This week in Formula 1 news, Alfa Romeo announces a car launch date, Williams announces Jenson Button will make a return to F1 and video game developers Codemasters are going to be acquired by EA.
Alfa Romeo has confirmed a car launch date of February 22. The car will be called the C41 and will be unveiled at an event on February 22 in Poland, the home country of their title sponsor Orlen.
In other Alfa Romeo news, the latest reports suggest that the team will be sticking with the Ferrari power unit for future seasons, despite rumors that they will be moving to the Renault power unit. The team first started purchasing Ferrari power units in 2010 under the name Sauber, but the deal is set to expire at the end of 2021. A new deal is expected to make the team a Ferrari customer until 2025.
The deal is not particularly surprising, seeing as until 2014 Ferrari and Alfa Romeo were both owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now called Stellantis). Even though Ferrari split from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the two companies still share the same chairman (John Elkann) and the Italian holding company Exor still holds a significant portion of both manufacturers.
Codemasters, the developers behind multiple large racing franchises such as the F1 game and the DiRT series, may soon be acquired. Codemasters’ board of directors agreed to the terms of a takeover by Electronic Arts (EA). The company was in talks with Take-Two Interactive, the company behind Rockstar Games and 2K, last year in a takeover deal estimated to be worth $1.2B. That proposal was withdrawn last week. Codemasters has been the sole developer of the official F1 branded game franchise for PC and consoles since 2009.
Williams announced that Jenson Button will be joining the team in a new multi-year deal as a senior advisor. The Brit first debuted with the team back in 2000, going on to win the F1 championship with Brawn in 2009. Since leaving F1 at the end of 2016, he has been behind the wheel of a variety of cars, including a Honda sportscar in the Super GT series and a prototype car in the World Endurance Championship which included a 24 Hours of Le Mans outing in 2018.
The team has also confirmed that Roy Nissany will continue his role on Williams in 2021, having participated in three free practice sessions in 2020. The team has promised the Israeli a further three practice outings in 2021 and he will be behind the wheel of the car for one of the three pre-season testing days in Bahrain.
In other young driver news, Frederik Vesti has joined the Mercedes Junior Team. He competed in the Formula 3 series last year, scoring three wins and an additional podium. He finished 4th in the championship with the Prema team. Vesti will be competing in Formula 3 again in 2021, but this time with ART. He joins the likes of drivers like George Russell and Esteban Ocon in Mercedes’ collection of young drivers.
Alpine driver Esteban Ocon took part in the opening two stages of the World Rally Championship season opener in Monte Carlo. He did so on Thursday in an Alpine A110S sports car, with the two stages adding up to more than 40km of driving (20.58km and 20.78km). Ocon had no previous rally experience.
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
