Ferrari took initiative by coming forward and talking about the risks they took to upgrade the engines for F1’s races mid-season. They had introduced a new power unit that helped them increase development time. The final decision for these developments was granted during the Grand Prix in Russia, just when Charles Leclerc was given a penalty for having the new power unit in his car. Carlos Sainz also did the same thing in Turkey and when he got back into the grid, he was quite behind but made a rather impressive recovery.

Raising the Team’s Hopes

Ferrari has seen an improvement in performance since the changes and as a result, Leclerc was able to aim for a position at the podium, back in Istanbul. This has increased the hopes of the team to overtake McLaren and secure third place, which is really impressive.

It Was a Learning Experience

For Mattia Binotto, the team’s principal, the engine’s extra power is secondary to what was actually was supposed to be a learning experience to prepare for 2022. He explained that there was a degree of risk involved when Ferrari chose to push them to drive with the new engines instead of waiting until the end of the campaign. He said that it was a risk assessment. The key reason for doing this was to get better mileage on track and experiment before the power units were frozen in 2022.

Definitely Worth the Risk

Things were very close between McLaren and Ferrari. They were separated only by 7.5 points. The latter needed to perform only a little better to get ahead. Binotto mentioned that this boost of power is not a lot but definitely worth considering. He said that it gives them a small advantage. However, he did not intend to see how much of an advantage it was as per lap time because such things are always track-dependent.

Ever since Burt Reynolds made the Pontiac Trans Am Firebird famous in ‘Smokey and the Bandit,’ the car has had a special place in many people’s hearts. Although it was one of the cars of the 1970s and ’80s, the Firebird hasn’t been such a common sight on our roads recently. However, that it looks like that’s all about to change with the Pontiac Trans Am Firebird making a comeback in 2021.

End Of The Line

The beloved car was discontinued by General Motors in 2010 despite it being a staple for over eight decades. All good things must come to an end, and it seemed as though the Pontiac Trans Am Firebird had run out of road. Although several efforts to keep the Firebird dream alive, General Motors’ financial woes meant that fans had to wave goodbye to the car in 2010.

Bringing The Beast Back

A company run by Firebird enthusiasts will be taking on the challenge of bringing the classic car back. Trans Am Depot is the company that will be building new Firebirds after spending 50 years winning awards for its custom-built Pontiacs.

The 2021 Firebird will be based on the Chevy Camaro before that chassis is extensively reworked to look like the Pontiac. It’s estimated that over 300 parts on the Camaro will be modified to make it look like a Firebird.

Based On A Classic

There is no better version of the Firebird to use as the first in a new line than the ‘Bandit’ version from 1977. The new model was reportedly endorsed by Burt Reynolds himself, and there will only be 77 of them made.

It won’t come cheap, with a retail price of $115,000, but it will pack a punch. The 2021 Pontiac Trans Am Firebird will hit the 200mph mark, and fans of the classic car can get a look at the revamped model next year.