire from IndyCar after the 2020 season when he was driving for AJ Foyt. But he revised his plans after the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic forced several races – including the Indianapolis 500 – to be held behind closed doors, with no spectators in … [Read more...] about Kanaan doesn’t want to “spoil the moment I had” by returning to Indy 500 · RaceFans

The Spanish Grand Prix will have a slightly different look to it this weekend. After 16 races run with a slow, awkward chicane in the final sector, the original pair of fast right hand sweepers have been returned to their original glory. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The loss of the slow chicane has been greeted with delight by drivers – many of whom have openly admitted their dislike of the old chicane and are relishing the return of two fast corners taking their place. So with one of the most unpopular sections of any circuit on the F1 calendar seemingly gone for good, what are the other corners or segments of tracks that RaceFans’ regular writers want to see get similar treatment? Silverstone’s botched update I thought about the Hungaroring, which can be tedious in parts, and also Mexico City where spectators get to see so much of the track but the action in the opening corners tends to just involve collisions due to how the track goes from being … [Read more...] about Now Catalunya’s chicane is gone, which tracks would we ‘fix’? · RaceFans

FIA president Jean Todt has given his backing to a proposal to test ‘qualifying races’ at a limited number of rounds in the 2020 F1 season . Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free F1 teams have been asked to consider different options for changing the Saturday format to decide the grid for Sunday’s race. This could involve hosting a series of smaller races with ‘reverse grids’. “It’s part of discussions how to make the sport better, how to make the sport more attractive, always trying to find new ideas,” said Todt. “And it is true among the new ideas is a possibility of having a race on Saturday with a different starting order that will generate order for the race on Sunday. “I would say it’s a work in process and no decision has yet been taken. But I think it’s an interesting initiative to see what other opportunities we could have to [promote] motorsport and more particularly Formula 1.” The plan would be a departure from the practice of using a qualifying … [Read more...] about F1: Qualifying races an “interesting initiative” – Todt | RaceFans

In the round-up: The Russian Grand Prix contract has been extended until 2025. Links Your daily digest of F1 news, views, features and more from hundreds of sites across the web: Sochi race deal extended to 2025 (BBC) "The Russian Grand Prix is to remain on the Formula 1 calendar until 2025, according to the country's deputy prime minister." Ross Brawn ready to change Formula 1 (Sky) "A non-championship race would enable us to vary the format and try something different - and evolve it." FIA warns teams over trick suspension (Autosport) "The document adds that if a team fails to satisfy the technical delegate that the primary purpose of a suspension system is to insulate the chassis and the driver from undulations in the road surface, if asked to do so, the FIA may ask for the system to be removed or disabled." Ferrari boss breaks media silence in staggering admission about 2017 title hopes (Daily Express) "The new Ferrari SF70H, is more powerful … [Read more...] about Russian Grand Prix gets five more years · RaceFans

Ten of the best pictures which tell the story of the 2018 Russian Grand Prix weekend. Sergey Sirotkin After three practice appearances at Sochi, Sergey Sirotkin finally got to start his home race. Daniel Ricciardo A strange sight at the beginning of first practice: Five drivers who were destined for grid position penalties lined up at the pit exit to influence their race starting order. Fernando Alonso won the race to wait at the red light. Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso confirmed Daniil Kvyat will replace Pierre Gasly next year – but will there be a place for Brendon Hartley? Sebastian Vettel After a tough Friday, Saturday didn’t get off to a good start for Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel failed to reach the pit exit for his final run before the session ended and had to traipse back to the garage. Max Verstappen Max Verstappen , F1’s youngest-ever race-winner, podium-visitor and fastest-lapper, hit the ripe age of 21 on race day. He celebrated it with a consummate … [Read more...] about Top ten pictures from the 2018 Russian Grand Prix · RaceFans