Tag: daniel ricciardo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

November 21, 2018
F1 2018: Brazil Gp Review – Verstappen Clash Gifts Hamilton Win

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

November 12, 2018
F1 2018: Brazil Gp Preview – Title Battle Still On

More often than not the crowing of an F1 drivers’ champion takes the sting out of the remaining races of that season. But there is no such thing as a dead rubber in Formula 1 and it is certainly not the case in 2018 as Mercedes and Ferrari are still embroiled in a battle for the constructor’s championship title.

While most of the attention is often paid to the drivers’ title the constructor’s championship trophy is as coveted. Lest we forget, the two cars that pound around circuit after circuit around the globe are only able to do so because of the incredible effort of hundreds of people both at the factories and trackside. And then there is the marketing capitol that goes along with being able to emblazon all promotional material with the champion epithet.

The fight for the sought-after prize sees Mercedes in the lead by 55 points over Ferrari. With a maximum of 86 points still available in the final two races of the season there is every chance that Ferrari could still walk away with at least one championship trophy from 2018. And there are several reasons to suggest why they may just do it too. Generally, as evidenced in the last few seasons, Lewis Hamilton’s form seems to dip slightly after winning a title, which could be something for Ferrari to pounce on. What’s more, Valtteri Bottas will no longer be in Hamilton-wingman-mode which could, potentially, prevent Mercedes from executing the perfect strategy by focusing on only one car.

Another detail to add to the mix is the fact that Hamilton has never been a particularly special performer around Brazil’s Autodromo Carlos Pace, which hosts the penultimate race of the season this weekend. Though Hamilton claimed his first championship title here in 2008 in astonishingly dramatic fashion the Brit has never truly bossed this track.

What’s more, since Ferrari finally figured out where it went wrong with their upgrade package their pace has returned. A win at the US grand prix and a double podium in Mexico is proof of that. While Kimi Raikkonen, off to Sauber for 2019, has racked up eleven podium finishes in nineteen races, it is Sebastian Vettel who should want to atone for the mistakes that he’s made this season. There is no better way to do this than to deliver the constructor’s trophy to Maranello. With the weather forecast predicted to be sunny on race, at least for now, Ferrari has every opportunity to put one over Mercedes who has been struggling with tyre wear in warmer conditions.

There could hardly be a better backdrop for this battle that Brazil’s iconic circuit at Interlagos. The lap may be a relatively short one but it has hardly ever been short on delivering dramatic and enthralling races. And it has been the sight of many a championship triumph. This is Ferrari’s chance, which has already let one title slip through their fingers, to stand up and show what they are made of. Or will they once again trip over their own feet?

November 9, 2018
F1 2018: Mexican Gp Review – Verstappen Mighty in Mexico

The 2018 Mexican grand prix hasn’t been the most dramatic race of the season but it was certainly an unusual one. For Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari the equation was quite simple as nothing other than victory could stop Lewis Hamilton from clinching the driver’s championship.

Victory however was nearly always out of the question as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, dominant for most of the weekend, jumped into the lead of the race and never looked back. Though it was Daniel Ricciardo who started from pole the other Verstappen and Hamilton overtook the Red Bull driver before they reached turn one.

It was fairly easy for Verstappen to clear off in the lead of the race and replicate his performance from 2017. Behind him Hamilton, Ricciardo, and Vettel were engaged in a close scrap for most of the race. Hamilton, with a Merc shredding its tyres, would eventually be out of the equation and off the podium but still in position to win the title. Though Vettel turned a much quicker pace on the Supersoft tyre in the second stint of the race Verstappen was already too far up the road. He was on the verge of taking second place of Ricciardo but the Aussie driver suffered a suspected engine failure on lap 62 bringing his number of retirements for the season to eight.

Further adrift Kimi Raikkonen came home in third for Ferrari while Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were fourth and fifth. It was a peculiar day in terms of performance for Mercedes who struggled significantly with tyre-wear throughout the race. Such was their lack of pace that Hamilton finished nearly eighty-seconds behind Verstappen while Bottas was lapped by the race leader.

It was a good day for Renault with Nico Hulkenberg in sixth ahead of Sauber’s Charles Leclerc in seventh. While Fernando Alonso retired early on after hitting debris on lap one McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne finished eighth while Marcus Ericsson and Pierre Gasly completed the top ten. Unfortunately, the fervent crowd support for their local driver Sergio Perez wasn’t enough as the Mexican driver failed to reach the chequered flag.

Other than a few anxious moments towards the end of the race, given Ricciardo’s suspected engine failure, Verstappen delivered a flawless drive to claim the fifth win of his career. The amazing fact is that at age 21 Max Verstappen has not yet reached his full potential. It’s an exciting thought then that even from dominant performances, like in Mexico, Verstappen could and probably will only get better with time.

As much praise as Verstappen deserves for his performance the limelight too belong to Lewis Hamilton. It doesn’t feel all that long ago that a rookie British driver scythed around of Fernando Alonso into turn one at the start of the Australian grand prix in 2007. There would likely have been more than a few who would’ve predicted that Hamilton would become world champion but few would’ve imagined a tally of five world titles.

The inevitable question is where Hamilton ranks in the list of the all-time greatest Formula 1 drivers. But how do you quantify greatness? Some would cite race wins or number of titles as the determining factor. If this is the most logical way of quantifying and calculating greatness then an astonishing five world titles has pushed Lewis Hamilton into the company of Juan-Manuel Fangio and the great Michael Schumacher. And he’s not done yet.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

October 29, 2018
2018 Mexico Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

DRIVERS

1 – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

2 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)

3 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

TRACK INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by David Coulthard)

Q: Daniel, where did that come from? You left that right until the last minute. We didn’t know you had that pace. Where did you find that lap?

Daniel RICCIARDO: I knew it was there somewhere. We hadn’t had the cleanest run through practice and I just knew putting the laps together would be crucial, as always, but I knew the pace was in the car, Max showed that all weekend from start to finish, so I just knew it was putting together a clean lap at the end. I still wasn’t convinced, it wasn’t the cleanest, but yeah, once I heard I got pole… I gotta relax a little, I’m tripping major nutsack right now.

Q: Well, you’ve shown that you’re not just a Monte Carlo specialist. It’s your first pole at a circuit other than that, so great emotion?

DR: Yeah, that one makes it special as well. Obviously Monaco is the only place I’ve ever done this, so to do it here… I believe it was super close with Max, I heard a few hundredths or thousandths so a big shout to the team, it’s a one-two. I don’t know the last time Red Bull got a one-two in qualifying, so it’s pretty cool.

Q: Well, it’s the first time in the hybrid turbo era you’ve had a one-two, so congratulations on being part of that and good luck tomorrow. Max, I know you’re going to be disappointed with that. You’ve been the fastest man all the way through the various practice sessions and in the end Daniel pulled the lap, so tell us about that final lap for you? Where did it slip away?

Max VERSTAPPEN: The whole qualifying was crap. Again, the same problems as FP2. Engine braking not like I want to, just rear-locking the car. We tried to make the best of it. I thought it was going to be enough with the problems we had but it’s still good to be second, so we’ll see tomorrow.

Q: Well, we can feel your disappointment. You’re clearly not happy with the way everything is operating. Can you fix those problems for tomorrow?

MV: I’m not sure, but I’ll drive around them.

Q: OK Max, sorry you didn’t quite manage to get your pole. Lewis, you look a happy man. It’s not pole position but your main competitor in the championship is a bit further down. Third the best you had in the car today, or were there other tweaks that would have allowed you to take it to the Red Bulls?

Lewis HAMILTON: No, really, really happy with it. Honestly, we had a difficult day yesterday and it was a big improvement today. Honestly, yesterday we were much, much further back, so I wasn’t expecting to be up as high as we got, but the team did a great job last night in analysing and moving forwards today. That’s as good as I could get, but I’m really happy for Daniel, he’s done a great job, so congratulations to him and yeah of course, being behind the Red Bulls is not a bad thing.

Q: For the start, it’s a long run to that first corner, you’ve got motivate Bulls in front of you and you’ve got a championship to win, so are you going to be taking a slightly more cautious approach to the start of this grand prix?

LH: Well, you saw what happened last year, with the red car behind. I don’t know, I think it really depends how we get away. But third place is a nice place to start, you get a good tow from the guys up ahead, so naturally I’ll be fighting to try to gain a position but of course I’ll be aware of the Bulls ahead.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Daniel, it’s been a while since you last won in Monaco, describe your emotions right now?

DR: I’m holding a lot in. I let a bit out once I heard I get pole. But yeah, I held a lot in, I’ve got to save some energy for tomorrow. But just super happy. It’s been a while since pole. It’s been a while since we had a pretty good weekend in general and we’ve been quick all weekend, from the start. And from the team’s point of view to get a one-two in qualifying is awesome. Obviously we have to finish the job tomorrow, but to confirm that pace in qualifying is really good. Obviously Max led the way through the practices. I knew there was a bit more in it and we just squeezed it out at the very end. It was a good fight. Just happy. Happy to put together a good run.

Q: Were you surprised by your pace in that final run?

DR: I don’t know if I would say surprised. I knew the pace was there it was just a matter of putting it together. To be honest, the first sector wasn’t that good, so I was surprised to have probably got the pole after that, but I saw the second and third sector were strong and that’s where I made the difference. But I wasn’t convinced after the first sector that I was on for pole, put it that way. I knew the previous lap wasn’t particularly clean and I was able to get a bit more out of it. It was fun, it was very close, but it felt good. Qualifying can be exciting sometimes and today it proved that.

Q: Definitely exciting. Well done Daniel. Max, we’ve just heard that Daniel’s first sector on that last run wasn’t what he thought was brilliant. Just talk us through your final run in Q3, because you were on pole after the first runs?

MV: It was just not good. I was struggling the whole qualifying, with the same problems I had in FP2, when I had a lot of rear locking, on the down-shifting and when I come off throttle. Somehow the behaviour was not correct. So we couldn’t do anything throughout qualifying, so I just had to lock a lot of tools, go forward on the brake balance to try and stabilise the whole car. It’s not how you want to do qualifying, normally you go more aggressive and be more aggressive on all the tools. That’s it.

Q: How will those issues affect your race pace tomorrow?

MV: We’ll find out. At the moment I don’t know.

Q: Lewis, you said it was a difficult day for you and the team yesterday – so, thoughts after that?

LH: This is a great day for us. Considering how bad yesterday was for us, and so I really want to say a big thank you to everyone who’s back at the factory who’ve been working hard overnight and also the guys here, to rectify the issues we’ve had and get the car back into a sweeter spot. Congratulations to Daniel. These guys were just too quick. They were in a league of their own in general up until qualifying and even in qualifying. If you look at his middle sector, there was no way I could get that. To be as close as I am, I’m really quite happy with that, and to be on third, it’s not a bad start.

Q: Do you think you’ve got the pace to be able to beat them tomorrow?

LH: I don’t think so. I think these guys do generally have the better pace. On tracks like this, for whatever reason, I guess the Renault engines working really well but more so the higher downforce level that they usually are able to achieve is definitely helping for sure. But I guess the race pace was not so bad yesterday but those guys again were in their own league in that section. We have improved the car so I’m hoping tomorrow we can still give it a fight and if we’re able to gain any ground at the beginning, then game on!

Q: Big day potentially for you tomorrow Lewis, are you looking forward to it?

LH: Yeah. Obviously last year we didn’t have a great race, and I’m hoping for a better race tomorrow. It’s a great place to be and a great place to race – even though overtaking’s probably not going to be really particularly possible – but we’re on a similar strategy so it’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Question for the two Red Bull drivers. Daniel, you mentioned that the first sector wasn’t that good. How good were the second and third sectors? How good did the rest of that lap feel? And Max, you mentioned the problem that you had. Given that you had that problem through qualifying and before, did you feel vulnerable going into the final runs and was there anything else on that final lap that meant you didn’t improve.

DR: I think it’s hard to know around here. Even though we’ve got a hypersoft, it’s still quite a slick surface, so it never really feels like you’ve got a massive amount of grip, I think in general, so it’s actually hard to know really how good it feels or quick that sector is. I could just tell relative to my previous lap time, you have the live running lap times. I knew the fast stuff, kind of from Turn Seven to 11, I knew I… I felt like I nailed that, so that gave me a good impression that that part, I didn’t think I could get much more there – but the last sector, it’s so hard to tell. Particularly the hairpin, Turn 13, it’s… you feel you… to keep it tight, you feel like you go in too slow, so you’re like ‘ah, I could have gone in deeper’ – but then when you go in deeper you kinda lose on the exit. I knew it was a cleaner lap than my previous, put it that way. So, I knew I was putting myself in with a shot but I really wasn’t sure if it was good enough.

MV: Let’s say it like this, I was still surprised that I was first in Q3, because I didn’t feel good at all. Like I said before, it’s really difficult to anticipate those things. I was driving around the issues – but in qualifying, that’s not what you want.

Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-magazin.com) Question for the two Red Bull drivers. Usually, qualifying isn’t your strength. Race pace, you don’t have the disadvantage of the engine modes and you’re usually much better on the tyre wear than the other cars. Is there anything that can stop you? And do you expect a race just between both of you – and are there any special rules for that?

DR: I think it’s probably too early to say it’s just going to be a race between each other – as nice as that would be. You never know on Sunday. It’s a long run down as well to Turn One, and even in general, once you get going, tyre wear’s been pretty significant here this weekend. So, I think if you are a quicker car, I think you can still overtake. Hopefully we are the quicker car all day. So yeah, I would say we’re in a good position, for sure, but we’ll keep it chilled for now and just do what we’ve got to do tomorrow.

MV: Yeah, we’re in a good position.

Q: (Francisco Alcalà – Global Com Group) Question for Lewis. Considering the position you’re start and Seb is starting fourth, does it cross your mind to play it safe at the beginning of the race?

LH: Not really. Everyone’s going to be barrelling into Turn One to gain, so it’s a very, very fine line. If you go easy, you can get hit. If you go too aggressive, you can hit or still get hit. You’ve got to race it like normal and go in for the win. That’s what I’m going to be doing. I mean, that’s what we’re here to do, is to race.

Q: (Pedro Torre – Top Class Magazine) Being in Mexico City at high altitude, how do you feel your performance will be tomorrow, the physical performance including the height and the possibility of rain tomorrow?

LH: Well, rain is a great thing, even though that means they will still be very quick because they’ve got a little bit more downforce but that will maybe make it a little bit more exciting. Physically? It’s not a problem, it’s not a track where you have a lot of G-force, for example. There is just the braking zones but it’s not a particularly fast track. There’s not a lot of fast corners. That whole middle sector is so slow: turn one, two, three is super slow. Four, five, six and then seven, eight, nine is physically very very easy but it is a long race and staying focused, not making mistakes, is still key so it’s not easy but I don’t see anybody going to be struggling physically because we train to quite a high level.

DR: I agree. I think it’s such a long straight, even if it was physical, you’ve got so long to recover each lap. For whatever reason, as Lewis says, it’s just a lot of slow corners which normally for us in F1, the high speed stuff is what fatigues you, when you’ve got high Gs and constant corner after corner. Even though a little part of that middle sector is fast, for whatever reason it doesn’t feel like we’re under much load, I guess, because there’s just a general low level of grip here with the altitude. But sleeping you feel it, going to bed, you feel breathing is bit heavier. I’m just making it up! You’re looking at me funny! I’m just trying to add something for your story.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Lewis, you mentioned it’s a great day for you guys after the turnaround. How much changed on your car, how different was the car today and given you’ve avoided having to use the hypersofts for the start tomorrow, how much does that change your chances for the race?

LH: Honestly, it’s night and day difference. Yesterday we really were struggling. FP1 was OK but then once we got to FP2 it was not fun to drive, that’s for sure, and there were several different problems on the whole car, mechanical side, aero side, mostly mechanical side and a little bit aero and a little bit on the engine side of things. So big changes and improvements were made overnight and to come back in today and put us in contention all of a sudden – we didn’t think yesterday with that performance that we would be able to qualify on an ultra so that would have been a massive disadvantage for us tomorrow if we had to start on the hyper for example. As soon as we got into qualifying, I knew straight away the way the car’s feeling, I was like, OK we’re in a much stronger position to fight for position. I’m just glad that I was able to do the job, improve on my second run. Qualifying was pretty good for me.

Q: (Alfredo Lopez Ledesma – MomentoGP) Lewis, my question is in 2015 and 2017 there have been problems in turn one. Will you be aggressive tomorrow to be in front of these guys or must you wait?

LH: I’ve just kind of answered that question earlier so… It really depends what position I’m in. If I get a good tow from these guys and there’s an opportunity to overtake I’m going to take it. If there’s not, then I’m going to try and hold position. I’ve been racing a long long time so it’s very rare that I make rash decisions and silly decisions when it comes to those scenarios but I’ve not really given it any thought, to be honest, but I’m hoping to get a good start tomorrow and we’re racing together. I think Daniel did a great job. These guys are going to be quick tomorrow so gaining position would be hopeful but also I don’t mind those guys being where they are because that takes points away from both me and Sebastian so that’s OK.

Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-magazin.com) Daniel, did you experience any similar problems that Max had with rear locking during any part of the weekend?

DR: I don’t think so. To be honest I don’t know the extent but I know, I think yesterday afternoon, Max commented in the briefing after the session but yeah, nothing, I don’t think, to what he felt.

Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS) Daniel and Max, will you be giving Christian Horner a heart attack by fighting like you did in Baku?

DR: No one wants to fight like Baku so hopefully no heart attacks tomorrow. Heart attacks of celebration and joy.

MV: I don’t even think about Baku any more.

DR: All done Baku.

October 28, 2018
F1 2018: USA Gp Review – Masterful Raikkonen Lassos Texas Win

The United States grand prix weekend produced a race for every F1 fan to relish, regardless of where loyalties may lie. There is little doubt that the Circuit of the Americas produced a race that will be long remembered as, so far, the most absorbing and exceptional of the 2018 season.

It didn’t start off that way as torrential rain-washed out Friday’s free practice sessions. This ultimately meant that drivers and teams were in unknown territory as far as tyre degradation was concerned. Instead of terabytes of data team strategists had to rely on the feel and feedback of their respective drivers.

Saturday qualifying went the way of Lewis Hamilton but the top three were covered by less than a tenth of a second. But while Sebastian Vettel qualified a mere 0.060 off Hamilton as a result of speeding under the red flag during Friday’s practice session Vettel was demoted three places on the grid. This promoted Kimi Raikkonen, who was only 0.071 adrift, onto the front row. While Valtteri Bottas shared the second row of the starting grid with Daniel Ricciardo the sister Red Bull of Max Verstappen was all the way down in 18^thafter having broken the rear-suspension in the first session of qualifying.

With Vettel in fifth Hamilton seemed set for victory and a fifth world title. But Raikkonen swooped into the lead and held off the Merc relatively easily. But as Raikkonen seized the lead of the race Vettel, once again, found himself spinning on the first lap after banging wheels with Ricciardo. It dropped the German down to 15^thand seemingly handed the title to Hamilton.

Despite being second to the number 7 Ferrari Hamilton started on the more durable SuperSoft tyre as opposed to Raikkonen who was on the Ultrasoft compound, which should’ve forced the Finn into the pits earlier than the Mercedes driver. However, a virtual safety car (VSC) was deployed to recover the stricken Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo. By this stage Verstappen, true to form, had roared back into contention and ran comfortably in the top six.

Under the VSC Hamilton pitted while Raikkonen carried on. Because of the reduced speed of the cars on track during the VSC Hamilton effectively gained nine second on Raikkonen. At the time it looked as if Ferrari, by not pitting, had handed the advantage to Mercedes on a silver platter. The Ferrari strategists seemed sure that with so much of the race to run Hamilton would need to pit again. It didn’t seem a smart move though as Hamilton closed down Raikkonen by two seconds a lap. But the Finn is by far one of the most experienced and savvy drivers on the grid and was able to hold off Hamilton and cost him a significant amount of time; thereby effectively wiping out the advantage he’d gained with the cheap pitstop under the VSC.It turned out that Ferrari were right as Hamilton dived into the pits for a second stop on lap 38. He rejoined in fourth behind teammate Bottas and Red Bull’s Verstappen while Raikkonen took back the lead of the race. Meanwhile Vettel had recovered to fifth and was closing down Bottas, who ceded position to Hamilton, at a rate of knots.

What followed was, arguably, the best eleven laps of racing that the 2018 season has seen so far. Hamilton needing second to win the title and on significantly fresher tyres demolished the 12-second gap to Verstappen who in turn was never more than 1.5 second behind Raikkonen. But the Brit could go no further once he ran into the Dutch roadblock in the shape of Verstappen. The penultimate lap was the closest Hamilton came to second-place as he went wheel-to-wheel with Verstappen for several corners. But the resolute defending of the Red Bull driver was enough to keep Hamilton in third where he eventually finished.

The Verstappen/Hamilton fight afforded Raikkonen some breathing room as he went on to take the chequered flag in what is undoubtedly a popular win. So spectacular was the race that even Hamilton who started from pole and finished third was clearly chuffed with the day’s racing in the post-race interview. Verstappen too was thrilled with yet another stunning drive through the field to the podium.

Elsewhere, Vettel recovered to fourth while Bottas trundled home in fifth. It was good day for Renault as Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz finished sixth and seventh. Esteban Ocon finished eighth on track but was later, along with Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen, disqualified for exceeding fuel-flow regulations. It meant that Sergio Perez inherited eighth as Brendon Hartley and Marcus Ericsson completed the top ten.

Where has Ferrari sudden resurgence come from? It turns out that the upgrade package, introduced in Singapore, was the catalyst for the team’s downturn in pace over the last three races. It was only after on Friday in Texas that Ferrari reverted to the car they ran in Belgium that the pace re-appeared. It’s a case of too little, too late for the Italian team though as Hamilton needs to outscore Vettel by only five points to win the 2018 title.

This victory for Raikkonen has been a long time coming and it put on display the best of his considerable talents. It’s even more poetic when you consider that on the very same day in 2007 he became world champion. Those who are more than casual viewers of the sport will recognize that at the age of 39 Kimi Raikkonen clearly hasn’t lost any of his skill or speed.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

October 22, 2018
2018 USGP: Thursday Press Conference

DRIVERS – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing), Fernando ALONSO (McLaren), Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), Romain GROSJEAN (Haas)

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Lewis, we’re going to start with you. You’ve been hugely successful here in the past and it looks like they’ve had you busy here as well this week, so just talk us through what you’ve been up to in New York this week?

Lewis HAMILTON: It’s just been the normal promotion stuff. I was there with IWC and with the team at the NASDAQ conference that we had… and then a bunch of other TV stuff I just did.

Q: Well, America seems to be a place you have quite an affinity with, and you’ve won the last four races here, as well as the Drivers’ title in 2015. Does it feel like it’s all coming together again for a repeat this weekend?

LH: Not particularly, no. It just feels like another race weekend we have, and we want to win, so it’s a simple goal for us, we just arrive to try and do the same thing. The weather is up and down and our goal is really just to perform as we have in previous races, we’re not thinking about it in any other way.

Q: Thank you. Fernando, you’ve got a huge following here in America after your Indycar exploits, but how special will this final US race in Formula 1 be for you this weekend?

Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, it’s always special racing here, with all the fans. Hopefully we’ll have a good show on the weekend. As Lewis said, the weather is a bit up and down on Friday and Saturday especially, hopefully that will mix things a little bit and we’ll see a good race on Sunday. In our case I think we different targets, to try to score points after two races out of the points. It’s going to be challenging but we’ll try.

Q: You’ve spent a fair bit of time in America this year. Will you be spending even more time here next year? Can you tell us anything about your 2019 plans?

FA: Yeah, I don’t have 21 races in F1 to travel around to, so with more free time I will come to the States… for a holiday. A little bit more.

Q: How about from a racing perspective?

FA: Let’s see. As I said many times, the Indy 500 is still very attractive, as it was last year, and after winning Le Mans this year, it’s even more attractive to try to achieve it in the short term. Still working on plans for next year and as soon as they are finalised you will know.

Q: Daniel, you also seem to really enjoy it over here. We’ve seen you’ve been at a Longhorns game this weekend. Is this one of your favourite events of the season?

Daniel RICCIARDO: Yeah, it is. I love it. I don’t know, I’ve always enjoyed coming here. The football was a really cool experience. It’s amazing how many people go to a college game, how the capacity is that alone. It’s cool to experience new things and yeah, I’ve had a good week!

Q: Well, this season you’ve had two race victories but no podiums alongside that. Is it realistic to expect you to change that record here this weekend.

DR: Yeah, I think so. I think we’ll have a decent car around here. It’s weird, yeah I know, that I haven’t had any actual podiums. So yeah, we’ll try to make it happen. Last year I was going pretty strong in the race but then we had to stop with some mechanicals. It’s definitely a fun track to race on. I enjoy Austin alone, but the circuit as well is really good for racing. You can overtake and it’s pretty unique, so I’m happy if it’s kind of wet for Friday and Saturday but I kind of feel if the race is dry Sunday it will still be pretty exciting.

Q: Thank you. Romain, we’ve talked about the affinity these guys have with America, but it’s a home race for Haas, and you’ve got just four races left to try to overhaul Renault in the Constructors’ Championship. So us there a lot of pressure on this weekend?

Romain GROSJEAN: I think the pressure is always on, to be fair. Different levels, obviously for the top guys to win the championship, and for us to go and try to get Renault in the Constructors’. It’s a great weekend, it’s going to be very busy, a lot of marketing commitments, but I think it’s a good that we’re here, racing here for an American team and coming this year with a competitive car compared to the first two years us great.

Q: If I could just ask you about your own form. You had a tough start to the season, but then I think you scored 31 points in the last nine races. Just how did you go about turning that around?

RG: Thirty-nine. I got eight stolen in Monza.

DR: He’s not still bitter!

RG: No, I think everything is going great since Germany. It was a rough start to the season and things didn’t go my way. A bit of bad luck and bit of mistakes and all together it makes like a snowball effect. At one point I managed to stop that and come back to where I wanted to be. I’m really enjoying driving the car. I think we’ve had some really good races and I’m looking forward to the four last ones and here especially.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-Magazin.com) Lewis, I know you’re not looking at the championship all the time, but if we would do an overlay from last years championship to this year’s championship it was pretty tight all season but then after the summer break the car and you personally, you really kicked off. Is this just a coincidence or is there anything – that you are understanding the tyres better, the team is understanding the car better? What is your explanation for that?

LH: Yeah, it’s probably just a coincidence that it’s exactly the same but we are improving the car the whole year long. We are improving our knowledge of the car and how to get the most out of it. If we knew what we knew in the second half we would do a lot better at the beginning. That’s just how it is in the sport. That’s how it always is. It’s been the same since I started in 2007. I think it’s probably the same for everyone. Not really much more else to say.

Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, Racefans.net) For all of you, though Fernando I know this doesn’t really affect you for next year. The 2019 regulations state that the drivers weighing under 80 kilos will be ballasted up to 80 kilos, that ballast to be carried within the sort of cockpit area. How do you feel about that? Is that correct or should drivers be allowed to take advantage of their physique, as they can in other sporting activities?

DR: I personally feel that they are just getting us prepared for more races in America.

LH: NASCAR.

DR: All of us will enjoy our food a little more! I’m not complaining about it. It’s not like we’re going to, let’s say, take the piss, it’s more just a lot of us now tend to starve ourselves on race weekends and even training we can’t really do much strength training because we would just put on mass. I think it will just allow us to train harder, eat harder… Eat harder? Eat more. But it’s not like we’re going to have beer bellies or anything, we’re just going to be stronger and I think that’s only a good thing.

LH: I disagree. I think there are going to be some people with bigger bellies.

DR: Well, the small guys can afford to do everything!

Q: Romain, your thoughts on the weight?

RG: I think it’s a great thing. I’ve been the same as… Daniel and Lewis are quite tall. I think it hasn’t been great to starve ourselves and not eat as want to, so a few kilos of margin is going to be great. It will be a challenge for the team, because getting to the minimum weight for the regulation with the 80 kilos for seat and driver together is going to be tricky, but on the other hand it’s going to make our lives an awful lot better.

Lewis, any further thoughts?

LH: I think it’s great. It’s definitely going to open the doors up for people like Will Ferrell and all those who weigh a lot more to come in! It’s always been something we’ve all worked hard to keep in shape and it has been something we’ve worked really hard at; to make sure we’re not overweight. I guess we can eat more pancakes. I think we will prepare more and we can all be a little bit stronger next year. I guess for the people who are struggling to come under the weight; for example there are some of the taller drivers who struggle to be less than 80 kilos. I guess it doesn’t really make much difference for them otherwise.

Q: Fernando, you won’t be racing here next year, but you have raced in other categories where weight balances are different. Do you think this is a good move for Formula 1?

FA: Yeah, I think it is. In Formula 1, I’m obviously not one of the tallest, so it’s more a question for the tall guys and I think it’s fair for everyone, so I think it’s good. In other series, in WEC in particular, where the weight is free, that normally gives and advantage to the lighter and smaller guys, and probably that is unfair in a way, so I think Formula 1 is doing great on that.

DR: Ricky Bobby.

LH: Ricky Bobby.

DR: I caught it, it’s alright.

LH: I noticed. No one else watched Talladega Nights. Ricky Bobby. No? Overweight NASCAR driver. NASCAR drivers can now come over to Formula 1, which is cool.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Daniel, we know you’ve not had the smoothest season, you’ve talked about that before. Your 2019 team, Renault, hasn’t had the smoothest end to the year either: they’ve been quite honest about falling behind on the engine side and the car side. That situation’s changed, obviously, since you agreed to join them. How much of a concern has it been watching their performance, and how encouraging is it to hear they’re planning an all-new engine for next year?

DR: It’s encouraging, obviously. When I signed, I knew that there was work ahead but I know that they’re putting a lot of effort into making things better and expanding a lot of departments and trying to make ’19 stronger and ’20 and whatever. Yeah, the way the last few races have been this year, obviously, it would be nice to see them improve every race and whatever but I honestly don’t look into it too much yet. I think ’19 is a new car and it’s going to be a fresh start again, so I’m not spending too much energy on that at the moment. Obviously, all I can do is, once my year’s done is try to be fully immersed into it all and try to help as much as I can and see how things go from there.

Q: (Jon Massengale – Speed City) We’ve got a lot of American fans excited about the Haas F1 team, the momentum they have coming into Austin for good points – but all four of you up there talk about excited to race in the United States. I want to ask, what can we do to continue the momentum to grow the sport here in the United States?

RG: Well, I think, to me the obviously, answer is to get more races in the US. I think most of the time it’s really hard for the audience to watch the grands prix, it’s the middle of the night. It’s not easy to grow the fan base. I think more races in the US. I think races a bit more exiting as well. If you look at NASCAR, you never know who’s going to win the race. In Formula One I can tell you it’s going to be the Mercedes or Ferrari winning on Sunday. I think that could be improved – but definitely more races in the US to get closer to the fans would be the first thing.

Lewis, your thoughts on how we can grow it here?

LH: I agree with what he said. We do have the one race and this is a big, big country with a lot of sporting heritage. They love intensely-fought games but also have something to look forward to – because there’s a build-up to multiple games. We only have that one race here, so the people, for example in this city or people in the close States that fly over for this one grand prix, which happens once a year, it’s like a festival. You can’t really get too excited about one festival in a season. So, that’s probably something that Liberty will be working on for the future.

Fernando, your thoughts?

FA: More or less the same. Try to get more races here, hopefully one American driver into F1 soon, and that will help. I think it will take a little bit of interest into the sport and have a little bit more unpredictable races is more or less what they have here. To have people expecting the unexpected until the end.

And Daniel, your thoughts on growing the sport here.

DR: I have to agree with all that. Currently they don’t have an American driver. We can do our best to put on an accent and fill those boots. [Approximation of Texan accent] I can try all I can – I don’t know how these boys can do it but I’ll give it a red-hot crack and see how we go.

We wondered how long it would be before you did that…

DR: It was only a matter of time!

Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC Sport) Lewis, what’s your explanation for how you’ve taken off, collectively, since the summer break. Is it just stepping forward with the car? Is it personally? Is it mistakes from the opposition? What is it? What’s the biggest factor do you think?

LH: I haven’t really thought about it much. It’s a combination of so many things. Naturally, as a driver, you do improve. Or, at least, I’ve noticed in myself, I can’t speak for everyone – but I’ve noticed I improve throughout the year. How you conduct yourself, how you perform within the team, how you’re able to maximise in the car. If you go back through all the years, you know I always say that by the second half of the season I should be better, and most of the time that’s usually the case. I think also, as a team, we’ve collectively done a better job in every area. And then, the other side, for sure, has not done as good a job in that respect, coming into the second phase. So, I don’t really have a massive explanation for it. My knowledge is as good as yours in that sense.

Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Lewis, you said you’re concentrating one race at a time – but you do stand on the brink of winning a fifth World Championship. What does that mean to you, were you to do that this weekend here in Austin?

LH: Again, really as a team, none of us are saying how cool it would be if it happened this weekend or the next, we’re not focussing on ifs. We’re focussing on making sure that we deliver. There’s still 100 points available. We can just never be complacent in life, and in a Championship as intense as this. We expect Ferrari to punch back hard here this weekend, so we can’t be relaxed in any way, shape or form. We’ve got to make sure we come here and raise the bar again. So, I’m definitely not thinking this weekend, how’s it going to feel if we do the job. Because I’ve got to do the job and that just adds more pressure and you just don’t need more pressure. So, focussing on making sure that I drive the best that I’ve driven all year long and we get the car where we need to get it. It’s going to be wet, I think, all day tomorrow, as far as I’ve heard, and potentially on Saturday, so it’s going to be a tricky weekend. So, nothing is a given.

Q: (Jim Vertuno – AP) Lewis, given that this season has been a chase for a fifth championship, what does the name Fangio mean to you, his place in history and can you imagine yourself trying to drive the cars he muscled around the track back in his era?

LH: Imaging myself driving some of those cars back then? I have driven some of those cars. Stirling Moss’s car I’ve had a go in, some of the Silver Arrows they had, around the old Monza circuit, for example, with Sir Stirling, which is pretty intense. It’s always really strange to hear the drivers’ mental philosophy back then. Sir Stirling would say you’d want to fall out if the car’s going to crash: you hope that you get thrown out the car. It’s a much more confined space for us. It’s all about being stuck in and being safe. I would have… I don’t know if the 50s was a particularly good time, wasn’t a great time for black people either, so probably wouldn’t have been racing back then, but I’m grateful to be in this era and with the technology that we have and seeing the cars advance. I’m so grateful to be part of this era. Fangio is always… he’s like the godfather of the drivers’ sport for us. He’s the godfather for us, one of the greats from the beginning and will always be admired in the sport. It is crazy to think that I’m embarking on a similar number of championships that he had.

Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Fernando, just on Lewis, when you first met him in 2007, did you think this guy would have the credentials to go on and match Fangio, win five titles and all the races? And Lewis, we saw you issued a post in Instagram, just defending Sebastian. Do you think his criticism has been a bit unjust this year?

FA: Well, probably at that time it was difficult to image what the future could bring for Lewis, and for any of the guys on the grid. But yeah, definitely, he had showed the talent from day one, and fighting for the Championship in his rookie year, winning in 2008. Probably at that time, we all agree that five or seven World Championships will be possible. Then, obviously, was a little bit down due to the performance of the car for a couple of years. And then, yeah, switching to Mercedes at that time, we all were thinking that maybe was not positive – because at that time Mercedes was struggling in 2013, and things like that. So, it’s up and down, the feelings. I’m happy for him because he showed the talent from day one. He was able to win races when the car was there to win it but he was able to win races in some of the seasons when the car was not in the top of the form, like 2009 and things like that, he’s still winning a couple of grand prix a year. It’s impressive – and now it’s time to enjoy for him, so I’m happy.

And Lewis, your comments defending Sebastian after Japan?

LH: I think if I was in the same position they would probably do the same thing so it’s more as drivers we are all members of the GPDA and I think we all just need to stick together and I think the respect that we have for one another I think is probably the greatest that it’s been for many years. At least in the years that I’ve been in Formula One. I think ultimately as a four-time World Champion, it is the most intense year that we’ve had. So every hiccup is magnified, naturally, as it is perhaps in any sport at the top. But there have been many – or several – times that I’ve been in the firing range and Seb’s always been really respectful and supported me, so I thought it was only just to do the same.

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Two questions, the first for Lewis. Can you explain to us why you do love America so much? And the second one for Fernando; can you give us your top five of the World Champions and what does it mean for you to have one driver equalling Fangio with five titles?

LH: I don’t know if I love it more than everyone else loves it. So many people come out here and… I grew up watching… movies are something I’m massively into… grew up watching these great movies which were filmed here in the States and then dreaming, as a kid, of one day coming to the States: I think it wasn’t until I was 17 and I finally went to New York and loved it and the more and more time I spend out here the more I enjoy it. I love the big roads they have, they do everything generally bigger and better in most cases. They’ve just got some great cities, good energy, good people, music is the centre of the universe for entertainment here so there’s many many reasons. The food is great, they’ve got the best pancakes out here.

FA: I guess it’s difficult to do the top five.

LH: Yourself?

FA: Not really! Probably Michael, Fangio, Senna, Prost, Lewis, probably this will be the top five, probably, that come to my mind but it’s difficult to compare different times and different ways to win those championships. Lewis winning five now and being the same as Fangio, as I said before, it’s a great achievement and if one had to do that in our generation, I’m happy that it’s Lewis because he showed the talent and he showed the commitment, as I said before, when the car was dominating he delivers and won the championship. When the car was not good enough to win the championship, he still put in some performances to show his talent and that’s difficult to see in our days.

Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, Racefans.net) Fernando’s already been to Indianapolis but when we as a motor sport of community think of the US we generally think of the Indianapolis 500. A lot of Formula One World Champions, race winners etc have actually raced at Indianapolis. Could you imagine yourselves ever racing there?

DR: Yes and no. The thought of it sounds good. Ovals creep me out a little bit. I won’t lie. It would be cool. I don’t know. I would at least like to have a go, like maybe just a test. Let’s see how things go but yeah, it was cool watching Fernando do it, don’t get me wrong and part of me was like trying to picture myself being there and doing it but yeah, maybe one day. At the moment I don’t say it’s something I’m looking to do in the near future. I don’t know. Probably the older I get, the more scared I’ll become, so if it doesn’t happen now maybe it won’t ever happen. I don’t know.

RG: I’ll join Daniel. It sounds cool, looks cool, it’s a great race. Ovals, yeah…

DR: Who thought turning left could be so hard?

LH: I kind of feel in a similar way. I would definitely like to try it as I’ve never really driven an oval before and the cars are incredibly fast and (I) always want to go faster. I probably will get a chance to have a go. I’m sure if I wanted to have a go I could but it’s never been a series – naturally, growing up in Europe, it’s never been a series that you grew up aspiring to be in, it was always Formula One being it was the highest technology and has always been – at least growing up – the thought was that it was the highest grade of drivers that you wanted to compete against but they’ve got some great drivers there as well. I think I would prefer to try NASCAR. Watkins Glen, I’ve always wanted to have a go up there, beer cans in the side. I have driven a NASCAR years ago at Watkins Glen which was awesome so that’s something I could do potentially. I honestly have no desire to do any other racing beyond Formula One if I’m really honest but maybe that will change when you do stop, because you do it your whole life and temptation is always going to be there, I’m always going to be a racing driver at heart.

FA: Well, they need to commit to the race. I think if they just want to do a test they will never do the race after testing the car, because it feels quite bad. It feels quite difficult. The car is self-steering to the left, you go on the straights and you are turning right and it feels very weird to drive the car, but then in the race it is just a different thing. You wake up your competitive instinct and you forget about all these weird things that those cars have and it’s a lot of fun. It’s part of history. I think the biggest thing is to go out of your comfort zone and drive something that you don’t feel ready to handle, ready to control and that adrenaline is magic.

Q: (Craig Slater – Sky Sports) To the two World Champions, Lewis and Fernando: there’s been a lot of attention on Mick Schumacher winning his Formula Three series. I wonder how you feel about him progressing into F1, one being whether the Schumacher name will be an asset or a burden to him?

LH: I don’t think it will be a burden. I think naturally for any of the champions when they have youngsters come through, naturally Michael is named the greatest driver of all time, he’s got the most titles, so there will one hundred percent be a Schumacher back in Formula One, partly because of the name, but secondly because he’s doing a great job. He’s obviously got a lot of talent as his Dad had, just like Keke and Nico, just like when Fernando has kids I’m sure an Alonso will be here again. Even if I have a kid who wants to race and even if he’s no good he can make it Formula One because of the name. But no, he’s doing a really great job and he’s a really great kid as well. He’s come to… and been a part of our team a couple of weekends, I think it was last year, very attentative. He’s got a great talent as his Dad had so I don’t think it will be a burden in my personal opinion. I think it could be great for the sport.

FA: Not much to add. I don’t know him. Obviously I never met him, probably. You only see the results from the outside and he has a great talent and he will be good for the sport, to have the Schumacher name again in F1. Let’s see what the future brings, not putting extra pressure on him which I’m sure he has enough already. Let time decide.

Q: (Chris Bils – Austin American Statesman) Lewis, you’ve had so much success here and really your name has become synonymous with this track. Is there anything in particular, over the years, besides winning that you’ve enjoyed about coming here and also you were talking about the food, pancakes, is there anything that you like to eat while you’re here?

LH: They don’t make tracks really like they did in the olden days. The older circuits that you’d go to, you’d dream of going to, watching the legends drive there, so some of the new tracks aren’t really that good but this is one of those that is, it’s got great character and from day one when we arrived here, there was a massive crowd that came who I’m sure, at least half of them, probably were new to the sport which was great so it had the impact it was meant to have and I think every year it’s kind of been growing but just driving the track is a massive challenge and also you can actually race here, you can follow which is one of the downfalls of some of the circuits: it’s harder to follow. So I think that’s really why I’ve enjoyed it a lot because I’ve had the chance to have races here, real races and obviously there is that great sporting heritage here and people are genuinely super enthusiastic about sports, no matter which sport it is. And the last race here that we had, the whole spectacle, I think, was probably the best of the whole year, the whole build-up and everything I thought was great. It’s great to celebrate the culture wherever you go. I think there was negativity I think I heard after the race about how American it was but I was like ‘we’re in America, we’ve got celebrate America at this Grand Prix particularly’ and I think that should happen in all the countries we go to.

Food-wise, I grew up… for a period of time I lived on an American airbase in England and chicken wings… this guy my Mum was dating did the best chicken wings ever and I used to come out here and have that but I don’t eat chicken any more, being as I’m on a plant-base diet so I don’t know how that’s going to go while I’m here, I might be living on pancakes all weekend but I don’t mind that.

October 19, 2018
F1 2018: USA Gp Preview – Texas Tailor-made for Hamilton

Given how the 2018 season started it’s rather bizarre to know that if Lewis Hamilton scores eight more points than Sebastian Vettel this weekend he will be crowned the 2018 F1 champion.

It wasn’t that long ago that Vettel himself enjoyed a ‘comfortable’ lead in the title race. But since the Belgian grand prix it’s not only evaporated but has also swung appreciably, emphatically even, towards Hamilton and Mercedes. A plethora of reasons have combined to form the situation Vettel and Ferrari currently finds itself in, all well detailed in previous columns. It’s not about to get any easier for the Italian team either.

This weekend’s race is in Texas and around the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) where Hamilton has been near impossible to beat. He’s won around COTA on five previous occasions that includes a hat trick of victories in the last three races. Add to this a win at Indianapolis in 2007 and clear that Hamilton is very much a North-American specialist.

As if to add insult to Ferrari’s noticeably low level of morale the Mercedes car is likely to shine in Texas. Designed by Herman Tilke COTA’s first sector is noticeably ruled a fast and flowing Esses section somewhat akin to Silverstone’s iconic Maggots-Becketts complex though a more elongated version. At five and a half kilometers in length the circuit further comprises medium to high-speed corners that will reward a good aero package, right up Mercedes ally. Added to this are a few big braking points preceding hairpin turns which will encourage overtaking.

The start of the season should’ve netted the Haas team a bag full of points but a combination of mistakes, unreliability, and driver error meant they’ve left those points on the table. But Haas is clearly a well-run team and they’ve picked themselves up pretty impressively. So too has Romain Grosjean whose first half of the season had many speculating that he might be given the boot. The Frenchman, inherently quick, cleaned up his act and has delivered several impressive performances that have guaranteed his place for 2019. And who knows if he keeps turning in impressive performances there could even be a drive in a certain red in a few years time. Danish driver Kevin Magnussen too has performed well enough to retain his drive at Haas for 2019, which is an especially impressive feat given that he’s had to make a comeback from a near-disastrous year as a McLaren driver.

There has been several American teams who have tried to cut in F1 but few have done as well as the Haas F1 team has in its short existence. And that in an era of the sport where major manufacturer teams hold all the cards and advantage.

At this point in time Formula 1 is a sport dominated by big money. Theoretically, smaller teams, like Haas, with less money shouldn’t be able to trouble full works teams. But the American team, despite its tardy start to the season is proving to be more than a thorn in Renault’s side. With the added lift of home ground advantage they have a relatively good chance of overhauling the French team this weekend.

The fight between Haas and Renault isn’t the only one worth keeping an eye on as the driver’s standings in the mid-field is an incredibly close fought battle. In fact, only four points currently cover points 7 through 11 with Force India’s Sergio Perez currently heading the pack.

As intriguing as the mid-field battle may be all attention will be on Lewis Hamilton as he stands on the cusp of becoming only the third driver in Formula 1 history to win five driver’s world titles.

October 15, 2018
F1 2018: Japanes Gp Review – Hamilton Win Virtually Assures Title

It’s not pretentious at all to declare that Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are assured of being champions, again, in 2018. Victory in Japan makes it six wins in the last seven races for Hamilton and with a mammoth 63-point he is every bit the champion presumptive.

A faultless weekend from Mercedes ensured a front-row lock out on Saturday while an unnerved Ferrari was left scrambling. On Saturday as the clouds rolled in Ferrari’s senseless decision-making reared its head again as both Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel were sent out onto a dry track with Intermediate tyres. Though there was enough team for both drivers to switch to dry tyres it left them with only one lap in the final part of qualifying. While Raikkonen secured fourth Vettel ran off track and was relegated to the fourth row of the grid.

All wasn’t lost for the would-be championship contender as a good start to Sunday’s race saw him quickly into fourth. But while Hamilton and Bottas pulled away up front Vettel’s impatience got the better of him. Verstappen, who started third, was correctly given a five second time penalty for re-joining the circuit in an unsafe manner at the final chicane. The Red Bull driver had driven into the side of Raikkonen allowing Vettel to pass his teammate and settle on the Verstappen’s gearbox. Clearly faster it appeared to be a matter of time until the Ferrari would find its way past. But Vettel threw caution to the wind and attempted an overtake on Verstappen in Spoon corner. Not only didn’t he make the move stick but he also sent himself into a spin that left him plumb last. He eventually recovered to finish sixth.

There is no denying that from an operational standpoint Ferrari has had some embarrassing blunders on strategy. But the mistakes in the races lay firmly at Vettel’s feet. The lock-up in Baku, the crash with Bottas in France, the bizarre crash while leading in Germany, the crash with Hamilton in Italy, the mistake on the Q3 lap in Japan, and finally the crash with Verstappen in the race.

Together all of these moments have ensured that unless some truly miraculous happens in the last four races Sebastian Vettel will not be the 2018 champion.

It’s clear too that Vettel, in 2018, is a far cry from the driver that won four consecutive titles between 2010 and 2013. The reason could very well be the cockpit he’s currently sitting in. The pressure of being a Ferrari driver and the constant demand and expectation to win in unlike any other and its evident that Vettel has cracked under that pressure.

Meanwhile, it could hardly be any better if you’re Lewis Hamilton. Yes, Vettel and Ferrari’s mistakes have contributed to his enormous points lead but he’s still delivered. There’s a mental switch that happens with Hamilton in the second half of the season that means he raises his game to a level no one, with the exception of Nico Rosberg, has been able to match. Plainly put, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes has wiped the floor with Vettel and Ferrari.

While Hamilton cruised to victory the ever-dutiful Valtteri Bottas followed him home in second while Max Verstappen snapped up the final step on the podium. The sister Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo, once again felled by mechanical issues in quali, recovered to an impressive fourth. Kimi Raikkonen was fifth for Ferrari while Vettel trundled home in sixth.

Sergio Perez proved to be best-of-the-rest for Force India in seventh while Romain Grosjean, Esteban Ocon, and Carlos Sainz completed the top ten on a day where the mid-field battle proved the most scintillating part of the race. In fact, the battle behind Merc, Ferrari, and Red Bull is so close that only four points cover positions seven through eleven in the driver’s standings.

Victory in Japan indicates that Lewis Hamilton’s fifth world championship crown is a mere formality. With a 63-point lead and four races remaining in 2018 it’s not if Hamilton will win the big prize but rather when.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

October 8, 2018