Ferrari banks on firebrands

Tomorrow should have seen the start of both the WRC Rally Portugal and the Monaco Grand Prix. It is not to be, but at least we have had a week of encouraging news. Firstly, the musical chairs activity of some drivers, the most significant being the Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari split.

Earlier this year, during testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, talks between Ferrari and Vettel appeared to be almost over, with the outcome a contract for at least a further year. But no signature was forthcoming and with the chaos of the Coronavirus pandemic, negotiations faded into the background until the news broke.

Mattia Binotto, Scuderia Ferrari’s team chief, announced the separation saying: “This is a decision taken jointly by ourselves and Sebastian. We do not share the same short or long term goals.” Vettel agreed, saying: “The team and I have realised that there is no longer a common desire to stay together beyond the end of this season.”Where to now? Renault or retirement for the 32-year-old, four-time driver’s champion?

Meanwhile Binotto welcomed Carlos Sainz to the Scuderia for 2021 and 2022, saying: “We believe that a driver pairing with the talent and personality of Charles Leclerc and Carlos, the youngest in the past 50 years of the Scuderia, will be the best possible combination.”

Got to be one to watch: two very talented young drivers with a hopefully improving Ferrari and perhaps no team orders. Sainz’ vacancy at McLaren was filled by current Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo who reportedly signed a multi-year contract. Team principal Andreas Seidl explained: “Daniel is a proven race winner and his experience, commitment and energy will be a valuable addition to McLaren.” With McLaren’s move to Mercedes power, perhaps it could be a turning point for both car and driver.

It was encouraging to read of some positive steps towards actually holding an Formula One championship this year. As we know the Spielberg circuit owned by Red Bull received a positive response from the Austrian government to run two back-to-back races over the first two weekends of June. Apparently preparations have commenced but there are still issues to be resolved. Despite no spectators, the head count required to run a Grand Prix is large and therefore the problems of social distancing and border crossing quarantines are yet to be finalised.

A similar situation faces Silverstone. Having finally agreed the financial situation with Liberty Media, the British Grand Prix is also a possibility. Proposed as a two-weekend, back-to-back arrangement, it is now in the hands of the UK government whose regulations regarding gatherings and the issues of isolating personnel is a long way from settlement. One can only hope that a way around these difficulties can be found.

Stuart Pringle, Silverstone’s managing director, was delighted the events will go ahead but is reported as saying: “These races will be subject to government approval, as our priority is the safety of all involved and strict compliance with Covid-19 regulations. If the government is not happy, it won’t happen.”

Further positive news is the Belgian government’s approval allowing the running of the Belgian Grand Prix, sans spectators and subject to social distancing, hygiene plus sanitary guidelines. But the issue of ticket sales has to be resolved. Approximately 165 000 tickets have been sold, so it must be a monetary refund or a trade off against tickets for the 2021 race. This situation may require some financial assistance from Liberty Media.

With its country’s extended ban on all public gatherings of more than 500 people, the organisers of the Hungarian round are determined it will take place without spectators at the Hungaroring. Organisers said: “While this is not an ideal scenario, we do believe that staging the event behind closed doors, which our fans can still watch on television, is preferable to not having a race at all.

“Furthermore, it will ensure that a global television audience of millions can still watch the race in Hungary. As such, we are continuing to work with Formula One to try and find a way to make this possible.” Negotiations with both Liberty Media and the national authorities are apparently underway. If all these events receive official approval we will have six races requiring only two more to qualify as an official world championship.

The balance will probably be filled by the mid to far-eastern circuits, plus the Americas, but if all else fails several circuits are stepping up to the plate if numbers need to be increased. Those offering facilities are Hockenheim in Germany, Imola in Italy, the Portuguese circuits of Portimao and Estoril, plus Spain, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Valencia and Jerez. The close proximity of the last five, all situated on the Iberian Peninsula, would offer a compact logistics solution.

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