Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: McLaren

  • Piastri confirmed for 2023

    Oscar Piastri will be racing for McLaren, alongside Lando Norris for 2023 on a multi-year deal, following a decision of the Contract Recognition Board (CRB), which ruled that the young Australian has a valid contract with the team.

    The CRB met on Monday in relation to a dispute between McLaren and Alpine over which of the two teams held a valid contract for Piastri, the reigning F2 champion and current Alpine reserve driver- with Alpine having claimed, following the departure of Fernando Alonso to Aston Martin August that Piastri would drive for them in 2023, only for Piastri to refute that claim.

    Ahead of Friday’s free practice 2 session for the Dutch Grand Prix, the FIA announced that the tribunal had “issued a unanimous decision is that the only contract to be recognised by the board is the contract between McLaren Racing and Mr Piastri dated 4th July 2022”

    The ruling also added that: “Mr Piastri is entitled to drive for McLaren Racing for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.”

    Just after the ruling, McLaren confirmed Piastri would indeed drive for the team in 2023 on a multi-year deal in place of Ricciardo who agreed terms to leave McLaren at the end of 2022.

    Iā€™m extremely excited to be making my F1 debut with such a prestigious team as McLaren and Iā€™m very grateful for the opportunity thatā€™s been offered to me. The team has a long tradition of giving young talent a chance, and Iā€™m looking forward to working hard alongside Lando to push the team towards the front of the grid. Iā€™m focused on preparing for my F1 debut in 2023 and starting my F1 career in papaya.

    Oscar Piastri on his move to the British team.

    The entire team is delighted to welcome Oscar to McLaren for the 2023 F1 season. He has an impressive racing career to date, and we are sure that together with Lando, he will be able to help us move another step forward towards our ambitions. We still have an important job to do this season which the team remains focused on, before we will then ensure Oscar is integrated into the team as quickly as possible and ready for the challenges ahead. We look forward to preparing for an exciting 2023 season together.

    Andreas Siedl on the move.

    BWT Alpine F1 Team thanks the Contract Recognition Board (CRB) for convening on Monday and we acknowledge the decision they have made. We consider the matter closed on our side and will announce our full 2023 driver line-up in due course. Our immediate focus is the Dutch Grand Prix and securing points in our fight for fourth in the Constructorsā€™ Championship.

    Alpines statement on the CRB’s decision.

  • Ricciardo to leave McLaren

    McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo have “mutually agreed” to terminate his contract one year early, meaning the eight-time race winner will depart at the end of 2022.

    The Australian joined McLaren in 2021, on a three year deal where he would race alongside Lando Norris – even though he secured the team’s first win since 2012 at Monza last year with Norris second – he has struggled to match his team mate’s impressive pace.

    McLaren say they will announce who will partner Norris in 2023 “in due course”. Ricciardo will do the same regarding his own future plans but suggested that he’s keen to stay in F1.

    Ricciardo is currently sat 12th in the drivers standings on 19 points, 57 adrift of Norris after 13 grand prix. His best finish of the year so far, was sixth in Australia.

    Itā€™s been a privilege to be a part of the McLaren Racing family for the last two seasons but following several months of discussions with Zak [Brown, McLaren CEO] & Andreas [Seidl, Team Principal] we have decided to terminate my contract with the team early and agree to mutually part ways at the end of this season. Iā€™ll be announcing my own future plans in due course but regardless of what this next chapter brings, I have no regrets and am proud of the effort and work I gave McLaren, especially the win in Monza, last season. Iā€™ve enjoyed working with everyone at McLaren both trackside and back in Woking and will be giving my all on and off track as we enjoy the remainder of the season together. Iā€™ve never been more motivated to compete and be a part of a sport that I love so much and look forward to what comes next.

    Daniel Ricciardo on leaving McLaren.

    I would like to thank Daniel for his dedication and contribution over the last two seasons so far. Despite the shared challenges, he has always turned up with a fighting spirit and positivity and helped the entire team to always keep pushing forward. We will never forget that memorable race win in Monza which was a great boost for the whole team. We still have an important battle in the constructors’ championship ahead of us for the remainder of the season and we look forward to battle this out with Daniel and Lando.

    Andreas Siedl

    Daniel has been a great addition to McLaren, and itā€™s been a pleasure working with him. Iā€™d like to thank him for all of his efforts over the last two seasons both trackside and back at base. Itā€™s no secret that we hoped we could achieve more together but seeing him stand on the top step of the podium as a McLaren driver was a highlight. We wish him well for the future and letā€™s go enjoy the rest of the season together

    Zak Brown on Ricciardo.

  • Swapping one Aussie for another

    Mclaren racing, have reportedly told Daniel Ricciardo will be replaced in the team by Oscar Piastri for the 2023 season.

    The news comes as we had a very dramatic first week of Summer break and silly season has officially commenced which began with the announcement that Fernando Alonso is to replace Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin.

    But the drama did not stop their, Alpine issued a press release stating that their academy driver, Oscar Piastri would take Alonso’s seat alongside Esteban Ocon, only for the young Aussie, to knock that down withing a couple of hours by tweeting that was “wrong” and he would not be driving for the French team in 2023.

    Recently, speculation has been swirling that Piastri was targeting McLaren for a move – and now Motorsport.com are reporting that even though Ricciardo has a contract until the end of 2023, but will be moved aside to make way for his younger compatriot.

    The report suggests that Piastri has signed as a reserve driver for 2023, but that once an agreement for Ricciardo’s departure has been agreed that the deal will be upgraded to a race seat alongside Lando Norris.

    Looking back earlier this season, Piastri was first linked to McLaren in March when Ricciardo contracted COVID-19 and had to miss official pre-season testing in Bahrain. Alpine agreed to ‘loan’ out Piastri to McLaren for the opening race if Ricciardo has not recovered in time, but he did.

    This was clearly not the end of the interest as it appears that Piastri has been on their radar for “several weeks” as they looked for someone to replace Ricciardo – who for the second consecutive campaign, has underwhelmed with his performances.

    The deal between Piastri and Alpine was “never properly signed” and therefore the reigning Formula 2 champion was able to walk away from the team to which he has been affiliated with since the start of 2020.

    As for Ricciardo, well team principle for Alpine, Otmar Szafnauer said earlier in the week he (Ricciardo) will be a good recommendation to return to the team and replace Alonso, insisting the face he had left the team – when known as Renault at the end of 2-2- to join McLaren was not necessarily a barrier to a reunion.

  • Ricciardo speaks out

    Daniel Ricciardo has addressed speculation surrounding his future in Formula 1, confirming that he will be remaining on the grid until the end of 2023 and fulfilling the full duration of his McLaren contract.

    Rumous have been flying around about whether or not his (Ricciardo) stay at McLaren would carry on beyond the end of the season with CEO Zak Brown, previously confirming there were mechanisms within his contract that could allow for an early exit from his deal.

    The McLaren team, has most recently signed current IndyCar Champion, Alex Palou to its racing roster, with fellow young Indy talents Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward having also tested McLaren machinery since the end of last year.

    Daniel, however has kept his mindset focused at the job at hand at McLaren, where he has struggled alongside Lando Norris so far this year – having scored 17 points compared to 64 for his team-mate and often being out performed by the young Briton, despite winning the Italian Grand Prix last year.

    There have been a lot of rumours around my future in Formula 1, but I want you to hear it from me. I am committed to McLaren until the end of next year and am not walking away from the sport. Appreciate it hasnā€™t always been easy, but who wants easy! Iā€™m working my ass off with the team to make improvements and get the car right and back to the front where it belongs. I still want this more than ever. See you in Le Castellet.

    Ricciardo wrote the above on social media.
  • Ricciardo’s future in doubt?

    Ricciardo’s future in doubt?

    Rumours are growing every race weekend at the moment, as there is uncertainty whether Daniel Ricciardo will be keeping his seat at McLaren…

    Ricciardo has accepted that his time at the Papaya team has not delivered the results he or his bosses would have liked, but he is committed for the full three years of his contract…

    Daniel has only scored points on two occasions this year, his home race in Australia, and the sprint race in Imola… His sat on 11 points in 11th, 4 places away from his teammate and 37 points.

    Zak Brown, spoke ahead of a trip to visit the Indianapolis 500, suggested that McLaren’s deal with Ricciardo was not completely watertight. He (Zak) also suggested that there were break clauses that could open the door for a parting of ways if things did not improve.

    I donā€™t want to get into the contract, but there are mechanisms in which weā€™re committed to each other, and mechanisms in which weā€™re not. I spoke with Daniel about it. Weā€™re not getting the results that we both hoped for, but weā€™re both going to continue to push. I think he showed in Monza [last year] he can win races. We also need to develop our race car; itā€™s not capable of winning races. But weā€™d like to see him further up the grid.

    Zak Brown, on whether there was a get out clause for driver or team.

    But after last weekend in Monaco, there’s more rumours coming about. The statements from the McLaren team are something to take into consideration also but at the moment Danny Ric’s seat isn’t safe whether that’s this year or next…

    Who could possibly take his seat?

    Iā€™ve seen a few possibilities which could potentially take his seat, they are- Colton Herta, Pierre Gasly and Oscar Piastri (if he didnā€™t get the Alpine seat).

  • Mercedes want to cut one customer team

    Toto Wolff, has said Mercedes could drop one of their customer engine teams in the future due to the low profit margins.

    Mercedes currently supply to Aston Martin, McLaren and Williams with power units, which makes their engines the most used among the grid ahead of Ferrari whose power units are deployed by three teams.

    The budget cap in Formula 1 has begun to take hold of the teams and cost cutting measures have been taken or are starting to come into play as the affects are being felt.

    As a result of this, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff would prefer to keep their production costs down and letting a customer team go. But Wolff has not gave any indication on who he could be letting goā€¦

    Unfortunately, the business of leasing engines is not compelling and interesting because the FIA have put in a certain limit you can charge to your customers in order to protect the smaller teams. Iā€™d rather have six [customer cars], push the development further down the line and then make two engines fewer, because you need to produce two fewer plus two spares for every team. In an ideal world, I would maybe see us plus two [customers], so actually downsize a bit.

    Toto Wolff talking to Financial Times.

  • Audi & Porsche to enter Formula 1

    After months of speculation, Volkswagen’s chief executive, Herbert Diess has confirmed that Audi and Porsche will be entering Formula 1 in 2026.

    It seems that Porsche’s plans are a little more certain at this early stage- which may see them link up with Red Bull for an engine programme.

    Since last summer when both became involved in talks over F1’s next generation of engines from 2026, Audi and Porsche who are both apart of the Volkswagen group have been linked with joining the grid quite a lot.

    Unofficial confirmation occurred in early April, as reported by Reuters, who are now attributing the official word to chief executive Diess in a Youtube video. There were not however any specific details although Reuters reported that Porsche “intends to establish a long-term partnership”.

    Reuters are also sticking to their story from March that Audi have out a bid of 500 million euros for the McLaren team, which if accepted would enable them to enter Formula 1 as a constructor rather than an engine manufacturer. But Zak Brown shut down the not for sale talks but that ‘vert preliminary’ talks with VW had taken place.

    McLaren aren’t the only potential option for Audi, Sauber operators of the Alfa Romeo branded team were close to selling to Andretti Autosport last year and already have a connection to Audi whose Le Mans cars were developed in the wind tunnel at Hinwil. It is also feasible that Williams’ owners Dorilton Capital could be interested in a deal.

  • Ricciardo set to race

    Daniel Ricciardo has tested negative for Covid-19 and will be returning to Bahrain paddock on Thursday in time for the season opener.

    McLaren had a number of drivers on standby if Ricciardo had tested positive, those being Nyck de Vries, Stoffel Vandoorne, Paul Di Resta and Alpine reserve, Oscar Piastri.

    The Australian tested positive during the Official Pre-Season Test last week, leaving his teammate to conduct the three days of running for the Papaya team. Norris completed 200 laps over the 3 days- having the highest individual tally.

    McLaren did however, run into problems with their overheating brakes and will have spent the time between the test and the Grand Prix attempting to fix those problems as they aim to join the frontrunners.

    “McLaren F1 Team confirms that after testing positive for Covid-19 last week, Daniel has now returned a number of negative tests and will therefore return to the paddock on Thursday ready to compete in this weekendā€™s Bahrain GP,” said the team on Wednesday ahead of the Grand Prix. “Daniel has been feeling better each day as he continued to recover while in isolation following local regulations in Bahrain.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CbKNBSlMDDd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
  • Herta to test for McLaren

    Herta to test for McLaren

    IndyCar driver, Colton Herta will be testing for McLaren this season in the teams 2021 car.

    American racer, Colton has taken six wins- his 2019 victory at Circuit of The Americas making him the series’ youngest ever winner. He also has seven pole positions in IndyCar to date.

    This opportunity comes for Herta, as the new Formula 1 regulations state that teams are allowed to test cars that are one year old, which allows them to evaluate young talent for the future.

    As a result of this Herta will test the 2021 McLaren, MCL35M. McLaren will confirm further details of its Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme in due course.

    ā€œColton is a proven talent in IndyCar and we will be interested to see how he adapts to a Formula 1 car,ā€ said McLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl. ā€œWe believe this testing programme will provide him with valuable experience while demonstrating the benefit of expanding previous car testing to showcase promising drivers for the future.ā€

    Herta added: ā€œI want to thank McLaren for the opportunity to get my first laps in a Formula 1 car, which has always been on my racing bucket list. This will be a great opportunity for me to gain some valuable experience in a new form of motorsport and learn from such an established team like McLaren.ā€

    My Opinion-

    Herta looks like he could be entering the sport in a few years time, so this gives him the experience in an F1 car which he currently lacks and show McLaren what he is made of. As well as this McLaren could keep him in my mind for in a few years time depending on how he does in the test.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CbAn6TNs6cw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

  • Piastri joins pool of McLaren’s reserves

    McLaren can now call upon Oscar Piastri, Alpine’s reserve if they require a stand-in for Daniel Ricciardo or Lando Norris, following an agreement of a new deal between the teams.

    The British team already has an arrangement with Mercedes, which allows them to borrow Stoffel Vandoorne Or Nyck de Vries but both drivers have commitments to Mercedes EQ team in Formula E.

    As well as the arrangement with Mercedes, McLaren also have an agreement with former Force India driver, Paul Di Resta to act as a stand-in as possible.

    Following talks with the French team, it is to be believed that the talks have gone on for several weeks which allows Piastri to join the pool of reserves.

    Piastri who won the F2 Championship last year, is not in a full time seat this season and is instead understudy to two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon at Alpine.

    ā€œIn the spirit of offering maximum racing opportunities to our stable of young talent, we have agreed that McLaren may call upon BWT Alpine F1 Team Reserve Driver Oscar Piastri in the event one of their drivers is unable to race,ā€ tweeted Alpine.

    My Opinion-

    This is good news for both McLaren and Oscar, it gives Oscar an potential opportunity to get some miles in an F1 car but aswell for McLaren they have someone who will be at the majority of races this year, so if something does happen he will be there.

  • Ricciardo tests postive for Covid

    Daniel Ricciardo has tested positive for Covid-19 but is set to be released in time for the opening race in Bahrain next week.

    The McLaren driver felt unwell on Wednesday, the day before pre-season testing kicked off at the Bahrain International Circuit. He was due to run all day Thursday but gave his duties to Lando Norris hoping he would feel better today (Friday) so he could run himself.

    Again he was not well enough to run today, so Lando tested for the whole day. But the team said he was returning negative covid tests, until tonight when the driver returned a positive PCR test.

    The team from Woking say he is continuing to isolate in the accordance with the local regulations as well as adding : “Under these regulations Daniel will be released in time for next weekendā€™s Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Daniel is already beginning to feel better, and we wish him well for a quick recovery.”

    Ricciardo took to social media saying: “Better this week than nextā€¦ Unfortunate to miss the test, but Iā€™m starting to feel better. Iā€™ll stay isolated and just focus on next weekend. Big thanks to Lando & McLaren for the heavy lifting, I owe you some beers (milk for Lando). Appreciate the well wishes from everyone.”

    This means that Norris will be driving all day Saturday for the final test day. Over the past two days he has managed just over 100 laps, struggling with brake issues.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca-UYNOL3T6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
  • MCL36

    MCL36

    Last night saw McLaren be the fourth team to show their 2022 challenger, which saw a bold new livery come from the team.

    The team hope this car will push them closer towards becoming World Championship contenders, the MCL36 will be driven by Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo.

    McLaren finished fourth in the constructors’ championship last year after a campaign that yielded their first win since 2012, the team were the only team which managed a 1-2 finish.

    Their points tally was their highest since 2012 also, while their relative performance demonstrated they had closed the gap to the pace-setters Mercedes and Red Bull and their target is to continue that upward trajectory.

    ā€œOver the last year the team have been hard at work developing the MCL36, seeking to take advantage of any opportunities we might find in the design and production of these new cars,ā€ said Team Principal Andreas Seidl. “Landoā€™s performance in 2021 was one of the standouts of the season, with four podium finishes and a pole-position. He came agonisingly close to his first race victory, and although we didnā€™t quite achieve that, heā€™s proven to the world that he can become a Grand Prix winner. After finding it harder to adapt to the MCL35M than he might have expected, Daniel rallied to a strong finish in the second half of the season and captured McLarenā€™s first win since 2012. Throughout the season we saw Danielā€™s skill, resolve and trademark positive attitude despite difficult moments, and we head into the 2022 better prepared to tackle this new challenge.”

    Norris said: ā€œLast year was my best in Formula 1 so far, and Iā€™m really proud of what I achieved as a driver, and what we achieved as a team. But I know that the best is yet to come, and my aim is to carry the positive momentum we built up over the last year and take that with me into this exciting new era of Formula 1. Iā€™m in a good position heading into this year to build on the successes of 2021. Iā€™ve grown up alongside McLaren and Iā€™m really delighted to have recently confirmed my long-term future with the team.ā€

    Ricciardo added: ā€œThereā€™s always a nervous excitement around the start of the new season, but thatā€™s turned up to 11 when you enter a new era of regulations. Having been through several regulation changes now, I feel like Iā€™m able to use that energy to help me adapt to new cars, new ways of driving and ultimately new ways of racing. Heading into my second year with McLaren feels great and I feel like we learned a lot as a team in 2021, which will help us as we take on this new challenge.ā€

    My Opinion-

    I think this may be the best livery so far if not on the same level as Aston Martin. They’ve swapped out the dark blue for light and I think it beats last year, their suits aswell just makes everything put together.

  • Norris signs new four year deal

    Norris signs new four year deal

    Lando Norris and McLaren have signed a new deal together, the huge contract extension keeps the British driver with the British team until the end of 2025!

    Norris signed a long-term deal on the eve of last years Monaco Grand Prix that would keep him at McLaren for 2022 and beyond, but after a strong year together both parties moved to lengthen that arrangement with a new four-year agreement, starting this year.

    Last year was Lando’s best season to date having only been in F1 for 3 seasons so far, he grabbed four podiums, his first pole position and came agonisingly close to his first victory in Russia, he finished the season in 6th which is his career-best.

    This year himself and the team will be going in to a new era together, with their car launch being on Friday, Norris and Ricciardo will be pulling the covers of the MCL36 in Woking.

    ā€œThe opportunity to extend our relationship with Lando reflects not only our commitment but our belief and confidence in his talent,ā€ said McLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl. ā€œIt is also a strong sign of trust and commitment from Lando in us as a team and our journey to World Championship contention. Lando has shown impressive growth as a Formula 1 driver over the past four years and has been an instrumental part of the teamā€™s momentum and performance trajectory,ā€ Seidl added. ā€œWe are still on our journey to fight at the front and Lando is a key element of our plan, so to lock him into place, alongside Daniel [Ricciardo] and our senior leadership, gives us stability and continuity as we build towards our ultimate shared goal of World Championships.ā€

    Norris, who has been part of the McLaren family since 2017, added: ā€œTeams are about people, and I love the people and feel at home at McLaren. I have grown up in this team and Iā€™m part of this journey weā€™re all on. Last season was another great step, both in my career and the teamā€™s performance, and I see and feel all the work, investment and commitment for the team to be in a position to challenge for wins and titles in the future. This all gives me huge confidence looking forward, so it was a natural decision to extend our relationship for the next few years.ā€

    My Opinion-

    I think everyone likes this!! Great news for both the driver and the British team. I’ve said it before but I say it again, Lando has a lot of trust in this team and it shows by him signing such a big deal at a young age when he delivers such good results, but with the new era of car which will soon be on track no-one knows what team or driver will place where so he has a lot of faith too.

    I wont be surprised if we see an article come out some time this year saying he has had offers from different teams. But Lando wants his first win with the team and then his first championship, so he wouldn’t be leaving any time soon.

  • Teams junior drivers part 1

    Being a team in Formula One they are not just battling it out on track they are also looking for the next best thing to hopefully find the next future world champion.

    Mercedes Juniors-

    Andrea Kimi Antonelli, has been with the German team since 2019 when he was only 12 years old but CEO Toto Wolff had been keeping an eye on him some time before he signed for the team. He is the 2020/2021 OK European Champion, this year already he has took part in F4 UAE, where he scored two wins and two more podiums! He is most definitely one to look out for in the future…

    Paul Aron competed in Formula Regional European Championship last year with Prema he finished 3rd overall. He also tested with Formula 3 at the post-season test with Prema, so could potentially see him in F3 soon!

    Alex Powell, born in Miami in 2007 but is a native of Jamaica. He made his karting debut in 2015 and his managed to make a name for himself already. Looking on the last couple of years, Alex has enjoyed a successful 2019 campaign, driving for Energy Corse, which included winning the ROK Cup Superfinal (Mini ROK) and 24Ā° South Garda Winter Cup (Mini ROK), finishing third in the WSK Super Master Series (60 Mini), third in the Italian Championship (60 Mini), fifth in WSK Euro Series (60 Mini) and ninth in the WSK Champions Cup (60 Mini). 2020 saw Alex take on various OK Junior categories in the karting world, including the WSK Champions Cup and WSK Super Master Series.

    Frederik Vesti, new to the Mercedes junior programme but most definitely causing a scene. In 2016 he competed in both German and Danish F4 Championships. He missed two events in the Danish Championship but still managed to finish 2nd. Vesti competed in the Formula Regional European Championship where he won the championship ahead of Enzo Fittipaldi. Vesti then done two years in Formula 3 with him finishing 4th both year. He is now going to race in Formula 2 for the 2022 season with ART Grand Prix, the team he was with in Formula 3 last year!

    Lastly, Yuanpu Cui. First drove a go-kart at the age of six, and joined the team last year off a positive season in 2020. Yuanpu’s started racing professionally in 2014 and by 2016 he had finished second in the Chinese Rotax series. Over the next few seasons, he began to expand his racing outside of China, competing in events all around the world. This included podium finishes in Italian National events, WSK Open Cup, WSK Final Cup, the ROK Cup Superfinal and WSK Euro Series in the 60 Mini and Mini ROK classes, across the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In 2020, he picked up a P2 position in the 31Ā° Andrea Margutti Trophy in OK Junior, picked up victories and podiums in the WSK Champions Cup in 60 Mini and scored podiums in the WSK Super Master Series in 60 Mini. He also achieved a podium in the 2020 Florida Winter Tour in Mini ROK.

    Sauber Junior Team-

    ThƩo Pourchaire, they youngest driver ever to win an F2/GP2 race last year with ART GP, he will be returning to Formula 2 this year with ART GP again in hopes to try and fight for the title. Since being with the Sauber academy, he has won the ADAC Formula 4 Championship beating Dennis Haugher by seven points. Could we see these two fighting for the title this year?

    Christian Ho, is a 13 year old go-kart driver, who was born in Singapore. His half Chinese and half Korean but he is living in Italy. His currently competing in the Junior category with Sauber Junior Karting team.

    Miguel Costa, was born in 2009, he first started karting when he was 3 years old, since then he hasn’t looked back. In 2016 he became the Rock Cup Vice Champion, in 2017 he then went on to be FWT Rok, FWT Rotax and Rok Cup USA Vice Champion. This year he is competing in many karting championships!

    Tiziano Monza, was born in Singapore in 2009 but lives in Italy so he can race around the world. In 2020 he became the WSK Open Cup Vice Champion. Again this year, he is set to be competing in karting championships.

    Gustaw Wiśniewski, another karter added to the juniors. Has taken part in WSK series in Italy, as well as Silver medalist of Poland in Rotax Junior Max, Bronze medalist of Poland in Junior Rok as well as 2nd place in Rotax Max Challenge series.

    Juan Manuel Correa, a name most of us know well! He first joined the academy back in 2019 but then re-joined last year again. He made his racing come back last year with ART GP, he is set to do his second year this year returning with ART GP.

    McLaren Young Driver Programme-

    McLaren has had many of drivers through its young drivers program, most successful being 7 time champion, Lewis Hamilton. The most recent driver who graduated from the program was Lando Norris, who now drives for the team this led the British team to be left with no drivers from 2019 to 2021.

    In March 2021, McLaren announced Ugo Ugochukwu as apart of their programme. The American was crowned the FIA European Karting Champion and he has managed to secure many titles in his career already! In December it got announced that Ugo, will be competing in British F4 in 2022 with Carlin- he will be turning 15 on the eve of the championship!

    I will be splitting this in to two posts due to some teams having more drivers than others…

  • 11.02.22

    McLaren are the third team to announce their 2022 car launch date. They will be revealing the MCL36 on the 11th February.

    Ricciardo and Norris will be piloting the car and be hoping to build of last season. They were the only team to get a 1-2 finish (at Monza) and they finished 4th overall, just behind their rivals Ferrari.

    McLaren isn’t just set to unveil their car on the 11th, they teased on social media that three of their other operations will be present at the launch; Extreme E, IndyCar and Esports teams.

    British driver, Lando Norris will be going into his fourth season with the team, where as it will be Daniel Ricciardo’s second, both drivers will be hoping to finish higher than the Ferrari’s this year whilst bringing the fight to other teams.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CY1oP7MIRtK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

  • Young Drivers Test 2021

    The Young Drivers Test, allows an opportunity for teams to field junior drivers to gain experience in F1 machinery, this takes place once a year and always once the season has ended. Lets take a look at who is driving for which team!

    Mercedes-

    Nyck de Vries will be in the silver arrows. This is no surprise to me, as his took part in it last year. Not only this, but Nyck is a test and reserve driver for Mercedes. The dutchman has driven in Formula E since 2020 with the Mercedes EQ Formula E Team and this year he became the first ever World Champion in Formula E.

    Red Bull-

    We have Formula 2 driver, Juri Vips driving for Red Bull in the YDT. Juri is apart of the Red Bull Junior Team, once again this isn’t Vips first time in the YDT, he drove for Red Bull last year too. Vips hasn’t got anything lined up for next year he could become Red Bull’s Test and reserve driver, as Alex Albon is going to Williams next year.

    Ferrari-

    Ferrari have two drivers doing the test for them, Robert Shwartzman who is apart of the Ferrari Driver Academy, and finished 2nd this year in Formula 2 Championship. As well as Antonio Fuoco. Fuoco done his first test with the Italian team back in 2015 and was also part of the Ferrari Driver Academy up until 2019, he was then promoted to Ferrari’s F1 simulator team, this line up for Ferrari is the same as last year.

    McLaren-

    The papaya team have Pato O’Ward in the car. Pato is not a stranger to McLaren as he races in IndyCar with the McLaren Arrows, and Zak Brown made a deal with the Mexican if he won in IndyCar he will get a chance to test the F1 car, so here we are! Pato is doing another year in Indy Car next year and it is said if he wins the championship there could be a possible move for him to F1 for McLaren!

    Alpine-

    Now, Alpine has the 2021 Formula Two Champion in their car for the Young Drivers Test. Oscar Piastri is apart of the Alpine Academy and has had an amazing career winning 3 titles back to back. However that didn’t secure Oscar a seat in F1 this year… Instead he is now Alpines test and reserve driver.

    Alpha Tauri-

    Another Formula 2 driver is amongst us! This time we have Liam Lawson who is driving for Alpha Tauri. Lawson is apart of the Red Bull Junior Team, he took part in both DTM and Formula 2 this year. DTM he finished 2nd, and F2 finished 9th overall, there is no news yet to see what he is doing next year but speculation is he will do another season in F2 which will be his second year if he did.

    Aston Martin-

    Aston Martin have chosen Nick Yelloly for the test, Nick is no stranger to the Silverstone based team as he has been their simulator driver for a few years now, he now gets to test the Aston Martin.

    Williams-

    Williams have decided to put their new Academy driver into the hot seat for the young drivers test. Logan Sargeant will be making an appearance for the British team, he has confirmed he will be racing in F2 next year with Carlin, whilst also being on stand-by helping out Williams when he can.

    Alfa Romeo-

    Alfa Romeo will be putting their new driver, Guanyu Zhou in for the YDT, as well as testing the prototype car on Wednesday. Zhou, finished 3rd in the Formula 2 Championship this year, and now he is graduating to Formula One.

    Haas-

    Robert Shwartzman will also be in the car for Haas. This wasn’t meant to be his first time in a Haas car, he was actually meant to run in the first practice session of the 2020 Abu Dhabi GP but did not appear on the entry list.

  • McLaren- Vuse Livery

    McLaren and Vuse revealed their one-off livery design for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix earlier this week.

    The design was designed by UAE-based artist Rabab Tantawy as part of the Given by Change campaign for the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

    Vuse, came up with a campaign called ‘Driven by Change’ this gives up and coming artists who are over 25 a chance to show off their work to gain more recognition and representation.

    This is the second time this season McLaren have produced a one-off livery, the first one being in Monaco with their partner Gulf, which got a lot off good attention from the fans.

    The livery still contains the popular papaya and blue colours, it features Tantawy’s distinctive Nubian Series all put together to make a masterpiece livery! The livery will be on both MCL35M’s in which they will be pushing for as many points on Sunday to end the year on a high.

    Claire Cronin, Chief Marketing Officer, McLaren Racing, said:

    ā€œWe are excited to bring the art and motorsport worlds together in a ground-breaking way, by sporting Rabab Tantawyā€™s artwork on our race cars at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Together with Vuse, Driven by Change is a unique opportunity to use our global stage to support rising talent, giving undiscovered creatives the platform they deserve. Rababā€™s art is inspiring, and we are proud to take her papaya-influenced creation racing this weekend.ā€

    My Opinion-

    I love it, even more so that it comes from an up and coming artist, its definitely one way to get your name out there!

    I think the campaign in itself is amazing, and the fact McLaren want it on their car too is something else, I can imagine Rabab Tantawy is having the time of her life right now!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CXMA_I8oYZ-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

  • Round 15 – Sochi Quali

    WOW, what a day it has been for F1 today and what a qualifying it wasā€¦ First up we didnā€™t even think we would have qualifying today because of the weather and having FP3 cancelled it was all just a waiting gameā€¦

    But now it all went in the way of Lando Norris as he is on pole position for tomorrowā€™s race, his first ever one in his F1 career! Joining him on the front row is his old team-mate Carlos Sainz and 3rd is Mr Saturday, George Russell, his second time getting into the top 3 this season!

    The rest of the top 10 are: P4: Hamilton, P5: Ricciardo, P6: Alonso, P7: Bottas, P8: Stroll, P9: Perez and P10: Ocon. We have Verstappen, Leclerc and Latifi all taking new power units this weekend so they will all be starting at the back of the gridā€¦

    Honestly wow. I am in shock, I was watching with one eye open when George was the first to go onto the slicks but they honestly paid off for everyone apart from the Mercs and Red Bull.

    McLaren are on fire this season. Lando has been on top form and itā€™s so nice to see his finally getting rewarded for all his efforts. And Daniel qualifying in P5 after his win in Monza two weeks ago, he will definitely be one to watch tomorrow!

    The constructors leader, Mercedes didnā€™t get it right today, which is a shame but the points are awarded tomorrow and everyone knows how good they are at this track, and Lewis hasnā€™t got to worry about Max as his starting at the backā€¦

    AlphaTauri had a really bad today, which is awful after what happened in Monza. Itā€™s such a shame because Pierre always delivers week in and week out for the team, but Iā€™m sure he can finish in the points tomorrow and it could go his way as he has free tyre choice.

    Predictions for tomorrow-

    My top five for tomorrow are: P1: Hamilton, P2: Norris, P3: Bottas, P4: Ricciardo and P5: Russell. I think fastest lap will go to Hamilton as-wellā€¦

    I do think that it will be very close between Norris and Hamilton, they both could win tomorrow. We all saw how difficult it is to get by the McLaren with their speed but I feel like strategy may come into play!

    Times for tomorrow-

    Race- 13:00pm (BST), 14:00pm (CEST). We also have F2 and F3 feature races tomorrow as-well!

  • Round 14- Monza Race

    WOWā€¦ what didnā€™t happen in that race! Honestly where do I startā€¦

    Daniel Ricciardo is a race winner again for the first time since 2018 and his first with McLaren and joining him is his team-mate, Lando Norris making it his best finish for the team and finally a 1-2 for the papaya team! Joining them on the final step of the podium goes to Bottas after starting P19!

    The rest of the top 10 are: P4: Leclerc, P5: Perez, P6: Sainz, P7: Stroll, P8: Alonso, P9: Russell and P10: Ocon.

    Max and Lewis collided which ended up with Max’s car on top off Lewis’s and Max’s rear tyre was sitting on Lewis’ helmet… So all i’ve got to say is thank god for the halo, because I wouldn’t of liked to seen what happened without it.. I’m very happy both drivers got away safely, it is set to go to the stewards after the race. This collision will be a big talking point for the next few weeks just like it was at Silverstone. *UPDATE* Max Verstappen has been given a 3 grid place penalty for the next race and two penalty points. In my opinion I think this is the right decision, Lewis gave enough space and everyone knows the sausage curbs make you go up in the air. Now Max has got to suffer the consequences which I can imagine he isn’t very happy about it.

    Daniel Ricciardo was on fire today, he took the lead from as soon as the lights went out and honestly he deserves this win so much, he also got the fastest lap too.

    George Russell turned into Mr Sunday today as he finished P9 and score some points! For the third time this season, if people didn’t realise before they do now that George is a very talented driver and serves his Mercedes seat next year!

    Perez, surprised me today, he was running in third position but he got a 5 second penalty due to passing Charles Leclerc off track. He then ended up fifth once the penalty was added on.

    I feel gutted for the AlphaTauri’s, I felt like they both could of been very strong today, Yuki didn’t even start the race due to a mechanical issue which was fount on the way to the grid and wasn’t able to be fixed, and Pierre had to retire due to a problem which is unknown at this time.

    That is the end of our triple header! But I think this break is needed for everyone (including us fans) after the drama of the past 3 race weekends. We will be back racing again in two weekends time and we will be in Sochi, Russia, where we will be joined by F2 and F3! See you all then.

  • Round 5- Monaco Race

    Well well well, we now have a new championship leader! Max Verstappen is leading the championship for the first time and by only 4 points!

    The Monaco curse continues for Charles Leclerc! He was meant to start on pole however he did not start due to an issue with the left driveshaft… however not all bad for the Ferrari team as his team mate Carlos Sainz finishes on the podium in second!

    Lando Norris on the podium again for the second time in 5 races! He is on fire, I am extremely happy for himšŸ™ŒšŸ» he had to defend from Perez towards the end of the race but he managed to hold him off and hold onto that podium!

    Now onto the Mercedes… not a very good weekend for them at all, Bottas was in second came in for a pit stop then a wheel nut got stuck meaning he couldnā€™t carry on… now onto Hamilton he started P7 and also finished P7 with fastest lap, they tried an undercut on Gasly with the pit stop but it just didnā€™t work unfortunatelyšŸ˜£

    Somebody I have to mention is Sebastian Vettel! Could his luck be changing? He started P8 and finished P5! His team mate Lance Stroll also finished in the points in 8th, so could this possibly be a turning point for the team?

    Pierre Gasly as-well! What a man! Drove absolutely beautiful and no mistakes too! He finished in P6šŸ‘šŸ»

    Now weā€™ve got a 2 week break until the 6th round which is Azerbaijan! And thatā€™s on the weekend of the 4th to 6th JunešŸ¤žšŸ»Lots of drivers will be wanting to redeem themselves their so itā€™s all to play for once again šŸ”„

  • Lando signs multi year deal

    So today we had the first contract announcement of the season… and that was Lando Norris resigning for McLaren with a fresh multi year dealšŸ¤©

    His been with the McLaren family since 2017 and scored his first podium with them last year- now his onto his second podium and now sitting fourth in the drivers standing whilst also being on a run of nine successive points finishes.

    His new deal now matches his team mates Daniel Ricciardo’s meaning they will both be with the team until at least the end of 2023.

    This is honestly amazing news! I think Lando has definitely got a bright future ahead of him and it will be interesting to see what him and the McLaren team can do together! Also what brilliant timing for the announcement ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend where they are showing off their new livery! I actually didn’t expect a contract announcement so soon but somebody has to get the ball rolling!

    See below to see what Lando put on his social media for the announcementšŸ™ŒšŸ»

  • McLaren’s special livery

    Last night it got announced on social media that McLaren have a one-off special livery for this weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix.

    McLaren are bringing back the iconic blue and orange colours of Gulf Oil back into Formula One. The British teams initial association with Gulf dates back to the days of team founder Bruce McLaren, when the companies use to work together in F1 and Can-Am racing in the late 60’s and early 70’s. They then renewed their relationship last July, when Gulf Oil came on board as a strategetic partner.

    Norris and Ricciardo have also got new racing suits and race team kits which match the new livery, they are also having new helmets for this weekend however they are a one-off bespoke retro helmet designs which will then be raffled off for the teams mental health charity partner, Mind.

    Personally, I absolutely love it! I just think it looks so clean and sharp and obviously it’s got history about it- I have seen lots of comments on social media about people wanting it to stay and I would like it to however I think the McLaren will go back to its normal colours for Azerbaijan.

    The action this weekend gets underway on Thursday so you get to see the new look for McLaren one day sooneršŸ˜‰

  • The Mid Field Battle

    The mid field battle is always the best, thereā€™s always drama on and off the track, last year we had the mid field battle being McLaren, Racing point and Renault.

    McLaren ended up third last year in the constructors championship after a strong season, they are eventually making their way back up to the top to fight for the championship…

    Will it be the same three battling again or will McLaren be taking the fight to Red Bull?

    I personally hope that they do take the fight to Red Bull. I want to see the McLaren boys up on the podium more and fighting for wins! Although I do think they have more of an advantage as they now have Daniel Ricciardo and Lando had a strong season last year

    It will be interesting to see how Alpine and Aston Martin do this year, obviously they both have two drivers who werenā€™t in their team last year so it may set them back a little bit as they wonā€™t be use to the car.

    If pre-season testing is anything to go by McLaren were very quick and it seemed Daniel settled in quickly. Aston Martin had quite a few problems over the course of the weekend. And Alpine wasnā€™t actually that bad, I thought they would of been worse to be honest…

    I think itā€™s going to be a very close season this year especially because of how many races there are, we could see a variety of drivers on the podium this year…

    Only one more week to go till the first race!

  • 15-02-21

    15th February at 19:00 GMT is the date and time McLaren will be releasing their new MCL35M for 2021. They are the second team to announce when they are unveiling their cars, they launch a week before Alfa Romeo’s car launch.

    McLaren have lots of changes this year including the new engines which are supplied by Mercedes, they fired the car up on the 27th January to show their social media followers a little teaser of whats to come. McLaren are the only team to change engine supplies in 2021, the MCL35M is an evolution of 2020’s competitive car after they finished third in the constructors championship.

    Daniel Riccardo will be joining Lando Norris for the 2021 season and 2022 too. The pair will both be gunning for the podiums and even possibly wins. I’m very much so looking forward to this new pairing as it will be exciting to see how they both adapt to each other as team mates.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CKlYtBdnSTY/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
    McLaren posted this onto Instagram on 28/01/2021