F1 News Snippets

[Penfold]

I remember it well.  What I'd like is some of the late-eighties stuff where my memories are pretty hazy, and where commentary comes courtesy of Murray Walker & James Hunt.  Something with Alboreto in a Ferrari would be perfect.

[Penfold]

McLaren is the first confirmed signatory of F1's new Concorde agreement: https://www.racefans.net/2020/08/18/mclaren-is-first-team-to-sign-f1s-new-concorde-agreement/

[Chrill]

All 10 teams have now signed:
https://www.racefans.net/2020/08/19/all-10-teams-commit-to-f1-by-signing-new-concorde-agreement/

Mercedes and Haas, two teams speculating about their future, have therefore committed to a future in F1. Remains to be seen whether new teams are allowed entry for 2022 or 2023, because a grid of 10 is small.

[Penfold]

A grid of 20 cars is pathetic for the pinnacle of motorsport - aside from anything else I'd love some extra seats for young talent.  Christ, I remember when they had pre-qualifying just to whittle down the numbers....

[Chrill]

I watched the F3 race this last weekend. A grid of 30 cars! It's a bit too hectic for my liking, really, but I'd say 24 or 26 cars would be perfect.

Of course, they achieve 30 cars by running ten 3-car teams so it's not like they have more teams.

[Penfold]

In my mind, a full F1 grid will always be 26 cars despite this tally not being reached since, umm, I think probably the mid-nineties.


So they've thrown a ton of data at a computer to try and calculate the quickest F1 qualifier of all-time (well, since 1983 because that's when more accurate timing was available).  You probably saw it a couple of days ago, but in case you missed it: https://www.racefans.net/2020/08/20/brawn-and-smedley-explain-how-they-calculated-f1s-fastest-driver/

Some names on that top 20 list are quite unexpected, but I would agree with Senna at the top.  Frankly, I'd be amazed if Schumi in his prime could've got as close to Ayrton as they've suggested, but maybe I have a Senna bias from remembering the times he out-qualified team-mate Prost by more than a second.

[Penfold]

There goes Williams, sold off to private equity firm Dorilton Capital: https://www.racefans.net/2020/08/21/williams-name-to-remain-in-f1-as-team-is-sold-to-us-company-dorliton/

[Penfold]

Rumours doing the rounds that INEOS has agreed to buy a 70% share of the Mercedes F1 team.  Wouldn't surprise me if company owner Jim Ratcliffe made such a move.

Wolff says no: https://www.racefans.net/2020/09/14/wolff-rejects-made-up-report-mercedes-team-will-be-sold-to-ineos/

[Chrill]

Honda announces they will withdraw from F1 after the 2021 season:
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/honda-exit-2021-red-bull/4885092/

I did not see this coming. What next for Red Bull? Renault won't rejoin them, for sure. Ferrari and Mercedes won't be keen on it either. Will they be doomed to force a new engine manufacturer to join, can they force their way back into Renault's arms, can they make Ferrari/Mercedes supply them, or will they be forced out of F1 due to lack of engine?

[Penfold]

Things didn't exactly end on a high note with Renault, but on the other hand this is business and from next year the froggies will lose their only customer.  Money to be saved if they can supply the two Red Bull teams.

Also, wow! Really didn't see this coming from Honda - just get a decent engine going and they call it quits.  Again.  This time they might actually stay away for good.

[Chrill]

Since Renault don't supply "enough teams", I believe they are obligated to accept both Red Bull teams come 2022. You're not allowed to decline below 3 teams, right? Renault, Red Bull, AlphaTauri.

[Penfold]

I'm not 100% on that rule for engine suppliers, but your three team minimum does have a familiar ring to it. I certainly can't see a good option for RB outside of Renault... otherwise it's five running Ferrari units or six with Mercs.

[Penfold]

From what I've read it appears the rule is that whoever supplies power units to the fewest teams must be willing to provide them to anyone without an engine contract.

However, Red Bull has devised a cunning plan for its post-Honda existence, and it entails using, wait for it, Honda engines.  Yes, that's right, they stick with Honda power but service & maintain the engines themselves, and all they need for this to be feasible is a complete freeze on power unit development from the end of '21.  I mean, that sounds like something that's going to happen, right???

Story linky thing: https://www.racefans.net/2020/10/15/red-bull-want-f1-engine-freeze-to-keep-racing-honda-design/

[Chrill]

I could see Ferrari especially agreeing. If we go back to mid-2019 engines, before the silly FIA started meddling. Otherwise, yeah no.

[Penfold]

This is at the car company level rather than F1, but I see Mercedes is taking a bigger stake in Aston Martin: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/mercedes-take-major-aston-martin-stake-part-new-technical-partnership

Certainly a close relationship between the two.