Motorsport News 18/02/21

The on-off saga of Lewis Hamilton’s protracted contract negotiations has finally come to an end as the seven-time Formula 1 world-beater has committed his future – in the short term at least – to the Mercedes team. There was no brinksmanship as has been reported elsewhere, and there wasn’t any real question of Hamilton not renewing his deal. The only option left to him, with the lack of top-line drives available elsewhere, would have been to take a sabbatical. That was highly unlikely and it would also be hard to see how motivated the Briton would be to come back to the pressure-cooker environment of grand prix racing after 12 months away. He wasn’t going to turn his back on the opportunity to become the most successful driver of all time…

FernandoAlonso could be forced to miss pre-season testing for the second time in his career after a cycling accident while training last week. The 39-year-old, who is due to make his grand prix comeback this term with the rebranded Alpine team (formerly Renault), was in collision with a road car near his home in Lugano in Switzerland last Thursday. He was taken to hospital and underwent an operation on a broken jaw. This year’s preseason Formula 1 testing will take place in Bahrain on March 12-14, just under two weeks before the opening race of the season in the same country. Alonso, a 32-time grand prix winner, was also forced to sit out the opening round of the 2015 season inAustralia after a testing accident with McLaren left him with concussion. Alonso was attended…

Portimao is in Formula 1 bosses have reportedly reached an agreement with authorities in Portugal to allow Portimao to maintain its place on the 2021 calendar. There was doubt cast over the race, which is due to be the third grand prix of the season, due to the escalating coronavirus situation in the country. However, it is now likely that the race will take up its date on May 2. Meanwhile, TV figures from 2020 show that the Hungarian GP, which was won by Lewis Hamilton, was the most watched race of the season. Wraps off Ferrari Ferrari has fired up its newfor-2021 F1 challenger, the SF21, and has announced two launch dates for the machine. The car, which will be driven by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, will be revealed to the…

Team chiefs has given a provisional thumbs up to the plan to hold shorter sprint races at three grands prix in the 2021 season. The 100-kilometre long Saturday events are earmarked for Canada, Italy and Brazil. The results of the sprint race would set the grid for the weekend’s main race on Sunday, and the grid for the shorter event would be set by moving qualifying forward to Friday. A statement from governing body the FIA said: “All teams recognised the major importance of engaging fans in new and innovative ways to ensure an even more exciting weekend format. “There was broad support from all parties for a new qualifying format at some races, and a working group has been tasked with creating a plan with the aim to reach a final decision…

Race winner Stephen Jelley will rejoin the WSR British Touring Car Championship team for the 2021 season, completing the title-winning squad’s three-car line-up. Jelley, who has raced for the Team Parker Racing outfit since rejoining the championship four years ago, will drive a BMW 330i M Sport. The Leicester man raced for WSR in the 2008 and 2009 season and took two wins. He took a BTCC sabbatical from 2009 until 2016. He has since added another career triumph in the Parker BMW 125i M Sport in 2019. Jelley, 38, said: “When I walked into the workshop for the first time in over a decade, the first thing that I noticed was just how many more trophies there are on the shelves, and that’s inspiring. I’ve spent a few years in a WSR-built…

Lewis Hamilton has signed a one-year extension to his Mercedes contract that means he will race for the team as he chases a record-breaking eighth crown. As well as his on-track deal, Mercedes has committed to upping its efforts for “greater diversity and inclusion in motorsport” and will create a new joint charitable foundation with Hamilton to support the initiative. The British driver, who broke the record for the most individual wins in 2020 and has 95 victories, said: “We look forward to building on our success even further, while continuously looking to improve, both on and off the track. I’m proud to say we are taking that effort further this year by launching a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport. “I am inspired by all that we can build…