Welcome to The Grid, R&T’s quick recap of the auto industry and motorsport news you should know about this morning.
Ferrari says third in the constructors’ championship 2021 “not completely impossible”
Scuderia Ferrari had a terrible 2020 season. The most successful team in F1 history was often on the back of the back, scrapping with teams like Alpha Tauri and Renault, far from the pace or consistency of Mercedes and Red Bull. The team landed on fifth place for the constructors’ championship.
That is untenable for a team that is usually at the forefront. And with so much car frozen for the next year after a rule change setback, it won’t be easy to find the speed the team needs. As reported by Motorsport.com, team boss Mattia Binotto still says that improvements are possible.
“In the last five years, the team was able to take second place to up to a third,” said Binotto. “So I think third place isn’t completely impossible. I think that should at least be our minimum target for the next season. “
But the team is struggling uphill. F1 has implemented a “token” system that limits development. Teams will need to use these tokens to update parts unless they change engine manufacturer or are customer teams upgrading their gearboxes and suspensions to the latest available models. So, Racing Point, Alpha Tauri, and McLaren are essentially getting some free upgrades in addition to their token upgrades. Given that Ferrari have already lost to McLaren and Racing Point this year, this will be tough to beat.
The Toyota Mirai’s hydrogen stack is used in commercial products
Toyota is doing everything it can to make hydrogen a reality on a large scale. Part of that is making the consumer hydrogen flagship, the Mirai, more attractive and desirable. However, the company has also made a major change to the “stack” that threatens the hydrogen-electric generation architecture. This system is used in commercial applications, according to Automotive News, including Class 8 tractor units scheduled for testing in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. A light truck in Japan is also in the works.
Mercedes will build electric vehicles in the US
The long-delayed electric EQC crossover from Mercedes has still not made it to our coast. The company has been grappling with battery restrictions and manufacturing issues, and has delayed the entry of its first long-haul SUV into the US market. But that doesn’t mean the company isn’t serious about bringing electric vehicles to the States. In fact, Automotive News reports that the company will assemble electric vehicles at its manufacturing center in Vance, Alabama.
The assembly plant, which currently manufactures the GLE and GLS SUVs, will start building electric SUVs in 2022. It is planned to produce electric versions of both the GLE and the GLS, which will be referred to as the EQE SUV and EQS SUV, respectively. The EQS sedan, a fully electric S-Class vehicle, will be the first Mercedes EQ product in the USA
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