In the headlines this week, a new Formula One movie was announced for Netflix, the start times of the 2021 races have been confirmed, Ferrari held a private test with 7 drivers and yet another F1 driver has tested positive for COVID-19. But sadly the week began with the tragic news of a motorsport icon.
This week, the motorsport mourned the loss of Adrian Campos, who passed away at the age of 60 on Thursday. Born in Spain, Campos fought his way through the lower ranks to make it to Formula One. He completed a season with Minardi in 1987, only managing to finish 1 race due to the poor reliability of the team. He started a second season with the team, but was replaced after 5 rounds. But his impact on motorsport continued outside of the car, creating Campos Racing in 1997.
The team competed in a number of series, helping young drivers make their way into motorsport, like Lando Norris who was given a Formula 2 debut at the end of 2017. The team was preparing to enter in Formula One in 2010, but their F1 efforts were sold to HRT just before the start of the season. The team still competes in Formula 2 and Formula 3.
McLaren has confirmed a February 15 launch date for their 2021 car, the MCL35M. The event will be broadcast on Sky Sports F1 from the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking.
Netflix will soon be getting a new fictional F1 film. The Formula, which will star Robert De Niro and John Boyega, is “the story of a young man from Detroit who becomes an international racing star in the world of Formula 1 under the tutelage of his mentor with old mob ties”, according to an Instagram post by the film’s director and producer Gerard McMurray. De Niro was linked to a role portraying the legendary Enzo Ferrari in a film that was supposed to be released in 2016, although the film never entered production.
The start time for the 2021 races have been confirmed, with the exception of the race on May 2, which has still not officially be confirmed. The majority of the races will start at the 3PM season, which has been the case since 2018 to help with the Western TV times. However, the times will be moved back to starting at the top of the hour, instead of 10 minutes later. That change was originally made to help TV broadcasters that don’t start their coverage until the top of the hour, allowing them to have a tiny pre-race buildup. The full list of start times was published in a document on the F1 website.
It’s also been confirmed that the teams and drivers will have 1 hour less of practice, as the two Friday practice sessions have been reduced by 30 minutes each. This means that FP1 and FP2 will now be only 60 minutes, compared to the 90 minutes that the teams had previously.
Members of the Ferrari crew were back in action this week for a private test around the team’s Fiorano Circuit in Italy. The five-day test started Monday and concluded in Friday, with seven drivers having completed a total of more than 500 laps around the 3km circuit. Carlos Sainz was given his first running behind the wheel of a Ferrari F1 car, driving the team’s 2018 challenger the SF71H. Charles Leclerc also participated in the test, having tested negative for COVID-19. A lineup of young drivers were also on the track through the week. The lineup included Giuliano Alesi, Marcus Armstrong, Robert Shwartzman, Callum Ilott and Mick Schumacher.
At the end of the week, it was revealed that Pierre Gasly has tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. He was recently in Dubai for a training camp. He becomes the sixth F1 driver to catch the virus and the third one related to travel to Dubai. Lando Norris caught the virus when on vacation in Dubai and Charles Leclerc tested positive after returning from a trip to Dubai.
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.
