Tag: antonio giovinazzi

F1 2020: 70th Anniversary Gp – Verstappen Aces Red Bull Strategy

A masterful and bold strategy call on Saturday qualifying and a stellar drive by Max Verstappen on Sunday proved the perfect combination for Red Bull’s first win around Silverstone since 2012.

For Red Bull and Max Verstappen it would’ve been easy to cover the bases in quali and run the medium tyre as everyone else did. But Red Bull has never been a team that’s fit the mold. They have always pushed the boundaries and always dared to do things out of the ordinary. The call to start the race on the hard tyre, made by strategist Hanna Schmitz, was as definitely Red Bull as it comes.

It still had to be executed though and Max Verstappen did so in extraordinary fashion. The early part of the race saw, as usual, the two Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton leading the way. However, what was different this time was Verstappen’s ability to stick much closer to the Mercs than he’s been able to at any stage this season. Overworking the tyres in the dirty air of Hamilton’s car quickly became a concern for the Red Bull pitwall. Verstappen was instructed to drop back slightly from the car ahead but opted not to in typical Verstappen fashion by firing back that he wasn’t going to sit behind like a grandma. It proved the correct decision as pressure on the Mercs forced them into upping their pace and pushing their tyres into high levels of degradation.

It was clear early on that Verstappen had the race firmly under control. Through his own driving style and the make-up of the Red Bull car he never experienced the same tyre issues as Mercedes. The win on Sunday marked his ninth in Formula 1 but also showcased how much he has matured since his early days in the sport. There is no doubt that if Verstappen had a car capable of it he would be serious contender for the title.

Despite their tyre degradation issues Mercedes still finished second and third with Hamilton and Bottas respectively. It was announced this past weekend that Valtteri Bottas has signed a new one-year deal to remain at Mercedes till the end of 2021. While the Finn seemed happy enough with the deal one can’t help but surmise what this really means. A one-year deal with any driver is most often indicative of a team that doesn’t have long-term faith in the driver and that said driver is not in the teams long-term plans. Mercedes can’t be blamed for this stance towards Bottas. He simply doesn’t have what it takes to be a champion. Case in point was his performance in the weekend’s race. While an argument can be made that he was slightly hard done by when it comes to strategy it will also be where the excuses end. For the opening stint the race he was holding his own in the lead after securing pole the day before. But as soon as the pressure started to mount he folded. Verstappen emerged from the pits, after the first round of stops, slightly behind Bottas. It should be noted that Verstappen was a man on a mission and in a mood like that, with a sniff at the victory, he’s hard to resist. But Bottas put up a meager resistance. In a peculiar ‘defensive’ move he pulled to the outside of Brooklands and left Verstappen acres of space to send the Red Bull up the inside. For good measure he repeated the same move against Hamilton later in the race. So poor was his defense that if you didn’t know better you’d have thought he was moving over to be lapped. Bottas has dropped to third in the driver’s standings and its difficult to imagine how he could beat Hamilton to the title from there.

Behind the top three Charles Leclerc completed an impressive one-stop strategy to finish fourth. The afternoon wasn’t as good for his teammate Sebastian Vettel who could only recover to twelfth after a first-lap spin. The strategy to put Vettel on the hard tyre for ten laps and the less durable medium tyre for twenty laps made little sense other than the fact that it is Ferrari’s strategy calls as its diabolical best. It clear too that the relationship between Vettel and Ferrari is completely broken down. It’s almost as if Ferrari has already bid farewell to Vettel and has focused all of their attention on the other car.

In the sister Red Bull Alex Albon pulled off several impressive overtakes to finish a solid fifth ahead of Racing Point’s Lance Stroll. Stand-in driver Nico Hulkenberg was seventh after making a third stop late in the race while Esteban Ocon was eighth for Renault. Lando Norris was ninth for McLaren ahead of Daniil Kvyat in the Alpha Tauri.

The decision by Pirelli to run softer compounds around Silverstone this weekend added a tremendous excitement and unpredictability to the race. It’s clear too that the Mercedes has a bit of weakness when it comes to tyre management in high temperatures. Formula 1 travels to Spain this weekend where temperatures are expected to soar.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

August 10, 2020
F1 2020: British Gp Review – Late drama at Silverstone

The majority 2020 British grand prix wasn’t exactly one that spiked the heart rate. Here and there a few tasty fights and overtakes in the midfield piqued the interest but overall the race around Silverstone was turning into a bit of a damp squib.

Lewis Hamilton led away from pole position with teammate Valtteri Bottas and the ever-present Max Verstappen in third. Not even the two appearances from the Safety Car added any spice to the racing at the sharp end. The first Safety Car was brought out for a clash between Red Bull’s Alex Albon and Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen. A 50/50 move from Albon to take position off Magnussen saw the latter end up in the gravel trap with a destroyed car while Albon was subsequently given a 5-second penalty. The second Safety Car was prompted by a high-speed crash for Daniil Kvyat who’s Alpha Tauri appeared to suffer some type of failure in the Magotts-Becketts complex.

It was still plain sailing at the front for Hamilton and Bottas with Verstappen unable to make any impression. Further adrift in fourth Charles Leclerc trundled around in the Ferrari without any challenge from behind. The same couldn’t be said for Seb Vettel who struggled significantly all weekend. The German driver eventually finished a lowly tenth. The midfield battle between McLaren, Renault, and the lone Racing Point of Lance Stroll did their best to entertain with several laps of overtaking. It was a difficult weekend for Racing Point who had to replace Sergio Perez following his positive test for Covid-19. Nico Hulkenberg was drafted in at the eleventh hour and seemed to hit the ground running. Unluckily, the German driver was not able to take the start of the race due to a fault on the car. Hulkenberg is also expected to be in the car this weekend as Perez has been advised to self-isolate for ten days.

Still the race itself wasn’t all that enthralling. In fact, it’d do well to crack the ‘top 50 most exciting’ races of the decade. But then with just two laps to go Bottas ran wide and appeared to be limping around the circuit. The Finn had suffered a left-front tyre delamination. It proved disastrous for the number 77 car who slipped down to eleventh place. Red Bull immediately called in Verstappen as a pre-caution and he emerged back into second place. The camera quickly picked up the McLaren of Carlos Sainz who was also stricken with a left-front puncture. And if that wasn’t dramatic enough Hamilton next suffered the same fate on the final lap of the race. With Verstappen bearing down on him at a rate of knots Hamilton somehow made it around the lap and to the chequered flag for an unforgettable victory.

The British grand prix had suddenly exploded into life and delivered a stunning run to the flag. Though Red Bull could have won the race had they left Verstappen out on track it was confirmed after the race that they were seeing a worrying level of wear on the tyre. Even with the benefit of hindsight it appears to have been the correct decision to call Verstappen in for fresh tyres.

What we know for sure is that Pirelli will conduct a meticulous investigation this week to determine why the front-left tyre on three cars failed. They’ll get down into the nitty gritty and pour over every single megabyte of data in order to understand what happened. The compounds prescribed for next weekend’s race around Silverstone are a step softer. In other words, the soft tyre shifts from C3 to C4 for the next race. The weather too is expected to be much hotter on race day, which means higher degradation. Unfortunately, it may prompt them to shift the tyre compounds for next weekend’s race around Silverstone. Teams were given a directive by Pirelli, which stated that the hard compound should last for an estimate of 40 laps. What is important to note is that the directive from Pirelli on tyre life is an approximation. Throughout the ever-changing conditions of a 52-lap race there is no way that weather, track condition, car behaviour, or driving style can be taken into account.

While Hamilton, Verstappen, and Leclerc climbed onto the podium Daniel Ricciardo delivered an impressive fourth place finish for Renault. Lando Norris continues to impress with fifth place ahead of Esteban Ocon in sixth. Pierre Gasly was seventh for Alpha Tauri while Alex Albon’s late charge netted him eighth place. Racing Point will be disappointed with only ninth for Lance Stroll ahead of Vettel in tenth. Bottas’s eleventh means he scored zero points on the day and has dropped a nearly insurmountable 30 points behind Hamilton in the driver’s standings.

There is every chance that Pirelli could practice an abundance of caution and shift the tyre compounds for the race this weekend. For the sake of racing and the potential of seeing a great strategic race let’s hope they leave it as is.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

August 5, 2020
F1 2020: Styrian Gp Review – Hamilton Opens Win Account

Lewis Hamilton has taken his first win of the 2020 season with teammate Valtteri Bottas in second to make it one-two for Mercedes. Though he never had a true chance of fighting for the win Max Verstappen took the final step on the podium for Red Bull.

A severe rainstorm nearly saw the cancellation of Saturday qualifying but fortunately a break in the weather allowed the session to go ahead. In extremely difficult conditions all driver performed brilliantly but none were as dazzling as Lewis Hamilton who secured pole position by a staggering 1.2 seconds over Verstappen.

After qualifying tenth and eleventh for the second race in a row it didn’t seem like it could get worse for Ferrari. But it did as Charles Leclerc was given a three-place grid penalty for ignoring yellow flags in qualifying. It dropped the Monegasque driver to fourteenth on the grid from which he never recovered. A cautious start from Vettel saw him side by side-by-side into turn 3 with the Racing Point of Sergio Perez and George Russell’s Williams. In what can only described as a rush of blood to the head Leclerc shoved his Ferrari up the inside of Vettel, clunked across the inside kerb, and destroyed the rear-wing of his teammate’s car. The incident, which was far too optimistic, ended both Ferrari drivers’ races. It also accounted for the only safety car period of the race.

Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon fought briefly on track before Ocon was called into the garage to park his Renault with suspected cooling issues. Up front Hamilton was five seconds in the lead and undoubtedly managing the race. Verstappen and Red Bull rolled the dice with an early stop for the medium tyres but he simply didn’t have the pace to challenge Hamilton. In fact, Verstappen had picked up some front-wing damage, which ultimately left him defenseless against a late charge from Valtteri Bottas. The pair put on an entertaining fight for second place but the Finn was clean through on the next lap with Verstappen unable to do much about it.

While Verstappen was happy enough on the third step of the podium Alex Albon finished fourth in the second Red Bull but the Thai-born driver was significantly off his Dutch teammate’s pace. In fact he just held off a racy Sergio Perez. The Mexican driver attempted a move on the final lap of the race but came away with front-wing damage for his effort.

Enter Lando Norris. Norris didn’t have the pace of last week’s Austrian grand prix but he delivered yet another stunning drive. The young McLaren driver started the final lap of the race in seventh and finished a stunning fifth by the chequered flag delivering yet another stonking final lap. Perez eventually finished sixth while his Racing Point teammate, Lance Stroll made a late lunge on Ricciardo to finish seventh. Behind Ricciardo in eighth was the second McLaren of Carlos Sainz in ninth ahead of Daniil Kvyat who secured the final point in tenth for Alpha Tauri.

It was a ‘run away and hide’ victory for Hamilton but the Brit also held some pace in hand. Formula 1 next heads to the Hungaroring for the third round of the 2020 season this weekend.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

July 14, 2020
F1 2020: Austria Gp Preview – It’s A GO….Finally

It is finally here. After months of no on-track action to speak off this weekend the 2020 Formula 1 season will finally kick-off.

The season-opener will run around the picture-perfect Red Bull Ring situated at the foothills of the Styrian Mountains. It’s been more than half a year and an awfully long dry spell for all involved but the Austrian grand prix may make the wait more than worth it.

At the outset every new season there are unknowns. Pre-season testing may have provided a rudimentary pecking order but the Red Bull Ring is a far different prospect than the traditional first race of the season around Australia’s Albert Park circuit. Instead of the unique semi-permanent street circuit F1 2020 will start on an Austrian circuit dominated by straights and heavy braking.

Though the teams all observed a compulsory shutdown period work on improving their cars has been progressing. Mercedes and Ferrari are guaranteed to bring a raft of upgrades to their cars. The number of parts may vary in comparison to the bigger teams but all teams are likely to run updated packages this weekend. Ferrari are supposedly bringing only ‘minor’ upgrades to their car. But it is believed that a new smaller and narrower nose configuration will also be introduced. Reports also suggest that Ferrari are readying an engine upgrade that is rumoured to be worth 20 to 30 BHP which could prove valuable on a circuit dominated by straights.

At Mercedes Technical chief James Allison confirmed that the team has made “significant progress” on the 2020 car and will bring a “chunk” of upgrades to Austria. It might mean that Mercedes will maintain the pre-season favourites tag. But Austria hasn’t been overly kind to Mercedes in the last few years. For one, the traditionally sky-high temperatures have severely affected the Merc on several occasions. However, as it stands the weather is forecast to be in the low twenties with 60% chances of showers on Sunday.

The more than three month delay to racing, caused by the coronavirus pandemic, ensures that the 2020 F1 season will long being remembered as one of the most unusual. In addition to the conjecture around Ferrari’s pace and Mercedes’s ability to preserve their dominance Red Bull too enter into the equation. It’s been seven years since they last won a title and the biggest question around the Austrian-owned team is whether or not a sustained challenge can be mounted for the championship. The opening rounds of this season, which include the double-header in Austria and a third round in Hungary, are circuit tailor-made to the characteristics of the Red Bull car. It is as good a chance as they’ve ever had to assert themselves in the championship fight.

In the midfield too there is great sense of anticipation. Can McLaren maintain their position as best-of-the-rest? They have momentum on their side but team’s financial difficulties add an extra layer of pressure to maximise every point-scoring opportunity. Was the pace shown by Racing Point in pre-season testing legitimate and can they keep their eye on the ball despite the team’s imminent re-branding as Aston Martin? Dubbed the ‘pink Mercedes’ due to its overwhelming similarity to the 2019 Merc the Racing Point team made a big statement in testing. It’s now though that they’ll need to prove that their pace is legitimate. Will Renault, undoubtedly under pressure from France, move forward? For a works team Renault has been languishing further down the field than it should be and must begin to show progress up the grid if it is justify its participation in the sport. Has Williams produced a car capable of scoring points? There were signs early on that the 2020 Williams was at least better than its predecessor. However, the 2019 car didn’t exactly set a high bar. The team seemed cautiously optimistic that it is moving in the right direction.

The 2019 Austrian grand prix, which culminated in a last gasp win for Max Verstappen, was easily one of the best races of the season. If the 2020 Austrian grand prix has even the slightest resemblance to it then we’re in for a cracker.

July 2, 2020
F1 2020: Who Will be the new Ferrari Driver?

Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel have jointly announced that after the conclusion of the 2020 season, assuming it actually gets underway, they will no longer be partners.

If you’d cared to look for it the writing has been on the wall for some time. Yes, hindsight and all that but Vettel just hasn’t seemed to be as in love with Formula 1 as he had been in his Red Bull heyday and even his early years at Ferrari. Vettel and Ferrari’s story is a romantic one that the four-time champion had been dreaming of since the days of watching his hero Michael Schumacher win five consecutive titles for the Prancing Horse. A title with the famed Italian team was always Vettel’s ambition but it simply hasn’t come to fruition, for a number of reasons. There is still a chance for Vettel if things get underway in 2020 and Ferrari can get their act together.

Immediately, and likely because we’re all terribly bored without any racing, the attention has turned to who Vettel’s replacement is likely to be. Naturally, it is every driver’s dream, at some stage, to don the famous red overalls. And because we fancy ourselves as extremely dedicated to F1 we must do our part and partake in the silly season rumours that is about to catapulted into overdrive, no pun intended.

Here at F1 Madness we have some ideas as to who might partner Charles Leclerc in 2021.

Natalie’s inkling:

Most likely

Carlos Sainz.

He’s quick, he’s consistent, and he’s only 25. Carlos Sainz has all the attributes that will be attractive to Ferrari. He appears, from what we’ve seen so far, to be a fairly low maintenance driver who gets on with the job. This should be very attractive to Ferrari after the spells with Fernando Alonso and the tension between Vettel and Leclerc caused unneccesary distraction.

Sainz is hungry too. Even though its years behind him now he was left behind in the Max Verstappen promotion to Red Bull. He could have dropped his head after that and easily could’ve morphed into an also-ran. But he rebounded incredibly well and finished best-of-the-rest in 2019.

Sainz has big potential and could very well come into his own without upsetting the Ferrari apple cart.

Daniel Ricciardo.

The Aussie has been a fan-favourite from day one and will undoubtedly be embraced by the Tifosi. He’s a proven race winner and a dynamite overtaker. He would join Ferrari as a bonafide championship contender from day one, should the machinery suffice.

BUT. He also left Red Bull because Max Verstappen was clearly the top dog. At Ferrari he will be coming into Leclerc’s team. As much as he may be assured of equal status within the team it is never a seamless process. No matter what they may say in the press the team will inevitably lean towards Leclerc because there is already a level of comfort and familiarity between the two.

Out-of-the-box

Valtteri Bottas.

The Finn has been on record as saying that the yearly contract negotiations are a distraction. He is a capable driver on his day for whom a change of scenery could make a world of difference.

While Ferrari might not admit to it in public they have set their stall on Charles Leclerc as the future of the team. Heck, he’s been signed up to the end of 2024. With this in mind Ferrari needs a back-up for their new star and Bottas has already shown that he is willing to play the team game as wingman. Sorry Valtteri.

Kimi Raikkonen.

The 2007 champion remains, to date, Ferrari’s last world champion. Yes, his last stint with the team came to an end at the conclusion of 2018. But lest we forget he racked up twelve podiums in his last Ferrari season including an impressive win in Texas.

With 103 podiums and a wealth of experience the Iceman has never been bothered with the politics. Raikkonen’s move to Sauber proved that he is in the sport for the love of it and this could make him the perfect foil to Leclerc.

What box?

Romain Grosjean.

The Haas driver has had his issues in the last two seasons but when it all comes together he is a very quick driver. He’s proven his ability alongside Raikkonen at Lotus in 2012 and 2013 and has a total of 13 podiums and four pole positions.

While Grosjean to Ferrari would undoubtedly be a shock he is a driver who hasn’t truly tapped into his potential. A chance at a top three team may be just what finally unlocks his speed and that elusive consistency.

Special Mentions:

Antonio Giovinazzi – He’s Italian and already in the Ferrari stable. And he’s Italian.

George Russell – Yes, he is tied to Mercedes and Toto Wolff wouldn’t want to let him but Russell could sever ties with the Germans if the Italians make him an offer he can’t refuse. Russell is unquestionably a star of the future and Ferrari could snap up a real talent here.

Our tech writer’s musings:

Most likely

Daniel Ricciardo.

Ricciardo has been coveting the Ferrari drive for some time now and would a be a good fit at the Scuderia. Ferrari’s tradition of going with tried and tested drivers went out the window when they signed Charles Leclerc in only his second season in F1. Bringing Ricciardo would bring things back to that tradition. We know Ricciardo is fast, he’s hungry for wins and after a podium less stint at Renault there’s no doubt he’ll want to show just what he can do.

Ricciardo will bring the playful energy to Ferrari that Vettel brought but Ricciardo is more boisterous about it. It will shake things up at Ferrari. The other upside is that he will be pushing Leclerc and vice versa. And we already know that Ricciardo can soak up pressure. Working under Helmut Marko could not have been easy. Whether he’d be willing to play the number two role is something that might make Ferrari reconsider.

Carlos Sainz.

Strong rumours floating around that Carlos Sainz will get the nod to join Ferrari. He is out of contract with McLaren at the end of 2020 and with Sainz joining Leclerc we’d see a young, dynamic Ferrari team going into a new era of F1.

Sainz’s performances at Renault and at McLaren have no doubt been noticed by the Ferrari management. He’s qualifying pace was good and he brought home solid results for McLaren. He could potentially be a great supporting driver for Leclerc. Will he play the number two role though?

Out-of-the-box

Nico Hulkenberg.

A year away from F1 is a long time but it does not mean you’ve forgotten how to drive. Nico Hulkenberg is the modern F1 tragedy, kind of like Fernando Alonso. Right guy for the job, bad car for the season or just bad luck. As of February 2020 Hulkenberg held the record for the most F1 Grand Prix starts without a podium. A staggering 129 starts.

A drive at Ferrari would certainly change that. Although he was vaguely linked to Ferrari some or other time in the past, it could be a viable option as a support role for Leclerc.

Kevin Magnussen

It’s not the worst idea and I could’ve thought of worse. But Kevin Magnussen has already shown his mettle. He’s quick, he fights hard on track and gets the job done. He’s had a very painful 2019 with Haas mainly due to the car design yet he still managed to outscore his team mate Romain Grosjean in the same equipment.

Haas uses Ferrari engines. Ferrari has data on Magnussen already and will make evaluating his performances a touch easier.

What box?

Alexander Albon

Albon is under contract till the end of 2020. With the Ferrari seat opening up why not take a shot? Ferrari already broke tradition of not singing an established driver and why not do it again and sign Albon.

Mentally strong and quick on track he had the monumental task of taking Pierre Gasly’s place in the Red Bull midway through the season and did well. Considering it was his first season in F1 and being promoted to what is essentially the first team to play with the big boys, he held his nerve and no doubt exceeded expectations at Red Bull.

It will be an interesting dynamic at Ferrari with both drivers hungry for wins and both fighting it out on track. With Leclerc and Albon very good friends off the track, it could bring about an interesting dynamic on the track. Mind you they’ve been racing each other all throughout carting, through F3 and F2

Special Mentions

Sergio Perez – simply because he’s always been linked with a Ferrari seat.

Valtteri Bottas – After Raikkonen announced he’d be leaving Ferrari, Bottas’ name popped up very quickly. He could be considered yet again. But after having played wing man to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, he’d have to play wing man once again at Ferrari.

May 13, 2020
F1 2020: Breaking News – F1 Calls Off Season-Opener

Formula 1 has announced that it is calling off the opening round of the 2020 season.

The first race of the new F1 season was scheduled to take place around Australia’s Albert Park circuit this weekend. Despite fears of the coronavirus pandemic F1 surged ahead with plans to kick of its season of racing while several other major sporting codes have called a halt to activities.

Earlier on Thursday afternoon the McLaren team released a statement detailing their withdrawal from the race weekend due to a positive coronavirus test by a team member.

Towards midnight on Thursday all team principals were huddled in a meeting to discuss the way forward. By three am Australian time no decision had been made despite several rumours running rampant that the season-opener was to be postponed. Fans and journalists alike waited seemingly in vain for an official update from the power that be but nothing was forthcoming. It wasn’t until several hours later than an announcement was made that a majority of the teams had decided against racing this weekend.

“We appreciate this is very disappointing news for the thousands of fans due to attend the race” the official statement read. “All parties took into consideration the huge efforts of the AGPC [Australian Grand Prix Corporation], Motorsport Australia, staff and volunteers to stage the opening round of the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship in Melbourne, however concluded that the safety of all members of the Formula 1 family and the wider community, as well as the fairness of the competition take priority”.

Though there are several aspects that needed to have been considered the amount of time that was taken before an official announcement was forthcoming has not endeared F1 to the racing community of its fans.

While Bahrain has already announced a race ‘behind closed doors’ it is difficult to imagine that it can go ahead. Similarly, the threat that Vietnam could soon be added to the postponement list, along with Australia and China, remains very real. The best-case scenario for F1 2020 is a season-opening race in Zandvoort. But even this remains up in the air.

March 13, 2020
F1 2020: Australian Gp Preview – Expectations & Anticipation

The wait is nearly over as the 2020 Formula 1 season is poised to commence this weekend at Australia’s Albert Park circuit.

The Formula 1 paddock will travel nearly halfway around the globe to reach the destination of the first round of the new season. They’ll leave behind not only their base of operations but also the expectations that six days of running in pre-season testing may have suggested. The testing at Spain’s circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya plays a crucial part in the teams’ own understanding of what they have produced for the first few races of the 2020 season. And while they may have some inclination as to where everyone stands it wont be absolutely confirmed until Sunday’s race.

The threat of coronavirus has already prompted Formula 1 to announce a postponement of the Chinese grand prix. A few days ago the Bahrain grand prix organizers, in conjunction with F1, revealed that the race would go ahead but without any spectators in the stands. German commercial broadcaster RTL has said that it will not be sending any journalists to the first three races of the season. RTL holds free-to-air broadcast rights for Formula 1 and will be broadcasting remotely. Italy too has announced a quarantine of spanning large parts of the country. Nevertheless, Ferrari and Formula 1 are confident that all will be in place for the season-opening race.

With the show set to go on there is also the added complexity of the make-up of the Albert Park circuit. The temporary, semi-street track is unlike any other on the calendar. The mixture of medium speed corners and three relatively short straight bits puts a bigger emphasis on braking stability. Still, Australia isn’t always the best indication of the pecking order. But there is still a potential twenty-six world championship points up-for-grabs for whoever wins the race and/or set the fastest lap.

Though the sharp-end of the grid seems likely to be dominated by the Big Three the mid-field promises to be an incredibly close battle. The stagnant regulations have meant that the 2020 cars are evolutions of their predecessors. It has, potentially, given teams the opportunity to put right any missteps there may have been in 2019 and the occasion to improve their designs for this season.

The expectation is that Mercedes will arrive in Australia with the quickest car with Red Bull and Ferrari, in that order, trailing the Silver Arrows. But Formula 1 is after all a sport that is infamously unpredictable, especially at the start of a new season. There are still questions however. Has Mercedes sorted the reliability issues suffered in pre-season testing? Did Ferrari run to their full capability? Is Racing Point genuinely nipping at the heels of the Big Three?

March 11, 2020
F1 2020: Testing Diary – Week 1

The first four-day test has concluded at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya and has raised numerous talking points and more than a few eyebrows.

The Big Three

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said in a press conference that the Maranello-based team might well be behind both Mercedes and Red Bull in the early part of the season. But the initial reports from both Seb Vettel and Charles Leclerc is that the 2020 car, dubbed the SF1000, is a definite improvement from last season’s car.

This is a different approach from Ferrari. In 2019 the team were upbeat and seemingly sure that they were heading to Australia well ahead of Mercedes. It wasn’t the case and the team spent the better part of the season playing catch up. This year they’ve taken what appears to be a more measured approach. There were no performance runs in the first week of testing and the engines were run at a very conservative mode for most of it too. It could be that they’ve decided to take the same, more cautious, approach with what they are saying too. It might well be smoke and mirrors and Ferrari’s attempt to not get ahead of themselves after being burnt in 2019.

Here is what we do know for sure. The long runs during the first test showed a car quite heavy on the tyres with the laptimes deteriorating quite a bit quicker than nearest rivals Merc and Red Bull. The team is also expected to introduce a bevy of new parts for the second test that could, if Binotto’s admissions are true, push them closer to their competitors.

There is a good feeling around the Red Bull garage that they have unquestionably taken a step forward. Max Verstappen racked up more than 100 laps in his first day in the car and declared it “fast everywhere”. How much of a step forward they have made and whether it is enough to beat Mercedes remains a mystery. But there is real optimism that Red Bull has produced a car that could well fight for the championship from the beginning of the season. It remains to be seen however if this optimism is a genuine reflection of pace or merely hype.

One of the biggest talking point to come out of the first test is Mercedes’s introduction of a moveable steering wheel which tech director James Allison has named DAS – Dual Axis Steering. From on-board footage of Lewis Hamilton’s car it became clear that he was pulling the steering wheel towards himself and then pushing it back before braking for either turn one or turn nine on the Catalunya circuit. It is believed, but unconfirmed by Mercedes; that the DAS system alters the toe, the lean angle of the front wheels, on the straits.

By adjusting the toe out it straightens the wheels thereby creating less aero drag and less scrub on the front tyres as they are now pointing straight ahead instead of at an angle. It is speculated that because the tyres point straight ahead it creates less resistance and therefore aids with tyre temperature and wear. The question remains as to how much of an advantage this system gives Merc. Some in the paddock believe that DAS is not a game-changer and that the rest of the Mercedes package for 2020 is far more important in providing performance.

Nevertheless, the DAS system is an incredibly feat of engineering that strikes right at the heart of what makes F1 technology the dazzling marvel that it is. While some might wish for the DAS to be illegal Merc has confirmed that the FIA has known about the system for some time and that they are confident of its legality.

Racing Point

When the Racing Point pulled out of the garage and rolled down the pitlane on the first day of testing it raised more than a few eyebrows and it wasn’t because of the slightly brighter pink livery either. You don’t need any technical nous to understand that Racing Point had produced, virtually, a carbon copy of Mercedes’s 2019 car. From the slightly bulbous nose through to the rear suspension it’s so similar that it has been nicknamed the ‘Pink Mercedes’ in the paddock.

Racing Point isn’t trying to hide the effective ‘photocopying’ of the 2019 Merc either. Along with tech director Andy Green they have patently admitted to taking thousands of photos of the 2019 Merc and simply copying the design. And it’s worked too, at least to some degree as a smiling Sergio Perez proclaimed that he finally has a racecar to fight with.

Williams

The Grove-based team could hardly have done worse than they did in 2019. The good news is that from all indication they are doing significantly better than twelve months ago. Not only was the team ready and raring to go on the first day of testing but also they were first onto track with a clear statement of intent.

George Russell, now in his second year with the team, is confident that the team wont simply be making up the numbers this year and that they will be racing in 2020. De facto team principal Claire Williams too was positively buoyant and with a smile on her face said that the target is getting into Q2, the second part of quali, points finishes, and a comprehensive upgrade schedule for 2020. There is unlikely to be a single person in the paddock who wouldn’t be happy that Williams has started to climb out of the doldrums of the last few years.

The second test, scheduled to run at Catalunya this week, is expected to see the focus shift somewhat towards more work on performance, meaning more focus on shorter runs and ultimate pace.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

February 24, 2020
F1 2019: Brazilian Gp Review – Chaos, Controversy & Redemption

At the best of times Brazil delivers some of the most exhilarating racing of the season and 2019 was most definitely the best of times. The 2019 Brazilian grand prix had it all: crashes, chaos, bold strategies, controversy and absolute euphoria.

It all kicked off on Saturday as Max Verstappen snapped up his second career pole position ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. The pole was easily converted into the race lead as he made a textbook start to Sunday’s race. Vettel was aggressive off the line but fell behind Hamilton as the Brit scythed around the outside of Turn 2 and into second place.

It was overtaking fest down the field as Charles Leclerc, starting fourteenth due to an engine change; cut his way through the field with the superior pace of the Ferrari. While Verstappen had built a relatively solid lead of two-and-a-half seconds Hamilton was beginning to close the gap as the pit stops drew nearer. Mercedes recognized that the undercut was a distinct possibility and called Hamilton in on lap 21. Verstappen took to the pitlane a lap later. There was a slight delay in the pitlane for Verstappen as a Williams was released into his path but it was the mega outlap from Hamilton that netted the six-time champion the lead of the race.

But Hamilton’s lead was short-lived as Verstappen breezed past the Mercedes into Turn 1. Hamilton regained the lead with a brilliant move around the outside of Verstappen into Turn 1 a lap later but was overtaken again the following lap. At this stage Verstappen, on the soft compound tyre, was able to pull away from Hamilton who was sporting the medium compound. Somewhere in the distance was Vettel in third ahead of Valtteri Bottas, Alex Albon and Leclerc.

By lap 44 Hamilton stopped to swop his mediums for softs with Verstappen and Red Bull covering the stop a lap later. A handful of laps later Bottas pulled off the track with a suspected engine failure. The Mercedes was parked up in a relatively safe area but still necessitated the use of a crane to be removed, which automatically triggers the deployment of the Safety Car.

Red Bull made a bold strategy call by bringing in Verstappen, from the lead, to fit a set of soft tyres. He emerged in P2 but Hamilton, on worn mediums, knew he was a sitting duck. On lap 60 Verstappen again breezed past the Merc into Turn 1 while Albon, also at Turn 1, spectacularly swept around the outside of both Leclerc and Vettel and into P3. In seventh, behind the Ferrari pair, Pierre Gasly was ably holding off the Alfa’s of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi with Sergio Perez running a solid tenth for Racing Point.

The race erupted into chaos a few laps later. Leclerc, on fresher tyres than Vettel, saw him past his teammate for fourth but the German was having none of it. On the run down to Turn 4 Vettel appeared to get the position back but moved marginally to the left and the two Ferrari’s touched. It was the slightest of amount of contact but it, surprisingly, caused significant damage. Both Ferrari’s were out of the race and the Safety Car was deployed.

At the restart Verstappen led Albon, Gasly and Hamilton who had dived into the pits for a fresh set of tyres. Sensationally, Carlos Sainz was running fifth on a one-stop strategy after starting the race dead last. As Verstappen streaked into the distance it appeared that Red Bull were on course for a one-two victory. But a late lunge from Hamilton into Turn 10 sent Albon spinning and out of contention. It was desperately wretched for the Thai-driver who was on course for his first podium finish.

Extraordinarily, the Albon/Hamilton incident allowed Gasly into second and needing to hold off Hamilton. It seemed an impossible task for Honda-powered Toro Rosso to hold off a Mercedes. But it’s exactly what Gasly did as he astonishingly out-dragged Hamilton to the line for a famous podium. Gasly utter euphoria on the radio undoubtedly stemmed from a difficult season in which he was demoted from Red Bull. Hamilton may have stepped onto the podium but was later given a 5-second penalty for the clash with Albon for which he accepted the blame.

Hamilton’s penalty stunningly promoted Carlos Sainz to third but the Spaniard was sadly not able to celebrate his first career podium, as he rightly should have. Nevertheless, the third place finish is McLaren’s first since 2014 and will certainly be celebrated as an example of the progress made by the team. Elsewhere, Kimi Raikkonen finished fourth ahead of Giovinazzi in fifth ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in sixth. Lewis Hamilton dropped down to seventh ahead of Lando Norris in eighth and Sergio Perez in ninth while Daniil Kvyat was tenth.

Max Verstappen drove a brilliant race to victory and more than made up for the heartbreak of being taken out by Esteban Ocon on the same track twelve months earlier. But the true redemption belong to Pierre Gasly who recovered from an incredibly difficult time at Red Bull and a subsequent demotion to score an unforgettable second place finish.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

November 18, 2019
2019 Mexican Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference

DRIVERS – Antonio GIOVINAZZI (Alfa Romeo), Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari), Sergio PÉREZ (Racing Point), Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), Alexander ALBON (Red Bull Racing)

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Sergio, home race coming up. How has the build up been? I think you’ve been busy running marathons, a taxi service, all sorts of things?

SERGIO PÉREZ: A little one – 8km. Yeah, it’s been a busy one. Basically I’ve been doing everything, every single stuff out there. It’s a pretty special weekend for me. I think it’s the best grand prix on the calendar, but very special for me. Yeah, I’m just looking forward to it. If there’s a weekend I want to be perfect and do very well, it’s this weekend.

Q: Well if you do very well, you might record the 100^th points finish of your career this weekend. What would it mean for you to do that in front of your home crowd?

SP: It would be very special. More than that I look forward to giving them a great race. I think last year we were doing a very good race but then we ran out of brakes, so I think in the past we’ve been a bit unlucky in a couple of races – one in 2015 with the safety car that came at the wrong moment – so I hope this weekend… we are in a good run, so hopefully we can do a good one this weekend.

Q: Thanks very much and good luck Checo. Alex, Suzuka two weeks ago was a tremendous weekend for you, culminating in fourth place, the best result of your Formula 1 career to date. Did you change anything going into the Japanese Grand Prix or was it more of a reflection of the general progress you’ve been making?

ALEXANDER ALBON: I think it was more of a reflection. I don’t think anything special went on before Japan. Just getting more comfortable every time. Japan was just a really good track; I love it. I just enjoyed it and it suited me a bit better. It was a good weekend.

Q: You say you’re getting comfortable all the time. How different is the Red Bull to drive compared to the Toro Rosso you did the first half of the season in?

AA: Yeah, I’d say they have their differences, obviously. But it’s like every car. I think you’ve got to learn its little tricks and everything like that. Spending that time with Toro Rosso you kind of develop a bit of a driving style towards it and changing teams you’ve got to almost start blank again and work again, so it does take time but it’s very normal for every time you change to a new car.

Q: Your team-mate has won this grand prix for the last couple of years. How confident are you coming into the weekend that you can get your first podium?

AA: We’ll see. Maybe we’re not as favorites as we were in previous years. We do have our success here but the Ferraris are looking very strong as always, so we’ll see. On my side, just focus on myself. A podium would be nice, obviously, but not too focused on that at the minute. We’ll see.

Q: Thank you Alex, good luck this weekend. Antonio, you’re enjoying a good run at the moment, you’ve outqualified Kimi Räikkönen for the last three races. A question that’s quite similar to the one I asked Alex: have you changed anything in your approach to qualifying in particular?

Antonio GIOVINAZZI: No, I don’t think so. I think already in the first part of the season I was really close to Kimi, always really there. Second part, yeah, the confidence was coming better and better. But I don’t think it’s something we need to talk about – I was in front of Kimi three times. I’m just really happy that my confidence is coming better and better. The speed is better. I think we are struggling a little bit on race pace now. I hope we can find the right way this weekend and come back [into the] points, so we miss from two races already, so we need to get back there.

Q: How confident are you of finding the right way, because both Alfas were in Q3 here last year and raced well, so do you think you are going to have a better weekend than you have had at the last couple?

AG: I hope so. We had an intensive week last weekend and we tried to find something in the car, because I think the car is fast, because in qualifying we are there, almost close to Q3, but in the race we are struggling a lot, so I think we need to find just the last detail and then try to be back in the points soon.

Q: You’re doing a great job at the minute, what have the team told you about next year?

AG: Nothing yet. I think I just need to focus on my job and try to continue like that and then we’ll see for next year.

Q: Are you confident?

AG: Yes, I need to be confident. I think the second part of the season was quite strong from my side. I need to just keep pushing like that and then we’ll see.

Q: Good luck, thank you Antonio. Sebastian, tremendous pole position by you in Japan a couple of weeks ago. How much did you enjoy that moment and how much did you need that moment for your own peace of mind?

Sebastian VETTEL: Not so much. Obviously we had both quali and the race on Sunday, so there was not so much time to enjoy. I think there was nothing wrong before. Obviously, qualifying, maybe some events before that didn’t really go my way but yeah, I enjoyed Suzuka more than that particularly qualifying session. Obviously it was a good day, a near perfect day, the race should have been a little bit better but yeah…

Q: This weekend, are Ferrari favourites coming into this Mexican Grand Prix?

SV: I don’t know. So-so. Obviously people look at the track and they look at the straight line but I think that, yeah, we have obviously been strong on the straight lines in recent races but there are a couple of corners plus here it’s not one of the tracks where efficiency matters so much. We do have quite an efficient car but maybe we can’t use that to our advantage, so we’ll see how we manage around the ‘cornery’ sections, because some of these type of corners have been our weakness, so we’ll see.

Q: OK, good luck with that. Lewis, we talked about Checo’s busy build-up to this weekend and I see that you have been in the boxing ring with Julio Chávez. Tell us about it?

Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, I was with Puma yesterday at an event. We had a great turnout. It’s crazy; I started boxing when I was eight. Obviously I was much younger and I wouldn’t say In was particular ever great at it, but it was really quite an honour to be in the ring with such a legend.

Q: Did he teach you anything?

LH: Yeah, yeah, he gave me a few pointers. He said I had a heavy hand, so I don’t know…

SP: Ready for the fight!

Q: Let’s talk about the fight this weekend then. It’s been six races since you last had a pole position. How confident are you of breaking that run this weekend?

LH: Oh, I don’t think a lot has changed. We’re going to go into this weekend knowing that Ferrari are massively quick usually on the straights and obviously straights are a powerful element of this circuit, so I don’t know when we’ll be getting another pole – unless it rains, which can change everything. But as you’ve seen in previous races it’s not necessarily all about qualifying nowadays. It’s about making sure you’ve got the car ready for the race, so we’ll still give it everything. This is a race that bodes well for the Red Bulls and the Ferraris in the past, but we’ve made a lot of improvements in our understanding of the car and how we use it, so maybe this weekend maybe we’ll a better chance than we have in the past.

Q: Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, you will clinch the world championship if you beat Valtteri Bottas by 14 points. What would it mean to you to win it here in Mexico for the third consecutive season?

LH: Well, I don’t remember if in a season I’ve finished 14 points ahead of Valtteri at any point, and if it has it may have been one race maybe. So I anticipate that it will be a difficult weekend. Valtteri has been strong all year and obviously won the last race so I expect him to be strong this weekend too. It doesn’t matter where it’s done, as long as you get it done, and that’s what I’m trying to do. But I’m fully aware that there are still plenty of points on the table and I’ve got to deliver over these next four races.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) For Lewis: you’ve never been afraid to use your profile on social media to raise issues you have outside F1, what you think about the world etc, so you made people take notice in between Japan and here with your comments about the state of the planet and what people can do. I think that led to a few people questioning whether it’s valid to raise concerns about the planet if you’re part of the F1 circus, with all the travelling and stuff. I think even Fernando Alonso was quoted as saying it’s not something you can comment on really, because it’s not fair. I just wondered how you balance using your personal profile to raise stuff like that with the role you have in F1? A second part: Jean-Eric Vergne, the Formula E champion, said Formula E would be a natural move for you, given your eco-friendly status and what the championship is trying to do. Are you interested in doing Formula E after Formula 1?

LH: I have no interest whatsoever to do Formula E, so that’s not something I currently plan to do beyond. And then, lots of people have had opinions about how I utilise my social media, but ultimately it’s my platform and we all have a voice, everyone here and around the world, and it’s how you choose to… how you want to use it. Personally, it’s not the easiest, because yes, we are travelling around the world, we are racing Formula 1 cars and our carbon footprint for sure is higher than the average homeowner who lives in the same city, but that doesn’t mean that you should be afraid to speak out about things that can be a positive change and I’m always looking at things, and how I can improve the effect that I’m having on the world. I guess it’s something that over time I have become more and more aware of and it takes a while. It’s not a quick-fix thing. It takes time to understand the implications and I think it’s just about education and I’m just trying to highlight areas. Whether people choose to look into those, that’s up to them, but I’d feel like I wasn’t doing anything positive if I didn’t mention it.

Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines / racefans.net) I had a very similar question to Lewis, so obviously it’s been answers. So, to the other drivers there, how do you feel about the environmental factors that Lewis has raised on social media. Are you also sort of active about the environment?

SV: Yeah. I’m not following Lewis. I’m not active on social media but I think the point is very clear. I think you would be ignorant if you wouldn’t look at it and obviously, as Lewis mentioned, it’s very difficult, in a way, to us to get acceptance from outside, because we don’t have the smallest footprint because the races happen around the world. We do have to travel, so it’s part of our jobs. But I think in general, Formula 1 should do more. It’s a worldwide operating platform. I think we should send a much stronger message regarding this subject and I think personally – this is free to everyone – but I think everybody can do something, contribute a little bit and if the whole world would act like that, it would make a huge difference. I think it’s inevitable that change is coming and hopefully rather sooner than later.

Antonio?

AG: I completely agree with Seb, what he says. So nothing to add.

Checo?

SP: Yeah, I think it’s very important that we raise our voices. A lot of people hear us – especially for someone like Lewis. It’s very important. I see the messages that he sends often on his social media are good. A lot of people are following him, so if we can impact the world, if we can help a bit, I think we are obliged to do so. I don’t see anything wrong with that.

Alex?

AA: Not to much to add to that. I think what Lewis said was really good and… yeah, just because we’re in Formula 1 doesn’t mean we can’t care about the environment.

Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Lewis, just on those Instagram posts. In one of them you said you feel like giving up on everything and shutting down completely. I was just wondering what provoked you to say that and how your frame of mind is going into this weekend.

LH: Well, I’m only human so, like everyone you have up and down days. I think that’s really what I’ve been trying to convey really, because I think it’s very difficult for people who are watching on social media to be able to relate to certain individuals who live in a celebrity world. A lot of people don’t realise that they’re also humans and they also have feelings and have the ups and downs. Some people do care, some people care less, or whatever. And… I don’t know. It was not the best feeling at the moment but I’ve got great people around me, I’ve had a lot of support from fans, I’ve had a lot of support from around my family. There’s a lot going on in my life at the moment and, I don’t know, I think I was just… well, anyway, coming into this weekend I feel very positive, back to doing what I love doing and… yeah, I think it’s just always trying to stay positive, which is not always easy but I think I’ve done really well in the past to stay positive for the majority of the time – but I think there’s a lot that goes on in our lives and I think it’s important to also be open. And the whole thing’s in… so I’m always very open, very transparent with my feelings, whether people like it or not but I’m super-focused still on these four races and what I can do to get the job done, as the team have done such a great job and I continue. I’ve got lots and lots of positive plans for the future for positive change.

Q: (Christian Nimmervoll – motorsport-total.com) Following up on the environmental issue, are you guys political. And the question is to all drivers – and I’m not asking if you have sentiments for any political party or anything – but do you support a party, not telling us who it is probably, do you care, do you follow the news, would you say you are political persons.

AA: No, not so much. Is that OK?

LH: I don’t think I’m particularly political. I watch the news as much as I can. I find it very interesting to watch what is happening around the world. I think it’s a scary time for all of us. There’s so much talk in all the different governments around the world and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of solutions, or they don’t seem to be coming up with a lot of solutions, so it definitely is a bit worrying but there’s not a lot that we can do individually except for just try to be better within our own bubble. And if you have a platform, try to project some positivity – but I’m not supportive of any particular party.

Checo?

SP: Nothing more to add to what Lewis said.

SV: I think it’s not so much about knowing which party you want to support. I think, when you talk about the environment, supporting the planet. So, I think politics in a way have failed in the past, and at the moment we have seen, or we see in different areas that is critical and hopefully they will manage to get their act together and succeed in trying to find solutions that will help our planet and will help other problems that we have amongst ourselves, as in human beings, to try and improve the situation. In that regard I’m a supporter of the planet and, again, as I said earlier, I think change is coming. So I think it’s up to us to embrace it rather than ignore it before probably it’s too late.

AG: Nothing too much to add.

Q: (Rebecca Clancy – The Times) Lewis, sorry to come back to the Instagram post. It’s already been mentioned about the criticism you received on the back of some of it. I just wondered how you deal with that, because obviously you’re trying to put out a positive message and people then come back with their own views on that. Does it ever get to you and how do you get over it?

LH: I don’t normally spend a lot of time reading comments but of course I’m aware of that people have their own opinions and some people are going to be with it, some people are going to be against it. And that’s just the name of the game. I generally try not to let that kind of thing get to me. I think it’s important for all of us in life to feel good and feel like you’re doing something positive regardless of those that try to knock it down, the stuff that you do do that is positive. And yeah… just staying true to your values and that’s what I’ve been trying to do. And, as I said, I’ve got great people around me who are constantly lifting me up. So, there’s no… I’m fortunately not alone. I’ve got a lot of great people around me who, within my team, within my closest friends and family. Not all my family’s vegan but it doesn’t matter. They are also trying to make positive change in the decisions they make in their lives and I think that’s great.

Q: (Fernando Alonso – motorlat.com) Sebastian, right now we talk about the things that help Ferrari with the motor upgrades but you already said that you have to focus on the slow corners. You as a team are thinking in balance all the performance in the track or what is the way you will approach this weekend?

SV: Well, obviously for this weekend here it’s quite straightforward. Normally you think about the downforce choice you make – so trying to find the right balance whereas here obviously you put the maximum downforce on the car that you can, because of the difference in altitude and the air being thinner, so, as I said previously, the efficiency around this track is not so important. And yeah, to focus on the low speed corners in particular around here, other than trying to put every single bit of downforce on the car that you have, is trying to find the right set-up, finding the right balance, in terms of obviously extracting grip – but on the other hand, finding the right handling, the confidence in the car, looking after the tyres, getting the tyres in the window and all these small things. They do make a big difference for one lap in quali – but also then how you treat the tyres, especially throughout the race.

Q: (Giles Richards – The Guardian) Lewis, you are very close to taking your sixth title, largely because you’ve had a such a strong season. Would you just consider how you got to this position? Are you able to identify what has been the most difficult challenges you’ve had to overcome, to be in such a strong position now?

LH: I think every season you’re looking at it… obviously we got to the beginning of the year and people thought we were talking ourselves down and not showing our true performance. In actual fact it was reality. Ferrari had a good car at the beginning, perhaps it just wasn’t working that great earlier on in the season. I think our focus is just always trying to… the biggest challenges are always trying to understand these tyres. I think everyone has been on that case each year and there’s quite a different dynamic to them this season. So if you look at qualifying, for example, I think that’s an area which has probably been my weakest, even though I feel like I’ve been doing good laps but they’ve not been as good as others. I think the races have obviously been stronger and continued, I guess, on from last year but been very, very strong this season. But then I guess it’s also just been the balance of everything you’re doing outside of the sport, the obstacles you come across in the build-up to the races and just remaining consistent. Punching out these performances each weekend in, weekend out for us guys it’s such a hard task and I think people underestimate and undervalue how hard that is. Perhaps other athletes would understand because they go to competition after competition but it’s really hard because people turn on the TV and see a few hours of our weekend but there’s a massive amount of work that goes on obviously in the background, which you guys will know, obviously and I think it’s really just trying to continue to make… keep the team motivated, steering them in the right direction – because they can easily go in the wrong direction quite often with these cars nowadays.

Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Sorry to go back to the environmental stuff Lewis. You mentioned that your post came as a result of a down, a period that you mentioned highs and lows. Was there a particular moment that you can share with us which was the trigger for putting that statement out? And just as a follow-up; what sort of changes have you made to your day-to-day life to help the environment? I know there’s the diet but diet aside is there anything else which you’re doing which you can tell us?

LH: I was watching a documentary and it was just sad to see the things that we are kind of not aware of. Again, it just inspired me to want to do more and reach out to those who perhaps don’t know some of the things that are happening. In terms of the things that I’m doing in my life, I’m trying to make sure that by the end of the year I’m carbon neutral at the end of the year. I don’t allow anyone in my office but also within my household to buy any plastics. I want everything recyclable down to deodorant, down to toothbrush, all these kind of things so I’m trying to make as much change as I can in my personal space. I told you I sold my plane over a year ago. I fly a lot less now, I’m trying to fly less through the year and mostly flying commercial so that’s been a big change in my habits. I’ve avoided trips as well, if I didn’t need to do it, been in the UK, for example, with family and going up to Bedfordshire and kind of stayed at Soho House for example, with the family instead of going on holiday. What else? Obviously I’ve changed my diet which is quite a drastic difference. I’m also pushing for… so for example I have a new smart electric hybrid at home – it’s not hybrid, it’s electric. I’ve sold several of my cars, some of them I don’t really want to sell because I still love them and I’ve worked hard for them and I don’t drive them a lot if I’m honest. And also, all the cars that I have, so Mercedes, I’m very fortunate that I get quite a few cars around the world, so I have three Mercedes in the States for example. Send them back and get new QCs. I have a Maybach in London for example. I think they’re bring the hybrid out at the end of next year for the Maybachs. However, right now that doesn’t really suit what I’m fighting for so I need to change that also for either an EQC or one of the hybrids they have. I’m constantly making changes. It’s not a quick fix. It’s not something you do over a short period of time, but I feel (Indistinct) that I’m making those changes and I’m encouraging people around me to also… my friends are seeing me doing those and also being more conscious and also looking to do those kind of things. I work with the team who are also really pushing to be carbon neutral, also changing things in their canteen because there’s a lot of plastics which you will see here, for example, we have mostly just water which are biodegradable bottles. I’m working with Mercedes on the future plan with them, for example. Car manufacturers have all leather interiors. There’s no reason why we cannot have for the leather for the suede so I’m pushing to be a part of that change with Mercedes Benz. And what’s the last one? There’s one more. Oh yes, and obviously I work with Tommy Hilfiger, nearly 70 per cent of all the clothes that I’ve done are sustainable and either recycled fabrics of leather, faux suede and the goal is to have that 100 percent and I’m looking at some point that to be 100 per cent sustainable, hopefully in the next year or two. That’s also encouraged Tommy Hilfiger, who work in quite a damaging business or industry to also look into that and push that direction. I don’t know much more I can do at the moment. I still love racing and I want to continue with that. If you look at our sport, it’s shifted from… we use a third less fuel now, there is more I think that Formula One can do and I think they are putting plans together but I think we have to push all the industries, you have to push Formula One to do more and I think that they’re giving us a proposal later on, I think today, of the plans that they have in place and we’ll do whatever we can to support that.

Q: (Yhacbec López – Motorlat) Seb, Ferrari has not won here, the Mexican Grand Prix, since 1990 so is this the biggest chance since F1 came back in 2015 to win the Mexican Grand Prix finally?

SV: I don’t know. I think we can answer on Sunday. If yes, then hopefully we can make it happen; if no then we obviously come back again next year. Yeah, I can’t predict what’s going to happen. I feel confident, I think we have a strong package. There’s part of the track that should be in our favour. Other parts might be a bit more difficult but we will see how it works out. The weather could be a bit of a difficult role this weekend so we will see what happens.

Q: (Arturo Escalona – Compania Periodistica ESTO) I would like to know your opinion about three more years of the Mexican Grand Prix?

SP: Well, those were great news for our country, for Formula One. I think Formula One is looking to have more races like Mexico. We don’t have that many where we go there and the fans are cheering – not just for me but for everyone up there. It’s just something that’s extremely good to have and you see places like Monza, England, those unique places that are, for us, very special so for me especially, it was extremely good to hear that the Mexican Grand Prix is for another three years, especially as it has grown so much in the past. Now can you say Formula One is very big in Mexico so I hope it carries on not just three years, more than that.

LH: Oh great. I love coming to Mexico so it’s good for me. I think Mexico City is… Mexico in general has such a beautiful culture, the people have always been so warm and welcoming. I’ve got friends from when I lived in Switzerland who are still my dear friends today. And also I spend a lot of time in Colorado for example, a lot of the Mexicans are out there skiing with us. But this Grand Prix, it’s very very unique, obviously with the high altitude that we have here, it always put a huge demand on the drivers but also the cars. I didn’t think when we came here for the first time that we would have such a big turn-out consistently each year. I think it’s getting bigger each time they come and the atmosphere is really created by the people that come here, the people who come and support us. I see no reason for this Grand Prix to ever stop. The only thing I hope is that we can try to make sure that when we do come to these Grands Prix and we leave, we will leave a positive (indistinct) on the city in some way, shape or form, whether it’s working with certain foundations. Because I know there’s a lot of people in need within the city and within the country so I think there’s more we can do.

SV: Yeah, I think it’s great to continue going to a Grand Prix where there’s passion for racing. I think that since we’ve come back – I don’t know how it was when Ferrari last won in 1990, how it was before, but certainly since we’ve been coming back since 2015 it’s been very positive, lots of people, full grandstands. It’s not the case everywhere we go so we should be very happy about the fact that we are allowed to come back.

AG: Of course it will be my first time here but I did two FP1 in ’17 and ’18. The track is really nice to drive and we always see a really good race here. Also like the other say, the passion here is quite high, so really happy to continue to race here.

AA: Yeah, first time here so excited. I’ve loved the food already: spicy and excited. Coming into the stadium is supposed to be really special so I’m excited to see that on Sunday.

October 25, 2019