FORMULA 1

[MIKA27]

Insight: Why F1 will struggle to re-arrange Chinese GP

The Chinese Grand Prix has been postponed indefinitely but Formula 1 will struggle to find a suitable date.

As it stands the Chinese Grand Prix is not going ahead.

Currently it is indefinitely postponed but the ongoing nature of the Covid-19 outbreak means we cannot yet be sure when China will be back open for business, so to speak.

Over 1,000 deaths have been attributed to Covid-19, there have been at least 44,000 reported cases, while there remains a multitude of unknowns and uncertainties, with several major cities effectively on lockdown.

Even if the green light is given for China to return to normal then it is a case of scheduling, and it is here where Formula 1’s ever-expanding and congested calendar causes problems.

We will have a four-week gap between the new event in Vietnam and the returning Dutch Grand Prix, meaning, at least, Formula 1 personnel will have an unexpected break, of sorts.

But thereafter the schedule incorporates 17 grands prix in a seven-month spell, which includes the mandatory two-week summer shutdown. China cannot be rescheduled for August.

The latter stages of the campaign include several back-to-back rounds and a fair amount of airmiles for everyone involved. The most logistically obvious spot is either before or after the Japanese Grand Prix, but this would mean four events in four weekends. That is not going to happen. Formula 1 ran a triple header in 2018 but there was widespread acceptance that it was one step too far.

Moving China to the end of the year – most likely to before Abu Dhabi due to the Emirati’s expensive deal as host of the finale – is also improbable, as Abu Dhabi would need shifting. This is unlikely.

Existing grands prix have plans in place – so dates cannot be changed – while unanimity among teams is required for an event to be re-scheduled. And teams cannot even agree on what day of the week it is.

When Bahrain’s season-opening round in 2011 was postponed due to civil unrest in the country attempts were made to reschedule it for October, moving India to December, before a re-arranged schedule suggested it would become the finale, also in the final month of the year.

Both options fell by the wayside.

It seems improbable that this year’s Chinese Grand Prix will actually happen.

Formula 1 has at least been responsible in opting to postpone the race.

Barrelling into China, with thousands of people – and potentially a hundred thousand spectators – convening on the circuit, not to mention the equipment involved, would not have been a good image for Formula 1. It would have been tactless at best, irresponsible at worst.

Aside from the primary impact of the virus Formula 1 faced secondary effects.

Airlines have cancelled flights to and from China, travel insurance risked being invalidated due to governmental advice, while other nations begun to deny entry to those who have been in the country.

It is not ideal for Formula 1 to miss the Chinese market, given the country’s importance to the motorsport industry. Indeed, Formula 1’s Commercial Rights Holder Liberty Media has already explored – and continues to investigate – the feasibility of holding a second grand prix in China.

Let’s hope Formula 1 can make a successful – and sustained – return to China in 2021.

[MIKA27]

Overview: The last time an F1 race was called off

Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix for 2020 has been postponed due to the ongoing outbreak and attempted containment of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Motorsport Week reflects on the last cancellation.

It is not often that major sporting events are postponed or cancelled, particularly in the modern era of widespread logistics and lucrative investment.

The ongoing Covid-19 outbreak has forced promoters to seek an indefinite postponement, which Formula 1 and the FIA has accepted. It is the first time in nine years than an event has been called off.

Through early 2011 a series of protests and uprisings developed across the Middle East and North Africa, which later became known as the Arab Spring.

Bahrain joined the Formula 1 calendar in 2004 and for 2011 had been handed the honour of opening the season, with the race scheduled for March 13.

But in mid-February civil unrest broke out amid increased protests against the regime and the GP2 Asia race weekend was cancelled, with those at Sakhir flying out of the country as swiftly as they could.

Over the next week the unrest in Bahrain grew.

On February 21 the decision was made to postpone the race, with a planned pre-season test re-arranged for Barcelona, ahead of the new season opener in Melbourne on March 27.

Bahrain was granted a stay of execution and race organisers remained hopeful that a new date could be found, assuming that the civil unrest would ease.

The attempts to re-arrange the event dragged on until June.

Bahrain was handed the date of October 30 to hold its 2011 grand prix but that proposal meant that the inaugural Indian Grand Prix would need to be pushed back until December. The new Buddh Circuit was therefore set to host the season finale on December 11.

Unsurprisingly that decision did not go down well with Formula 1 teams, whose unanimous approval was needed for the date change to be made.

Recognising the anger that the calendar reshuffle would cause organisers in Bahrain made the decision not to pursue its attempts to hold the 2011 race.

India was thus reinstated for its October 30 date and Formula 1 did not visit Bahrain in 2011.

The Bahrain Grand Prix returned to the calendar for 2012 and the race, the fourth round of the season, went ahead on April 22.

[MIKA27]

Hamilton reveals new helmet colours ahead of Mercedes F1 launch

Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has revealed a new helmet colour scheme ahead of the Mercedes launch on Friday.
Hamilton tweeted “2020 Purple Dove” with images of the helmet, which now features six stars for all his world titles, hours after he sent out a message to his fans via the official Mercedes-AMG F1 social media account.

“It’s my first day back at work,” he said. “Definitely excited to get back in, it’s been an incredible winter, I’ve had a lot of time with family and friends.

“I’d say one of the best times I’ve had was with my dad. And, secondly, the training has been different this year. So the feeling I have physically and mentally is on another level to last year, so that’s a real positive.”

He also spoke of the challenge of the year ahead, telling his fans: “I know you guys are all gunning for [title] number seven, but I think we just need to take it one step at a time. I have no idea – we have no idea – where we’re going to stand compared to everybody else.

“We’ve just got to try and be more efficient this year in our test programme, particularly as we have less time. Yeah, we still have a lot of work to do.”

[MIKA27]

Renault explains "different approach" behind RS20 design

Renault has steered clear of going for a total overhaul with its 2020 Formula 1 car, despite the disappointment of its campaign last year.
The French car manufacturer finished fifth overall in the constructors' standings in 2019, having set its pre-season sights on closing the gap to the top three.

But although it understands where its limits were with the RS19, the team felt that with the challenge of the rules revamp for 2021 on the horizon, it was better to try to move forward with a well-known baseline.

It has therefore decided to keep a number of key elements of its 2019 challenger, so it can instead push harder in areas of the car that can make a bigger difference to its performance.

Renault F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul said: "This year we decided to take a bit of a different approach. The regulations are stable, so it was offering a fantastic opportunity to keep some elements of the car that have no direct responsibility towards the performance of the car.

"It doesn't mean that it is the same car - it would not look very attractive. But what we have decided to do it focus on performance areas and by doing that, you also work towards 2021.

"If you can be focused on 2020 then you have some extra capacity available for 2021. That is the logic behind what we have done - whether it works or not let's see in Melbourne on the Saturday."

Renault executive director Marcin Budkowski was clear that he felt the approach to evolving the design would pay off.

"It is true that development was a bit disappointing last year overall," he said. "So we looked at everything and analysed what had gone wrong: where our pros and cons were, where our weaknesses in the car and organisation were focused on that for the RS20.

"We really wanted to make sure it was an evolution, which might be counter intuitive because of under performance but there were two reasons for it.

"First, it enables us to really focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the RS19 and focus on the performance, without starting from a blank canvas.

"Plus with a year of regulation stability, and in 2021 a year of revolution which is probably the biggest one we have had, that enables us to work [more] on the 2021 car."

Budkowski was clear, however, that although the 2020 design will be an evolution, there would still be aerodynamic developments and mechanical changes.

"There is an aero change from the concept point of view and we have worked on the suspension to have it more homogeneous – where the drivers can get the maximum potential out of it," he added. "That is one of the issues we had in 2019.

"Also we want to avoid this plateau of development that we had last year. We won't have everything right from Barcelona [testing] onwards, and a certain number of evolutions will arrive after the first race, but we will have an aggressive development."

[MIKA27]

Tech insight: What's behind new Red Bull nose

Red Bull's new RB16 may look at first glance to be an evolution of last year's car, but there are some intriguing differences that will have grabbed the interest of rival teams.
In particular, there appears to have been a lot of work in the nose area to try to better optimise airflow in this area of the car.

Red Bull has tried various solutions here over the years, but for 2020 it has taken things on a step further than before – even though it is hard to understand their design fully from just the one picture available.

Looking closely at the tip of the nose, the lower vented nose tip now has a duck bill atop it, which is also accompanied by another vent placed in the upper ramp section. The flow from here will be fed rearwards to other aerodynamic surfaces and devices, such as the S-duct, which like last season now has a narrower outlet on the bridge of the nose.

This area is flanked by two horns, similar to the ones used last season that not only empower the performance of the S-duct but also the rest of the car.

Further helping on this front are two fins situated above and behind the cockpit that appear to be diverting air around the back of the engine cover.

Looking between the nose tip and front wing pylons, a snow plough device is also mounted which feeds airflow to the underside of the nose. Here, there is a newly formed caped section that flanks the nose. The cape is much more like the variation first used by Mercedes in 2017, rather than the ones seen elsewhere on the grid since.

Red Bull is testing the car for the first time at a filming day at Silverstone on Wednesday.

 

[MIKA27]

2020 ‘pivotal’ for Renault after team missed last season’s targets, says Abiteboul

“Pivotal.” That’s how Renault chief Cyril Abiteboul described this season, as his team launched their 2020 campaign – minus their new car – with an event at the L’Atelier Renault on Paris’ iconic Champs Elysees. But he also moved to reiterate the French manufacturer’s desire to stay in Formula 1…

After three seasons of improving year-on-year since their return to F1 as a works team in 2016, Renault went backwards last year, finishing behind McLaren – to whom they supply engines – in fifth in the constructors’ championship.

That might lead some to suggest Renault may not be interested in staying in Formula 1 for the long-term. But Abiteboul suggested the French manufacturer is keen to stick around, particularly given the huge opportunity 2021 – where F1 will have dramatic new regulations – offers his outfit.

“2020 is a pivotal year,” said Abiteboul. “It’s the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new cycle, where we really want to be present. [There are] major stakes, strategic ones, first and foremost with the finalising and conclusion of the commercial agreements, in the medium and long-term, which we believe in, of course.

“It’s also technical stakes, with the beginning of the construction of the 2021 car, the first opportunity to start from a blank canvas, not an engine and a chassis but a car starting from scratch with all the benefits of integration between Viry and Enstone.”

Abiteboul admitted that Renault did not meet their targets last year and that they were being correspondingly realistic about their expectations for this campaign. A goal of fourth in the constructors’ championship, essentially heading the midfield, has been set.

“2019 was a year underneath what our ambitions set out,” he said. “So the objectives need to be moderated. They need to be attained, they need to be realistic.

“The objective is to be fourth in the constructors’ championship, that is realistic, that is possible, so long as we hold ourselves to our objective with regard to reliability at the beginning of the season and aggressive development throughout the season and the realism on the track, which was an issue at times last season.

“So there is nothing unrealistic in all of that – but to attain that, we have to look at medium and long-term. So 2020 needs to enable us to continue to look ahead and be in line with objectives which are ambitious.”

Renault’s new car – the R.S.20 – will break cover for the first time next week, when pre-season testing begins at Barcelona on February 19.

[BrightonCorgi]

  Postponed is not the word I would use to described the current status of the Chinese GP this season...

[Squarehead]

I've just seen the new Indy Cars.They're driving with windshields this season 2020.Should be interesting how that goes

[sho671]

@El Presidente Any reason why this thread is in the water hole vs from the sports desk?

[El Presidente]

8 minutes ago, sho671 said:

@El Presidente Any reason why this thread is in the water hole vs from the sports desk?

Not really. It was here before the Sports Desk started. 

[sho671]

17 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

Not really. It was here before the Sports Desk started. 

I see. Is there any way for me to mute a particular thread(s) that I have no interest in but come up when I press "Next Unread Topic"?

[MIKA27]

McLaren takes wraps off 2020 F1 challenger

McLaren has become the latest team to unveil its 2020 Formula 1 challenger as the squad took the wraps from its matte-finished MCL35 at its Technology Centre on Thursday.

McLaren endured a troubled decline through the middle of the last decade, reaching a nadir in 2018, which prompted an overhaul of its organisation.

It subsequently enjoyed a stronger 2019 campaign, during which Andreas Seidl joined as Team Principal and James Key began his role as Technical Director.

It wrapped up fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship, its highest placing since 2012, with a round to spare, as it pulled clear of its midfield opponents.

Carlos Sainz Jr. claimed third position in Brazil to net his maiden podium and McLaren’s first in five years, as he went on to finish a career-best sixth in the Drivers’ Championship.

Sainz Jr. has remained at the team for 2020 and he will again be partnered by Lando Norris, following an eye-catching rookie campaign for the youngest driver on the grid.

Norris, the third-youngest F1 racer in history, classified 11th in the standings.

McLaren will continue to use Renault power in 2020, the final campaign of its three-year deal, ahead of its return to Mercedes units from 2021.

Mercedes and AlphaTauri will be next to unveil their respective 2020 challengers on Friday.

Mercedes will undertake a shakedown at Silverstone with its W11 while AlphaTauri’s ATO1 will be unveiled during a fashion-themed event in Salzburg.

[MIKA27]

McLaren addressing midfield weaknesses with MCL35

McLaren has pinpointed weaknesses it and its midfield rivals had relative to the leading Formula 1 teams in 2019, and aimed to address them with the design of the MCL35, according to tech chief James Key.
The new McLaren MCL35 broke cover in a Thursday launch event at Woking, and the team - which finished fourth in the constructors' standings last year - hopes it will allow it to bridge the gap to Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.

“You have to to have a target to work to, because you kind of need to figure out where you need to be. One of those is to get to the front, but that’s a huge step, compared to where we are now," Key said.

“To do that in a year would be very welcome but a massive step. There were certain targets based on what we learned last year, where we found our weaknesses were that we really wanted to address.

“And we could see some of those weaknesses were quite similar across the teams we were competing with, when you look at the bigger three teams. So we’ve been looking closely at those kinds of areas, and we have made some progress there.

“I think the medium-term target is to maintain our position and hopefully close the gap a bit and build on that. So if we can be in that place I think we’ll achieve the realistic target that we have.”

Key says that the in developing the MCL34 last year the team came across ideas that it couldn't introduce at the time because of limitations such as the existing suspension geometry.

“New concepts were being looked at alongside what we’d learned from [MCL]34, as the year was going by last year,” said Key. “So we have changed a few areas.

“The bodywork is following a trend I think we’ve seen increasingly, with a very narrow sidepod, which is quite an exercise in packaging. You have to plan quite early for that sort of thing, because it involves the engine installation and so on.

“We’ve done a similar exercise with the gearbox, to match that philosophy. There’s been a lot of work on rear suspension too, so I suppose from the cockpit backwards there’s a very different approach to what we’ve had before – that’s really where the conceptual side of things was.

“Equally there’s a lot of technologies, let’s say, around the front, which were only possible to do with the new car – we’ve introduced that too. So that’s the new stuff, but having said that it’s all based around, although not entirely based around, what we learned last year.

“The 34 is very much the father of much of the concept of the car as well. So we’ve tried to carry forward what we learned last year as we were going – it was being designed as we were developing the other car, so it was a bit of a process. We had what we felt were opportunities we couldn’t do with the 34 with the geometry we had.”

“There’s a slight twist on the colour and the branding side of things as well, which is pretty clean in terms of its look, but there are technical benefits to it. There’s a weight benefit certainly, but there’s other things as well.

“It’s actually a combination of coatings which surround the car with that colour, but what’s been good about it is that it’s been a good, close collaboration with our marketing requirements and the technical needs, and we’ve found a solution that we’re both very happy with.

“It’s been a bit of a journey, it’s not an easy thing to transition to something like that, but I think it’s beneficial for everyone, so I’m quite happy with it.”

 

[MIKA27]

McLaren vows to protect staff as virus focus shifts to Vietnam

McLaren CEO Zak Brown is clear he will not put any of his staff in an "uncomfortable situation" with the coronavirus outbreak, as attentions shifts to the developing situation in Vietnam.
F1 announced on Wednesday it would be postponing April's Chinese Grand Prix as a result of the coronavirus outbreak that has spread to over 24 countries, with over 1,100 deaths reported.

Vietnam shares a land border with China, leading to uncertainty about the running of the inaugural race in Hanoi on April 5.

Vietnamese officials took the decision on Thursday to quarantine villages in the Son Loi farming region - just 25 miles outside Hanoi - for the next 20 days after six coronavirus cases were discovered. Over 10,000 people live in the region.

Speaking at McLaren's MCL35 car launch on Thursday, team CEO Brown said that while F1 had not raised Vietnam as being at risk of cancellation at present, the situation was being monitored closely.

"Obviously the well-being of McLaren and the greater world is of utmost importance," Brown said.

"Vietnam has not been raised yet as a potential issue, but obviously it's very nearby and neighbouring, so we're going to monitor the situation.

"We definitely would not do anything that would put our people at risk. I don't think Formula 1 would as well, so I think like the rest of the world, we've just got to monitor the situation."

Asked if any McLaren team members had raised concerns about travelling to Vietnam, Brown said: "We communicate often with our staff. We've not had anyone approach us, because we're quite proactive in telling them what's going on.

"I think we're just going to have to deal with the situation as it unfolds. But we would never put a McLaren employee in an uncomfortable situation they wouldn't want to be in."

The cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix has left a four-week break in the F1 calendar between Vietnam and the Dutch Grand Prix on May 3.

Should the Vietnam race not go ahead, the gap would grow to six weeks between Bahrain on March 22 and the race in the Netherlands.

Brown said that such a gap in-season would be a "new situation for all of us", but placed greater importance on the bigger picture of the ongoing health epidemic.

"I know some races have been cancelled in the past, but not necessarily what we're facing here," Brown said.

"We'll just have to react when we know more. It will be the same for everyone. First and foremost it's a terrible situation for the world, so hopefully that situation gets resolved because I think other things such as sport doesn't matter when it comes to situations like that. Hopefully that gets solved and then just we'll respond accordingly.

"If there's a month off, then there's am onto off. Maybe Chase [Carey] will look for some races to fill that gap, but I think it's a very fluid situation."

Officials are looking for alternative dates to run the China race should the situation improve, but F1 CEO and chairman Carey told Autosport on Wednesday it would be "challenging" to find a place on the 2020 schedule.

The organisers of the Vietnam Grand Prix said in a statement last week they were "'actively monitoring the situation as it develops.

"For now we don't anticipate any significant impact on our April event. We will continue to work with our relevant authorities to closely monitor the situation."

[MIKA27]

Renault/Mercedes "agreed" what secrets Ocon can bring over

Esteban Ocon says his new employer Renault and his former team Mercedes "agreed" on what secrets he could bring from one to the other.

Ocon, who didn't race in F1 in 2019 but had an intense programme as Mercedes' reserve, test and simulator driver, has joined Renault on a two-year deal to drive alongside Daniel Ricciardo.

He retains a management link with Mercedes, with team principal Toto Wolff having described him as "a cousin of the Mercedes family today".

Ocon says he will take some of the knowledge he'd accrued at Mercedes to Renault, but only "within limits" - as he is mindful that, unlike technical staff, drivers do not get placed on gardening leave when they switch teams.

"I come out of there a lot stronger than I was, with a lot more knowledge on the technical side, but also on the other aspects of the organisation, the way they see things in different conditions, the way they just behave in any situation," Ocon said of his time at Mercedes.

"I had an eye on all of that, which is completely different than even if I was driving, you know? So, definitely it has helped me.

"Of course, this year I was trying to give, to some extent, some of that - you have to be professional always, not give all the secrets, because the engineers, they all have to be a year out before coming back to another team, it's not the case for a driver.

"But I still take things a lot. Within limits, I took stuff here, which both teams agreed. And yeah, so far it's been good, I was very much involved in the development of this year's car.

"So, now it's exciting times, because - you didn't see it much here [at the launch], but it is pretty different. Since a couple of years the guys at the factory, they say it's probably the biggest step since three or four years."

Ocon stressed that Renault, who he previously served as reserve driver for, did not lack much compared to Mercedes when it came to structure and facilities.

"It's still not as big. That's for sure. But the amount of effort that's been put into the development of the team since 2016 - I mean, when I came in [to the Enstone factory], I was lost at the entrance. I've gone left, normally there were stairs going down, and here there was a full new room, full of designers and everything.

"These full new equipments, new machines, new rooms, new computers - well, everywhere you look is new." 

[MIKA27]

Renault: 2020 form alone won't be enough to keep Ricciardo

Renault says its low expectations for the season ahead mean that it will need a leap of faith from Daniel Ricciardo about its 2021 prospects to keep hold of him.

With the French car manufacturer cautious about its chances for 2020, and aiming for top four in the constructors' championship, it is not pretending it will deliver Ricciardo front-running machinery.

With the Australian out of contract at the end of the season, and possible vacancies at Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari for 2021, Renault knows it could have a fight on its hands to retain him.

Renault's F1 non-executive director Alain Prost said the team needed to accept that its 2020 form alone would not be enough to convince Ricciardo to say, which is why it had to sell him its vision for what is possible next year.

"For sure this year, we have to say the truth," said Prost, speaking at the Renault season launch in Paris.

"We don't have a high expectation about this year, so it's a shame for Daniel, the second year with not a lot but it is going to be better.

"I think it's going to be more his perception of what we could do for 2021, and also being realistic about the offers he is going to have from other teams."

He added: "He will decide by himself but we will talk very soon. We don't have everything in our hands, that's for sure."

Ricciardo insisted he had not yet had any thoughts about his options for 2021, but was clear that he retained belief in the Renault project for now.

"I don't have anything written down with Renault beyond this year but whatever may or may not come in the next few months, or over the course of the year, I'm 100% committed to still making this work with Renault," he said.

"I haven't thought about scenarios yet of being somewhere else. I do feel like last year was a bit of an unknown, but I do feel this year there is much more in place to get this thing on the right track, and to kind of tick some of the boxes that I thought we would tick when I signed the contract.

"I do believe there is a shoey in here somewhere in a yellow car. I do believe that, so yeah I'm certainly all in, to make those things come to fruition, you know.

"For me personally as well I do want it to work. I do want this year to be successful. So regardless of what was to happen you know, I could hold my chin high and be like you know, we really gave this an awesome crack. And ideally, the crack continues."

Renault F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul thinks that the chances of keeping Ricciardo will be defined pretty early on by how much progress the team has been able to make over the winter.

Asked about how he would convince him to stay, he said: "I think the main difficulty will be timing, I guess, for obvious reasons.

"You want to have a quick decision regarding his future, but I think what we also need is a little bit of time to see how we are developing as a team and how we are working together and what we are capable of delivering. Because let's be honest, together we failed to deliver the expected results last year.

"So hopefully we can we can do better. But the first thing I think he will want is to see if we are capable of providing him a better car, because frankly if you're not capable of doing that this year, why would we next year? And I completely understand that.

"So, the first way to check is, you know, in the next few weeks to see if the car is indeed better, and if the priorities that we had set for our self over the winter, have been addressed successfully."

Abiteboul said that Renault had commanded good driver line-ups over recent years because of the potential the team had for the future. But, he said, at some point the outfit needed to live up to promises

"I think we've been able to do that [have good drivers] because of the expectation of the drivers for Renault to become a strong team. But at some point it will stop. At some point we need more than people just expecting that we become a good team. We also have to become a good team to retain the sort of line-ups that we currently have."

[MIKA27]

Melbourne tram strike targets Australian GP

The Australian Grand Prix has been caught up in a bitter pay dispute between Yarra Trams and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union.
The RTBU has confirmed that more than 1500 staff are set to strike during the four days of the AGP, with plans to halt services between 10am and 2pm on the Thursday and Friday, and 12pm and 4pm on the Saturday and Sunday.

Trams are crucial to servicing the Albert Park venue during race weekend, with special shuttle services operating between the Melbourne CBD and various circuit gates.

According to local reports the strike action has been sparked by a pay dispute, with the union calling for a five per cent annual increase for the next three years.

The RTBU also claims Yarra Trams is trying to scrap a four per cent limit on part-time workers, which would affect overtime and penalty rates.

Despite the threats to strike on AGP weekend, Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott is confident the matter will be resolved before then.

He says the AGPC has a deal in place with Victoria's Department of Transport to provide a shuttle service via Yarra Trams – and his expectation is that both of those parties will work with the RTBU to resolve the issue within the next four weeks.

"I think, 30 days out, to hear that the tramways union is talking about interruption is an appropriate negotiation tactic," Westacott said.

Melbourne tram

Photo by: Sutton Images

"We have so many supply agreements with probably 600 suppliers across the event, and the history across 24 years is that there's no disruption to the Grand Prix.

"We've got a strong contract with the Department of Transport, we've got a strong contract with Yarra Trams, and I expect those shuttle services to be working across the four days of the event.

"I don't expect to see any disruption for fans when coming along to the Grand Prix.

"Our system relies on a shuttle from the city. It relies on people being able to come from all parts of Melbourne on trams, trains, pushbikes, walking and buses.

"It's a very, very integrated system, and I expect that the parties are going to work on a solution. We have that expectation from Yarra Trams and the Department of Transport.

"I've spoken to those suppliers of ours in the last couple of days, and I would have an expectation that this gets resolved, in an appropriate manner, across the next 28 days."

Westacott conceded that the strike going ahead would be embarrassing for both the event and the city.

"If they're not able to deliver to the world-class standards that we set ourselves at the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, then it's a blight on what we have as an events ecosystem, as the major events capital of the world," he added.

"It's important, and hats off to the unions to be able to say to Yarra Trams and the Department of Transport that we need to resolve this.

"Our expectation, from the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, is that the parties we rely on to deliver services will work out and deliver these services in the same fantastic manner that they have for 24 years."

Westacott also acknowledged that the coronavirus outbreak could affect crowd numbers at this year's Australian Grand Prix.

"I think it would be naive to suggest that something of this magnitude, globally and regionally in Australia's position in the Asian market, is not likely to have an impact," he said.

"But at the moment sales are ahead of last year when it comes to corporate, grandstand and general admission tickets. I'm really confident the Melburnians will come out in force and see a great race on the 15th of March."

[MIKA27]

‘It’s my baby’ – Norris and Sainz on how they helped shape the new McLaren

Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz will both begin their second seasons at McLaren in 2020 – and after helping the team to fourth in the 2019 constructors’ championship in cars designed before either had started racing for the team, the pair were looking forward to saddling up the new MCL35, given the input they’ve had into the car’s creation.

Asked at the MCL35’s launch at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, UK, how much he’d influenced the new car’s gestation, Norris joked that he’d “pretty much designed the whole thing”, before adding on a more serious note: “This car is based [on last year’s car], and obviously everything we went through last year, all our comments and discussions between us as drivers, has been put into this and based around that.

“So it’s a lot more of my car. We’ve had our input into making this, so it feels a lot more my baby, my car and I can’t wait to go and drive it.”

Sainz, too, believed that early signs pointed to the MCL35 being a better prospect than last year’s MCL34, a car which gave him his first F1 podium, and McLaren’s first since 2014. “It looks great,” he said, “it looks tighter – it looks just better, I think.

“With every single member of the team, we’ve managed to put together hopefully a better package, a better car,” he added. “There’s been a lot of work put behind this thing, and I just have the feeling that everything’s coming together a lot better, we’re growing as a team, we have positive momentum going and we want to carry that over for this year.”

Also present at the launch – which took place six days before pre-season testing begins at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 19 – Team Principal Andreas Seidl praised Norris and Sainz’s contributions to the team, adding that he was “optimistic” about what McLaren could achieve in 2020.

“I’m very happy with what I’ve seen in terms of development of our car over the winter,” he said. “I think we can be quite optimistic going into the new season. At the same time, we need to be realistic as well.

“I think we’ve done our homework over winter. The drivers have done a sensational job also, together with the engineers. The presence here at the factory [over winter] was really impressive. So I feel ready, together with the team, to tackle next season.”

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Formula 1: No fears of Indy '05 repeat on Zandvoort banking

Ross Brawn says he was worried Zandvoort would not make a great Formula 1 circuit, while dismissing concerns the banking will cause problems like the 2005 United States Grand Prix.

In a bid to try to create more overtaking opportunities at the Dutch GP, Zandvoort is to turn its final turn in to an 18-degree banked turn - which is twice as steep as those at Indianapolis.

Back in 2005, there was huge controversy at the US GP when all Michelin runners had to withdraw before the start because of tyre problems experienced through the banked final corner in the build-up to the race.

And while some suggested that such a scenario could be repeated when F1 returns to the Netherlands this season, F1's managing director of motorsport Brawn says the detailed simulation work that F1 and Pirelli have done shows that everything is under control.

"The banking is going to be very exciting," said Brawn.

"I've seen some comments about the problems we had at Indianapolis. Banking was involved there but the problem was a bit more fundamental than that.

"So I don't anticipate any issues with the banking at Zandvoort.

"Pirelli have done all the simulations. We are a one-make tyre formula. So there's scope to run different tyre pressures if we need to and we have any issues.

"But we don't expect any issues. All the numbers don't indicate any problems, so I think it will be a really exciting track."

As Autosport revealed earlier this year, the idea of using banking at Zandvoort was turned in to reality by computer simulation work done by F1's head of vehicle performance Craig Wilson.

"We went through it, we used our simulation and then we came back and said 'okay well you'd need at least this level of banking to be able to do it,'" he said.

"I had assessed it with two different methods, in terms of car stability and the aerodynamic loss, and it looks like it can work.

"Then it was a case of, 'okay well can we physically do it?'

"The guys at Zandvoort went off, spoke to a few people and came back and said: 'Yeah, we can do it, we think we can do it, and we'd be very interested in doing it.'"

Brawn says that when the idea of having the Dutch GP at Zandvoort first came up he was sceptical about whether or not the layout could be made good for racing.

However, he believes the unique solution of the banked final corner - which effectively turns it in to a straight - has eased his concerns.

"I was worried about how we would make it a good race circuit until we had done that," he said.

"But now we have a decent length of straight and going into that last corner, and then the first corner on the pit straight, is going to be pretty exciting.

"And a great crowd as well I am sure."

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Rebranded AlphaTauri launches 2020 F1 programme

AlphaTauri has launched its 2020 Formula 1 programme, marking a new era for the operation that has previously competed as Toro Rosso and Minardi.

Its new identity was formally launched during a fashion-based event in Red Bull’s Hangar-7 in Salzburg on Friday evening.

It also provided a glimpse of its new-look Formula 1 car, the ATO1, with which it will compete in Formula 1 this year.

The squad can trace its history back to the early 1980s and competed in Formula 1 as Minardi from 1985 through 2005, becoming a fan-favourite backmarker, prior to its acquisition by Red Bull.

Red Bull renamed the team Toro Rosso, as a nod to its Italian heritage, and it became recognised as the drinks company’s junior outfit.

Last year plans were unveiled for the team to be rebranded as AlphaTauri for 2020, in order to greater promote the clothing brand introduced by Red Bull in 2016.

‘Tauri’ is a nod to the Taurus (the bull) constellation while ‘Alpha’ is a nod to being a leader.

AlphaTauri will continue to field Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat for the 2020 season.

Gasly, having started 2019 at Red Bull, returned to the fold mid-season in a seat swap with Alexander Albon, and recorded a shock second place at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Kvyat, meanwhile, returned to the team after spending 2018 as Ferrari’s development driver and notched up a surprise podium at the rain-hit German Grand Prix.

It meant Toro Rosso ended the campaign sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, equalling its best classification from 2008, as it finished just two points shy of Renault.

AlphaTauri will continue to be powered by Honda, with the engine manufacturer pledging its future to Formula 1 – and both Red Bull teams – through at least 2021.

Its ATO1 will make its full public debut when testing begins at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Wednesday.

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World Champions Mercedes provides first glimpse of W11

Reigning World Champions Mercedes has released the first render of its W11, as the marque begins its quest for a record-breaking seventh straight Formula 1 title.

Mercedes has been unbeaten in Formula 1’s hybrid era, dominating from 2014 through 2016, before remaining ahead of the pack under revised aero regulations introduced in 2017.

Mercedes claimed 15 victories from 21 grands prix in 2019 – its best record since 2016 – as it swept to both titles for a sixth successive campaign.

Though despite its superiority it has targeted an improvement on its overall engine prowess, having acknowledged that it fell behind Ferrari, with both teams claiming nine pole positions

Mercedes enters 2020 with an unchanged driver line-up after retaining Valtteri Bottas to partner Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton swept to a sixth world title in 2019 and is now just seven wins away from equalling Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 91.

He is widely expected to sign a contract extension to remain with Mercedes beyond the end of 2020.

Bottas enjoyed his best season to date last year as he claimed four wins en route to second in the championship, giving Mercedes its first 1-2 finish in the standings since 2016. 

The W11, which will be revealed in full later this morning, is due to take to the track at Silverstone as part of a filming day, with Bottas poised to give the new car its debut.

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Lewis Hamilton’s first lap in Mercedes’ W11

Join reigning Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton as he gets behind the wheel of the Mercedes W11 for the first time at Silverstone.

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Vandoorne lands Mercedes reserve role for 2020

Formula E championship leader and former Formula 1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne has been announced as reserve driver for the Mercedes F1 team during the 2020 season.

Vandoorne currently races for the Mercedes-Benz EQ team in Formula E and leads the standings after three rounds, having taken two podium finishes.

The Belgian jumped ship to FE after losing his McLaren drive to Lando Norris at the end of the 2018 season.

He joins former F1 driver Esteban Gutierrez in the role, with the team confirming the duo will “share reserve driver duties on race weekends”, which sees Vandoorne effectively replacing Esteban Ocon, who has now joined Renault in a full-time drive, replacing Nico Hulkenberg.

Vandoorne’s FE commitments means he will be unavailable for the Vietnam GP (Rome E-Prix), the Dutch GP (Seoul E-Prix) and the Azerbaijan GP (Jakarta E-Prix).

The postponement of the Sanya E-Prix and Chinese GP due to the Coronavirus outbreak means two further clashes have been avoided, as Sanya is on the same weekend as the Bahrain GP and the Chinese GP clashed with FE’s eighth round, the Paris E-Prix.

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How Mercedes have shrunk their sidepods to extreme levels

Looking at the Mercedes W11 next to the 2019 championship-winning W10 and the most striking visual difference, besides the flashes of red from new sponsor INEOS, is the huge difference in the size of the sidepod inlets (below).

This change to a much smaller inlet on the W11 may come as a surprise, given Mercedes struggled with its cooling last season. Many would expect a larger opening to channel more air through the radiators to cool the engine fluids, but Mercedes have gone in totally the opposite direction.

This makes sense from a performance angle as larger openings equals more drag, which is something no team wants, therefore Mercedes have had to make some major internal changes to accommodate this smaller inlet.

(Left) Mercedes W11 – 2020 (Right) Mercedes W10 – 2019

The team’s technical chief, James Allison, explained that a rearrangement of the radiators has allowed them to create a larger surface area, so the cool air that enters the car is working more efficiently at cooling the engine – something the team couldn’t change mid-season.

“We’ve improved the cooling package,” said Allison. “We’ve created more face area – so more actual radiator area in the car – which is a difficult thing to do mid-season without incurring quite a lot of penalty.

“But between the years you can do it and it won’t cost you except a little bit of weight.”

The sidepods are also far slimmer (below) at the rear thanks to the relocation of its side impact protection structure. By lowering the uppermost spars and bringing them forward, it has allowed them to better package the radiators and power unit allowing for a more extreme undercut.

“In the middle of the car we have followed the pitlane trend by moving our upper side impact tube to the lower position and banking the aerodynamic gain that comes with this layout.”

The engine has also undergone some advancements in cooling to allow it to operate at a higher working temperature without compromising performance.

Allison added: “We’ve also benefitted from an investment that HPP (Mercedes’ engine division)) have made on our behalf. They’ve worked to raise the operating temperature of the engine which eases the cooling burden on us because the hotter the fluid, the less radiator you need to cool it.”

HPP chief Andy Cowell admitted it’s been a difficult task to achieve, but says it’s vital the engine division finds solutions to make the aerodynamicists job a little easier.

“We are putting significant effort into making sure that all the cooling fluids on the Power Unit operate at a higher temperature,” added Cowell. “This increases the temperature difference between that coolant fluid and the ambient temperature that we are racing in, which increases the effectiveness of the cooling system.

“That’s a tough challenge though, because large parts of the engine are made from aluminium and the temperatures that we are operating at mean the material properties are decaying quite rapidly. Managing that over an eight-race distance Power Unit cycle is a tough engineering challenge but that’s what we are striving for.

“As Power Unit engineers we don’t just focus on crankshaft power, we also focus a tremendous amount on the packaging and reducing the overheads for the aerodynamicist, so that they can mainly focus on keeping the car planted through the corner.”

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Gallery: The AlphaTauri AT01 hits the track at Misano

AlphaTauri’s AT01 took part in a shakedown on Saturday at the Misano Circuit following Friday’s unveiling in Saltzburg.

Both Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat got the chance to shake the new 2020 Formula 1 car down at the Italian circuit.