Motorsport News February 10, 2022

The old adage is that Formula 1 needs Ferrari and Ferrari needs Formula 1. Given that the Prancing Horse has not galloped into victory lane since Sebastian Vettel took first place at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2019, it has been pretty easy to imagine grand prix racing without its most famous team in the last two seasons. Finishing in sixth place in the constructors’ championship battle in 2020 represented the Maranello firm’s worst position in the makes’ contest since 1980. That is remarkable. There is a feeling of optimism surrounding the Scuderia as it looks ahead to Formula 1’s new era as James Roberts reports on page 16. The poor form by the Italian firm over the last two seasons has, to a degree, given the team a chance to focus on…

Bosses of Formula 1 have proposed a compromise to resolve the deadlock with teams over the number of Sprint qualifying races this season. F1 chiefs had hoped initially to boost the number of events to six for 2022, but teams railed against the plan and sought a rise in the cost cap to allow them to fund the extra mileage. Sprint qualifying was introduced into grand prix racing last term with shorter sprint-style events on Saturday evening offering World championship points and setting the grid for the main race on Sunday. The extra races took place at Silverstone, Monza and Interlagos. The new plan, which F1 bosses have released along with data showing the increased audience the Sprint qualifying races brought to the sport, revolves around keeping the status quo from last year.…

The Haas Formula 1 team was the first to release images of its new-look grand prix challenger last week. The American-based team, which finished last in the points chase in 2022, offers a few clues as to the likely definitive design although some of the precise details were not released on the images from Haas. The definitive car will be prepared for the opening testing session of the season at Barcelona in Spain on February 23-25. The team principal Gene Haas says that the chassis, designated as the VF-22, is the fruition of more than a year’s work on drilling down into the new regulations. F1 rules will undergo a major shake-up this term with the levels of downforce being slashed and new lower-profile tyres will be used. The VF-22 will be driven…

Mercedes F1 strategy king James Vowles will take part in theAsian Le Mans series which kicks off in Dubai this weekend. Vowles will line-up in a Garage 59-run McLaren 720S GT3 car alongside Manuel Maldonado and Nicolai Kjaergaard for the two-round contest which begins on Sunday and finishes inAbu Dhabi on February 19-20. Vowles will then head straight to Barcelona for the first F1 test of the season. The Vowles, Maldonado and Kjaergaard crew will race alongside a sister Garage 59 car driven by Marvin Kirchhofer, team co-ownerAlexander West and up-and-coming British star Frank Bird. Garage 59 is returning to running McLarens after a previous association with Aston Martin. Team boss Andrew Kirkaldy: “I’m really happy with the driver line-ups we’ve secured for Asian Le Mans. “We’re all looking forward to getting started with…

Former McLaren and Ferrari engineering guru Pat Fry has been handed the chief technical officer role atAlpine F1 as part of an overhaul of the Enstone team’s backroom staff. Fry was previously the technical director at the squad, and that position will now be occupied by Matt Harman. The team has yet to reveal who its new principal will be for 2022, although formerAston Martin man Otmar Szafnauer is strongly linked to a position with the team. The team’s chief executive officer Laurent Rossi explained: “We are considerably strengthening Alpine F1 Team by having Pat and Matt at the helm of engineering in Enstone. “Pat is one of the most experienced engineers in Formula 1, while Matt’s drive and expertise will prove critical in extracting the full potential of our race cars,…

Grand prix racing bosses have implemented a rule to make it mandatory for all those in the F1 to be double jabbed ahead of the 2022 season. The decision, which was only communicated last week, was made at the World Council meeting in December and read: “F1 will require all travelling personnel to be fully vaxxed and will not request exemptions.” Exemptions will only be allowed on a case-by-case basis but anyone who does not comply will have to undergo a more rigorous testing programme. Since the beginning of the pandemic, four drivers have missed races due to contracting Covid including Lewis Hamilton. Four others have contracted the virus while not in competition. The bubble system will still be recommended to reduce each individual’s contacts, although this is no longer mandatory. It is believed that…