Leo, whose initial surname was Strulovitch, was a fashion importer who brought famous brands Pierre Cardin and Ralph Lauren to Canada, and passed his passion for the fashion industry down his son Lawrence, Lance’s father, having changed his name to Stroll.

Lawrence would then take the Ralph Lauren brand to Europe, furthering his father’s legacy.

He later paid for Lance’s seat at Williams in 2017, before signing him to Racing Point in 2019 having purchased it under its Force India guise the year previous.

READ: Bottas comments on gesture of respect with Hamilton at 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix

Since then, he has overseen its rebrand to the famous Aston Martin name, ensuring the transcendence of his family name into the motorsport world.

Lawrence and Lance wore Jewish skullcaps at the memorial ceremony, and the former said he owes everything he has to his late father.

“I lost my best friend, my mentor and especially my father,” he said, as quoted by Le Journal de Montreal.

“I remember a memorable meeting he organised for me in Paris when I was barely 18 with the renowned couturier Pierre Cardin. It was the start of a great adventure for me.

“We created a dynasty in the fashion industry and I owe him everything.”

An obituary in the Montreal Gazette paid tribute to Leo Stroll’s career, as well as his caring, affectionate personality.

“Leo had achieved many successes in his life, and together with his son, transformed the fashion industry. He will be most remembered for the many lives he touched with his kindness and generosity,” it read.

“Leo was an unforgettable presence, whose wisdom and warmth will stay with us always.”

Lance has since travelled to Melbourne ahead of this weekend’s 2022 Australian Grand Prix.

The post Stroll photographed attending grandfather’s funeral ahead of Australian Grand Prix appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Stroll entered F1 in 2017 when his billionaire father Lawrence paid for his drive alongside Felipe Massa at Williams.

He was comprehensively out-qualified by the Brazilian and scored seven points finishes, although one of them was his exquisite podium at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

He then partnered Sergey Sirotkin the following year, but as his father bought the Force India team that was going through financial turmoil, it quickly became apparent that the Canadian would be joining the newly named Racing Point team for 2019.

READ: F1 top brass hails Drive to Survive season 4 a ‘huge success’ despite widespread criticism

The 23-year-old claimed two more podiums in the bizarre Italian Grand Prix in 2020 and the equally crazy Sakhir Grand Prix that season, before the team became Aston Martin, with the famous British motoring brand returning after 60 years away from F1.

Stroll found himself out-qualified 14 times in 22 races by current team-mate Sebastian Vettel last season, and he ended up behind the German in the Constructors’ Championship despite scoring points on more occasions and out-performing him 11-10 in the Sunday battles.

It is evident then that Stroll does have pace, but Kallio has slammed him for coming across as arrogant.

He is not known for his exuberance during interviews, but while some may not perceive that to be reflective of him personally, the Finn is not so sure.

“The only driver I don’t really like interviewing is Lance Stroll,” she told the Ilta Sanomat newspaper.

“In those situations, he seems quite arrogant. He comes to the interview with a listless attitude.

“It’s embarrassing because he doesn’t seem to want to show any part of himself or even be there.”

She queried whether the Aston Martin driver really acknowledges the fortuitous position that he is in, and wonders whether he wants to be an F1 driver.

“It seems like he’s not interested in other people at all. He’s got it all, but can he appreciate it? Does he even enjoy being in Formula 1?” she added.

By contrast, she enjoys speaking to Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas who, by his own admission, has been “laughing and smiling a lot more” since his five-year tenure at Mercedes came to an end.

“[Bottas has] no such big ego,” she explained.

“He understands that the answers he gives are not for me but for the fans. It’s part of their public relations work.”

READ: Mercedes engineer on 2022 struggles: ‘Don’t look at the surface of the car’

Kallio observes that her compatriot is now a lot more talkative after interviews, suggesting that the pressure he was under at Mercedes was evident.

“When he was at Mercedes, you could see the pressure he was under. Now, he keeps talking even when the camera is off,” he said.

“He’s one of those drivers who you can notice when the pressure is on.”

Kallio’s comments on Stroll come hot on the heels of Channel 4 presenter Steve Jones saying that Kimi Raikkonen’s “rude” attitude made him an “absolute nightmare” to interview.

The post ‘It’s embarrassing’: Journalist reveals which one F1 driver she doesn’t like to interview appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Hulkenberg left Renault at the end of the 2019 season after entering 179 races with a combination of Williams, Force India and the Enstone team.

He claimed a stunning pole position in Brazil in 2010 with the Grove squad, but he is the unfortunate holder of the record for the most race starts without featuring on the podium.

READ: Schumacher says Aston Martin should consider firing Vettel and Stroll

When he was forced out by the arrival of Esteban Ocon in 2020, the German thought he was done with F1, but the turn of COVID-19 pandemic has now given five opportunities to get back behind the wheel.

He partook in both of the Silverstone weekends in 2020 due to the absence of Sergio Perez for Racing Point, before stepping in for Lance Stroll in the Eifel Grand Prix later that year.

Sebastian Vettel was then forced to miss both of the opening two rounds of this season, paving the way for another Hulkenberg comeback.

The German was unable to score points in a woefully underperforming Aston Martin car, but did an admirable job given that he had less than 24 hours’ notice before taking part in free practice in Bahrain.

He always relishes the chance to come back, but is not holding his breath.

“Of course I miss racing. That’s natural but I’m keen, not desperate,” he said.

“If it’s not to be…I was more or less mentally done with it, and obviously these things now, because of corona, did happen – 2020 and now, and who knows what might happen for the future.

“I see it being quite difficult and tricky to get a drive but if there’s an opportunity, call me.”

Kevin Magnussen was recalled to the Haas team following the sackig of Nikita Mazepin amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the 29-year-old revealed after the race in Saudi Arabia that his he had been “pulling” all weekend due to his neck, which “broke” during qualifying.

Somewhat to his surprise, Hulkenberg did not encounter any such issues in Jeddah, and laments the Safety Car caused by Nicholas Latifi that ultimately cost him a substantial amount of time.

“Maybe I’m fitter than expected or because it’s not so hot but I’ve had tougher races, in the heat especially,” he explained.

“Better than expected, so that was good, and I’m very happy and proud of my race. It was clean, faultless. I did everything I could with the car I had.

READ: ‘It’s not just pure talent’: Ex-Hamilton team-mate tips him to bounce back after abysmal Saudi GP performance

“Obviously the early Safety Car really compromised my race so we lost out there, which is unfortunate. That’s racing, I guess.

“Although I’ve no idea where I would have finished without it.”

Hulkenberg ended the race in Saudi Arabia in P12 as Aston Martin continue to await their first points of the season.

Vettel, meanwhile, is set to return in Melbourne next weekend after testing negative for COVID-19.

The post ‘If there’s an opportunity, call me’: Hulkenberg ‘keen but not desperate’ for F1 return appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Formula 1’s technical regulations changed radically ahead of the 2022 season and, as ground effect aerodynamics made a return, a completely different design philosophy was necessitated, meaning that a few different design concepts were introduced over the winter.

As a legacy of that, it would not be a wild assumption to deduce that it is unlikely for certain parts of the cars to be designed in the same manner, but Szanauer observes that this is exactly what has happened between some teams.

READ: ‘Two popes is not possible’: Szafnauer suggests too much involvement from Stroll pushed him to leave

“I’ve seen solutions on a couple of cars that you’d think ‘how the hell did two independent teams come up with that?’” he said, as quoted by GP Fans.

“I don’t know how to solve it but I think an even playing field within Formula 1 is something that is important.

“We have to work with the FIA to solve that, because like I said, you guys too can have a look out there and think how did these two teams independently come up with that solution, especially when there’s a rule change.

“Nobody knows what the solutions are going to be until you see them, so how did you come up with that?

“In time, people look and try it in the tunnel but not right out of the box. An even playing field is important.”

Both F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and managing director Ross Brawn noted before the beginning of the season that there was an inevitability that some teams would attempt to exploit certain loopholes in the regulations, but perhaps unforeseen was the potential for teams to share vital information on parts of the car influential to performance.

Ironically, this is something Szafneuer’s Racing Point team were fined 40,000 euros for in 2020 when they copied part of Mercedes’ 2019 challenger, but he affirms that the FIA has a responsibility to “figure out how to close these loopholes.”

“I still think there are some loopholes where people who share tunnels can exploit,” he explained.

He detailed just how easy it is to absorb crucial information from other teams, particularly when they share the same wind tunnel, as Aston Martin and Mercedes do, for instance.

“If you’re sharing tunnels and you’re in the same place at the same time and you’re having coffee with other aerodynamicists, there are ways to exploit it,” he added.

READ: Watch: Leclerc’s cockpit view as he fends off Verstappen in Bahrain

Szafnauer left Aston Martin at the end of the 2021 season to join Alpine, and has since testified that there were simply too many key figures at the helm of Lawrence Stroll’s team.

The post Alpine boss suggests teams are colluding, urges FIA to ‘close the loopholes’ appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

When Haas entered Formula 1 in 2016, they bought as many parts as they were allowed to under the regulations from Ferrari, which included aerodynamic parts as well as their engine and gearbox.

It helped Romain Grosjean to three points finishes in the first four races of the year, before the team were eventually out-developed by those around them and they managed only two more in the rest of the season.

It facilitates an environment in which Ferrari can use a lesser team to collect potentially crucial data and use them as a feeder team to nurture the next generation of talent.

READ: Russell worried by Haas ‘pace advantage’, expecting ‘lonely’ racing with Hamilton

It also helps a team like Haas climb up the midfield order, and Kevin Magnussen’s fifth-placed finish in Bahrain exemplified the progress the Banbury outfit have made since the beginning of 2021 when they decided to dedicate the majority of their time to this year’s car under the new technical regulations.

Seidl stated that he did not want to go into the particulars of the partnership Ferrari hold with Haas, but insisted that he disagrees with a team’s ability to simply buy effective parts from another constructor instead of designing and making them themselves.

“First of all, everyone in the team is very busy with our own car this week, so I can’t talk specifically about Haas and Ferrari,” Seidl said.

“But it’s no secret that, in general, these relationships that exist within the regulations, as they are established, concern us.

“Our point of view is that in the future we have to make sure that Formula 1 is a championship between 10, 11 or 12 real manufacturers.”

The German takes issue with the fact that one team on the grid can have a tangible influence on a rival team, suggesting that it goes against the spirit of the sport.

“From our point of view, F1 should be a championship with so many teams in which the only thing that is allowed to share is the power unit and the gearbox. The rest you have to do,” he explained.

“We know that the moment you go further, there is clearly a change or a transfer of intellectual property, which directly modifies the performance of the car. And that’s not what F1 should be.

“That is why we continually raise this issue with other teams that have the same fears.

“That is why we are in dialogue with the FIA ​​and I hope that at some point we will take a step forward. Because understanding that monitoring, or rather setting a limit, is also a task.

“That’s why the easiest and most effective way to move forward is to have a clear limit on what can be shared.”

Racing Point, now known as Aston Martin, were involved in a colossal dispute with several other teams on the grid in 2020 when they appeared to copy Mercedes’ design from the previous season.

Lawrence Stroll’s team were fined 400,000 euros when they were found to have transgressed the regulations by copying the intricate parts of another team’s car.

Otmar Szaufnauer is now team principal at Alpine having worked for the Aston Martin team for 12 years under various different guises, from Force India, to Racing Point Force India, Racing Point and then the iconic Aston Martin brand.

He highlighted the jeopardies behind mechanics and engineers working out of the same wind tunnel as Aston Martin and Mercedes do.

“The concern is that those who share wind tunnels can have a coffee together,” he said in an interview on F1 TV.

“And especially if they are colleagues and say over coffee: ‘How did you do with the last floor you tried?’ ‘Don’t go in that direction, it’s not very good.’”

The Romanian American emphasises that these backroom dealings never took place during his time at the Silverstone team, but maintains that this eventuality is very possible between two teams that share the same space.

“Of course it didn’t happen at Aston/Mercedes because we had robust processes and there was no coffee between our respective aerodynamicists,” he added.

READ: Watch: Leclerc rejects lift from Hamilton after winning 2022 Bahrain GP

“But that could happen if the aerodynamicists live in the same place, use the same tunnel, use the same canteen. miles down the road, it didn’t happen.

“We were lucky enough to use a wind tunnel on the weekends, and Mercedes did it during the week. The aerodynamicists couldn’t even see each other.”

Just as Racing Point’s car was labelled the “pink Mercedes” in 2020, Haas have earned the nickname “white Ferrari” due to their car’s resemblance to the Ferrari, something that team principal Guenther Steiner has called “ridiculous.”

The post Seidl criticises Haas-Ferrari relationship amid ‘white Ferrari’ claims appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

After Daniel Ricciardo tested positive for COVID-19 and missed the entirety of the pre-season test in Bahrain, Vettel returned a positive result, ruling him out of the first race of the season.

Nico Hulkenberg stepped in for his 179^th race start, and his third since becoming a reserve driver for the Aston Martin team in 2020 when they were known as Racing Point.

READ: Hulkenberg to replace COVID-struck Vettel at Bahrain GP

Krack confirmed that the four-time world champion had partaken remotely in the post-race debrief, and that he appeared in a slightly better condition

“He was participating in the debrief, he was sounding less rough than he was sounding a couple of days ago. But we do not know,” he said.

Saudi Arabian law states that anyone is eligible to travel from Bahrain to the country as long as they have registered their vaccine status and are test negative for coronavirus, so it can be inferred that, provided the 34-year-old is negative, he can travel to Saudi Arabia on Thursday once his isolation period in Bahrain is over.

“We will see how he goes for the next days. We hope he will be back soon,” added Krack.

“[It’s] a bit of both, but to be honest I am not 100 percent aware of the Saudi regulations.

“If he has a negative test, it will be easy. Better to get it now than in two weeks’ time.”

Hulkenberg revealed that he will make himself available to the Silverstone team again this weekend should they require his services.

“No, not yet. I don’t know,” he said when asked if he knows whether he will be needed.

“I’m just going anyway on standby and as a reserve, and I guess we’ll find out on Thursday or Friday.”

The German ended the race in Sakhir in 17^th having impressively out-qualified team-mate Lance Stroll on Saturday, and he detailed the difficulties he had during the race.

“It was difficult, very difficult, in combat mode. The beginning was okay. But I was just hanging on, it was tough for me,” he explained.

“Once you’re out of that mode of just running with new, fresh tyres and know the limitations become more, you have to manage and understand the car a lot more. So that was difficult.”

Ultimately, an unavailing move into Turn One exacerbated his evening, and he was unable to recover from there.

READ: Perez reveals if he’s worried about engine reliability heading into Saudi Arabian GP

“[It was a] big learning experience today. So we went OK, I think then I tried to overtake someone, outbraked myself a bit into Turn 1. And from there onwards, it was kind of a downward spiral,” he lamented.

“I got lapped quite soon, and you just fall back and back more and more. But, yeah, it was what it was.”

The race in Jeddah will be the second held there in F1’s history, with Sir Lewis Hamilton claiming victory after a controversial collision with Max Verstappen in 2021.

The post Aston Martin admit Vettel could miss 2022 Saudi Arabian GP appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Perez was the first of 10 drivers to have tested positive for coronavirus since the turn of the pandemic in 2020, and he was thus forced to sit out both races at Silverstone that year.

His then Racing Point team-mate Lance Stroll would later contract the virus in the same year, before Sir Lewis Hamilton fell ill with it, missing the Sakhir Grand Prix as a result.

READ: ‘You love to see it’ – Mercedes mock Red Bull after Verstappen and Perez spectacularly retire from Bahrain GP

Kimi Raikkonen and Nikita Mazepin both had to miss races last season too, before Daniel Ricciardo missed all of the second pre-season test in Bahrain.

And, the first race at the same venue did not feature Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel owing to a positive test.

Lando Norris, Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc all contracted the virus last year, but due to their isolation taking place in the off-season, they did not miss any action.

With seven drivers missing track time after falling ill, Perez has suggested that drivers should be allowed to race if their symptoms are “mild.”

“Going forward it’s something that we should discuss, whether we allow the drivers to race with COVID, if the symptoms are mild,” he said.

“These days if you’re feeling bad, obviously the drivers can be the judge, but I think it makes sense to have a discussion.”

Continuing, the Mexican emphasised it is simply luck of the draw who ends up contracting the virus.

“There’s so much we’ve learned with COVID now and there is only so much you can do,” he explained.

“If you want to look after yourself [completely], you have to stay at home for 24 hours and cook for yourself and do everything on your own.

“But there is only so much you can do, so I think it’s just luck dependent. It is difficult to not do anything. I’m just very sorry for Seb and for Daniel, but it can happen to anyone.”

READ: ‘It’s fantastic’: Verstappen and Horner send ominous warning to Ferrari after Leclerc snatches pole

Vettel’s replacement in Bahrain, Nico Hulkenberg, ended the race 17^th, while Perez retired due to a mechanical failure along with team-mate Max Verstappen.

The post Perez suggests some F1 drivers should be allowed to race if they have COVID-19 appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Perez signed for Red Bull at the end of the 2020 season after winning the Sakhir Grand Prix with Racing Point, and he managed five podiums along with a race win as he helped teammate Max Verstappen earn his first-ever world championship.

He previously stated that it took him time to adapt and learn “how to drive” the Red Bull compared to the predominant midfield challengers he had become accustomed to, but he now feels ready to grow as a racing driver and become more adept with the car.

“I think I’m just going to get stronger now. I’m working for it every day. So hopefully this year I can have another gear,” he told The Independent.

The Mexican claimed his first victory at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix with Racing Point after 10 seasons in Formula 1.

He was wiped out on the opening lap by a combination of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, but came back through the field from last place to take advantage of a series of catastrophes for Mercedes’ George Russell to win the race.

He recalls the emotions and the ecstasy of finally winning a grand prix after nine previous podium finishes.

“It’s something you dream about since you’re a child, knowing how it feels, being on that top step. It was a very special moment, especially for me, because it took so long,” he explained.

The 32-year-old was influential in his teammate’s success last season as he held off Sir Lewis Hamilton in both Turkey and Abu Dhabi, but he wants to kick on and achieve more for himself.

“I know what I have done, what my family has done, and we’re proud, but I’m not the type of guy to run around screaming about it, that’s just boring,” he stated.

“Everyone has their own story, their own life, and at the end of the day, we’re here because we want to be here: to race; to compete; to deliver.

“I’ve had a fantastic career and I still want to achieve a lot more in this sport.”

However, former F1 driver and Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle is doubtful Perez will be able to sustain a title challenge.

“For a whole season, no, I honestly don’t think so. I don’t think he’s on the same level as Lewis and Max. Nobody is at the moment,” he said.

The post ‘I don’t think he’s on the same level as Lewis and Max’: Perez tipped to be Verstappen’s wingman in 2022 appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Netflix first sent film crews out to the F1 paddock in 2018, and documented the highs, lows and everything in between of eight of the 10 teams; Ferrari and Mercedes opted out of season one.

The leading two teams at the time then decided to involve themselves for the second season aired in 2020, and this also featured Hulkenberg’s final full season in the sport.

He managed 10 points finishes in what would turn out to be a struggling season for his Renault team, and he and Daniel Ricciardo guided the Enstone outfit to fifth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2019, 54 points behind McLaren as Renault slumped back from their marvellous form of the year previous.

Season two covered the German’s heart-breaking crash at his home race in Germany, when he was set for his first career podium, and ultimately the demise of his career as boss at the time Cyril Abiteboul replaced him with Esteban Ocon for 2020.

The 34-year-old says that he initially did not quite understand what the purpose of the Netflix’s crew’s presence was.

“I still remember the production for the first season of Drive to Survive,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.

“‘Netflix in Formula One? What are they doing here?’

“During our first encounters with the camera teams, the drivers weren’t entirely clear about what they wanted in the paddock, and, above all, what the result would be.”

However, he ultimately acclimatised himself to the additional members of the paddock and, despite the visible affliction as he realised his F1 journey was all but over, he does not rue his appearances on the show.

“After some initial scepticism, however, I agreed to be filmed more often. And in retrospect, I have no regrets whatsoever,” he explained.

“With the help of the documentary, many fans – especially new fans – understood what this sport is all about, how much politics is involved, the effort put in by the teams, and the high performance in F1.

“The makers of the documentary have found a good balance between Hollywood and reality. Sure, not everything is exactly as portrayed, but it is very entertaining, and available anytime and worldwide.

“The documentary has been a huge success in America, in particular. At no previous race weekend have I taken as many selfies with fans, and signed as many autographs, as I did in Austin in 2021, even though I am not racing currently.”

The former Williams, Force India and Renault driver also notes that he has gained greater recognition as a result of his part in the series, and is pleased with the fact that the pinnacle of motorsport is reaching a wider audience.

“The fans recognised me because of my two featured episodes in the first two seasons,” he added.

“Most importantly, they [F1] are gaining younger viewers too.”

Hulkenberg would return for three races in 2020 with Racing Point, two of them in Silverstone when Sergio Perez came down with COVID, and again in Germany when Lance Stroll fell ill.

He is now the test and reserve driver for the Aston Martin team.

Season 4 of Drive to Survive will be released on Netflix on 11 March, with all episodes being available as soon as it drops.

The post F1 driver insists he has no regrets about featuring in Drive to Survive appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

BWT joined Formula 1 in 2017 as a sponsor of the Force India team, with team principal at the time Vijay Mallya turning the car pink in recognition of the partnership and waving goodbye to the black and silver livery of 2016.

Further, Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez donned pink helmets that year as BWT’s positive message about waste reduction began to proliferate around the paddock.

In recent weeks, team principal Otmar Szaufauer has departed Aston Martin and joined Alpine, with BWT a conspicuous absence from Aston Martin’s sponsor list ahead of 2022.

The Silverstone-based squad have since brought Aramco on board alongside Cognizant as a title sponsor, and rumours have been circulating that BWT would follow Szafnauer to Enstone.

Indeed, BWT have now been confirmed as a name partner to Alpine for the new year, and Cedric Journel, sales and marketing vice president at the team, is delighted with the acquisition.

“We are excited to announce that BWT will be the title partner for Alpine F1 Team for the next years,” he stated.

“Both Alpine’s and BWT’s sustainability agendas are fully aligned on eliminating single use plastics and we are pleased to join forces to convince many people around the globe, our employees, partners, customers and fans to reduce plastic waste.

“In parallel we will use the huge global platform F1 provides to support BWT in their fight against the unfair distribution of clean, safe and healthy drinking water.”

BWT’s famous pink branding will now appear on the Alpine car alongside the French blue, white and red colours, while Aston Martin have replaced their pink highlights of 2021 with yellow hints for 2022.

The post BWT announced as Alpine name partner after ditching Aston Martin appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.