Paddy Driver

The Austrian, who is known to have been outspoken in his views during his long tenure as advisor to Dietrich Mateschitz, believed that exposing his drivers to coronavirus now would help make them immune in the future when the racing season got going again.<br>Speaking in a video interview with Austrian television station ORF, Marko said: "We have four Formula 1 drivers, and eight or 10 ...

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With the start of the F1 season having been suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, the sport's bosses have created an F1 Esports series as an alternative.<br>The races, which will feature current F1 stars plus other guests, will take place on the same days when the real grands prix were due to happen.<br>The first event will therefore be a virtual Bahrain Grand Prix at 8pm (GMT) this ...

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While F1 waits on the results of tests on at least five team personnel who have shown symptoms of the virus, there is an uneasy feeling in the paddock about the risks the sport is facing is going ahead with the season opener.<br>Australian health chiefs have made clear that any team which has an infected staff member will likely be put in quarantine, and that could be enough for the race to be ...

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After a year of development, Mercedes debuted its new DAS system on the second day of pre-season testing in Barcelona, sparking intrigue throughout the paddock.<br>The system allowed Hamilton and Bottas to adjust the toe angle of their cars by pulling and pushing the steering wheel in the car.<br>While question marks remain over its sporting legality under parc ferme rules, most rivals hailed ...

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But for Israeli Chanoch Nissany, his now infamous outing in a Friday free practice session for Minardi at the 2005 Hungarian Grand Prix is something he remains immensely proud of.<br>Some may scoff at his pace that day and suggest Nissany was never good enough to deserve a seat in F1. But to do so would be to not understand the remarkable story of determination that got him there in the first ...

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Coulthard, who was speaking at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham, says the trend towards younger drivers isn’t necessarily a bad thing but that they can’t be expected to have the life experience of older rivals.<br>“You would hope you’d be a better person at 30 than you were at 20,” said Coulthard. “I still think that 30-35 is the brilliant window for drivers in terms of ...

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The Grove-based outfit announced in Tel Aviv on Wednesday that Nissany will run in three FP1 sessions this year as part of a new deal it has agreed with him.<br>But while there are commercial benefits to the deal, with the Williams car carrying the Israel Start-Up logo on the weekends he is running, the team is adamant that boosting its finances was not the key motivating factor for hiring ...

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The Israeli, who had his first outing for the Grove-based outfit in the post-season Abu Dhabi test, will also run on a rookie test day as well as conduct a simulator programme.<br>The exact events where he will take part in the FP1 sessions have not been confirmed, but they will likely be ones that do not clash with his planned Formula 2 race programme. <br>Being free on those weekends will also ...

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'The Smiling Dane,' as he was known to the racing fraternity, was a top mechanic who won his debut race in a Volvo and the Scandinavian Touring Car title in 1969, in a Ford Escort.<br>His prize was some backing towards a Formula Ford season so Belso upped sticks to England to race a Hawke. He switched to the new FAtlantic category with a Brabham-BDA BT28/35 in '71, finishing third in the ...

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Only six women have ever participated in an official Formula 1 world championship weekend and Lella Lombardi remains the most successful with a best result of sixth in the shortened 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, which earned her half a point.<br>The most recent female participant was Susie Wolff, who took part in four practice sessions across the 2014 and 2015 seasons, while Giovanna Amati was the last ...

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At the start of 2019 Binotto named four-time world champion Vettel as the team’s expected route to the title this year, given his experience compared to sophomore F1 driver Leclerc, who was preparing for his first season at Ferrari.<br>That meant Vettel would be given priority in 50/50 scenarios as Ferrari embraced the idea of using team orders for the greater good.<br>“And believe me, that ...

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Six-time world champion Hamilton and multiple race winner Bottas have been paired together since 2017, when Bottas was picked to replace retired world champion Nico Rosberg.<br>Bottas and Hamilton have a very amicable relationship, helped by Bottas not challenging Hamilton over a full season in the way Rosberg was able to – while still doing more than enough to secure Mercedes’ three straight ...

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Ticktum spent the second half of 2019 on the sidelines after losing his Super Formula drive early in the year when Red Bull dropped him from its own F1 programme.<br>However, the 2017 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner returned to racing in Macau for the FIA Formula 3 showpiece event, and has secured a Formula 2 drive with DAMS for 2020.<br>Ticktum told Motorsport.com in Macau that he had ...

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In what has now become an annual tradition after an original idea that began in 2008, Autosport asks each of the team bosses to pick their top 10 drivers of the year.<br>The individual results are kept secret – so the team principals can answer honestly – and the tally totted up using F1's point structure that runs from 25 points for first down to 1 point for 10th. Autosport magazine then ...

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The contracts of most drivers in the leading teams - including Red Bull's own Max Verstappen - expire at the end of 2020.<br>Mercedes' world champion Lewis Hamilton has been linked with Ferrari, with his team boss Toto Wolff suggesting that there’s only a 75% chance of Hamilton staying.<br>If Hamilton goes elsewhere or even retires, Verstappen is regarded as the obvious target for Mercedes ...

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Norris has enjoyed success before at the Autosport Awards, winning the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in 2016, and securing National Driver of the Year honours in ‘17. He stepped up to F1 this year after a sole year in Formula 2, in which he finished runner-up while also carrying out FP1 duties with McLaren at numerous races.<br>The 20-year-old vindicated McLaren’s belief in him by showcasing ...

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Hamilton's Mercedes team was expected to start the 2019 season behind Ferrari in the F1 pecking order, but Hamilton stormed to pole position for the first race in Australia and, though he was beaten there by team-mate Valtteri Bottas, he would win six of the next seven grands prix as he stormed into the championship lead.<br>After wrapping up his sixth title with two races to spare, Hamilton went ...

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A computer server problem early in the Yas Marina race prompted the FIA to disable DRS until lap 18 of the F1 season finale – with it working flawlessly from then on.<br>Although some fans have long argued for DRS to be dropped because it is too much of a gimmick, F1 drivers say that the Abu Dhabi experience of proof of why it is required at the moment.<br>Asked by Motorsport.com about the ...

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Running in seventh place, as the best of the midfield cars, Norris came under pressure from Racing Point's Perez in the final laps of the season finale, with the Mexican on much fresher tyres of the same hard compound.<br>And though Norris managed to keep him at bay until the final lap, Perez ultimately got the move done around the outside of the Turn 11 left-hander after the second long ...

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2020 Formula 1 testing dates<br><br><br><br><br>Dates<br>Venue<br><br><br><br><br>19-21 February<br> Barcelona<br><br><br>26-28 February<br> Barcelona<br><br><br>TBA (3 days post-season)<br> Yas Marina<br><br><br><br><br>2020 Formula 1 calendar<br><br><br><br><br>Date<br>Grand Prix<br>Venue<br><br><br>15th March<br> Australia<br>Melbourne<br><br><br>22nd March<br> Bahrain<br>Sakhir<br><br><br>5th ...

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The driver market silly season kicked off over the Abu Dhabi weekend as speculation in the Italian media suggested that Ferrari chairman John Elkann had already made contact with Hamilton.<br>That prompted a response from Wolff, who said that his outfit was "totally okay" if Hamilton had spoken to Ferrari, and explained it was important that future talks were approached in a transparent ...

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Vettel was repassing Leclerc for fourth during their late-race battle at Interlagos when they made contact on the straight approaching the Descida do Lago.<br>Both retired as a result of damage from the incident, and they were summoned to the stewards shortly after the race.<br>After discussing the collision with the two drivers and a team representative, the stewards decided no penalty was ...

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While Alonso has not had time to watch every grand prix since he quit F1 at the end of last season, the Spaniard has revealed that he likes to watch Verstappen’s progress when he does tune in.<br>Asked during a press conference in Buenos Aires about who he rates the best in F1, Alonso said: “There's a reason why the drivers in the series are up there. It is not by chance, it is because they ...

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Albon, who has made F1 debut this season after graduating from Formula 2, was promoted from Red Bull's junior team Toro Rosso to its main F1 outfit ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.<br>The Anglo-Thai racer replaced Pierre Gasly, who had been struggling as Verstappen's teammate in the early stages of the season, and has now successfully convinced the energy drink to make the switch permanent for ...

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