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      F1 forced to replace medical car crew for Turkish GP in last-minute change after both test positive for coronavirus

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      FORMULA ONE have been forced to replace the medical car crew for this weekend’s Turkish GP after both tested positive for coronavirus.The dynamic duo of driver Alan van der Merwe and doctor Ian Roberts have been stalwarts in the role and famously helped save Romain Grosjean from his fiery crash in Bahrain.
      Williams driver Nicholas Latifi (middle) walks the track with two members of his team
      Both failed a pre-event test ahead of the race in Istanbul and the FIA have confirmed they will sit out this weekend’s GP.
      An FIA spokesman said: “[Both] tested positive for COVID-19 prior to travelling and are therefore self-isolating and will not attend the 2021 FIA Formula Turkish Grand Prix.
      “They will be replaced at this event by FIA Formula E World Championship Safety Car Driver, Bruno Correia, and Medical Delegate, Dr Bruno Franceschini, respectively.”
      F1 has mostly escaped the effects of Covid-19 this season though some drivers have caught the virus.
      Lewis Hamilton is one such driver, and he has spoken openly about the impact long Covid has had on his body.
      But ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix he is raring to go according to team manager Toto Wolff.

      The Mercedes chief is prepared to battle Red Bull and Max Verstappen and fight for every available point.
      But Hamilton faces an uphill struggle as he is set to start in last place on the grid after taking on a new engine.
      The Brit currently leads his rival by two points in the overall standings. More

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      Red Bull reveal new one-off livery for Turkish GP with special ‘thank you’ message to outgoing engine partner Honda

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      RED BULL have unveiled a new one-off livery for the Turkish Grand Prix as a departing gift for Honda.Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will drive around the circuit in a white Red Bull car, not their traditional blue and yellow.
      Red Bull have paid tribute to Honda with the new white livery
      Honda will end a seven-year spell in F1 at the end of the season
      Red Bull’s message to Honda reads ‘Arigato’ – ‘Thank you’
      The look resembles the Japan flag
      Those colours still feature on the unique design but its striking white base colour pays homage to the Honda cars of previous F1 seasons.
      Driver numbers are also placed on red circle backdrops – a reference to the flag of Japan.
      And the body also features the word ‘Arigato’ – Japenese for ‘Thank you’.
      Sister team AlphaTauri is also set to run with the message on its cars, having served as Honda’s partner since 2019.
      F1 bids farewell to Honda at the end of the current season after a seven year spell.
      The Japanese manufacturer worked as a power unit supplier for several different teams – first teaming up with McLaren between 2015-2017.

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      Toro Rosso were next to partner with Honda before Red Bull took them on in 2019, and have had a lot of success since.
      Red Bull will hope to send Honda out with a bang by securing the F1 championship with Verstappen.
      It would also be fitting to see the new white car claim victory in the Turkish GP on Sunday.
      And with Lewis Hamilton set to start at the back of the grid after incurring a penalty, that is certainly a reality. More

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      David Beckham ‘very keen’ to be involved in debut Miami GP and will be cheering on pal Lewis Hamilton

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      DAVID BECKHAM is ready to swap football for Formula 1 as he wants to be involved in Miami’s debut race. Becks, 46, owns MLS side Inter Miami who were founded just as the Florida city was announced as a Grand Prix next season. 
      Formula One announced the Miami GP will be added to next year’s calendar
      The track will encircle NFL side Miami Dolphins’ stadium
      The former Manchester United winger is a big fan of F1 and has struck up a close relationship with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
      And the former Manchester United winger has been in touch with the GP’s organisers as he is keen to be involved. 
      Managing partner of the Miami GP Tom Garfunkel explained: “It’s kind of a funny story – David and I have a mutual friend who called and said David wants to meet you and wants to get involved in the Formula 1 race.
      “So we had dinner last week. David is very keen to come out to the event. He’s very excited about coming to Miami for the F1 race.
      “We’ve gotten a lot of calls from different celebrities, friends, wealthy people and powerful people who all are expressing a lot of interest to come.
      “I would expect a large degree of celebrity attendance coming from all over the world for this event. There is a big celebrity culture in Miami.”
      David Beckham meets Lewis Hamilton at the Bahrain Grand PrixCredit: Motorsport Images/IMP Features

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      The street-based track will encircle the home of NFL team Miami Dolphins and will be held in May 2022. 
      And Garfunkel – who is also president and CEO of the Dolphins – added: “You can walk around the top of the stadium and see every corner of the race track. To have vistas of every turn of the track is really unique.
      “We certainly hope to create an event that becomes a destination for F1 fans around the world. 
      “When we roll out in early November there will be a lot of different ways to experience this event that are not traditional.
      “It will be a campus, a Disneyland if you will, of different things to do and different things to experience whether that’s for families, for 25-year-olds that want to have a party and have a DJ, for corporate America to entertain clients and for hardcore F1 fans.”
      Red Bull chiefs expect Lewis Hamilton to be pushed to back of grid More

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      Lewis Hamilton set to start Turkish Grand Prix at BACK of grid after taking engine penalty in huge F1 title blow

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      LEWIS HAMILTON is poised to start Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix from the BACK of the grid due to an engine penalty.The world champion has a two-point advantage over Max Verstappen but is set for a new power unit, triggering a host of penalties.
      Hamilton is poised to start back of the grip at the Turkish GPCredit: GETTY IMAGES
      F1 drivers are allowed to use three engines over the duration of the 22-race season. Any additional power units come with sanctions.
      Hamilton has already used his allocation and his Mercedes team are now weighing up whether to introduce a new one for the remaining seven races.
      Boss Toto Wolff was quizzed about the new engine after Red Bull did the same to Max Verstappen in the Russian GP.
      Wolff said: “It’s a possibility. When, and how, is not yet decided.
      “Most important is that you don’t DNF because of a reliability issue.
      “You can cope with swings, whether you finish second, third, I think that is OK, the championship is going to go long. But if you don’t finish…

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      “So we are looking at the parameters of the engines, making sure we don’t suffer from any reliability problems.”
      Meanwhile, Hamilton will announce today that his foundation is partnering with Teach First.
      The seven time world champion has launched his Mission 44 project to increase the amount of black students taking science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM subjects) at advanced level.
      The initial two-year partnership aims to pilot a range of new approaches to identify best practises when recruiting black STEM teachers to work in schools serving disadvantaged communities in England.
      Hamilton said: “I am incredibly proud to be announcing the first partnership from Mission 44. 
      “Our work with Teach First is another step towards addressing barriers preventing young black students’ engagement with STEM, as identified in The Hamilton Commission report. 

      🏁 F1 2021 calendar: practice times, dates and racetrack info
      “We know representation and role models are important across all aspects of society, but especially when it comes to supporting young people’s development. 
      “By establishing this partnership, which focuses on identifying the best way to attract black talent to STEM teaching roles, we hope to create a framework the wider education industry can implement. 
      “It’s our hope other organisations recruiting teachers will support and join us on our mission to see more diversity in the classroom.”

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      F1 2022 season schedule set for radical change with MORE races in shorter space of time putting pressure on teams

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      FORMULA ONE boss Stefano Domenicali is planning to cram next year’s record-breaking calendar into a shorter season.The sport will reveal the details of a 23-race schedule later this month in a season that will run from March until November.
      F1 bosses are set to announce a 23-race schedule for the 2022 seasonCredit: EPA
      Over the past decade, the season has been getting longer – running into mid December, but Domenicali says that will stop.
      However, that will only compress the races into a tighter schedule putting more pressure on teams and their staff.
      Domenicali said: “I can anticipate that, for sure, the calendar will be done with 23 races.
      “Of course we will be very respectful towards the Covid regulations issued around the world from the different governments.
      “But that is our aim, that F1 can give this sign of hope and to go to normal things to enjoy.
      “The idea is to make sure there is the right rhythm to the calendar. There are of course considerations related to periods to make sure logistically the flow has to be right.

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      “One thing I can tell you, without discovering too many things is that next year the season will start in the middle of March and will finish in the middle of November.”
      There will be a new race in Miami next year while the Qatar GP will take a year off so as not to clash with the football World Cup.
      The season is expected to start in Bahrain and finish in Abu Dhabi with races in Imola and Turkey under consideration.
      And in an unexpected development, the F1 sprint qualifying races will be held at seven or eight races in 2022 – despite the third trial event yet to be held in Brazil.
      The sprint qualifying was trialled at both British and Italian GPs and culminated in big crashes for Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in Sunday’s races.
      And Domenicali says from the feedback they have received on the sprint races proves they have been an ‘incredible success’.
      HOW THE 2022 CALENDAR COULD LOOK

      Bahrain – 20 March
      Saudi Arabia – 27 March
      Australia – 10 April
      China – 24 April
      Miami – 8 May
      Spain – 22 May
      Monaco – 29 May
      Azerbaijan – 12 June
      Canada – 19 June
      Great Britain – 3 July
      Austria – 10 July
      France/Imola – 17 July
      Hungary – 31 July
      Belgium – 28 August
      Netherlands – 4 September
      Monza – 11 September
      Russia – 25 September
      Singapore/Turkey – 2 October
      Japan – 9 October
      Austin – 23 October
      Mexico – 30 October
      Brazil – 13 November
      Abu Dhabi – 20 November

      He added: “We said at the beginning of the year there would be three tests this year to make sure we have the right plan for the future.
      “The vast majority of the comments we received were super positive. Promoters are super happy because there is something new and important on Friday and Saturday and Sunday.
      “We are receiving this positive feedback therefore we need to know next year we have a great plan where we will also consider the points highlighted by people who did not like this format.
      “Generally speaking it has been an incredible success. I can say we will not go everywhere with the sprint qualification format.
      “It is something we want to keep for one third of the races more or less and to connect with a certain different way of giving rewards and points and to connect with specific circuits that as you know would make the difference.
      “So there is a lot of food for thought. We will involve all the stakeholders: broadcasters, drivers, teams, promoters and fans.
      “We won’t forget our role is to take the right decision and to consider all the points and points of view of everyone.”
      F1 star Max Verstappen celebrates with stunning girlfriend Kelly Piquet More

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      Guanyu Zhou set to become first Chinese F1 driver with 22-year-old teaming up with Valtteri Bottas at Alfa Romeo

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      GUANYU ZHOU is set to become the first Chinese driver to race in Formula One.The 22-year-old from Shanghai is expected to be confirmed at Alfa Romeo next season where he will partner Valtteri Bottas.
      Zhou looks set to make the move up to F1 for the 2022 seasonCredit: Getty
      He is currently second in the F2 standings with 142 pointsCredit: Alamy
      Zhou is currently second in the Formula 2 championship and also part of the Alpine young driver programme.
      He is only the second driver from mainland China to get behind the wheel of an F1 car after Ma Quinghua drove in five practice sessions across 2012 and 2013 with HRT and Caterham.
      Zhou, who was previously part of Ferrari’s Driver Academy, has been told he is free to leave Alpine in pursuit of his F1 dream as they are unwilling to replace either Fernando Alonso or Esteban Ocon.
      Alpine’s executive director Marcin Budkowski said: “On Guanyu Zhou, there are rumours flying around, and again I am not going to comment on rumours, or on driver contracts.
      “We are evaluating options for our academy drivers but the success of an academy is also measured through its output.
      “We are running this academy because we want to generate Formula One drivers.

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      “But we can’t stand in the way of our drivers who are mature for F1 and ready to take that challenge, because that would be negative for their careers, for them as individuals, and also it would reflect badly on our academy.
      “So these are the parameters and we’ll announce this in due course.”
      Zhou’s switch to Alfa Romeo would complete the grid for 2022 and result in Antonio Giovinazzi finding a new drive elsewhere.
      Bottas will swap Mercedes for Alfa Romeo for the 2022 seasonCredit: Getty More

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      Lando Norris bravely opens up on depression since breaking into F1 amid fears he isn’t good enough

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      LANDO NORRIS has opened up on his mental health struggle when he first broke into F1 in 2019.Norris, 21, has won over fans with his light-hearted sense of humour, but says his happy-go-lucky personality does not show his true feelings of when he made his McLaren debut.
      Norris has bravely opened up on his mental healthCredit: Rex
      The Brit, who came agonisingly close to winning the Russian Grand Prix before spinning off the wet, said he initially doubted whether he could cut it at the top.
      Speaking on ITV show This Morning he said: “I guess people, from when they just watch TV, don’t realise many things that a driver goes through.
      “And it’s a bit of shame, but there are more programmes now where you get to see what the driver is like behind the scenes, and the amount of pressure and stress that they have to cope with.
      “Especially at my age, coming into Formula One at 19, there’s a lot of eyes on you. So, dealing with all these kinds of things, took its toll on me.
      “Feeling like I don’t know what’s next? If this goes wrong, if I don’t go out in the next session and perform, what’s going to happen?
      “What’s the outcome of all of this? Am I going to be in Formula One next year, if I’m not? What am I going to do because I’m not really good at many other things in life?

      “So, just all of that, and then just feeling depressed a lot of the time that if I have a bad weekend, I just think I’m not good enough and things like that.
      “When they start adding up over the season, and then the social media side of it all, that can just really start to hurt you.”
      Norris has had frank and open conversations with his McLaren team and mental health charity Mind, which he says has put him in a better position.
      He added: “We partnered with Mind, which has helped me massively, and also helped many other people in McLaren, but also just in the world in general.
      “So speaking to McLaren, speaking to the people that are around me and my friends that I trust, and also Mind, I’m in a much better place now. I’m much happier and I can enjoy everything I do.”
      MCLAREN HOPE
      Norris was distraught at missing out on victory in Sochi and says that after his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo’s win in Monza, there is renewed optimism at McLaren.
      He said: “There’s obviously a lot of expectation on us at the moment because of Monza, where we had a 1-2, and last weekend I had pole position and almost won the race.
      “So a lot of people are expecting amazing things. But we have to limit them in a way because we’re still realistically not as quick as Mercedes and Red Bull, which are the leading two teams at the moment.
      “We still have a lot of work to do but every race is an opportunity.”
      Lando Norris takes shock pole for Russian Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton crashes into pit wall More

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      Lewis Hamilton phoned Max Verstappen after Silverstone crash to ‘break ice’ just months before horror Italian GP smash

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      SIR LEWIS HAMILTON phoned Max Verstappen to clear the air after their crash at the British Grand Prix.The pair collided at a whopping 180mph at the Copse corner in the opening lap of the July race at Silverstone.
      Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen crashed in the first lap of the British Grand PrixCredit: SKY SPORTS
      And they collided again in the Italian Grand Prix last monthCredit: REUTERS
      Sir Lewis called the young Dutchman after the Silverstone incident to ‘break the ice’Credit: GETTY
      Red Bull ace Verstappen was furious with Hamilton, who he branded ‘disrespectful’ and ‘unsportsmanlike’ from his hospital bed.
      And in a bid to defuse the situation, seven-time F1 champ Hamilton put in a phone call to his young rival.
      He told ESPN: “I called him after Silverstone, but, again, I don’t mean to be patronising, but I am much older.
      “I’m much older and it was important for me to call and to be able to break the ice.
      “I feel he’s a tremendous talent and I am enjoying racing with him.
      “Do I agree with everything he does? It doesn’t even matter.

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      “What matters is that he does him and he will learn, and all I can control is what I do and how I handle things.”
      Hamilton and Verstappen, 36 and 24 respectively, collided again last month at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
      On lap 26, Verstappen’s Red Bull bounced up on a sausage kerb – with one of its wheels landing on Hamilton’s head.
      Hamilton would’ve sustained a serious injury had it not been for the titanium Halo safety device, which have been mandatory since 2018.
      Dutchman Verstappen was handed a three-place penalty for the Russian Grand Prix as officials adjudged him to have been responsible for the crash.
      Current championship leader Hamilton has become used to Verstappen’s risky manoeuvres.

      He said: “I’ve had to back out of certain scenarios with Max because otherwise, we are going to crash, and I’m just like, ‘I’ll beat him in another way.
      “I think, ‘If I can just survive this corner, I will challenge and fight him another way, stay close, use strategy and all these different things.”
      Hamilton and Verstappen will renew their rivalry on Sunday afternoon in the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul.

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      Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen react to dangerous crash More