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Formula 1 returns with Dutch Grand Prix on August 29-31

Formula 1 returns with Dutch Grand Prix on August 29-31

eNCA2 days ago
JOHANNESBURG - The Formula 1 summer break is here.
The mandatory shutdown is a strict 14-day consecutive period where teams must completely cease all performance-related operations.
During this time teams are barred from conducting any car developments – no wind tunnel testing,
no CFD simulations, no part production and no simulator work.
Track action returns on the 29th of August in the form of the Dutch Grand Prix.
So, what happens during the break, in fact, perhaps we also need to catch up on what happened before the break.
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Formula 1 returns with Dutch Grand Prix on August 29-31
Formula 1 returns with Dutch Grand Prix on August 29-31

eNCA

time2 days ago

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Formula 1 returns with Dutch Grand Prix on August 29-31

JOHANNESBURG - The Formula 1 summer break is here. The mandatory shutdown is a strict 14-day consecutive period where teams must completely cease all performance-related operations. During this time teams are barred from conducting any car developments – no wind tunnel testing, no CFD simulations, no part production and no simulator work. Track action returns on the 29th of August in the form of the Dutch Grand Prix. So, what happens during the break, in fact, perhaps we also need to catch up on what happened before the break.

Formula E investment drives Nissan's relentless EV development
Formula E investment drives Nissan's relentless EV development

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time4 days ago

  • The Citizen

Formula E investment drives Nissan's relentless EV development

What started with the humble Nissan Leaf has transformed into electric racing rockets. A little-known fact maybe, especially down here on the tip of Africa, is that Nissan recently wrapped up the Drivers' Championship and finished third on the podium in both the Teams' and Manufacturers' Championships in the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E Championship. Formula E represents the pinnacle of electric vehicle (EV) technology and thanks to Nissan's road-to-track and track-to-road knowledge exchange, Formula E provides the perfect environment for the Japanese manufacturer to develop its electric vehicle technology. Formula E is more than just racing to them. The company views the series as a high-speed laboratory for the future of mobility. With 90 years of automotive heritage, 85 years of motorsport legacy, and over a decade of electric vehicle expertise, Nissan uses their participation in Formula E to showcase their commitment towards an electrified future. ALSO READ: Nissan's incoming new Renault Duster twin spied for the first time Nissan Leaf ahead of its time But because Nissan no longer offer electric cars in South Africa, we don't realise how heavily invested they are in EV technology. And we are just as quick to forget that they were first to introduce an EV locally in the Nissan Leaf back in 2013. This was a time when EVs were seen as something from another planet. Their then short range and very little charging infrastructure meant you couldn't venture too far from home. The world has changed since then. Electric cars are far more mainstream. And the charging infrastructure and technology continues to improve exponentially. You can almost get to Durban on a single charge. And if you can't, there are fast chargers along the route to keep you topped up and mobile. Sadly, what has not changed, is that our government with their ridiculous import taxing structures on EVs, ensure they remain expensive and out of reach of most of the population. ALSO READ: Volkswagen's new entry-level EV teased ahead of 2027 debut This means that the all-new electric Nissan Leaf will not be making a return to the country anytime soon. Which is such a pity because while the original Leaf offered 80kW of power and 254Nm of torque, and a range that didn't see you getting 200km between charges, the new car offers substantially more. The new Nissan Leaf has been vastly improved. Picture: Supplied Leaf grows up In 2025 your Nissan Leaf with extended range battery delivers double the power at 160kW and substantially more torque at 355Nm. What will transform your thinking, is that the range claimed now comes in at a full 600km. The Nissan Formula E car on the other hand weighs in at just 782kg, and produces 350kW of power. A power-to-weight ratio that gets the car to 100km/h in a mere 1.86 seconds and achieve a top speed of 322km/h. To put this is some sort of perspective, a Formula E car outguns a Formula 1 car when it comes to in-gear, out-of-the-corner, acceleration. But by now you might be wondering what the link is from Formula E to the Nissan Leaf in particular. To mark the finale of the Formula E Championship held at London's ExCel circuit at the end of July, the team unveiled a teal blue version of its cherry blossom livery to celebrate the launch of the all-new, UK-built Nissan Leaf. The Citizen Motoring was there to witness both the highs and lows that motorsport can deliver and see the new Nissan Leaf in the flesh. Sad way to end season It was a tough weekend for the Nissan Formula E Team. Oliver Rowland had the Drivers' Championship already wrapped up, but him and team-mate Norman Nato needed big finishes to clinch the Teams' and Manufacturers' Championships for the Japanese manufacturer. It did not come together for either driver, with lady luck choosing to offer up carnage instead of clean laps required for victory. Nissan have held onto Norman Nato and Oliver Rowland for next season. Picture: Supplied Sitting in the stands, you could almost feel the energy leave the arena late on Sunday afternoon as Rowland's number 23 car connected the wall and retired out of the race. As much as there was disappointment around the place, it was still a brilliant season with the team achieving seven podiums and four victories. And as a result, Nissan have announced that their driver line-up for the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will remain unchanged, with both Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato continuing to race with the team.

Norris relishing combat with McLaren teammate Piastri
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Norris relishing combat with McLaren teammate Piastri

BUDAPEST - Lando Norris said he was looking forward to "more of the same" thrilling wheel-to-wheel duels with team-mate Oscar Piastri after Sunday's McLaren 1-2 in the Hungarian Grand Prix. The 25-year-old Briton, who trimmed Piastri's lead in the tile race to nine points, finished the race just 0.698 seconds ahead as they crossed the line to secure the team's 200th victory in Formula One and record 13th in Hungary. "I'm dead!" said Norris, who had switched to a one-stop strategy after a poor opening lap and then battled to resist Piastri's attacks in the closing laps. "It was tough, we weren't really planning on a one-stop at the beginning, but after the first lap it was kind of our only option to get back into things. "It was tough in the final stint, with Oscar catching. I was pushing flat out, you know, so my voice has gone a little bit!" Piastri stayed with his two-stop strategy and had a tyre advantage, but on the tight and technical Hungaroring track found it impossible to pass his team-mate. "I didn't think it would probably get us to win. I thought it would get us into second, but I knew if I had some clean air, and I could push, I could maybe make things work and that's what we did. "It's always a bit of a gamble with these things, but it also requires no mistakes, good laps, good strategy -- all these things -- and that's what we had today so I'm very happy." He said his win, which moved him within reach of overhauling Piastri when the season resumes after F1's August break, had been fun, but was not in any way decisive. "We're so tightly fought, it's hard to say that momentum is on anyone's side, but we're fighting hard, both of us, and it's fun. It's tough, but fun racing with Oscar. - 'Credit to Oscar' - "And it's great for us as a team, another 1-2 and our 200th win in Formula One. "Credit to Oscar, he put up a good charge and I just about held on, so I look forward to many more of these." Piastri, who was within a second,said: "I pushed as hard as I could. I saw Lando going for a one (stop) so I knew I was going to have to overtake on track, which is easier said then done around here. "I tried a few things, but it was a gamble either way and, unfortunately, we were just on the other side of it. Piastri questioned his team's decision to try to 'undercut' pole sitter and early leader Charles Leclerc of Ferrari in the early stages of the race. "I'm not sure that was the right call in the end,' he said. That call ensured Piastri would be on a two-stop strategy while Norris kept his options open – and as Leclerc fell away from leading, Mercedes' George Russell stormed through to finish third ahead of him in a frustrated fourth place for Ferrari. The outcome was McLaren's fourth consecutive 1-2 in succession and Norris's fifth win this year and ninth of his career. McLaren now lead Ferrari by 299 points in the constructors' championship ahead of the final 10 races of the season starting at the Dutch Grand Prix on August 31. str/nr

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