by Pete Gorski

When I read that Formula One was coming to Las Vegas in 2023, my first thought was, “Well that seemed inevitable.” When I saw the track map, my second thought was, “My how times change.” A little history…

As many are aware, F1 led a semi-nomadic existence in the United States in the 1980s, with events in Las Vegas, Long Beach, Dallas, and Detroit. After the U.S. Grand Prix in Phoenix in 1991, they waved the white flag (and not in a good way) and said Cherrio! to the U.S. market. F1 didn’t return to the U.S. until 2000, on a road course built inside Indianapolis Motor Speedway. At the time, IMS was (arguably) the most famous racetrack in the country.

Las Vegas Grand Prix track map. [Source: Wikipedia]

The Miami Grand Prix. I was all set to hate this event. Another race in a parking lot in a hot environment…not exactly my idea of a compelling event. The racing itself was fine, with some help from a late safety car, and the environs, at least on television, didn’t look all that bad. Mostly flat yes, and much of the atmosphere was manufactured (looking at you faux marina), but overall…fine.

The most interesting part of the broadcast came during the prerace hype. Sky Sports commentator David Croft kinda said the quiet part loud when he opined that F1 is always trying to balance spectacle with good racing… and then went on with the rest of the broadcast. Call it bias on my part, but when I heard that, it sounded like maybe he wasn’t expecting the race to be all that exciting, but that the setting was irresistible.

As far as spectacle, if that’s what you’re into, then Miami and the prerace show paid off big. Innumerable celebrities from diverse fields of…celebrity(?)… packed the VIP areas and Martin Brundle’s grid walk. (For better or worse. Kinda worse.)

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you know that Liberty Media has been focused on growing F1 in the United States — from once a year at COTA to three visits in 2023. But I have to wonder, is Liberty on the road to oversaturation? Yes the Miami event was a smashing success from an attendance and glitterati standpoint. But I attended the inaugural F1 race at Indianapolis in 2000 as a spectator, and it too was packed…the first year. Fans sitting behind me brought chilled shrimp and champagne. Just a few years later (and before the infamous Michelin fiasco), attendance was still decent, but the race was hardly the must-see event of the season. I have no doubts the inaugural Las Vegas race will also be a huge hit…the first year. But I suspect that both Miami and Las Vegas may find the allure of “First time!!!” doesn’t carry over into “Third time!!!”

I also recall that there was concern that the Mexico GP was going to hurt attendance at COTA. Are there enough fans to split between Miami, Las Vegas, and Austin? Liberty seems to be operating in opposition to the show business maxim “”Always leave them wanting more.” Drive to Survive is going to have to be really compelling to keep putting people in the seats.

Let’s revisit Crofty’s comment about spectacle. It’s widely known that F1 looks at “destination” cities for its new races, and Miami and Las Vegas fit the bill. Tacit in F1’s not returning to IMS is that Indianapolis isn’t a “destination” city. And yes, if Tony George or the state could have put together the money required to keep hosting a race, the series would have continued running there, regardless of lack of allure or a boring circuit. But all three tracks on which F1 will race in the United States are out at the edges of the country. While Indy may not have the electric neon buzz of South Beach or The Strip, it is centrally located. And I’m not just saying this as somebody who lives in the upper Midwest, but it’s easier and more convenient for a large number of race fans to get to Indianapolis than the other three locations.

I’m going to wrap this up with a little motorsports blasphemy. If we accept that the IMS roval is boring, shouldn’t we apply that same standard to other rovals as well? Say…the Daytona roval? It’s not more “exciting” than IMS, unless the banking somehow makes it a better road course. So why is Daytona not saddled with the b-word? Time served. It’s been a fixture for so long, nobody thinks to complain about it. The sun is hot, water is wet, and the roval at Daytona…well… But I guarantee, if you built the Daytona road course today, the Internet would be alight with comments calling it just that. All Indy needed to do to transcend that pejorative was to hang on for another 20 years and any thoughts of “boring” would be forgotten!

So we’ll see how long Miami and Las Vegas hang around on a crowded F1 calendar. If you’re excited by the thought of F1 cars on The Strip at night, you might want to make sure you get there sooner than later. History is not on the side of an extended run.

Pete Gorski

I’ve been a race fan from the first time my Dad put a slot-car controller in my hand. That was back in the 1970s, and in the intervening years, I’ve spent hours watching racing, photographing racing, and for the past seven years, writing about racing. My work has appeared in Victory Lane magazine and SpeedTour Quarterly, along with the Visors Down Motorsports Photography Facebook page.

www.gorskiphotoservices.com

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The capacity crowd enjoys an amazing debut race at the Miami International Autodrome

DJ Tiësto, Maluma and The Chainsmokers provide the soundtrack to an amazing festival atmosphere

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla., Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen held off a late-race charge from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to take victory in the first-ever Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix. At the chequered flag, the Dutchman’s winning margin over his Ferrari rival was just 3.7 seconds after 57-laps around the brand-new Miami International Autodrome. A further 4.4 seconds back was the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz who finished just ahead of Sergio Perez’s Red Bull.

A capacity crowd packed into the sport’s newest venue to enjoy a terrific duel between the top two drivers in this year’s points chase. The inaugural running of the event in Miami Gardens featured a host of overtaking and on-track battles — including a late-race Safety Car — that kept the huge crowd enthralled in the beautiful South Florida sunshine.

The Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix was the hottest ticket in town as a host of celebrities from the realms of showbiz, music and film in addition to sporting superstars enjoyed the world-class VIP guest experience. Stars at the track included David Beckham, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, LeBron James, Winnie Harlow, Paris Hilton and Pharrell who joined a host of Miami Dolphins players and Head Coach Mike McDaniel on the grid before the race.

The top three drivers were full of praise for the track and organization of the first-ever Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix too: “It was an incredible atmosphere, it was really well-organized. It’s not easy to put on an event like this and they did an amazing job and I had a lot of fun driving around,” said race winner Verstappen. “The atmosphere was incredible — it’s great to see how much interest the sport has got in the last few years,” said Leclerc. “The organization was great with loads of people and good weather. It was amazing to be here.”

Following the pre-race ceremonies, the Grand Prix got underway at 3.30pm E.T. local time. From third on the grid, Verstappen made a strong start and managed to out-brake Sainz for second place at the first corner. He then set off in pursuit of pole sitter Leclerc and managed to pass the Ferrari for the lead as the pair crossed the start/finish line at the beginning of lap 9.

Thereafter the Red Bull driver pulled out a margin of nearly six seconds as he approached his mandatory tyre stop on lap 26. Leclerc had switched from the medium to hard compound Pirellis a lap earlier and after they had both completed their stops, the gap between the leaders increased to 7.5 seconds.

But Verstappen’s path to victory was suddenly under threat when the race was neutralized on lap 41. A Virtual Safety Car had been deployed following contact between McLaren’s Lando Norris and the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman had run wide at Turn 7 and as he accelerated out of Turn 8 to regain his position, he touched Norris’s right-rear wheel which caused the McLaren to spin wildly down the straight. As Norris climbed out of his stricken machine the Safety Car was deployed to enable the marshals to retrieve his McLaren and clear the track of debris.

The biggest beneficiary of the Safety Car was Mercedes driver George Russell. After starting 12th on the grid, he chose to begin the race on the hard tyre and hadn’t pitted by the time of the VSC, by which point he had risen to fifth place. Despite emerging from the pit lane behind Lewis Hamilton, he was able to pass his Mercedes team-mate and also benefitted from Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas running wide at the final corner to claim fifth overall.

After a number of laps behind the Safety Car the race resumed with just ten laps remaining. Leclerc came close to regaining the lead in an exciting battle in the closing stages, but Verstappen held on to claim a famous win. After being given a police escort motorcade underneath the Hard Rock Stadium, the top three drivers then appeared on the huge podium wearing NFL-style helmets complete with face guard. The football theme continued when Verstappen was presented with his winners’ trophy by Miami Dolphins legend and former quarterback Dan Marino.

Away from the Formula 1® action, Sunday morning also included a wealth of other on-track activities overseen by the race’s three Ambassadors Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi and Juan Pablo Montoya. Events included the F1® Drivers Parade that featured a collection of the world’s finest convertible super and hypercars and the all-female support race category. Defending champion Jamie Chadwick completed a perfect weekend at W Series Miami presented by Hard Rock by backing up her win in Saturday’s first race with a dominant lights-to-flag victory in race two of the 2022 season-opening double-header.

The spectators also enjoyed the amazing party atmosphere at the Hard Rock Beach Club. At lunchtime the Grammy Award-winning and international icon DJ Tiësto performed to the entire Campus and that was followed up by a performance by Maluma on the podium, while the world famous EDM-pop duo The Chainsmokers brought the Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix party and festival atmosphere to an end on Sunday evening.

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• New Miami International Autodrome track “95 per cent complete” ahead of its debut race in May
• Work started on the 5.41km track in April 2021 with the final lift of asphalt completed in March
• The final works to include curb painting and installation of temporary safety barriers. Images of the track construction can be found here
• Recently released fly through video revealing the full layout of the incredible variety of spaces and experiences on offer to fans around the Campus is available to watch here
• Campus Pass on sale now and available to purchase here

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla., The construction of the Miami International Autodrome is “95 per cent complete” ahead of its staging of the first-ever Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix on May 6-8, 2022. Work on the 5.41km circuit started in April 2021 and all permanent structures, such as the Pit Building, Garages and Race Control Tower are close to completion, and the final lift of asphalt laying was finished in March. The focus in the final weeks will shift to the final fit of the temporary structures around the Miami Campus and minor works, such as painting curbs, which is already underway, and installing temporary safety barriers.

“We’re in the final stages of this incredible circuit that will host the first-ever Formula 1® race in Miami,” says Richard Cregan, CEO of the Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix. “We are delighted with the progress we have made and it’s a huge credit to the hard work of the team here in Miami, in consultation with both Formula 1® and the FIA to get this circuit finished in a tight timeline. We have tried to create a track that drivers love to race on and a campus that offers unique, best-in-class fan experiences; and we can’t wait for the first weekend in May to be here.”

The state-of-the-art Miami International Autodrome has been constructed in Miami Gardens within the campus of the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team. The 19-turn track is the newest circuit built to host a round of the FIA Formula 1® World Championship. The circuit features three straights — the longest being 1.28km in length — three DRS zones and simulations predict drivers will be on full throttle for 58 per cent of the lap, with an estimated top speed of 320km/h.

Planning of the Miami International Autodrome began in the summer of 2019, while the ground-breaking process started in April 2021. Over the past 12 months, 24,000 tons of asphalt have been laid, with the final top lift completed in February 2022. The foundations of the Pit Building started on September 1, 2021 and a total of 1,130 tons of concrete has been used across the site.

The layout of the track has been formulated by Clive Bowen’s Apex Circuit Design company and work on the design has taken place in close consultation with both Formula 1® and the sport’s governing body, the FIA, to ensure the track is a challenge for the drivers and adheres to the rigorous safety standards of a modern Grand Prix facility.

Around the 5.41km circuit, a total of 2,870 Geobrugg blocks have been installed with 118 in place along the Pit Wall. Extending the length of the Miami International Autodrome are 37,000 feet of concrete barriers and debris fences (the equivalent to seven miles in length). There are also 14 pedestrian bridges that span the track — the most of any F1® circuit — to enable ease of access around the Miami Campus.

“There has been no compromise on any aspect of the circuit design or quality of construction,” says Cregan. “In my experience of working with new venues over the years, I’ve never seen as much effort on perfecting the surface of the track as we have done in Miami. Everything was exactly per the design, and everyone involved in construction has done an incredible job.”

The Miami International Autodrome will roar into life on the weekend of May 6-8, 2022 and will be the 11th different venue in the USA to host a Formula 1® race since the championship started in 1950. This year’s inaugural event will form round five of this season’s 23-race schedule.

Follow the Miami Grand Prix at:

Facebook – F1 Miami Grand Prix

Twitter – @F1Miami

Instagram – @F1MIA

LinkedIn – F1 Miami Grand Prix

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KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (March 9, 2022) – Haas F1 Team has signed Kevin Magnussen to drive alongside Mick Schumacher in the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship in a multi-year contract agreement with the Danish racer. Magnussen will drive the team’s VF-22 for the first time in the official pre-season test at Bahrain International Circuit, 10-12 March – joining Schumacher and test and reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi at the test.

Magnussen (29), a veteran of 119 career Formula 1 starts – with a podium finish on his debut in 2014, previously raced for Haas F1 Team between 2017-2020 having landed at the American-owned outfit after stints with McLaren and Renault. The Roskilde-born driver scored his career-high ninth place finish in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship with Haas F1 Team in 2018 – scoring top 10 finishes in 11 out of 21 races in the VF-18 – including a pair of fifth place finishes in Bahrain and Austria. Magnussen accumulated 79 starts across his first tenure with the Kannapolis-based squad – his final race from that period coming at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December 2020.

Magnussen continued to prove his racing pedigree throughout 2021. A race winner in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Chip Ganassi Racing, the Dane added four more podium finishes to his maiden campaign in the United States. The 2021 season also included a race debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans competing for High Class Racing in the LMP2 category alongside his father Jan Magnussen, and a one-off IndyCar start for Arrow McLaren SP at Road America.

“I’m delighted to welcome Kevin Magnussen back to Haas F1 Team,” commented Guenther Steiner, Team Principal of Haas F1 Team. “When looking for a driver who could bring value to the team, not to mention a wealth of Formula 1 experience, Kevin was a straightforward decision for us. Kevin’s immediate availability means we can tap into him as a resource for pre-season testing alongside both Mick Schumacher and Pietro Fittipaldi. Pietro’s going to be first in this week with half a day’s running at the test on Thursday – that’s a great opportunity for him, with Mick and Kevin doing the rest ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.”

Steiner continued; “Kevin was a key component in our previous successes – not least when we both scored our best finishes in Formula 1 back in 2018. He continued to show last year that he’s an elite race car driver adding wins and podiums to his resume. As a veteran presence in both the garage and the engineering room, he’ll provide a solid benchmark for us with the on-going development of the VF-22. We’re all looking forward to welcoming Kevin back this week in Bahrain.”

“I was obviously very surprised but equally very excited to receive the call from Haas F1 Team,” stated Magnussen. “I was looking in a different direction regarding my commitments for 2022 but the opportunity to return to compete in Formula 1, and with a team I know extremely well, was simply too appealing. I really have to say thank you to both Peugeot and Chip Ganassi Racing for releasing me promptly – both are great organizations.

“Naturally, I also want to thank Gene Haas and Guenther Steiner for the chance to resume my Formula 1 career – I know just how competitive they both are and how keen they are to return to competing week in and week out. We’ve enjoyed a solid relationship and our positive association remained even when I left at the end of 2020. I’ve been briefed as much as possible on the development of the VF-22 and the potential in the package. There’s work to do but I’m excited to be a part of it. I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car in Bahrain.”

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#FWD2022 – Q&A with Uralkali Haas F1 Team Technical Director, Simone Resta

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (September 8, 2021) – Following last week’s launch of #FWD2022 – a series of content and updates on the creation of the VF-22 and the group behind a new era of racing for the American F1 team – we reconvene with Simone Resta, Technical Director at Uralkali Haas F1 Team for part two of an exclusive Q&A.

You’ve introduced the names behind Uralkali Haas F1 Team’s future challenger, can you now provide an insight into how to build a Formula 1 car from scratch and how the team is looking forward to 2022…

“Building a Formula 1 car from scratch has been a very big challenge for the new technical group as the project started in parallel with the group’s creation, as well as to all the new processes and reviews we’ve put in place.

“To explain clearly, after receiving the new set of regulations, the group identified the objectives for the new car, then defined the project plan and the required resources. At the concept stage we then investigated development directions aimed to find answers to the above-mentioned points.

“From the concept phase, the project gradually transitions to the engineering phase, involving the project of readying components – their procurement, assembly, indoor testing and FIA homologation before running trackside. Within the legal boundaries defined by the FIA, Uralkali Haas F1 Team has a collaboration with Ferrari, purchasing not only the powertrain but also a series of parts of the TRQ transferable components family.”

You mention indoor testing. What can you tell us about the facilities and our wind tunnel model?

“Since the beginning of our collaboration with Ferrari, we have been using their wind tunnel. The 2022 wind tunnel model has been prepared at the start of the year in order to start as early as possible on the 2022 car development, following final legalization work on the current car.

“The new wind tunnel model, 60% scale as its predecessors, looks quite different if compared to the previous ones due to the combination of several factors.”

Was that the model from the previous car or a brand-new model?

“It is a brand-new model, we started from scratch. The model features new front and rear tire and rim dimensions and a complete review of the bodywork regulations and dimensions.

“This will include a completely new design for front and rear wings, bodywork, floor and diffuser, brakes ducts, wheel fairing and suspension too. The amount of freedom to develop aerodynamic surfaces has been reduced, but still allows teams to develop different geometries and extract performance, and as always, the devil is in the details.

“A very important tool to develop the performance of the car is the CFD, Computational Fluid Dynamics, that allows the team of aerodynamicists to perform virtual simulations before testing the model scale parts into the wind tunnel. The maximum number of CFD runs is specified by the regulations as well as the maximum number of wind tunnel tests.”

What exactly is being worked on in the wind tunnel? It’s obviously aerodynamics, but is it one day the front wing, the next day the rear bodywork? How does the program come together?

“Almost every week we develop the new model in the wind tunnel according to our testing calendar. The team of aerodynamicists, following the agreed development directions and testing plans, prepares the set of components to be tested looking to extract performance.

“Depending on the testing plan, in a normal day we can test a family of front wings, then switch on new chassis geometries, then develop new bodywork shapes, then restart the next day with floors, rear wings, brake ducts etc. – basically everything is in development.

“In simple terms, the development team prepare the new components, follow the test in the wind tunnel and gathers the results, study the data, and make sure the findings will be considered for the next component iteration in the tunnel, and the next iteration can happen the next day, the next week or in a longer time depending on the complexity of the changes.

“A close collaboration between the aero group and the design office is key to maximizing the development efficiency.”

Where is the team right now in the design process?

“The team is in the advanced concept phase. There’s still full freedom to develop each component but we are getting close to the first components geometry freeze.

“I shouldn’t be sharing this, but in the spirit of bringing our fans on the journey with us, one of the first definitions is the fuel cell one. The first information released to the supplier is the fuel cell shape. Once you define that, it means that this part of the chassis is defined. That becomes a constraint, and you keep working on the remaining parts of the car. So that is the first component freeze.

“But of course, it’s not a fully sequential job, it’s concurrent engineering. We created specific working groups to manage the project on certain parts of the car. We involve every member of the team, trying to empower them so there are not just two or three superstars in the team. Instead, it’s the person doing the aerodynamic work on the front wing working with the designer of the front wing and the structural engineer and they’re all around the table and discussing. Of course, it’s a combination of bottom-up processes together with top-down processes, but overall, we firmly believe in individual engineering empowerment to contribute to the team performance. That’s a key aspect.”

How do you then incorporate into that the physical components?

“Everything runs in parallel, 100 percent, with a concurrent engineering process. The group of aerodynamicists, the designers, the performance engineers, the program managers and all the engineers across the team work simultaneously developing the vehicle components according to the defined plan. The plan features release dates by which certain geometry will have to be frozen, from this point onwards the scope of development is partially reduced transitioning from the concept phase on to the engineering phase.”

When does race engineering come into this process because there’s a group of people designing the product and then there’s the people who are running it…

“The race engineering group is a key asset for each team. It’s the group of engineers that has the duty to run the track program supporting the drivers to extract the full potential from the car and give feedback to the development group at the factory to improve the car performance. The race engineering members are kept updated about the 2022 project evolution whilst running the 2021 car trackside. At the end of this year, once the 2021 car is pensioned, it will be the time for the race engineers to adopt our new baby, the 2022 car. This will involve studying all the data needed to prepare the new car assembly, indoor preparation and testing activities and finally the trackside launch.”

By not developing the current car and looking forward to 2022, what can fans expect from the VF-22 and what are the realistic aims for the team next year?

“You have kept the most difficult question at the end! As a team, we have decided to stop the development of the 2021 car at the beginning of the year, trying to focus most of our energies on to the 2022 car.

“We started a bit on the back-foot as we needed to complete the structure while developing processes and tools as well, but we believe that this investment will pay off and we’ll have a competitive car, and we’ll have lots of fun again in 2022.”

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KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (September 1, 2021) – Following the relaunch of Formula 1 regulations set to be used by teams from 2022, Uralkali Haas F1 Team will be releasing a series of content and updates on the creation of the VF-22 and the team behind a new era of racing for the American F1 team. In the first of two conversations, we caught up with Technical Director, Simone Resta who introduces the team behind the VF-22, priorities and how building a new car is as much about people as it is machines…

Ciao, Simone! You joined the Uralkali Haas F1 Team in January, 2021. What drew you to join Formula 1’s American team?

“Joining Haas represented a new fresh challenge and I decided to accept it when it was offered. It’s a very interesting professional opportunity to be part of a young and ambitious growing team.”

When there is a big regulation change that will affect numerous areas of the car, when does work stop on the current car and the team start looking forward? How does the VF-22 come to life, as the genesis of a Formula 1 car is rarely shared…

“Originally this big regulation change was planned for 2021, then when the COVID pandemic hit our sport, it was decided to postpone the introduction of the new regulations to 2022 including several changes. At the same time the aerodynamic development on this platform was frozen for the remaining part of 2020.

“When this decision was taken, Haas was at a point of having done just some small development work, so in 2021, it has been basically a fresh restart on those regulations.

“As previously mentioned, I joined the team in January this year and I started working with the team on the new technical organization almost from scratch, being quite involved in the recruitment process to form the technical organization, reviewing roles and decision-making process, and in parallel doing minimal work needed to legalize the VF-21.

There are a lot of people involved in the creation of a new car – can you share some details on the groups and key figures?

“I feel very lucky having the opportunity of working with a group of very talented engineers, with a few of them having even joined the team together with me. If you look at my first line of reports, there is Andrea Da Zordo (Chief Designer), Matteo Piraccini (Head of Chassis Engineering), Arron Melvin (Head of Aerodynamics), Maurizio Bocchi (Performance Development Manager), then we have Ayao Komatsu, (Director of Engineering) and Ben Agathangelou (Head of Engineering Operations).

“That’s the set-up of the group, I’m physically located in Italy together with most of the technical group, whilst Ayao, travelling to all races, is located in Banbury together with his department.

“In addition to our core Haas team, we’ve got an important component from Dallara, based in Italy. The extent of the collaboration has been slightly reduced if compared to 2019, but this collaboration remains strategical for us, thanks to the support on design, aero and wind tunnel engineering related activities.

“The technical group is distributed in four main offices, two in Maranello (Ferrari area), one in Varano (Dallara) and another one in Banbury.”

How do you prioritize? If something comes up that you think needs more time spent on, does something else need to give?

“It’s always a compromise as we operate with finite resources, and with the introduction of the budget cap in our sport, it will bring more and more of those compromises in to play. The chassis project choices are being made mainly between Andrea and Matteo, with the support of Ben regarding legality and planning. The responsibility to drive forward the aerodynamic development program is part of Arron Melvin’s mission. In his daily business, he’s supported by two principal aerodynamicists, Juan Molina and Rhodri Moseley, who are managing several aero team leaders in charge of all the areas of the car.

“The vehicle performance is a daily business for the whole technical organization, but it’s worth mentioning Maurizio and Ayao as two key players.

“To make an example, if we think about aerodynamic development, at every point in time we can imagine to have two separate groups developing in parallel the new car and the current year car. In 2021, this is an exception as Haas team has made the strategic choice to focus the efforts on the new 2022 car development almost completely.

“Finally, at Haas we strongly believe in empowerment. Each engineer is responsible for his own area or component, and the structure duty is to make sure the colleagues working in each area are executing and staying on plan. That’s our business.”

It sounds as much of a people management business as it is a technical business?

“It’s like technical management. There’s a lot of management, process, organization, HR related work – together with a mix of complex technical choices, tools development, planning and, last but not least, pure racing.”

You’ve been involved in a lot of car builds and regulation changes over your career. What ignites the fire inside you and what is addictive about the business of Formula 1?

“I believe that the introduction of a new set of regulations represents a unique chance for the team to develop ideas from scratch, as there are no references with existing cars. You can see in each engineer’s eyes the fire and ambition to prove they can come up with the best design or concept. In a way there are many common elements and situations between new car projects, but it’s also true that they are all different as the conditions are not the same. With a new set of regulations you are trying to develop something that does not exist yet – this is very exciting – and having learned from previous experiences is a key element when affording new challenges aiming to maximize the team result.

-UralkaliHaasF1Team-

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Opening July 24, 2021 the Petersen first-ever F1 exhibit “Pole Position” features 10 significant F1 race cars and official F1 show cars from the collection of McLaren team sponsor Juan Gonzalez

LOS ANGELES (July 22, 2021) – The Petersen Automotive Museum has announced the opening of its first-ever exhibit dedicated solely to Formula 1. “Pole Position: The Juan Gonzalez Formula 1 Collection” will present a varied collection of modern F1 cars surrounded by a 180-degree immersive video conveying the energy of the races in which these cars competed.

1987 Lotus 99T

1999 Ferrari F399

1994 Williams FW15D

2018 McLaren MCL33

2008 McLaren F1 MP4-24

The 10 cars on display will tell the stories of a variety of drivers and manufacturers from three decades of racing. Vehicles on display will include a 1987 Lotus 99T, a 1994 Williams FW15D, a 1995 McLaren MP4-10, a 1999 Ferrari F399, a 2005 McLaren F1 MP4-20, a 2008 McLaren F1 MP4-24, a 2011 McLaren F1 MP4-26, a 2013 Ferrari F138, a 2017 Scuderia Toro Rosso STR12 and Fernando Alonso’s boldly colored 2018 McLaren MCL33. Each vehicle comes from the collection of Juan Gonzalez, Chairman of the Board of Mission Foods, a sponsor of the McLaren F1 team and the Arrow McLaren SP INDY team.

The exhibit will also offer opportunities to educate visitors about extreme vehicle aerodynamics, unusual materials such as soft racing tire rubber and other unique facets of F1 car design and construction.

“Pole Position” is guaranteed to excite our guests, especially those who are avid F1 fans or gearheads,” said Petersen Executive Director Terry L. Karges. “Seeing these cars up close and personal is a rare opportunity. Anyone who is fascinated by the mechanics of speed and aerodynamics will be entranced by this stunning display of sophisticated machinery.”

“Pole Position: The Juan Gonzalez Formula 1 Collection” will open to the public July 24, 2021, and be on display in the Charles Nearburg Family Gallery until June 5, 2022. For more information, please visit Petersen.org.

About Petersen Automotive Museum
The Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity. The museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Blvd. (at Fairfax) in Los Angeles, California 90036. Hours of operation are Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5. p.m. For general information, call 323-930-CARS or visit Petersen.org.

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The Silverstone team will now work closely with the ERP experts and particularly the Director of Public Health in Northamptonshire on the specific conditions of entry that will enable the event to operate safely and will be announcing these details to ticket holders in the coming days.

Managing Director of Silverstone, Stuart Pringle, commented “This is something we have all been working towards for months and I cannot wait to welcome a full capacity crowd back to Silverstone this July. Many of our fans rolled their tickets over from 2020 but they are now well placed to enjoy what is sure to be one of the highlights of the summer.

“My thanks go to the Culture Secretary and his team at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for their tireless efforts on behalf of the sports sector, but also the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove and the teams in No.10 and the Cabinet Office for recognising what an amazing, safe opportunity the British Grand Prix offers to show the world how Britain has dragged itself back on track following the fight against the pandemic.”

F1 President and CEO, Stefano Domenicali added “It is fantastic news that Silverstone will be a full capacity event and it will be an incredible weekend with hundreds of thousands of fans being there to see our first ever Sprint event on the Saturday and the main event on Sunday. I want to express my huge appreciation to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, Secretaries of State, Oliver Dowden and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove and Silverstone’s Managing Director, Stuart Pringle for their tireless work to achieve this great outcome. All of the drivers and the teams are hugely looking forward to Silverstone and we can’t wait to be there in July.”

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said “I’m pleased that Silverstone will be able to welcome fans back to their large outdoor site for the pinnacle of British motorsport.

“Through our successful vaccine rollout and ambitious Events Research Programme we are continuing to make progress, and events like this will pave the way for everyone to enjoy live sport and culture together safely once more.”

Information for fans:

Silverstone will be in touch with all ticket holders in the coming days with further details about how the Formula 1 British Grand Prix will run as a pilot event. We can confirm at this stage that ticket holders will be asked for either proof of a negative lateral flow test taken within 48 hours of arrival at Silverstone, or, proof of full vaccination, the second dose having been received at least 14 days prior to the first day of attending the British Grand Prix.

We would like to ask fans not to contact us at this stage unless absolutely necessary but we do encourage them to keep an eye on our website which we will update with all the necessary information and with the answers to all the questions we are receiving.

All ticket holders are now able to download their e-tickets by logging in to their account on the relevant page of our website here.

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KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (February 19, 2021) – Pietro Fittipaldi will continue to serve as Haas F1 Team’s official test and reserve for the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Fittipaldi, who made his first two Formula 1 starts last December at the Sakhir Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – subbing for the injured Romain Grosjean, will again support the team trackside throughout 2021 extending his relationship with the American squad into a third season.

Fittipaldi (24) attended the majority of Formula 1 races in 2020 in his role as test and reserve driver. The Miami-born Brazilian was then called into action following Romain Grosjean’s crash and subsequent injuries at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Fittipaldi debuted behind the wheel of the VF-20 at the Sakhir Grand Prix the following weekend – held at the Bahrain International Circuit. He claimed the checkered flag on his maiden start, finishing the 87-lap race 17th overall. A week later he participated in the season-finale at Yas Marina Circuit, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Fittipaldi again going the distance to complete his second grand prix start in 19th.

Prior to racing for Haas F1 Team, Fittipaldi had tested both its VF-18 and VF-19 entries in 2018 and 2019. The grandson of two-time FIA Formula 1 World Champion and double Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, Pietro’s racing resume includes multiple race wins and four titles (including Formula V8 3.5 Championship and Formula Renault) and several IndyCar Series starts.

“We’re all delighted to continue our relationship with Pietro Fittipaldi,” stated team principal Guenther Steiner. “The role of test and reserve driver means you might be called up to drive at very short notice and that turned out to be the case for Pietro in Bahrain at the end of 2020. Despite the demands of driving with little time to prepare, he undoubtedly did a solid job for us – not least as he hadn’t even tested the VF-20. He didn’t get caught up in the moment, he proved patient and ultimately, he did what he was asked to do – he brought the car home in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. That first-hand race experience will only serve to add value in terms of what he brings to the team in his role this season. We look forward to working with Pietro and having him with us again throughout the year.”

“I’m very happy to be able to continue into my third year with Haas F1 Team,” said Pietro Fittipaldi. “I’m grateful to Gene (Haas) and Guenther (Steiner) for the opportunity once again. I’ve been working with the engineers now for a couple of years and I really feel like it’s a big family at Haas. It’s a great pleasure for me to be able to continue working with the team. With the two races I ran last year, it just helped me gain even more experience, and I’m sure that’s going to help me be able to contribute more to the team as a result. I’m really looking forward to the new season and I’m just really excited to be continuing my relationship with Haas and being with them again in Bahrain in March.”

Round 1 of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the Bahrain Grand Prix, is hosted at the Bahrain International Circuit March 26-28. Fittipaldi will be in attendance in support of Haas F1 team newcomers Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher – both drivers making their Grand Prix race debuts that weekend.

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The 21-year-old German recorded 125 laps around the 5.554-kilometer (3.451-mile), 21-turn circuit.

Morning running totaled 53-laps utilizing the Pirelli C4 tire throughout as Schumacher built on the 23-laps he accumulated in FP1 last Friday. Working on the balance of the VF-20, with a mixture of low and high fuel runs, Schumacher’s fastest lap in the morning was a 1:40.106. The afternoon plan focused on gaining additional mileage with longer runs on the C4 before a switch to the softer C5 compound for comparison runs. Schumacher added another 72 laps to his tally with a fastest lap of 1:39.947.

Fernando Alonso of Renault ended the day top of the timesheets courtesy of a 1:36.333 lap.

Mick Schumacher / Driver #50:

“I feel pretty good, obviously I’m very happy I managed to do so many laps – it’s not always a given in testing. We focused on a good amount of laps, and a valuable amount of laps, which was very positive. The key point from today was just to understand the tires a little more – for that, the long runs were very good. I think we achieved that, and I now have a pretty good knowledge of what I need to do although the tires might be a bit different next year. I feel very comfortable, I know the team’s happy, so that’s good. I really was so happy to be in the car and it was so much fun to drive. I’m really looking forward to next year.”

Ayao Komatsu / Director of Engineering

“So today was obviously the first full day of Mick (Schumacher) being in the car. We really focused on him understanding the car, and then adjusting the car balance to suit and to get the best out of Mick. We really didn’t focus on one lap performance or anything like that, we simply wanted to get him to understand various things like different fuel loads. We also focused on tire management on high fuel runs. It was really good for Mick to experience long runs, both at high track temperature and towards the end of the day when track temperature was then at its coolest. We ran both C4 and C5 tires on long runs. He was making lots of adjustments by himself and using the tools available to him.

“So, today was a very good day. He completed 125 laps – his fitness was absolutely no problem. He completely understood the program in terms of what we wanted to achieve today. He also did 11 starts from the F2 pitlane, his procedures improved as the day continued – to the point he was at a pretty good level. All-in-all we’re very happy. His attitude was excellent, as was his understanding of the program, his understanding of the car and working with the engineers to improve his tire management – it was excellent. We’re very happy.”

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