Mark Kay, Author at GRAND PRIX 247

Technical Draft: This is not what F1 should be about

In his regular column, this week Formula 1 General Manager Motorsport Ross Brawn reflected on the exciting finish to the French Grand Prix, referring to it as, “the epitome of F1”. As exciting as the final s... Read More...

The cars of Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL35M, and Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M, in parc ferme

Technical Draft: Why the cloak and dagger with TDs?

The recent investigation by Formula 1 sole tyre supplier Pirelli into the catastrophic tyre failures of Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku resulted in the FIA technical ... Read More...

LE CASTELLET, FRANCE - JUNE 19: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing RB16B Honda during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of France at Circuit Paul Ricard on June 19, 2021 in Le Castellet, France. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

Technical Draft: Paul Ricard pre-race technical update

As the 2021 Formula 1 season continues the teams have arrived at Paul Ricard for the French Grand Prix armed with technical upgrades to see them through three weeks in a row of racing. There is a noticeable ... Read More...

Technical Draft: How a Formula 1 chassis might be defective

It has been revealed that for this weekend’s French Grand Prix the chassis of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have been swapped out. This is not unusual in Formula 1 and there may be numerous reasons why ... Read More...

Technical Draft: Are Pirelli failing or succeeding in F1?

In a recent discussion in the GP247 comments forum about the Pirelli tyre failures in Baku, one of our esteemed and regular contributors referenced an extract from the 2018 tender document from which the curr... Read More...

Technical Draft: Why Hamilton is wrong on energy use

Lewis Hamilton recently questioned the increasing weight of Formula 1 cars, noting the impact on the nimbleness and aesthetic appeal, but critically linking it to the sport's impact on the environment and sus... Read More...

The Technical Draft: Stop killing technical innovation in F1

McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently openly discussed the concept of relaxing technical restrictions in Formula 1 following the introduction of the operational cost cap. The concept has been divisive in that it ha... Read More...

PV=nRT and why Formula 1 tyres fail at high speed

The retirements of Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen from the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix because of tyre failure is a hot topic, but it is not uncommon in F1 for tyres to fail and they do so for several reasons... Read More...

azerbaijan grand prix baku verstappen-center-1200x743

Post Race Questions & Answers from Baku

The 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix not only produced an exciting result, but it also gave us plenty of food for thought as the narrative of this year’s season starts to develop. Having watched the race, slept on... Read More...

baku 2021 qualifying verstappen red bull

Azerbaijan Grand Prix Pre-Race Techtalk

Understandably Formula 1 teams do not readily disclose technical information about their development endeavours during the discourse of a race weekend. For those of us with an interest in the R&D aspects... Read More...

Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Baku City Circuit technical preview

The Baku City Circuit has featured on the Formula 1 calendar since 2016, except for its omission from the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a popular event with the drivers, teams and F1 fans a... Read More...

Author Mark Kay