The Ferrari and Force India F1 teams have been fined for pit lane speeding after both Kimi Raikkonen and Sergio Perez were caught exceeding the 80km/h speed limit during the first practice session for the British GP.
Perez was the faster of the two, caught travelling 83.6km/h down the pit lane while Raikkonen was caught at 82.5km/h.
Ferrari has received a €300 fine and Force India will have to pay up €400.
Catch up on what happened during FP1 ahead of the British GP here.
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg topped the timing sheets at the end of the first free practice session.
Nico Rosberg set a fastest time of 1:34:274 ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton and Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen. The Mercedes driver sent a clear message of intent to Hamilton as he set the quickest time of the session despite missing out on the majority of the session due to a hydraulic leak.
The session was relatively error free for most drivers save for a few locked wheels and a couple of spins including one for Sauber driver Felipe Nasr. Kimi Raikkonen set the fourth fastest time in his Ferrari ahead of the second Toro Rosso of Carlos Sainz Jr. McLaren had a difficult start to their weekend as “a leak” meant that Jenson Button was only able to complete a handful of laps towards the end of the session.
Sebastian Vettel was sixth fastest in the other Ferrari with Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing), Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull Racing), Nico Hulkenberg(Force India), and Felipe Massa (Williams) rounding out the top ten. Several test and development drivers had a rare opportunity of some track time and Susie Wolff was the quickest of this lot in thirteenth place. Jolyon Palmer was 14th in the Lotus of Romain Grosjean while Ferrari Academy driver Raffaele Marciello clocked the sixteenth fastest time for Sauber.
A Formula 1 fan is a scholar of history, a lover of all that came before in this majestic sport.
The Grand Prix Drivers Association global fan survey asked for your view on the history of the sport and the response was pretty resounding. Formula 1 cars have always been achingly beautiful pieces of machinery and engineering that could conjure of feeling of true love at first sight. Here we completely excluded the awful and vulgar noses of few years ago.
As far as 32% of the fans are concerned it was the 2000s which produced the best looking cars. The 1990s follow in second place with a voting percentage of 20% and the 1980s with 18%. The current era of cars came in at fifth place with only 10% voting it as the best-looking F1 cars of all time.
The top three drivers of all time is a discussion most F1 fans would’ve had on several different occasions. While there will always be a difference of opinion based factors that cannot be quantified the fans in this survey were pretty spot on with their choices. In first place is the great Ayrton Senna, in second seven times world champion Michael Schumacher and in third Alain Prost.
We could give different reasons for why all three these drivers deserve to be number one but we don’t have to. The great thing about Formula 1, and its fans, is that this discussion will be had fifty years from now with great passion and reverence for the greatest drivers this sport has ever seen. The names Senna, Schumacher and Prost will never be far away from any Formula 1 discussion.
DRIVERS:
Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams)
Jenson BUTTON (McLaren)
Kimi RAIKKONEN (Ferrari)
Marcus ERICSSON (Sauber)
Pastor MALDONADO (Lotus)
Will STEVENS (Manor)
PRESS CONFERENCE
Valtteri, why don’t we start with you? You finished second here last year from, I think, 14th on the grid – equal best result so far in Formula One, your finish. Is this one of your favourite tracks?
Valtteri BOTTAS: Well, it’s one of them, definitely. It’s one of these old school tracks and really high speed, so it’s always really fun to drive here. I think it should be good for our car as well, like we saw last year. We had some new bits for Austria and I think they should work maybe slightly better here, so looking forward to the weekend.
Well, podiums for Williams at the last two races, but can you tell us a bit more about why you think your car particularly suits this circuit and the things that you’re bringing here that are going to help that?
VB: Long straights – that’s where we have been strong the last one-and-a-half years and I think we’ve been this year pretty good in high-speed corners as well and probably the updates we had in Austria… they definitely created more downforce but maybe were a bit too draggy for that circuit. Maybe we can make better use of that and if we just get everything right it could be a strong weekend but let’s see.
Jenson, coming to you, this year I think it’s fair to say it’s been ‘hard yards’ as we say here in England, but does racing here on home soil raise the spirits a bit?
Jenson BUTTON: It does. Every race that we race in is a special race, you can find reasons to be excited, but when it’s your home grand prix it’s always very special. The British fans and public whether it’s raining, 32 degrees, there’s a British guy at the front or a British guy at the back, they will always be here to support us, which is fantastic. It’s always a very, very special atmosphere here and I’m really looking forward to the weekend.
World champion drivers are obviously leaders within a team. What’s the message to Honda and the McLaren management? What strategy do you want to adopt in terms of performance, reliability and what would be a win at the moment?
JB: Well, first of all I don’t think a press conference is the best place to do that, you know. We are one team and we work together and if we have issues we talk amongst ourselves and that’s the only way to improve a situation. The confidence is high within the team. You might say why is that, as the last two races have been very difficult, which they have, but there is a massive belief within the team that we will improve. There is a lot in the pipeline. I don’t want to look too far into the future, you know, I’m on of those people that wants to live in the moment and do the best I can right now. It’s the British Grand Prix, in front of them home crowd and I’m really looking forward to it and I will maximise what we have this weekend.
Thank you for that. Kimi, coming to you, the GPDA fans’ survey revealed that you are the most popular Formula One driver it would seem, amongst those polled. What’s your reaction to that?
Kimi RAIKKONEN: I think it’s a good thing. I would rather take the fans than not having them. Obviously, some people… maybe I was lucky that they were ones that answered the survey, but I’m happy to have fans and obviously that’s a good thing.
What do you think it is about your character that appeals to them?
KR: You’d have to go and ask them who voted, so…
There’s a few too many to do that I think. The team is telling us that retaining your seat for next season is in your hands, do you feel you are on the right track to meet their targets.
KR: I don’t know. Obviously they’ll make the decision. We try to do good races. Obviously the last race was a bit difficult but that’s part of the game, sometimes you have that. Who knows: I don’t know anything more than you guys, so I will know hopefully at some point what will happen. There are always speculations to start off the year and it’s always the same stories. It doesn’t really surprise me a lot so let’s see what happens.
Thanks. Marcus, coming to you, you edged it over your team-mate in Canada, he edged it over you in Austria, describe the duel between you this season at Sauber and what the atmosphere is like within the team.
Marcus ERICSSON: The atmosphere is good. I think me and Felipe are working well together. Obviously he has had the upper hand so far but I’m looking to change that, working hard for that. Now, coming to Silverstone, it’s one of my favourite tracks, I really enjoy driving here, some really great corner combinations, so hopefully I can fight back and have a good weekend.
It looks like Sauber has been caught after that strong start, with the big points finished in the early races – only one points finish in the last five races for the team. Do you have some answers up your sleeve in development terms for the second half of the season and how much of a boost do you think Mark Smith, the new technical director, will be?
ME: I think we knew that the summer would be a bit difficult for us; we have a big upgrade coming after the summer. We are hurting a bit at the moment with people bringing updates to the recent races and we lost a bit of touch to some of them. But I think still we showed in Austria last time out that if we maximise what we have we can still be competitive and fight in the midfield, so that’s what we needs to focus on doing. On Mark Smith, obviously I worked with him a bit last year at Caterham and I have a very positive feeling with him joining the team. Obviously he’s not going to be able to much short-term, but I think in the longer term he is a very good person to have in the team, with his experience, so it’s a good thing for Sauber.
Q: Pastor, points scored in the last two races but you’ve never scored points at Silverstone, amazingly. Looking to put that right this weekend?
Pastor MALDONADO: I hope so. Do my best.
Q: How did you leave it with Max Verstappen after the battle in the last race, in Austria? Spectacular action on track. How have you left it on a personal level?
PM: I mean it was a great battle. This kind of battle I always enjoy, y’know? This is real fight in Formula One, which is always fair. For sure a couple of times it was very close, because he was trying to put me over the track – but this is part of the race. I really like the stewards that allowed us to race and to have more opportunities to fight in the track. Yeah, it was great. For me it was OK. After that, the race started very badly, we had some problems in the start and then we recovered quite well, thanks to the strategy, thanks to the team as well, and I drove quite well.
Q: Will, celebrated your 24th birthday last weekend – what are your feelings on making your home Formula One debut in front of a capacity crowd on Sunday at the British Grand Prix?
Will STEVENS: I’m really looking forward to this race. I have been for a long time. Clearly for us, growing up we watch this race and have come to it for many years. So, to be here for my first home grand prix is really exciting. Can’t wait to get out there on Friday and see everybody around the circuit.
Q: The last couple of races haven’t been so good for you or the team. The margin – particularly in Austria – seemed to be bigger than it’s been elsewhere. Are there technical reasons for that due to the package that you’ve got – and how do you think you’ll be fixed this weekend?
WS: I think the last few races have been a little more up-and-down. I think the actual times from the free practice sessions in Austria were pretty strong. Quali for us didn’t really work out because of the conditions – but looking ahead to this weekend, we should be making some steps forwards with the car for sure. We have quite a few upgrades here, which is nice. So, looking forwards to Friday to see how much that can help us out.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, accident here last year, accident in last race in Austria, how difficult is it for you to come to this weekend?
KR: It’s a new race, different weekend. It doesn’t matter if you have an accident. It was obviously bad for our race but that’s part of the game. It doesn’t change this weekend at all. I’ve had accidents before and probably will in the future, you pay the price when things do wrong.
Q: (Mike Doodson – Grand Prix Plus) A question for Jenson and Kimi. Last weekend we had Formula E racing in London, there were a few good, old F1 names among the drivers. Did either of you see the race and would you seriously consider switching to electric racing after Formula One?
JB: To answer the second question: no. And did I watch the race? No. I have watched a race this year and the reason is, it’s not because of the cars themselves, it’s because of the drivers. There’s a lot of drivers that I’ve raced against over the years, I think there’s 13 ex-F1 drivers, and that’s what makes the category exciting: they’ve got some real talent there; they’ve done a good job of getting talented drivers in the cars. I think there’s a great place for electric racing – if that’s what you want to call it – but I think it’s great and there’s a good fight amongst the talented drivers that are there. But it’s not something that interests me. Motorsport is motorsport for me. Something that I love is the smell, the sound and the speed – and that’s what Formula One is all about.
Kimi?
KR: yeah, actually I saw it. I saw the race and I’m not so interested in the future in some point to race them. It’s… I mean they’ve done well to go in the places that they race – I think it’s nice for people but, I mean, for me, unfortunately… we always talk here: it doesn’t go fast; it doesn’t look spectacular. They are… in my view they are pretty slow. The concept is probably nice in the future. Right now, yes, they get the good racing out of it but it doesn’t really… it’s something that doesn’t really excite me really – but obviously I’m happy for them to make such a good race series out of it.
Q: (Daan de Geus – NU.NL) Kimi, you let it be known earlier in the season that you were quite happy about the 2015 Ferrari and the way it handles and it fits your driving style. Ferrari have obviously been updating the car and made some changes to it. Do you still like the way it handles and the way it suits your way of driving?
KR: I don’t see why I wouldn’t suddenly like it; because I’ve had an accident doesn’t change anything. I’ve had accidents sometimes, like I said, it’s part of the game. We improved the car and it’s still a great car, obviously probably not fast enough to challenge Mercedes all the time but it’s a very good car and it’s a massive improvement from last year. Things go wrong sometimes but it doesn’t mean that you suddenly hate the car or you don’t like things. It’s just a part of the game. Like I said, it’s a good package and obviously we want to improve it and make it faster. Things could always be better. Even if you’re in a winning car you’re always wanting more out of it. Like I said, we’ve come such a long way from last year which people always forget. We’re still a work in progress to improve things.
Q: (Daniel Ortelli – Agence France Presse) Jenson, you were very vocal and supportive when the survey came out in Monaco and you’re one of the most experienced drivers; what’s your general comment or specific comment about the results of that survey? Were there some things that surprised you, is it in keeping with what you think of F1? Is there anything you can tell us about the reaction to the results?
JB: I don’t think there are any massive surprises in there. Obviously Kimi being the favourite driver of the fans – we knew that anyway, didn’t we? No, I don’t think there were any massive surprises. I think it’s really nice to get the view of the people that are out there that are watching us race, whether it’s at the circuit or on TV or read about Formula One. It’s nice to see their opinions. I think a lot of us agree – probably not with everything – but we all have our own opinions of the ways that Formula One can be improved. It’s great to see that there are lots of ideas that are floating around for the future in terms of making the cars wider, tyres wider, lighter, hopefully more sound. These are all things that are interesting and I think that’s great to see so hopefully they will happen in the near future.
Q: Do any of the other drivers have anything they would like to add on the findings of the survey?
Q: (Joe Bernstein – Daily Mail) Question to Will: you said that you used to watch the British Grand Prix as a kid when growing up. Can you tell us your first memory and also maybe your favourite race memory, watching it?
WS: Being British, obviously it’s a race I come to a lot so… Probably the first race I’ve been to was probably ten, twelve years ago. I remember it was wet but that’s not really too unusual for England. There’s been lots of good races here, more so on the old circuit and now obviously with the new layout – personally, I really like it. The racing here is always exciting, there’s always a good atmosphere here and that’s where the British fans do a good job. I’m sure this year’s going to be the same and I’m looking forward to seeing what it brings.
Q: (Joe Bernstein – Daily Mail) Is there one stand-out memory that you have?
WS: Not particularly for here, no.
Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Valtteri, you seem to be very happy with the car after the Austrian test. Is this the best Williams car you’ve ever driven and is it good enough to repeat last year’s result here?
VB: I think we’ve been improving all the time so I think every race it’s the best car we’ve had, I think. It’s good that we’re making the right things because it seems like since last year nearly every single bit we’ve put on the car has made the car better so it’s a good direction and like I said, I’m just looking forward for this weekend to see how strong we can be, possibly even stronger than Austria but let’s see.
The F1 Strategy Group which met yesterday in Biggin Hill announced a few changes to the regulations for the current and future seasons in F1.
There will be restrictions on driver aids and driver coaching, especially during race starts. “Increased restrictions on driver aids and coaching received unanimous support and will be rapidly implemented, starting from this year’s Belgian Grand Prix – with a particular emphasis on race starts – and in 2016,” read a statement from the FIA. The FIA say that this will bring unpredictability to the sport and enhance the excitement.
The process of handing out penalties for power units, and how these penalties are applied will get an overhaul which was also unanimously agreed upon by the strategy group. The decision will need to be ratified by the F1 Commission at the World Motorsport Council next week in Mexico City. Further changes to the exhaust system on the cars are planned for 2016 to enhance the engine noise.
Staying on power engines it was also announced that new manufacturers entering the sport will receive and extra power unit per driver. This is good news for Honda and McLaren as it gives them some breathing room and it comes after both McLaren drivers were handed 25-place grid penalties at the Austrian Grand Prix.
“It was agreed to allow an extra power unit per driver in the first year to any new manufacturer entering the championship and, for the sake of fairness, the measure will apply retroactively to Honda for the 2015 season,” read the statement.
The FIA and FOM have been given a mandate to “propose a comprehensive set of measures for power unit development and cost of supply”. This will include a review of the token system that is currently in place where teams are only allowed to change certain elements of the power units by using development tokens. An increase in race fuel allowance and the use of engine dynamometers was also suggested.
Teams will now be given freedom of choice of tyre compounds for race weekends. The details are being finalised with Pirelli for 2016.
It looks like cars are set to look more aggressive from 2017. According to the FIA statement some of the changes will include “wider cars and wheels, new wings and floor shape and significantly increased aerodynamic downforce has been outlined and is currently being assessed by the teams.”
Finally a tweak to the race weekend format is in the works and is being evaluated by the FIA and FOM and we could see this happen for 2016. There are suggestions for a sprint race on a Saturday with a reduced number of laps for a race on Sunday. Over the years changes have been made to qualifying and practice sessions but the race format has pretty much stayed the same throughout the history of the sport. This has been billed by the FIA as “exciting and innovative”
There is an age-old question that all Formula 1 are inevitably asked – Who do you support?
In the GPDA global fan survey a third of the fans said that they support more than one team and driver with less than 10% only following one team. It doesn’t really come as surprise that Ferrari ranked as the favourite team with McLaren and Williams in second and third respectively. After all, there are the teams that started Formula 1, the teams that embody the history of the sport.
When asked about favourite drivers Kimi Raikkonen came out on top with Fernando Alonso second and Jenson Button in third. Some may be perplexed as to how Raikkonen could be the favourite driver among F1 fans who participated in this survey. Much of Raikkonen’s appeal surely centers on his genuine personality. He tells it like it is, no matter what and that is something that is appreciated. The infamous quotes and ice cool demeanour help too.
Fernando Alonso is regarded by many as the best all-round driver on the grid and seems like a fairly approachable lad. What’s more Alonso has always understood the importance of his fans; a perfect instance of this was during the 2008 street race around Valencia. Then a Renault driver Alonso sustained damage in a collision, returned to the pits and urged his team to get him back out on the track despite being a few laps down. He understood what it would mean to the Spanish fans to see him on track. Kudos Fernando.
Jenson Button embodies much of the fighting, never-give-up spirit that most adore about Formula 1 drivers. Several years of struggle at BAR and Honda didn’t dull JB’s love and enthusiasm for the sport. There couldn’t have been many who would’ve begrudged Jenson Button his championship winning 2009 season. Similarly, there was a real feeling of sorrow at the thought of Button’s career coming to an end one year ago amongst fans.
That person or team that makes is the reason why your racing heart pumps a little faster. Sure, you can be a neutral but the euphoria of seeing your favourite team or driver succeed is without comparison.
The Grand Prix Drivers Association’s global Formula 1 fan survey has revealed a strong social media presence.
Of the more than 215 000 fans who participated in the survey Twitter was named as the most popular social media platform for following the sport. Right here is where we want to give a personal shout out to all the Twitter followers of @F1_Madness. There must be some irony hidden in here about Bernie Eccelstone’s reluctance to embrace social media as a necessity but we won’t look to hard for it. Of all the drivers on Twitter Jenson Button is the most followed driver.
Instead, we will focus on the fact that the survey further revealed that F1 websites are listed at the number one source for fan information beating television by a five percent margin. Yet, 90% of the viewing audience however still prefer to watch their favourite sport on TV as opposed to 45% who watch it online.
The saddest statistic is that since its move to pay television 50% of those polled can no longer watch the races live. In many countries and for many fans around the world it is an unfortunate reality that there is no access to the sport. Formula 1 on its best day is the most magnificent thing in the world and in a perfect world everyone should be able to share in that bit of magic.
The Grand Prix Driver’s Association (GPDA) has released the result of their global Formula 1 fan survey.
The overall make-up of the global survey revealed that more than 215 000 fans from 194 countries took part in the survey. “As F1 drivers we share a passion and deep love for our sport with our fans…We want to give every F1 fan the opportunity to share that passion and for us to understand what they really think about us and our sport. We’ve heard the calls for fans to be consulted and this is our initiative to make that a reality,” writes GPDA chairman Alex Wurz.
The survey ran from the 22nd of May through to the 8th of June 2015 with the top five represented countries listed as the UK, France, USA, Austria and Germany. The prominence of France and Germany is significant if you consider than neither of these countries currently form part of the Formula 1 calendar. It is noteworthy too that the US fans feature high up the list as Formula 1 has invested a great deal to grow its brand here.The Netherlands, Australia, Japan, Italy and Brazil comprised the rest of the top ten countries.
The demographics of Formula 1 reveal that the average age of F1 fans are between 25 and 44 years old, with their support spanning an average of ten years. Of these fans only 1 in 5 has attended a grand prix in the last twelve months. The survey revealed that the biggest motivating factor are good vantage points, pit lane walkabouts and paddock tours. It seems F1 fans would like to see an approach similar to that NASCAR takes in the US. Here, fans are able to roam around the pitlane and paddock area and in a decidedly more relaxed atmosphere interact with their favourite drivers.
The Sauber F1 Team announced on Wednesday 01 July 2015 that former Caterham Technical Director Mark Smith will join the Hinwil based team in the same capacity.
Smith left Caterham before the team was sold by Tony Fernandez. Before his stint at Caterham he worked at Force India from 2010 to 2011. Prior to working at Force India he worked at Red Bull from 2005 to 2008. He starts his role as Technical Director at Sauber on 13 July 2015.
“When I saw the facilities for the first time in Hinwil,” said Smith. “I immediately realised the possibilities I would have.
“The wind tunnel, the supercomputer and the machine shop – everything is on a very high technical level.”
“And not to forget the competence of the team. These facts were compelling reasons and arguments for me changing to Hinwil.”
“The potential of Sauber is enormous, which is not self-evident in a constantly changing Formula One world. The factory in Hinwil has all the requirements to be competitive in Formula One.”
Sauber Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn is quite pleased with Smith’s appointment.
“After talks with the technical committee, we have searched for a Technical Director for the Sauber F1 Team – and found Mark,” said Kaltenborn.
“Mark Smith is an engineer with a lot of experience in Formula One. Above all, he knows the environment in which privateer teams must work and the challenges that are there – and how important it is to keep calm and keep things in perspective.”
“With us he finds technical possibilities on a very high level. We wish Mark a good start for which he has our full support.”
The McLaren Formula 1 Team may change Fernando Alonso’s engine at the British Grand Prix after his collision with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Alonso collided with Raikkonen on the opening lap of the race at Turn 2 after Raikkonen got the rear of his car out of shape and slammed into the side of Alonso which put Alonoso into the wall. When both cars came to a halt, Alonso’s McLaren ended up on top of Raikkonen’s Ferrari. Both drivers walked away from the incident uninjured.
After looking at Alonso’s engine, Honda say that the damage sustained in the crash may mean an engine change for the Spaniard.
“We have since completed thorough checks of both power units back at the factory, and we believe that Fernando’s power unit has sustained damage from the accident, and it may be necessary to change the engine,” said Honda’s Chief of Motorsport Yasuhisa Arai.
The sensor issue that ended Jenson Button’s race in Austria prematurely is still under investigation by Honda according to Arai.
“As for Jenson’s power unit this weekend, the issue is still under investigation,” he said.
Honda have not made any changes to their engines since the Austrian in season test. They will change the engine settings this weekend to suit the characteristics of the track and to with their new aero parts.
“Honda is not looking to put any hardware updates in place for the British Grand Prix, but we will optimise the power unit setting to the updated aero parts planned on the chassis.”