The 2021 F1 season is just around the corner, with the Bahrain GP set to be held this weekend. With pre-season testing out of the way, it was a relatively slow news week in the world of F1.
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The biggest news of the week was the first look at the Jeddah Street Circuit, which will be the fastest and longest street circuit on the calendar. With a lap distance of 6.175km, the circuit is one of the longest on the calendar, second only to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (7.004km) in Belgium. Due to the long high-speed sections, the 27 turn anti-clockwise circuit is expected to have an average lap speed of 250km/h, with the possibility of having 3 DRS zones. The fastest section oft he circuit is expected to be the final sector, with cars reaching a speed of around 320km/h before braking for the final corner. A digital onboard lap around the circuit has been posted on the F1 YouTube channel.
While the plans to hold Saturday qualifying sprint races at three events this season (Silverstone, Monza & Interlagos) is set to go ahead, there continues to be disagreement about the additional costs involved. The current plan adds an additional 100km of racing to the weekend, with a total of 6 points on offer for the podium finishers (3 for 1st, 2 for 2nd, 1 for 3rd). But the plan could create an extra expense for the teams, due to the potential of cars being damaged in the sprint race. The budget cap is $145m for 2021 and will be reduced down to $135m over the next two seasons. F1 management has reportedly offered an additional payout for the sprint races that will be added to the budget cap, but some teams want to triple the offer, which would increase the budget cap by $1m. Lower budget teams are against this push.
The qualifying sprint races should be voted on in Bahrain before the end of the month. A super majority is required to pass the proposal, equating to 28 out of the 30 votes. Formula 1 management 10 votes, as does the FIA. The remaining 10 votes are split among the 10 teams.
British racing fans may have the chance to attend the British GP at Silverstone this year, after the event was held behind closed doors last season due to COVID-19. The event organizers of the British GP have allocated 10,000 tickets to the British GP, MotoGP race and Silverstone Classic for the weekend of August 1. The tickets will be given to members of the NHS, emergency services, armed forces and social care industry who hold a Blue Light Card. The winners will be selected by random draw, which closes May 25. This is anticipating that the UK will be allowing larger outdoor venues to allow 25% of their total capacity up to 10,000 fans, which is part of a proposal expected to start in mid-May.
The Weekly F1 Recap on Racing Clothesline is a series published every Monday. Each article breaks down the previous week's Formula One headlines into bite-sized pieces, perfect for casual fans to keep themselves in the loop.
