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      F1 pre-season testing: UK start time, TV channel, live stream info from Bahrain ahead of F1 opening race

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      AFTER a short refuelling break over winter, Formula One is back.
      A gruelling 2021 season lies ahead – the longest ever in F1 history – with the cars and drivers in Bahrain this week for all-important pre-season testing.

      Lewis Hamilton is chasing another world title as he looks to follow-up a record-breaking 2020Credit: PA:Press Association
      When is F1 pre-season testing?
      Testing will take place over three days, starting on Friday, March 12.
      The first session will run from 7am GMT until 11am, before an afternoon run between 12pm-4pm.
      Bahrain hosts the event and will also be the venue for the opening race of the 2021 season on March 26-28.
      World champion Lewis Hamilton will get to drive the new Mercedes W12 for the first time.
      Which TV channel and live stream can I watch it on?

      You can catch every moment of the weekend’s action live on Sky Sports F1.
      Coverage on Friday will start at 6.50am GMT.
      If you’re a Sky customer, grab the Sky Go app to stream on the move.
      Non-Sky subscribers can purchase a NOW TV pass from £9.99 to watch on their mobile, Smart TV, tablet, PC or games console.

      You can also follow all the action right here with our SunSport live blog from 7am.

      F1 2021 schedule
      March 26-28: Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir)
      April 16-18: Emilie-Romagna Grand Prix (Imola)
      30 April to 2 May: Portimão Grand Prix (Portugal)
      May 7-9: Spanish Grand Prix (Barcelona)
      May 21-23: Monaco Grand Prix (Monaco)
      June 4-6: Azerbaidjan Grand Prix (Baku)
      June 11-13: Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal)
      June 25-27: French Grand Prix (Castellet)
      July 2-4: Austrian Grand Prix (Spielberg)
      July 16-18: British Grand Prix (Silverstone)
      30 July to 1 August: Hungarian Grand Prix (Budapest)
      August 27-29: Belgium Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps)
      September 3-5: Dutch Grand Prix (Zandvoort0
      September 10-12: Italian Grand Prix (Monza)
      September 24-26: Russian Grand Prix (Sotchi)
      October 1-3: Singapore Grand Prix (Singapore)
      October 8-10: Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)
      October 22-24: American Grand Pric (Austin)
      October 29-31: Mexican Grand Prix (Mexico)
      November 5-7: Brazilian Grand Prix (Interlagos)
      November 19-21: Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne)
      December 3-5: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Djeddah)
      December 10-12: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina) More

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      F1 2021 testing: New drivers, cars and rules on show as Lewis Hamilton begins title defence in Bahrain

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      FORMULA ONE cars will roar back on track as preseason testing gets underway in Bahrain from Friday morning.
      This season there will be only three days of testing, rather than the usual eight days, and they will be held at the Sakhir circuit, rather than in Barcelona.

      Lewis Hamilton will join the 19 other racers in Bahrain this weekend for pre-season testingCredit: Daimler AG Mercedes
      THE FORMAT

      The sessions will take place from March 12-14 will all ten teams and 20 drivers taking part.
      F1 world champion, Lewis Hamilton, will start his title defence from Friday afternoon when he gets behind the wheel of this year’s W12.
      Each of the three days will see the Bahrain GP track opened for a total of eight hours, starting at 10am local time (7am GMT) until 2pm (11am) for a lunch break.
      The drivers will be strapped back in for 3pm (12pm) until 7pm (4pm GMT).

      Most teams will split the driving allocation fairly across their drivers although Williams will give a day to their development driver Roy Nissany.

      Max Verstappen is already in Bahrain preparing for Friday’s first testing sessionCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      ANY NEW DRIVERS?
      There will be debuts for Yuki Tsunoda, who has joined AlphaTauri after impressing in Formula 2 last season.
      Mick Schuamcher, the son of seven-time champion Michael will also make his full F1 appearance alongside fellow Haas rookie, Nakita Mazepin.
      Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is also making his comeback after a two year absence.

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      WHAT ELSE IS NEW?
      Aside from the three debutants and Alonso’s return, the Renault team has been rebranded as Alpine.
      Racing Point, who used to be Force India, have become Aston Martin F1, bringing the British car brand back to F1 for the first time in 60 years.
      While the calendar is still subject to change, there are two new races planned for the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia.

      Testing kicks off on Friday and runs throughout the weekend ahead of the 2021 seasonCredit: Rex Features
      ANY RULE CHANGES?
      A lot of the car design rules have been carried over from last year to save costs.
      This year a cost cap is in place to reduce the amount teams spend on their cars.
      While the big teams can spend over £300million developing their cars, that has now been reduced to £104m.
      The idea is that by reducing that spending gap, it will make the smaller team’s more competitive, but let’s see.
      There are some car regulations which have reduced the downforce by around ten per cent, so this year’s cars are thought to be slower.
      But that allows them to race closer together and in turn improves the show.

      Ferrari 2021 F1 car labelled ‘ugliest on grid’ as fans slam green stripes and burgundy rear wing More

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      Silverstone set to stage new F1 sprint race on July 17 to decide starting grid at British GP and could welcome 100k fans

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      SILVERSTONE is set to stage a new Formula One sprint race to decide the British Grand Prix starting grid – potentially in front of 100,000 fans.
      The famous Northamptonshire circuit will be one of three venues to trial the new 30-minute concept and could host thousands of petrol heads on July 17, if Covid-19 regulations allow.

      Silverstone will hold a trial of F1’s new Saturday sprint race this summerCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      F1 chief exec Stefano Domenicali confirmed to The Mail that Silverstone had been selected for the exciting new trial.
      The dramatic shake-up of the F1 weekend is set to see qualifying take place on Friday where drivers will fight for spots on the starting grid for Saturday’s sprint.
      The sprint will then determine where cars line up on the track for Sunday’s showpiece Grand Prix.
      But Lewis Hamilton and Co will not be spraying the champagne after triumphing thanks to their speed off the mark – podium celebrations are reserved for the main event.

      The details are to be finalised at a meeting in Bahrain on Thursday – where pre-season testing is going ahead.

      What I can say is that Silverstone will hold a sprint race.”
      Stefano DomenicaliF1 chief exec

      Domenicali said: “We are finalising the intricacies of it. For sure we do not want to take away the prestige of the Grand Prix itself.
      “That will remain the climax of the weekend. We will have qualifying on Friday and then ‘sprint qualifying’ on Saturday.
      “It will provide some meaningful action the day before the race. It will give fans, media and broadcasters more content.

      “It will last about half an hour. There will be no podium celebration. That will wait until Sunday. 
      “But points will be awarded — how many is yet to be decided — towards the world championship and determine the grid for the race itself. What I can say is that Silverstone will hold a sprint race.”
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      Italian track Monza and venues in Brazil and Canada are thought to be the other potential locations for the trial events.
      UK prime minister Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown states the earliest all legal bans on social contact will be lifted is June 21.
      Under the proposals, crowds of up to 10,000 or 25 per cent of seated capacity (whichever is lower) are due to be welcomed back by mid May if things go to plan.

      Watch from inside Lewis Hamilton’s car as he spins during qualifying at Silverstone in rare mistake before British GP More

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      Ferrari 2021 F1 car labelled ‘ugliest on grid’ as fans slam green stripes and burgundy rear wing

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      FERRARI fans are in a spin after the they launched their challenger for 2021 – which features a splash of green.
      The Italian F1 team is synonymous with the colour red.

      Fans have slammed Ferrari’s 20201 car as the ‘ugliest on the grid’Credit: AFP

      Fans aren’t happy at the introduction of green stripes and a burgundy rear wingCredit: credit: © Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

      Ferrari fans are unhappy with the move away from the traditional all-red liveryCredit: credit: © Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

      But this season contains a green logo on the engine cover belonging to that of sponsors Mission Winnow, which is owned by tobacco giant Philip Morris International.
      Philip Morris, who’s major brand, Marlboro cigarettes, used to feature so heavily on the Ferrari and McLaren cars when tobacco advertising was legal.
      And fans are not happy with the new colour scheme that goes from red to burgundy at the rear, with green on the top, with some likening it to a red chilli pepper.
      One fan Tweeted: “Ferrari have made it! And by it I mean the ugliest car on the grid.

      “I don’t know what is worse: the green logo or the burgundy rear.”
      Another wrote: “You have got to give it to Ferrari! They really know how to let down the fans.”
      Despite their estimated £400million budget last season, Ferrari plunged to sixth in the constructors’ championship in 2020.
      It was the worst result in four decades, amid season-long issues with its car while Sebastian Vettel was also given the boot.

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      The car has weak aerodynamics and was limp due to an engine rules change following a controversial FIA investigation.
      The details of that report were hushed up and kept private between the team and the FIA – much to the frustration of their rivals.
      But team boss Mattia Binotto is hopeful that the winter redesign will improve the team’s performance along with a fresh driver pairing of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
      He said: “This car was born out of last year’s car due to the new regulations so it was partially frozen, but we tried to improve it in all of its areas, wherever it was possible.
      “The aerodynamics was revised, and it has a completely new power unit.
      “Its livery has also changed, the posterior is a burgundy colour similar to the very first Ferrari racing car, the 125S.
      “It’s the same colour we used last year at Mugello to celebrate our 1000th Grand Prix. This year is going to be full of challenges.”

      The ten greatest F1 drivers of all-time – according to SunSport’s motorsport correspondent Ben Hunt
      It is the team’s youngest driver line-up since 1968 as Sainz 26, and Leclerc 23, get to grips with their new motor at three days of testing in Bahrain starting on Friday.
      Racing Director, Laurent Mekies, added: “There’s plenty of positive energy coming from our two drivers.
      “Carlos has spent a lot of time in the factory and has integrated with the team very quickly.
      “As for Charles, he is already perfectly at home with the team: he knows what he wants and is also very aware of the role he has in the team, both in and out of the car.
      “Over the winter, we have witnessed the two guys getting on very well together and this can only be a good thing for the whole team.”
      Meanwhile, Aston Martin launched their car for 2021 earlier this month with a little help from James Bond star Daniel Craig and Gemma Arterton.
      And Williams were forced to delay their virtual car unveiling after their app was hacked.
      Elsewhere, Haas were criticised after showing off their new ‘Russian flag’ livery.

      Lewis Hamilton ‘a bit grumpy’ during pre-season Sky filming and ‘seemed unhappy’ at Mercedes negotiations More

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      Lewis Hamilton ‘a bit grumpy’ during pre-season Sky filming and ‘seemed unhappy’ at Mercedes negotiations, says Brundle

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      LEWIS HAMILTON appeared ‘grumpy’ while pre-season filming ahead of the upcoming Formula One season, according to Martin Brundle.
      Brundle, a former driver and long-time commentator with Sky Sports, believes Hamilton is frustrated at the way negotiations with Mercedes turned out.

      Lewis Hamilton was ‘grumpy’ while pre-season filming ahead of the upcoming F1 seasonCredit: PA:Press Association

      Martin Brundle is a former driver and long-time commentatorCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      The seven-time Formula 1 champion only signed a one-year deal with Mercedes, weeks before pre-season testing in Bahrain.
      Brundle was with Hamilton while filming features to go out later in the season and reflected on the Brit’s morale.
      Speaking at a Sky F1 testing preview, he said: “We did a couple of features with him that we will play out through the year on Sky F1.
      “He was very generous but a bit grumpy actually, I thought generally.

      “It’s interesting that his right-hand man, Marc Hynes, is no longer working with him.
      “I sensed he possibly wasn’t super happy with the way the negotiations have worked out at Mercedes.”
      Hamilton’s short deal was due to a lack of negotiating time and opportunity, according to Mercedes chief Toto Wolff.
      Brundle added that Hamilton’s mood improved but he still feels there will be real competition this season.

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      He said: “I did say to him, ‘You’re going to burst through 100 poles this year at some point, most likely’.
      “And he went, ‘Why?’ McLaren were a quarter of a second behind us in Abu Dhabi, now they’ve got our engine; what about Red Bull, maybe the high rake works; and don’t count out Ferrari, and the Aston Martin will be strong.
      “He sort of really challenged me quite hard and I said, ‘Well, you have got 98 of them, mostly in the hybrid era, you scored 10 last year – there’s half a chance you’ll get two more this year’.
      “But when we got over that little hurdle – because Lewis does love to poke you a little bit before you sit down to do stuff like that.
      “I had an hour with him talking about that amazing race in Istanbul last year when he took his seventh world title and he was very generous on inside his head, inside his life of a grand prix weekend and how qualifying unfolds.”

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      UFC 259 scorecards show how brutally Jan Blachowicz smashed Israel Adesanya with two judges putting last as 10-8 round

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      UFC light-heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz’s dominance over Israel Adesanya was highlighted in the judges’ scorecards.
      The Polish star, 38, inflicted a first defeat inside the octagon for Adesanya who failed in his attempt after moving up from middleweight.

      Jan Blachowicz dominated Israel Adesanya at UFC 259 in Las VegasCredit: USA TODAY Sports

      Judges were unanimous in awarding Blachowicz the victory against AdesanyaCredit: Twitter @btsportufc

      Blachowicz earned a wide points decision over the 31-year-old, with judges scoring the bout 49-45, 49-46 and 49-45 in favour of the defending champion.
      Two of the judges even awarded Blachowicz a 10-8 in the final round, with Adesanya winning just one round on each of the scorecards.
      There was a mixed response on social media as to whether The Last Stylebender should have lost on such a wide decison.
      One user tweeted: “I think the fight was much closer than the scorecards, the commentary was so biased towards Adesanya though.”

      Another commented: “An absolute disgrace. Issy won that first round clearly, and a 10-8 in the 5th?! Seriously?! Round 4 is the only one you could see as a 10-8.
      “In Round 5 Issy won the first half of it comfortably, and because Jan got the takedown and did barely anything with it makes it a 10-8?”
      A third added: “It was correct Jan was up 2-0 going into the 3rd Izzy only won the third round and Jan then took rounds 4 and 5 with the takedowns.”
      Meanwhile one stated: “The right call – Jan won rounds 1, 2, 4, & 5. Round 4 was a 10-8. Izzy won round 3. You can make a case for Izzy winning round 1 as well, I won’t argue that but yeah IMO Jan – 1 2 4 & 5.”

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      Blachowicz inflicted a first professional defeat for Adesanya inside the octagonCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Adesanya – who has been mocked by Jon Jones following the fight – was gracious in defeat after losing his perfect record.
      He said: “It didn’t exactly go the way I wanted it to go but dare to be great.
      “The critics are the ones on the sidelines, but I’m the one putting it on the line.”
      Commenting on Adesanya, Blachowicz remarked: “I thought that he would be a little bit faster, but he don’t hit so hard.
      “He was slower, but he hit harder, this was something I didn’t expect.”

      Israel Adesanya reacts to his first ever MMA loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 More

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      Portuguese GP CONFIRMED for 2021 Formula One season with Portimao hosting third race and could welcome fans

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      FORMULA ONE has confirmed a return to Portugal for the third race of the 2021 season.
      The slot had been left open amid Vietnam’s failure to pull off a much-anticipated race through the streets of Hanoi.

      Lewis Hamilton will return to the scene of his record-breaking win in MayCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Drivers voiced their pleasure at racing around the Algarve last yearCredit: Splash News

      And F1 bosses have now confirmed the race at Portimao’s Algarve International Circuit on May 2.
      Last season saw Lewis Hamilton romp to victory at the track, which was drafted in during the pandemic shake-up of the calendar.
      Some 27,000 fans watched the Mercedes star top Michael Schumacher’s race wins record and attendees are hoped for once again in May.
      F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “We hope to welcome fans to Portimao again this season in a safe way and are working with the promoter on the details of that plan.”

      The 23-race season begins with testing on March 12 in Bahrain before the first race at the same circuit a fortnight later.
      Portugal is currently on the UK’s ‘red list’ of travel nations, meaning anyone returning from the country must remain in a ten-day hotel quarantine.

      However, team staff and drivers will travel straight to the following weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, a country not red-listed.
      Last season’s trip to the Algarve saw drivers tested on a notoriously undulating track, with many explaining their thrill at racing around Portimao.

      But the GP itself produced little in the way of action, with world champ Hamilton cruising to victory over Valtteri Bottas by a huge 25 seconds.
      After Friday practice in October, Hamilton stated: “The undulations are incredible.
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      “There’s a lot of places where you can’t see where you’re going. The exit of Turn 8, you’re looking at the sky for a period of time and you have no idea what’s beyond the hill.
      “Also into [Turn] 11, you don’t know where you are and all of a sudden it arrives at you out of nowhere.”
      Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc agreed, adding: “The track itself is amazing.
      “It took quite a few laps to get into the rhythm because we don’t see any apexes but once you get into the rhythm then it feels very good.”

      Mercedes release video of Lewis Hamilton’s new F1 2021 car which Brit helped engineers build to go for another title More

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      Williams forced to abandon virtual launch of new F1 car after app is targeted by hackers

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      WILLIAMS were forced to scrap their augmented reality car launch because their app was hacked.
      The F1 team planned an innovative unveiling that would’ve brought the car into people’s homes.

      Williams unveiled their 2021 car on Friday – but their augmented reality plans were scrappedCredit: AFP

      Williams revealed their app was hacked before their planned car launch

      But their plans were sent crashing when hackers targeted their app.
      The team were forced to delete the app from the App Store and Play Store before unveiling their 2021 car on Twitter instead.
      Augmented reality combines the real world and virtual reality – so the car would’ve appeared on phones in the spaces around users.
      The team said in a statement: “Williams Racing planned to reveal its 2021 challenger, the FW43B, via an augmented reality app later today (5th March).

      “However, sadly, because the app was hacked prior to launch, this will no longer be possible.
      “We have subsequently removed the app from both the Apple App Store and Android Google Play store.
      “We were very much looking forward to sharing this experience with our fans, particularly during this difficult time when being able to bring in-person experiences directly to our fans is sadly not possible.
      “We can only apologise that this has not been possible.”

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      Williams driver George Russell gave fans a demonstration, which showed the car being built on his phone.
      He said: “It’s a shame the augmented reality app got hacked and we couldn’t use it.”
      The team showed off their new 2021 car in famous white and blue colours.
      Williams have finished 10th in the constructors’ standings the last three seasons.
      The once great outfit – which last won the F1 title in 1997 – are under new ownership after being brought out last year.
      Frank Williams and daughter Claire stepped down from management roles and gave the side a fresh start.
      Russell added: “I like the new look. It’s got a hint of heritage in there with a dash of yellow which is cool.
      “It’s exciting and I think that’s the team at the moment. New ownership, new look, new brand and it’s the start of a new beginning.”

      Chief executive Jost Capito said: “We wanted the car to remember the good old times and the heritage of the team.
      “But we also wanted to show that we’re doing a forward step.
      “It’s a very fresh and unique design. We don’t forget our history, our heritage, but we are moving on to a bright future.”

      Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel looks forward to Formula 1 return More