Reverse grids out and sprint races possibly in in Formula One.
Formula 1’s new President and CEO Stefano Domenicali has said that reverse grids will not be on the formula one radar for the foreseeable future.
However he has spoken about experimenting with Saturday sprint races as a way of changing up the weekend format.
He said this week that he was keen to try out Saturday sprint races with trials potentially happening as early as this season.
This could cause debate in the paddock as to do that means a lot of extra work on an already stretched crew in all the teams and the additions of three extra races on this years calendar.
He said “There are discussions going on with the teams, in the right forum. And I think that maybe this could be the only one thing that could be interesting.”
Grosjean to drive Indycar this season
We all know Romain Grosjean as a formula one driver and the man that was in the horrific crash in the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2020.
Romain and his Haas car hit a barrier and burst into flames with him managing to get out of the car after over twenty seconds.
He picked up some burns on his body most notably his hands with one of them still showing to be quite raw.
This week, he announced he will be competing in the 2021 IndyCar series for Dale Coyne Racing, however he will not be racing at the oval circuits there, a decision he made in the wake of his crash in Bahrain and after a period of reflection.
New year, new challenge! Super excited to go racing with @DaleCoyneRacing this year in @IndyCar .
I’ll be racing the Dale Coyne racing #51 with @RickWareRacing#r8g #indycar @MindMazeTech pic.twitter.com/Zhjcn3kgsN— Romain Grosjean (@RGrosjean) February 3, 2021
There were worries that he might not ever race again, such was the nature of his crash and his survival of it.
This week he said “I’m super happy and delighted, it’s going to be a nice challenge and a nice chapter for my next career path.”
“I got in contact with Dale Coyne before the Bahrain incident, I think… maybe a couple of weeks before Imola and we got on very nicely, and he made us an offer. I was going to do the full championship but then, obviously, Bahrain happened,” Grosjean explained.
“For a moment I thought I was dead, in Bahrain, and being a father of three kids I need to be sensible in my decisions, in my choices in the future and at the minute I don’t feel comfortable… for my kids and my wife, to race ovals – at least the speedways.”
His former Haas team mate Kevin Magnussen has already started racing in America with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Pierre Gasly tests positive for Coronavirus
AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly revealed on Sunday 31st January that he had tested positive for Covid-19.
The French driver was training in Dubai ahead of the new season and becomes the sixth formula one driver to be diagnosed.
— PIERRE GASLY 🇫🇷 (@PierreGASLY) January 31, 2021
Formula One Car launch dates
Only five teams so far have announced when they’re going to show off their new cars to the public.
The teams will unveil their cars in the next few weeks and on the week of pre-season testing which is in Bahrain this year.
Teams are required to carry over their 2020 chassis for the new season on cost-cutting grounds, so teams have had to get extra creative with their 2021 cars.
Car and team launch dates
| Date | Team | Location |
|---|---|---|
| February 15 | McLaren | Woking |
| February 19 | AlphaTauri | Virtual |
| February 22 | Alfa Romeo | Warsaw |
| March 2 | Mercedes | Virtual |
Daniel Ricciardo starts work with McLaren
Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo got his first look at the McLaren Factory this week when he paid a visit to start work with his new team.
He starts with the historical British team after leaving Renault at the end of last season and takes the seat vacated by Carlos Sainz who has joined Ferrari.
Check out the full video below in the link to see how he got on.
The first #McLarenUnboxed of 2021 is here! 📺🙌
Catch up with the team at McLaren HQ to see how @danielricciardo got on at his seat fit for the #MCL35M. Full video ➡️ https://t.co/7zT4Z4VujX pic.twitter.com/3KzfedUJOO
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) February 4, 2021
Irish Rally Tarmac Championships cancelled for 2021
Organisers of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship have cancelled this year’s championship due to the ongoing government restrictions in relation to Covid-19.
Earlier this week the TROA held a virtual meeting and came to the decision which in the light of things is not a surprise.
Already the Galway International Rally, West Cork and the Circuit of Ireland have fallen foul of restrictions.
TROA chairperson Colman Hegarty said: “The decision to cancel the 2021 championship was taken at a recent virtual meeting of the TROA board of directors. The decision was made because of the uncertainty surrounding the running of events given the current Covid-19 situation. Three events have already been cancelled and ongoing restrictions mean that there is a degree of uncertainty regarding the other four events. The board decided it was in the best interest of all stakeholders to cancel this year’s championship.”
As a result of ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, TROA has decided not to run the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship in 2021.
Organisers remain focused on bringing the series back to its former glory as soon as circumstances allow. pic.twitter.com/gyTSbq7SQN— Irish Tarmac C’ship (@IrishTarmacTROA) February 3, 2021
