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F1 2019: Ferrari – Gamble or Guile?

Much has been written about Ferrari’s drafting youngster Charles Leclerc into one of the most coveted seats in Formula 1. While expectations are exceedingly high for the young Monegasque driver there are other quite significant changes that have been made at Ferrari for the 2019 season.

The sudden death of Sergio Marchionne was a big blow for Ferrari. As the architect and saviour of Ferrari Marchionne was a tremendously important figure for the company and the F1 team. It’s no surprise that, internally, his loss was felt in a big way. A new CEO was announced in the form of Louis Camilleri, the former boss of Phillip Morris International and Ferrari board member. He immediately walked back Marchionne’s threats of quitting F1 and vowed to work in favour of keeping the iconic team in the world’s premier racing series.

Camilleri also stated that there was no need for him to intervene or make any changes to the team given its positive performance. However, it wasn’t too long before he began to ring the changes. First, it was Charles Leclerc in for Kimi Raikkonen followed by an announcement that team principal Maurizio Arrivabene would be replaced by technical chief Mattia Binnoto. Rumours swirled throughout the season of unease between Arrivabene and Binnoto, which, at the time, were dismissed as untrue by Ferrari. However, the rumours sustained and grew to include several suspicions that the relationship between Sebastian Vettel and Arrivabene too wasn’t in a good way.

Binnoto’s new role as team principal will mean that the technical department must be restructured too. After all, Binnoto can hardly be expected to wear both caps of team principal and technical chief at the same time. As team principal of Ferrari he will be tasked with and face an inordinate amount of pressure. First, he’ll be responsible for heading a team with a brand-new driver in the line-up. If, according to many expectations, Leclerc pushes teammate Vettel, ala Hamilton and Alonso in 2007, all the way he’ll have quite a job on his hands to contain such a situation. There is no doubt that as Ferrari team principal he will face relentless and unforgiving pressure to guide the famed team to championship success which has eluded them for a decade.

It is curious however to know why Ferrari has chosen to restructure in this manner, as it isn’t a recipe followed by other front-running teams. At Mercedes it has been stability that has been one of its major strengths. As team manager Toto Wolff has James Allison, formerly of Ferrari, overseeing the technical side of the team while Christian Horner relies on Adrian Newey to keep his hand over the technical side of Red Bull. Even at Williams Claire Williams has Paddy Lowe at the helm of the technical department.

The restructuring at Ferrari signals intent from the Italian team. But equally it reveals that they are still playing catch up with the likes of Mercedes and are yet to hit on an efficient method of running a cohesive team that can execute at the highest level week in and week out. The expectation will be that this reorganizing, across several departments, is the catalyst for finally getting the team onto the front foot from day one.

January 28, 2019
F1 2019: Ferrari Announce 2019 Driver

It has been announced that the Ferrari team has employed the services of Pascal Wehrlein as development driver for the 2019 season.

The role was filled by Daniil Kvyat and Antonio Giovinazzi in 2018 to great effect. However, with Kvyat returning to Toro Rosso for 2019 and Giovinazzi set to make his debut for Alfa Romeo Sauber it leaves Ferrari with an important vacancy.

Wehrlein has previously been in the thick of the F1 action with stints at both Manor, in 2016, and Sauber, in 2017. Wehrlein scored one point at the Austrian grand prix for Manor in 2016 before making the move to Sauber the following season. He was replaced by Giovinazzi for the first two races of 2017 after suffering an injury at the Race of Champions. He managed to score five points for Sauber in a generally unimpressive showing. During this time the German was under contract as a Mercedes driver however this agreement was not renewed at the conclusion of 2018.

In addition to his role at Ferrari Wehrlein is also committed to the Formula E series with the Mahindra team for 2019.

January 8, 2019
Winds of Change Sweeping Through Ferrari

Ferrari Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene is set to be replaced by current Technical Director, Mattia Binotto. There is no official word from Ferrari at this stage but Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting that a confirmation from the Scuderia will come soon.

Depending on which publication you read, word has been swirling around that the relationship between Binotto and Arrivabene had become fractious over the 2018 season following the teams dip in performance towards the end of the season. Ferrari President John Elkann feels that Arrivabene’s time is up at the Scuderia and Binotto is the man for the job following yet another disappointing season with Ferrari missing out on both the Formula 1 drivers’ and constructors’ championships.

Binotto has been at Ferrari since 1995 starting out as a test engineer. He worked his way up the ranks performing many roles within the team from race engineer to chief engineer. He took up the role of head of power units at the end of the 2014 season. Some see Binotto as the reason behind Ferrari’s resurgence in the hybrid era

There is no indication as to who will replace Binotto.

January 7, 2019
[Review]: The Unknown Kimi Raikkonen

The K1 grandstand on the outside of turn 1 at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit roars to life with an all-mighty cheer. It means only one thing – Kimi Raikkonen has just driven past in his scarlet Ferrari. I know this because I am sat right in the heart of the K1 grandstand. Of all the moments that author Kari Hotakainen could have chosen to start his biography of Kimi Raikkonen it seems almost incredulous that he would choose the very race I attended in 2017.

If you follow F1 you’ll know of Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen and his approach to the sport – no bullshit, just driving. Famously reserved with the press in the racing car however is where Raikkonen has always shone and comes alive. The biography details his childhood years as an up-and-coming racer and his subsequent years in the world’s premier racing series, Formula 1. However, this isn’t as much a book about Raikkonen’s Formula 1 career than it is focused on the person. Raikkonen’s comfort zone isn’t sharing any- and everything about himself. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite. And that makes this glimpse behind the curtain all the more intriguing.

If it wasn’t obvious from observing Raikkonen throughout his years in F1 in the book it’s evident that Kimi Raikkonen oozes authenticity. There’s nothing made up or manufactured about the man. Perhaps that is why he is so beloved the world over – his authenticity. What is more evident is that despite being a celebrated Formula 1 champion Raikkonen is a fairly average guy who doesn’t think himself a superstar unlike his legion of fans. Instead he is revealed as a deeply loyal friend and wholly committed family man. He also just happens to have an extraordinary talent of driving anything with wheels very quickly.

For the enigmatic Finn his family has always been the most important. “He was being offered $500,000 a year and $50,000 for every point earned. The man doing the signing came from a house with no inside lavatory. Soon there would be. He wanted to repay his mother and father, who had initiated this made it possible,” writes Hotakainen. The closeness of the Raikkonen family is unmistakable which makes the passing of his father, in late 2010, all the more poignant.

Hotakainen’s fly-on-the-wall style of writing translates well and injects the reader into the moments being described. It reveals the rocky road to F1 and several other fascinating stories. An example being that at the age of two Kimi’s parents had him medically tested, as he hadn’t yet uttered a single word. The results revealed a child of above average ability but without any real motivation for words.

Later on he describes a 21-year-old Raikkonen’s first day testing the C19 Sauber at Mugello in Italy. “The slight young man lowers himself into Sauber’s C19 car. He faces his first test lap in a real F1 car. The young man is scared – not of driving, but of failing,” Hotakainen reminisces. “He starts the car. A terrible, ear-splitting noise follows. The first straight isn’t important; anyone can drive on a straight with their foot down…The young man turns the wheel; his neck hurts, his hands tremble. Every instance of braking and every bend pummels his body”. It is said, and written in this book, that then team owner Peter Sauber was walking on air when he saw Raikkonen’s ability. Even Michael Schumacher wanted to know you the “young and fast” driver was. The over 250 pages is full of similar moments that together fill the picture of who Kimi Raikkonen truly is other than an F1 champion.

There will be those who would have wanted an even more in-depth portrait of Kimi Raikkonen. But there aren’t any bombshell stories or profound declarations and they aren’t missed. Instead it’s a book about a man’s life that happened to be an exceptionally fast racing driver. It is, like Kimi, an unpretentious, succinct, and deeply authentic portrait of a generous family man.

Get your copy from Raru

December 10, 2018
Season Wrap: The Year that was F1 2018

The 2018 Formula 1 season is in the history books and with a number of impressive and standout performances will be revered and talked about for some time to come.

Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton

Comparing different eras of the sport is usually discouraged but it is difficult to remember a more dominant team in the sport’s history than Mercedes Benz. Of the 100 grand prix in the turbo-hybrid era, which started in 2014, Merc have won a staggering 74 races. It is a nearly unbelievable statistic until you factor in the Mercedes F1 organisation. From the management structure to the drivers to the irrefutably flawless execution of all processes they leave no stone unturned and nothing to chance. They were pushed in the first half of 2018 and responded in emphatic fashion. Even with the aero changes for next season this team is going to be incredibly difficult to beat.

Of the 74 victories Lewis Hamilton has taken an astounding 51 and with that four world titles. Somehow, despite the car and team at his disposal, he seems able to continually improve from one season to the next and will undoubtedly by a contender in 2019. There will be those who point to his car as the reason for his success but they will do well to recognize that a racing car is only as good as its driver. If you’re still not convinced by this argument consider the fact that Valtteri Bottas, in the same car, finished fifth in the driver’s standings.

Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel

The 2018 season couldn’t have started much better for Ferrari. Evident from the first day of pre-season testing it was clear that Maranello had delivered a car that could fight for, and potentially, win the title. Sebastian Vettel hit the ground running too and for the better part of the first half of the season landed blow after blow on Mercedes and Hamilton. It was the Vettel of years gone by. The unyielding driver who racked up four titles in a row with Red Bull was seemingly on his way to a fifth crown.

But the cardinal rule of Formula 1 is its unpredictability. Before the summer break Ferrari’s chairman Sergio Marchionne passed away. The effect of this shouldn’t be underestimated. Marchionne almost single-handedly turned around Ferrari and that includes the F1 team. He arrived to a team in near ruin and not only righted the ship but made reignited the sense of pride and passion that seemed to be missing in previous years. He was a colossal presence and his sudden death left a gaping hole in the organization. Perhaps this increased the pressure on Sebastian Vettel; an expectation to win for Marchionne and the Ferrari name he nurtured.

Rookie of the year

Charles Leclerc – exceptionally impressive, especially the lap with dry tyres on a greasy track to get into Q3 at the Brazilian grand prix. A few chinks in the armour throughout the season such as silly mistakes and the odd crash. But the Monagasque can hardly be lambasted for them. After all, 2018 was his first year in the sport.

He has one of the biggest challenges next year as a Ferrari driver expected to immediately take the fight to teammate Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and co. It’s clear to all that Leclerc has the speed to hack it in F1. But being a Ferrari driver is completely different challenge. Unrelenting pressure and expectation will be a new test for Leclerc whose performances as Sauber stood out because there was little anticipation that the car would be able to perform as it did in 2018. In 2019, the uncompromising, often brutal, Italian press and fans will exert a level of pressure Leclerc wouldn’t have experienced before.

On the face of it the 2018 Williams may have masked Sergey Sirotkin’s strong rookie season. But dig a little deeper and it will reveal that the Russian’s season has been quite impressive given the car at his disposal. With a quiet resolve Sirotkin worked away on the car. He kept his head down, remained calm, and continually improved his driving ability. He may have come into the sport with significant financial backing but he attracted those backers with his talent that is far different from buying your way into the sport with family money.

Race of the year

The Circuit of the Americas easily produced the best race of the year. Drama at the start, a plethora of overtaking ensured 56 lap of exhilaration. Most of all, the battle between Hamilton, Verstappen, and Raikkonen in the final laps of the race capped a race for which few would’ve been able to predict the victor. Ultimately, it was Kimi Raikkonen who took victory for the first time in 113 races. There were few, if any, in the paddock disappointed with seeing the Iceman on the top step of the podium in Texas.

The Chinese grand prix deserves a mention. The Red Bull team strategy was played to a tee but it was still up to Daniel Ricciardo to make it work on track. The Aussie’s sublime overtakes will stick in the memory for quite some time and so will the remarkable victory.

Driver performance of the year

While Mercedes and Hamilton are rightly team and driver of the year there were some individual performances by drivers this season that stand out. Not least of all was Ricciardo’s drive to a maiden victory on the streets of Monte Carlo. The Red Bull driver had dominated the entire weekend including a pole position on the Saturday. However, a mechanical issue nearly robbed Ricciardo of finally winning in Monaco. Somehow, and despite being as much as 25% down on power, Ricciardo was able to hold Vettel off take the famed chequered flag.

2019 brings it with a major change to aerodynamics and potentially a reset in the running order. It also brings with a number of questions. Can legendary teams like Williams and McLaren make their way up the grid? Will Mercedes’s domination continue? How will Leclerc fair as a Ferrari driver?

December 5, 2018
Abu Dhabi Gp Review – Hamilton Win Brings Down the Curtain

Despite the fact that the 2018 Formula 1 season consisted of 21 races it ran through the calendar rather quickly. As the season finale Abu Dhabi grand prix brought down the curtain on a season that will be remembered by many for a variety of reasons.

One of the biggest and most lasting memories of F1 2018 will be Lewis Hamilton. An unrelenting and near faultless charge has earned him a fifth drivers’ title which he easily capped with victory in Abu Dhabi. The victory marks the eleventh of the season for Hamilton who was never troubled on his way to the chequered flag.

The race got underway in dramatic fashion as a clash between Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg sent the latter into a barrel roll. Stewards rightly deemed it a racing incident as Hulkenberg was able to walk away from the spectacular crash without injury. The safety car was needed to clear up the debris by which time the fast starting Charles Leclerc had already dispatched Daniel Ricciardo to be running fifth.

Up ahead Lewis Hamilton’s easily gapped teammate Valtteri Bottas at the restart after the safety car period. The Ferrari’s of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen followed in third and fourth. Though he started sixth on the grid Max Verstappen dropped to tenth at the start of the race as his engine engaged a safety mode off the start line. At the restart of the race he found himself in close attendance with none other than Esteban Ocon and his Force India teammate Sergio Perez. He got past the Perez relatively easily but it would take slightly more to get eighth off Ocon. Nevertheless, from quite a long way back he dove for the inside line into the Turn 7 hairpin and with a bit of contact was past the Frenchman. There is no doubt that he would’ve had the Brazil incident well in his mind.

A lap later Kimi Raikkonen pulled off to the side of the start/finish straight as his Ferrari succumbed to an electrical failure. Despite attempting to restart the car there was nothing to be done as the Finn signed off his career at Ferrari with a DNF. Raikkonen’s stricken Ferrari did bring out the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) which allowed race leader Hamilton to score a relatively cheap pitstop.

While Hamilton pitted early Red Bull attempted the opposite strategy with Daniel Ricciardo by running the Australian driver much longer on his Ultrasoft tyres. Though he led the race for some time it was clear that Hamilton had the pace to negate any advantage Red Bull would get from running longer. Astonishingly and despite being in the desert the camera picked up spots of rain. The few drops though weren’t enough to affect the track surface and Ricciardo dived into the pits on lap 34. He emerged in fifth and seemed to set to make a go of getting on the podium in his final race for Red Bull.

Further ahead Vettel took advantage of Bottas’ mistake and snatched second place from the Finn. It wasn’t too long before another error allowed Verstappen onto his gearbox and eventually past him. Ricciardo too made short work of the doleful Bottas who eventually finished fifth. There is much for the Finn to contemplate over the winter as he now has the unenviable stat of being the first Mercedes driver since 2012 to not win at least one race in the season.

While there was little in the way of a close battle at the sharp-end of the race the midfield ensured for several dices with a three-way battle for position between Stoffel Vandoorne, Romain Grosjean and Sergio Perez providing the best entertainment.

It was as easy a Sunday drive as Hamilton has likely experienced in 2018 and it demonstrates a shift in his own mentality too. In previous years his motivation would take a determined dip after securing the title but it never materialized in 2018. It is a great testament to Hamilton and his ability that despite a near faultless season he still sees room for improvement.

While Hamilton upped his tally of wins to 73 Sebastian Vettel secured second with Verstappen in third for Red Bull. Daniel Ricciardo’s late charge fizzled before the chequered flag but in his 100^thrace for Red Bull still finished a solid fourth. While Bottas dejectedly trundled home in fifth Carlos Sainz was best of the rest in sixth. 2019 Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was seventh ahead of Sergio Perez in eighth while Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen completed the top ten. Though Nico Hulkenberg was out on lap 1 he maintained his seventh position in the championship standings. Elsewhere, Kimi Raikkonen finished third in the driver’s standings despite not seeing the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi.

There should rightly be a few days of reflection about the 2018 Formula 1 season. After all, it provided extreme highs and created memories that will likely live on for quite some time. But Formula 1 is a sport that relentlessly focuses on the future and with 107 days to go to the Australian grand prix it cant come soon enough.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

November 26, 2018
F1 2018: Abu Dhabi Quali Report – Hamilton Romps to Pole

Decked out in shiny new golden dome Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton romped to pole position for the final round of the 2018 F1 season in Abu Dhabi.

The five-time champion lapped the Yas Marina circuit is a staggeringly quick 1:34:794 while teammate Valtteri Bottas was second on the timing sheets. The one-two lock out secures a record-breaking fifth consecutive domination of the front row in Abu Dhabi.

Elsewhere, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was third quickest and will share the second row of the grid with departing teammate Kimi Raikkonen. Though Red Bull turned an impressive pace in free practice they weren’t able to replicate it in quali. In his final race for Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo is slated to start fifth with teammate Max Verstappen alongside in sixth.

Haas F1’s Romain Grosjean proved to be best-of-the-rest in seventh while Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon, and Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg complete the top ten. In what is he last quali session, at least for some time, Fernando Alonso could only qualify 15th in his McLaren. He does however ensure a season whitewash of 21-0 over teammate Stoffel Vandoorne in qualifying.

(1. Hamilton, 2. Bottas, 3. Vettel, 4. Raikkonen, 5. Ricciardo, 6. Verstappen, 7. Grosjean, 8. Leclerc, 9. Ocon, 10. Hulkenberg, 11. Sainz, 12. Ericsson, 13. Magnussen, 14. Perez, 15. Alonso, 16. Hartley, 17. Gasly, 18. Vandoorne, 19. Sirotkin, 20. Stroll)

November 24, 2018
F1 2018: Abu Dhabi Gp Preview – Adieu Formula 1 2018

Unfortunately all good things must eventually come to an end. So it is the case for, amongst other things, the 2018 Formula 1 world championship season.

For the final round of the season the Formula 1 paddock makes its home in the Abu Dhabi paddock as the cars and drivers ready themselves for a dash around the Yas Marina circuit. Introduced in 2009 the Abu Dhabi grand prix has provided a most fitting and spectacular backdrop as the season finale. It is unique as the only race that starts at dusk and ends under floodlights thereby making it the only twilight race on the calendar.

While the Yas Marina complex is an impressive complex the 5.5 km circuit hasn’t exactly been known for delivering spectacular races. Designed by F1’s architect of choice Herman Tilke the track is dominated by 1.2 km straight which naturally rewards those with a bit more engine power. The straight is bookended by slow-speed corners that will encourage overtaking. The track surface is especially smooth which should be in favour of those who have a tendency to put extra of their tyres.

It isn’t only the 2018 season that comes to its conclusion this weekend either. Double world champion Fernando Alonso bids Formula 1 farewell after a storied career. In 2001 he showed up as a fresh-faced rookie driver at Minardi. From Minardi he joined Renault and won back-to-back titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006 before moving to McLaren for 2007. He made a brief return to Renault in 2008 and 2009 before joining Ferrari in 2010. Unable to win a title with the Italian team Alonso returned to McLaren at the start of the 2015 season.

His speed and unapologetic hunger to win was immediately evident and a trademark of his years in the sport. Not only did he popularized Formula 1 in Spain but he is also, by many, considered to be one of the best drivers of his generation. Of his talent there is little doubt but his is a career also tinged by several controversies. But still there can be no uncertainty that Fernando Alonso’s name will forever be written and remembered the folklore of Formula 1.

Despite four years of uncompetitive racing at McLaren Fernando Alonso has lost none of his racing spirit and certainly none of his desire for desire for victory. In 2019 he will continue to race in the World Endurance Championship while making another bid for victory at the Indianapolis 500 and the famed Triple Crown. And though it seems unlikely there is nothing to suggest, despite his age, that he couldn’t make a return to Formula 1 in the future.

Elsewhere, Kimi Raikkonen’s 151^stfor Ferrari will also be his last for team. The Raikkonen/Ferrari story has been an fascinating one highlighted by the ultimate pinnacle of the world championship in 2007. While Raikkonen moves to Sauber for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, where he hopes “to have fun”, he remains, to date, Ferrari’s last F1 world champion.

Daniel Ricciardo too moves into the next phase of his racing career as he competes in his final race for Red Bull this weekend. Not too long ago it was unfathomable to imagine the popular Aussie as anything other than a Red Bull driver. However, his move to Renault for 2019 is an enormous challenge and he will leave the Red Bull stable with his head held high and several dazzling victories.

Valtteri Bottas is staying put at Mercedes and will be hoping to add a dazzling victory to his otherwise mediocre season. The Yas Marina circuit, and its smooth surface, is one that suits Bottas’ driving style and he’d be a good bet for the win this weekend is he hits the sweet spot.

November 21, 2018
2018 Brazil Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes) 2 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing) 3 – Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Ferrari)

TRACK INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Paul Di Resta)

Q: Max, can you tell us what happened?

Max VERSTAPPEN: I don’t know what to say, I mean, you do everything well, you go through the field, we had a great car, and then by such an idiot you get taken out while he is being lapped. I have no words.

Q: What a fight it was. I don’t think anyone quite expected that after yesterday. I mean, the moves you were making early on, very bold into Turn 1, pushing your way through and using everything you had.

MV: I think it was better than expected today. The car was working brilliantly today. The team also gave me the right strategy, we could be going quite well on the supersoft, so we did quite a long stint. But, yeah, I don’t know what to say. Still I’m happy with second, but we should have won today.

Q: Yeah, like you say, it was almost back-to-back victories, does it give you confidence going into next year that something is going to come of this machine?

MV: Well, we should have more power, so we’ll be even better.

Q: All the best. Kimi, late pressure from Daniel coming in, but a good race from you?

Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: Yeah, it was good. Not easy, but there was some battling, so it was fun. Obviously we hoped for better but not the easiest.

Q: Ferrari’s tyres choice didn’t look like it worked out in the end, these guys looked very strong at the beginning, certainly Max on the supersoft. Do you think that was wrong?

KR: I don’t know. My tyre was good, but it was difficult to pass and it took too long to pass. You cannot replay on other tyres, so we don’t know.

Q: Lewis, that’s 2018 Constructors’ champion as well. And you can see what that means to Toto Wolff – the barriers have fallen over twice here in Parc Ferme, which is unusual. Lewis, what does that mean to the team?

Lewis HAMILTON: Honestly, these guys have worked so hard the last six years and it’s been an incredible journey for them. This is what everyone works for the whole year, you know. Everyone wakes up and goes to work every day and tries to bring the best out of themselves and they really pull together as a unit. I’ve always told you how much of an honour it is to drive for them, and this was the best style we could do it, because we were struggling. We had problems with the engine. Also he passed us like we were a sitting duck at one stage, but obviously they made a mistake and that brought us back into contention. I’m just so proud of everyone. Everyone back home, thank you so much for your continued efforts. For all our partners, for all our sponsors, who without we would not be here, powering along to a win in Brazil. So, God bless you, thank you.

Q: What goes through your mind when you see Verstappen spin? Did you know he was going to be back on a charge and coming strong?

LH: I saw it happen and it wasn’t something that… I wasn’t surprised by it or anything like that. I saw them racing but they weren’t racing for the same position. In my mind, I would have been in a different frame of mind. Fortunately he was able to keep going, no one got hurt, and they kept going, it’s a racing incident I guess. Max is that go-getter guy and every now and then it bites you. But I’m really, really proud; I don’t care about anyone else.

Q: I’ve got one last question for you. Big credit to you, that’s 49 wins in the turbo-hybrid era of Formula 1. That’s 50% of all the races. A lot of that’s owed to you, isn’t it?

LH: I keep telling you, I’m just a chink in the chain. They give me the tools and I try to do the best I can with it. I’m proud that I’m able to sometimes bring a little bit more than is needed or that it’s capable of, but that’s what I live for.

PRESS CONFERENCE

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Max, I can only imagine the frustration, the emotions at the end of the race for you. Can you just explain what happened between you and Esteban after the race? We saw your altercation. Did he do anything to antagonise you and will you try and speak to him at once when emotions have settled down later on?

MV: I don’t really have a lot to comment on that, except that he was being a pussy.

Q: (Rodrigo Franca – Revista VIP) From a drivers’ point of view, how do you see the future of Formula One to attract a young audience as self-driving cars and electric cars are being developed so quickly? And if you see a future better between Formula E and Formula One?

LH: It’s a difficult one because I’m conflicted. The gasses that we emit with our cars are not particularly helpful for the climate and for the world, so on one side that’s a concern for me but on the other side, as a racing fan, I’m a petrol head and I will always be a petrol head. There will never be a time when I’m an electric head. I hope, at least, in my period of time, it’s always going to be a fuelled car with at least some sort of V-shaped engine, with some sort of sound. I think it’s great what Formula E are doing and it’s a great start, it’s great to see all the top brands – Audi, BMW, Mercedes – are all getting heavily invested because, particularly on the roads – just coming here, for example – you see the traffic every single day, there are thousands and thousands of cars on the road. There’s the same in every country you go to so the sooner we can get rid of the majority of those cars and then turn them into hybrids, then I think that would be a massive difference, but there are a lot of other things we can do around the world with businesses to help with those emissions. But I don’t think you are ever going to compare Formula One and Formula E. Maybe in five, ten years maybe, but the technology that we have, it’s quite far advanced compared to what they would be having and they’re slower than Formula Ford at the moment so they’ve got a long way to catch the speed of a Formula One car. I don’t know if that’s their target but I think it’s really impressive. I’ve been watching their cars on social media and they look pretty cool, so I wish them all the best and looking forward to seeing it progress.

MV: I think the boss clearly said of Formula E already that they don’t want to compete or be seen competing against Formula One so I guess that says enough. It’s just a different category. It seems like it’s getting more interesting, of course, with all the big car manufacturers joining in but at the moment I’m happy where I am and I will probably be one of the last people in the world to try and buy the last barrels of oil.

KR: Nothing to add, really. Formula E looks nice but…

Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) Max, you have more of an opportunity to talk about the incident with Ocon in a more extended way. Do you think that just one stop and go of ten seconds, against the work of 900 people in your team, that this punishment is enough?

MV: I think at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter what penalty he gets. I already have the penalty of not winning the race so even if you disqualify him, give him two drive-throughs or whatever, it’s not going to make a difference to our race. I don’t know what the right penalty would be but, like I said, of course they have the right to unlap themselves but you have to be careful. I think that has always been the case.

Q: Max, can you just tell us how badly damaged your car was after the incident with Ocon?

MV: So, you know all the cut-outs you have on the side of the floor, that whole area, so I guess that’s this wide(about 15-20cms) that was completely gone so it was pretty bad. I lost a lot of downforce. I had to lock a lot of tools on the steering wheel but that was still not enough. But still the car was quick. We could have been much faster, for sure.

Q: (Dario Coronel – Gran Premioweb) Lewis, today your celebration was very emotional. Why?

LH: I think it was probably an explosion of the last race in Mexico winning the World Championship… I didn’t really feel the celebration there because I knew that we still had another championship to win and I really needed to remain focused for the team and I really came here, to build up to here, just really focused on making sure that I could deliver for them. Naturally the will to want to win is so high for everyone and the stakes are high. Ultimately, you could make mistakes and all these different things but we didn’t or I didn’t on the track, for example, so to come in and see my guys who I’ve come along this great journey with and we’ve had a lot of success but we’ve still remained fierce and competitive and I think our relationship is better than it’s ever been so just that bond, it was just a great great moment, plus it was a really hard race. I was constantly, like, talking to the car: ‘come on, keep going, keep going’ because we had this engine problem and I knew I could see Max just in my mirrors so I was doing qualifying laps every lap to keep him behind, which is how racing should be really anyway. Unfortunately that’s not the case a lot of the time this year but… We’ve just won the World Championship for the fifth time so that’s real history in the making for the team and if I was to stop today, for example, Mercedes would always remember this day and that I was a part of it, and that’s cool.

Q: (Arjan Schouten – AD) Max, over the last days, you’ve told us a lot of times that this is not a circuit for Red Bull, winning was not an option. Ending 1.6s from the winner, with a spin, what does that say about your chances in Abu Dhabi in two weeks?

MV: I don’t know, because this was much better than expected to be honest. I expected to be good in the race but not this good. We will have to wait and see.

Q: (Mattheus Sacramento – ESPN Brazil) Max, there was a similar incident – not exactly the same – but in 2001 in Brazil with Jos Verstappen and Montoya. You’re too young, I’m not sure if you ever heard of it. Montoya was in first place and Jos was 16^th I guess and they had a crash. I just wanted to know if you knew that or if that came back to your mind in some ways, that impacts the way you saw Ocon?

MV: Well, I think that was completely different but yeah, that happens. I don’t know what you want me to say, it’s always bad when you get taken out from the lead.

November 12, 2018
F1 2018: Brazil Gp Review – Verstappen Clash Gifts Hamilton Win

The 2018 Brazilian grand prix will long be remembered for the one where Mercedes secured a stunning fifth consecutive constructor’s championship and that Verstappen/Ocon incident.

While qualifying was as close as anything we’ve seen in 2018 it was Lewis Hamilton who once again delivered and put his Mercedes in pole position. With Sebastian Vettel alongside on the more durable soft tyre it appeared Ferrari were in the pound seats for victory. But while Hamilton led cleanly off the line Vettel, Bottas, and Raikkonen could do nothing to hold back a charging Max Verstappen.

The Dutchman made short work of both Ferrari’s and Bottas before closing up on Hamilton and simply taking the lead of the race. The most surprising factor being Verstappen’s straight-line speed which the driver and his team principal has been lamenting nearly since the beginning of time. If the pace of the Red Bull was a surprise then Vettel and Ferrari’s lack of pace was even more puzzling. Throughout Friday’s practice sessions and even quali the red car looked well in the mix. But that pace was nowhere to be found on Sunday at least not in Vettel’s case. Kimi Raikkonen was able to turn a much quicker pace despite initially getting stuck behind the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas.

While the midfield were bumping and barging their way past each other the sixth place starting Marcus Ericsson was forced into retirement with a Sauber that had lost part of its diffuser on the way to the grid. Nico Hulkenberg too was forced to retire his Renault while both McLaren drivers’, Alonso and Vandoorne, lack of pace was further compounded by each receiving a five second penalty for ignoring blue flags.

Back at the front Verstappen’s early pace wasn’t quite enough to maintain the lead of the race after the pitstop phase as he emerged three seconds behind Hamilton. But his fresher tyres and superior pace meant that a few laps later though he breezed past the Mercedes and back into P1. Verstappen easily pulled away from Hamilton and looked set to take back-to-back victories for the first time in his career.

It would all go horribly wrong on lap 44 as Esteban Ocon, fully within his right to do so, attempted to unlap himself going in Turns 1 and 2. Ocon held his line into the second part of the Senna S and made contact with race leader Verstappen sending both cars into a spin. It allowed Hamilton back into the lead of the race and ultimately towards the 72^ndwin of his career. Hamilton’s win helped to secure a stunning fifth consecutive constructors title for Mercedes. As a mere five seconds covered the top three Verstappen maintained second while Raikkonen held of a late charging Daniel Ricciardo for the 103^rdpodium of his career on the day he started 150 races for Ferrari.

Second place was a scant consolation to a seething Verstappen who sought out Ocon after the race and proceeded to shove him several times before walking away. The Dutch driver was subsequently ordered, by the FIA, to do two days of community service for his conduct. Some pointed out physical confrontations between Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard or Ayrton Senna and Eddie Irvine as comparison and reasoning for why Verstappen’s actions shouldn’t be taken seriously.

If the FIA were to disregard Verstappen’s post-race behaviour the line for what will be deemed acceptable next time is moved. Violence in no way, shape, or form should ever be deemed acceptable no matter how minor it may seem to others and it certainly has no place in sport.

Max Verstappen is a great natural talent in the fact that he is an innately quick F1 driver and there is no denying that he deserved to win the Brazilian Gp. But Verstappen’s air of entitlement clouds his way of thinking. As a frequent and vociferous basher of the Renault engine he infers that it is only through his superior skill that he finds himself at the head of the field. While he is certainly a factor in the equation this type of attitude and deameanour squawks of arrogance. It is exactly this mentality that meant he simply dismissed Ocon as irrelevant in the greater scheme of things and ended up tangling with him. It was Verstappen who had the most to lose and he did. There will be some who do not agree but who should ask themselves if the same would have happened if it was Hamilton or Ricciardo or Raikkonen in the same situation.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

November 12, 2018