Today's F1 News Delivered Faster Than a Pit Stop
Sotheby's auctions Schumacher's F2001b Ferrari, Alpine denies partial sale to Andretti, and other big updates from around the world of Formula 1.
Sotheby's is offering the chance for wealthy Michael Schumacher and Ferrari fans to buy a race-winning F2001b car, chassis 215, driven by Schumacher in the 2002 F1 season. Schumacher secured his first victory of the year at the Australian Grand Prix and went on to win his fifth world title in Formula 1, matching Juan Manuel Fangio's record. Chassis 215 also achieved Ferrari's 150th pole position in Malaysia and finished 3rd from 21st place in the same race. It was retired after Ferrari introduced the F2002 model due to reliability issues. Sotheby's will auction the car at Monterey on 16-19 August through a 'sealed' auction process where bidders submit hidden offers. Last year, an F2003 car driven by Schumacher was sold for a record $13.2 million.
Click here to read the full article by Phillip van Osten (f1i.com)
Interim-Alpine team principal Bruno Famin denies rumors of selling a stake to Andretti Autosport. The Enstone-based team is facing upheaval following the removal of team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane, coinciding with technical director Pat Fry's move to Williams. Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi was reassigned, with Famin temporarily taking over. Speculation about the team's potential sale has emerged after Renault's recent divestment of a 24 percent stake even as Andretti Autosport's owner, Michael Andretti, seeks entry into F1. However, Famin emphasizes Alpine's focus on its racing and brand development.
Click here to read the full article by Ian Parkes & Mat Coch (speedcafe.com)
McLaren has been rotating Lando Norris' F1 race engineers recently. His usual engineer, Will Joseph, has been alternating with Jose Manuel Lopez, his performance engineer. This rotation is due in part to the demanding F1 schedule, with 24 races, and the need for a backup in case of emergencies. McLaren aims to build a skilled group of engineers to support the drivers and Norris supports this rotation.
Click here to read the full article by Lewis Larkam (crashnnet.com)
The drivers were tasked with arranging themselves on the grid based on their ages, from the youngest to the oldest, and they had only two minutes to do so.
Click here to find out who got it in time.
Sergio Perez from Oracle Red Bull Racing and Ayumu Iwasa of DAMS Racing test their familiarity with Honda's F1 history. They also reveal their F1-inspired designs on their ZR-V vehicles, both featuring the number 11.