Tag: F1

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It Is Time For Formula One To Adopt An IndyCar-Style Safety Team

Formula One needs to adopt an IndyCar-style safety team as an answer to the controversial 2021 Formula One title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

When Williams Nicholas Latifi crashed in the closing stages of the race last December the recovery team was volunteers like all of the track marshals involved in the sport.

While the FIA has a safety car driver and doctor who attend all races and wait in the pit-lane in cars and are dispatched after an incident there is no dedicated trackside safety like the NTT IndyCar Series has with the AMR Safety team which consists of firefighters and medical personnel.

The most important thing about the AMR Safety team is the fact that the same crew travels to each event and that they know all the drivers which mean that there is peace of mind for the driver and the teams as the safety crew knows the driver when they get to the scene of a crash.

When it comes to Formula One, Dr. Ian Roberts knows the drivers as do both the medical and safety car drivers however, the marshals at the track don’t know the drivers.

The AMR Safety team can be on the scene of an accident within a matter of seconds following a crash which makes all the difference when it comes to getting help to the driver or drivers involved in the incident.

Formula One is a global sport and it is would be able to afford to pay for a dedicated full-time safety team to travel to each race of the season.

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Motorsport News Sport

What A Difference A Year Makes!

Sunday, 29 November 2020, started out like any other race day for the Haas F1 Team’s Romain Grosjean as he prepared for the Bahrain Grand Prix. The French-Swiss driver headed into the race knowing that he was leaving the Haas F1 Team at the end of the season and was set to join Dale Coyne Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series for the 2021 season.

Grosjean started the race from 19th place and made a horrible start to the race and heading down from turn 2 he ran wide and hit the barrier where the car was ripped in half. Grosjean was able to escape the blaze but suffered severe burns to his hands but was getting out of the car quickly was pivotal to saving his life.

Warning! -Graphic Content


(Video courtesy of Netflix via youtube.com)

Warning – Graphic content

Grosjean returned to the track to a heroes welcome shortly after the crash and has been offered a farewell F1 test with the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.

Fast forward to 2021. Grosjean is like a phoenix rising from the ashes as he took part in a partial program in the NTT IndyCar Series in 2021 competing on road and street course events claiming podiums and the GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis where he claimed his maiden NTT P1 Award and finished the season in 15th place with four top-five finishes.

Grosjean’s remarkable success in his rookie season in the NTT IndyCar Series caught the attention of Michael Andretti and for the 2022 season, Grosjean will compete full-time in the NTT IndyCar Series driving the No.28 DHL Honda vacated by Ryan Hunter Reay.

Grosjean tweeted on Monday, the anniversary of his accident saying:

Grosjean went on to tweet the following:

Photographs courtesy of Chris Owens

Romain Grosjean will make his Indianapolis 500 debut with Andretti Autosport in May having successfully completed ROP (Rookie Orientation Programme).

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Motorsport News Sport

Spain To Remain On The F1 Calendar Until 2026

BARCELONA, SPAIN - MAY 09: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W12 leads Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing RB16B Honda and the rest of the field off the line at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on May 09, 2021 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202105091311 // Usage for editorial use only //

Formula One announced on Friday that they have extended their partnership with the organisers of the Spanish Grand Prix that will see the Barcelona Circuit Du Catalunya host Formula One until 2026.

Speaking about the news Stefano Domenicali said:

We are delighted to announce this deal with Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. I want to thank to promoter and the authorities for their enthusiasm and commitment to keeping Formula 1 in Barcelona, with
improvements that will be made to the track and facilities, and continuing our long history together. The teams and drivers always look forward to racing at the circuit and visiting Barcelona, and the Spanish fans
will continue to see their national heroes, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz up close.

The Barcelona Circuit Du Catalunya has been on the Formula One calendar since 1991 and speaking about the new agreement, Roger Torrent, Catalan Minister of Business and Labour, and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya President, said;

“We welcome the renewal of this contract, which includes a mutual commitment clause to help us turn Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya into a model and world benchmark of sustainability applied to this type of facilities. We want the circuit to become an exponent of the green transformation and the adaptation of infrastructures to the demands of the climate emergency”.

The Barcelona Circuit Du Catalunya has been on the Formula One calendar since 1991 and speaking about the new agreement, Roger Torrent, Catalan Minister of Business and Labour, and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya President