Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

Racing Point have been fined $ 400,000 and deducted 15 penalty points after the FIA found them guilty of copying the design of last year’s championship-winning Mercedes. Protests were lodged by Renault following every race so far this season, with allegations that the brake ducts used on the cars driven by Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll were a carbon copy of those utilised by Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas last season. Having first lodged the protest immediately after the Styrian Grand Prix, the FIA upheld the protest and have subsequently punished Racing Point on the eve of the F1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone, reducing their championship tally from 42 to 27 points that drops them behind rivals Renault. The FIA stewards ruled that punishments of a $ 200,000 fine and a 7.5-point deduction should be applied to each car following the Styrian Grand Prix protest, while the subsequent protests following the rounds in Hungary and Britain resulted in reprimands only deemed “sufficient” punishment. Renault initially complained to the FIA on 12 July, the day of the Styrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, alleging that the “Racing Point uses front and rear brake air ducts on its RP20 chassis that are based on and near-identical to the same brake ducts of the Mercedes AMG F1 W10 used by Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in the 2019 season, with any potential differences being minor and the result of an evolution of an identical original geometry”. Racing Point submitted their formal technical response to the allegations 18 days later ahead of the British Grand Prix, where Renault lodged a third consecutive protest against the same component of the RP20. A change in the regulations between the 2019 and 2020 seasons meant that brake ducts were added to the list of classified listed parts, meaning that each team was responsible for designing and making their own product rather than rely on another team. Renault claimed that Racing Point had “received data and/or designs and/or information and/or actual parts from Mercedes” in 2019, which were then used in their design of the 2020 car, with similarities not attainable from photographic evidence alone. Racing Point argued that ‘reverse engineering’ is a “default starting process” within the sport, with teams regularly looking at successful models and working out what can be added to them to make them better, noting the “observable and demonstrable differences” between their brake ducts and those on the 2019 Mercedes. Having considered both sides of the argument, the FIA ruled that the rear brake ducts proved that Racing Point had copied the Mercedes’ rear brake ducts, which it noted was unsurprising “since it also did its best to copy the aerodynamic aspects of the rest of the Mercedes W10 including all of its other listed parts”. Had the protest been made against the front brake ducts alone, Racing Point would have been allowed to use them without breach of the regulations. It added that had Racing Point asked for clarification between September and November last year on whether they could use the Mercedes part in their design plans, “the FIA would have said definitely not” because the RP20 needed to conform to the 2020 regulations, and that their brake ducts “were designed in large part by Mercedes, not by Racing Point”. The FIA’s findings did however state that Racing Point breached the sporting regulations rather than the technical ones, and as a result the decision was taken not to disqualify them from any races this season or the Championship, with the Silverstone-based team showing “no deliberate intent to any breach of the regulations” as they fully believed what they were doing was within the rules. Racing Point will be free to use the brake ducts for the remainder of the 2020 season, and although teams have the right to appeal their use, the FIA has already determined that a reprimand will continue to be a sufficient punishment due to the original design breach being punished. Racing Point have until 10:30 am BST on Saturday to lodge an appeal against the decision.

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DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 4 RACES :

1. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 88 points
2. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes 58 points
3. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 52 points
4. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 36 points
5. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 33 points
6. Alexander Albon THA Red Bull 26 points
7. Sergio Perez MEX Racing Point 22 points
8. Lance Stroll CAN Racing Point & Daniel Ricciardo AUS Renault 20 points
10. Carlos Sainz jr. ESP McLaren 15 points
11. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri & Esteban Ocon FRA Renault 12 points
13. Sebastian Vettel GER Ferrari 10 points
14. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo 2 points
15. Kevin Magnussen DEN Haas & Daniil Kvyat RUS Alpha Tauri 1 point

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 4 RACES :

1. Mercedes 146 points
2. Red Bull 78 points
3. McLaren 51 points
4. Ferrari 43 points
5. Racing Point 42 points
6. Renault 32 points
7. Alpha Tauri 13 points
8. Alfa Romeo 2 points
9. Haas 1 point

Mexico's Sergio Perez will miss the British Grand Prix after testing positive for COVID-19. Racing Point driver missed his scheduled Thursday news conference appearance because of the inconclusive test. He remained in isolation until a retest came back positive, sidelining him for Sunday's race at Silverstone. Racing Point confirmed the replacement for Perez is Nico Hulkenberg, who raced for Renault last year and drove for Racing Point as recently as 2016, when the team was named Force India. A statement said : "With assistance of the local organiser of the British Grand Prix, local health authorities and the FIA COVID-19 delegate, a full track and trace initiative has been undertaken and all close contacts have been quarantined. "The procedures set out by the FIA and Formula 1 have provided for swift containment of an incident that will have no wider impact on this weekend's event".

DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 2 RACES :

1. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes 43 points
2. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 37 points
3. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 26 points
4. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 18 points
5. Sergio Perez MEX Racing Point 16 points
6. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 15 points
7. Carlos Sainz jr. ESP McLaren & Alexander Albon THA Red Bull 12 points
9. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri & Lance Stroll CAN Racing Point 6 points
11. Esteban Ocon FRA Renault & Daniel Ricciardo AUS Renault 4 points
13. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo 2 points
14. Sebastian Vettel GER Ferrari & Daniil Kvyat RUS Alpha Tauri 1 point

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 2 RACES :

1. Mercedes 80 points
2. McLaren 38 points
3. Red Bull 27 points
4. Racing Point 22 points
5. Ferrari 19 points
6. Renault 8 points
7. Alpha Tauri 7 points
8. Alfa Romeo 2 points

DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 1 RACE :

1. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes 25 points
2. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 18 points
3. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 15 points
4. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 12 points
5. Carlos Sainz jr. SPA McLaren 10 points
6. Sergio Perez MEX Racing Point 8 points
7. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri 6 points
8. Esteban Ocon FRA Renault 4 points
9. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo 2 points
10. Sebastian Vettel GER Ferrari 1 point

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 1 RACE :

1. Mercedes 37 points
2. McLaren 25 points
3. Ferrari 19 points
4. Racing Point 8 points
5. Alpha Tauri 6 points
6. Renault 4 points
7. Alfa Romeo 2 points

Result of the race :

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Next : 12th july (also ) GP of Austria ( next weekend ! )

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Finally the start of the Formula1 season 2020 begins tomorrow !!!!!!!!!

Schedule of the Gp of Austria

Friday 03/07 :
1st practice session : 11.00u 12.30u CET
2nd practice session : 15.00u - 16.30u CET

Saturday 04/07 :
3rd practice session : 12.00u - 13.00u CET
qualifying : 15.00u - 16.00u CET

Sunday 05/07 :
race : 15.00u CET

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

The French Grand Prix has been cancelled because of the Coronavirus pandemic, meaning Formula One's season is unlikely to begin until July at the earliest. Earlier this month the the country's president, Emmanuel Macron, said the ongoing coronavirus pandemic would likely extend France's ban on public events until mid-July. The Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France was due to host the race on June 28. The Austrian Grand Prix on July 5 is the next feasible starting point of the year. The Red Bull Ring hopes to hold an event behind closed doors. Originally it had been hoped Paul Ricard, which boasts 167 configurations and its own airstrip, could hold a behind-closed-doors race to kick off the season. However, given the amount of people required to hold an F1 race, organisers deemed this impossible. Circuit boss Eric Boullier, the former team boss of McLaren, said: "Given the evolution of the situation linked to the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the French Grand Prix takes note of the decisions announced by the French State making it impossible to maintain our event." Boullier said attention has already turned to the circuit's 2021 race. It is the 10th race to be either postponed or cancelled, with Formula One looking to repackage the postponed races into an 18- to 19-race calendar in the second half of the year.

The Canadian Grand Prix has officially joined the list of postponed 2020 Formula 1 races as the COVID-19 crisis continues to impact sport worldwide. Scheduled for 14 June, the Montreal event is the ninth to be lost thus far, leaving the French GP on 28 June on the bubble as the first race of this year's World Championship. Although it was supposed to be held only a week after the Azerbaijan GP, which was postponed on 23 March, Montreal had extra time to make a decision, because it requires less preparation than a street track. A new date is being sought, with sources suggesting that it could be later in the summer. In a statement the race organisers emphasised that local authorities had played a key role in the thought process. "This postponement was not a decision that was taken lightly or easily. Over the past month, we have been in constant communication with Formula 1 and representatives from the city of Montréal, Tourism Montreal and both provincial and federal governments. We have heard the directives issued by public health officials and as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic are following the expert guidance provided by the authorities. Our thoughts and most sincere thanks go to the men and women working tirelessly to keep us healthy, safe and fed during these uncertain times."

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has become the latest race of the 2020 season to be postponed, the organisers have announced. Officials from the Baku City Circuit said on Monday : "The postponement was agreed upon after extensive discussions with Formula 1 as well as the FIA and the Government of the Azerbaijan Republic. This comes as a direct result of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and has been based entirely on the expert guidance provided to us by the relevant authorities". It becomes the eighth race of the year to be postponed or cancelled , after the Australian, Bahrain, Vietnam, Chinese, Dutch, Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix, as the world reacts to the Coronavirus outbreak. After the first seven Grands Prix of the year were put on hold or called off, there had been hopes that the season could begin with the Azerbaijan race in Baku, but organisers have now confirmed the race will not go ahead as planned on June 7th.

The Monaco Grand Prix has been pulled from Formula One’s Coronavirus-hit schedule in another blow to the sport’s bosses. The prestigious race has been an ever-present on the calendar since 1955, but after its original date of May 24 was scrubbed off, race organisers confirmed their event would play no part in a rejigged calendar. Their cancellation came just hours after it was confirmed that Prince Albert of Monaco had tested positive for the deadly virus. In a statement, the Automobile Club of Monaco said : “The current situation concerning the worldwide pandemic and its unknown path of evolution, the lack of understanding as to the impact on the world championship, the uncertainty with regards to the participation of the teams… the multi-border restrictions for accessing the Principality of Monaco, the pressure on all implicated businesses, their dedicated staff who are unable to undertake the necessary installations, the availability of the indispensable workforce and volunteers (more than 1500) required for the success of the event means that the situation is no longer tenable.” The news that one of world sport’s grandest events will not feature at all in 2020 encapsulated another dramatic and sobering afternoon for F1’s owners’ Liberty Media, who had been hopeful of finding a new date for the Monte Carlo race. Seven of the sport’s opening 22 grands prix have now been called off, meaning the earliest the season can start is in Azerbaijan on June 7.
But whether that is actually feasible is up for debate given the fast-moving nature of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Formula One has confirmed the Dutch, Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix have been postponed because of the Coronavirus pandemic. The three races were due to take place in May, meaning the earliest the season can start is on 7 June in Azerbaijan. The announcement follows a conference call involving the FIA president, Jean Todt, F1 bosses Chase Carey and Ross Brawn and the 10 team principals on Thursday. A joint statement from F1 and the FIA said : “In view of the continued global spread of Covid-19 and after ongoing discussions with Formula One and the three promoters, it has today been confirmed the Dutch Grand Prix 2020, Spanish Grand Prix 2020 and Monaco Grand Prix 2020 will be postponed. Due to the ongoing and fluid nature of the Covid-19 situation globally, the FIA, Formula One and the three promoters have taken these decisions in order to ensure the health and safety of the travelling staff, championship participants and fans, which remains our primary concern. The FIA and Formula One continue to work closely with affected promoters and local authorities to monitor the situation and take the appropriate amount of time to study the viability of potential alternative dates for each grand prix later in the year, should the situation improve. The FIA and Formula One expect to begin the 2020 Championship season as soon as it is safe to do so after May and will continue to regularly monitor the ongoing Covid-19 situation.”

Formula 1 have postponed both the Bahrain and Vietnam Grands Prix amid the Coronavirus pandemic, according to reports. A statement on Friday morning confirmed that the decision has already been made to cancel the events, after the Australian and Chinese races were also wiped out. This month's Bahrain GP was already due to take place behind closed doors. It read: "Due to the continued global spread of COVID-19 and after ongoing discussions with the FIA, and race organisers a decision has been taken by all parties to postpone the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Vietnam Grand Prix due to take place on March 20-22 and April 3-5 respectively. "As a result, Formula 1 and the FIA expect to begin the Championship in Europe at the end of May but given the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Europe in recent days, this will be regularly reviewed".

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Regards
Shaky - Schumi

The 2020 Formula 1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix has been indefinitely postponed (probably cancelled), on the eve of the first day of free practics on Friday, triggered by the withdrawal of McLaren whose team members in Melbourne were struck with the virus. As the planet grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, F1 and the FIA have been accused of burying their heads in the sand by not postponing the start of the season this weekend in Melbourne. However circumstances stole the luxury of decision making, now the sport will have to count the costs and weigh up the repercussions of not having the foresight, amid calls to do so from swathes of the F1 community, to postpone Sunday’s opening race far earlier. The FIA and F1 chiefs met with team bosses until the late hours of the night to thrash out a solution, with mixed signals emerging as media speculated while contradicting one another. Sky F1 reporting the race was on, and BBC saying the opposite. The first hint of something amiss came earlier when FOM TV crews were told that they would not be working Friday at the track when FP1 and FP2 were scheduled to happen and were to remain in their rooms. The protracted decision to call off the weekend was made after consultation between the FIA, F1, race teams, race organisers and local health services. Earlier this month, when the sport faced the prospect of a team or two (from Italy) missing the opening round, F1 motorsport chief Ross Brawn told media, “If a team is prevented from entering a country we can’t have a race. Not a F1 world championship race, anyway, because that would be unfair. “Obviously if a team makes its own choice not to go to a race, that’s their decision,” he added, long before McLaren’s call today to do the latter. While talk of a doubleheader Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, behind closed doors was doing the rounds in the climate of disinformation prevailing on the ground in Melbourne, the reality is that it too is likely to be axed from the schedule as has the Chinese Grand Prix already. This week Bahrain suspended flights to and from Dubai where a large portion of the F1 entourage have to transit through. Meanwhile, the latest figures reveal that the island kingdom has the world’s fourth-highest per capita rate of positive Coronavirus cases. Hardly enticing for the sport whose six-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton is also questioning the wisdom of staging the race, admitting on social media that he feels safer in his hotel room.