February 2021 – GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

Ferrari set to hold 18-inch tyre test at Jerez

February 20, 2021 | News | No Comments

Ferrari is reportedly set to stage a test session at Jerez next week, focusing on the new 18-inch wheels that will be introduced in 2022.

Formula 1 currently uses 13-inch tyres provided by Pirelli. The planned change is part of a new set of technical specifications being introduced next year to help boost on-track competition.

The new rules and regulations were originally expected to be brought in for 2021, but that was pushed back by a year because of the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

However F1 director of motorsports Ross Brawn is insistent that whatever happens this season, there will be no further delay and that the changes would definitely be implemented in 2022.

Read also: Pirelli reveals tyre compounds for 2021 F1 season

To help ensure this happens on time, the FIA has agreed to increase the number of testing days Pirelli can have with all the teams in 2021 to 30.

Motorsport.com is reporting that Ferrari will be first up, carrying out the first 18-inch tyre test on Monday February 22 in Spain.

With Jerez not equipped to facilitate simulated wet weather conditions, the team will be limited to running the slick versions of the prototype tyres. It’s not yet known which driver will be behind the wheel.

Last year Charles Leclerc took on the role, but this time it could provide a good opportunity for Carlos Sainz to get some extra experience ahead of his maiden outing for the team following his transfer from McLaren over the winter.

Ferrari will be using a specially adapted version of their 2019 contender, the SF90. Only once the season gets underway in Bahrain at the end of March will teams be allowed to use their current cars in subsequent tyre tests.

That concession is partly due to McLaren’s switch to Mercedes engines this season, meaning they can no longer run older cars designed to accomodate Renault power units.

Pirelli has also announced the tyre selections that it will be offering to teams in 2021, with drivers once again not getting to make an individual choice in compounds because of the schedule uncertainty arising from coronavirus.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

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AlphaTauri’s Tost doubtful of Mazepin’s ability to succeed in F1

February 19, 2021 | News | No Comments

AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost, who has mentored many young talents in F1, is skeptical of Haas hopeful Nikita Mazepin’s chances of building a career in F1 based on what he’s seen so far from the young Russian.

It’s no secret that Mazepin owes his graduation to the big time with Haas this year to the lavish support of his father, Russian businessman Dmitry Mazepin who owns and presides over fertilizer giant Uralchem.

The latter’s generous financial backing has enabled his son to climb through motorsport’s junior ranks in which Mazepin displayed a competent talent while also building his reputations as a hot-headed trouble maker both on and off the track.

In 2016, after qualifying for a round of the European F3 Championship at the Hungaroring, Mazepin tracked down fellow rival Callum Ilott and assaulted the Briton, promptly leaving the current Ferrari junior with a black eye and a swollen jaw.

The Russian was handed a race ban as a result of the incident but questions about his character started to emerge.

Read also: Domenicali to remind F1 drivers – and Mazepin – of role model status

Whether the 21-year-old is ready or not for F1 based on his two wins in F1 last year is irrelevant as Mazepin will pay to play this year with the big boys.

As a keen observer of young talent racing in the junior ranks, Tost had doubts from the outset over Mazepin’s temperament and character, key components valued by the Austrian for any young gun who ambitions to race at the highest level.

But Mazepin’s off-track antics at the end of last year when he posted a controversial video of himself groping a young women seated in the back seat of a car, infuriating his team and fans on social media, did nothing to encourage Tost to change his view on the Haas rookie.

“Of course I could get brutal again and say that you can’t make a tiger out of a cow!” the AlphaTauri boss told Auto Motor und Sport.

“In the end it always depends on it how much brain a driver has and then switches on in the cockpit.”

And intelligence clearly doesn’t appear to be Mazepin’s main asset according to Tost.

“In my long time in motorsport, I have found that in the end only those drivers who are intelligent and know why they are doing something will prevail – and they behave accordingly.”

Those F1 rookies or talented hopefuls who currently do get Tost’s vote – Mick Schumacher, Yuki Tsunoda and Robert Shwartzman – have little in common with Haas’ flamboyant agitator

“We are now getting some young drivers who are really super good. In addition to Mick and Yuki, there is also Robert Shwartzman,” he said.

“I think very highly of the three drivers. This generation will determine the future of Formula 1.”

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By GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

Vettel parts with eight cars from personal collection

February 18, 2021 | News | No Comments

Sebastian Vettel is parting with eight cars from his personal supercar collection, with five Ferraris among the spectacular selection.

The four-time world champion has picked up a number of gems over the course of his career, including a former Ayrton Senna McLaren and Nigel Mansell’s championship winning Williams FW43.

But the German driver’s garage also housed an impressive assortment of supercars, eight of which have been entrusted to special automobile dealer Tom Hartley Jnr. In the UK.

“We are very pleased to be able to share with you some of our latest arrivals, all coming direct from the collection of four-time Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel,” Hartley commented on social media “All these cars are located, registered and taxes paid in Switzerland.”

Red Bull: Verstappen ‘at top of Mercedes list’ if Hamilton retires

February 16, 2021 | News | No Comments

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes Mercedes will likely put Max Verstappen at the top of its list as Lewis Hamilton’s successor when the Briton decides to retire.

Last week, Hamilton and Mercedes extended their partnership for a single year, a move that sparked a wave of speculation over the seven-time world champion’s future after 2021.

A record eighth world title this season might well decide Hamilton to ride off into the sunset, at which point a plum seat would become available at Mercedes, or perhaps even two as teammate Valtteri Bottas’ contract also expires at the end of 2021.

Williams’ George Russell is seen as a prime candidate to fill Hamilton’s spot, but Horner reckons that Mercedes will no doubt also put Verstappen in its line of sight.

©RedBull

The Dutchman is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2023, but Horner echoed Helmut Marko’s recent revelations regarding a performance clause that could allow its star driver to walk away from Red Bull a year early, or at the end of 2021.

“All drivers have safeguards within performance and the reality is that yes, of course, as there has always been, there is an element of performance related to Max’s contract,” said Horner.

“I’m not going to go into what that is. It doesn’t relate to the power unit in any way, it’s just a binary performance at a certain measurement in time.”

Read also: Red Bull has taken control of its own destiny – Horner

However, beyond a cut and dried clause that could potentially free Verstappen, Horner highlighted the importance of his driver’s relationship with his team

“As with all these things to force a driver that doesn’t want to be there… it’s more about relationships than contracts, and you only pull a contract out of a drawer when you’ve got a problem, in my experience,” Horner explained.

“The relationship with Max is very strong. He believes in the project. He believes in what we’re doing.

“He sees the investment that Red Bull is making it’s very much with this recent commitment on the power train.

“He believes in the people within the team and working within the team. And I’m confident that we won’t need to refer to any contractual clauses.

“I think it will ultimately be down to us to deliver a competitive car. That’s what he wants, that’s what we want.

“He needs that, we need that. So in that respect, we’re both in the same, identical situation.”

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

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Updated WWE Judgment Day Card Following Monday's RAW

February 10, 2021 | News | No Comments

– Following last night’s edition of RAW from Hampton, Virginia, below is the updated WWE Judgment Day card:

WWE Heavyweight Championship
John Cena (c) vs. The Great Khali

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Edge (c) vs. Batista

Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels

ECW World Heavyweight Championship (3 on 1 Handicap Rematch)
Mr. McMahon (c), Shane McMahon, & Umaga vs. Bobby Lashley

United States Championship (2 Out Of 3 Falls Match)
Chris Benoit vs. MVP

Ric Flair vs. Carlito

CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke

***UNREAL WEB DEVELOPMENT DEALS*** $9.95 DOMAINS – Do you Have Your Name Yet? TheHostRack.com (>>)

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Why Runjin Singh Is Managing The Great Khali Instead Of Daivari

February 10, 2021 | News | No Comments

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The agents like Dave Kapoor (Runjin Singh) as The Great Khali’s manager because he can speak Punjab & Hindi and Khali doesn’t know much English. Also, Kapoor is better at explaining finishes and match layouts to him.

The agents were negative on using Daivari as Khali’s manager because they thought he yelled too much in his promos and didn’t act cowardly enough. That pretty much explains why they were broken up as a tandem when Khali was moved to Raw.

News on why SCOTTY 2 HOTTY was released (>>)

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Bobby Lashley Criticized Backstage For Poor Mic Skills

February 10, 2021 | News | No Comments

Source: Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter

One of the biggest things criticized in Bobby Lashley’s development as a main event superstar in WWE is his lacking of skill on the microphone. One backstage source familiar with the situation said that because Lashley did not grow up a wrestling fan he has yet to fully understand and appreciate the “culture” of wrestling. This prevents him from being able to generate fake emotion to make it genuine-looking during on-camera segments which causes his promos to suffer.

Lashley is aware of the fact that he is not a natural on the mic which only fuels his shortcomings as he has a fear of being embarrassed. Obviously the feeling backstage is that the ECW World Champ will overcome his shortcomings on the mic as long as he is willing to work at it and that is one of the few things that Lashley is having problems with.

Lashley Refuses Wellness Test At One Night Stand PPV! To Be Suspended?! + Backstage Notes From Last Night’s RAW (WHY Was Vince Pissed Off?)

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Ashley On Survivor Rumors, Orton On Good Behavior, Stephanie & Shane

February 10, 2021 | News | No Comments

sources: PWInsider.com, Pro Wrestling Torch

The word going around backstage among many of the SmackDown and ECW wrestlers is that Ashley Massaro is taking time off from WWE to take part in the next season of CBS reality series Survivor, which will begin taping next month in China for a September airing. That is why Massaro was “suspended” on last week’s edition of Smackdown. However, the deal hasn’t been 100% confirmed yet, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Randy Orton is said to be on his best behavior since the European tour. Whatever they told him or did to him to make him change his ways appears to have had a positive effect, thus far at least.

According to sources, Stephanie McMahon was backstage at Raw on Monday, but there was no sign of Shane McMahon for some unknown reason.

Could A Stephanie McMahon TV return be in the works? (>>)

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Several Legends At Vengeance Tonight, Mystery Team, Mike McGuirk

February 10, 2021 | News | No Comments

source: Wrestling Observer

As part of the celebration of current WWE gold-bearers, champions of the past are present in Houston for tonight’s Vengeance pay-per-view. Magnum T.A., Harley Race and Rick Martel are currently backstage. They are doing a theme where veterans will be doing cameos on the show talking about winning championships for the Night of Champions theme. Many others who are retired and under WWE contract will also be appearing in that role. WWE.com has a photo of Rick Martel meeting up with his former tag team partner Tony Garea.

In addition to the legends appearing in some segments tonight, two legends are scheduled to compete at the pay-per-view. At last word, the plan was for Sgt. Slaughter & Jimmy Snuka to be Deuce & Domino’s opponents. This hasn’t been 100% confirmed, but this is the expected match-up.

Mike McGuirk, the precursor to Lilian Garcia, made a surprise appearance at last night’s Raw brand house in College Station, TX. Maria brought her to ringside to be the guest ring announcer for a match between Cade & Murdoch and London & Kendrick. McGuirk was the first female ring announcer in WWE history. She was a ring announcer for WWE from 1988 to 1993. This was her first appearance in a wrestling setting since ’93.

Which Raw star is possibly moving to ECW?; Check out HOT candids of Lilian Garcia (>>)

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WWE Signs Identical Twin Sisters To Dev. Contracts; Botch Company's Name

February 10, 2021 | News | No Comments

WWE has signed two 23-year old California bikini models who happen to be identical twins, The Garcia Twins, to developmental deals. Their respective names are Nicole and Brianna. The girls are currently training in Florida Championship Wrestling in Tampa and have appeared at a few shows in eye candy roles.

The twins were contestants in last year’s Diva Search contest, but they didn’t make the cut. This article on the Diva Search from June of last year on WWE.com features comments from them in which they talk about gearing up for the Diva Search.

The news of their signing is indeed true because the twins are featured in a small photoshoot in a special WWE Divas magazine that is scheduled to be officially released next week. The magazine features a section call “Divas In Training.” The description of the section reads: “WWE’s future women’s champions? Meet the talented young ladies teetering on the precipice of squared-circle glory. Mark our words: You’ll be ogling them on TV very, very soon.” The section features pictures and brief bios on Maryse Ouellet, Beth Phoenix, Milena Roucka, and of course, The Garcia Twins. Considering that the shoot took place mere days after Memorial Day, the twins have been under contract to WWE since at least May.

The Garcia Twins have a page on MySpace at (myspace.com/thegarciatwins) and confirmed their signing with WWE on it. Even though they haven’t been called up yet, they claim that they’re going to be at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view. They also botched the company’s name in a post on the page. They called it “Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment.” Here is the post they did regarding WWE:

“Hi everyone we are The Garcia Twins. We were born in San Diego, CA and raised in Scottsdale, AZ. Soccer was our life until college and that is when we started modeling, acting, and doing promotional work. We are now with the WWE, Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment, we are here in Tampa, FL with the FCW training to be on t.v. as Divas. Make sure to check us out in this month’s WWE Summer Slam.”

Which WWE Diva says that she wants to pose for Playboy?! (>>)

By GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

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Month: February 2021