F1 Today – 23/08/2021
Red Bull “fully motivated” as season resumes
Red Bull say they are “fully motivated” to hit back against Mercedes as the gripping title fight between Max Verstappen and Sir Lewis Hamilton resumes at the Belgian Grand Prix.
After opening a big championship leads thanks to a run of five straight race victories from Monaco to Austria, fancied challengers Red Bull entered August’s summer break on the back of scoring just a combined two points from the last two events were, perhaps season-defining, chaos ensued.
On the opening lap at Silverstone, Hamilton and Verstappen crashed taking the Dutchman out of the race, while in Budapest, Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas was involved in a pile-up at the first corner. This has resulted in Hamilton having a twelve-point lead in the drivers’ championship.
Verstappen told Sky Sports, “It’s a lot of freak moments at the moment that cost us a lot of points. They are of course very quick, but we never give up.’
In Budapest, team principal Christian Horner said, “We’ve had six victories, and the races we’ve lost are with a tyre explosion [in Azerbaijan], being taken out at Silverstone, and then Hungary. I think we’ve got a lot to be positive about and the whole team is fully motivated.”
He says that there is still a lot to play for the second half of the season, which he believes is going to be epic.
The crashes at Silverstone and Budapest have shifted momentum to Mercedes, and the fire in the battle for the championship has been reshaped. Mercedes, so off the pace for much of the summer, have a car to be feared again.
The upgrade package the team introduced at Silverstone appears to have worked wonders in clawing back Red Bull, with Hamilton having sealed top spot in both qualifying sessions since, while he had by far the fastest car at the last race in Hungary, where Red Bull usually flourish.
Spa is set to be another test for both teams, with Hamilton predicting a “hard slog”. The seven-time champion added, “Those guys with their update, they had I think a combination of things but they took a really good step once we got to the midpoint.”
Red Bull couldn’t accept development turn off
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says the team could never have accepted turning off its 2021 programme early, despite rivals throwing everything at next years car.
One of the challenges this season is deciding when to turn off the development of this year’s car because of next years regulation overhaul. But Red Bull has bucked the trend and been aggressive in bringing a series of upgrades to its RB16B in its bid to ensure it does everything to try to win the current F1 title. Horner has repeatedly said that he thinks the team is not sacrificing its 2022 performance by pushing so hard this season.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Horner made it clear that the team could have not accepted turning off development. He said, “It is embedded in who we are as a race team that it’s not in our culture to give up on any season. Of course, we have the constraints of the budget cap as well, which makes life slightly more complicated. But people have short term memories in this sport, and you’ve got to go for it.”
“Every race is an opportunity and if it means people have to work a little bit harder, and a few longer hours to enable that, then absolutely everybody is up to that challenge.”
He said that he doesn’t know what constraints Mercedes are facing, but says they are a bigger organisation with the budget cap and the pandemic having an impact on their planning.
Adding, “I can’t judge other organisations without having all the facts, so all I can do is focus on what we’re doing. And we’re very comfortable with the approach that we are taking.”
Doha could host a race in December
The Losail International Circuit has taken a step nearer to making its F1 debut in November with the Qatar Grand Prix, replacing the cancelled Australian Grand Prix. The sport has been looking at several options following the cancellation of four races this season due to the pandemic.
Last week Japan became the fourth race to be cancelled, joining Montreal, Singapore, and Melbourne. Liberty Media has been working to find a replacement for the Australian Grand Prix that was originally rescheduled for 19 – 21 November, with the slot remaining ‘TBA’ on the current calendar.
Autosport says multiple sources have told it that talks are now advancing for Qatar to fill the gap and host its first F1 Grand Prix in November, that would act as a boost to the schedule and hopes to fulfil the planned twenty-three race season.
The circuit built in the early 2000s has the grade one licence for F1 and has been always seen as a possibility to be added to the calendar. It has held Moto GP since 2004, and this year held a double header following the postponement of the race in Austin.
Austin meanwhile could find itself hosting three Grands Prix in under six weeks, as the circuit has been linked to hosting the Texan Grand Prix in October, following the US GP for F1 and the American Grand Prix set to be held two weeks before.
However, the state is currently facing a surge in cases and hospital admissions, as well as being on the red list meaning that Anyone returning to the UK, home to seven of the ten teams, from a red list country is required to complete ten days in government hotel quarantine, regardless of their vaccination status.
Norris finds balance between being a joker and serious online
Lando Norris believes he has found the right balance on social media after working to come across as less of a joker after his rookie season. The McLaren driver who made his debut in 2019, immediately stood out with his entertaining and light-hearted content.
Last year, Norris said that he wanted to try and become a bit more serious after worrying that making light of bad weekends could be taken the wrong way and lead to questions about his dedication. While earlier this year, he revealed he no longer posts to his own Twitter account to take a step back from social media.
He has made an impressive start to the 2021 season, with three podium finishes and only once crossing the line outside of the top five, allowing him to be third in the drivers’ standings heading into the second half of the year. Norris felt it was “definitely” a challenge to find the sweet spot between being appealing to young fans and seeming more grown-up.
Speaking about the change of approach to social media, Norris told Motorsport.com, “A bit of that was reassurance and confidence from what I see on social media and stuff, just trying to be a better person and allow people to support me and like me. I don’t want people just to see me as a joker or a guy who doesn’t take things seriously, because that’s not who I am.”
“I just wanted to show them that I do put in effort, I do work very hard to do better and get the results I’m getting at the moment. It doesn’t come for free. And I just wasn’t very good at showing that side of it. I feel like I’ve showed a bit more of it over the last year and a half or so.”
Norris says that it made him feel better as it allowed people to see him for who he is and not just a joker. People he says “like to post those photos and videos and stuff because it makes people laugh, that’s what people love to see. You aren’t as interested in seeing hard work and things like that.”
The Englishman has been particularly prolific interacting with fans through the streaming platform, Twitch, where he regularly broadcasts gameplays. This has included racing for McLaren during lockdowns in F1 eSports as well as forming his own Quadrant eSport team.
Norris says that he wants the balance between being accessible and support the older generation, doing well rather than just a funny guy that’s immature and things like that.
Alpine expects a “tough” race at Spa
Alpine says it is expecting a “tough” Belgian Grand Prix despite is surprise win in Budapest. The season resumes following the summer break at the high speed and power-sensitive Spa in South West Belgium, with sporting director Alan Permane does not expect his side to repeat its Budapest success in Belgium.
The team was wary the long nature of the power-sensitive circuit could expose the weaknesses of its car, that despite the team then called Renault, finishing fourth and fifth last season.
Asked by Crash.net, if Alpine has taken a step forward compared to its midfield rivals following the team’s first win since 2013, Permane replied: “I don’t think so unfortunately. I think if you look at where we were in qualifying – this track [Budapest] we felt would suit us, I think we are where we are.
“We will continue learning the car and we will continue improving it, but only by small amounts like others will do theirs. The next race is a tough one, it’s a long quick track and we’re a bit nervous about that in the race. We don’t feel we have the same performance on those very long tracks – the high-energy demand tracks.”
The French manufacturer is currently fifth in the constructors, nine points ahead of Alpha Tauri.
Permane has been with the Enstone team since starting his career in 1989, he says the team’s win was “undoubtedly” one of its best. Before Budapest, the team last won a race under the name Lotus in Melbourne in 2013.
Alfa Romeo’s admissions could attract star driver – Vasseur
Alfa Romeo team principal Fred Vasseur believes the team’s ambitions for the future mean it could attract a star driver. Both Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi are out of contract at the end of 2021, with the understanding that Raikkonen is likely to leave the team and replaced by Valtteri Bottas, should he not be retained by Mercedes.
Earlier in the year, Vasseur said the team was not ruling out replacing both Raikkonen and Giovinazzi, but insisted “everything is open”. Alfa has extended its relationship with Sauber in what Vasseur labelled a “long-term partnership” that highlights the marque’s desire for success in the sport.
Vasseur told Motorsport.com, “I think we are in a good position because we are ambitious. We are going up in terms of partners, sponsors and so on. The portfolio is going up.”
“The partnership with Alfa is solid and a long-term partnership. Ferrari is doing a good job, they are improving also on their side… and we are improving on the chassis. I have tons of green lights, and I want to be very positive. Now I have to do my job to be able to convince them.”
Vasseur believes it’s important to be honest about potential hires about Alfa’s prospects for the upcoming seasons in order to avoid creating false expectations, especially if it lands a high-profile driver. Saying that when you have a common project, you need to be clear that it could take two-three years before they can be fighting in the midfield.
Adding, “This message got through with Kimi. When Kimi joined in ’19, he won two races before with Ferrari, he won in Austin, and then he joined over, and at this stage, we were in the tough situation. 2017 was very tough. I think he understood the challenge and the project.”
Vasseur explained that you need to be clear with the drivers about the target.
While the team hasn’t decided on its driver line-up for 2022, Vasseur admitted that Giovinazzi has made a step forward in qualifying, but still needs to work on his race management, and cited tyres as one area where he could improve.
Williams not safe in eighth – Capito
Williams team principal Jost Capito says despite the double points finish in the Hungarian Grand Prix and their move to eighth in the constructors, the position is not safe. The team moved into eighth with their first double points finish since Hockenheim 2019, with Nicolas Latifi seven and George Russell eight.
The result put the team three points ahead of Alfa Romeo, however, Capito was refusing to rest on his laurels for the remainder of the season. He told F1.com, “Ten points is not massive. It’s not over; this kind of race can come again, and then there is the chance for Haas and Alfa Romeo to do a result like this. So we can’t step back and not be focused on anymore.
“If there is again an opportunity to grab points, we have to be spot on and make sure we grab the points. That’s the focus of Alfa Romeo and Haas too. We are not safe to be eighth as we still have half of the championship to come.” It may seem cautious but admitted this has given the team a psychological boost for the team, as well as the financial boost.
He says if they manage to retain eighth, it will be a boost for the team as they would move further up the pit lane and paddock adding to the motivation. Williams almost a year into the ownership by Dorilton Capital, have made it their target to return to the midfield in the short term.
Capito added, “It’s a relief for the team to get the points after that long wait. After that long time, we’re talking about two years at the beginning of year, there was a feeling of, will we ever be in position to get points with this car, as we didn’t have the chance to further develop the car significantly. We were not sure we could get points.”