Instead, Mercedes can dedicate all their power to bashing out a new deal with Hamilton, which could only be done after a restructuring of the team in December that saw Sir Jim Ratcliffe, owner of sponsor Ineos, take a 33 per cent stake in the team, while Wolff retained a third and the parent company Daimler reduced their stake to the same level. It was all but confirmed when he was seen getting into team principal Otmar Szafnauer’s car at Silverstone earlier this year, and he was subsequently announced as Perez’s replacement not long after. Read about the latest developments on the 2021 F1 driver market here: Renault expected to announce Alonso’s return for 2021 season; Who will get the call if an F1 team needs a reserve driver this year; Mercedes keeping options open on Vettel in case Hamilton or Bottas leave, says Wolff Daniil Kvyat’s third stint with the team is over, with the Russian admitting after the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi that he was keen for a break away from Formula 1. Vettel will replace Perez and drive alongside Lance Stroll at the renamed Aston Martin team in 2021. If it's Alonso or Hulkenberg, it would be a slap in the face of a driver like Zhou. “I also want to pay tribute to Carlos for the excellent job he has been doing for McLaren in helping our performance recovery plan. Mick Schumacher, son of the great Michael, was due to drive in free practice at the Nurburgring only for fog to halt his progress, suggesting he was being considered for a drive at Alfa next year, probably alongside the ageless Raikkonen, officially F1’s most experienced driver of all time. But unlike his fellow F1 World Champions, Button will be racing…, SS9 - La Bréole - Selonett Sébastien Ogier snatched back the Monte Carlo Rally lead from Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans by putting on a superlative early display on Day 3,…, SS3-5 The pendulum swung back and forth on Friday at the 2021 Monte Carlo Rally as the blue riband event saw three different overall leaders, with drivers battling against treacherous…, On paper, the team with the biggest potential for improvement this year is Aston Martin (Racing Point as was). Williams’ acting team principal, Simon Roberts moved to quell speculation that the team was considering changing its 2021 line-up after his comments at the pre-Portuguese GP press conference suggested George Russell and Nicholas Latifi’s futures might not be as secure as first thought. Bottas’ contract with Mercedes expires at the end of this season and the Finn could be heading towards the French team. But the F1 world was surprised by an unexpected and sudden departure of principal Cyril Abiteboul on Monday. Vettel’s departure from Ferrari was triggered by their success … To access your subscription or free account. Rumours had been rampant from the weeks following Ferrari’s news that Carlos Sainz was replacing Vettel, but confirmation ahead of Ferrari’s 1000th F1 grand prix celebration at Mugello will no doubt have made Vettel’s news all the sweeter for him. He knows that,” said Wolff. The 2021 driver market burst into life last week with the high-profile moves of Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo - leading the Sky Sports F1 team … Max Verstappen signed a three-year contract extension to stay with the team until the 2023 season, ending speculation that he would be courted by Mercedes this year. Renault's return to Formula 1 in 2016 comes with a corresponding long-term plan. (Confirmed drivers, current incumbents of seats due to be vacant in brackets). The Frenchman will be kept where he is even though there is a vacancy at the parent team once again. “But at the moment there is no reason he wouldn’t want to be in the quickest car and we want him in the car so it’s a perfect match.”. Carlos Sainz was announced as his replacement, which triggered Daniel Ricciardo’s deal to move to McLaren and then Fernando Alonso’s return to Renault — which will be rebadged Alpine next year. Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo sparks Renault’s F1 revolution Daniel Ricciardo shocked the F1 world by signing for Renault in late 2018, but the Aussie ultimately ignited a new era for the French team. — Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) January 14, 2021 The first of two teams to be racing under a new name in 2021. AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost said that the team’s interest was purely down to his performance and not due to engine supplier Honda’s interest in having a Japanese driver for its last year in F1. However, he saw off the challenge of Ferrari’s junior drivers and they have found slots elsewhere at Haas and, in Callum Ilott’s case, as Ferrari test driver. Team principal Toto Wolff has now committed his future to Mercedes and has said that Hamilton will be following suit, after the champion’s positive Covid test delayed negotiations. Formula One will undergo a seismic change at the end of the 2021 season, with owners Liberty Media tearing up the rule book in an effort to make the sport more sustainable and more equitable. Jenson Button will join Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg as an Extreme E team owner, he has announced today. He is a real team player and we wish him well for his future beyond McLaren.”, Renault got its French driver, who will partner Alonso. At his side, AlphaTauri have promoted Red Bull academy driver Yuki Tsunoda who has impressed in F2 this season and has now gained his super-licence. Which may sound odd given the very strong 2020 it enjoyed…. Lewis Hamilton broke Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 91 race wins, impressed in substitute appearances for Racing Point, Sebastian Vettel would be heading to Racing Point for 2021, their success in signing Carlos Sainz Jr from McLaren, struggled to lay a glove on teammate Charles Leclerc, having tempted Fernando Alonso back to the team, due to drive in free practice at the Nurburgring only for fog to halt his progress, 21-year-old German said he was “speechless” at the news, Why F1 is considering reverse-grid qualifying races to spice up weekends, Drivers who refused to take the knee revealed how little the fight against racism really means to them, The greatest driver never to win the world title. News. It’s the end of the road for Haas’s current drivers. Renault has recorded ninth, sixth, fourth and fifth (twice) placed finishes in the Constructors’ Championship since its full-time return in 2016. Ricciardo will leave Renault after two years after signing a deal with McLaren for 2021, replacing Carlos Sainz Jr as the Spaniard moves up to Ferrari in … Albon, who only had 12 races for Toro Rosso before being promoted mid-season last year to replace the ailing Pierre Gasly, remained half a second slower than Max Verstappen, a gap has never narrowed, and his position of seventh in the drivers’ championship was low given the machinery at his disposal. Sainz will very much be the No 2 to Leclerc, but has shown plenty of gusto for McLaren this year to suggest he will be a more racy teammate than Vettel. Yuki Tsunoda replaces Daniil Kvyat at AlphaTauri. There is no space on the other side of the garage either, where Valtteri Bottas signed a one-year deal for 2021 several months ago. A profile of the Renault F1 team, giving its current driver lineup, latest results and points scored plus current position in the constructors championship standings. Albon was given until the end of the season to prove himself but, despite a stronger performance in Abu Dhabi, it proved impossible to overlook the availability of Sergio Perez who will race alongside Verstappen in 2021. As George said, Claire [Williams] made the announcement earlier this year. Could he return to winning ways in 2021? However, the contractual gymnastics involved in removing Bottas, a long-time ally of Wolff’s, would probably be too difficult and expensive to contemplate. In their place are two F2 drivers. 14:18 Monday 11 January 2021 by Ewan Gale. Renault have begun their search for a new driver in 2021, after Daniel Ricciardo decided he did not want to continue with the French manufacturer’s project beyond the end of the 2020 campaign and has instead signed for McLaren. There remains no rush to do a deal with Hamilton, but most obstacles are out of the way. He’s obviously confident because Mercedes has already put forward Hamilton’s name on the official entry list for 2021 and has said that he’s in no hurry to complete the deal, as long as it’s done before testing in February next year. Renault, as part of their end of season debrief, have praised their junior drivers across various series, and say that they want to get one of them into F1 for 2021. Russell said that the rumours had emerged from Perez’s camp ahead of the late-season Red Bull announcement. Formula 1 Videos. As for 2022, he’s under pressure. Success in F1 requires nerves of steel, so perhaps it should be no surprise that by far the most successful team of the hybrid era is showing no sign of discomfort over the fact that probably the greatest driver of all time is now out of contract. Check here for latest versions. It is said that he told the veteran mechanics that they already worked with him. It was the worst kept secret in the paddock that Sebastian Vettel would be heading to Racing Point for 2021 after being ditched by Ferrari without even the offer of a new contract. Click on any team for more information or scroll down for full details on the entire grid, At the beginning of this season, a new deal for Lewis Hamilton was presented as a formality but as the season went on with no contract signed, questions over his future started to rain in. “Mick has won races, collected podiums and excelled against some pretty exceptional talent in 2020. Daniel Ricciardo feels Renault grew out of the "timid" Formula 1 team environment he found upon arriving at Enstone, removing many of the self-doubts it … Renault Formula 1 director Marcin Budkowski believes Fernando Alonso will still be at a disadvantage on his F1 return in 2021, despite being able to test the team's RS20 at Abu Dhabi. 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