Motorsport News 14/01/21

For those in the know, the news that Rally GB will be missing from the World Rally Championship lineup in 2021 was hardly a surprise. But the fact it has now been rubber-stamped means that there has to be some frantic work in the background to make sure that the globe’s finest mixed-surface drivers can be seen on these shores in the future. An event in the British Isles has been part of the World Rally Championship since it was first created back in 1973. That is quite some heritage. The stages and the challenge on offer in rallying in the UK is something that all of the top-flight drivers enjoy, and it is unthinkable that a round will be missing from the calendar for long. The desire to get a replacement…

The start of the 2021 Formula 1 season is under a cloud as bosses of the Australian Grand Prix have yet to confirm the opening race, due to take place on March 19-21, while Chinese Grand Prix chiefs are also seeking a postponement. The increasing concerns over the global health pandemic and the difficulty of travelling have put a question mark over the opening section of the 2021 calendar. Aspokesman for the state of Victoria, where theAustralian Grand Prix is held in Melbourne, said: “The government will continue to prioritise public health considerations while protecting our major events calendar. Discussions between theAustralian Grand Prix Corporation, the government and F1 management about the F1 calendar for 2021 are ongoing.” TheAustralian Grand Prix Corporation said it would provide “further detail upon finalisation of arrangements with…

Aston’s F1 teaser The Aston Martin F1 team, which has rebranded the Racing Point operation, will reveal its new livery in a special event at Gaydon in February. The team has put teasers on social media ahead of the launch of Lance Stroll and new signing Sebastian Vettel’s 2021 racer, which many fans are hoping will be clothed in British Racing Green. “We’ve had almost a year of preparation to reach this point and we’re really looking forward to seeing the reaction when we finally unveil our new identity as the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team,” said team principal Otmar Szafnauer. Williams-Merc tie-up The Williams F1 team has forged stronger links with Mercedes. The British team, which is under new ownership, is hoping the tie-up will help it move up the grid. Next…

Formula 1 refugee Alex Albon will tackle the DTM in 2021 in a Red Bull-backed programme. The Briton, who was demoted to the role of Red Bull’s reserve driver after a disappointing grand prix campaign in 2020, will partner New Zealand’s racer Liam Lawson. Lawson, 18, finished last year’s FIA Formula 3 championship in fifth place.Athird driver will takeAlbon’s place when the Thai driver is called up to perform his F1 roles at Red Bull. Red Bull’s driver adviser Helmut Marko said that the new programme would offer Albon a challenge for 2021. “The DTM, with a high-class field, is an interesting platform and a real challenge, both for successful race drivers like AlexAlbon as for our Red Bull junior driver Lawson,” he said. There has been no announcement regarding which carsAlbon and…

The traditional pre-season Formula 1 testing sessions seem likely to be switched to Bahrain for 2021. Running was due to take place in Barcelona as usual, but the increasingly unclear start to the season has meant that F1 bosses have been forced into a rethink. There were due to be three days of running in Spain, but there has been a tacit agreement that it would make more sense to move the running to the Middle East. The team’s kit could then remain in the country ahead of what is likely to be the opening race at the end of March, depending on the future of theAustralian Grand Prix. Bahrain has previously held pre-season testing in 2014, with a pair of four-day sessions ahead of the introduction of the V6 hybrid era. In…

Multiple British Touring Car Championship race-winner Tom Chilton has signed to drive for the Ciceley Motorsport team in 2021 handling one of its new BMW 330i M Sport machines. The 2010 BTCC Independents Trophy winner will line up alongside Adam Morgan in the Lancashire team in its maiden campaign with the rear-wheel-drive, WSR-built two-litre turbocharged machines. The 35-year-old Chilton, a 14-time winner in the BTCC, returned to the series in 2017 after a stretch in the World Touring Car Championship. He finished 10th in the points last year in a BTC Racing Honda Civic Type R. Chilton said: “Adam [Morgan] and I get along really well, we will work as hard as required with team engineer Steve Farrell to ensure we are at the front of the pack straight away. I make no…