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F1/Round 10: Highlights & Provisional Results For 2021 British Grand Prix

With Max Verstappen winning the inaugural Sprint Race yesterday, the pole position was taken by the Dutchman of Red Bull Racing, Lewis Hamilton had been on pole after qualifying on Friday but had to settle for second place today as the outcome of the Sprint Race decided the grid for this race.

Verstappen got a good start and sped ahead of Hamilton but even before the first lap was completed, contact between the two cars saw the Red Bull Racing driver bouncing off into the barriers. Out came the Safety Car while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc managed to slip into the lead. A red flag was out as the barriers needed to be repaired, so the cars could pit for tyres and repairs (Hamilton’s car needed a new front wing). lthough Verstappen had seemed unhurt and got out of the car, he had later to be taken to a hospital for additional examination.

The blame game started almost immediately with Red Bull boss Christian Horner furiously suggesting to officials it was Hamilton’s fault, and the British champ saying he had given enough space but the contact had occurred. Horner’s anger was understandable, of course, since Verstappen’s race was over. Toto Wolff, Horner’s counterpart in Mercedes-AMG also put up a defence of his driver.

The restart (after about 40 minutes of Safety Car and red flag) saw Leclerc at the front, the Ferrari driver having passed Valtteri Bottas early and able to slip past the Hamilton-Verstappen incident. As the race had been suspended, it was just the fourth lap, with another 48 to go. Sebastian Vettel, who had slipped all the way to the back, was eager to move up but spun as he started off.

As the race got underway, the Stewards decided that Hamilton was at fault and informed his team that he would have a 10-second penalty, which he could serve during a pit stop. Needless to say, the home crowd was very unhappy when news of the penalty started to be known in the stands.

Track temperatures were high and apart from the effect on the tyres, the brakes were also worrying, so teams had to think of revising strategies.

On lap 16, Leclerc, who had just managed to stay ahead of Hamilton, began to have power loss and was trying to find out if some settings were off. Hamilton began to close in and further back (5 seconds), Lando Norris was watching from third place after having passed Bottas.

The cars began coming into the pits for new tyres at lap 20, and as Norris pulled in, Bottas pulled ahead into third place but some 7 seconds behind his team mate. Bottas came in on lap 23 and with a 2.2-second stop, he lost just one position which was taken by Carlos Sainz.

At the halfway point, it was still Leclerc in the lead but still having occasional engine problems. Hamilton was safe enough to just trail him and not take chances as Sainz was some 18 seconds behind. However, by lap 28, Hamilton had to come in for new tyres and do the 10-second penalty, slipping down behind Bottas and Norris as he rejoined the race. He was about half a minute behind Leclerc.

Although Leclerc seemed to be comfortable continuing a bit more, his team brought him in on lap 30 for a change of tyres to hards. He was in and out in less than 3 seconds and still kept his lead, with a gap of 6 seconds to Bottas. Meanwhile, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo was trying hard to hold on to his fifth place as the red Ferrari of Carlos Sainz kept appearing in his mirrors.

With 11 laps remaining. Bottas was requested to let his team mate pass by and he did so again, as he did before. The pass out the reigning champion within 7 seconds of Leclerc. Bottas was pretty assured of a place on the podium anyway, with Norris some 10 seconds behind. The battle between Ricciardo and Sainz continued for fifth place.

With 2 laps to go, Leclerc was readying for the chequered flag but then his car went wide and it was the moment Hamilton was waiting for, and he swept past to take the lead. It was close but he was more cautious to avoid another incident like what happened with Verstappen. And then it was a straight run to the finish line and finally, a win for Hamilton at Silverstone again – on home ground.

Vaccination does not make you immune to COVID-19 infection. You can still get infected and you may not show symptoms but spread the coronavirus. Do not stop taking protective measures such as wearing a facemask, washing hands frequently and social distancing.

A look at the Formula 1 racing car of 2022

The FIA Formula One World Championship will run for the 73^rd time in 2022 and as has been the case periodically over the decades, the technical regulations set by the FIA have changes. Often, these changes reflect changing economic, social or technological circumstances. The changes for 2022, which took some 2 years to formulate, were originally meant to be introduced in 2021 but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were postponed to 2022.

“The regulations have been a truly collaborative effort, and I believe this to be a great achievement,” said FIA President Jean Todt when they were announced in late 2019. “A crucial element for the FIA moving forward will be the environmental considerations – Formula 1 already has the most efficient engines in the world, and we will continue to work on new technologies and fuels to push these boundaries further.

However, the restriction to a US$175 million budget for each team took effect in 2021. This meant that much of the development work to meet the new regulations had to be done with the budget cap in mind. This restriction helps to level the playing field between the less rich teams and the well-funded teams like Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS and Red Bull Racing Honda which are known to have spent US$550 million and more during a racing season.

“The 2022 regulations from the FIA will create the conditions for closer racing where the cars can get closer to each other,” said Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1 President & CEO, echoing Ross Brawn, Formula 1’s Managing Director of Motorsport who said that ‘we want much closer competition. We want them battling wheel-to-wheel’.

*The new regulations are expected to make racing closer, which is what spectators and fans want.*

Powerplants will not change and the new generation of F1 cars will still use the same 1.6-litre hybrid V6 turbo engines. Hybrid engines were introduced in 2014 in place of the unturbocharged V8 units. The hybrid units have been complex and expensive to develop and by 2025 or so, the FIA will come out with new powertrain regulations that will use completely sustainable fuel. F1 cars currently run on a 5.75% blend of biofuel, and next year, they must use E10 (10% ethanol blend).

“Formula 1 has long served as platform for introducing next generation advancements in the automotive world. We are delighted by the momentum on sustainable fuels which perfectly aligns with our plan to be net zero carbon as a sport by 2030. Our top sustainability priority now is building a roadmap for the hybrid engine that reduces emissions and has a real-world benefit for road cars. We believe we have the opportunity to do that with a next generation engine that combines hybrid technology with sustainable fuels,” said Brawn.

The cars have evolved visually, and this is for commercial as well as technical reasons, the former being to have more appeal to spectators. The technical reasons include having to extend the front end to improve crash protection, while the rear end of the car must also be able to absorb 15% more energy. Romain Grosjean’s terrifying crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix and the way the car broke had engineers working hard to ensure that the power unit will separate in a way that will not allow the fuel tank to be exposed and leak.

Chassis strength has also been increased for better resistance to side impacts and inevitably, these changes have added weight to the car. The regulations have therefore been adjusted to allow the minimum weight to be 790 kgs, about 5% from the 752 kg limit for this year’s cars.

The F1 cars will also use bigger wheels in 2022; until now, they have been running on 13-inch wheels but next year will see them rolling on 18-inch wheels. While these may have a certain visual appeal – big wheels usually do – the drivers and engineers are not excited about this change. They have various implications on performance, including a possible increase in lap times, apart from adding weight.

Pirelli, the tyre-suppliers for F1, have developed new low-profile tyres which they say will not be as disadvantageous as the general view suggests. The new Pirelli compounds and constructions for are said to reduce the amount the tyres overheat as they slide along the track surface.

Bigger wheels, while also allowing for bigger brakes, will require close study of aerodynamics in those areas. And aerodynamic performance has always been a crucial element in the design of a F1 car. Designers in each team will have their own styling ideas for the various sections of the car while adhering to regulations, of course.

Downforce has been vital since the 1970s when people like Colin Chapman used aerodynamic principles to make the car ‘stick’ to the road more. However, in racing conditions, especially at the speeds of F1, the ‘dirty air’ from the car ahead can impact the car behind, with up to 35% of downforce being lost – even when 20 metres apart. If closer, this loss can even be as much as 47%.

The 2022 car, developed by Formula 1’s in-house Motorsports team in collaboration with the FIA, has given a lot of consideration to the ‘ground effect’ and can reduces the loss to just 4% at 20 metres and 18% at 10 metres.

Winglets are a clever aerodynamic feature on aircraft and over-wheel winglets will appear for the first time on F1 cars, along with wheel covers, last seen in 2019. While the covers can help in the aerodynamics, they have little to do with the actual tires. As a physical seal on the wheel, they will also help to reduce the dirty air coming off the car and the turbulence it causes in its wake.

The winglets will manage airflow coming off the front tyres and direct it away from the rear wing. Again, this is being introduced in the interests of reducing the negative effects on cars behind. This is expected to allow closer racing.

The 2022 car has fully shaped underfloor tunnels rather than the stepped floor used currently. This can generate and preserve large amounts of useful downforce through ground effect. As for the rear wing (which still has DRS), this also has a revised shape and position to move airflow higher up as it departs from the car so that the following car has more ‘clean air’ and can come closer.

Aston Martin to turn the Valhalla concept into a production PHEV supercar

The Valhalla was just a concept car which Aston Martin presented 2 years ago, a possible new model after the Valkyrie which would also be mid-engined. While it may have remained a concept for a while more, the change in ownership and management last year has seen the hybrid supercar being given the green light for production.

Led by Aston Martin’s CEO, Tobias Moers, the Valhalla is the latest and most significant product of the brand’s Project Horizon strategy. It will broaden the model portfolio to reflect Aston Martin’s presence in Formula 1 and drive the transition from internal combustion to hybrid to full electric powertrains.

Technology expertise from F1 team
Built with chassis, aerodynamic and electronics expertise drawn from its F1 involvement via the Aston Martin Cognizant team, the Valhalla is expected to offer superlative performance, dynamics and also driving pleasure. It will be a rolling showcase of technology employed in the highest level of motorsport.

Propelling the Valhalla is its all-new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain with a rear (mid)-mounted 4-litre twin-turbo bespoke V8 engine originating from Mercedes-AMG (a V6 had been considered before). This is said to be the most advanced, responsive and highest performing V8 engine ever installed in an Aston Martin, developing 750 ps to power the rear wheels.

Supplementing the V8 engine is a pair of EMotors, one mounted on the front axle and the other on the rear axle. The motors, which get energy from a 150kW/400V battery pack contribute a further 204 ps to give a total system output of 950 ps.

When driven in EV mode, power is directed exclusively to the front axle. In other driving modes the power is split between front and rear axles. The percentage sent to each axle constantly varies according to driving demands. In certain situations, 100% of electrical power can be sent to the rear axle, supplementing the full output of the V8 engine for maximum performance.

Bespoke 8-speed DCT
Completing the powertrain is an all-new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission from an Italian supplier. Exclusively engineered and built for Aston Martin, this new paddle-shift gearbox has been developed specifically for use with hybrid powertrains. It has ‘e-reverse’ which utilizes the electric motors and thereby saves weight by negating the need for a conventional reverse gear. The transmission also has an Electronic Limited-Slip Differential on the rear axle for maximum traction and handling agility.

Running in EV-only mode, the Valhalla is said to be capable of a maximum of 130 km/h and up to 15 kms with a fully charged battery pack. When the maximum output of 950 ps is used, the Valhalla is expected to reach a top speed of 330 km/h after going from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds.

*The Valhalla will have technologies drawn from Formula 1 via the Aston Martin Cognizant team which is competing in the championship.*

Carbonfibre tub for low weight
Structurally, the Valhalla is built around a new a carbonfibre tub for maximum stiffness with minimum weight penalty. Featuring Formula 1-style pushrod front suspension complete with inboard mounted springs and dampers reducing unsprung mass gives a brilliant packaging solution. For the rear-end’s multilink design, there are Multimatic Variable Spring rate and Adaptive Spool Valve (ASV) Damper units providing adjustable ride frequency.

In addition to stiffer suspension, Track mode sees ride height significantly reduced in order to maximize downforce. At the other end of the speed scale, a front axle lift system raises the nose for improved approach angle on awkward inclines (and Malaysia speedbumps).

Considering the sort of speeds the Valhalla can travel at, stopping power also needs to be superior and high-performance Carbon Ceramic Matrix brakes (with brake-by-wire technology) are fitted. And to keep the car stuck to the road even in the most extreme cornering conditions are Michelin tyres (20 inches front, 21 inches rear) developed specifically for the Valhalla.

With a target dry weight of less than 1550 kgs, the Valhalla will have an unrivalled power-to-weight ratio compared to its class rivals. Weight of a different kind – that generated by aerodynamic downforce – also plays its part in Valhalla’s unmatched dynamic capabilities. Benefitting from a flow-down of the Valkyrie hypercar’s Formula 1-inspired aerodynamic philosophy, the Valhalla employs a combination of active aerodynamic surfaces – specifically the front surfaces and rear wing – and masterful management of underbody airflow through dramatic venturi tunnels.

LHD and RHD to be available
To maximize sales globally, Aston Martin will offer the supercar in lefthand and righthand drive layouts. It has more cockpit room that the Valkyrie with many Formula 1-inspired hallmarks. An innovative new Aston Martin HMI system features a central touchscreen display and incorporates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Adjustable pedals and steering column enable the seat bases to be fixed to the chassis structure.

“When we created the Valhalla concept, we were keen to emphasize the design legacy of the Aston Martin Valkyrie and that intent remains unchanged, but the execution has evolved considerably in order to reach production of this all-new car. Though the legacy of Valkyrie is clear, Valhalla is now a more mature, fully resolved piece of design. One which combines the pure aerodynamic function you would expect from a marque competing in Formula One, together with the beautiful form, striking proportions and exemplary detailing for which Aston Martin is renowned,” said the company’s Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman.

Aston Martin has not said how much or how many cars will be available although the number is likely to be more than limit of 150 units that the Valkyrie has. The sophistication of the supercar means production will be over a longer period and it is believed that first deliveries are likely to start in the fourth quarter of 2023.

F1/Round 10: Preview & Sprint Race Starting Grid For 2021 British Grand Prix


Sprint Qualifying Race starts today at 4:30 pm in England/11:30 pm in Malaysia

As the pandemic seems to be easing, health authorities in the UK are willing to allow spectators at events again and this will be the case for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend. 140,000 spectators will be allowed into the circuit to watch the 10^th round of the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship and to see if their countryman, Sir Lewis Hamilton, can improve his position in the championship.

For this round, there is something extra in the form of a sprint race which will offer additional excitement for spectators and also a different challenge for the teams. The Sprint Qualifying Race is 100 kms long which is 17 laps of the Silverstone circuit. Being run over a shorter distance, drivers will be flat out from start to finish, with no pit stops needed. The best effort will be necessary as the finishing order will determine the starting positions for the main race, so there is a chance to improve on the position gained in Qualifying. There are also points for the top three finishers of the race.

The starting grid for the Sprint Race has already been determined by a qualifying session yesterday in which Hamilton took pole position with Max Verstappen alongside. With the running of this extra race, the normal schedule has been changed and there is less practice time for the teams to fine-tune the cars’ set-up. They had one free practice session yesterday and there will be another one today before the Sprint Race. This will place more pressure on the mechanics and engineers who have less time to work.

“The start and first lap is one of the riskiest moments for a driver and sets the driver up for the race they have to come, so having two standing starts to contend with, firstly in the Sprint Qualifying Race and then the standard Sunday event, will add extra drama and pressure. Losing out in the Sprint Qualifying Race will have a big impact on the main race, and could make your Sunday very tricky,” said Mercedes-AMG’s Toto Wolff.

Drivers love racing and the Sprint Qualifying format means some extra racing. “The usual format has been pretty standard apart from a couple of weekends where there has been less practice, so it will be nice to try something different and see if it is going to really mix up the weekend,” said Valtteri Bottas. “I guess it can go really against you or for you, but we will find out.”

Red Bull stays ahead
With 5 consecutive victories, Red Bull Racing has a strong hold in the leading position of the championship. Better results in recent races by the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS team have kept the gap to 44 points, though. It’s the same thing in the Drivers Championship where Max Verstappen remains at the top with Hamilton 32 points behind and surely eager to change that as soon as possible.

Where the F1 championship began
This will be the 72^nd British Grand Prix and it is one of the two events that has been consistently a part of each year’s championship. In fact, the current Formula 1 World Championship had its start at Silverstone in 1950 but the former airbase runway was not always used. In some years, the Aintree circuit in Liverpool was used and between 164 and 1986, the Brands Hatch circuit hosted F1 races.

Lewis Hamilton has been the most successful driver in the history of the British GP, having won his home race on 7 occasions, the first win with McLaren in 2008. However, among the teams, Ferrari has the most – 17 wins since their first one in 1950 at the first F1 race.

*Scuderia Ferrari’s first F1 win was at Silverstone in 1950, the year the world championship series began.*

Vaccination does not make you immune to COVID-19 infection. but it may help reduce the severity of the effects. You can still get infected and you may not show symptoms but spread the coronavirus. Do not stop taking protective measures such as wearing a facemask, washing hands frequently and social distancing. #kitakagakita

Ford Mach-Eau fragrance for those who love smells from internal combustion engines

Electric vehicles run on electricity, so they will not give off smells that have been associated with the motorcar for over 100 years. Those smells are typically the fumes of the fuel, exhaust gases and also lubricants in some cases.

In a Ford-commissioned survey, one in five drivers said the smell of petrol is what they would miss most if they switched to an electric vehicle, with almost 70% claiming they would miss the smell of petrol to some degree. Petrol also ranked as a more popular scent than both wine and cheese, and almost identically to the smell of new books.

Association with the Mustang
This led Ford to look for a way to help those with a fondness for the evocative smells of traditional petrol cars to make the transition. Their solution: a high-end fragrance that fuses smokiness, aspects of rubber and even an ‘animal’ element to associate with the Ford Mustang heritage.

The Mustang connection is because Ford is now selling an electrically-powered variant of the bestselling sportscar in the world – the Mustang Mach-E GT. It was revealed over last weekend at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England. However, it’s not for sale and is part of the carmaker’s ongoing mission to help dispel myths around electric cars and convince traditional car enthusiasts of the potential of electric vehicles.

Created by a perfume specialist
Known as ‘Mach-Eau’, the fragrance was created by British fragrance specialist, Olfiction, with ingredients that each add a specific element of the scent’s story. Olfiction’s Pia Long, an Associate Perfumer in the British Society of Perfumers, has been creating fragrances for some of the most famous perfume brands and was instrumental in its inception.

Her starting point was to look into the chemicals that are emitted from car interiors, engines and petrol. This included benzaldehyde, which is an almond-like scent given off by car interiors, and para-cresol which is key in creating the rubbery scent of tyres. These were blended with ingredients like blue ginger, lavender, geranium and sandalwood that added metallic, smoky and further rubbery accents. An ‘animal’ element was also included, giving an impression of horses to underline the Mustang heritage. The bottle also comes in a container shaped like a fuel pump.

“Judging by our survey findings, the sensory appeal of petrol cars is still something drivers are reluctant to give up. The Mach Eau fragrance is designed to give them a hint of that fuel-fragrance they still crave. It should linger long enough for the GT’s performance to make any other doubts vaporise too,” said Jay Ward, director, Ford of Europe Product Communications.

Other carmakers have perfumes too
While Ford has no plans to commercialise the Mach Eau fragrance, other carmakers have licensed the use of their brand names on perfumes for many years. Exotic carmakers like Lamborghini and Ferrari have a line of perfumes though they are essentially perfumes without that ‘connection’ the car smells.

Mazda Design also got involved in the carmaker’s first perfume product in 2017. The perfume, with a blend of wood, rose and leather fragrances, was intended to be associated with Mazda’s KODO: Soul of Motion design concept. While the bottle was typical of such products, the outer case that it was stored in was meant to symbolize the KODO design and won a gold award in Germany’s iF Design Awards.

*Mazda’s KODO: Soul of Motion perfume (left) and two of the many Ferrari perfumes in the market.*

Long wheelbase BMW 330iL M Sport available for purchase from today

Long wheelbase (LWB) sedans are not new but in earlier years, they were largely limited production cars, often extended by third parties (not the carmakers themselves). Generally, LWB cars were in the uppermost segment of the market as they were seen to confer more ‘status’. It was only in the 1980s that carmakers began to consider LWB variants as part of the range for a model.

BMW was one of the carmakers that saw a growing market for LWB sedans and E32 7-Series (1986 – 1994), it offered a factory-engineered and built LWB variant for the first time. However, this variant was intended for customers in the Middle East and Asia, where the owner typically sat behind and was driven around by a chauffeur. In Europe, even flagship models like the 7-Series were often driven by owners themselves who didn’t need the extra length or space for what was already a large sedan.

As economies grew, especially in China, demand for LWB models increased with more and more customers willing to pay extra for the additional status. With China being such a huge market, manufacturers like BMW were willing to special engineer variants for just that market as there was enough volume to justify the development costs. Often, when the LWB models were launched, the company would say that it was only meant for China.

Assembled in Malaysia
As distributors in other markets began to get more requests, BMW has changed the policy and sees enough volume to make LWB variants a part of the range for some models. This includes the 3-Series and now this has come to Malaysia in the form of the 330Li M Sport. And it is not imported from Germany (or China) as a CBU product either; it is assembled locally at the BMW facility in Kedah. Local assembly enables the price to start from RM277,164.22 (excluding insurance) with full exemption of sales tax until the end of the year.

Proportions maintained
In developing the LWB version, the designers have maintained appealing proportions even while extending the wheelbase by 110 mm compared to the standard version. This allows the overall body length to increase to 4819 mm which is also 110 mm longer than the standard body. The increase provides an extra 42 mm of legroom for the rear passengers.

The kidney grille of the 330Li M Sport is suitably sized for the car, with black struts distinctively framed in chrome. Flanking the grilles are Adaptive LED Headlights which will vary their intensity automatically depending on traffic conditions at night.

Besides the BMW Individual High-Gloss Shadow Line, the exterior features M Aerodynamics and M Sport Packages, 18-inch M light alloy wheels in Double-Spoke style 848 M bicolour with mixed tyres and run-flat tyres, double-sided exhaust tailpipe finishers with a trapezoidal design in the rear, as well as the panorama glass roof, and welcome lighting on both sides.

258 ps TwinPower Turbo engine
Although there is added weight with the longer bodyshell and chassis, the 4-cylinder 2-litre TwinPower Turbo petrol engine should still be able to maintain the same level of performance as it has an output of 258 ps/400 Nm. Accelerating through the gears of the Steptronic Sport transmission, the 100 km/h mark should be passed within a claimed 6.2 seconds. Fuel consumption is claimed to be around 13.5 kms/litre.

The LWB variant of the 7^th generation 3-Series has the same suspension set-up (double wishbones/multi-link) as the standard wheelbase version. But it was not just a matter of lengthening components alone; the driving dynamics also had to be considered and suspension tuning revised to ensure a similar level of performance even with the additional weight and length.

Inside the 330iL
As for the interior, the 330iL M Sport gets interior trim finishers in Aluminium Tetragon with highlight trim finishers in Pearl Chrome around the cabin. The driver has an M leather steering wheel and M-specific foot pedals, with electric adjustment for the seat to easily get the right driving position. The Comfort Access System makes getting in and out easy. Boot space is 480 litres, improved with the storage compartment package that offers more stowage possibilities.

The infotainment, navigation and driver display systems are managed by the latest BMW Operating System 7.0. The BMW Live Cockpit Professional has a fully digital 12.3-inch instrument panel while the Navigation System Professional has a 10.25-inch touchscreen.

A new app for interaction
Owners can now have greater digital interaction with their car via the new My BMW App. This app provides easy access to a wide range of remote services, on-the-go navigation, and e-mobility features. Intended to replace the BMW Connected App after this month, it is available for free download to smartphones from the respective Android and iPhone stores.

The new 330Li M Sport is available for purchase from today but for now, visits to showrooms are still not permitted under the FMCO. However, those who wish to start the purchase process can do so by making a booking at the BMW Shop Online.