In the round-up: Pierre Gasly has no concerns Honda will give less than their maximum in their final year before pulling out of Formula 1.
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What they say
Although Honda will pull out at the end of the 2021 F1 season, Gasly believes they will still give their all this year:
I think they have good plans.
I know a few things which sounds good, but I don’t want to speak for them.
I’m waiting to see on the lap time and on the track, what it does before [getting] too excited. But I know how much Honda is working and I’m confident it’s not because they are leaving at the end of 2021 they will give up before. That’s not part of their mentality.
They’ll push and give everything until the last race. But I think they are consistently trying to improve the package. [In Abu Dhabi] Max [Verstappen] got the pole ahead of the Mercedes today, the four Honda cars were in Q3, we reached a pretty decent level. Obviously if we have more for next year, that would be even even better.
Quotes: Dieter Rencken
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
IndyCar driver Santino Ferrucci will focus on NASCAR in 2021 with part-time Xfinity schedule for Sam Hunt Racing, approximately 20 races in No. 26 Toyota focused primarily on intermediate tracks with a superspeedway and a few short tracks (no road courses). First race Homestead. pic.twitter.com/S2eWrfixdJ
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 8, 2021
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJwNwlonbpZ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJyrCL4J2kz/
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
More motor racing links of interest:
Steiner - Nikita knows he's done wrong - it can't happen again (The Race)
"We are educating him and will keep on educating him for his future. There will be consequences if this or something similar happens again."
Perseverance pays off as patient Jack Aitken keeps his F1 dream alive (Crash)
"It definitely shows that I can do the job. Part of the reason I was so keen to go again was that after one weekend I felt I could put together a much better weekend even. But my focus has just been to get on with the job and do it as well as I can. "
FIA certified Gran Turismo championships (FIA)
"This unprecedented event was a major technological feat and saw Takuma Miyazono of Japan crowned 2020 FIA GT Championships Nations Cup Champion. Team Subaru won the Manufacturer Series with Takuma Miyazono, Mikail Hizal of Germany and American Daniel Solis taking the driving duties."
Manuel Maldonado to Make Sports Car Debut with United (Sportscar365)
"Venezuelan driver Manuel Maldonado will make his sports car racing debut this year driving for United Autosports in the European Le Mans Series LMP2 category."
F3 (The Inside Scout: Matteo Nannini)
"I am quite smooth. I’m not the type of driver to rush an overtake at the first corner, the races are very long, especially in this championship. It is also very important to manage the tyres because of the high degradation, so I think this style helps me in this championship and allows me to be more competitive towards the end of the races."
Daimler avoids fines after hitting European CO2 targets (FT - registration required)
"The Stuttgart-based manufacturer was an industry laggard in the drive to cut emissions for most of the year and had been expected to take a hit from Brussels."
I was an American designer at Mercedes. F1 needs to create a path for others (Racer)
"Go to Russia, you get a $60 million race-hosting fee. You go to Abu Dhabi and all these places, and you get all these fees. But what are you actually giving back? And that’s where I think that the sport could really make a huge jump, by saying, ‘Hey, we want to bring STEM to these locations.’"
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Comment of the day
F1’s rules need to be freer if it is to be a true automotive laboratory, says Steve:
I can get behind the argument that F1 can be used to speed up the development of cleaner engine technology through competition, but that is completely undermined by the rules specifying what those solutions will be. For example sticking with rules stating you have to build a hybrid V6 means you’re forcing teams to stick with what was the best idea of – 2014, 2012? – when the decision was made. You’re missing out on a whole decade of technology advances.
We have the budget cap now, we have rules stating manufacturers have to supply teams if needed, so why can’t we tear up the rule book and let a real technology war happen. Just set a rule that you’re allowed a max of 90kg of fuel for a race other than that anything goes.
If this results in one engine dominating the sport, well so what. Its happened before, the Cosworth DFV was in pretty much every car in the seventies, you could even argue its happening now with the Mercedes
Steve Rogers (@Yossarian)
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DB-C90 (@dbradock)
9th January 2021, 0:36
My understanding is that PU development is outside of the budget cap so the proposal in COTD would be unworkable as the manufacturer teams would be able to load their advantage.
It could work however if the budget cap was extended to cover PU production for each team.
Dean F
9th January 2021, 6:45
Grosjean very lucky his whole body wasn’t like his hand.
Andy (@andyfromsandy)
9th January 2021, 9:19
You may recall the overalls were changed to increase the protection time offered. Yes had it happened last year the outcome might well have been very different.
Balue (@balue)
10th January 2021, 11:12
@andyfromsandy That too got opposition from some drivers
MacLeod (@macleod)
11th January 2021, 8:00
It was a bit thicker so a bit heavier that is what they always notice. The driver accepted when the fabriceur let they see the difference with dolls… strange enough noone objected after that :)
xcm
12th January 2021, 16:25
How often do f1 cars catch fire?
Let the grown men choose their own levels of protection. Nobody is going to race in flip flops.
Shimks (@shimks)
9th January 2021, 9:21
That guy is so happy simply to be alive. Nice to see.
Leroy (@g-funk)
9th January 2021, 7:06
I wonder if there will be more news about how Ferrucci went from a full time ride in the top tier of open wheel Motorsport in North America to a part time ride in the junior series of NASCAR. Are there more off track issues that we’ll be hearing about? He finished 13th last year which isn’t bad enough to be booted. One thing is for sure. NASCAR drivers won’t put up with his petulant child on track antics. He’ll end up in the wall, spun out or have a ‘conversation’ with some folks after the race.
Robert McKay
9th January 2021, 9:43
I don’t particularly like Ferrucci, but he certainly had enough decent performances in an Indycar the past couple of years for me to be surprised about this news – and as you say, to a part-time ride in the junior series? That’s an odd one on paper.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
9th January 2021, 7:15
I agree with the COTD, the rules need to be relaxed to allow for better future proof options. Having a rule that stipulates only 95 Octane fuel means teams can only expect their fuel supplier to supply that fuel, but if the rules allowed for other fuels then maybe the F1 fuel suppliers could supply different (and better) fuels. For example, if a team might benefit from hydrogen, then that should be allowed. I must admit I’m not sure how the FIA intend to ensure a hydrogen powered car complies with the fuel flow restrictions and the 105 kg fuel load limit, but that’s something for them to worry about.
One could add there needs to be a relaxation on the electrical restrictions. For example maybe cars should be allowed to swap a car’s battery during the pit stop, and they should be allowed to trade off fuel weight for battery weight. The trade off won’t matter so much now, but once you start getting close to where battery energy capacity approximates fuel energy capacity then teams will become interested in electricity as an option to fuel.
Jere (@jerejj)
9th January 2021, 8:51
Gasly’s words are literally from Abu Dhabi GP qualifying day, so weird to see them here some four weeks later, although not the first time old quotes are used in a round-up, LOL.
Dave
9th January 2021, 9:05
Re Nikita: If it happens again, the other thing will happen too: Ilott replacing him.
János Henkelmann
9th January 2021, 21:36
I must admit I read it in Günther’s voice…