An eventful week in Formula One has seen the sport encounter tragedy, fresh race doubts plus details on the new F1 game amongst other news.
From losing one of the sport’s all-time greats to news that the French and Belgian Grands Prix are in doubt to Ferrari assisting in the fight against Coronavirus, this has been a tough week of contrasting emotions in F1 news wise.
We’re therefore here to round up the most important news in F1 this past week that you need to know about in these tough unprecedented times.
Sir Stirling Moss Dies Aged 90
Formula One legend, Sir Stirling Moss passed away on Easter Sunday after a long illness, with his wife – Lady Susie Moss leading the tributes by saying that he had completed “one lap too many”.
Current World Champion, Lewis Hamilton was amongst those from in and outside of the motorsport world to also pay tribute, of which you can read in full by clicking here.
Further Races in Doubt
2020 French and Belgian Grands Prix are both in doubt after announcements from the French and Belgian Governments concerning mass gatherings.
French President, Emmanuel Macros confirmed that France will remain in lockdown until 11 May, of which schools and creches can then slowly reopen but a ban on summer festivals including the French Grand Prix will not be lifted until mid July.
Belgium Prime Minister, Sophie Wilmes on Wednesday confirmed that all mass gatherings, including the Belgian Grand Prix are banned until 31 August as the country continues to battle Coronavirus like many others who are set to host races this season.
We have contacted organisers behind both French and Belgian Grands Prix for further comment, with no reply received at time of publication.
F1 meanwhile have confirmed that they’re working with race promoters for postponed or cancelled races on transfer and refund options, with this likely to apply any further race postponements or cancellations.
F1 2020 Game Available from July
Codemasters have announced that F1 2020 Official Game will be available worldwide from 10 July across PS4 and Xbox One family of devices, including Xbox One X, Windows PC (DVD and Steam) plus Google Stadia for the first time ever.
The edition will feature two new circuits in Hanoi and Zandvoort, despite both races being postponed until later in season due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
There will also be many new and returning features including; ‘My Team’ where you become a driver-manager of your own team alongside the ten current constructors on the grid and ‘Two-player Split-Screen’ to allow you to play against friends.
Codemasters are also releasing a Michael Schumacher Deluxe edition featuring four of his famous cars in which you can drive in as Schumacher himself. See below for the four cars which will be featured in the deluxe edition.
- 1991: Jordan 191
- 1994: Benetton B194
- 1995: Benetton B195
- 2000: Ferrari F1-2000
Discussing the new and returning features, F1 Franchise Director at Codemasters – Paul Jeal has described this game as the F1 game’s “…biggest and most innovative title to date.'”
F1 2020 Game Director at Codemasters – Lee Mather confirmed that there will be “…new modes to enable more casual players to get up to speed more easily…” so that the game appeals to both new and experienced gamers.
F1 raises $71,000 in Race for the World
Charles Leclerc was amongst six F1 drivers who helped raise over $71,000 dollars for the World health Organisation (WHO) in their fight against Coronavirus, as they competed against fellow motorsport drivers in a new eSport initiative called ‘Race for the World’.
Taking place across six races spread over three rounds, the initiative saw Leclerc joined by five other F1 rivals (George Russell, Nicholas Latifi, Lando Norris, Alex Albon and Antonio Giovinazzi) in competing against junior category opposition plus British YouTuber – Jimmy Broadbent.
Leclerc eventually emerged as champion with 90 points, edging out Alex Albon’s younger brother – Luca by 19 points whilst his own sibling – Arthur beat Alex to third place.
All six F1 drivers will contest this weekend’s Virtual Chinese Grand Prix alongside Carlos Sainz, who joins the series for the first time.
News Snippets
- Ferrari are building respirator valves and fittings for masks as part of their effort to help Italian hospitals cope with patients battling Coronavirus.
- Injured F2 star, Juan Manuel Correa will represent Alfa Romeo in the Virtual Chinese Grand Prix, as he continues to recover from serious injuries sustained in a Feature Race crash at last season’s Belgian GP last August.
- F1 are working on a revised race calendar with several races set to be moved from their current slots, whilst the season is anticipated to be extended beyond its original finish of 27-29 November.
- Nicholas Latifi revealed in an exclusive interview with us that his “…mindset is firmly on 2020…”, which you can read in full here.
- F1 have announced a new partnership with 188BET in Asia which will allow fans across the Asian continent to take an more in-depth look at the sport.
- Mercedes Team Principal, Toto Wolff has brought a stake in Aston Martin although his role at Mercedes is unaffected despite Aston Martin joining the grid next season.
- Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo has announced plans for a monthly diary, with his first post looking at five underrated drivers including the late Jules Bianchi plus Marcus Ericsson amongst others.
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