Formula 1 - Season 2021

[genius83]

Ricciardo slates “idiots” behind F1’s social media output over focus on crashes
Daniel Ricciardo has renewed his criticism of Formula 1’s preoccupation with crash footage.

Aston Martin to begin “clawing back the deficit that was imposed on us”
Aston Martin CEO Otmar Szafnauer says the team will not resign itself to an uncompetitive season following its disappointing start to 2021 in Bahrain.

Elliott to take over from Allison as technical director at Mercedes
Mercedes technical director James Allison will move into the role of chief technical officer in July, the team has announced.

Breakthrough expected in bid for F1’s first Miami Grand Prix
Liberty Media’s long-held dreams of bringing Formula 1 to Miami finally appear close to becoming reality.

[saad2006]

[genius83]

Ferrari give Leclerc the car he used to score his first two F1 victories
Ferrari has presented Charles Leclerc with the very chassis he used to score the first, and so far only, grand prix victories of his career.

Ricciardo unsure how soon he’ll be “nailing a perfect lap” at McLaren
Daniel Ricciardo says he felt more prepared for his debut at McLaren than he did the last time he moved to a new team. But the former Renault driver admitted he isn’t sure when he’ll be fully comfortable in his new car.

Alonso keen for Alpine upgrades at Imola
Alpine are bringing an aerodynamic upgrade package and new testing elements to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to address their deficit to the midfield.

Here is the Timing Schedule for this weekend's Emilia Romagna GP:

Emilia Romagna GP
Friday
Practice Session 1   14:30 To 15:30
Practice Session 2   18:00 To 19:00

Saturday
Practice Session 3   15:00 To 16:00
Qualifying Session   18:00 To 19:00

Sunday
Race                 18:00 To 20:00

[genius83]

Running in traffic ‘like going to 20 percent downforce’ – Schumacher
Mick Schumacher admitted he was taken aback at how much downforce F1 cars lose in traffic, as both Haas drivers spun during their grand prix debuts in Bahrain.

Vettel mustn’t let downturn “snowball out of control” – Webber
The driver who partnered Sebastian Vettel while he was at the height of his powers at Red Bull says the coming races will be “crucial” for him to reverse his recent downturn in form.

F1 rearranges Imola GP timetable to avoid clash with funeral of Britain’s Prince Philip
Formula 1 will bring forward the start of practice and qualifying sessions for this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix to avoid a clash with the funeral of Britain’s Prince Philip on Saturday.

AlphaTauri drivers back team’s strategy to use harder tyres in Q2
AlphaTauri will not be deterred from using harder tyres in Q2 despite Yuki Tsunoda failing to qualify in the top 10 on the medium compound in Bahrain.

Alfa Romeo among F1’s most-improved teams this year – Vasseur
Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur is convinced his team are one of the biggest improvers in Formula 1 in 2021 following their performance in the season-opening race.

More F1 venues following Silverstone’s lead in aim for full crowds
As many as seven rounds on the 2021 Formula 1 calendar are aiming to have full attendance at their rounds of the world championship, RaceFans understands.

[genius83]

Russell urges consistent track limits solution to avoid ‘extreme, silly’ violations
New Grand Prix Drivers Association director George Russell has defended Lewis Hamilton’s driving in the Bahrain Grand Prix and called for more consistent enforcement of track limits.

DRS zone extended at Imola for Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
The DRS detection and activation zones at Imola have both been slightly adjusted, to be further around the lap from the start/finish line than at last year’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Stoker becomes second candidate to announce bid for FIA presidency
Graham Stoker, the FIA deputy president for sport, has announced he will stand as a candidate to succeed Jean Todt as president of motorsport’s governing body.

F1 likely to dodge rain showers during cool Imola race weekend
Formula 1 teams anticipate a rainy weekend at Imola for this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, though there is a good chance of dry conditions during the track sessions.

Miami passes final hurdle to hold 2022 F1 grand prix
City councillors have passed the resolution that should clear the way for Miami Gardens to become the latest host city of a Formula 1 grand prix in 2022.

Alonso postponed his autobiography to tell “my own truth” after F1 career
Fernando Alonso says he postponed publication of his autobiography until after he retires from Formula 1 in order to tell the truth about his time in the sport.

Same track limits rules for every F1 session at Imola
The policing of track limits will be the same in every session at this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, in contrast to the split approach used in Formula 1’s season-opener.

Red Bull discover brake problem which kept Perez out of Q3 in Bahrain
Sergio Perez has defended Red Bull’s decision to try to qualify on the medium compound tyres at the Bahrain Grand Prix, saying it was “definitely the right thing to do”, despite failing to reach the top 10.

[genius83]

Bottas ‘tried so many set-up options I lost count’ as Mercedes race to catch Red Bull
Valtteri Bottas has been hard at work in the Mercedes simulator since the Bahrain Grand Prix trying to unlock more performance from their car.

Verstappen: Lost win in Bahrain “is not going to matter” if we have fastest car
Max Verstappen admitted the Bahrain Grand Prix was a “missed opportunity” for Red Bull, but is confident they will be able to recover the lost points in coming races.

Third place in the championship is “realistic” for Ferrari – Leclerc
Charles Leclerc says third place in the 2021 constructors’ championship is a “realistic goal” for Ferrari.

Verstappen should have won in Bahrain but Hamilton was smarter, says Vettel
Sebastian Vettel praised Lewis Hamilton’s victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix, saying he outsmarted his rival Max Verstappen.

Ricciardo apologises for “aggressive” and profane criticism of F1’s social media coverage
Daniel Ricciardo has apologised for language he used in remarks criticising the editorial approach to Formula 1’s highlight reels on social media that he believes puts too much emphasis on crashes.

Alonso may abandon his bid to win Indianapolis 500 and ‘Triple Crown’
Fernando Alonso says he is not sure whether he will continue in his effort to win the Indianapolis 500, and complete the ‘Triple Crown’ of motor racing.

F1 “continuing discussions” over Canadian GP amid reports race has been cancelled
Formula 1 remains in discussion with the Canadian Grand Prix promoters about the possibility of staging this year’s race, amid reports it has been cancelled.

Verstappen wants second DRS zone added to Imola
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has called for a second DRS zone to be introduced at Imola to encourage overtaking at the track which is holding the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix this weekend.

“Great man, incredible driver” Vettel was Hamilton’s favourite F1 rival
Lewis Hamilton says his past rivalry with fellow multiple times Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel brought him closer to a driver he considers “a great man”.

McLaren to replace its distinctive Brand Centre motorhome with sustainable alternative
McLaren’s long-serving motorhome, officially known as the Brand Centre, will no longer be seen around the racing tracks of Europe.

Bottas leads tight top three as Mazepin’s second spin ends practice early
Mercedes pair Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton filled the top two positions in first practice for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, but Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was less than a tenth of a second behind.

Emilia Romagna GP
Practice Session 1
Pos No  Driver              Car                   Best lap  Gap	  Laps
 1  77  Valtteri Bottas     Mercedes              1:16.564s   -    23
 2  44  Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes              1:16.605s 0.041s 25
 3  33  Max Verstappen      Red Bull-Honda        1:16.622s 0.058s 21
 4  16  Charles Leclerc     Ferrari               1:16.796s 0.232s 13
 5  10  Pierre Gasly        AlphaTauri-Honda      1:16.888s 0.324s 21
 6  55  Carlos Sainz Jnr    Ferrari               1:16.888s 0.324s 26
 7  14  Fernando Alonso	    Alpine-Renault        1:17.457s 0.893s 23
 8  18  Lance Stroll        Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:17.489s 0.925s 19
 9   6  Nicholas Latifi     Williams-Mercedes     1:17.739s 1.175s 24
10   3  Daniel Ricciardo    McLaren-Mercedes      1:17.769s 1.205s 23
11  63  George Russell      Williams-Mercedes     1:17.866s 1.302s 25
12   7  Kimi Raikkonen      Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:17.883s 1.319s 16
13   4  Lando Norris        McLaren-Mercedes      1:17.935s 1.371s 16
14   5  Sebastian Vettel    Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:17.984s 1.420s 23
15  99  Antonio Giovinazzi  Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:18.058s 1.494s 24
16  11  Sergio Perez        Red Bull-Honda        1:18.228s 1.664s 15
17  31  Esteban Ocon        Alpine-Renault        1:18.360s 1.796s 20
18   9  Nikita Mazepin      Haas-Ferrari          1:18.823s 2.259s 22
19  47  Mick Schumacher     Haas-Ferrari          1:19.480s 2.916s 18
20  22  Yuki Tsunoda        AlphaTauri-Honda      1:19.781s 3.217s 11

Team radio problems contributed to collision between Perez and Ocon
Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez have been cleared of responsibility for the collision between the pair which caused first practice for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix to be red flagged.

Mazepin needs to learn our car isn’t as good as the Mercedes – Steiner
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner suspects Nikita Mazepin’s private test sessions with Mercedes have contributed to his difficulties with their car.

“Serious” radio and data system failure left F1 teams “blind on the pit wall”
Formula 1 teams were left “blind” when a major systems failure struck during the first practice session.

Bottas tops another close practice session at Imola as car fault stops Verstappen
Mercedes continued their strong start to the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend with Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton setting the pace in second practice.

Emilia Romagna GP
Practice Session 2
Pos No  Driver              Car                   Best lap  Gap	  Laps
 1  77  Valtteri Bottas     Mercedes              1:15.551s  -     25
 2  44  Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes              1:15.561s 0.010s 26
 3  10  Pierre Gasly        AlphaTauri-Honda      1:15.629s 0.078s 30
 4  55  Carlos Sainz Jnr    Ferrari               1:15.834s 0.283s 30
 5  16  Charles Leclerc     Ferrari               1:16.371s 0.820s 28
 6  11  Sergio Perez        Red Bull-Honda        1:16.411s 0.860s 25
 7  22  Yuki Tsunoda        AlphaTauri-Honda      1:16.419s 0.868s 26
 8   4  Lando Norris        McLaren-Mercedes      1:16.485s 0.934s 23
 9  99  Antonio Giovinazzi  Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:16.513s 0.962s 25
10  18  Lance Stroll        Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:16.737s 1.186s 25
11  31  Esteban Ocon        Alpine-Renault        1:16.817s 1.266s 27
12   6  Nicholas Latifi     Williams-Mercedes     1:16.823s 1.272s 29
13  14  Fernando Alonso     Alpine-Renault        1:16.835s 1.284s 27
14  33  Max Verstappen      Red Bull-Honda        1:16.999s 1.448s  5
15   5  Sebastian Vettel    Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:17.092s 1.541s 27
16  63  George Russell      Williams-Mercedes     1:17.179s 1.628s 31
17   7  Kimi Raikkonen      Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:17.273s 1.722s 27
18   3  Daniel Ricciardo    McLaren-Mercedes      1:17.281s 1.730s 24
19  47  Mick Schumacher     Haas-Ferrari          1:17.350s 1.799s 28
20   9  Nikita Mazepin      Haas-Ferrari          1:17.857s 2.306s 16

Horner rubbishes Aston Martin’s “naive” call for aerodynamic rules change
Aston Martin CEO Otmar Szafnauer has called for urgent changes to Formula 1’s aerodynamic rules, which he believes have put his team at a disadvantage this year.

F1 data outage “no one was prepared for” caused by local fibre line fault
F1 teams were unable to talk to their drivers on their radios when Friday practice began due to a local internet connection fault, RaceFans understands.

[genius83]

Hamilton: Mercedes making gains in Imola as ‘the track has come more in our direction’
Lewis Hamilton thinks Mercedes’ practice-topping pace at Imola is as much about the circuit better suiting its car as it is gains made since Bahrain.

Gasly has “felt good in the car since the first lap” at Imola
AlphaTauri’s confidence of a strong result in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix continues to grow after being the second fastest team in Friday practice.

Ferrari’s quicker car and development gains are a “relief” for Binotto
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto says the significant gains the team has made this year have come as a relief following their poor 2020 campaign.

Mercedes dug deeper and found gains after being “stung” by Red Bull – Allison
Red Bull’s performance in the Bahrain Grand Prix spurred Mercedes on to find performance gains from their car, says the team’s technical director James Allison.

Ferrari’s unexpected speed keeps Leclerc smiling despite crash
Charles Leclerc is “looking forward” to showing the pace of his Ferrari SF21 in qualifying for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Saturday, but isn’t sure if Ferrari’s practice position is real.

Russell says Latifi has “probably got a real good shot at Q3”
George Russell is talking up the chances of Williams team mate Nicholas Latifi reaching Q2 for the second time in his career in today’s qualifying session for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix – and potentially even breaking into the top 10.

F1 eases track limits restrictions at Imola
Formula 1 will no longer police track limits at Imola’s turn 13 – Acque Minerali – for the rest of this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Spanish Grand Prix to be held without fans again
The Spanish Grand Prix is likely to go ahead without fans in attendance, RaceFans understands.

Verstappen quickest ahead of Norris in final Emilia-Romagna practice
Max Verstappen topped the final practice session for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, denying Mercedes a clean sweep of fastest practice times.

Emilia Romagna GP
Practice Session 3
Pos No  Driver              Car                   Best lap  Gap   Laps
 1  33  Max Verstappen      Red Bull-Honda        1:14.958s  -     18
 2   4  Lando Norris        McLaren-Mercedes      1:15.414s 0.456s 17
 3  44  Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes              1:15.515s 0.557s 18
 4  11  Sergio Perez        Red Bull-Honda        1:15.551s 0.593s 18
 5  16  Charles Leclerc     Ferrari               1:15.738s 0.780s 21
 6  10  Pierre Gasly        AlphaTauri-Honda      1:15.890s 0.932s 22
 7  55  Carlos Sainz Jnr    Ferrari               1:15.908s 0.950s 21
 8  77  Valtteri Bottas     Mercedes              1:15.908s 0.950s 19
 9  14  Fernando Alonso     Alpine-Renault        1:16.186s 1.228s 20
10  31  Esteban Ocon        Alpine-Renault        1:16.228s 1.270s 20
11  22  Yuki Tsunoda        AlphaTauri-Honda      1:16.230s 1.272s 20
12  18  Lance Stroll        Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:16.245s 1.287s 19
13   3  Daniel Ricciardo    McLaren-Mercedes      1:16.253s 1.295s 17
14   5  Sebastian Vettel    Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:16.389s 1.431s 19
15  63  George Russell      Williams-Mercedes     1:16.427s 1.469s 20
16  47  Mick Schumacher     Haas-Ferrari          1:16.448s 1.490s 22
17   6  Nicholas Latifi     Williams-Mercedes     1:16.537s 1.579s 15
18  99  Antonio Giovinazzi  Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:16.612s 1.654s 22
19   7  Kimi Raikkonen      Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:16.803s 1.845s 23
20   9  Nikita Mazepin      Haas-Ferrari          1:17.398s 2.440s 23

[zia1288]

Qualifying was at 1700 instead of 1800 PST. Race time is changed too?

[genius83]

“That’s a surprise!”: Hamilton beats Perez and Verstappen to Imola pole
Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix as Sergio Perez beat Red Bull team mate Max Verstappen to the front row.

Emilia Romagna GP
Qualifying Session
Pos No  Driver             Time       Gap
 1  44  Lewis Hamilton     1:14.411s   - 
 2  11  Sergio Perez       1:14.446s  0.035s
 3  33  Max Verstappen     1:14.498s  0.087s
 4  16  Charles Leclerc    1:14.740s  0.329s
 5  10  Pierre Gasly       1:14.790s  0.379s
 6   3  Daniel Ricciardo   1:14.826s  0.415s
 7   4  Lando Norris       1:14.875s  0.464s
 8  77  Valtteri Bottas    1:14.898s  0.487s
 9  31  Esteban Ocon       1:15.210s  0.799s
10  18  Lance Stroll        -          -
11  55  Carlos Sainz Jr.   1:15.199s  0.788s
12  63  George Russell     1:15.261s  0.850s
13   5  Sebastian Vettel   1:15.394s  0.983s
14   6  Nicholas Latifi    1:15.593s  1.182s
15  14  Fernando Alonso    1:15.593s  1.182s
16   7  Kimi Raikkonen     1:15.974s  1.563s
17  99  Antonio Giovinazzi 1:16.122s  1.711s
18  47  Mick Schumacher    1:16.279s  1.868s
19   9  Nikita Mazepin     1:16.797s  2.386s
20  22  Yuki Tsunoda        -          -

Vettel says “it’s getting a lot better” despite falling short of Q3 again
Sebastian Vettel said he is getting more comfortable in his Aston Martin despite failing to make the cut for the top 10 in qualifying for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Verstappen rues ‘s*** lap’ after missing out on a front-row start
Max Verstappen described his final attempt in qualifying for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix as “messy” as he was out-qualified by team mate Sergio Perez.

Perez says he “should have been on pole” after last-corner error
Sergio Perez suspects a mistake at the final corner in qualifying prevented him from taking his first Formula 1 pole position at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Tsunoda apologises to AlphaTauri for “series of mistakes” after crash
Yuki Tsunoda says he was “pushing too much” when he crashed out of the first segment of Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix qualifying, consigning himself to starting last on the grid.

@zia1288
No, the race time is still at 1800 PST. May be they change the qualifying time because of the funeral of late Prince Philips.

[genius83]

Mazepin dismisses Giovinazzi’s claim he “destroyed” both their laps in Q1
Antonio Giovinazzi accused Nikita Mazepin of ruining both their laps at the end of Q1 as both drivers failed to reach the second stage of qualifying at Imola.

“It was a scrappy lap and I haven’t had that in a long time” – Verstappen
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen says the “scrappy lap” that cost him Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix pole was a rare moment for him where he didn’t make the most of the car.

Cooler Imola conditions make it easier to balance ‘knife-edge’ W12 – Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton says that the characteristics of the Imola circuit and the cooler conditions have helped Mercedes to balance their ‘knife-edge’ 2021 car after taking pole for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Wolff says “technical twin brother” Allison doesn’t want Mercedes team principal role
Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff said the team’s technical director James Allison made it clear he isn’t interested in taking over as team principal.

Verstappen would have been “solidly on pole” without error – Wolff
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes Max Verstappen would have taken pole position for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix by a comfortable margin had it not been for a mistake on his final attempt.

Ocon achieved “the maximum” for Alpine, Alonso “was not fast”
Esteban Ocon believes he maximised the potential of his Alpine-Renault A521 in qualifying for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix by taking ninth place.

Norris surprised to lose third on the grid by “centimetres”
Lando Norris says he missed out on a third-place start for tomorrow’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix by centimetres after his best lap time in Q3 was deleted for a track limits infringement.

[genius83]

Verstappen wins chaotic Emilia-Romagna GP as Hamilton recovers from error for second
Max Verstappen dominated the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, a race which was split into two by a huge crash.

Emilia Romagna GP
Race Results
Pos No  Driver             Car                   Laps Time         Gap
 1  33  Max Verstappen     Red Bull-Honda         63  2:02:34.598s  -
 2  44  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes               63  2:02:56.598s   22.000s
 3   4  Lando Norris       McLaren-Mercedes       63  2:02:58.300s   23.702s
 4  16  Charles Leclerc    Ferrari                63  2:03:00.177s   25.579s
 5  55  Carlos Sainz Jr.   Ferrari                63  2:03:01.634s   27.036s
 6   3  Daniel Ricciardo   McLaren-Mercedes       63  2:03:25.818s   51.220s
 7  18  Lance Stroll       Aston Martin-Mercedes  63  2:03:26.507s   51.909s
 8  10  Pierre Gasly       AlphaTauri-Honda       63  2:03:27.416s   52.818s
 9   7  Kimi Raikkonen     Alfa Romeo-Ferrari     63  2:03:39.371s 1:04.773s
10  31  Esteban Ocon       Alpine-Renault         63  2:03:40.302s 1:05.704s
11  14  Fernando Alonso    Alpine-Renault         63  2:03:41.159s 1:06.561s
12  11  Sergio Perez       Red Bull Racing-Honda  63  2:03:41.749s 1:07.151s
13  22  Yuki Tsunoda       AlphaTauri-Honda       63  2:03:47.782s 1:13.184s
14  99  Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo-Ferrari     62  2:02:46.823s 1 Lap
15   5  Sebastian Vettel   Aston Martin-Mercedes  61  2:01:19.044s 2 Laps
16  47  Mick Schumacher    Haas-Ferrari           61  2:02:36.636s 2 Laps
17   9  Nikita Mazepin     Haas-Ferrari           61  2:03:44.864s 2 Laps
dnf 77  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes               30  33 Laps      Collision
dnf 63  George Russell     Williams-Mercedes      30  33 Laps      Collision
dnf  6  Nicholas Latifi    Williams-Mercedes       0  63 Laps      Collision

Fastest Lap: Lewis Hamilton 1:16.702s

Here is the World Championships Standings after the Emilia Romagna GP:

World Championships Standings
Driver Standings
Pos Driver             Total
 1  Lewis Hamilton      44
 2  Max Verstappen      43
 3  Lando Norris        27
 4  Charles Leclerc     20
 5  Valtteri Bottas     16
 6  Carlos Sainz Jnr    14
 6  Daniel Ricciardo    14
 8  Sergio Perez        10
 9  Lance Stroll         7
10  Pierre Gasly         4
11  Kimi Raikkonen       2
11  Yuki Tsunoda         2
13  Esteban Ocon         1
14  Fernando Alonso      0
14  Antonio Giovinazzi   0
14  George Russell       0
14  Sebastian Vettel     0
14  Mick Schumacher      0
14  Nikita Mazepin       0
14  Nicholas Latifi      0
Constructor Standings
Pos Team           Total
 1  Mercedes        60
 2  Red Bull        53
 3  McLaren         41
 4  Ferrari         34
 5  Aston Martin     7
 6  AlphaTauri       6
 7  Alfa Romeo       2
 8  Alpine           1
 9  Haas             0
 9  Williams         0

Verstappen admits he was lucky not to spin victory away at restart
Max Verstappen said everything went well in his drive to victory in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix – expect when he almost spun out of the lead at the restart.

Emilia-Romagna GP stopped after huge crash involving Bottas and Russell
The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix has been red-flagged after a heavy crash involving Valtteri Bottas and George Russell.

Furious Russell asked Bottas if he was ‘trying to kill us both’ after huge Imola crash
A furious George Russell asked Valtteri Bottas if he was trying to kill them both following their high-speed collision in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Hamilton was “in too much of a hurry” when he went off lapping Russell
Lewis Hamilton was “really grateful” that he was able to get his Mercedes out of the gravel and to the chequered flag after crashing in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Russell’s move on Bottas was “too aggressive considering it was a Mercedes” – Wolff
Valtteri Bottas and George Russell both held a degree of blame for the “nasty” accident that saw both cars crash violently out of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, says Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff.

Norris thrilled by ‘perfect weekend, apart from Q3’
Lando Norris said his performance at Imola had been almost perfect, after recovering from a disappointment in qualifying to finish third.

Russell and Bottas cleared of blame for race-stopping shunt
The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix stewards have cleared George Russell and Valtteri Bottas of blame for their dramatic collision which caused the race to be stopped.

Tsunoda’s qualifying crash broke his gearbox in half
AlphaTauri technical director Jody Egginton says that Yuki Tsunoda’s qualifying shunt which doomed him to a back-row start for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix is a “part of the rookie journey” in Formula 1.

Mercedes energy deployment problem led to Russell’s “Maldonado moment”
Williams’ impressive practice pace indicated they could reach Q3 at Imola, but rather than a surprise top result, George Russell admitted he had a different kind of “Maldonado moment”.

Perez still not driving “naturally” in Red Bull despite “big steps” in Imola
Sergio Perez says driving a Red Bull is still “not coming naturally” but he’s “making big steps” which culminated in his first front row start in Formula 1 at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Latifi’s instant pace at Imola ‘disturbed Russell a little bit’
Williams’ head of vehicle performance Dave Robson believes George Russell may have been unsettled by Nicholas Latifi being fast “out of the blocks” at Imola.

Official:
F1 finally confirms first Miami Grand Prix for 2022 season
The 2022 Formula 1 season will feature the championship’s first ever race in Miami Gardens, the series has announced, as part of a new 10-year deal.

Sainz sure he can match Leclerc despite being “all over the place” in qualifying
Carlos Sainz Jnr failed to reach the final segment of qualifying for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, but believes he had the pace to match team mate Charles Leclerc, who took fourth on the grid.

F1 to keep 23-race schedule in 2022 after addition of Miami
The addition of the Miami Grand Prix to the 2022 Formula 1 calendar will not expand the schedule beyond its current record 23 races, the championship’s CEO Stefano Domenicali has said.

[genius83]

Stroll loses seventh place to Gasly after post-race penalty for lap 11 pass
Lance Stroll has lost his seventh-place finish in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix after being penalised for overtaking a rival off the track.

Horner defends Perez over Imola race errors after point-less finish
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner refused to be critical of his driver Sergio Perez following a series of errors by the team’s new signing in his second race for them.

Mercedes fear chassis “write-off” from Bottas-Russell crash will slow their development
The extensive damage Valtteri Bottas’s Mercedes sustained in his crash with George Russell could slow the team’s development programme, CEO Toto Wolff has warned.

FIA’s delayed penalty call was “not very professional” – Vettel
Sebastian Vettel was unimpressed with how long it took the FIA stewards took to hand him a stop-go penalty for a rules violation which occurred before the race began.

Raikkonen loses points finish after 30-second time penalty, Alonso takes 10th
Kimi Raikkonen has been handed a 30 second post-race time penalty after the stewards found he was in breach of a technicality in the restart procedure.

“When I race, I have respect”: Bottas rejects Russell’s claim he caused crash
Valtteri Bottas rejected George Russell’s insistence he was to blame for their crash in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

$600,000 budget cap break for crash damage in ‘Sprint Qualifying’ races
Plans to introduce ‘Sprint Qualifying’ races this year are to go ahead after an agreement was reached to allow teams to exceed the budget cap to pay for crash damage.

Norris surprised Leclerc didn’t pass Verstappen: ‘It’s worth the risk’
Charles Leclerc said he was unsure whether he should have passed Max Verstappen when the Red Bull driver spun off the track in front of him before the final restart in yesterday’s race.

Masi rejects Russell’s claim DRS should not have been enabled before crash
Formula 1 race director Michael Masi dismissed George Russell’s claim the Drag Reduction System contributed to his crash with Valtteri Bottas.

‘I should be better, I will be in Portimao’ vows Alonso after first point of comeback
Fernando Alonso says he didn’t perform at the level he should during the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, but expects to be more competitive at the next race in Portugal.

Russell admits Bottas was “probably not” at fault for crash
George Russell has softened his stance over the high-speed collision with Valtteri Bottas which put both drivers out of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

[genius83]

Bottas ‘left Russell nowhere to go’ in crash – Brawn
Formula 1 motorsport director Ross Brawn has sided with George Russell over his spectacular race-ending collision with Valtteri Bottas.

Williams had ‘a good weekend on the whole’ despite both drivers crashing out of race
Williams’ head of vehicle performance Dave Robson said the team left Imola with “mixed feelings” after an improved qualifying performance yielded no points as both drivers crashed out of the race.

Russell apologises to Bottas: “I should have handled the whole situation better”
George Russell has publicly apologised to Valtteri Bottas and his team for the crash involving the pair at Imola yesterday, and his reaction to it.

“He was on it the whole weekend”: Norris impresses former team mate Sainz
Carlos Sainz Jnr praised his former team mate Lando Norris after his podium finish in Sunday’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Vettel surprised by rolling restart decision despite damp track
Sebastian Vettel admitted he did not expect race control to use a rolling restart during the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Hamilton has first taste of Pirelli’s 18-inch tyres for 2022
Lewis Hamilton has tested Pirelli’s prototype 18-inch tyres, which will be used in the 2022 F1 season, for the first time today at Imola.

Here is the Timing Schedule for this weekend's Portugese GP:

Portugese GP
Friday
Practice Session 1   14:00 To 15:00
Practice Session 2   17:30 To 18:30

Saturday
Practice Session 3   14:00 To 15:00
Qualifying Session   17:00 To 18:00

Sunday
Race                 18:00 To 20:00

[genius83]

Miami F1 track not compromised by move from bay area to stadium – Domenicali
Plans for a grand prix in Miami have not been compromised by its relocation from the Bayfront area to a sports stadium, says Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

Aston Martin “satisfied correct steps were followed” with 2021 rules after FIA meeting
Aston Martin CEO Otmar Szafnauer has softened his stance over technical changes introduced for the 2021 F1 season.

Bottas power unit largely “damaged beyond repair” in crash
Mercedes say ‘a lot of’ Valtteri Bottas’ car has had to be returned to their factory after his collision with George Russell last weekend – and that much of it may have to be replaced.

Ricciardo willing to “accept defeat for the moment” as Norris leads McLaren charge
Daniel Ricciardo says he “wasn’t fast” at Imola and he is still learning to trust McLaren’s car, after his second race with his new team.

“Big decision” not to pass Verstappen for lead ensured podium finish – Norris
Lando Norris believes he could have passed Max Verstappen to lead the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, but would have ultimately lost a podium finish if he had.

[zia1288]

Isn't Portugal gp next weekend i.e. 30 April-1 May?

[saad2006]

Isn't Portugal gp next weekend

It is indeed on next weekend

[genius83]

Sorry guys for misinformation.

[saad2006]

[saad2006]

[saad2006]