Sports Mole rounds up all of the latest news regarding Formula 1 on Thursday, August 6.
Thursday morning's Formula 1 news roundup:
Didier Pironi's son on Silverstone podium
Didier Pironi's son was on the Silverstone podium last Sunday.
After the former Ferrari driver's death in 1987, Didier Pironi's partner gave birth to twins and named one of them after the driver's former teammate Gilles Villeneuve.
Today, Gilles Pironi is an engineer who works for Mercedes' works team. He accepted the constructors' trophy after Lewis Hamilton's win last Sunday.
"For me it was a great privilege," Gilles Pironi told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"But it was also a surprise to be on the podium. There are more than a thousand of us in the racing department and only a few get an experience like that.
"I don't feel special, I only represented my colleagues."
Curiously, while Gilles is named after the F1 legend, Didier and Villeneuve actually quarrelled famously over an incident at Imola just two weeks before Gilles was killed at Zolder in 1982.
"I think dad would have liked to clarify with Gilles, but unfortunately there was no time," Gilles Pironi said.
"My brother and I have always loved racing and we competed in karts, but my mother and grandmother were not enthusiastic.
"We studied instead and I think it was the right decision.
"As a racing enthusiast I naturally love Ferrari, but the atmosphere here is good and I am in the best team in the world. I think my father would have raced for this team if he could have," Pironi concluded.
Ferrari adds weight to 'pink Mercedes' controversy
© Reuters
Ferrari has now joined the growing push against Racing Point's 'pink Mercedes'.
Technical director Andrew Green says he hates the nickname the car that admittedly strongly resembles last year's Mercedes has acquired.
"To see the work of the engineers discredited like that is totally false and has gone too far," he is quoted by France's Auto Hebdo.
Renault was the team that, after three races on the trot now, lodged official protests against the legality of the 2020 car's brake ducts.
But many other teams agree with Renault that Racing Point's explanation - that it designed its car solely on the basis of photographs of the 2019 Mercedes - is clearly untrue.
"This is not possible with photos taken in the pitlane or parc ferme," said McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl. "You'd need a scan."
However, Green admits that the design of the brake inlets was based on a part supplied legally by Mercedes under the former rules.
"In 2019, the transfer of information on brake ducts was quite legitimate," he said. "We used that data as a starting point for our design.
"Renault is trying to apply the 2020 regulations to the 2019 season," Green added.
However, Gunther Steiner says that when the rules changed, Haas had to stop using Ferrari brake ducts for 2020.
"I hired three engineers and had tools built to develop and build our own brake ducts," he told Auto Motor und Sport.
However, the brake duct issue is just the tip of the iceberg.
Dr Helmut Marko has already warned that if copying a full car based on photographs is now allowed, Red Bull will supply a full chassis to Alpha Tauri in 2021.
And Ferrari is now adding its voice to the saga. According to Sky Italia, the Maranello team has written to the FIA for clarification.
The stewards are meeting at Silverstone on Wednesday to consider the Renault protests.
More news from Formula 1:
Paul di Resta named as McLaren reserve for 70th Anniversary Grand Prix
Paul di Resta to be McLaren reserve driver for 70th Anniversary Grand Prix Read more.
Murray Walker: 'Lewis Hamilton will become best driver of all time'
Hamilton is four race wins short of Schumacher. Read more.
Wolff wants Hamilton to sign three-year deal
Lewis Hamilton's boss says he would like to sign up the six-time world champion for the next three years. Read more.
Comparing Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes to 1950 F1 Alfa Romeo
Silverstone staged its first Formula One World Championship race in 1950. Read more.
Hulkenberg to replace Perez again this weekend
Racing Point will announce on Thursday that Nico Hulkenberg will race for the team at Silverstone once again this weekend. Read more.
Hulkenberg backs temporary teammate Stroll
Nico Hulkenberg has backed his current F1 teammate Lance Stroll. Read more.
Mercedes seeks 'solution' to reserve driver issue
Esteban Gutierrez's role as official Mercedes reserve is in doubt. Read more.
Leclerc admits he and Verstappen 'hated each other'
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc says he and Max Verstappen "really hated each other a lot" back in their karting days. Read more.
On this Day: Jenson Button secures first Formula One win
Jenson Button won the Hungarian Grand Prix - his first F1 victory after 113 attempts. Read more.
F1 hoping for 'normal' 2021 season - Todt
Formula 1 is hoping and planning for a "normal" season in 2021, according to FIA president Jean Todt. Read more.
Leclerc won't kneel due to link with violence
Charles Leclerc says he refuses to kneel before races due to the politicisation of racial issues, and the movement's links to violence. Read more.
'Pink Mercedes' issue and tyres to dominate weekend
Amid Mercedes' dominance, an interesting weekend nonetheless lies ahead at Silverstone. Read more.
