F1 Madness

Tag: british grand prix

  • 2017 British GP: Thursday Press Conference – Part 1

    2017 British GP: Thursday Press Conference – Part 1

    PART ONE: DRIVERS – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes), Romain GROSJEAN (Haas), Lance STROLL (Williams), Jolyon PALMER (Renault)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Valtteri, we’ll begin with you. Second win and, more importantly, in the last four races Hamilton 53 points, Vettel 67, Ricciardo 70, Bottas 73. You must feel you’ve got some real momentum now in your campaign to be World Champion.

    Valtteri BOTTAS: Definitely got some good momentum now. We’ve been having strong races – as a team – and the car seems to be getting better and better and I feel the same, the same for me really. It’s still my first year with the team and always getting to know the team better. It always helps with everything and, of course, every single lap you get more comfortable with the new cars etcetera. So just try to continue the good run with a good weekend here.

    Q: Jolyon, F1 Live London yesterday, you were there in your Renault retro getup celebrating the 40th anniversary of the company’s F1 debut. What did you think of the event and what it says about Formula One and its place in this country?

    Jolyon PALMER: It was awesome. So many people there, in my home city as well so it was really cool. I think it was the first time anything like that has been done. It was great to see almost all the drivers there. So many people, different cars through the eras as well, it was great fun for me to drive up there. So, it was great. I’m sure it was such a success that, from my point of view, there’ll be a lot more of it in the future.

    And the retro look?

    JP: I liked it. It was 1977 car and wearing the retro overalls. It was nice to try something different as well, try different cars.

    Q: Lance, three straight points finishes including, of course, the podium in Baku. How much did the afterglow from that podium help you to feel really settled here in Formula One?

    Lance STROLL: It was a great result, yeah the last few races have been good. Just getting more experience in the car, feeling more comfortable every time I get in the car. I think it’s really just been a good three races. The podium was the highlight of the season, that’s for sure. Crazy race, we just stayed in it all the way until to the end and took home a great podium. It’s given me a lot of confidence for sure, knowing that I can be there and fight. It was a great day – but got to keep going.

    Q: Romain, another great result in Austria, built on strong qualifying and a fantastic start. So the car – and you – are capable of the results but what will it take to find consistency.

    Romain GROSJEAN: Afternoon. I don’t really know. I think a lot of people don’t know, when things happen in a bit of a strange way – like Williams in qualifying in Austria, where they were in Q1 when they are normally always in Q3. We went well. We got everything to work. Tyres, we know we’ve got a good platform. I guess experience is the key and we’re only 28 grands prix in our life for Haas F1 Team. There are things we need to improve and understand but when everything is working well we’ve got a very strong package.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) A question for Lance, Romain and Jolyon after Valtteri’s brilliant start in Austria seven days ago – how many of you think he anticipated the lights and got away with it and how many think it was an absolutely brilliant reaction from him and could you do any better?

    Romain?

    RG: He didn’t jump the start. Did he anticipate the start? For sure. 100 per cent.

    Jolyon?

    JP: It sure looks like a jump but I’m sure he anticipated it perfectly.

    And Lance?

    LS: For sure it was on the limit – but he got away with it. So, it’s all good.

    Valtteri, your right to respond.

    VB: Waiting for the lights to go out. I don’t know. With starts, doing starts and starts you just kind of know always, more or less, when they’re going to go off and, you know, sometimes you can try and be a bit more risky and this was definitely a risky one but it paid off because it’s an absolutely perfect start. Nothing more to say.

    Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Valtteri, how did it feel to be the only Mercedes driver yesterday at the London event. Were you disappointed that Lewis wasn’t there with you?

    VB: I think everyone has the right to decide which kind of events you attend to and, you know, I’m not really the one to answer that – I don’t really know his schedule. So, for me, it’s absolutely fine. And although I was the only team member there it was still all good. I did enjoy the event myself, it was a great event in general, especially for the fans to get so close to F1 and see, in a different way, Formula One. And also a great experience for me, y’know? Never drove a Formula One car before in Central London so that was really cool. So yeah, even though I was alone it was really good for me.

    Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Valtteri, I’m amazed to hear you say there’s a risk element to the start. Are you saying that there’s a little bit of a gamble, that you might actually jump it, you do try to anticipate it? Or do you actually… are you talking about a risk of how quickly you can react to the lights going out? What do you actually mean by that?

    VB: Well, having a start like that definitely you need to gamble a little bit. If you’re moving exactly at the same point the lights go off you definitely need to be a bit on the risky side rather than safe side. Everyone is obviously free to try and kind of guess when the lights go off.

    Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Question for Romain. You’re into your second year with Haas, last year we talked about the possibility of you perhaps trying a NASCAR. Now that you’re cemented in the team and you’ve got a month’s break coming up and there’s Watkins Glen road course coming, any chances of you going on holiday in the States…

    RG: No. The schedule’s getting tight. I wish we’d had a NASCAR yesterday in London. We didn’t have a car so it would have been fun to drive a NASCAR around London – but to be fair, if we do it, we need to do it properly and I need to get a test before, get used to the brake, for example, and see how it goes.

    Q: (Rob Harris – AP) Question to Valtteri. You said on the London event that everyone has their own right to decide whether to attend or not. First of all, why did you decide to attend when obviously Lewis Hamilton didn’t. And do you think that drivers have an obligation to go to these events, particularly at a time when the sport says it’s trying to reach out to new fans, and one of the biggest names in the sport in this country thought he’d go on holiday instead?

    VB: Well, basically, when I first heard about this event and that it was most-likely going to happen, they asked all the drivers to attend and I immediately said yeah, I could attend – and also my team was asking me to attend, so I knew it was just before Silverstone, in the same country, so for me it was all OK.

    Q: (Rachel Brookes – Sky Sports F1) To all four of you really. I know you get a lot of call on your time anyway as it is – but an event like that, the day before Silverstone, has that given you guys a lift? Are you glad you went to it? The looks on your faces look like you really enjoyed it – so has it given you a boost coming into the weekend?

    Lance?

    LS: I think it was a great event for everyone. For the fans, for us drivers something different. I don’t think it gives us a boost but I think it was a good day and I’m fully on board with more of those days to hopefully come in the future.

    JP: I think it’s nice. It’s my home crowd as well so it’s probably especially nice for me. It’s a bit like Goodwood really. You see fans up close to the cars, they’re all very happy and it kind of makes you happy as well. It was fun.

    VB: Like I said before I thought it was great. Great event and I was happy. Happy that I could make it. It was good fun.

    Romain?

    RG: Same thing. I was very happy that I was there. We didn’t have a car but I enjoyed the show, seeing others cars, seeing the McLaren, the Renault, the old V12, the old V6 and then some of the Red Bulls, and donuts in London! Then I was pretty amazed when we went on stage, to see so many people. It was just a great show. Good to see that most of us went.

    Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Question to anyone who wants to answer really. Back-to-back races, it’s quite important, I thought, to get momentum. Any of you taken a holiday in between back-to-back races – and do you think it’s a good idea.

    Jolyon?

    JP: No and no.

    RG: My kids are on holiday – so it’s no holiday for me at all.

    Lance, obviously it’s a fairly new experience for you. How does it feel to have consecutive weekends?

    LS: Yeah, sure, it’s a busy week. The London Live on Wednesday – but I took a few days to myself, Monday, Tuesday.

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xiro Xone News) To all of you, to the previous question about Wednesday. What other places would you like to see the F1 Live events held?

    Lance? I guess you’re going to say Montreal…

    LS: Yeah, that would be great. I think the big cities. Wherever we go where there’s a good crowd and people can turn up. I think it’s good for everyone.

    Paris?

    RG: Paris would be good – especially with the French Grand Prix coming back next year – but I guess New York, L.A. Could be some pretty amazing cities to have an event.

    Valtteri? Helsinki?

    VB: Nastola, Finland! My home town. If I could choose.

    JP: Drive down to Clapham! Just shift it down.

    Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) To the other three drivers, whether or not you think in terms of taking a gamble, trying to anticipate the start, or whether you rely on your reflexes for the lights to go out – bearing in mind the penalty of jumping a start?

    Romain, you took off like a rocket on Sunday. What’s your answer?

    RG: No, I normally don’t gamble. I think about it but I just normally react to the lights.

    JP: I think if you gamble nine times out of ten you will get it wrong, to be honest. I think everyone’s normally waiting for the lights to go out.

    LS: I’m no different. I just go when the lights go off.

    Out of interest, do you practice this? Do you have lights that go out? A digital thing that you can practice it on?

    JP: My engineer’s been practising on a little clicky computer now, I think ever since Valtteri last weekend.

    And what’s the fastest you can do it?

    JP: 0.03, wasn’t it?

    LS: I’m not sure, I don’t really look at my numbers.

    And you Romain?

    RG: I’m normally within two and three tenths but I wouldn’t play much.

    Q: (Rifa Uddin – Renaissance Foundation) My question is to all of you. What advice would you give to a younger generation that are interested in Formula One?

    Lance?

    LS: Make sure that you think about it because it’s an interesting world. It’s a very unique business. I think y’know, obviously, you need to work hard at whatever you’re doing in Formula One. You need to follow your dreams and always believe you can get there. At the end of the day that’s what’s important.

    Jolyon?

    JP: To be a Formula One driver’s extremely tough. If someone’s very interested the only way is to have a go. But also, I think it’s worth bearing in mind most people in Formula One are not drivers. They are also mechanics, and engineers, and catering and marketing. If you’re interested in Formula One, then there’s a lot of avenues to go for.

    Valtteri?

    VB: I always think that definitely having goals in your career, whether it is to be a driver or in general, or a mechanic in Formula One, always to have a goal. It really makes you work harder every day for it. Anything’s always possible in life so always good to set a goal.

    Romain?

    RG: It’s a good summary by the guys. Don’t give up on the dream. I lost Formula One once and I dreamt of coming back and I managed to come back, so that’s the key.

    Q: (Stephen Camp – Paddock Magazine) You all looked to enjoy yourselves yesterday at the show but has Liberty Media come to all four of you and the rest of the paddock about any other events that you would like to put on or any ideas that you have for the sport in general.

    Valtteri?

    VB: Not yet, haven’t heard anything more.

    Q: (Iolande Skinner – Motorsport Monday) Question for Romain, after such a great result in Austria, how’s this affected your confidence in yourself and also in the car?

    RG: I think, y’know, confidence, the key’s not to lose it at any time. We’ve all had good races, bad races but I believe in your career you need to believe in yourself. If not, there’s almost no point turning in. The car… well the car, it’s a girl and she’s a bit up and down, y’know? Decides which mood she wants to come in. Hopefully she’s still in a good mood and we’ll have a good weekend here.

    Q: (Tony Dodgins – Channel 4) What with the London Live event and talk about a possible, potential street race in the future in London, obviously Silverstone has talked about exercising a break clause after 2019. How sad would you all be to see Silverstone not part of the F1 schedule? How important is it to you guys?

    Jolyon?

    JP: Well, for me it’s very important. This is where I probably grew my passion for Formula One, so it’s been my local track, my home track for my home life. I first came here in the ’90s and got a real passion for it and now the history and tradition here are pretty big. A London race would also be very cool – but I think Silverstone is also quite important for Formula One.

    Q: Valtteri?

    VB: I agree really. I would be also really sad not to race here. It is a track everyone loves and I personally think it’s one of the best venues for the fans. The atmosphere here is really special. Formula One definitely needs the British Grand Prix, because of all the history and most of the teams are based here. But if not here then hopefully for example central London but, yeah…

    Q: Lance?

    LS: I think it would be a shame not to be racing at Silverstone anymore. I think there is so much history here. It’s great for the fans, it’s one of the best races, although I’ve never participated in it before, but the crowd really gets into it and it’s probably one of the best races of the year so it would definitely be a shame to lose it.

    Q: And Romain?

    RG: Yeah, pretty similar. It’s a great place to race. Most of the teams are around the track as well, so it’s very important as every team around looks forward to racing here. Driving wise it’s one of the most enjoyable track on the calendar, so hopefully we get more years here.

    Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Valtteri, I’m interested to know when you win a race do you get any feedback from Nico Rosberg – email, text, anything at all – winning in his car, as you are?

    VB: No. I saw him last time I think Monaco Grand Prix. We had a bit of a chat and he told me that he thinks I’m doing a good job and obviously that was nice to hear from him. Otherwise, no messages or anything. I’m getting quite a lot of feedback from the team about everything, so it’s all good.

    Q: (Alex Cheale – Renaissance Foundation) I just wanted to know who are your inspirations for driving?

    RG: Good question. I started watching rallies to be fair. So it was Carlos Sainz and Didier Auriol and then in racing, Formula One, I started watching in ’93, ’94, same time as rallies, Prost and Senna and that was a great fight.

    VB: For me, definitely when I was a kid it was Häkkinen, when he won his first race, his first title, second title I was watching him closely so he was massive motivation for me.

    JP: No one particularly for me but I think when I was young Damon Hill was the British champion and fighting so him.

    LS: For me when I was growing up it was Schumacher. He was the guy I looked up to.

    Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) A question for Jolyon. You’ve had a string of 11th places and a lot of bad luck this year and you’re still chasing the magical point on the board. How much pressure do you feel at the moment to put points on the board? Do you feel that your drive under threat? Has the team been vocal about it? Have they put you under any kind of targets to meet?

    JP: No. I’m trying my best all the time. The pressure? I put a lot on myself. Of course I wanted to score points by now but it’s not been possible. But I have also had a lot of bad luck. I think most of the reliability problems have been on my side of the garage. We missed some races where I think there were some good chances to score, like Baku, where I had a lot of problems. And then of course all these 11th places. It’s frustrating. Every time I have been 11th there has been a car, last time it was Lance, that is right in front of me but it’s not possible to overtake, actually it was Romain before as well. It’s frustrating like that, but it’s pretty close and we’re not even half way through the year. Things are starting to click a bit better now, so hopefully I can carry the momentum into this weekend and then the rest of the year, I’m sure it will get much stronger.

    Q: (Giles Richards – The Guardian) You were talking about the younger generation earlier. In terms of encouraging a new generation to get into Formula One, do you think attending events such as the demo is absolutely key to bringing a new generation of fans to the sport?

    RG: It definitely helps. It’s not easy to afford to come to a grand prix, when you’re a dad with two kids for example. So yeah, events like this, where you get to see the cars… I fell in love with motorsport when I was going to see my dad racing in Formula 3. When I saw those cars going around I said: “I want to do that when I’m big”. That’s a key element. I think there are more, clearly getting the passion when you are a kid, you dream about things and it’s just make the kids dream that they can do it and they get the feel of what is Formula One and they will join as big fans.

    VB: I think definitely events like this will motivate a lot of young kids. I think it is important for many kids to have opportunities to see F1 live at least once in their childhood. I don’t think it is the only way to get people excited. Personally for me it was enough that I was just doing go-karts. I was watching all the races on TV and I was playing Formula One games. Actually the first time I saw a Formula One car live was 2010 I think. But I was obviously quite keen much, much before that.

    JP: I don’t think it is the only way but I think it is a big contributor. It’s great for people to be up close and see the cars in action. I think for a lot of people in London they hadn’t had that experience before especially to be three metres from the track and then of course to see the stars as well. It’s all about the cars going quick and making some noise and then the stars driving them as well. When I was young, seeing the cars in action – OK it was at Silverstone and not in London – but I was like “wow, this is pretty cool”, so for most people it’s a great incentive.

    LS: Yeah, I think every opportunity to get close to some Formula One cars is great – races, hopefully more F1 Lives to come, it’s always great to see some cars.

    Q: How old were you when you first saw a Formula One car?

    LS: I was young. I was probably four or five when I went to the Montreal grand prix for the first time.

    Q: (Steven Camp – Paddock Magazine) With Silverstone being one of the fastest tracks on the calendar and the upped pace in performance from the 2017 cars, do any of you think you can take Copse flat out?

    VB: Well, it’s always from simulations and driving the simulator and stuff it’s difficult to say for sure, but it could well be, at least with the low fuel. We will see on Saturday at the latest. But it is going to be a lot of fun with these new cars. It’s been anyway in the past years a great circuit, being in the car, driving a Formula One car around here. But I’m really looking forward to this one, it’s going to be really cool.

    Q: If it was, what speed and what gear would it be?

    VB: It could be eighth or seventh gear. I don’t know about the speed.

    RG: That could be the limitation, because if we go in in eighth, the exit might be a bit tricky.

  • F1 2017 – British Grand Prix Preview

    F1 2017 – British Grand Prix Preview

    We are at the halfway point in the season with the British Grand Prix coming up in a few days. Round 10 of the Formula One World Championship takes place at the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit in Northamptonshire, England.

    Silverstone has been one of the tracks that have been ingrained in Formula 1 history. It has always been linked in one way or another to Formula One since the 1940’s.

    The new Arena Grand Prix Circuit configuration has been used since 2010 and features the new inner field section of the Abbey, Farm, Villiage, The Loop and Aintree corners.

    A lap around Silverstone consists of fast and medium speed sweeping corners that demand good grip from the front end on turn-in and then good traction out of the corners. Because of the fast sweeping nature of the track, a mistake small mistake can easily translate to a big loss in lap time.

    The track is very quick, even so, teams run quite high down-force levels as the straights are not that long. The longest straight on the circuit is the Hangar Straight coming in at 770m long.

    Pirelli have dropped the Orange-marked hard compound tyre for this weekend and have gone one step softer on the tyre compounds compared to last year. The super soft tyre makes is debut at Silverstone this year. The high energy loads through the fast corners and the abrasive surface makes degradation high. Pirelli say that they’re expecting a two-stop race, possibly three.

    Coming into the race Sebastian Vettel holds a 20 point lead in the championship standings over Lewis Hamilton. It’s a nice little cushion for the German and he’ll be looking to extend his lead coming into the race. Vettel fancies his chances this weekend and feels that the track suits the characteristics of the SF70-H. On the Kimi Raikkonen side of the Ferrari garage things are looking a bit tough. Raikkonen has come under fire for being a “laggard” by Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne. Many feel that a sweeping statement like that is quite unfair to the Finn. What ever may be plaguing the Ice Man he has to start showing some performance and needs to start taking points off Bottas and Hamilton if Ferrari want to secure the Constructors Championship as well.

    While everyone was focusing on the Vettel-Hamilton Championship battle, Valtteri Bottas has been quietly plugging away on his side of the Mercedes garage and has brought himself into contention for the championship. After his victory at the Austrian Grand Prix, Bottas is now just 15-points behind Hamilton in the Championship standings.

    Mercedes have been quite dominant at Silverstone since the new generation of 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 engines have been introduced. It’s tough to see how they will not continue with the run of success they’ve had at Silverstone.

    It’s been a tale of contrasting stories at Red Bull. Max Verstappen has been suffering through a very bad patch of unreliability at the moment. He’s had a DNF in 5 out of the 9 races so far this season. His latest DNF at the Austrian Grand Prix was not his fault but it will weigh on him. As a racer there is nothing more frustrating.

    Daniel Ricciardo is enjoying a very good run of form as a regular visitor of the podium. Be it through luck of the draw, strategy, or through a brilliant performance. He’ll be hoping for some good points and another podium this weekend. Although the it’s no secret that the Red Bull car is down on power, they’ve closed the gap and have improved the car in other areas and they are able to mix it up with Ferrari and Mercedes up front.

    Watching an F1 car around Silverstone is always something special. Like with Spa and Monza it’s listed under the classic track banner. The new 2017 cars with the wider tyres and bigger wings will be insanely fast through the corners like Copse and Stowe and will be equally as impressive through the Maggots and Becketts. A good drive out of Becketts can setup a pass into Stowe or just before Vale.

    The racing at Silverstone rarely disappoints and with a three way battle for the championship emerging it looks like it will go down to the last race. But for now lets just enjoy the British Grand Prix.

     

    We thought we’d try something different. We’ve got our very own Natalie having a go at a hot lap around Silverstone. Leave your best time in the comments below.

  • Silverstone Owners Trigger Break Clause to Host F1

    Silverstone Owners Trigger Break Clause to Host F1

    The British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) – owners of the Silverstone Circuit that currently hosts the British Grand Prix – have triggered a break clause in their contract to host the British Grand Prix.

    The break will take effect in 2019. Which means that the Silverstone Circuit will host it’s final F1 race in 2019.

    The BRDC felt that the deal currently in place to host British Grand Prix is unsustainable and they continue to make losses every year when hosting the race.

    “This decision has been taken because it is not financially viable for us to deliver the British Grand Prix under the terms of our current contract,” said John Grant the Chairman of the British Racing Drivers Club.

    “We sustained losses of £2.8m in 2015 and £4.8m in 2016, and we expect to lose a similar amount this year.”

    Grant says that they have reached a tipping point and have to be realistic about their situation and not make decisions based on their emotions.

    “We have reached the tipping point where we can no longer let our passion for the sport rule our heads,” he added

    “It would not only risk the very future of Silverstone and the BRDC, but also the British motorsport community that depends on us.

    “However, I want to be clear that although we have now activated the break clause, we are fully supportive of the changes the Liberty team are making to improve the F1 experience.

    “Our hope is that an agreement can still be reached, so that we can ensure a sustainable and financially viable future for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone for many years to come.”

    Silverstone the Home of the British Grand Prix

    Grant said that they decided to sign the deal in 2009 because it was the only deal on the table to ensure that the race was not lost and to keep the British Grand Prix on the F1 calendar.

    “The challenges associated with the contract signed in 2009 with the then owners of Formula 1 have been well documented,” Grant said.

    “Looking back, the decision to sign this contract was made to preserve the British Grand Prix and ensure this great, historic race was not lost.

    “This was the only deal on the table at the time and the decision was taken to keep the British Grand Prix alive.

    “But the reality is that for many years the British Grand Prix has made a net loss.

    “Despite being the most popular weekend sporting event in the UK – with a live audience of over 350,000 attendees – the net revenue we receive is not enough to cover the Grand Prix’s share of our overhead costs, let alone turn a profit.”

    No F1. No Problem

    Grant warned that should Silverstone be dropped from the F1 calendar, many jobs could be on the line. The majority of the F1 teams on the grid have factories that are situated in close proximity to Silverstone. Force India’s factory is situated right opposite the road from the circuit. He added that Silverstone would do fine without Formula 1.

    “While we would hate to lose the British Grand Prix, Silverstone will have a bright future without it – both commercially and in terms of continuing to serve as the heart of the British motor racing community.

    “But losing the British Grand Prix would have a negative impact that is felt far beyond Formula 1 and Silverstone.

    “Seven out of the 10 F1 teams are based in the UK – many close to Silverstone. This brings vital jobs to the country, as well as having a positive impact on the local communities and economy.

    “There’s a good reason why the area around Silverstone is known as the ‘Silicon Valley of motor sport’. Take away the British Grand Prix and this is all placed at risk.”

    F1 Group Hits Back

    Triggering the break clause will allow the BRDC a chance to re-negotiate the terms of the deal and possibly a cheaper fee to host the race. But the F1 Group has hit back at the announcement by the BRDC saying that the used the announcement to “posture and position” themselves.

    “The week leading up to the British Grand Prix should be a week of great celebration for F1 and Silverstone,” said the F1 Group in a statement.

    “We deeply regret that Silverstone has chosen instead to use this week to posture and position themselves and invoke a break clause that will take effect in three years‘ time.

    “We offered to extend the current deadlines in order to focus on everything that is great about Silverstone and Formula 1.

    “Regretfully the Silverstone management has chosen to look for a short-term advantage to benefit their position.”

    “Our focus is still to preserve the British Grand Prix,” it added. “We will carry on negotiating with the promoter in good faith and in private to reach a fair and equitable solution.”

  • Vettel slams “bullshit” updated radio ban rules as a joke

    Vettel slams “bullshit” updated radio ban rules as a joke

    Sebastian Vettel has slammed Formula One’s updated radio restrictions as “complete bullshit” after the FIA tightened the radio rules ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

    According F1’s sporting regulations, drivers must drive their car “alone and unaided”. The rule however has been put under the microscope following the British Grand Prix where Nico Rosberg was demoted from 2nd to 3rd place following a breach of the regulations. The Mercedes pitwall had informed Rosberg on how to fix a faulty gearbox towards the end of the race, which ensured that the German avoided having to retire his car from the race.

    Teams must now call a driver in to the pits if he suffers a similar issue. Teams will be allowed to advise drivers while they are driving through the pit lane, effectively resulting in a drive-through penalty.

    Vettel told the media that the new rules are, “Complete bullshit. I think all the radio issues we had, I think it’s a joke. I looked at the race after and I found as a spectator it was quite entertaining to hear a driver a little bit panicking on the radio and the team panicking at the same time.

    “I think it puts the element of human being in our sport that arguably is very complicated and technical, so I think that’s the wrong way. There’s a lot of boring stuff on the radio that got banned, I don’t see the point, I think if you want to change it you should change the cars. I have no problem, let’s go back to V12s, manual gearbox, two buttons, one for pit speed limiter and one for radio just to confirm when we are coming in and other than that, not much electronics to look after, which there’s no point then to memorise a lot of things.”

    Vettel also insists that F1 drivers should not be punished for how technical other people have made their cars, highlighting how much steering wheels have changed since the 90s.

    “I think all of the buttons that we have on the steering wheel today are there for a reason. It’s not like ‘ah yeah, we can build buttons, let’s put them on the steering wheel’, so I think if you just look at a 1995 steering wheel for example, or speak to a lot of experts that are still around in the paddock, what they raced with, it was a simpler just because the cars technology was a lot simpler. It’s not our mistake, as in the drivers, that the cars are so complicated these days that they need a manual this big and a steering wheel full of buttons to operate it. I think we’re going a little bit in the wrong way so that’s why I think it’s bad and we should just go back to being able to say what we want.”

     

  • Electronic sensors installed to monitor Hungarian GP track limits

    Electronic sensors installed to monitor Hungarian GP track limits

    The FIA has confirmed that electronic sensors will be installed on the outside of the kerbs around certain corners of the Hungaroring this weekend to monitor the track limits during the Hungarian GP.

    The F1 governing body has made the decision in a bid to catch any drivers gaining an unfair advantage by exceeding the track limits and running wide around these corners.

    The Austrian Grand Prix saw a number of drivers using excessive amounts of kerb, often having all four wheels off the track, resulting in several suspension failures and other related incidents. At Silverstone, drivers running wide at certain corners during the British Grand Prix weekend saw their times deleted in lieu of penalties but race control admitted having trouble monitoring all corners of the track.

    This weekend, the FIA have installed electronic sensors at Turns 4 and 11 to monitor the track limits electronic following Charlie Whiting’s report.

    In a note to the teams, Whiting said: “In Turns 4 and 11, the new double kerb has been installed and the artificial grass removed. However, the run-off areas behind the kerbs have been set at the same height as the kerbs themselves, the required deterrent is therefore not present,”

    “With this in mind we have installed loops 1.6 metres from the track edge which will alert us when a car has all four wheels off the track in these two locations.”

    The F1 grid is pretty evenly split in their reaction to the electronic sensors being installed.

    Sebastian Vettel led the unimpressed group of drivers saying, “It’s the FIA to blame for building circuits that make it faster to run off the track than on the track. It’s quite disappointing.”

    “The result is it’s faster to go off track than to stay on track,” he continued. “It doesn’t make much sense, does it?”

    Daniil Kvyat was also pretty unimpressed saying that the FIA should just, “put a normal kerb there and you don’t need all these electronic systems.

    “Now we have some electronic sensors, maybe they’ll work correctly, maybe they’ll fuck everyone up.

    “I personally trust my eyes more than the sensors.”

    Jenson Button on the other hand reckons it’s a good idea because some form of limit is required to stop drivers exceeding track limits.

    “It’s good, I like it,” he said. “The way things are, all of the kerbs are pretty similar on all circuits now, so they’re easy to run over on exits.

    “We need something, we need a limit to stop us going over there.”

    Lewis Hamilton was also in favour of the idea. Hamilton, who lost one of his lap times during qualifying for the British Grand Prix after running wide, said: “It will be an easier thing for them to police because at the moment some corners we’re allowed to go out,” he said.

    “Silverstone Turn 7, you’re allowed to drive straight off the track no problem, which is an advantage but at Turn 9 you’re not allowed to, which isn’t an advantage if you go off.

    “It’s a good step forward.”

    The electronic sensor technology has previously been used by the FIA to monitor chicanes but this weekend will be the first time it is used to monitor the kerbs.

    Photo: Red Bull Racing 

  • 2016 Formula 1 British Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    2016 Formula 1 British Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
    2 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)
    3 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)

     

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Mark Webber)

    Lewis, please…
    Lewis HAMILTON: How are you going? How you guys doing? You good? I don’t know if you guys can be as happy as me. I’m really happy. I’m so grateful. Thank you so much for all coming out today. We’ve got the best fans here. Thank you so much.

    Your 47th career victory, now equaling Nigel Mansell here too with four wins at Silverstone, three on the bounce. How did you make it looks so easy? Tricky start, very, very wet, lot of aquaplaning and then some tricky decisions to make on the tyres, so run the fans through how the race was for you today?
    LH: Well, firstly I’m glad that the good English weather came out. We went out and did the formation lap and it was dry and then all of a sudden it rained and it was so tricky in those conditions. It was drying pretty quickly but obviously when we started the race I was the first to really have to attack it. So trying not to make any mistakes was difficult for all of us. But that’s what I love about this race, because it’s never just plain, smooth sailing. There are always these things that just happen through the race that make it spectacular, that’s why the British Grand Prix is the best grand prix we have. Plus, look at these guys, you don’t see this anywhere around the world. And you don’t hear a lot of booing, which means we’ve got good British spirit here.

    That’s right, yeah. We’ve got 100,000 people here, so I’m just going to jump across to Nico. Nico, today… c’mon guys, he fought valiantly, he did what he could. I think tricky race at the start there. How did you feel? A bit like Monaco, you didn’t seem to be quite in the groove there when it was tricky at the start and then obviously the race slipped away. A small error with Max, getting the move done there, and then the gearbox as well, so run us through that.
    Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, so it was a bit of a trick start of course. Max got me and then it was an exciting race against him. I managed to get him around the outside, which I was so happy about. And then, yeah, just congrats to Lewis, he did a great job this weekend and I just couldn’t reach him, no way. So that’s it, second place, which I have to live with today.

    Great job Nico. Let’s go across to this young guy, who is making… yes, that’s right, Nico, well done, mate, sensational. That’s what motorsport is all about. Hey [Max], you just passed your dad, you’ve got three podiums. Have you ever experienced anything like this before and what was the race like for you – incredible drive?
    Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, it was amazing. First of all, just look at the fans; they are great. From there on, the race was very exciting, very tricky at the beginning, I managed to get past Nico and even at the end of the stint I was catching up to Lewis. I think I stopped one lap too late, but from there on I just did my own race. Unfortunately Nico got past but then we still had great [ace, I could still see the top two. In the end I just have to thank Red Bull for giving me such a great car, I think they deserve a lot of credit here.

    Absolutely; phenomenal drive. Enjoy the champagne here; you’re just legal that you can have a drink. Lewis, four points off this fellow here, mate. You’ve both been having some phenomenal runs in terms of performance but a bit of reliability creeping in. Nico had some issues today, which definitely didn’t cost him a race win, but both of you have had some ups and downs with reliability. You’ve still got a long way to go with engines, but four points, closing the gap and Budapest is a track which I’ve seen you fly around that joint mate, so looking forward to that?
    LH: I love it there. I’m working hard. I did everything I could in that race to try and save this engine, as obviously I’m on my last one. So I made it go as long as possible and I saved it for quite a long period of time. I just want to say a big thank you to everyone here. I hope that you continue to keep your fingers crossed. I’m catching him, so let’s keep going.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Nico, obviously you had an issue with your gearbox at one point. There was a radio message from the team instructing you how to fix it. We understand that’s with the stewards now. Can you tell us your side of the story and how confident are you that what you were told was within the rules?
    NR: It was a very critical problem. I was stuck in seventh gear and I was about to stop on track, so they told me “change default” and try and fix it.

    And you are confident it’s within the rules?
    NR: Yes.

    Lewis Hamilton, our British Grand Prix winner, for the fourth time in your career. Here you are again, soaking it all in, the adulation of the crowds – crowdsurfing even, a great moment there. How much did they lift you today and also was there just that one moment, when you went off at Abbey? You weren’t the only one to do that, but that was the only moment when you had your heart in your mouth or was it generally quite a tricky afternoon?
    LH: That was definitely the only moment. It was quite a big moment. But ever since 2007 I’ve felt this incredible energy from these fans here, the best fans in the world, without a doubt, and the best crowd we have anywhere. I really feel like I’ve grown with them over the years and obviously, naturally, when you have success that speeds up the bond, that connection you have, but, yeah, they really do make a huge difference. Every time… when it was wet, every time I made it through certain corners I could see in the corner of my eye the fans right there with me. And obviously the last few laps I could see them, every time, every year, and every time I came through Brooklands, Turn 7, I can see them up shouting and that just spurred me on all the way. So a huge thank you to them. I’m very honoured and it’s a very humbling experience to be here in this sport, particularly in a time of difficulty in the world, and to see so much love out there. I think when you see… there are people out there from all walks, from all different places, poor, wealthy, going through difficult times, and on this day we come together and I think that’s as beautiful thing and I hope people see this on TV and I hope they tell their friends and they feel that to.

    Q: Nico, let’s drill down a little bit into the battle with Max. The two battles with Max: the one at the beginning of the race and the one at the end of the race.  He got you early on, you got him back later on. Tell us about those from your point of view.
    NR: Yeah, it was a cool fight. On the Inters not so much of a fight, it was done pretty quickly and then on dry, yeah it was great. You’re playing around with your ERS deployment, I’m trying to get him to empty his battery so that then I can have a good shot – but then when his was empty mine was empty too. So that didn’t work! At times I was doubting, ‘am I going to make this happen or not?’ And then it worked out really well though in the end. He did a good job, defending and everything. It was cool.

    And from your point of view Max, you said here yesterday, 24 hours ago, you’d be happy if you could be sitting here today in the same position – but you came pretty close to sitting one place further up – and who knows after the stewards have finished today you may be sitting one place further up. Tell us about the pass first of all into Becketts.
    MV: I think in general, first of all, on the Intermediates we had good pace but in the beginning I was struggling to have visibility because of the spray, especially in the first sector. I couldn’t really keep up because I couldn’t see where I was going! But once that cleared a bit I could push. I got past Nico around the outside, car had a lot of grip so you can make that move and from there on the pace was good. You don’t want to switch too early on a slick tyres so, yeah, that I had one guy in front of me, got blue flags but I could clearly see slick tyre was faster now. I pitted, maybe one lap too late but you just take it a bit safe and from there on the pace was pretty good. Lewis was not pulling away too much and from there on, yeah, Nico was pushing hard, giving me a hard time and we had some good fights into Stowe. At one point we were struggling a bit of course on the straights but he pulled off a great move around the outside and from there on I was just doing my own race. I had no pressure from behind, it was a very big gap. Soon I heard Nico had a problem. I tried to get past and tried to close the gap but once you get in the dirty air it’s difficult to get even closer on this track. I think in general we can be happy. We finished only eight seconds behind or something. I think in general the car was working really well the whole weekend so I have to say thank you to the team for giving me such a great car the whole weekend.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Mike Doodson – Auto Action) Congratulations Lewis, whoever knew Silverstone had a mosh-pit? We knew how fond you are of the perpetual trophy and you threw it around up there as if you already owned it permanently. Is there room in your place back at Monaco for a full-size replica?
    LH: Well I was taking care up there – I wouldn’t want to drop that thing! I don’t even know if I have a replica, I can’t remember, if I’m honest. My Dad has all my trophies so I don’t have a lot of space – but there’s definitely space for at least that one at home as it is such a special trophy. I’m so proud to… I remember the first time that I got to stand up there with it in 2008 and the feeling today is just as great, if not actually greater – because I’m able to appreciate it more I guess, with age and the hard work that goes on around. I guess more understanding of the world in a way. Yeah. It’s my gold trophy, my gold medal. Very, very proud.

    Q: Lennart Wermke –  Bild) Question for all three of you: was it really necessary to start the race behind the safety car? What do you think?
    NR: Yes. For sure. Because there was some big, big rivers in places, so it’s important to let us have a look at least where they are before getting going.

    Max?
    MV: yes, I think so. Especially on the main straight there was quite a lot of water but maybe it was a bit too long. I was ready to race after maybe two laps.

    Lewis, we had a radio message from you saying you thought it was ready to go. You called to Charlie to release the cars
    LH: I personally start we could have started on the grid – but for sure there were patches  all over the place  and it would have been tricky – but that’s what motor racing’s about. But then we did stay for sure out far too long. It was pretty much intermediates by the time we let us go. It was pretty much intermediates by the time they let us go, so… but it would have been fun. It was easily just as wet, if not… there was more water on the track when we started in 2008 when we started from the grid, that’s why I say that.

    Q: (Sean McGreevy – CSMA) I asked you this question on Thursday – but now you’ve actually won. So you’re the most successful British F1 driver at Silverstone with four wins, the first to win three consecutive F1 GPs at Silverstone. You’re tearing up the record books today – so how do you feel about making more F1 history?
    LH: I think I’m just going to have to sit on it and try to let it sink in because it’s just so strange. It’s very, very surreal to think that I’m here and I just saw Nigel in the corridor there and he said “welcome to the club”. It’s just crazy to think that I’m up there with them. I know whilst I’m here – and I’ve been here for a while – I should just be used it or it shouldn’t be so surreal – but it just is. I think it’s because it’s that special and I’m incredibly proud. It’s crazy to think that, if I was to stop tomorrow, that will remain for some time. I will still be able to come back in many, many years, way beyond my driving experience and come and experience this great crowd and always be accepted. It’s an amazing feeling.

    Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Three very quick questions if I may: nearly out-braked the Safety Car into Copse I think, if you could talk about that; secondly, sector one didn’t appear to be your strongest sector when you were in a defence mode – if that’s that right way of phrasing it, I don’t know if you were just cruising at that point but then you had that big moment on Lap 27, perhaps we could hear about that… and finally Massa holding you up.
    LH: I’m not going to remember all three. The Safety Car, I’d glazed my rear brakes and they were really low on temperature so I was trying to pick them up. The Safety Car’s so slow, you can’t imagine. I’m sure he’s going as fast as possible but our car is so fast that… and you can’t see really that well even behind the Safety Car. There’s a lot of spray but yeah, I braked and the thing wasn’t stopping. So I nearly hit the Safety Car. It’s a first. Fortunately I didn’t. And then after that, in the first sector, I was never in defence mode. At the beginning just taking it easy. I had quite an over-steering car so just took it easy through the first part, and the second, I knew I was quicker in the second and third sector so I utilised the time there. And then I had that over-steer moment and after that I continued to take my time. If there was any point I needed to pick up the pace, there was plenty of pace in that first sector for me to have picked up. With Massa, he just came out on new tyres. We were obviously doing a long stretch on tyres. However I’m pacing at the same pace as him and within a second or two. It’s like these two racing each other: whoever’s being was in dirty air, and he wasn’t particularly racing anyone in front of him but I think he got a lot of blue flags and after God-knows how many blue flags he decided to pull aside. If you notice, after that my pace picked up almost a second. So, it’s crazy how big a difference it does make.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Almost every driver went off at turn one. What was the particular problem there because obviously you made it on some laps and some not? Was there a patch of water, did you change the line on that lap when it happened?
    MV: Yeah, I had a few moments. No, it’s very difficult because I think when everybody touched the water sometimes the spray goes to the left so you just approach it exactly the same way but suddenly you pick up a little bit of water on the tyre and you just slide off. I think Lewis went off and I went off on the same lap so I think because of the spray it comes onto the normal racing line and then you have a bit of a moment when you have to go off.
    NR: Early on in the race, because there were just rivers but afterwards on slicks it was difficult because there were still wet patches.

    Q: (Don Kennedy – Hawke’s Bay Today) Lewis, we heard about you setting new records in Formula One; I think we can probably now include the first F1 driver to go crowd-surfing. Was that planned and if not, what are you planning to do tonight to celebrate this fourth win?
    LH: That wasn’t planned, no. Every time we do a podium,  straight after the podium, apart from standing there holding the trophy up and the bottle, there’s no real way of connecting with people otherwise. Usually we just come back and here and it’s the same old same old so I was going to give them a hard time and I put the trophy down and I ran down and I could see the crowd there and I just wanted to connect with them in some way and then as I got there I was like, I wanted to go over the top. I was hoping that I would crowd-surf further in and then I would have to say ‘take me back’ but I got right to the edge and I stayed there for like a second and then they pushed me back on. But very very cool to see the support here, as I said, it is just phenomenal. And then the heavens opened at the beginning and then the sun came through and it turned out to be the most beautiful day. In terms of tonight, I think we’ve got a team family… I think the team have got the family event this evening so I get to see the team’s families and then tonight there will be a nice dinner in London and then a little bit of party.

    Q: (Tomas Slafer – Car and Driver, Spain) Nico and Lewis, well you’ve won your home Grand Prix for the last three seasons; Nico you’ve won the last German Grand Prix, so Nico, do you feel pressure to win in Germany again this season, and Lewis, if you win in Germany, will that mean something more than a big victory for you, for the championship?
    NR: Pressure? No, I don’t feel pressure. It would be great, it would be good fun and that’s the target for sure but let’s see how it goes. It’s going to be a good battle against Lewis and whoever else. Maybe the Red Bull or Ferraris. Let’s see.
    LH: When was the last one (German Grand Prix)? Was it 2014? I remember that one. I think I had brake failure or something and it meant I had to start last. But the pace has always been good there so I’m absolutely going there hoping to redeem that kind of result that we had last time. Again, that is a great place for the German fans, they are fantastic. They actually have more than one amazing circuit in Germany but this is one with great history and it’s a great place for Mercedes Benz so I hope we can really shine the silver star there.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) Nico, many times this year mainly you make the life of Lewis very hard but this weekend, particularly, is maybe the one where you’ve spent most of the time following far from him. My curiosity is after Max overtook you, you did the fastest lap of the race at that stage. Can you explain this contradiction please?
    NR: No, no contradiction just Lewis was quicker in qualifying and then in the race I was feeling really good once I got onto the slicks, as you saw. Pace was great, I was just a bit too far away once I got off the intermediates. That’s it.

    Q: (Frank Woestenburg – De Telegraaf) Max, like many you were sliding around at Abbey, especially. Can you tell me how much you enjoyed racing under those circumstances and do you think the FIA is sometimes too conservative at keeping the safety car out too long?
    MV: Well, first of all, I think from the FIA side I think they want to have a safe race and OK, maybe it was a bit too long but everything went well, so I don’t really have much more to add about that. And in general, I have always enjoyed tricky conditions, especially in the rain. We have a lot of rain in Holland as well so in go-karting, yes, you had a lot of time to practise that. If you have a great car you can make the difference and I think we definitely did today, I was definitely enjoying myself and even when we went onto the slick tyres I definitely had some fun. The pace was good and it was of course very tricky in turn one as you could see but that’s all part of it and at the end, great fun.

    Q: (Daan Coronel De Geus – AD Sportwereld) Max, another podium finish, you’ve been adamant about this year being a learning one since you switched  to Red Bull. How normal are these results beginning to feel to if they are beginning to feel normal?
    MV: Well, I haven’t really thought about that. I just try to do the best I can every race and now it’s again on the podium so two races in a row and I think that’s very good and if only we can keep going like this and we can close the gap to Mercedes. I think that’s our main target and first of all we still have to overtake Ferrari as well in the Constructors’ championship. I think those are our first targets, to overtake them and then close the gap.

    Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Lewis you’ve spoken very descriptively about your emotions in the closing laps but can you just describe what it was like on the last lap, just hoping the car was going to make the finish, nothing was going to go wrong and then the sudden switch in taking the chequered flag and what that feeling of elation was like in a millisecond?
    LH: Honestly, I approached the race with an incredibly positive attitude and approach so I didn’t at any point think I hope the car doesn’t fail on me. I was only feeling positive energy rather than letting any negative energy come in. Of course, those last three laps the car was feeling good, I had turned down my engine on the last ten laps or fifteen laps. Those last three laps, I knew I had a good buffer between me and the cars behind so I didn’t have to lean on my tyres, it became kind of really nicely flowing and trying not to take too much notice of the crowd and then get carried away with it. That’s generally the feeling but it wasn’t until I came into the last corner that I knew that I had it. I was like I’m going to roll across the line if anything happens now and again, I could see the crowd cheering from Stowe onwards, I could see them already beginning to stand up and cheer in the excitement and I felt exactly what they felt. And on that down lap, once you come across the line, it’s just the most amazing feeling, when you come across the line as the winner of the British Grand Prix. I’m sure it’s the same in Germany for Nico, for example. You just want to jump, go jumping but you’re obviously strapped into the beast still.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Nico, you spoke before about the battle with Max an there’s a lot about energy deployment. When you are behind, is it a slight advantage because you see the car in front when it’s de-rating, does it give you an idea of what state it’s in or what condition the other guy is?
    NR: No, it’s not easy to understand so no, that doesn’t help, it’s just a matter of keeping the pressure on and Max needs to use it up and hopefully he runs out before me. That’s it. But we ran out at the same time so that didn’t help.

  • Rosberg Handed 10-Second Penalty for Breaching Radio Regulations

    Rosberg Handed 10-Second Penalty for Breaching Radio Regulations

    Nico Rosberg was handed a 10-second time penalty after the British Grand Prix race for breaching radio regulations.

    At the end of the race Rosberg was classified at second with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in 3rd. This time penalty will drop Rosberg to 3rd and promotes Verstappen to 2nd.

    The penalty was a result of Rosberg’s race engineer giving him instructions on how to drive the car in the closing stages of the British Grand Prix. Rosberg had a problem with 7th gear and was told by Tony Ross his race engineer to “avoid 7th gear”. Rosberg asked:”What does that mean. Do I have shift through it?”

    “Affirm Nico, you need to shift through it,” came the reply from Ross.

    That bit of the radio transmission was under scrutiny by the stewards and was found to have breached Article 27.1 of the Sporting Regulations which states that “The driver must drive the car alone and unaided.

    “Having considered the matter extensively, the Stewards determined that the team gave some instructions to the driver that were specifically permitted under Technical Directive 014-16,” said a statement by the stewards.

    “However, the Stewards determined that the team then went further and gave instructions to the driver that were not permitted under the Technical Directive, and were in Breach of Art. 27.1 of the Sporting Regulations, that the driver must drive the car alone and unaided

    “10 Second Time Penalty imposed after the race in accordance with Article 38.3 (10 seconds added to elapsed race time)”

    The penalty not only drops Rosberg to 3rd in the race classification but it bring team-mate and title rival Lewis Hamilton to within 1 point in the drivers championship.

    Update: Mercedes have lodged an intention to appeal the stewards’ decision. Mercedes have 96 hours from lodging the intention to appeal to decide if they want to go ahead or not. Win or loose it will provide much more clarity on the regulation.

    Radio Transcript

    Rosberg: “Gearbox problem!”

    Tony Ross: “Driver default zero-one. Chassis default zero-one”

    Tony Ross: “Avoid 7th gear, Nico. Avoid 7th gear”

    Rosberg: “Well what does that mean? I mean I have to shift through it?”

    Tony Ross: “Affirm Nico. You need to shift through it. You need to shift through it“

  • Gearbox Penalties for Vettel and Ericsson

    Gearbox Penalties for Vettel and Ericsson

    Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson will get new gearboxes for the British Grand Prix weekend and will drop 5-places down the grid.

    Right at the end of Free Practice 3, Vettel could be seen clapping his hands in frustration as he crossed the line. His time was good enough to put him 5th fastest but a team radio broadcast gave a better idea of his frustration. “Ok. I think we failed the gearbox once again,” said the German over the radio.

    Ferrari later confirmed that the German would get a new gearbox for qualifying which will drop him 5-places down the grid. This is Vettel’s second gearbox change in two races.

     

    Photo credit: Scuderia Ferrari Formula One

  • Hamilton Tops Time Sheets in British GP FP3, Ericsson Crashes

    Hamilton Tops Time Sheets in British GP FP3, Ericsson Crashes

    Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time of a shortened 3rd Free Practice session making it three from three practice sessions.

    Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg finished the session 2nd fastest just 0.063s off Hamilton’s time. Hamilton set his best time on the soft compound tyres crossing the line in 1:30.904. Rosberg’s set a best time of 1:30.967.

    Building on from their Friday pace, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo set a 1:31.488 to finish 3rd fastest ahead of his team mate Max Verstappen who set a best time of 1:31.561.

    Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel crossed the line in a very disappointed and angry 5th fastest with a 1:32.049. Clearly expecting to be faster Vettel’s gesticulating as he crossed the line showed his frustration. A later radio message that his gearbox had failed shed more light on the issue. He returned to the pits to a visibly upset Ferrari team. Ferrari later confirmed that Vettel would get a new gearbox and incur a 5-place grid drop.

    Valtteri Bottas ended his session in 6th fastest for Williams ahead of McLaren’s Fernando Alonso. Nico Hulkenberg finished his session 8th fastest ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in 9th.

    Rounding out the top 10 was Carlos Sainz in the Toro Rosso almost 2 seconds off the pace.

    Marcus Ericsson_Britain 2016 CrashThe session was considerably shortened after Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson crashed at the exit of Turn 15 (Stowe). The Swede had a little over-steer moment at the exit of Stowe which sent him a bit wide. His rear left wheel got on to the astro turf laid down just after the concrete apex which caused the rear of the car to step out. Ericsson was sent careening into the adjacent barrier nose first. His car spun and the rear made contact with the barrier ripping off his rear suspension in the process. Ericsson eventually came to a rest just before Turn 16(Vale). On board replays of the crash showed the scale of the impact and it also showed the steering wheel coming off the column.


    Ericsson got out of the car and waved at the crowd to show that he was OK. He has since been taken to the hospital for a check up.

    Sauber later confirmed a gearbox penalty for their driver.

    Mercedes look set for another dominating performance in Qualifying. Hamilton has the upper hand on Rosberg at the moment. Mercedes should lock out the front row once again. Some rain is expected for qualifying which should mix things up a bit.

    Pos Driver Car Best Time Gap Laps
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:30.904 1m30.904s 10
    2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:30.967 +0.063 18
    3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:31.488 +0.584 6
    4 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:31.561 +0.657 7
    5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:32.049 +1.145 10
    6 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:32.736 +1.832 15
    7 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:32.754 +1.850 11
    8 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:32.795 +1.894 14
    9 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:32.833 +1.929 13
    10 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:32.889 +1.985 10
    11 Esteban Gutierrez Haas 1:32.895 +1.991 12
    12 Jenson Button McLaren 1:33.042 +2.138 11
    13 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:33.344 +2.440 13
    14 Sergio Perez Force India 1:33.361 +2.457 13
    15 Felipe Massa Williams 1:33.340 +2.536 14
    16 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:33.538 +2.634 10
    17 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:33.710 +2.806 10
    18 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:33.769 +2.865 13
    19 Kevin Magnussen Renault 1:34.049 +3.145 10
    20 Rio Haryanto Manor 1:34.471 +3.567 14
    21 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:34.551 +3.647 7
    22 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:34.658 +3.754 11
  • 2016 Formula 1 British Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference

    2016 Formula 1 British Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference

    DRIVERS – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), Jenson BUTTON (McLaren), Jolyon PALMER (Renault), Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams), Romain GROSJEAN (Haas), Pascal WEHRLEIN (Manor)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Jenson, let’s start with you, 2009 Formula One World Champion? A positive result in Austria showed clear improvement in car pace. Was that circuit and tyre-specific or do you expect that to roll out this weekend and the weekends to come in the best few weeks?

    Jenson BUTTON: First of all, good afternoon. I would say it was weather-dependent rather than tyres. I think the conditions helped us quite a lot. In the wet we were pretty quick and in the drying conditions we made the best of it. Put it P5, and obviously got lifted up to P3 and was running P2 for a bit of the race but were quickly put into our place. But considering that, I don’t think P6 was too bad. The three teams in front of us were a massive amount quicker than us but to beat the cars that we did, we did alright. Coming here I don’t expect to be qualifying fifth, unless we get some really good British weather and have a good downpour, which I’m hoping for, because then I think we do have more of an opportunity. Yeah, we’ll see. Then race is going to be reasonably tricky for us here. The car is very good in low-speed corners. High-speed corners we don’t really know. We do have some upgrades, aero-wise, engine-wise, so it’s moving forward. It’s just never as a quick as you hope is it. But the guys are doing a very good job of bringing something to every race and on the power side it should be a positive step.

    That’s performance, but in nine races McLaren has only managed to get both cars to the finish on three occasions. Is that because you are pushing it so hard in development or is reliability a bit of a concern?
    JB: I don’t think so. If you look at a lot of teams, cars aren’t finishing and yeah, so I don’t think that is an issue. I would rather be pushing things to the limit and getting better results and possibly having some reliability issues. We’re not fighting for a world championship this year, far from it, so it’s important for is to try to maximise what we have, enjoy the weekend and get the best out of what we have on the weekend and I think they are doing a good job of balancing that.

    Thank you. Romain, turning to you, you were back in the points in Austria, your fourth time this year scoring points, the first time since Russia. It was based on a long stint on the tyres. Were you encouraged by what you achieved in Austria?
    Romain GROSJEAN: Yeah, I thin Austria was a good weekend for us. I think qualifying could have been a bit better but then the car felt great for the long run on tyres. We understood a bit better how to use them, so hopefully we can transform that and keep it going here in Silverstone. Then in the race the car felt good. We managed to get the one-stop strategy that we planned working. It’s a shame we didn’t have enough speed to just overtake the McLaren but generally very happy with the result.

    It’s only the first season for the team but performance seems to have fluctuated all season. Do you feel you now understand the strengths and weaknesses of this car, enough to establish a good baseline for next year’s car, for example?
    RG: I think we started very well and then we had some issues, very different every time, that didn’t allow us to score points. I think Baku and Canada we did have the chance to score points but once we had debris in the radiator and the other time we lost the front wing. That cost us a shot at good results. I think we could have been a bit more consistent but it’s a brand new team, first year and things like that you expect that to happen. Hopefully now things are a bit more settled and we can try to score points as much as possible.

    Pascal, turning to you, your first Formula One points last time and the first for Manor under that name as well. It was based on getting the tyres into the right operating window, which has been a bit of a struggle for you and the team this year. Do you think you have learned the magic formula now?
    Pascal WEHRLEIN: I don’t think so. I think the new surface in Austria helped us a lot. It was quicker and so we put more energy into the tyres and it helped us a lot. We were in the working window for qualifying and for the race and we could extend the run in the race. In qualifying, on the first lap the tyres were there and I could do a very good lap with P12 in Q2 and that’s it.

    You’re coming from a track that you knew very well from your previous racing experience to one here at Silverstone that you have never raced on I believe. What are you looking forward to about Silverstone, what’s exciting you?
    PW: I think there are many nice corners, like… I don’t really know the names, but it’s Copse of Hops…

    RG: Maggotts, Becketts, Chapel…

    PW: A bit strange names but still the corners are really nice, really high-speed corners. I like that challenge, basically. With the Manor car it won’t be easy because we are struggling a bit with downforce. In general, I am really looking forward to drive this track tomorrow. I’m always looking forward to new tracks.

    Thanks. Turning to Valtteri Bottas, a podium finisher here a couple of years ago. Of course you know all the corners, you’ve been through them many times in the past, one of your favourite tracks I believe. It’s been a good track for Williams over the past couple of years. This year do you arrive here feeling optimistic you’ll be able to compete on that same level again, because at other circuits this year it seems to have been a bit more of a struggle for you?
    Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, definitely. It’s really cool to be in Silverstone, one of my favourite tracks. It’s a home grand prix for Williams so it’s always great. There is a very special atmosphere racing around these high-speed corners. Of course we have high expectations, but we will need to wait and see how the practice goes, because there have been some circuits where it’s been very close… I mean, just a few races ago we had high expectations but we couldn’t execute that. We just need to do everything we can in the practice, find a good set-up with the car and try to get the tyres to work perfectly. That’s been the main issue in Baku and Austria. So yeah, just waiting for quali and race and hopefully we can be high up there.

    Now, I think that I’m right in saying that you’ve had the opportunity to drive some of the great Williams F1 cars from the past around Silverstone in your time in with the team. Tell us about how that felt, any highlights, what the experience was like?
    VB: Yeah, I’ve driven Keke Rosberg’s wining car from ’82 and Damon Hill’s car from the ‘90s. Yeah, it’s been really cool trying out those cars on the same track that I’m driving in nowadays Formula One. Of course they are very different. Completely different behaviour. The technology has gone so much forward nowadays. But I have to say that with the cars we have now it’s a real enjoyment driving here in these corners, so I wouldn’t change that.

    Turning to Jolyon, first British Grand Prix as a Formula One driver. Some 135,000 people are expected here on race day. Everything has built up to this I guess, so what does this weekend mean to you?
    Jolyon PALMER: Well, it’s huge. My first British Grand Prix, a race I’ve been looking forward to since the start of the year really. So a track I know really, really well, I’ve been racing here for a long time. And I love the track as well. The layout is awesome, lot of fast corners. You need a lot of commitment but I really enjoy it. And then the crowd, which is every year fantastic here. Been coming here myself for many years and now to be racing Formula One here is going to be pretty special. So I’m looking forward to it.,

    Now you out-raced Magnussen in Austria, but you haven’t managed to get into Q2 for a while, in fact I think it’s the first race of the season. So is qualifying the clear for you at the moment?
    JP: Yeah, 100% really. For us we have been quite close – Montreal I was only 15,000ths off Romain to get to Q2. It was really close. Austria as well we were OK but then we had a red flag and we struggled to get the last set of tyres on. I think we’re not far away and hopefully this weekend we can find the last bit. I think the track should suit us more than the last few. And then once you’re in Q2, you’re starting a few places higher, you’ve got the pace to start a few places higher and you have more chance of scoring points. I mean they are the two aims: to get into Q2 and then score some points.

    Turning to Lewis, defending world champion of course, a three-time British Grand Prix winner. Just mention to Jolyon there, 135,000 people expected here on race day, so a lot of expectation, but lets’ talk about the championship. Twelve races to go, 11 points behind your team-mate, nearest rival challenger is 50 behind. Do you see this now as a two-horse race and how excited are you about it?
    Lewis HAMILTON: I don’t think it’s a two-horse race. I should take a page out of your book [Jenson], good afternoon everyone. No, I mean, it’s the same as it’s been since the beginning. It’s still a fight. I think Ferrari are still there. Sebastian has had a couple of unfortunate races but they are still a force to be aware of. Every time I look up the cameras go… watch this!

    JB: We need some silent shutters, can we do that?

    LH: We do, we do. It’s definitely a nicer position to be in. I’ve definitely seen worse days and worse times, obviously I was 43 points behind at one point. It’s still behind but it’s not impossible to come back.

    Mercedes bosses met with you and Nico and the team’s issued a statement in the last couple of hours saying “in the last five races there have been three incidents that have cost us over 50 points in the championship. We have therefore strengthened our rules of engagement to include much greater deterrents to contact between the cars. With these in place we will our drivers to manage the situation. Their destiny is in their own hands.” Now clearly, last time out in Austria, the stewards found that the collision was your team-mate’s fault but what’s your comment on the statement today and how will it affect the battle going forward?
    LH: In all honesty, I think our destiny has always been in our hands, so it doesn’t realty change anything. We are still able to race, no team rules or team orders or whatever it’s called, which I think is great for the fans, so I think everyone should be excited.

    And you’re both completely clear on what it all means and what these “much greater deterrents” are?
    LH: Yeah.

    Are they scary deterrents?
    LH: I should say yes.

    You should?
    LH: I guess I should say yes.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FOOR

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Speedsport Magazine) Two questions for Valtteri. Has the team discovered what went wrong in the last race and going into the second half of the season is Red Bull still a target or are you looking over your shoulder at Force India?
    VB: First of all with Austria, it was a really disappointing race for us. Like Pascal and Jenson said they could really use the conditions to their benefit with the tyres and the temperature and the new asphalt but for us it was completely the opposite, so we really struggled massively. I think there are multiple factors. I’m still yet today to have a better look with the engineers about it. I can say we don’t 100% understand our performance yet. We have some kind of ideas but we are still analysing everything. But the good thing is at least we now to a more normal type of tarmac, not new at least, so hopefully it works out better. With the Red Bull, definitely they are strong and they are getting stronger all the time. But we also have some updates lined up. I am trying out the new front wing that Felipe tried out in Austria. I think we both have and also some other updates lined up for the next few races. With that in mind then if we can get better results than Austria and if we start to understand things better and really use those tracks that are good for us, getting string points for our cars, then it is still possible. I think it is a good target for us to try to put pressure on them, try to beat them in the races and if we can’t make it then at least we should finish ahead of Force India.

    Q: (Sean McGreevy – CSMA) Question for Lewis, you, Jim Clark and Nigel Mansell have all won three races, British Grands Prix at this circuit. If you win on Sunday you’ll be the most successful British driver at Silverstone. Have you thought about that and what would it mean to you if you won?
    LH: Is that true? Nigel has four. [one at Brands Hatch] Ah, I see. No pressure then! I didn’t know that. Ask me if I get there. It doesn’t change anything into the weekend. As Jenson said, it’s a great thing to be able to arrive here and have the incredible support we have. We’ve definitely got the best following of fans here and the Brits turn out regardless of what the weather is, they turn out in their thousands and it’s just a very  proud experience being here and being able to represent all the Brits. I’m still of the mind that… I remember being here when I wasn’t even in Formula One and one day dreaming of driving Formula One, so it’s just crazy to think I’ve had those wins here and I hope that I can continue to, along with the drivers here, raise the flag proudly.

    Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Along the same lines Lewis, as time has gone on, this race has grown bigger and bigger for you and for the British sporting public and I wonder if there is a point where you have to be very disciplined about it not affecting your weekend performance and how you approach the weekend to find that balance between what you normally have to do and this massive audience which you find yourself facing?
    LH: Honestly, I personally draw a lot of energy from the fans. There’s races where you have a few and races where you have a lot. You come to Silverstone and that’s when the energy is in abundance. I just absorb that. Seeing people that have saved up there money to come and spend their money here and put all of their energy towards you getting across the finish line first, that’s… pretty much impossible to describe how amazing that feels. And when there’s so many of them, all drivers will talk about it giving you that extra tenth or two on the weekend and I generally find that is the case. So the more and more there is, hopefully there’s more time in it. Don’t know if that’s the case, I hope so! I’d like to believe so.

    Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC Sport) Has Toto given you any guidelines about how you can race with Nico, side-by-side now? For example, could you do what you did in Suzuka or Austin last year under whatever new guidelines there might be?
    LH: Unfortunately Andrew, everything that’s been said is private and confidential so I’m not allowed to… it’s a good question. We’re still able to race, and obviously in those races the stewards deemed me racing, so we… I… will still race like that.

    Q: (Qasim Abdul – Renaissance Foundation) Lewis, my question is in two parts: how can young people get into Formula One first of all. Because it’s not broadcast as much as other sports. Second, when we spoke to you, you were very interested in “Peace”, and right now with all the media that’s going on, how can we spread peace [unclear] Would you like to come with us to the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway?
    LH: That sounds pretty cool. I’ve never been invited. Is it a good gig?
    It’s in Oslo, so it’s really cold, but good…
    LH: Maybe we should chat about that off-line. I’m always up for good events. Peace. For us as a team, fortunately we have people higher-up and obviously we’re adults so we, with our bosses, we work very hard, or they work very hard to try and dilute whatever tensions there are between all the people in the team. Whilst it’s not the easiest thing to come across, it’s something that I think, as men and women, we are able to reach an agreement at that point. So, while at one specific moment you might be angry, there’s always peace on the horizon. The first one, it’s really hard. It’s not like the other sports, like football, tennis, basketball. Not taking away from how hard it is to get into those sports but growing up I could go and buy a basketball and play in my driveway. You could play at school, you could play anywhere you want. Go-karts, you have to go and find a kart track, you can hire a kart but it’s expensive. It’s very expensive, and that’s the issue. But there are people, like Carolyn Hoy who does the karting championship in the UK, who really try to make it manageable for all families. Ultimately there’s going to be a wealthier and those families that have less money – but I think Jenson and I, from what I know of Jenson’s background, we both didn’t have money but we both got here which shows it is possible. There is always a way. Where there’s a will there’s a way and our parents somehow found that way. Jenson’s Dad worked so hard – he even did my engines, at a decent rate as well! He didn’t overcharge us! Our job is really to encourage kids. And it’s not just for motor racing. It really is for whatever it is that they’re into. I guess this is a platform for us to real inspire people in whatever genre or sport or form of work or whatever ambition they have, to fight for it and not give up, even though times do get low. I think the races we have that are good and the races that are bad, hopefully through those experiences we show that.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) Lewis, if you were a team principal – let’s suppose – in the circumstances you are facing now with Nico, what would be your reaction? You would let free completely? You would give some orientation? Because you also would answer to the president of the company, for example.
    LH: Me personally, I think I’d be in a better position because I’m a racing driver, so I know what you would do, and what I would do on a race track and what I would not. Our great engineers and generally individuals who don’t race, it’s difficult to understand the decisions we take when we’re racing at 200mph. So I think I’d be in a better position – but I’m not going to tell you what I would or would not do. I would want them to race, that’s for sure, and I wouldn’t bring in team orders ‘cos racing is why I’m here and why I’d want to be there: to see the guys race. I’d probably be more understanding that, when you have cars that are racing first and second, there are going to be times, out of 60 races together… I don’t know if it’s five collisions we’ve had, I don’t know how many collisions we’ve had, but it’s a small amount compared to the amount of successful races we’ve had and 1-2s we’ve had. So, that’s me.

    Q: (Sarah Holt – Channel Four) Just a really simple question for the British drivers: what’s your favourite thing about coming home to race here in Britain? Whether it’s on track or something you do off-track like seeing your families or watching TV or something…
    JB: Watching TV or something! That’s the best question. I’m not taking the mickey, it was a very good question. The best thing about the British Grand Prix. We can say that we love the circuit because I think every driver likes Silverstone. It’s flowing, there’s so much history here, whether your car works here or not, you still enjoy the circuit. As a British driver, it has to be the fans. It has to be the support that you get here. I camp here, as a few of the drivers do, and when you drive from the campsite – motorhome site I’ll call it, glamping I think it’s called – you drive in, see the people coming in, see the Union Jacks, and obviously the different team kits. They don’t just come here to support the British drivers, they come here to support whoever they like and whatever team they like. But if you drive past someone with a Renault hat on, and you’re a British driver, he’s still going to cheer for you. And he’s still going to say good luck for the weekend – or a Mercedes hat – because they’re so supportive of Formula One as a whole, not just individuals. Which is what makes this race so special. I think for everyone a race that stands out because of that. Also, after the race we get to go to the stand, where they have the live bands, and standing up there, whether you’ve had a good race or not – and most of mine haven’t been good here – you stand up there and there’s just a sea of people, different flags, people that are British, people that are from all over the world that come to watch this race, the atmosphere’s electric. It’s a very special feeling. Then you head back to the motorhome and have a Bar-B with your mates. It’s old-school. Like the karting days.

    LH: I’m trying to think what it is because you’ve now taking my answer, so I’ll pass it to Jolyon for a second.

    JP: Not getting onto a plane to get to a race is a bonus. Just an hour up the M40 is quite nice. It’s the same as Jenson, it’s the fans, I think. Home support, friends and family that can come up as well but just generally the fans are pretty awesome here.

    LH: He’s covered then all!

    JP: I’m just going broad so you’ve got no more options!

    You mentioned the fans earlier Lewis, but I wonder also racing here, as Jenson said, it’s old-school. Does it basically just bring back a lot of memories. Does it connect you with your childhood and all those races?
    LH: What I love firstly, is landing here the other day, whether it’s going home, seeing family, driving down the countryside where I grew up, seeing friends who I grew up with. I guess just being around something you’re used to. We’ve been to Baku, for example, and it’s all new: you don’t know the streets, you don’t know the restaurants. Here you can go to your usual favourite restaurants, meet up with your friends, it’s an amazing feeling. Last night I caught up with a couple of friends that I grew up with, that I met 21 years ago. It’s that but most importantly, as Jenson said, it’s when we arrive here. It’s the history, it’s knowing that we’re going to be one of only 22 people in the world that get to be here and one of the relatively small amount of British drivers, compared to the amount of people in the world, who get to come here and represent their country. It’s just an amazing feeling when you get on your home turf. I would imagine it’s similar for football fans in their own stadium with their own fans… the majority of fans are there for them. It’s unbelievable. It’s as powerful as, for me, the energy is as powerful as the sea. Like a wave. It’s unreal. It’s so powerful it’s hard to absorb – but you absorb as much as you can. It’s amazing.

    Q: (Angela Bern – SID) Lewis did the reaction of the crowd last Sunday in Spielberg affect you in any way? They were booing during the victory ceremony. Is that something that affects you, that you are thinking about afterwards?
    LH: Fortunately not at all. I don’t know if you saw my Snapchat but I had an amazing time literally… once we got away from the track, leaving, went to a really beautiful place for the last couple of days and had the best two days of the year. And also, someone mentioned to me that potentially that someone… some of the fans didn’t see exactly everything what happened and also a comment from someone that… someone told me that someone said that I had rammed Nico off. I understand that that was the first reaction and whether some of them still feel the same away, it doesn’t really make a big difference. This weekend, the cheers will make those boos so small which is a good thing.

    Q: (Mikolaj Sokol – Rzeczpospolita)  Lewis, when you’re battling on the track, attacking or defending, what’s the balance between rational thinking, preparation and analysis, and just pure racing instinct and reflex? What goes on in your mind in those split seconds when you have to take a decision the track?
    LH: Can you just tell me that again? I’m just struggling to… So when I’m racing for the championship, the balance…
    Q: (Mikolaj Sokol – Rzeczpospolita)  No, when you’re battling on the track, attacking or defending against any other driver, what’s the proportion between thinking, analysing and preparation, when it comes to every move on the track, and pure racing instinct in those split second decision?
    LH: Well, the more of every single one of those, the more instinct, the more preparation and the more… yeah, you want to have it all. Some of us drivers have more instinct, some of us drivers have better preparation, but we’re all working on our skills throughout the years to be the best at overtaking and analysing manoeuvres, so when I’m trying to make a manoeuvre, for sure it’s analysing the weaknesses of the car ahead, analysing your strengths and then planning and executing and in executing it takes a lot of instinct to know… you know, when you go for a manoeuvre, you basically have a calculation, a percentage of your chance of overtaking. Sometimes it’s 100 percent, sometimes it’s less but as racing  drivers, we even go for the small percentages and that’s what makes us racing drivers and if we don’t then we’re not racing.
    Q: Any others? Valtteri, does it come from experience, how much of it is experience, how much of it is instinct?
    VB: I think it is both really and of course it depends completely on the situation. Sometimes you don’t have time to plan things, if something comes in front of you in the race and you suddenly need to go with your instinct rather than planning. But it is funny, sometimes, when you’re really at your best, really focused and sometimes it feels like there’s plenty of time to think about the situation, what to do and how to make the move and then if you see it in the replay for example, it just looks really quick, completely depends on the situation.
    Q: How about you, Romain, because you had to consider how much risk was appropriate? You went through that process and it made you a better driver.
    RG: I knew that would come to me! I messed up a few times. I think the start, for example, is instinct because you cannot prepare for what’s going to happen in front of you and you cannot think ‘well  these guys are going to turn right and they’re going to go left  and so on’. It’s all at the minute and that’s where you really need to take the right decision and aim for the right objective. And then during the race, there are other times as Valtteri says where you can take your time and you can actually follow another guy for a few laps and for a while and then you know that you’re much faster and I can actually go for it and it feels more natural but it’s well prepared. Another case where a car just comes out of the pits in front of you and in the instinct and decides to go right/left.

    Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Romain, arguably last year you had a pick of where you could go. You could have stayed – if the rumours and the gossips are to be believed – you could have stayed at Lotus. You could have gone to other teams but you chose Haas. Nine races into the new season with a new team, what are your thoughts? Are you happy you’ve made that decision? What do you want to do next year and also tell us a bit about NASCAR.
    RG: Well, I’ll tell you one thing. On the 9th of September last year, I made my decision and I didn’t regret it from there. I like to think before, but when I stick to one plan then I don’t like to regret. I think I’m living a very nice experience in a very good team, very proud to be driving for the US, for a US team. Very proud to have scored a first time ever in Formula One, the first points for Haas so all of that together, it’s a very nice experience and I don’t regret one thing that I’m doing and the more we go, the more we learn, the more the people I work with are really following the same trend so that’s great.
    NASCAR, when I was sitting on my sofa watching the Sonoma race, I wished I was there. It looks good fun, I liked the last lap with Tony Stewart winning the race and pushing Martin Truex a little bit wide but it was great fun. I do need to get a few laps, a few days in the car, do some laps, get some good sensation and then I will come to do a race.

    Q: (Ralf Bach – Autobild Motorsport) Lewis, if in future you will get some team orders – you or Nico, you will get some team orders – would you follow them or would you react as angry, two years ago when your team told you to let Nico past but you didn’t?
    LH: Oooh, buddy, you’re feeling in a certain way, hunh? Hey, you’ve just got to let it go buddy, that was a couple of years ago. I would, that’s my job, that’s what I get paid to do. That’s what we agreed today, that’s what’s in our agreement. If you go back to 2014 and if you listen to the manuscript, you understand I didn’t say no. I just said I won’t get in the way. He didn’t get close so…

    Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Just going to back to instinct versus experience, Valtteri I’m just wondering: turn one at Bahrain with Lewis? Was that instinct or was that experience, maybe get some Lewis input here?
    VB: It was both, I think 50-50. For sure coming into the corner I remember seeing a gap there, I was sure I could get inside and try and keep my position. Not sure Lewis maybe saw me and I was also sliding at the same time, slightly drifting off the apex, not a lot but… Yeah. I don’t know how Lewis saw it. I would say that was a 50-50 situation.
    LH: I can tell you, I didn’t see it, I just felt it. I don’t know, it was a racing incident.

    Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Lewis, speaking about you being a team boss. Seeing what Nico did last week, would you understand it as a racing driver?
    LH: Didn’t I just answer that question? I’m pretty sure that I did say that if I was a team boss I would be in a better position to understand the situation because I have driven and know what I would do in that situation. I do believe so. I’m pretty sure I said that before.
    Q: Would you accept from Nico’s point of view, would you be more understanding of Nico’s point of view?
    LH: Any more than I am now? I don’t really understand it, more accepting than what?
    Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) As you are a racing driver, seeing it as a racing driver, would you understand what he did?
    LH: Well, I understand it now and I would understand it then. It doesn’t mean it’s right or wrong. I would have to take an opinion, I would have an opinion whether it was right or wrong but I would understand it just as I do now.

    Q: (Casseem Campbell – Renaissance Foundation) On a more positive note…
    LH: It’s all about positive energy, yeah.
    Q: (Casseem Campbell – Renaissance Foundation) To Lewis and Jenson. I’m a big believer in the mental part of any sport as I’m a tennis player as well. Well, not a tennis player, I play tennis. I wanted to know, in terms of Formula One specifically, what are the main nuance qualities you feel that a Formula One driver has to have to be successful?
    LH: Good question. I think… is that for all of us?
    Q: To you and Jenson.
    LH: Go first.
    JB: You’ve started mate, go for it.
    LH: Ah s***. I think it’s very similar to other sports. I watch other sports like tennis and I’m amazed  when – and I always refer to Federer as one of my favourite players – when a player’s up and I understand the positive mental space you’re in when you’re up and then when you make a mistake, how you don’t drop it all or lose it all, how they come back from a couple of sets down, for example and those kind of things. You take a lot of energy, I think I try to take a lot from that because for us it’s kind of similar, you know? We have our ups and downs, you have your good days and your bad days but as a racing driver, for us it’s a long long season, it is about focus, it’s about… the training helps massively. You go out for a run, it helps you really… you have a lot to think about. I think for every single person it’s different but for me, if I go and work out whatever it is, it helps me stay focused. It is about keeping the eye on the prize, it’s about learning through every single experience, whether good or bad. Hopefully you have more… hopefully you learn more through the bad times because that’s how you grow. You learn less in the good times I would say. But if you understand to learn and enjoy from the bad times, then you appreciate the better times. I don’t know if that’s really… I don’t think I’m answering it, I’m leaving you space to answer it. The nuances in the performance…
    JB: I think Formula One is a sport but it’s not as physical as most sports so it has to be mental. A lot of it is about feeling but mentally to have to be in the right place, you really do. Off the back of a good race, you have so much more confidence coming into the weekend. I think we’ve all been through tough times  in our careers and some people, they fall into the tough times and never come out again, and you see that with racing drivers which is a shame because you know the raw talent is there. So it’s not just about being strong enough as an individual because you can only learn that with time and it can be too late by the time you’ve learned that, you are already cast aside for another driver. So you need good people around you to support you, family and obviously close friends but also the people you work with. Formula One is a massive team sport and it’s not just about people doing their job correctly, building the front wing or designing the rear wing or what have you. It’s about making sure that you are in the right frame of mind and everyone working together and making sure there’s a positive attitude, because it’s not just the drivers that have difficult days, it’s the mechanics as well and the engineers who have a bad day if they make the wrong call. They’re told they’ve made the wrong call and it hurts, mentally, a lot. And it’s about you all pulling together in those difficult times and making the difference. It’s a massive mental game, Formula One, and a lot of people don’t realise that.
    LH: Ultimately down to the positive mental attitude. I think that’s the key, as Jenson said