Alan Rees, F1 driver

A late downpour caused the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix sprint race to be delayed. The field was then led by the safety car for five formation laps ahead of a rolling start.The safety car train helped clear standing water to cut spray and help visibility, but all cars pitted within two laps to fit intermediate tyres since the wet-weather crossover had arrived.As such, drivers reckoned the blue-walled ...

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The legendary F1 designer’s current deal had been up for renewal at the end of this year, prompting recent speculation that he could be targeted by competitors.
But on the back of a dominant start to the 2023 season for Red Bull’s RB19, sources have revealed that the team and Newey have moved quickly to sort out the details of a new arrangement that will see them work together for many more ...

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A late standing restart at the recent Australian Grand Prix led to chaos as drivers struggled on cold tyres, and that triggered a spate of collisions at the first corner that brought out a fresh red flag.
Following lengthy discussions in Friday night's F1 drivers' briefing in Azerbaijan, it is understood that Fernando Alonso suggested a tweak to procedures that could be brought into play to ...

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The change, which comes part way into a record-breaking season of 23 races, is set to reduce the number of grid penalties applied for the use of extra engine elements in the latter part of the campaign.
With immediate effect, each driver is allowed to use four rather than three examples of the internal combustion engine, turbo, MGU-H and MGU-K within this season before penalties kick in.
The ...

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The two parties co-operated with a temporary arrangement last year and have now expanded that in a deal that reflects F1’s efforts to extend its relationships in the TV world, especially in the American market.
The rights to broadcast races in the USA are held by Disney-owned ESPN until the end of 2025, while the sixth series of Drive to Survive is already being shot by ...

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The two teams have been discussing Piastri's contractual situation since he was announced as a 2023 McLaren driver in the summer.
Given the animosity surrounding Piastri's move to the Woking outfit, Alpine initially appeared reluctant to do anything that might help him get a head-start with his new team, with discussions dragging on for several weeks
However, the first sign that there had ...

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The sport returned to ESPN in 2018 in what at the time was regarded as a very good deal for the network.
No commercial details of the new contract have been released by F1.
However, it's understood that the huge explosion in US interest in the sport promoted by Drive to Survive, together with the addition of the Miami and Las Vegas races, has ensured that the new deal is more ...

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Gasly was one of the first drivers to abandon intermediates on the drying track, but the decision dropped him several places as those who stayed out continued to lap quickly.
He eventually finished 10th, while late stoppers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo ? both behind the Frenchman when he pitted ? earned fourth and fifth.
After the race, Gasly criticised the decision to stop and lose ...

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F1 introduced its first set of financial regulations for the 2021 season, setting an initial budget cap for the year of $145 million per team that was adjusted depending on the number of races.
This dropped to $140m for 2022, and was set to fall by a further $5m next year, albeit with a 3% indexation to account for inflation.
But amid the uncertain financial situation around the world ...

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With Honda having pulled out of F1 last year, Red Bull is stepping up with its own powertrain division to take over running of the Japanese engines.
And while during a transition phase Honda will continue to manufacture power units from its Japanese facilities, many of the staff that helped Max Verstappen secure last year's drivers' championship have been moved on to other projects.
However ...

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The complicated technology, which generates electrical power from exhaust heat, has proven to be expensive and complex since it formed part of the new turbo hybrid rules that were introduced in 2014.
With F1 eager to attract new manufacturers from 2026, the presence of the MGU-H was viewed as a key part of the discussions.
For the Volkswagen Group, which is poised to enter F1 with either its ...

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The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has one of the longest unbroken runs of any current grand prix venue, having been on the calendar continuously since its first race in 1991.
The long-term future of the race had been unclear in recent seasons due to the close involvement of the local authorities, and the need for the event to make financial sense.
F1 has stressed that the venue, which was ...

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F1 staged its second sprint race last Saturday at Monza, with the 100km event to set the grid for Sunday?s grand prix offering little on-track action or overtaking.
It came after F1 managing director of motorsports Ross Brawn revealed consideration was being given to changing the sprint race format for next season, while Ferrari expressed its support for a possible introduction of reversed ...

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On lap 15 of the Italian Grand Prix, Ocon was battling Aston Martin driver Vettel for 12th when he moved over to the racing line for the second chicane while Vettel was on his outside, nudging the German partially off the track.
Because the pair collided and Ocon didn't leave a car's width for Vettel, he was handed a five-second time penalty, which he served during his only pitstop. That ...

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McLaren issued a complaint about AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda for allegedly speeding under double waved yellow flags in response to Max Verstappen?s accident on the main straight in Baku.
The incident was initially covered by double-waved yellows before a safety car was called for, with the race then being suspended under a red flag.
The TV world feed broadcast McLaren?s message to ...

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Wolff could not hide his disappointment after the race in Baku, as he suggested that Mercedes? showings were ?unacceptable? if it wanted to fight Red Bull for the title.
He was clear that the Brackley-based squad was under-delivering and that everyone in the team ? including himself ? needed to lift their game.
?It is not only the incident at the end, that frustrates,? ...

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F1 is planning to add a race at a new circuit in Rio de Janeiro to the calendar in the near future, with a deal in place with the race promoter for the running of the event. The existing contract for the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos expires this year.
But the planned construction of the new track at Deodoro, a disused military base, would involve the felling of 70,000 trees, resulting in ...

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Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz all suffered similar-looking front-left tyre failures. Leader Hamilton?s occurred on the last lap, but the Mercedes driver managed to get his car safely home to claim victory, but Sainz and Bottas both tumbled out of the points after being forced to pit.
Isola says the cause of the failures is not yet clear, although he suggested that debris on ...

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The McLaren Group, which includes both the Formula 1 team and its road car business, has been hit hard by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
But an attempt to refinance its operations to help it overcome short-term difficulties hit a road block when a group of creditors resisted attempts for it to raise finance through the release of securities such as its heritage car collection ...

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The Woking-based outfit's plan to move from Renault in 2021 has been complicated in the wake of a decision by Formula 1 to roll over this year's cars into next season because of the coronavirus crisis.
Teams will have to homologate much of their current cars, but McLaren has been given special dispensation to make some chassis changes because it is the only outfit that plans to switch power ...

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The coronavirus pandemic has forced dramatic changes to F1, with teams agreeing earlier this month to delay until 2022 the introduction of a major rules revamp that had been planned for next season.
It means teams will continue to use their current chassis next year, with some aerodynamic modifications being allowed.

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F1 bans teams from developing 2022 cars this ...

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The decision came in a phone conference today featuring team principals, Chase Carey and Ross Brawn of F1 and FIA president Jean Todt amid the continuing uncertainty caused by the coronavirus.
The team bosses had discussed a delay earlier this week with the knowledge that they are all set to take a hit to their income without a full calendar of races this season, and with the global economy ...

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