Mark Kay, Author at GRAND PRIX 247

Tech Draft: Revisiting the Williams FW43B CAD Hack

The tale of the intended virtual launch of the Williams FW43B is one of the stranger stories of the 2021 season so far, yet it almost fell off the radar and nearly escaped the collective imagination of the Fo... Read More...

Technical Draft: They have killed technical innovation in our sport

Adelaide, it conjures memories of green parklands, very warms days in excess of 30 degrees, the smell of jungle juice and the scream of a 3.5 litre V12 Honda RA122E on full legal traction control, right? If ... Read More...

Technical Draft: Do you want racing or contrived competition?

Here in Adelaide, South Australia, we are in the first day of an automatic blanket seven-day COVID-19 lockdown. I know that in this day a COVID-19 lockdown might seem to be a thing of the past, something tha... Read More...

Technical Draft: In memory of Sunday morning warm-up

After three consecutive weeks of Formula 1 racing keeping me preoccupied, I found myself this morning outside in the shed organising some boxes in storage, at the behest of my beloved. I opened a box of my o... Read More...

Technical Draft: The curious case of Ricciardo’s brakes

Daniel Ricciardo is being left in the dust by his ten-year younger McLaren teammate Lando Norris, the highly-rated Australian's struggles are well a big talking point as he is finding the sweetspot with the M... Read More...

Horner FIA smedley 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix start 2021

Technical Draft: 2021 mid-season constructors ratings

As the mid-point of the 2021 Formula 1 season approaches, I thought I would put my thoughts down about how the season has progressed for each team. Here, I have taken a brief look at how the cars have develo... Read More...

Technical Draft: Lando, gentlemen racers belong at club level

On the 20th lap of this weekends 2021 Austrian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton passed Lando Norris for second position in the race. Yet, it was not a change in position on merit, Norris simply relinquished. The lo... Read More...

Technical Draft: Mercedes anti-Red Bull rhetoric continues

It began after free practice, on Friday, and continued beyond the finish of the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix, Mercedes anti-Red Bull rhetoric was firing on all cylinders after Max Verstappen's dominant victory on... Read More...

Technical Draft: Dangerous Driver Culture

During yesterdays second qualifying session for this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso narrowly escaped what could have potentially been a catastrophic accident with Sebastian Vettel. As drivers... Read More...

Technical Draft: Clutching at sprint qualifying

The 2021 British Grand Prix will include the very first 100km sprint qualifying sessions in the history of Formula 1, with the result set to determine the grid for the Grand Prix. As a result of the strict t... Read More...

hamilton Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance Launch

Technical Draft: Mercedes must end doubt, focus on winning

As the 2021 Formula 1 world championship has progressed, the level of competition between Mercedes and Red Bull has only intensified. However, it now appears as though Red Bull have taken the competitive asc... Read More...

red bull team celebrate verstappen victory styrian Grand Prix

Technical Draft: Advantage Red Bull, can Mercedes claw back?

At this weekends Styrian Grand Prix post-race press conference, Mark Webber asked Lewis Hamilton if he was becoming concerned about the performance momentum that Red Bull Racing seem to be gaining. To which ... Read More...

Technical Draft: The Formula 1 Wet Weather Set Up

The weather forecast for the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in Speilberg includes a high likelihood of a dry qualifying session followed by a wet race. Finding lap time in the wet in a Formula ... Read More...

bottas hamilton verstappen barcelona 2021 qualifying

Technical Draft: In Defence Of Valtteri Bottas

As the flat white with an extra shot warmed my hands on this cold Adelaide winter morning, Lewis Hamilton’s statement that I was reading had as much impact on me as did the soothing aroma of the freshly groun... Read More...

Drivers Daniel Ricciardo, Daniil Kvyat, Helmut Marko, Max Verstappen

Technical Draft: Why should Formula 1 be a dead end?

Formula 1 teams not only contract the best open-wheel drivers in the world, but also created development programmes to help identify, develop and nurture young talents with the hope of promoting them to a ful... Read More...

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...

Author Mark Kay