Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Thanks to a chance meeting with Max Mosley on an international flight to the South African GP in 1975, I became the circuit manager some five years later. Kyalami was, without doubt, one of the most popular tracks on the Formula 1 calendar, and I was looking forward to my first GP in the role. It was scheduled for February 7th 1981. Little did I know what was in store!

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The build-up to that Nashua sponsored South African Grand Prix was marred by F1 politics, a battle royale between Bernie Ecclestone (FOCA) and Jean-Marie Balestre (FISA). It came as a real blow when we were eventually advised that the FISA Teams, namely Ferrari, Renault, Alfa Romeo, Talbot Ligier, and Osella, were ordered by FISA not to fly to Kyalami.

Planning a Grand Prix is challenging at any time; this thunderbolt heralded a significant problem for us. However, following many threats and counter-threats, it was eventually decided that the race would go ahead, but with a grid of just 19 Ford Cosworth-powered cars. It seemed surreal that the famous red cars from Maranello would not be amongst those racing in front of a passionate South African crowd that year.

I’d organised a special event on the morning of the GP for the tens of thousands of spectators who’d arrived from all over South Africa in the days leading up to the race. In those days, spectators drove their cars, bakkies, trucks, caravans and motorhomes right up the track’s perimeter fencing, creating extraordinary viewing, sleeping and eating edifices out of scaffolding, timber and anything else to hand. Alcohol flowed freely from the time of arrival, that was for sure, and by the time GP morning arrived, the crowd was very eager for action.

Our guest today, Nigel Essam, runs a known event company, Red Eye Events, one of the biggest providers of secondary hospitality over the Monaco GP, hosting 1200 people, including royalty on trackside yachts over the weekend.

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Nigel started this company after attending Monaco as a guest and seeing there was the opportunity to do things better, so he chartered a boat the next year and grew it from there despite having no contacts at the start – so it’s quite an exciting story! But today, he’s here to talk to the Paddock magazine as the Commercial Director of Guestia, an exciting new venture. And we’re more than thrilled to have him answer a few honest questions.

Nigel, how would you briefly describe Guestia to a person who hasn’t heard of it yet?

Guestia is an event and travel app that transforms how organisers manage and communicate with guests by taking all event information online. It provides a tech solution for sponsors, sports teams, and agencies who want to give guests all their personalised event and travel information in one app, rather than emailing and printing off endless guest packs and itineraries. McLaren currently uses the app for their race team travel, which means any changes can be updated in real-time and communication can happen instantly, through notifications, alerts or messaging. All of this saves a lot of paper.

Valhalla concept evolved into a true driver-focused, production reality supercar. Intense performance combined with pinpoint dynamics for unprecedented driver involvement and driving experience. New 950PS Hybrid powertrain mates bespoke 750PS twin-turbo V8 ICE with twin E-Motors. All-new 8-speed Dual Clutch Transmission equipped with e-reverse and e-diff. Active aerodynamics produce 600kg of downforce for a sub-6:30 Nürburgring lap time target.

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Aston Martin’s transformational journey takes a huge step forwards with the Valhalla concept car brought to production reality as an extraordinary, truly driver-focused mid-engined hybrid supercar.

Led by Aston Martin’s CEO, Tobias Moers, Valhalla is the latest and most significant product of the brand’s Project Horizon strategy to date; a car that will broaden the model portfolio to reflect Aston Martin’s presence in Formula One®, set best-in-class standards for performance, dynamics and driving pleasure, and drive the transition from internal combustion to hybrid to fully electric powertrains.

Aston Martin’s Executive Chairman, Lawrence Stroll, said: “Aston Martin’s first series production mid-engined supercar, Valhalla is a truly transformational moment for this ultra-luxury brand. The launch of Valhalla demonstrates Aston Martin’s commitment to building a range of exceptional mid-engined driver-focused cars, a crucial next stage in the expansion of our product line-up. It also seemed fitting to unveil this stunning track biased supercar at the home of motorsport and the home of the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula OneTM Team and marks Aston Martin’s return to the British Grand Prix; for the first time in over 60 years, a true milestone.”

Best of British: Red Bull Racing Formula One team takes on Spitfire, bus and black cab ahead of Silverstone race.

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Max Verstappen heads into this weekend’s sold-out British Grand Prix looking to build on his F1 title lead and he warmed up for the race by featuring in a video that sees the RB7 car take on some of the most iconic British vehicles; including a Spitfire, night bus and London black cab. Here is all you need to know:

The Dutchman currently leads Lewis Hamilton by 32 points after nine rounds of the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship with Red Bull Racing Honda holding a 44-point constructors’ lead over rivals Mercedes.

With the paddock gearing up for a new Sprint Race format around Silverstone, the video sees the Red Bull Racing RB7 pitted against some of the most recognisable British vehicles of the 21st Century in a never-seen-before battle.

This coming Sunday, before the start of the British Grand Prix, a historic race that has been on the calendar in every year of the world championship, Scuderia Ferrari will celebrate in a special way, the 70th anniversary of the first of its 238 Formula 1 wins. It happened on 14 July 1951 courtesy of the Argentinian driver Jose Froilan Gonzalez at the wheel of a 375 F1.

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Charles as “El Cabezon”. One of these legendary cars has made the journey to England from the Officina Classiche in Maranello, where it has been completely restored over the past few months. Once again, therefore, the sound of the 375 F1 12 cylinder engine will ring out around Silverstone, courtesy of Charles Leclerc, winner of two Formula 1 races with the Scuderia, just like “El Cabezon,” as Gonzalez was known in racing circles.

Evolution meets tradition. A lot has changed since 1951, especially the cars, but luckily so too has the level of safety, exemplified by the Silverstone circuit, now with more corners than 70 years ago. After all, Formula 1 is a sport in a state of constant evolution, in which technological research is pushed to the limit and attention to detail is everything. However, it is also true that, at the heart of this sport, there are values, traditions and partnerships that endure over time. Back in 1951, the Scuderia used Shell lubricants, Pirelli tyres and SKF bearings, just as it does today.

Special logo. To celebrate 70 years since Ferrari’s first Formula 1 win, the SF21s driven by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will feature a special logo on the halo for this weekend. The car covers will be off this weekend! In addition, in honour of Italy winning the Euro2020 football tournament last Sunday, 53 years on from its previous success in 1968, the SF21s will also carry the hashtag #grazieAzzurri.

The French GP returns to the F1 calendar after its cancellation last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Circuit Paul Ricard hosting the seventh round of the 2021 season. But as bookmakers, this is the right time to. You can visit https://smartbettingguide.com/ for more chances and insights on the latest F1 betting.

Only four points separate Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the top of the drivers’ standings after both drivers failed to score in Azerbaijan. The points allowed Sergio Perez to claim his first win for Red Bull ahead of Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly.

Paul Ricard has been a great circuit for Mercedes over the years as it looks set to retaliate after two disappointing races in Monaco and Baku. Ferrari is expected to struggle despite successive pole positions. At the same time, Alpine hopes for a strong result at home, especially as Esteban Ocon has just signed a new three-year contract extension.

Sums up the highlights from Friday’s French GP F1 practice at Circuit Paul Ricard, where Mercedes and Red Bull alternately led the session.

Absent from the 2020 Formula 1 calendar, the French F1 Grand Prix is ​​back this weekend at the less famous Paul Ricard Circuit for most fans.

This year, Red Bull threatens to end Mercedes’ domination like never before. The Austrian team won the last five races on the calendar while Mercedes found out the real first moment of crisis. Let’s find out the reasons for this unsuccessful period.

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In Formula 1, all teams aspire to win and lay the foundations of domination that could last for many years. It was like this for McLaren, for Ferrari, for Williams and Red Bull. But since the 2014th season, Mercedes has started its time, with the Stuttgart-based manufacturer able to win seven drivers’ championships and World Constructors’ Championship as well in a row. Since the end of last year, some imperceptible crunches have begun. But never as in this season, the Mercedes’ era is likely to end up under the blows of the Red Bull team now on par or maybe more potent than the Silver Arrows. The last two races in Austria are the clearest example of the German team crisis.

Verstappen and Red Bull won both races in Zeltweg without any problems making their leadership stronger in drivers’ standing. In comparison, Lewis and Valtteri complained about the lack of race pace and poor handling of their cars. The reason why Mercedes is showing this lack of speed reflects throughout Toto Wolff’s words: “It is a very, very tricky decision because we have new regulations not only for next year but for the years to come, a completely different car concept. And you’ve got to choose the right balance, and pretty much everybody’s going to be on next year’s car.”

Introduction

For the second time in as many weeks, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen enjoyed a serene drive to victory at the Red Bull Ring, leading every lap of the 2021 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix from pole position – much to the delight of the thousands of orange-clad fans who flocked to cheer him to a third victory in a row.

In contrast to the Styrian Grand Prix, Verstappen faced no real threat from behind, even having enough time to take an extra pit stop with 10 laps to go to ensure an extra point for fastest lap – and a first ever ‘grand slam weekend’, with pole, fastest lap and victory, having led every lap.

Behind him, championship rival Lewis Hamilton worked his way up to the second place from P4 on the grid before aerodynamic damage, picked up by running over exit kerbs, slowed his progress, allowing both Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas and McLaren’s Lando Norris to get past.

Despite heavy pressure from Norris, who was awarded Driver Of The Day honours, Bottas held on for P2, with the McLaren driver taking a third podium finish of the season in P3. Hamilton held on for fourth but slipped from 18 to 32 points behind Verstappen in the championship standings.

Home Deluxe, a German online retailer, and Uralkali Haas F1 Team signed a partnership agreement today. Specializing in the online distribution of items for both the home and garden, Home Deluxe – which was founded in 2009 by entrepreneur Alexander Thoss, successfully ensures that deluxe products are accessible to everyone while at the same time showcasing that quality does not need to mean expensive.

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In partnering with Uralkali Haas F1 Team, Home Deluxe will enjoy branding on the team’s VF-21, driven in the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship by Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher, with their logo also featuring prominently throughout additional team assets for the remainder of the season.

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal of Uralkali Haas F1 Team commented:

Home Deluxe was born out of a desire to offer something different to the German consumer and it’s that entrepreneurial spirit and forward-thinking innovation that makes the brand a great fit with us.

The FIA announced that rules concerning pit stops in F1 would change from the next Hungarian Grand Prix with ambitions to improve the safety of drivers and mechanics. Let’s find out why the Federation stated this change.

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F1 pit stops are the most important moments during a race. They can reach maximum tension conditioning race’s result both positively and negatively. In the last few years, some accidents have happened in this phase. One of the scariest mishaps took place in Bahrain in 2018 when Kimi Raikkonen restarted because the green light turned on very soon while his mechanics were changing his tyres. This fact caused some physical problems to one mechanic and a fine for Ferrari for unsafe release.

If someone wants to go back to the past decades of Formula 1, the history is full of these accidents. It has happened to Verstappen in the German Grand Prix in 1994 and Massa in Singapore in 2008, where this accident probably caused the loss of the championship for the Brazilian driver.

The new Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro takes the ultimate hypercar genre to new extremes. Radical design is an extreme evolution of the Valkyrie Le Mans racer concept. Designed to be capable of lapping 24H. Le Mans circuit in 3mins 20seconds. Features new longer wheelbase/wide-track chassis and unique aerodynamic package.

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First came the revolutionary Aston Martin Valkyrie road car. Now comes the radical evolution, in the sensational form of the new Valkyrie AMR Pro: a machine that takes a car designed to win the Le Mans 24 Hours as its starting point, then pushes further to explore extremes of performance unconstrained by racing regulations or registration for road use.

In 2019, Aston Martin, Adrian Newey, Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBAT) and engineering partner Multimatic worked intensively on an Aston Martin Valkyrie race car design, aimed at winning the 24H Le Mans race in the new Hypercar class. That well-advanced design has now formed the basis of the radical new Valkyrie AMR Pro.

Where the original concept proposal – first seen at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show – was very much an exercise in squeezing as much performance from the road-legal Valkyrie platform, the new Valkyrie AMR Pro benefits from the Le Mans project’s pure, race optimised chassis, aerodynamic and powertrain developments. Moreover, with its design and performance freed from race rule constraints, the AMR Pro’s capabilities now exceed those of the machine designed to challenge for outright victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Pirelli is the sole Formula 1 tires supplier for 11 years, who have always distinguished itself by stability and quality of their products. Tires have a crucial influence on the choice of racing strategies and speed, and one of the main goals of the Italian team is to make the races as exciting and spectacular as possible.

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Pirelli has been subjected to harsh criticism from the drivers due to unpleasant surprises during the races – punctures or explosions that can lead to sad events. The first problem had occurred in 2013 when the tires burst in Silverstone on the cars of four drivers-Hamilton, Massa, Vergne and Perez. After the race, Pirelli pleaded guilty and reinforced the tires. Of course, there were some other incidents. However, it was rare and related to the excessive self-confidence of the teams or the debris on the track.

The last two seasons turned out to be disastrous. Failure after failure haunts Pirelli. Verstappen had DNF due to a tire explosion in Imola 2020. He lost a win and important points for him in the championship. Hamilton had to finish on three wheels in Silverstone 2020 and almost lost the victory. Only a big advantage over Verstappen helped him keep up ahead. In addition to that, there were many other incidents related to Pirelli. After that, Pirelli decided to change the tire’s power cord design to make it more durable and prevent a string of failures that occurred last summer. Overall, the tires have become slower. It offsets by the fact that today’s tires are stronger and more durable. The drivers were again unhappy due to the loss of speed. But safety comes first.

The troubles continue. During the race in Baku 2021, Stroll and Verstappen have DNF due to tire explosions. The teams were furious. Pirelli stated they are not in a breach of the operating rules and that the teams blame the Italian outfit for everything.

Ferrari awarded the three stars of the FIA Environmental Accreditation Programme. The programme developed by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile aims at helping key players in the motorsport and automotive sector measure and enhance their environmental performance by means of an independent certification process.

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The FIA Environmental Accreditation Programme is based on existing best practices in environmental sustainability, primarily the ISO 14001. Ferrari, who was previously awarded the certification in 2001 – with a renewal in 2016 to comply with the latest ISO 14001:2015 standards – have continued to press forward to achieve the three-star level, the highest level of accreditation.

Over the years, the Group has strived to lower energy consumption and minimise its environmental impact by adopting innovative solutions and using renewable sources at manufacturing facilities. This result can be attributed, among others, to meticulous management of energy requirements, 81% of which was covered by Maranello’s trigeneration system, while almost 99% of the remaining energy was purchased from certified renewable sources.

Ferrari’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact, however, is not new and has already produced noteworthy results. By 2020, the group had achieved its goal of reducing the CO2 emissions of its European fleet by an estimated 35% compared to 2007 levels.

Recently, Stefano Domenicali, F1 President and CEO, announced that in 2023 the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix will be held at the new Igora Drive circuit near St. Petersburg. Sochi Autodrom will host the world championship stage for the next two years. Let’s see what the new track is all about.

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Igora Drive is a modern race track, which was built in 2019. The author of the project is German architect Hermann Tilke. The circuit, which is located 54 kilometres from St. Petersburg, is the whole racing complex. It includes ten professional tracks for road and circuit racing, drift, rallycross and motocross, karting, pair racing, as well as a centre for emergency training.

The length of the track is 4086 meters. Its width is 12-16 meters, and there are 14 turns and height differences. The maximum speed is 280 km/h. In 2020, Igora Drive received the FIA Grade 1 license – this is the highest category, which allows it to host competitions of any level, including the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Introduction

2021 Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix was great for Max Verstappen, who claimed a second win in seven days with a great victory, enjoying a dominant lights-to-flag performance at the Red Bull Ring over the Mercedes of title rival Lewis Hamilton, as Valtteri Bottas claimed third ahead of Sergio Perez.

Following on from his win in the French Grand Prix, Verstappen led away from pole position at a dry Red Bull Ring, leading every lap of the race to claim his 14th career win, and his third at his team’s Red Bull Ring home track.

The Dutchman duly stretched his lead over Hamilton to 18 points in the drivers’ standings, after the Mercedes driver was unable to offer any serious answer to Verstappen’s pace on race day, although he was at least able to limit the damage after taking the bonus point for fastest lap thanks to a late pit stop.

Having started P5 after his grid drop for spinning in the pit lane on Friday, Bottas was able to claim third, holding off a late charge by the second Red Bull of Perez for Finn’s first podium since the Spanish Grand Prix.