Motorsport News 08/04/21

The news that the WRC’s big three – Hyundai, M-Sport Ford and Toyota – have committed to embracing the hybrid future that is coming for the mixed-surface discipline’s top flight gives the contest a level of stability that is almost unmatched in motorsport, and something that can only be very positive for the future of rallying. The road car market, which is a direct reflection of why these manufacturers compete in the first place, is a shifting landscape at the moment. Turning to hybrid motivation is only part of the story, with many world governments under pressure to make sure the products on our streets are fully electric. But, for now, hybrid cars will be a stop-gap for the future and simply have to be embraced by all forms of motorsport for…

McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo has given a thumbs up to the tweaks to theAlbert Park layout which he says will make for a more dramatic Australian Grand Prix. The configuration of the track has remained unchanged since it first appeared on the Formula 1 roster on 1996 but will undergo changes ahead of the 2021 event, due to take place on November 21.As well as being resurfaced for the first time, the track will be tweaked on seven corners in a move that could increase the average speed of the venue by up to 10mph. The circuit will be widened at Turns 1, 3, 6, 13 and 15, with the last two of those due to feature new camber to increase grip. The most significant alteration comes at Turns 9 and 10,…

British star Lando Norris says he has already learned some lessons from new McLaren team-mate Daniel Ricciardo during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend at the end of March that has helped him improve his performance. Norris worked through Ricciardo’s data after being narrowly outqualified by the Australian at Sakhir. Ricciardo lined up in sixth spot, one place ahead of the Briton. However, Norris had a stronger race and finished in fourth place. Norris said he had studied data from the sister car and that helped him to raise his game during the race. “I did a good job [in qualifying] but I feel like I’m punishing myself with some of the things I’m doing with the car,” he revealed. “Although Daniel is new to [us] there are some differences with the car…

Racing boss Mattia Binotto says that Ferrari’s Formula 1 pace will not become clear until the first clutch of grands prix has been completed. Charles Leclerc was sixth and team-mate Carlos Sainz was eighth in the opening race of the year in Bahrain at the end of March, and the team chief says that the Italian firm has a way to go to catch up with its rivals and progress on the 2021 machine will be minimal as its engineering staff focus on the new-for-2022 regulations. Binotto said: “The gap is still very clear compared to the top competitors, which in the race still was big. “We [also] know that we will not work much on the development of that car because we will focus on 2022 in terms of design development. “But still…

AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost says that his team will benefit from an improved Honda powerplant in Formula 1 this season that will take the fight to Mercedes. While Merc’s Lewis Hamilton and the Honda-powered Red Bull of Max Verstappen slugged it out for the lead in the opening grand prix of the season in Bahrain, Tost says that the improved motor from Honda has given him optimism. “I must say Honda did a fantastic job [at its HQ] in Sakura, because this new power unit is much more powerful and driveable than it was in the past. [The difference to Mercedes] is a question of hundredths of a second. We improved but the others improved as well. The question is now who did a better job?And this I can answer at the…

American racer Kaylen Frederick, the 2020 BRDC British F3 champion, will graduate to the FIA Formula 3 category this season and he will remain with the Carlin squad. The 18-year-old won nine races on his way to success in the UK last season, his second year in the BRDC category and his second year with Carlin. He joins Jonny Edgar and Ido Cohen in the UK team’s FIA F3 line-up. The championship gets underway in Barcelona in Spain on May 8-9 with a revamped format to include three races per weekend. Frederick said: “FIA F3 is a championship that all young drivers want to be part of. You know you are up against the best drivers on the road to F1. “There will be many challenges ahead as a team, I feel we…