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  • Ricciardo replaces Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri for the remainder of 2023 F1 season

    Ricciardo replaces Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri for the remainder of 2023 F1 season

    A major change has been made within Scuderia AlphaTauri’s driver lineup as Daniel Ricciardo will be returning to the Formula One grid to replace Nyck de Vries with immediate effect for the remainder of the 2023 season.

    The news comes as the 34-year-old Ricciardo from Perth, Australia, participated in a Pirelli tyre test at Silverstone Circuit, where he piloted Red Bull Racing’s RB19 car. It also comes amid months of rumors swirling around De Vries being replaced midway into this season amid his ongoing struggles in on-track performance with AlphaTauri.

    De Vries, a 28-year-old Dutchman from Uitwellingerga, Netherlands, who won the 2020-21 Formula E World Championship and the 2019 Formula 2 title, made his F1 debut during the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, where he replaced Alex Albon at Williams Racing after Albon was ruled out for the event due to suffering appendicitis. After notching an impressive ninth-place finish and recording points in his F1 debut, he was selected to drive for AlphaTauri for this season.

    Since joinng AlphaTauri, however, De Vries has finished no higher than 12th, which occurred during the Monaco Grand Prix in May, and has recorded an average-finishing result of 15.9 during the first 10 Grand Prix scheduled events. He is currently ranked at the bottom of the driver’s standings (20th) with no points amid a struggling season for AlphaTauri, which is also ranked at the bottom of the constructor’s standings (10th) with two points, both of which have been made by the team’s other driver, Yuki Tsunoda.

    With De Vries out of the grid, Ricciardo not only makes a sensational return to the grid to compete alongside Tsunoda, but he reunites with AlphaTauri, a team that the veteran campaigned in his maiden two F1 seasons in 2012-13 after serving as the team’s test and reserve competitor during the previous season. Ricciardo would then join Red Bull Racing for the 2014 season, where he would rack up seven victories, 956 points and two third-place results in the driver’s standings (2014 & 2016) through 2018.

    Ricciardo then made the surprising move to Renault, rebranded to Alpine, for the 2019 season, where he competed at for two seasons, before joining McLaren F1 Team in 2021. He achieved his latest F1 triumph during the 2021 Italian Grand Prix amid a one-two finish with Lando Norris, but would part ways from McLaren at the conclusion of the 2022 season. Since then, he rejoined Red Bull Racing as the team’s third competitor while participating in PR activities, simulator/factor work and race weekends to support the team’s current two competitors, two-time reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen and veteran Sergio Perez.

    Through a total of 233 starts in F1 competition, Ricciardo has achieved eight victories, three poles, 32 podiums, 339 laps led, 1,274 points and an average-finishing result of 9.8.

    Following the announcement of his return to F1 competition, Ricciardo stated: “I’m stoked to be back on track with the Red Bull family!”

    Ricciardo’s move is one that pleases Franz Tost, Team Principal of AlphaTauri, as the team aims to draw itself out of the bottom of the constructor’s standings. Currently, AlphaTauri, a team that is set to rebrand in 2024, trails Alfa Romeo by seven points with both Williams and Haas only nine points ahead amid a tight mid-season battle.

    “I’m very pleased to welcome Daniel back into the team,” Franz Tost, Scuderia AlphaTauri Team Principal, said. “There’s no doubt about his driving skills, and he already knows many of us, so his integration will be easy and straight forward. The team will also profit a lot from his experience, as he is an eight-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner. I would like to thank Nyck for his valuable contribution during his time with Scuderia AlphaTauri and I wish him all the best for the future.”

    With Ricciardo back on the F1 grid, he will make his first start of the 2023 season at Hungaroring for the Hungarian Grand Prix, which will occur on July 23.

  • Alpine recruits Gasly; AlphaTauri signs De Vries for 2023 F1 season

    Alpine recruits Gasly; AlphaTauri signs De Vries for 2023 F1 season

    BWT Alpine F1 Team and Scuderia AlphaTauri completed their driver lineup for the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship season in a move that will feature a notable calling a new team home and another set to embark in his inaugural full-time stint in the highest class of international motorsports competition.

    For Alpine, the team will be featuring an all-French driver lineup for the upcoming season as Pierre Gasly will be departing AlphaTauri to occupy the final vacant seat at the French organization on a multi-year basis, where he will be competing alongside Esteban Ocon. The competitor who will be taking over Gasly’s ride at AlphaTauri will be Nyck de Vries, a newcomer who will be competing alongside Yuki Tsunoda.

    The news of Gasly’s transition to Alpine comes nearly four months after the 26-year-old native from Rouen, France, was initially set to remain at AlphaTauri for the 2023 season. When two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso announced in August that he will be departing Alpine to join Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team for the upcoming season, an opportunity for Alpine to recruit Gasly for the 2023 season had since been brewing before becoming official as the 2022 season nears its conclusion.

    For Gasly, the 2022 Grand Prix season will mark the end of a nine-year journey as a Red Bull-affiliated competitor that commenced when he joined the Red Bull Junior Team for the 2014 season. Three years later, he made his Grand Prix debut at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit before becoming a full-time F1 competitor for AlphaTauri (known previously at Toro Rosso) in 2018. The following season, he was promoted to Red Bull Racing, but ended up being demoted to Toro Rosso midway into the season. Despite his demotion, he went on to achieve his maiden podium after finishing second at Brazil’s Interlagos Circuit. In 2020, where Toro Rosso was rebranded to AlphaTauri, Gasly achieved his maiden Grand Prix victory at Italy’s Monza Circuit following a late battle with Carlos Sainz Jr. With his victory, he became the first French competitor in 24 years to win in F1 and he recorded the second career victory for AlphaTauri. He has since notched his third career podium after finishing third at Azerbaijan’s Baku City Circuit in 2021.

    Through 104 career starts in F1 (five full-time seasons), Gasly has achieved one victory, three podiums, 332 points, 26 laps led and an average-finishing result of 10.9. His best result in an F1 standings is seventh in 2019 while his best accumulated points in a season is 110 in 2021. He is currently ranked in 13th place in this year’s drivers’ standings with 23 points while AlphaTauri is ranked in a tie with Haas for eighth place in the constructors’ standings with 34 points.

    “I am delighted to join the Alpine family and begin this new chapter in my Formula 1 career,” Gasly said. “Driving for a team that has French roots is something very special. I know the strengths of Alpine having raced against them over the past couple of years and, clearly, their progress and ambition is very impressive. I wish to thank Red Bull as this marks the end of our nine-year journey together. It is thanks to their trust and support that I became a Formula 1 driver, and what we’ve achieved with Scuderia AlphaTauri over the last years has been very special. Looking ahead, I want to give the maximum and utilise all my experience to fight for podiums and ultimately contribute to Alpine’s fight for championships in the future.”

    “I’m very happy that Pierre will be joining the team for 2023 and beyond,” Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal of Alpine, added. “He is already a proven talent within Formula 1, and we are looking forward to harnessing that within the team. Our team has several objectives for the coming seasons and I firmly believe our driver line-up is a great reflection of the team’s high ambitions. I trust Pierre and Esteban can, together, motivate the team to continue its progress towards these goals. We would also like to thank Red Bull for agreeing the terms to allow Pierre to take this step.”

    Meanwhile, De Vries, a 27-year-old native from Uitwellingerga, Netherlands, had spent the majority of this season as a test and reserve competitor for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team while also participating in FP1 (free practice session) outings for Mercedes, Aston Martin and Williams Racing. He made his Grand Prix debut at Monza Circuit in September as an interim competitor, where he replaced Alex Albon in one of Williams’ two seats after Albon developed appendicitis prior to the event. During the main event, De Vries garnered heavy attention within the F1 garage when he notched an impressive ninth-place result and achieved his maiden two points in F1 competition. Upon his strong debut in Italy, the talks of de Vries potentially moving up to full-time F1 competition commenced.

    Prior to his F1 debut, De Vries won the 2019 Formula 2 Championship along with the 2020-21 Formula E World Championship. He is also a two-time Karting World Champion, having won in back-to-back seasons (2010 and 2011), and the 2014 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0

    “I’m extremely excited to be joining Scuderia AlphaTauri for 2023 and I want to thank both Red Bull and the team for giving me the opportunity to drive in F1,” De Vries said. “After Formula 2, I took a slightly different path with motorsport, but F1 has always been my dream and I’m grateful to be able to fulfill it. I’ve had a lot of chances to experience the 2022 car this year and I think that has put me in a great position for the upcoming season, I hope this has helped to prepare me for what is to come. Having spent most of my teenage years in Italy for karting, I’ve always felt at home there, so for me it’s great to be joining an Italian team, that already has a real family feel, and I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and to start to build our relationship before the next season.”

    “Scuderia AlphaTauri had a very successful time with Pierre,” Franz Tost, Team Principal of AlphaTauri, added. “We will never forget his fantastic victory in Monza and his podium finishes in Brazil and Azerbaijan. I want to thank Pierre for all the effort he’s put into the team in the last years, and I wish him all the best for his future. Now, we are pleased to start a new chapter with Nyck, who’s very much welcome at Scuderia AlphaTauri. He is a very high skilled driver, as he won in all the categories he competed in, with many races and championships under his belt. His last big success was winning the Formula E World Championship, and this is clear evidence that he is a very competitive driver, who deserves a seat in F1. I am looking forward to seeing him in our car and I’m confident that with Yuki and Nyck we will have a very strong driver line up for 2023.”

    With their plans for the upcoming season finalized, Alpine and AlphaTauri set their sights towards the remaining five events of the 2022 season, beginning this weekend at Suzuka International Racing Course for the return of the Japanese Grand Prix. The event is scheduled to occur on Sunday, October 9.

  • Yuki Tsunoda retained by AlphaTauri for 2023 F1 season

    Yuki Tsunoda retained by AlphaTauri for 2023 F1 season

    Scuderia AlphaTauri announced that Yuki Tsunoda will be remaining with the organization and compete in a third Formula One season in 2023.

    The 22-year-old Tsunoda from Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan, is currently campaigning in his second full-time season in F1 competition with the Faenza-based organization. Through 16 of 22-scheduled events, he has achieved three top-10 points-paying results, including a season-high seventh-place result at Imola Circuit for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in April, and has accumulated 11 points as he sits in 16th place in the drivers’ standings.

    “I want to say a huge thank you to Red Bull, Honda and Scuderia AlphaTauri for continuing to give me the opportunity to drive in F1,” Tsunoda said. “Having moved to Italy last year, to be closer to the factory, I really feel part of the team and am glad that I get to carry on racing with them in 2023. Of course, our 2022 season isn’t over yet and we’re still pushing hard in the midfield battle, so I’m fully focused on finishing it on a high and then we will look forward to next year.”

    Tsunoda, a graduate of the Red Bull Junior Team, made his inaugural presence in F1 at the start of the 2021 season, where he replaced Daniil Kvyat and competed alongside Pierre Gasly for AlphaTauri. In his maiden F1 event during the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit, Tsunoda collected his first two points in F1 after finishing ninth. He went on to achieve six additional top-10 results during the remaining 21-scheduled events, including his career-best result of fourth place during the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit, before finishing in 14th place in the drivers’ standings with a total of 32 points. The points he and teammate Gasly (110) earned were enough to place AlphaTauri in sixth place in the final constructors’ standings with the team achieving its highest-combined points of 142.

    Prior to his debut in F1, Tsunoda, whose racing career commenced with karts, competed in the 2020 Formula 2 Championship season with Carlin, where he earned three victories, seven podiums and a third-place result in the final standings with 200 points. He also claimed his first Formula 3 victory at Autodromo Nazionale Monza while driving for Jenzer Motorsport in September 2019 and the 2018 F4 Japanese Championship title with the Honda Formula Dream Project.

    “As we’ve seen since he joined us last year, Yuki is a very talented driver and has improved a lot this season,” Franz Tost, Team Principal of AlphaTauri, added. “The pace he has shown recently is clear evidence of a steep learning curve, which proves he deserves a seat in F1, and I still expect some strong results from him in the last six races of 2022. As I always say, a driver needs at least three years to fully get to grips with Formula 1, so I’m pleased he’s been given the time to show his full potential. In addition, it’s a testament to Dr. [Helmut] Marko and his driver programme that we’re able to bring these young talents up from the junior categories and develop them. I’d like to join Yuki in thanking Red Bull, AlphaTauri as well as Honda, for their continuous support and for allowing him to stay with us for another year.”

    Tsunoda is slated to compete alongside Gasly at AlphaTauri for the 2023 season, though Gasly’s future with the organization remains unknown as he is rumored to replace Fernando Alonso at the BWT Alpine F1 Team for the upcoming season. AlphaTauri’s official confirmation of its two-driver lineup for 2023 have yet to be announced.

    With his racing plans for 2023 set, Tsunoda’s 2022 season will next continue at Marina Bay Street Circuit for the return of the Singapore Grand Prix on October 2.

  • AlphaTauri retains Pierre Gasly for 2023 F1 season

    AlphaTauri retains Pierre Gasly for 2023 F1 season

    Scuderia AlphaTauri announced that Pierre Gasly will be returning to the organization for the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship season.

    The 26-year-old Gasly from Rouen, France, is currently embarking in his fifth full-time season in F1 competition, where he is ranked in 11th place in the drivers’ championship standings on the strength of three top-10 points-paying results through the first nine scheduled Grand Prix events, thus tallying his points total to 16. His best on-track result through this season is fifth place at the Baku City Circuit for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix two weeks ago.

    “I have been with this team for five years now and I am proud of the journey we’ve been through together and the progress we have made,” Gasly said. “I’m happy to remain with my Scuderia AlphaTauri team. This year’s new regulations have created new challenges for us and being able to plan our development with the team for the next 18 months is a good working basis for the future.”

    Gasly made his F1 debut with AlphaTauri, formerly known at Toro Rosso, during the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit, where he started 15th and finished 14th. He went on to compete in four of the final five scheduled events of the 2017 season before he became a full-time F1 competitor for AlphaTauri in 2018, where he earned five top-10 results, 29 points and a 15th-place result in the final standings. Gasly was then promoted to drive for Red Bull Racing, AlphaTauri’s sister team, for the 2019 season, but was demoted back to AlphaTauri in Red Bull’s favor of Alexander Albon due to consistency struggles. Despite the midseason demotion, Gasly went on to claim his maiden podium result in the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos Circuit after finishing in the runner-up spot before settling in seventh place in the final standings.

    Since 2020, Gasly has achieved 28 results in the top 10 in F1 competition. The highlight during the stretch was achieving his maiden F1 victory in the 2020 Italian Grand Prix at Monza Circuit, where he became the first Frenchman since Oliver Panis in 1996 to win in F1 as he recorded the second career victory for AlphaTauri. He is coming off his career-best season to date in F1 competition in 2021, where he recorded his third podium result at the Baku City Circuit along with a total of 15 top-10 results and 110 points throughout the 22-race schedule. Despite finishing in ninth place in the final drivers’ standings in 2021, Gasly along with teammate Yuki Tsunoda contributed to AlphaTauri’s career-best season to date in F1 competition with a total of 142 points and a sixth-place result in the constructors’ standings.

    Through 95 previous starts in F1, Gasly has achieved one victory, three podiums, 26 laps led, 325 points and an average-finishing result of 10.8.

    “We are really pleased to confirm that Pierre stays with us in 2023” Franz Tost, AlphaTauri’s team principal, said. “He is definitely in the group of the best and most competitive drivers in F1 and has proven his abilities during all the time he has spent with us. Undoubtedly, Pierre can play a major role in the team having a successful season next year and it will be down to us to provide him with a competitive car, so that he can continue to deliver excellent results.”

    AlphaTauri’s full driver lineup, including plans for its second competitor, Yuki Tsunoda, will be announced at a later date.

    With his plans for 2023 set, Gasly will return to F1 competition at Silverstone Circuit for the British Grand Prix on July 3.

  • Formula One 2021-22 Silly Season Update

    Formula One 2021-22 Silly Season Update

    Thirteen races down and nine remain to a competitive 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship season highlighted with a new financial regulation and budget cap for every team, aerodynamic and technical changes to the current F1 cars, sporting regulations, race weekend and on-track activity changes, calendar and circuit changes amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a series of on- and off-track, competitive exchanges between two organizations (Mercedes and Red Bull) vying to emerge as champions of 2021.  

    Mixed into the competitive 2021 season are a series of changes pinpointing a number of drivers and teams prior to the 2022 F1 season, with nearly all of the 20 seats on the grid being filled and a majority having guaranteed spots to remain with their current organizations while others are bound to move to a new home for the new season. 

    Here is a rundown of each team and their driver lineup for next season:

    For the first time since 2017, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, which entered this season as the reigning championship-winning team and currently leads this year’s constructors’ standings, will feature a new competitor to its two-car roster. That competitor is George Russell, who was named a Mercedes F1 driver for the 2022 season on September 7. Russell, a native from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England, is currently competing in his third racing season with Williams Racing. Despite being mired back in 15th place in the drivers’ standings, he achieved his maiden podium result after qualifying and finishing second in the rain-shortened Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in late August. Russell will be a teammate to Sir Lewis Hamilton, the reigning seven-time F1 champion who has won four Grand Prix events this season and is runner-up in the current drivers’ standings. Hamilton, meanwhile, signed a two-year contract extension in early July to remain with Mercedes, a deal spanning to 2023, as he continues to his pursuit for a record-setting eighth Formula One title and 100 Grand Prix victories.

    Russell’s transition to Mercedes means that he will be replacing Valtteri Bottas, a native from Nastola, Finland, who has been competing with the silver arrow team since 2017 and has achieved nine career wins in F1. While he has yet to achieve his first Grand Prix victory of 2021, Bottas is up in third place in the drivers’ standings. The Finnish competitor, though, revealed on September 6 that he will be joining Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen on a multi-year basis, beginning in 2022. Bottas will be replacing Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 F1 champion who announced his intention to retire from the sport on September 1. Alfa Romeo has yet to announce its full two-car driver lineup for next season, with the status of Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo’s current second competitor and a third-year F1 driver from Martina, Italy, unconfirmed. 

    Like Mercedes, the Williams Racing team will feature a new competitor to its organization next season. That competitor is Alexander Albon, a former Red Bull Racing competitor who has competed under the Thai flag, as announced on September 8. Albon made his Formula One debut in 2019 while driving for Toro Rosso, now know as AlphaTauri. Midway into the season, he replaced Pierre Gasly to drive for Red Bull and continued to drive for the team through 2020, where he earned two podium results, before being demoted to the role of reserve and development for Red Bull this season. Albon will be a teammate to Nicholas Latifi, a native from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, who is in his second full-time season in F1 and will remain with Williams for the 2022 season. Latifi is currently in 16th place in the drivers’ standings, one spot behind his current teammate, George Russell, while the Williams team is up in eighth place in the constructors’ standings following four top-10 points-paying results.

    Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing Honda, which is runner-up in the constructors’ standings behind Mercedes, will be retaining its two-driver lineup for the 2022 season. Max Verstappen, the current championship leader who has won seven Grand Prix races this season, including the recent Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Zandvoort, is guaranteed to be with the team through 2023 while Sergio “Checo” Perez, an 11-year racing veteran who won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June, signed a one-year contract extension on August 27 to remain as a Red Bull competitor for another season. Perez is ranked in fifth place in the drivers’ standings.

    Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda, a sister team to Red Bull Racing, will also feature the return of Pierre Gasly and rookie Yuki Tsunoda as the team’s two drivers for 2022, which was confirmed on September 7. Gasly, winner of the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, has achieved a podium result at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June along with 12 top-10 points-paying results while Tsunoda, the 2018 F4 Japanese champion, a three-time Formula 2 winner and a newcomer to Formula One this season, has finished in the top-10 five times. Gasly is currently in eighth place in the drivers’ standings, five spots ahead of teammate Tsunoda, while AlphaTauri is ranked in sixth place in the constructors’ standings.

    Like the two Red Bull organizations, Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow, which is ranked in third place in the constructors’ standings, will feature no changes to its driver lineup for next season. Charles Leclerc, who has won his maiden two Grand Prix races since joining the historic organization in 2019 and is placed in sixth in the current drivers’ standings, is under contract with Ferrari through 2024 while Carlos Sainz Jr., the newest member of the organization who has achieved four podium results since 2019, is scheduled to retain his Ferrari seat for 2022. Sainz, currently, is a spot behind teammate Leclerc in the standings.

    Another team that will feature no changes to its driver lineup is the McLaren F1 Team, which is ranked in fourth place in the constructors’ standings. Lando Norris, who has achieved four podium results since 2020 and is in fourth place in the drivers’ standings, inked a fresh multi-year contract in May to remain as a McLaren F1 competitor for 2022 and beyond while Daniel Ricciardo, the team’s newest competitor and a seven-time Grand Prix winner, is slated to remain with the organization on a multi-year basis. Ricciardo is ranked in ninth place in the drivers’ standings, five spots behind his teammate, with nine top-10 results.

    Coming off their recent on-track successes, the Alpine F1 Team, which rebranded from Renault and is in fifth place in the constructors’ standings, will also feature no changes to its lineup for the 2022 season. Esteban Ocon, who won his maiden Grand Prix event in Hungary in early August and is 11th in the drivers’ standings, signed a contract extension in mid-June to remain with Alpine through 2024 while Fernando Alonso, a two-time F1 champion who returned to full-time competition following a two-year break, confirmed in late August that he will return to compete with Alpine next season. Alonso is currently a position ahead of teammate Ocon in the standings.

    Despite enduring an up-and-down season, the Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team, which rebranded from Racing Point and is placed in seventh in the constructors’ standings, is expected to retain Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll as the team’s two drivers for next season. Vettel, a four-time Formula One champion who achieved his first podium result with the team at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June, is in 12th place in the drivers’ standings, two spots ahead of teammate Stroll, who has achieved six top-10 points-paying results.

    Finally, the Uralkali Haas F1 Team, which sits in the bottom of the constructors’ standings and has yet to score a single point through 13 scheduled Grand Prix events, is also expected to retain its two-driver lineup for the 2022 season. Mick Schumacher, an F1 newcomer and the reigning Formula 2 champion who is the son of seven-time F1 champion, Michael Schumacher, is in a tie at the bottom of the drivers’ standings with his rookie teammate Nikita Mazepin, who finished in fifth place in the 2020 F2 standings with two victories and is the son of Dmitry Mazepin, a Russian businessman who is also the chairman and core shareholder of Uralchem Integrated Chemicals Company.

    With the 2022 Formula One full driver-team lineup yet to be determined, the 2021 F1 season is scheduled to resume at Monza Circuit for the Italian Grand Prix on September 12 followed by Sochi Autodrom for the Russian Grand Prix on September 26.

  • Perez capitalizes late to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

    Perez capitalizes late to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

    In a late chain of events that featured title contenders Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton left in a draw for the championship lead following late on-track issues, Sergio “Checo” Perez came out on top and claimed his first victory of the season in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit, the sixth event of the 2021 Formula One season.

    The 31-year-old veteran from Guadalajara, Mexico, was initially poised for a podium result when his teammate and leader Max Verstappen wrecked with five laps remaining due to a left-rear tyre puncture, an incident that left Verstappen upset following his Monaco Grand Prix victory. With the race red-flagged to have the debris cleared from the wreckage, the race restarted in a two-lap shootout that featured all of the cars restarting in double lanes. Hamilton, meanwhile, was poised to challenge Perez for the victory until he locked up his front tires and overshot the first corner, which took him out of race-winning contention and an opportunity to reclaim the points lead. That all but gave Perez the clean air needed to drive to victory.

    The Azerbaijan victory marked Perez’s second Formula One career victory in his 197th career start, his first as a Red Bull Racing driver and his first since claiming his maiden F1 victory in the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix last December. It also marked Perez’s third time standing on the podium at the Baku City Circuit after finishing in third place in 2016 and 2018.

    “I think we all love Baku, right?” Perez said. “It worked well. We had good pace, good start, good first lap. We did everything perfect apart from that restart. Simply, I didn’t have any grip. I had an issue with my tyres and I couldn’t warm them up, so I think that was part of it, of the issue that I had a very poor start. We gave it all. I thought, ‘I cannot miss this race two laps from the end.’ Overall, I’m just very pleased. I certainly did a very good step in understanding the [Red Bull] car, in feeling comfortable. I think there is still a lot to come from us, so we’re just working really hard. I’m giving it my best. The season is still very long, so anything can happen.”

    Despite finishing 18th with a DNF following his late accident, Verstappen, who earned a single point by setting the fastest lap at 206.839 kph, retained the lead in the drivers’ championship standings after Hamilton fell all the way back to 15th place.

    “Yeah, it’s, of course, frustrating and disappointing,” Verstappen said. “So close to the finish, to retire with a tyre blowout. It’s a big shame. Sometime, you can hate this sport for a few hours and then, I’ll be fine again. Up until that point, it was a great day. The car was on fire. I was just matching whatever I needed to do behind me. It would’ve been an easy win, but of course, I know no guarantees are in this sport. Shame because we missed out on an opportunity to make the gap [between myself and Hamilton] bigger.”

    “Basically, when Checo pulled over to the left and I moved to the left, I, unknowingly, hit a switch and it basically switched off the rear brakes and only the fronts were working, so it just went straight,” Hamilton said. “It’s really painful, but I’m really sorry to the team for this day. All I can do is rebuild and know that I gave it absolutely everything today.”

    Trailing Perez to the line by more than a second was Sebastian Vettel, who claimed his first podium result of the season, his first since the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix last November and his first with the Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team.

    “I feel good,” Vettel said. “We started 11th, but I think we were very strong today. The team did a great job. We prepared well for the race, knew what to do and execute…good pace throughout. Looking forward to the next races.”

    Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, fended off a late challenge from pole-sitter Charles Leclerc during the two-lap shootout to round out the podium in third place, thus claiming his first podium result since winning his maiden Grand Prix event in Monza, Italy, last September and the first podium result of the season for the AlphaTauri team.

    “It’s been an incredible weekend for us,” Gasly said. “The car’s been very, very strong and [qualifying] was great yesterday. The race was going really well at the start. From mid-race to onwards, we had engine problems, so we started to lose performance, especially down the straights. I knew it would be tight with Charles with our lethal issue. It was quite close racing, hard racing, but exactly how we like it. I really wanted that podium and I’m really, really happy for the guys.”

    Leclerc rallied from his dismal week at Monaco, where he did not make the starting grid nor competed, by finishing fourth while Lando Norris crossed the line in fifth place.

    Fernando Alonso settled in sixth place followed by rookie Yuki Tsunoda, who notched a career-best result. Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Räikkönen completed the top-10 points finishing results.

    Antonio Giovinazzi finished 11th followed by Valtteri Bottas, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, all of whom finished in front of Hamilton. Nicholas Latifi finished 16th while teammate George Russell retired in 17th.

    Lance Stroll ended his race in 19th place and with a DNF following a harrowing accident caused by a left-rear tyre puncture on the high-speed straightaway that sent the Canadian into the wall and with a wrecked Aston Martin F1 car.

    Esteban Ocon finished in 20th place and as the first retiree of the event after an early engine turbo issue took him out of contention.

    Results:

    1. Sergio Perez, eight laps led, 25 points

    2. Sebastian Vettel, four laps led, 18 points

    3. Pierre Gasly, 15 points

    4. Charles Leclerc, one lap led, 12 points

    5. Lando Norris, 10 points

    6. Fernando Alonso, eight points

    7. Yuki Tsunoda, six points

    8. Carlos Sainz, four points

    9. Daniel Ricciardo, two points

    10. Kimi Räikkönen, one point

    11. Antonio Givinazzi

    12. Valtteri Bottas

    13. Mick Schumacher

    14. Nikita Mazepin

    15. Lewis Hamilton, nine laps led

    16. Nicholas Latifi

    17. George Russell, retired

    18. Max Verstappen, retired, 29 las led, one point

    19. Lance Stroll, retired

    20. Esteban Ocon, retired

    Verstappen continues to lead the drivers’ standings by four points over Hamilton with Perez trailing by 36 points. Red Bull Racing Honda also continues to lead the constructors’ standings by 26 points over Mercedes.

    Next on the 2021 Formula One schedule is Circuit Paul Ricard for the French Grand Prix, which will occur on Sunday, June 20.

  • 2021 Formula One season preview

    2021 Formula One season preview

    With new names on the grid, new stakes on the line and a new start on the horizon for all teams, the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship season is hours away from commencing.

    Formula One is coming off one of its bizarre seasons to date, a season that was delayed until July and featuring a total of 17 Grand Prix events in 14 circuits due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With multiple Grand Prix events across several countries being canceled, the sport took on a new approach to the 2020 season by competing in familiar circuits like Silverstone Circuit and Bahrain International Circuit twice in two weekends while returning to historic circuits like Mugello Circuit and the Nürburgring. In the midst of a scrambling season, the highs and the lows experienced for every team and competitor during race weekends and the rivalry sparked between the teams both on and off the track, the sport was able to etch another season in the record books when the final checkered flag flew at Yas Marina Circuit in December.

    Now with 23 Grand Prix events slated on the 2021 schedule, featuring the return of many countries, the Formula One teams and competitors strive to display every amount of power, speed and competitiveness towards one another to win it all and complete the entire season as scheduled.

    With another pair of championships added to the team’s stable, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team enters the 2021 season with a continuous goal to extend their on-track dominance and leave their rivals in the dust for an eighth consecutive season. Having recorded the seventh drivers’ and constructors’ title for Mercedes, Sir Lewis Hamilton also made history on the track in 2020 by winning 11 Grand Prix events, becoming the all-time Grand Prix wins leader at 95 and tying Michael Schumacher for the most F1 championships in history with seven. While Hamilton sets his sights on winning his record-setting eighth F1 title in his 15th season in competition, teammate Valtteri Bottas, who won twice in 2020 and concluded the season in the runner-up position, aims to overtake Hamilton and leap into the spotlight with his first F1 title in his ninth season in competition. The 2021 F1 season will mark the fifth consecutive season where Hamilton and Bottas will represent Mercedes’ driver lineup as both fight with and against one another for the top spot on the grid and in the championship standings.

    After concluding the 2020 Formula One season as victors in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and as the championship runner-up in the constructors’ standings, Red Bull Racing Honda enters the 2021 season with a simple goal of dethroning Mercedes from their dominance and reclaim their glory as champions since 2013. Leading the way for the team is Max Verstappen, who won twice in 2020 and concluded the season in third place in the final standings. Entering his seventh season in F1, Verstappen will continue his ongoing pursuit to intimidate his fellow competitors and become the next F1 champion. New to the team for this upcoming season is veteran Sergio “Checo” Perez, who is coming off a career-best season in F1 competition where he claimed his maiden Formula One victory at Bahrain in December 2020 and became the first Mexican F1 winner in five decades. Having been released from Racing Point despite a productive 2020 season that nearly brought his racing career to a halt, Perez was picked up by Red Bull Racing, replacing Alexander Albon, and has been given an opportunity to extend his on-track momentum and become a potential championship contender in his 11th season in competition.

    Another team on the rise following a productive, consistent 2020 season is the McLaren F1 Team. With a third-place result in the constructors’ standings, their highest since 2012, McLaren aims to return as race winners for the first time since 2012 and as world champions since 1998. Returning for a third full-time season with the team and of his career is Lando Norris, who claimed his maiden podium result in the 2020 season-opening Austrian Grand Prix and went on to finish in ninth place in the drivers’ standings, though he strives to become the 20th competitor from the United Kingdom to win in Formula One this upcoming season. Like Red Bull Racing and a majority of teams on the grid, McLaren will feature a new face to its stable, this season being veteran Daniel Ricciardo, who spent the previous two seasons with Renault and recorded two podium results in 2020. Entering his 10th full-time season in Formula One, Ricciardo aims to return as a race winner for the first time since 2018.

    Coming off a season surrounded with controversy off the track but an abundant of success on the track, Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team, rebranded from Racing Point, aims to take the next step from their fourth-place result in the 2020 constructors’ standings by becoming a regular contender for victories and the overall title in years to come. After claiming two podium results and a career-best 11th-place result in the drivers’ standings in 2020, Lance Stroll returns for a fifth full-time season in Formula One as he strives to become the third Canadian competitor to win in Formula One. New to the team is Sebastian Vettel, four-time F1 champion who spent the previous six seasons with Ferrari. After finishing 13th in the drivers’ standings in 2020. Vettel, who enters his 14th full-time season in Formula One, looks to rejuvenate his career and return to the top of the competition since winning his last title in 2013.

    Next is the Alpine F1 Team, rebranded from Renault, a team that earned three podium results and concluded the 2020 season in fifth place in the constructors’ standings. Returning for a second full-time season with the team and fourth of his career is Esteban Ocon, who claimed his maiden podium result in the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix and finished in 12th place in the drivers’ standings, though he aims to become the 14th French competitor to win in Formula One. Joining Ocon as a teammate at Alpine this season is two-time champion Fernando Alonso. Regarded as one of the sport’s well-accomplished competitors, Alonso will also be making a triumphant return to the sport since retiring in 2018 and to Alpine, the team where he claimed his two Formula One championships in 2005 and 2006.

    Following their worst recorded season in nearly four decades that was highlighted with on-track issues with speed and capped off with a sixth-place result in the 2020 constructors’ standings, the Scuderia Mission Winnow Ferrari team enters the 2021 season with a return to the top of the competition being the central focus. Remaining at Ferrari for a third full-time season is Charles Leclerc, who won his first two F1 career races in 2019 but only recorded two podium results in 2020. With Leclerc returning, Ferrari welcomes Carlos Sainz Jr. to its stable for the 2021 season. A rising star in Formula One, Sainz enters his seventh full-time season in F1, having spent the previous six seasons competing for teams like Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren, and will attempt to become the second competitor from Spain to win in Formula One.

    The Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda team is coming off its first full-time season since being rebranded from Toro Rosso, where the team emerged victorious in the 2020 Italian Grand Prix and settled in seventh place in the final constructors’ standings. The competitor who recorded the team’s first victory since being rebranded was Pierre Gasly, who became the first French winner in Formula One in over two decades and notched a 10th-place result in the 2020 drivers’ standings. The 2021 season will mark Gasly’s fourth full-time season in the sport as he aims to repeat the on-track success he experienced the previous season. New to the team and in F1 for this season is Yuki Tsunoda, a 20-year-old native from Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan, who settled in third place in the 2020 Formula 2 standings while competing for Carlin and replaces Daniil Kvyat as a rookie Formula One competitor.

    Ending up in eighth place in the constructors’ standings last season and for a second consecutive season was the Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen team, which was rebranded from Sauber since 2019. Despite standing as a bottom mid-field team, Alfa Romeo is one of three teams retaining its driver lineup from the previous season for this upcoming season, featuring Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi. Räikkönen, the 2007 Formula One champion, will enter his 21st season in F1 competition in 2021 while Giovinazzi will be making his third full-time season start in Formula One.

    Compared to a majority of Formula One teams that will feature one change to a two-driver lineup, Uralkali Haas F1 Team will enter the 2021 F1 season with a completely new driver lineup with hopes of being competitive and becoming a top midfield team on the grid. Following a ninth-place result in the 2020 constructors’ standings, Haas dropped the hammer by releasing fellow competitors Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean. Replacing them for 2021 will be Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, both of whom will also be making their inaugural presence in Formula One. Schumacher, the son of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher, is coming off a Formula 2 championship-winning season with Prema Racing while Mazepin, the son of Dmitry Mazepin, Chairman of Uralchem Integrated Chemicals Company, won two 2020 F2 races with Hitech Grand Prix before settling in fifth place in the final standings.

    After concluding the 2020 season with zero recorded points, the 2021 Formula One season will mark the first full-time season that Williams Racing will compete under Dorilton Capital and without founder/co-owner Frank Williams and deputy team principal Claire Williams. Despite a new ownership, the Williams team retains its driver lineup for the 2021 F1 season, featuring George Russell and Nicholas Latifi. This upcoming season will mark the third full-time season in F1 competition for both Russell and Latifi.

    With 10 teams and 20 competitors on the grid, the 2021 Formula One season is set to commence on Sunday, March 28, at Bahrain International Circuit for the 17th running of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

  • Yuki Tsunoda joins AlphaTauri for 2021 F1 season

    Yuki Tsunoda joins AlphaTauri for 2021 F1 season

    Scuderia AlphaTauri announced that Yuki Tsunoda from Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan, will be joining the organization for the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship season, where he will embark on his first full-time season in F1 competition and be a teammate to Pierre Gasly.

    The 20-year-old Tsunoda is a current member of the Red Bull Junior Team and the Honda Formula Dream Project. He is coming off his first full-time season in Formula 2, where he competed with Carlin and achieved two Feature Race wins, a Sprint Race victory, seven podium results and a third-place result in the Drivers’ standings with 200 points, which was enough for him to earn a Formula One Super License.

    “Like most racing drivers, it has always been my goal to race in Formula 1, so I am very happy with this news,” Tsunoda said. “I want to thank Scuderia AlphaTauri, Red Bull and Dr. [Helmut] Marko for giving me this opportunity, and of course everyone from Honda, for all their support so far in my career, giving me great opportunities to race in Europe. I must also thank the teams that I have raced with to get to this point, particularly Carlin, with whom I have learned so much this year. I realise that I will be carrying the hopes of a lot of Japanese F1 fans next year and I will be doing my best for them too.”

    Starting off his racing career in karting, Tsunoda made his first two career stats in the F4 Japanese Championship season with Sutekina Racing Team in 2016. A year later, he returned for a full-time season in the series with the Honda Formula Dream Project, where he won his first three races and finished in third place in the final standings. He went on to capture the 2018 F4 Japanese Championship in a season where he won seven races.

    The following season, Tsunoda, who became a member of the Red Bull Junior Team along with the Honda Formula Dream Project, moved to Europe and competed in the inaugural FIA Formula 3 Championship season with Jenzer Motorsport, where he captured his first career victory at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza and finished in ninth place in the final standings. He went on to compete in the 2020 Toyota Racing Series with M2 Competition and in F2 with Carlin.

    In early November, Tsunoda ran his first test session in Formula One and in a 2018-spec AlphaTauri at Imola, where he covered 352 km and earned a Friday super license. He recently participated in the Young Driver Test with AlphaTauri at Abu Dhabi following the 2020 Formula One season, where the official announcement of him joining the team was made shortly after.

    “Red Bull has been following Yuki’s career for a while now and I am sure he will be a great asset to our team,” Franz Tost, Team Principal of AlphaTauri, said. “Watching him in Formula 2 this year, he has demonstrated the right mix of racing aggression and good technical understanding. During the test in Imola in November when he drove our 2018 car, his lap times were very consistent over a race simulation, he progressed throughout the day and gave our engineers useful feedback. In addition, his integration with the Honda engineers has been seamless, which certainly helps. At the test in Abu Dhabi this week, he proved to be a fast learner and that he is ready to make the step to Formula One.”

    Tsunoda’s entrance to Formula One means that he is set to become the 18th competitor from Japan to compete in Formula One, first since Kamui Kobayashi in 2014, along with the first competitor born in the 2000s to do so. His move also completes AlphaTauri’s two-driver lineup for the 2021 F1 season, with Pierre Gasly, winner of the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, returning for a fourth full-time campaign.

    This means that Daniil Kvyat, AlphaTauri’s second competitor, enters the 2021 season as a free agent. The 26-year-old Kvyat from Ufa, Russia, is coming off his sixth season in F1, where he earned seven top-10 results and finished in 14th place in the 2020 Drivers’ standings.

    Tsunoda is set to make his Formula One debut in the 2021 Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit on March 21.

  • 2020 Formula One season in review

    2020 Formula One season in review

    Twenty-three weeks (161 days) since its start, the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship season concluded on December 13 when the final checkered flag flew at Yas Marina Circuit following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. While another season of Formula One competition was stamped in the record books, this season has been like none others in recent years.

    Initially set to commence in March, the 2020 Formula One season was also set to mark the start of a new era of motorsports competition, highlighted with 22 Grand Prix events on the schedule and the sport celebrating its 70th anniversary of the first Formula One World Drivers’ Championship. Instead, everything changed in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of this year’s F1 season and several Grand Prix events were cancelled.

    Delayed for four months amid the pandemic, the season was able to make its highly anticipated start on the track in early July as new and familiar Grand Prix events along with old circuits made its way into a rescheduled calendar for a total of 17 events spanning six months.

    Throughout the season, the competitors and teams competed as a unity amid the COVID-19 pandemic while also expressing solidarity against acts of social injustices. Along the way, new and familiar faces rose to the spotlight both on and off the track while the dynasty of a multi-time champion took another step into history. In addition, a number of competitors concluded their final seasons with their current teams, with some set to embark on new adventures with new teams entering a new season while others await their future plans.

    With the 2020 F1 season concluded, here is a rundown of the teams and competitors that competed throughout this season as they look ahead to 2021.

    Amid a pandemic year, there was no denying another dominating on-track season for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, which claimed its record seventh consecutive Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships (573 points) and placed its two drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, atop the Drivers’ standings. Since the first Grand Prix event of this season, the Mercedes team was in total control of the championship standings for the drivers and the constructors, winning all but four of 17 Grand Prix events and all but two poles throughout the 2020 season. Following their latest victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in late November, the Mercedes team surpassed the Williams Racing team for the third-most victories in F1 with 115. After eclipsing Ferrari’s previous record of six consecutive Constructors’ championships, Mercedes has an opportunity in making more history and extending their championship streak to eight, which would move them into a tie with McLaren for the third-most Constructors’ titles.

    With 11 Grand Prix victories and another world championship added to his resume, Lewis Hamilton has taken another step towards history as he continues to shatter the record books following another dominating season with Mercedes. Compared to his previous championship seasons, this season was also like none other for the 35-year-old veteran from Stevenage, England, who started the season kneeling prior to every race and expressing solidarity towards the Black Lives Matter movement and against acts of racial injustices. It only took two races into the 2020 season for Hamilton to commence his run for the title when he won the Styrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Styria, Austria, and claimed his first victory of the season. From July to September, he went on to claim Grand Prix victories at Hungary, Great Britain’s Silverstone, Spain, Belgium and Italy’s Tuscany while finishing no lower than seventh. After finishing in third place in the Russian Grand Prix, Hamilton went on to win the following Grand Prix events in Nürburg, Portugal, Imola and Turkey. Following his win in the Portuguese Grand Prix, Hamilton surpassed seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher and became the all-time Grand Prix wins leader with 92. Two races later, he clinched his record-tying seventh world championship with a victory in Turkey and tied Schumacher for the most F1 titles. Two days after claiming his 95th career victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix, Hamilton was unable to compete in the upcoming Sakhir Grand Prix after testing positive for COVID-19 symptoms. With Williams’ driver George Russell filling in at Bahrain, Hamilton was able to return the following week and cap off the 2020 season in third place in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Despite being absent for a single race, he walked away with the championship and with a 124-point advantage over teammate Valtteri Bottas, leaving him one title short of holding the most F1 titles of all time. Currently, Hamilton does not have a contract to drive for Mercedes for next season, though he intends on having a new contract with the team set by Christmas.

    For a second consecutive season, teammate Valtteri Bottas opened a new season of Formula One racing by winning the season opener and he went on to finish in the runner-up spot in the final Drivers’ standings behind Lewis Hamilton. On this occasion, he settled behind Hamilton in the standings by 124 points compared to 87 last season. The 31-year-old veteran from Nastola, Finland, started the season with three consecutive podium results, including his win in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. He went on to win the Russian Grand Prix in late September and rack up seven additional podium results, including five additional runner-up results, for the remaining 14 events of the season. Throughout the season, he did not finish in the top 10 three times and he struggled during two Grand Prix events at Bahrain, which ended his title hopes for this season. Nonetheless, he concluded the season with a second-place result in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he also settled in second place in the Drivers’ standings for a second consecutive season. Currently, Bottas is set to return to Mercedes for the 2021 F1 season.

    Settling in the runner-up position in the 2020 Formula One Constructors’ standings with 319 points is the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team, which claimed its highest-points result in the standings since claiming second place in the Constructors’ standings following the 2016 F1 season. Despite trailing Mercedes throughout the season, Red Bull Racing, coming off its second season powered by Honda engines, rallied from double retirements in Austria to record two victories and 24 top-10 results throughout the season. With a win in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to cap off this season, Red Bull Racing aims to close the gap to Mercedes and return as world champions since winning four consecutive titles in 2010-13.

    If there is a current competitor on the grid who emerges as a potential championship threat for the 2021 season, it is Max Verstappen, who is coming off his sixth season in F1 competition. When the 2020 F1 schedule was re-drafted and the season opener was moved to the Red Bull Ring in early July, the 23-year-old Verstappen aimed to start the season on a strong note and with an advantage after winning the previous two Grand Prix events in Spielberg. Instead, his season started off on a low note when early electrical issues sidelined him. He rebounded from his early misfortune by finishing on the podium in the next six Grand Prix events. During this streak, he recorded the first victory of the season for himself and Red Bull Racing in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit in August. For the next nine Grand Prix events, he recorded four additional podium results, but sustained four retirements, which allowed Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to run away with the Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships for the 2020 season. While he did not claim his first F1 title, he recorded a dominating victory in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the pole, a victory which allowed him to conclude the season in a career-best third place in the Drivers’ standings with 214 points and provide a potential preview of his run for the 2021 title.

    Following his late but superb on-track audition with Red Bull Racing last season, Alexander Albon was given a full-time ride with Red Bull for the 2020 season with hopes of extending his strong performances and taking the next step in challenging for victories and podiums on a regular basis. His season started off, however, on a low note when he was involved in a late incident with Lewis Hamilton, where Hamilton spun Albon while he was in position of recording his first podium result. Since then, he went on a six-race streak of finishing in the top 10, with his best result being fourth place at the Styrian Grand Prix in July. A week after finishing 15th at the Italian Grand Prix, Albon prevailed over a late battle with Daniel Ricciardo to capture his first podium result in the Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello Circuit with a third-place finish. With his accomplishment, the 24-year-old Albon became the first Thai F1 competitor to achieve a podium result. During the next five races, however, he finished no higher than seventh place as he sustained a retirement and two results outside of the top 10. He rebounded during the final three races of the season by finishing in the top six on the track. Among his late accomplishments included his second career podium result in the Bahrain Grand Prix with a third-place result and finishing in fourth place in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In the end, Albon concluded his sophomore season in F1 in seventh place in the Drivers’ standings, one spot better than his rookie season, with 105 points. Despite a strong finish to this season, Albon’s F1 plans for next season remains uncertain.

    With Mercedes and Red Bull emerging as the two front-runners of the 2020 F1 season, it was also a victorious season for the McLaren F1 Team, which achieved two podium results and finished in third place in this year’s Constructors’ standings with 202 points following a strong consistent season for drivers Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris. The result marked McLaren’s return to the top three in the Constructors’ standings for the first time since 2012 and following a year-long battle against names like Racing Point and Renault. It also snapped McLaren’s seven-year span of finishing no higher than fourth place in the Constructors’ standings. With the McLaren Group coming off a new long-term investment deal into McLaren Racing from MSP Sports Capital, an American sports investment group, and switching from Renault to Mercedes engines for 2021, McLaren, winner of 12 Drivers’ championships and eight Constructors’ championships, aims to return as race winners and world champions in the coming years in F1 competition.

    Following a strong 2019 season with McLaren, Carlos Sainz Jr. started this season on another strong note by finishing in fifth place in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. The 26-year-old native from Madrid, Spain, backed it up by finishing ninth in the Styrian Grand Prix while also recording the fastest lap of the race and finishing ninth again the following Grand Prix at Mogyoród, Hungary. During the next four Grand Prix events, Sainz’s best result was sixth place at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, his home track. The lowlight during the stretch was failing to start the Belgian Grand Prix during to a power unit issue. He rallied back in early September by collecting his second career podium result at Italy’s Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, where he notched a career-best second place behind race winner Pierre Gasly. Despite retiring the following two Grand Prix events at Tuscany and Russia, Sainz concluded the season by finishing in the top 10 for the remaining seven events. In the end, he contributed to McLaren finishing in third place in the Constructors’ standings as he settled in a career-best sixth place in the Drivers’ standings with 105 points. Despite a successful two-year run with McLaren, Sainz is set to join Scuderia Ferrari for the 2021 F1 season.

    Like Sainz, teammate Lando Norris had a productive on-track season that started off on a bright note when he captured his maiden podium result in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. Though he initially crossed the finish line in fourth place, the 21-year-old native from Bristol, England, benefitted from Lewis Hamilton being penalized five seconds on the track due to being involved in a late incident with Alexander Albon to finish 4.8 seconds behind Hamilton and move into third place on the track, thus becoming the third podium sitter in F1 at age 20 years, seven months and 22 days. Throughout his sophomore campaign in F1, Norris achieved 13 top-10 results, including the final five events of the 2020 season and two fastest lap times in two Grand Prix events with only one retirement. Like Sainz, Norris contributed to McLaren finishing in third place in the Constructors’ standings as he settled in ninth place in the Drivers’ standings, two spots better than his rookie season, with 97 points. Unlike Sainz, Norris will remain as a McLaren F1 competitor for the 2021 season.

    If there was a team that fought through adversity and intimidated McLaren for third place in the Constructors’ standings all the way to the final checkered flag of the season, it was the BWT Racing Point F1 Team. In the team’s second full-time season as Racing Point, the team achieved an abundant of on-track success amid challenges and a disappointing start to this season. The low moment for the team occurred in July when protests coming from Renault were launched over the team’s use of brake ducts not designed by Racing Point themselves and copying the ducts used by Mercedes in 2019. In between back-to-back Grand Prix events at Silverstone, United Kingdom, the team was fined €400,000 and docked 15 points in the Constructors’ standings after Renault’s protests were upheld. In addition, Racing Point’s two drivers, Sergio “Checo” Perez and Lance Stroll, were absent from a Grand Prix event after testing positive for COVID-19 symptoms. Their absences allowed veteran Nico Hülkenberg to fill in as a relief competitor for a total of three races. Amid the challenges throughout the season, Racing Point remained in contention to emerge as the third-best team in 2020 while achieving its first victory in the Sakhir Grand Prix with Perez. While the team achieved a total of 24 top-10 results between its two-car lineup, late on-track issues during the Grand Prix events in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi left Racing Point behind McLaren as the third-best team in 2020 by seven points. Nonetheless, the fourth-place result in the Constructors’ standings (195 points) marks the team’s best best points results since the 2017 Formula One season when the team competed as the Sahara Force India F1 Team. With the 2020 season concluded, Racing Point is set to rebranded as Aston Martin F1 Team for the 2021 season.

    In his 10th season as an F1 competitor, Sergio “Checo” Perez is coming off a career-defining season that currently leaves him uncertain of his status for next season. The 30-year-old veteran from Guadalajara, Mexico, started the season with three consecutive results in the top 10. His season, however, was placed in jeopardy when he was absent from the following two Grand Prix events at Silverstone due to testing positive for COVID-19 symptoms. During his absence, Nico Hülkenberg filled in, where he failed to make the starting grid for the British Grand Prix but rebounded with a seventh-place result in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. Returning in mid-August for the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Perez rebounded with a fifth-place result. From Spain in August through the Turkish Grand Prix in November, he went on a nine-race streak of finishing in the top 10 and collecting an abundant of points. During this span, he achieved his first elusive podium result since 2018 in the Turkish Grand Prix after coming home in a career-best second place behind the champion Lewis Hamilton. By then, however, it was confirmed that Perez will not be remaining with Racing Point for the 2021 season, though he initially inked a three-year contract extension with the team following the 2019 season. After retiring in the final laps of the Bahrain Grand Prix due to an engine failure and while having a podium spot within his grasp, Perez returned to Bahrain International Circuit with vengeance and won after rallying from an opening lap incident to claim his maiden F1 victory in the Sakhir Grand Prix and in his 190th career start. With his first F1 victory, Perez became the 110th different competitor to win a Grand Prix event and the first Mexican competitor to win a Grand Prix event since Pedro Rodriguez made the last accomplishment in the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix. His final ride with Racing Point, however, ended on a low note during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when an early technical issue sidelined the Mexican. Despite the bitter conclusion, Perez achieved a career-best fourth place in the Drivers’ standings with 125 points. Currently, his racing plans for next season are unknown.

    Like Perez, teammate Lance Stroll also achieved great success on the track in his fourth full-time season as an F1 competitor. Following an early retirement in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, the 22-year-old Stroll from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, went on a seven-race streak of finishing in the top 10 and collecting an abundant of points. By then, he was coming off his second career podium result after finishing in third place in the Italian Grand Prix in early September. The next five Grand Prix events, however, did not fall in Stroll’s favor as he suffered three retirements. In addition, he withdrew from competing in the Eifel Grand Prix in October due to testing positive for COVID-19 symptoms, which allowed Nico Hülkenberg to fill in for his third race as a Racing Point interim competitor. Stroll rebounded the following event on the schedule, Turkish Grand Prix, by capturing his maiden pole position and becoming the first Canadian F1 pole winner since Jacques Villeneuve made the last accomplishment at the 1997 European Grand Prix. He also was one of two F1 competitors not driving for Mercedes to win a pole position throughout the 2020 season. He went on to finish in ninth place during the main event. A week after flipping early in the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit, Stroll again rebounded by claiming his third podium result of his career, second of the season, in the Sakhir Grand Prix at Bahrain after finishing in third place, two spots behind teammate and winner Sergio Perez. He went on to cap off the season in 10th place in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and settle in a career-best 11th place in the Drivers’ standings with 75 points. With Perez departing, Stroll is set to remain with Racing Point that will be rebranded to Aston Martin.

    Another team that contended for the third-place spot in the Constructors’ standings throughout the 2020 season was the Renault DP World F1 Team. Following a difficult 2019 season, Renault’s two-driver lineup, featuring Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon, recorded a combined 24 top-10 results, six more than 2019, and three podium results along with two fastest time laps in two Grand Prix events, both with Ricciardo. The results, however, were not enough for the two-time world championship team to overtake McLaren and Racing Point in the Constructors’ standings, with Renault concluding the 2020 season in fifth place, equivalent to 2019, but with 181 points compared to 91 in 2019. Like Racing Point, Renault is set to be rebranded as the Alpine F1 Team for the 2021 season while sporting the French national colors of red, white and blue and compete with Renault engines. In addition, the team is excited to feature two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso as one of its two competitors for the 2021 season, which will mark Alonso’s return to Formula One competition since 2018.

    For Daniel Ricciardo, his second season with Renault started off on a low note when he retired in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix due to overheating issues. Compared to last season and despite the season-opening retirement, the 31-year-old veteran from Perth, Australia, did not record another retirement for the remainder of this season. Instead, he finished in the top 10 in all but two of the remaining 16 Grand Prix events and achieved two fastest lap times in two Grand Prix events. By the end of September, his best on-track result was fourth place (twice). During the following Grand Prix at Nürburgring, Germany, Ricciardo achieved his first podium result with Renault after finishing in third place behind race winner Lewis Hamilton and runner-up Max Verstappen. The podium result was Ricciardo’s first since winning the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix and the first for Renault since the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix. Two races later, he achieved another podium result in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Italy after finishing in third place. Afterwards, he capped off the season with four consecutive top-10 results and finished in fifth place in the Drivers’ standings with 119 points, his best result in the standings since 2017. Despite a successful 2020 run with Renault, Ricciardo is set to open a new chapter to his resume in 2021 as he will become a McLaren F1 competitor.

    After being left without a full-time seat for the 2019 season, Esteban Ocon began his comeback return in F1 this season when he replaced Nico Hülkenberg as one of Renault’s two competitors. The 24-year-old native from Évreux, France, started the season by finishing eighth in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. He then retired during the Styrian Grand Prix and finished 14th in the Hungarian Grand Prix before recording back-to-back top-10 results at Silverstone. Through the first 15 Grand Prix events of this season and entering the Bahrain Grand Prix, Ocon’s best on-track result was fifth place, which occurred during the Belgian Grand Prix in August. While he achieved eight top-10 results, he also sustained four retirements. Nonetheless, he managed to conclude the season on a positive note when he earned his maiden F1 podium result in the Sakhir Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit by finishing in second place in his 66th career start and behind ex-teammate Sergio Perez. A ninth-place result in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit following a late battle with Lance Stroll was enough for him to conclude the season in 12th place in the Drivers’ standings, the same spot he finished in following his previous full-time season in 2018 but with 62 points. Following an up-and-down season, Ocon is set to remain with Renault that will be rebranded to Alpine in 2021.

    For the first time since the 2014 Formula One season, Scuderia Ferrari did not conclude an F1 season in the top three in the Constructors’ standings. Instead, the team, which has achieved 16 Constructors’ championships, 15 Drivers’ championships and 237 victories, settled in sixth place in the standings with 131 points, their lowest points result since finishing 10th in 1980. In addition, the team failed to win a Grand Prix event since the 2016 season. Since the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, Ferrari struggled with pace and speed against the competition. Through the first half of the 2020 F1 season, the team only achieved two podium results with Charles Leclerc. While Leclerc improved with consistency in the second half of the season, teammate and former F1 champion Sebastian Vettel struggled throughout the entire season in finishing in the points for himself and the team. Following a difficult 2020 season, Ferrari looks to rebound and return to competitive form in 2021.

    After achieving his first two Grand Prix events, 10 podium results and a fourth-place result in the Drivers’ standings last season, Charles Leclerc opened his second full-time season with Ferrari by finishing in second place in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix following a slow start. Following two results outside of the top 10, he claimed his second podium result of the season in the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, which was followed with a fourth-place result in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. He then sustained two retirements during the next three Grand Prix events, which diminished his hopes for the 2020 F1 title. From Tuscany, Italy in September through Sakhir, Bahrain in November, Leclerc rallied by finishing in the top 10 in seven consecutive Grand Prix events, with a best result of fourth place (twice). Despite his late consistent surge, he concluded the season on a low note by retiring in the Sakhir Grand Prix following an opening lap multi-car crash and finishing 13th in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. When the checkered flag flew and the dust settled, Leclerc concluded the season in eighth place in the 2020 Drivers’ standings, four spots lower than his first campaign with Ferrari, with 98 points, the highest-finishing competitor with double-digit points. The 23-year-old Leclerc from Monte Carlo, Monaco, is slated to remain as a Ferrari competitor through 2024.

    Prior to this season’s start in July and during the pandemic, teammate Sebastian Vettel was thrown into the spotlight when it was announced that he will not be remaining with Ferrari following the 2020 season and following a six-year run with one of motorsport’s iconic names. When the season started, Vettel struggled with consistency and in keeping pace with the competition. Following the first half of the 2020 F1 season, nine races completed, Vettel’s highest-finishing result was sixth place, which occurred in the Hungarian Grand Prix in mid-July. In addition, he had achieved four additional top-10 results, but no podium results and two retirements. Vettel continued to struggle during the start of the second half of the season as he finished no higher than 10th place during the next four Grand Prix events. The following Grand Prix event in Turkey, Vettel captured his first elusive podium result of the season after crossing the finish line in third place. For the final three Grand Prix events of the season, however, he finished no higher than 12th place. In the end, Vettel capped off a long season of racing in 13th place in the Drivers’ standings, his lowest result since 2007, with 33 points. With his time with Ferrari complete, the four-time world champion from Heppenheim, West Germany, is set to join the Aston Martin F1 Team, rebranded from Racing Point.

    Coming home in seventh place in the Constructors’ standings and the final team with triple-digit points (107) is the Scuderia AlphaTauri team. Rebranded from Toro Rosso and a sister team to Red Bull Racing, the team finished one spot behind from last season in the Constructors’ standings, but achieved a fair share of on-track success in 2020. The team’s bright moment was winning the Italian Grand Prix in September with Pierre Gasly, which marked the team’s first victory as AlphaTauri but second overall since winning the 2008 Italian Grand Prix with Sebastian Vettel while known as Toro Rosso. Throughout the 2020 campaign, the team’s two-driver lineup, featuring Gasly and Daniil Kvyat, achieved a total of 17 top-10 results and gained points in all but two of 17 Grand Prix events this season. The results, however, were not enough for the team to join the battle for the third-best team in the Constructors’ standings, but the team remains poised to be competitive on the track next season.

    A year after being demoted from Red Bull Racing to Toro Rosso and achieving his maiden podium result at Brazil, Pierre Gasly experienced another first in his racing career this season. That first was his maiden Grand Prix win at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Italy in early September, where the 24-year-old native from Rouen, France, benefitted from an early pit stop and 10-second stop-and-go penalties handed to Lewis Hamilton and Antonio Giovinazzi to carve his way to the lead and hold off Carlos Sainz Jr. to score his first victory in F1 competition. With his accomplishment, he became the first French competitor to win a Grand Prix event since Olivier Panis made the last accomplishment in the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix. He also became the 109th different competitor to win a Grand Prix event and the first competitor not representing Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull to win an F1 race since Kimi Räikkönen won the 2013 Australian Grand Prix while driving a Lotus. In addition to his win, Gasly achieved 10 top-10 results throughout the 17-race schedule, four fewer than 2019, while also sustaining three retirements. By finishing in eighth place in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he was able to conclude his junior season in Formula One in 10th place in the Drivers’ standings with 75 points. Following a productive 2020 season highlighted with his maiden F1 victory, Gasly is set to remain with AlphaTauri for the 2021 season.

    Compared to Gasly, teammate Daniil Kvyat had an up-and-down season in his sixth campaign in Formula One. A year after collecting a podium result in Germany and 10 top-10 results, the 26-year-old native from Ufa, Russia, opened this season with two retirements and finishing no higher than 10th place (twice) through the first seven Grand Prix events in 2020. He rallied during the following three Grand Prix events in Monza, Tuscany and Russia, his home country, by finishing in the top 10. Following a two-race slump in Germany and Portugal, Kvyat recorded a season-best fourth-place result in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in November. For the final four Grand Prix events of the season, however, Kvyat finished no higher than seventh place as he settled in 14th place in the final Drivers’ standings, one spot lower than last season, with 32 points. Currently, Kvyat’s F1 plans for next season remain uncertain.

    Finishing in eighth place in this year’s Constructors’ standings with eight points is the Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen team. Compared to last season, where the team opened the season with four consecutive top-10 results, the team opened the 2020 campaign with a single top-10 result, which occurred in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix with Antonio Giovinazzi. Throughout the season, Alfa Romeo’s two-car lineup struggled to gain points and run towards the front. In total, the team secured a best on-track result of ninth place (three times) and five top-10 results, which was enough to emerge as the first team with single-digit points ahead of Haas and Williams (eight). Despite a difficult 2020 campaign, the team will retain its driver lineup, featuring Giovinazzi and Kimi Räikkönen, for the 2021 season.

    The 2020 Formula One season marked a career low for Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 F1 champion, as he recorded a career-low four points, two top-10 results and a final result of 16th place in the Drivers’ standings. Through the first nine races of this season, the 41-year-old veteran from Espoo, Finland, finished no higher than 11th place on the track. He was originally in position of battling for the lead and the win in the Italian Grand Prix in September until he faded in the late stages and finished in 13th place. During the second half of the season, Räikkönen managed to collect his first top-10 result and pair of points in the Tuscan Grand Prix in September. Four races later, he picked up another ninth-place result in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in November. Since then, his next highest result on the track was 11th place. In the end, Räikkönen tied teammate Giovinazzi as the highest-finishing competitor in the Drivers’ standings with single-digit points. With the 2020 season concluded, Räikkönen will remain as an Alfa Romeo F1 competitor next season.

    Following a difficult freshman season in Formula One, Antonio Giovinazzi started off the 2020 season on a stronger note by finishing in ninth place in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. It was not until the Eifel Grand Prix in October, however, until the 27-year-old native from Martina Franca, Italy, picked up his second top-10 result of the season (10th place) as he suffered two retirements during the first 10 Grand Prix events this season. He managed to pick up his third top-10 result of the season in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in November following a 10th-place result. Since then, Giovinazzi struggled with pace. In the end, he concluded the season in 17th place in the Drivers’ standings, equivalent to the 2019 season, but with four points, 10 fewer than his rookie season. Like Räikkönen, Giovinazzi will retain his seat with Alfa Romeo in 2021.

    Emerging as the next-to-last team scored in this year’s Constructors’ standings is the Haas F1 team, which achieved a career-low three points in its fifth season in competition. Like last season, the Haas F1 Team struggled with their VF-20 and keeping pace with the competition. It took three races into the 2020 season for the team to achieve their first points of the season with Kevin Magnussen finishing in 10th place in the Hungarian Grand Prix in mid-July. Since then, the team picked up two additional points to this season with Romain Grosjean finishing in ninth place in the Eifel Grand Prix in October. Mired within their on-track struggles were 10 retirements, including a harrowing accident in the Bahrain Grand Prix that left Grosjean injured and sidelined for the remainder of the season. While the Haas F1 Team equalized their result in the Constructors’ standings from last season (ninth place), the team achieved a career-low three points. With the 2020 season complete, Haas is set to feature a new two-car lineup for the 2021 season, featuring Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher, and Nikita Mazepin from Moscow, Russia.

    With a single point recorded throughout this season, Kevin Magnussen recorded his fewest points in an F1 season since recording seven in 2016. His lone highlight in 2020 was finishing in 10th place in the Hungarian Grand Prix at Hungaroring in mid-July, the third event of the season, and recording the first point of the season for himself and Haas. Since then, his next highest result throughout the 2020 season was 12th place (twice) as he struggled to earn consistent results. In addition, the 28-year-old native from Roskilde, Denmark, sustained seven retirements throughout the season and he concluded the season in a career-low 20th place in the Drivers’ standings. Following six full-time seasons in Formula One, four with Haas, Magnussen is set to compete in the 2021 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with Chip Ganassi Racing.

    Like Magnussen, teammate Romain Grosjean endured a long 2020 season that came to a late conclusion. Through 14 of 17 Grand Prix events this season, the 34-year-old veteran who competed under the French flag finished no higher than ninth place, which occurred during the Eifel Grand Prix in October. His next highest-finishing result throughout the 2020 season was 12th place (twice) as he sustained two retirements. Grosjean’s season took a harrowing turn during the opening lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix in late November, when he made contact with AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat, spun and collided into the barriers in Turn 3 at full speed. The impact split Grosjean’s Haas VF-20 in half, where the driver slipped through the upper section of the barrier with the front half of the car and with flames being ignited following the crash. Miraculously, Grosjean was able to extract himself from the wreckage without any assistance before receiving on-track treatment and being transported to the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital by helicopter for further treatment for burns on his hands. After spending three nights in the hospital, he returned to Bahrain and his paddock to be with his team and greet the medical and track/safety workers, among which included Dr. Roberts and medical car driver Alan van der Merwe, who saved his life. While he did not compete in the upcoming Sakhir Grand Prix, he ultimately decided to conclude his five-year run with Haas early to focus on his recovery and health. With Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, filling in as a relief Haas competitor, Grosjean capped off the 2020 season in 19th place in the Drivers’ standings with two points. He currently has no racing plans lined up for 2021.

    Finally, the Williams Racing team capped off the 2020 campaign in last place in the Constructors’ standings with zero points. The team started the season on a promising note when Nicholas Latifi finished in 11th place in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. Throughout the season, the team’s best result on the track was 11th place (four times) while also sustaining seven retirements. The team’s low point of the season occurred in early September when Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal of Williams Racing, and the Williams family ended their 43-year involvement with Formula One following the Italian Grand Prix. The team was acquired by Dorilton Capital, an American investment group, for €152 million while remaining as Williams Racing and based in the United Kingdom. While the team’s two-driver lineup, featuring Latifi and George Russell, came close in recording a single point at certain Grand Prix events, the team ultimately settled in 10th place (last) in the Constructors’ standings for a third consecutive season.

    For much of the 2020 Formula One season, George Russell, dubbed as a future star in F1, was nowhere towards the front. The 22-year-old native from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England, achieved best results of 11th place (once) and 12th place (twice) while also sustaining four retirements through the first 15 Grand Prix events of this season. Then came an opportunity of a lifetime in the Sakhir Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit when Russell was selected to drive for the championship-winning Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in place of the champion Lewis Hamilton, who was absent due to COVID-19 symptoms. During his one-race absence from Williams, British-Korean racer Jack Aitken made his F1 debut in place of Russell. Starting the race on the front row along with Valtteri Bottas, Russell dominated the event. During a pit stop sequence in the late stages, however, Russell’s road to victory was stalled when a mix-up in the Mercedes’ pit lane over the tire installments for Russell and Bottas resulted with Russell making another pit stop to have the correct set of tires installed on his car. Dropping back to fifth place, Russell wasted no time carving his way back to the front as he worked his way back into second place Sergio Perez. Just as he had the pace and victory within sight, everything changed when he was forced to make a late unscheduled pit stop due to a left-rear tire puncture. Returning back on the track, he ended the race in ninth place. While he earned his first three points in Formula One racing and established the fastest lap during the race, he was left dejected over the late issue that cost him his first F1 victory. Despite returning to Williams the following week and finishing in 15th place in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Russell concluded the season in 18th place in the Drivers’ standings, two spots better than his rookie season. He is also due to remain with Williams Racing for the 2021 Formula One season.

    Unlike Russell, teammate Nicholas Latifi is coming off his first full-time campaign in Formula One racing, where he replaced veteran Robert Kubica. The 25-year-old rookie from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, recorded a strong 11th-place result in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. He picked up two additional 11th-place results throughout the season while also sustaining three retirements. In the end, Latifi was the lone full-time F1 competitor to not record a single point throughout the 2020 F1 season as he concluded the season in 21st place in the Drivers’ standings. Like teammate George Russell, Latifi will return for a second full-time campaign in F1 with Williams Racing in 2021.

    With the 2020 F1 season complete, the drivers and teams are currently in off-season before returning for the start of the 2021 Formula One World Championship season on March 21 at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit for the Australian Grand Prix, the first of 23 Grand Prix events slated on the provisional schedule.

  • 2020 Formula One Silly Season Update

    2020 Formula One Silly Season Update

    Following a five-month delay due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship season is more than a month away from concluding. While this year’s racing season is reaching its endpoint, preparations for the 2021 season are currently ongoing as the drivers and teams finalize their plans and lineup for a new season of racing.

    Following the final week of October 2020, three additional competitors were able to remove their names off of the Silly Season topic as they have a team to call home for 2021.

    The first was Pierre Gasly, who revealed on Wednesday, October 28, that he will be remaining with Scuderia AlphaTauri for next season.

    Gasly made his Formula One debut in the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix with AlphaTauri, known as Toro Rosso, and he competed with the team for the full 2018 season before being promoted to the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team for the 2019 season. Following the first 12 races, however, Gasly was demoted back to Toro Rosso following a difficult season and in favor of Alexander Albon, who was promoted to Gasly’s Red Bull seat. For the remaining nine races of the season with Toro Rosso, Gasly racked up five top-10 results, including his first podium result in the Brazilian Grand Prix after finishing in second place, and went on to conclude the season in seventh place in the final standings.

    Gasly remained with Toro Rosso when the team was rebranded to AlphaTauri for the 2020 season. In just his third full-time season in F1 competition, Gasly is having a career-defining season that was highlighted by winning his first Formula One career race in the Italian Grand Prix in September after beating McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. Gasly’s victory served as a significant moment in F1 racing in multiple aspects, among which include becoming the first French F1 competitor to win since Olivier Panis made the last accomplishment in the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix, recording the second victory for the AlphaTauri team and becoming the first competitor not representing Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull to win an F1 race since Kimi Räikkönen won the 2013 season-opening event at the Australian Grand Prix while driving for the Lotus F1 Team.

    In addition to his first Formula One win, Gasly has finished in the top 10 in eight of the 12 races completed this season and he is in ninth place in the Drivers’ standings with 63 points, settling behind McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull Racing’s Alexander Albon in the standings.

    With Gasly set to return, AlphaTauri has yet to announce its full two-car lineup for next season, with the team’s current second competitor, Daniil Kvyat, uncertain about his racing plans for next season.

    Finally, Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi were revealed to remain with Alfa Romeo Racing for the 2021 season on Friday, October 30.

    Räikkönen joined forces with Alfa Romeo for the 2019 season and following a five-year run with Scuderia Ferrari. By then, it marked his second stint with Alfa Romeo that competed as Sauber when Räikkönen made his F1 debut in 2001.

    Throughout the 2019 season, Räikkönen achieved nine top-10 results, a season-best result of fourth place in the Brazilian Grand Prix and a 12th-place result in the final Drivers’ standings with 43 points.

    This season, it took Räikkönen nine races until he recorded his first top-10 result of ninth place. Following an 11th-place run in last weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix, the 2007 F1 champion is mired back in 17th place in the standings with two points. He has not won an F1 race since the 2018 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

    Like Räikkönen, Giovinazzi joined Alfa Romeo as a full-time F1 competitor for the 2019 season. By then, he had made two Formula One career starts in 2017 as a relief competitor for Alfa Romeo and he served as a reserve/test driver for Alfa Romeo, Haas F1 Team and Ferrari throughout the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

    Unlike Räikkönen, Giovinazzi struggled in his first full-time season in F1 racing as he achieved four top-10 results, a season-best rest of fifth place in the Brazilian Grand Prix and a 17th-place result in the final Drivers’ standings with 14 points.

    This season, Giovinazzi has recorded two results in the top 10, three points and is in 16th place in the Drivers’ standings, one spot ahead of teammate Räikkönen. Both Alfa Romeo competitors are among four competitors who have achieved only single-digit points through 12 of 17-scheduled races this season.

    Gasly, Giovinazzi and Räikkönen are among 14 competitors who have a seat for next season. This includes two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso, who is set to return to the sport following his retirement in 2018 and drive for Alpine F1 Team, renamed from Renault, alongside Esteban Ocon.

    That leaves six of 20 seats on the grid vacant and a handful of competitors uncertain about their plans for next season. This includes Lewis Hamilton, the reigning six-time Formula One champion and the new all-time wins leader in Formula One who is en route to his seventh title and who is currently in his eighth season with the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, though contract extension talks between the driver and the team have not yet started.

    Another name who remains on the Silly Season topic is Nico Hülkenberg, who filled in as a relief competitor for the BWT Racing Point F1 Team in three races this season but has not raced a full F1 season since 2019 with Renault.

    Other names still on the Silly Season topic include Alexander Albon, Daniil Kvyat, Sergio “Checo” Perez and Lance Stroll. Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen are also placed on the Silly Season topic after the Haas F1 Team announced on Wednesday, October 22, that both will not remain with the team for the 2021 season.

    While preparations for the 2021 Formula One season continue, the 2020 F1 season is down to its final five races of the season. The competitors are set to return on Sunday, November 1, at Imola’s Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.