In the round-up: Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto says the team will not appoint a new technical director in place of the outgoing Simone Resta.
What they say
Resta will work in Ferrari’s new customer division on the car Haas will use for the 2022 F1 season, but Binotto said no one will take over his former title.
There will not be a technical director. With Simone Resta moving out of our organisations his responsibilities will be covered by Enrico Cardile who today is responsible for the full chassis area. So we do not have a technical director which is covering all the position of the technical departments we’ve got in Ferrari like, for example, the power unit or the supply chain, et cetera. But Enrico Cardile will cover the previous responsibility of Simone Resta.
If you’re asking me as well [whether] we are looking for some more people joining eventually our organisation to strengthen our organisation, I think that’s something on which as Ferrari we are always fully open and always open-minded.
Certainly I think with, again, humility, I think it’s important for us to look outside and make sure that if we are identifying one person or few persons these ones are bringing added value to Ferrari.
Quotes: Dieter Rencken
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
Very happy to share that JYS is now back home and resting. https://t.co/5QQN6jWTyk
— Fritz-Dieter Rencken (@RacingLines) December 23, 2020
LΛP LΛND will remain open ⛄
It’s been a crazy few days for us all! We’ve been working closely with the Government (DCMS) and are happy to announce our Covid-19 secure Drive-Through event is permitted to go ahead in Tiers 1, 2, 3 and 4. pic.twitter.com/et8a7dnrGW— Silverstone (@SilverstoneUK) December 23, 2020
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
More motor racing links of interest:
Formula 1 in talks with Amazon to stream Grands Prix (FT - subscription required)
"Amazon and other big internet companies have been reluctant to offer the sort of money that broadcasters have previously paid for the rights to show F1. The racing series' biggest broadcast deal with Comcast-owned Sky in the UK is worth $250m a year in an arrangement that runs until 2024."
He says Red Bull signed Perez because "he drove the entire season achieving excellent results and accumulated in his years at Racing Point a thorough knowledge of the Mercedes engine."
F1 can't punish Mazepin while paddock remains sleazy (Motorsport Magazine)
"Women who work in motor sport warn each other about the predators because they don’t face consequences. I know more women who’ve left the sport after harassment, by far, than men who’ve got even a stern email about doing it."
Fernandez takes us on a tour of his hometown, Caracas (Formula 3)
"It was crazy when I came to Europe for the first time, like a different world. Caracas can be a rough place, I won’t lie, but it also has a lot of nice parts. For sure, I learned a lot of things there that I would not have learned if I had grown up in Europe."
We always endeavour to credit original sources. If you have a tip for a link to feature in the next RaceFans round-up please send it in via the contact form.
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Comment of the day
Should F1 be concerned at the lack of incoming car manufacturers?
The pattern of multiple manufacturers leaving the sport is repeated every so often, usually as a response to wider changes in the global economy and motoring industry. The last major withdrawal event was in the wake of the 2008-09 financial crash, where Honda, Toyota and BMW all pulled out in short order, with Renault giving up their works team a couple of years later (although it’s fair to point out that Mercedes joined as a works manufacturer within the same period).
Normally these things come in cycles, with manufacturers increasing their involvement again as times improve – but we’ve had no new entrants in the turbo/hybrid era besides Honda, and they’re leaving again at the end of next year. Renault also upgraded their involvement to works status but, likewise, are scaling back. The issue now is that any further withdrawals would leave the sport in a precarious state as far as competition is concerned. Other brands (Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo) are happy to be associated with F1 as a branding exercise but not to actually provide any kit.
The current engine formula has failed in its objective to attract new manufacturers into the sport. It’s worth remembering that the original proposals for four-cylinder hybrid engines were changed to placate the existing teams. Perhaps, with hindsight, that was a mistake.
@Red-andy
Season’s greetings from RaceFans!
RaceFans wishes all its readers the very best for the festive season – whatever, whenever (and if) you’re celebrating. Many of us have endured a very difficult past 12 months, but hopefully better times lie ahead for all.
While there’s more coming on the site over the next few days, the RaceFans Round-up won’t return until December 28th, so here’s our daily notices between now and then.
Happy birthday!
Happy birthdays to Andrew, Richpea, Wasif1, Willian Ceolin and Alex Tunnicliffe for the 24th, Louise.1987 and Urvaksh for the 25th, Michael S for the 26th and Scott Joslin, Super_Swede_96, Dean Mckinnon and Diceman for the 27th!
If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is via the contact form or adding to the list here.
On this day in F1
- Born December 24th in 1941: Howden Ganley, who raced for BRM, Frank Williams and March in the seventies. His career was cut short when he was injured in a crash while driving for his final team, Maki, at the Nurburgring, following suspension failure
- Born December 25th in 1987: Ma Qing Hua, the only Chinese driver to have participated in a grand prix weekend, though he never started an F1 race
- Born December 26th in 1958: Adrian Newey
- Born December 28th in 1985: Jerome d’Ambrosio
ColdFly (@)
24th December 2020, 0:20
Same from me for the whole team at Racefans.net, and all the commenters and readers.
GeeMac (@geemac)
24th December 2020, 4:33
Indeed, Merry Christmas and a happy new year to everyone at Racefans.net and to everyone who reads and comments.
Jimmi Cynic (@jimmi-cynic)
24th December 2020, 7:09
Happy Holidays, virtually, to all!
Jere (@jerejj)
24th December 2020, 7:27
@coldfly @geemac @jimmi-cynic
Same from me.
Qeki (@qeki)
24th December 2020, 8:14
@coldfly @geemac @jimmi-cynic @jerejj Also from me
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
24th December 2020, 9:06
My thanks to Racefans and the people that so richly contributed to making the website a success.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
24th December 2020, 10:41
Merry Christmas to RaceFans and all its readers and commenters.
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
24th December 2020, 11:54
Happy holidays guys
Balue (@balue)
24th December 2020, 13:04
Ditto. I was wondering when you get time off.
I don’t agree all the time with the site, but it’s still top notch and one of my favorites. Especially for discussion as it has somehow attracted a good bunch of commenters so greetings and best wishes to all.
Crrraaig (@crrraaig)
24th December 2020, 15:31
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all at Racefans.net :)
It has been an incredible F1 season; the amount of effort that went into making it happen was very evident even through the thousands of miles and TV screens. It does not take much to understand how difficult and challenging this year has been for all involved, including the staff here.
A extra special Thank You to Dieter, who dared travel this year – I’ve braved five trips to the liquor stores and this man traveled to the moon and back to bring us the inside skinny. Bravo!
Jimmi Cynic (@jimmi-cynic)
24th December 2020, 21:13
Indeed. Big appreciation for Dieter’s determination (and foolhardiness). ;-)
John H (@john-h)
24th December 2020, 19:15
Merry Christmas @coldfly and everyone out there. Take care over Christmas and see you in 2021.
Jockey Ewing
24th December 2020, 22:09
I wish Merry Christmas and nice holiday season to the RaceFans crew and to the readers as well. Thanks for the nice coverage of the season!
Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
25th December 2020, 13:06
Merry Christmas everyone!
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
25th December 2020, 14:35
Merry Christmas to all the race fans here! I love the site, love the comments and insight! Merry Christmas everyone and whatever you do keep away from the Nakatomi Towers!
Kribana (@krichelle)
24th December 2020, 5:21
I am really keen to find out the effect on car development by the drivers in a team because we maybe either overestimating it or underestimating it. Because if Red Bull really want to gain as much as they can on the Mercedes engine, then signing Perez could be really beneficial for them. However, I think Red Bull’s car issues are mainly balance related and doesn’t it mean that putting a highly powered engine on a car will increase the chances of the rear end being more slippery and being more prone to sliding? If the car is already twitchy, adding a powerful engine that delivers more torque to the rear wheels will just lead into a more unstable car?
Red Andy (@red-andy)
24th December 2020, 7:01
So, technically, then, I’ve got Comment of the Next Three Days. I’ll take that. Merry Christmas everyone!
Jimmi Cynic (@jimmi-cynic)
24th December 2020, 7:10
@red-andy: 1 more day and you’d qualify for CotW.
Jere (@jerejj)
24th December 2020, 7:29
A somewhat weird point by Marko as if he thinks that drivers would have detailed context info of a given PU somewhere.
The Dolphins
24th December 2020, 14:38
Agreed. Especially a driver of a customer team…
Nick T.
27th December 2020, 13:35
Get it together, guys. This is all about PR and painting their decision in the best possible light (ironic since it’s one of only a few in recent years that, as far as we know, isn’t driven purely by the bean counters but we could even be wrong there). To think Helmut Marko really believes Perez is bringing info that will help them with their engine is naive. Don’t forget, technical gossip among engineers in the paddock is widespread. They probably get a lot more useful info from that than a driver. I would like to hear the view of a current or almost current engineer on this. There should be someone RF can get an interesting article or at least summary answer on this topic. It always amazes me how many ripe topics seem totally unexplored.
pH
24th December 2020, 8:00
Merry Xmas everyone!
And thank you, the Racefans team, for your work, may the next year be at least as good as this one, preferably better.
John H (@john-h)
24th December 2020, 19:18
Merry Christmas pH. Let’s hope next year is better ;)
Red Andy (@red-andy)
24th December 2020, 8:43
I read Hazel’s article in Motorsport Magazine, which I found insightful. It is undoubtedly true that there is a cultural problem in F1, and I agree that making the sport more inclusive, particularly to women, would make commercial sense as well as being the right thing to do.
Then I made the mistake of opening the comments section. Maybe it’s not just F1 where there is a cultural problem – although the sport should probably ask itself why it attracts these people as ‘fans.’
G (@unklegsif)
24th December 2020, 11:12
Some (most) of those comments are appalling. Sadly, I have seen and been engaged with similar commentators here too. I’d like to say that people with such views and characters should be ashamed of themselves, however they obviously dont give a ****
I guess F1 “community” is as much a slice of “real life” as anywhere sadly
Happy Christmas all (even the bigots)
G
BasCB (@bascb)
24th December 2020, 12:57
Pretty daunting, those comments, right @red-andy
anon
24th December 2020, 15:25
@red-andy in proceeding to shower abuse on the writer of that article, many of those who did so provided evidence for the very problem being highlighted in the first place.
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
24th December 2020, 15:59
It seems to have gotten worse in the last year.
Jack (@jackisthestig)
24th December 2020, 18:24
Unless some comments have been removed I really can’t see what you’re talking about. You are allowed to disagree with the author no matter how virtuous they are.
John H (@john-h)
24th December 2020, 19:55
Yes of course you’re allowed to disagree, I think that’s what @red-andy is saying, he disagrees with the comments.
I also disagree with the comments.
Hazel writes a mature piece that even acknowledges that Mazepin is not the main culprit, but there is a wider issue at play which many acknowledge, including myself. I think the point is a very well written piece is followed by comments that instead of trying to argue a position, end up being of the usual shouty sort aimed at “the left”, whereas most of us that would class ourselves more central than anything still see it as a problem not to be brushed under the carpet @jackisthestig
Jack (@jackisthestig)
24th December 2020, 21:46
That’s an interesting point. I’ve been surprised by how openly left wing or ‘woke’ the new generation of motorsport journalists like Hazel, the WTF1 people and most of Autosport are. You could mistake most of Hazel’s tweets for being written by Owen Jones.
Now of course there’s nothing wrong with that but I struggle with where motorsport fits in with that mentality. Everyone I know who is like that can’t stand racing, they thing it’s the most pointless waste of time you could imagine.
I can’t help but wonder whether these people reporting on our sport and exerting considerable influence on it genuinely like the sport or care about it in the same way fans do. I suspect if you scratch beneath the surface one or two of them despise the sport and the people working in it, they’ve just found a niche career covering it.
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
29th December 2020, 14:49
@jackisthestig Of course people with different mentalities can be fans of the same sport. A “woke” fan just has to deal with the fact that F1 chooses to operate hypocritically, by saying things like “We Race As One”, but holding races in countries that ignore basic human rights, or not holding teams like Hass to modern standards of decent behavior. I posit that it is harder to be a “woke” fan of F1, and that to be such a fan maybe makes one a better fan in the long run, because caring about motor racing enough to recognize it’s problems in the context of our larger modern society takes some effort, and is usually rewarded with derision. I welcome any F1 journalism that cares enough to put our sport into a larger picture. This is how the sport we love will survive.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
24th December 2020, 9:57
A Happy Christmas to all those at Racefans. Thank you for all of your hard work. And to the contributors as well who make this such an interesting and insightful website.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
24th December 2020, 11:28
I’m still unconvinced by Mazepin’s offence, only the girl knows, Hazel’s message is fine but one part of the article is not fine.
What men does Hazel know that have received an email on sexual harassement? I reckon Hazel means men in the paddock don’t even get a slap on the wrist. whilst I have no idea whether that is true or not, I’m confident, Hazel does not know that fact either.
Hazel wrote about her experience, I’ll leave mine, on the issue of harassement, similar issues but from the other side of the fence outside the paddock.
From my personal experience, from back in school and today in a working enviroment, I’m always focused in not getting misjudged by women, everyone can get misjudged in life.
Around family women, naturally you don’t have to worry about sexual harassement at all, but around other women there is always that tension, you are never comfortable. Greetings are a problem, eye contact can be a problem, language is a problem in a miriad of ways, space is a major problem. Some guys are more careful than others, some can be more comfortable with it, lets face it an handsome men can be more relaxed about not getting misjudged.
Working with women is fine by me, just that in the real world you know that if an accident or anything happens to you (men), you’ll always let it go though the opposite is not guaranteed to happen. Unlikely.
Aiii (@)
24th December 2020, 12:24
No offense, but what are you doing to women that you are in constant fear of sexual harassing them?
Just treat them as normal human beings, it’s not rocket science.
I swear the excuses some people try to make to be allowed to sexually harass women is getting beyond ridiculous. As a man let me leave you with a tip, and it is so simple you will wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself, here it comes: treat the women you meet exactly the same as you would men.
G (@unklegsif)
24th December 2020, 14:16
Exactly. If I were living in fear of being accused of sexual harassment, then it would come a point where I would think “mmm, maybe its not them… maybe its me”
My looks and glances towards me doesn’t make me think “ he might think I’m being inappropriate”
Passing gents in the corridor doesn’t make me think “ was that a bit too close?”
And I certainly don’t go grabbing blokes by the nutsack in the back of a car, whether they are a “friend” or not!
Equality is just that. Treating everyone the same… behaviour, opportunities, pay, whatever it may be. It’s really quite simple
G
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
24th December 2020, 21:50
@aiii I didn’t say that. I said I wonder. I don’t know if you are working age yet but it is stuff you worry from time to time.
@bascb You have access to someone elses private mail and affairs?
I never said my behaviour is not okay, I reckon it is fine.
@coldfly I never said I had troubles with my work mates.
@john-h do you have access to private e-mails? I think Hazel took some creative liberty on that paragraph. By the way I liked her article, she is a writer on this site as well.
Discrimination on the other day? because you make no counter arguments to my comments, you labelled all as “trying to be clever” and for years. I made a counter argument to Hazel’s. The other day you didn’t know what I was talking about yet you presumed I was saying something “hateful” when in fact I actually praising Ham’s fitness.
Finally Merry Christmas everyone.
ColdFly (@)
24th December 2020, 23:01
Merry Christmas.
And I hope you have a few days off to revisit your comment and the wise advise you got (rather than rushing into denial and totally missing the points).
BasCB (@bascb)
24th December 2020, 13:03
@peartree, as far as I know @hazelsouthwell, I am sure that she knows about exactly this kind of stuff (there’s even been a few things more or less out in the open of social media in the last year or so).
Why would she want to put emphasis on specific names, especially since it is clear those are not the only ones. And since the issue is not the incidents but the fact that this happens too often? Or do you want to dismiss the first hand experience of a journalist whose been in quite a few paddocks and knows many other people who are in there often enough to know?
As @aiii rightly asks, if you know that your behaviour is not ok, why not change your behaviour.
ColdFly (@)
24th December 2020, 14:05
The problem might not be the real world, but preconceived in your head (trusting that it’s not your behaviour).
John H (@john-h)
24th December 2020, 20:03
I think you just proved my point @peartree.
Why don’t you just trust what Hazel has experienced as word, is it so hard?
Seriously, and you tell me I was ‘discrimating’ against you the other day? The level of conversation on here is so low, I just dispair. Speaking as a perennially shy man here btw.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
24th December 2020, 14:34
Ferrari have a technical director !
Come on it’s Xmas not April 1
Mark (@muzza)
24th December 2020, 17:08
Yeah he’s called called Simone Resta and he’s going to Haas on secondment along with a bunch of other Ferrari personnel – it’s been covered quite a bit.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
26th December 2020, 13:11
Whoosh!
F180 (@f180)
25th December 2020, 1:28
Merry Christmas to all! Lots of learning here. kudos Racefans staff!
elchinero (@elchinero)
25th December 2020, 11:48
“Yippee Ki Yay, m—-er!
Robbie (@robbie)
25th December 2020, 14:39
Merry Christmas, everyone!!
GeorgeTuk (@georgetuk)
25th December 2020, 15:24
Would be fantastic to see F1 on Amazon.
Definitely be a watcher. Dropped Sky as cost is so high ( I don’t watch other sports) so this would fit nicely with my Prime subscription