Swiss has a complex task as team principal – ending the Mercedes stranglehold while F1 faces environmental concernsWith his shock of dark hair and his round black-framed spectacles, Mattia Binotto looks as though he might have taken his masters degree at the University of Modena in the theories of the Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci rather than motor vehicle technology. But it is the 49-year-old engineer whose success or failure in a new role is likely to define Formula One’s short-term bid to preserve its credibility as it begins its 70th season in Melbourne on Sunday.In a world increasingly aware of climate change, the sport is engaged in a bout of introspection. Does an intrinsically frivolous exercise that so flagrantly depends...
In the absence of Ferrari and Mercedes, the new documentary allows characters like the acerbic Haas team principal, Guenther Steiner, to shine and show F1’s human faceSkill, drama, spectacle and of course entertainment are the elements that should drive Formula One with, hopefully, a fine narrative to push the show along. Netflix certainly believes the sport has a story to tell, even though the two biggest names involved – Ferrari and Mercedes – refused to play ball when their cameras roamed the paddock last season. The result, Formula 1: Drive To Survive, is released on Friday and as it turns out, Netflix perhaps achieved something even more intriguing in their absence.The 10-part series was made by executive producer James Gay-Rees,...
Ferrari lead the field, Red Bull-Honda are showing promise and the midfield scrap looks set to be even more hotly contestedThat Ferrari have a good, potentially great, car this year was clear by the end of the first day of testing when Sebastian Vettel was positively purring at how the SF90 had performed. By the end of day eight, his optimism had been entirely justified and they must be considered favourites going into the first race in Melbourne on 17 March. Definitive judgments from testing are dangerous but the Scuderia’s form is impossible to ignore. Vettel set the fastest lap, with a time of 1min 16.221sec. They completed 997 laps in total, second only to Mercedes, while their engines look...
Spaniard returns to his old team, initially with only mentoring duties, as he continues his pursuit of the triple crownThe irrepressible Fernando Alonso’s farewell to Formula One at the end of last season may not have been the final curtain.McLaren are testing in Barcelona and they revealed on Wednesday that the 37-year-old will now be an ambassador for the team and test their F1 cars over the next two years. Having the two-times world champion in their set-up is a boon while they rebuild with two far less experienced drivers but crucially it also ensures the Spaniard remains at the heart of McLaren and keeps his hand in should he make a return to F1 in 2021. Continue reading...
Formula One has come out of hibernation with some teams looking in better shape than others and questions over marketing activitiesA few days ago a man called James Allison made Formula One feel like something other than a lost cause. In a short promotional film the technical director of the Mercedes team – the winner of the last five world championships – explained what it takes to create and build a new grand prix car. His enthusiasm dispelled a lot of the scepticism surrounding the sport’s future.Allison made a compelling argument that F1’s core activity has not really changed over the decades. What his colleagues were doing over the winter as they assembled the new W10, which made its debut...