F1 Newsbites

 

F1 Newsbites is back! Here is the round-up of the latest F1 news that happened during the week.

 

F1 Miami GP agreement in principle reached

 

 

Formula 1 made a major step forward towards making the first ever Grand Prix on the streets of Miami after striking an agreement in principle to host a race at Florida city’s iconic Hard Rock Stadium in 2021.

 

The proposed Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix would see F1 cars race around a custom-built circuit around the home of the Miami Dolphins NFL outfit.

 

This would give the US a second race alongside the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix held at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.

 

You can read the full statements from Formula 1’s Managing Director Commercial Operations Sean Bratches and Vice-Chairman and CEO of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium Tom Garfunkel at the link: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.agreement-in-principle-reached-to-host-the-first-ever-miami-grand-prix.7g1h0DlZ9jcye40dsJ4obG.html

 

If the Grand Prix is given the go ahead in a vote made by the Miami-Dade County on October 28, it would see Formula 1 racing return to Florida for the first time since the 1959 United States Grand Prix held at Sebring.

 

Reverse Grid Qualifying Race idea set to be abandoned

 

 

Next in F1 Newsbites, Formula 1 is on the verge of abandoning it’s attempts of trialing different race weekend formats in 2020, as the teams failed to get behind the idea of reverse grids.

 

The sport’s owners Liberty Media, were looking to shake things up by testing three reverse grid qualifying races next season to see what impact it would have on the spectacle.

 

The proposal was to run reverse grid qualifying races in reverse championship order at the Belgian, French and Russian Grands Prix to decide the grid in place of F1’s normal qualifying session.

 

The result of this race, which would be 100 kilometres in length, would decide the starting order for the Grand Prix.

 

Reverse grid qualifying races was discussed during this week’s F1 rules meeting in Paris between the teams, Formula 1 officials and the FIA but failed to get off the ground.

 

Petrobras on verge of terminating McLaren sponsorship deal

 

 

Next on F1 Newsbites, we learn that McLaren is set to lose it’s long-term technical partnership deal with Brazilian oil company Petrobras.

 

Petrobras is 64% owned by the Brazilian government through direct and indirect means and back in May through his social media account, president Jair Bolsonaro called for the five-year deal to be called off.

 

“In 2018 Petrobras signed an advertising contract of R$782m with McLaren, valid for five years,” Bolsonaro tweeted from his official account. “At the moment, the company, by decision of my government, seeks a way to terminate the contract.”

 

Discussions to end the deal between the Brazilian oil company and McLaren have been ongoing, with the most recent taking place in Russia.

 

A document by Brazil’s Ministry of Economy said the deal had already been terminated: “An unjustifiable Petrobras sponsorship agreement for the McLaren Formula 1 team – worth £163million – has been terminated.”

 

Neither McLaren or Petrobras have confirmed the information.

 

Rival teams contact FIA regarding clarity of Ferrari’s engine 

 

 

Next on F1 Newsbites, we learned that Ferrari’s rivals have written to the FIA for clarification over the legality of it’s engine design aspects they believe are behind the Italian marque’s power-train advantage.

 

Rival outfits want to confirm whether or not the engines are within the rules before deciding to develop or make similar concepts.

 

The sport’s governing body, the FIA said it “received no protest from any competitor regarding any current designs” and that it “continues to monitor all parameters relating to conformity of power units.” (credit to Autosport for the quote).

 

Ferrari made a huge jump in performance in recent Grands Prix after enduring a difficult first half of the campaign, with the SF90 racers now being the car to beat since introducing aerodynamic upgrades following the sport’s traditional summer break.

 

Rival competitors believed the engine advantage was enormous but Ferrari’s Team Principal Mattia Binotto played down suggestions as “not so much”.

 

While it’s improved performance came too late to stop Mercedes charging to it’s sixth consecutive Constructors Championship at last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, teams are concerned that Ferrari’s speed advantage will continue on into the 2020 season and be too strong for them.

 

But engineers around the grid are unsure of what Ferrari have done to make their power-trains superior to Mercedes, Honda and Renault.

 

It was not the first time that Ferrari’s design concept has been put under the spotlight, last season saw protests made against the way the Scuderia had implemented it’s Energy Recovery and Battery Storage Systems, which the FIA gave the all-clear as it was well within the rules and regulations.

 

Hamilton “not given up” yet

 

 

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton took to Instagram this week, expressing his concerns on the environment and urging people to become vegan, but the Briton assured his fans that he is “still fighting”.

 

The five-time World Champion posted that “I feel like giving up on everything” as “why bother when world is such a mess”.

 

His Instagram story has since been deleted but yesterday told his 13 million followers: “Good morning World. I just wanted to send a message of positivity to you, I hope your weeks [sic] been amazing and wishing you a great weekend.”

 

“I appreciate all the positive vibes you’ve sent my way. I haven’t given up, I’m still right here fighting! #stillirise.” Hamilton concluded.

 

Hamilton’s biggest challenge however, is trying to close-out his sixth World Driver’s Championship crown.

 

The Briton could have it all set and done at next weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, but needs to outscore Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas by 14 points.

 

Hamilton however, has only outscored his Finnish team-mate by that amount at this season’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

 

Mercedes also seems unlikely to be favourites to claim victory in Mexico where Red Bull have triumphed in the past two seasons and Ferrari are expected to be a lot stronger there due to it’s superior straight-line speeds with the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez’s long straights,

 

The following race a week later takes place at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas for the United States Grand Prix, where the Briton has won the most in America than any other driver, a record six times.

 

Toro Rosso to change it’s name to AlphaTauri from 2020 onwards

 

 

Lastly on F1 Newsbites, the Toro Rosso name will disappear from the 2020 Formula One grid with the team changing it’s name to Scuderia AlphaTauri after the team’s request to change it’s name was approved.

 

Earlier in the season, Red Bull Racing Motorsport Advisor Dr. Helmut Marko confirmed the name change request had been submitted to the FIA and Liberty Media.

 

The name change was unanimously approved for 2020 onwards by the F1 commission via e-vote after the Russian Grand Prix.

 

AlphaTauri will replace the existing Toro Rosso name the outfit has held since Red Bull took over Minardi in 2005.

 

Established in 2016, AlphaTauri is Red Bull’s fashion brand, extending the branch of it’s energy drinks company.

 

Since it’s first race in the 2006 campaign, Toro Rosso has served it’s senior squad as it’s junior feeder team with younger talent from it’s driver academy programme selected for a race seat ahead of a potential promotion to drive for the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

 

It has seen a flurry of drivers come and go, with it’s best import Sebastian Vettel, after winning four Driver’s Championships with the Red Bull team after a two-year stint at Toro Rosso.

 

The team has also been a testing guinea-pig for Red Bull in recent campaigns during the 1.6L V6 Turbocharged Hybrid Era.

 

The Honda partnership between the outfits was locked in after Toro Rosso used the Japanese manufacturer’s power-trains in 2018 as Red Bull compared it’s performances to Renault.

 

Although Red Bull Racing’s number one is Dutchman Max Verstappen for the foreseeable future, his team-mate for 2020 – and also the AlphaTauri drivers for next season remains to be unknown.

 

Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner said the squad is yet to decide who will be remaining at the junior outfit for the 2020 campaign, with a decision to be made on between Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly.

 

You can read my “better late than never” F1 2019 Game Review right here at the link: https://termiontrack.com/video-gaming/

 

Missed out on last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix? You can catch up on the race report and everything that happened right here at the following links:

 

Race Report:

 

@ValtteriBottas cruises to dominant #JapaneseGP victory. #F1

 

Qualifying:

 

#Vettel claims #JapaneseGP pole as @ScuderiaFerrari lockout the front-row. #F1

 

Free Practice 2 and 1:

 

@ValtteriBottas tops #JapaneseGP FP2 in another @MercedesAMGF1 1-2. #F1

 

@ValtteriBottas leads @MercedesAMGF1 1-2 in #JapaneseGP FP1. #F1