F1 Madness

Tag: f1

  • 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    2016 Hungarian Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    2 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

    3 – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Kai Ebel)

    Congratulations Lewis, you are the leader of the world championship right now, was it due to a tailor-made start, man?

    Lewis HAMILTON: Well, firstly a big thank you to all the fans here, they’ve been amazing this weekend. It’s because of these guys that this race is so spectacular. We always have such a great time here, the track is great, the city is great, but the fans really make the event, so big, big thank you. With the race, yeah the start was everything. I got a good start… I mean I had one of the Red Bulls was on the inside of me, so I was pressured quite a lot into Turn One. But the team did a fantastic job with the strategy, preparing the car as always, the guys back at the factory continuing to push flat out, so a huge thank you to them, because this is a great result as a team, so yeah, what a day!

    There was a crucial situation in between when the lap Gutierrez was blocking you a little bit, so I guess he’s not the next to be invited on one of your sailing trips?

    LH: No, it’s good. But definitely traffic today was difficult to navigate through but… love you guys!

    Coming to you Nico, even you had a fantastic start but just not good enough. Big question mark?

    Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, it was down to the start in the end. I lost out a little bit and then into Turn One, with Daniel on the outside, Lewis on the inside, I ran out of space, so I had to bail out of it. That was it really. I was happy to take Daniel back in Turn Two and from then I was trying to put all the pressure possible on Lewis but of course it’s not possible to pass on this track.

    So is it some kind of good news maybe that the next race is already on next Sunday in Germany on your home turf, you can hit back?

    NR: That sounds very good. The next race is coming up very quickly, it’s my home race and that’s going to be awesome.

    Coming over to Dan Ric. Dan, you are familiar to this podium here. They all know you, you have been here a couple of times. So was this third position enough to get the famous Dan Ric smile back on you face?

    Daniel RICCIARDO: Absolutely. If that noise doesn’t, I don’t know what does. Yeah, thank you guys. It’s great to have another podium this year. Obviously the first one was a bit bittersweet but this one I can definitely enjoy and for sure the smile’s back. Super happy to be here today. It’s three years in a row I’ve been on the podium at this circuit. It’s been good to me and as Lewis said the fans are amazing, so thanks to everyone. Thanks to the team, we are continually getting better, so that’s great, and yeah, I’m having fun.

    Coming back to Lewis, you guys are battling each other on the track but I know you are working out as well as Danny in the boxing business. So how about a charity match between Daniel and you in the paddock. You both work out at boxing, so would that  be another idea, not only battling on track but in the squared circle?

    LH: You never really have very good ideas, do you, so I’ll leave you to your ideas. But, to the man in the orang suit! Ha! Some of my best friends out here, thank you so much for coming and lastly to the fans: thank you all for coming out and we’ll see you next year!

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Lewis, many congratulations. You’re now the most successful driver here at the Hungaroring, surpassing Michael Schumacher. What does that statistic mean to you and how does this victory compare to the four that came before at this racetrack.

    LH: It’s pretty incredible to hear those words and to… especially when you think I grew up watching Michael so to now have had similar, if not one more, than he had here, is just incredible. But, y’know, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the great people I’ve worked with, both at McLaren-Mercedes and now here. It’s a result of great work from such a large group of people. I’m really just a chink in the chain. I love it here. I hope there’s more to come before I stop. Yeah, it was not the easiest grand prix I’ve had here in the ten years, nine, ten years – but definitely one I enjoyed. And a great battle between the three of us.

    Q: Nico, it seems that so much was won and lost in the opening ten seconds of this race. Could you just talk us through what happened?

    NR: For sure, yeah, the race was decided there. My start was OK but slightly down on Lewis’ start and Daniel also, ever so slightly. And then Daniel obviously got a tow and Lewis had the inside line. Just lost out there into Turn One. Got a bit tight between the two of them also so had to back out and then, OK, I was glad to at least get back second place from Daniel in Turn Two, that was cool, around the outside – but lost the win there.

    Q: Daniel, moving onto you, it was a very close battle with Sebastian Vettel at the end of the race. Are you pleased to have beaten Ferrari or disappointed not to have challenged Mercedes harder this afternoon?

    DR: I’m pleased with the podium. Obviously we got close at the start and tried around the outside of Turn One and I couldn’t really see I think at the time Lewis, when Lewis and Nico were in my blind spot, so at the apex of Turn One I thought I was in the lead and then saw one of the Mercedes sneak up on the exit. And then, yeah, into Turn Two, I was just on the inside and Nico had a clear run and got better drive. I think the first part of the race we looked quite competitive. But then yeah, it looked like Mercedes had a bit more in their back pocket and were able to improve the pace as the race went on. In the end the fight was then with Sebastian. It got pretty close at the end; did quite a long stint on those tyres. It wasn’t easy. The last lap, I’m sure he had DRS and, at least in my mirrors, it looked like he got quite close in Turn One. So, yeah, bit of a fight. So it was a bit of a relief actually coming across and keeping third.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: Barna Zsoldis – Nemzeti Sport) Lewis, you mentioned many times that you love it here, so do you plan some celebration in Budapest maybe?

    LH: I do. I definitely will go and have a nice meal in town and see what the nightlife has to offer but obviously we race next week so nothing too heavy. And then I might go and spend the day sightseeing tomorrow before I head back to the UK.

    Q: (Peter Vamosi – Vas Nepe) Lewis and to others, Lewis you are a fashion addict, how do you like the new dresses of the Hungarian grid girls?

    LH: I like it very much, actually. I think they looked amazing. It’s not always that we have the best grid girls or outfits, should I say. This year it worked well and for some reason, Hungary just has an abundance of beautiful women. It’s perfect for us, we’re single, not so much for Nico but really enjoyed it.

    DR: He (Nico) has to be careful what he says! Yup, they looked great. It’s hard, it’s hard for us obviously, you know that Sunday we’re focused on the race and the task ahead but it would be nice if we raced on Saturdays and then had Saturday evening to explore the city a bit more.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) Lewis, it looks like you controlled the race as you wanted. The moment Nico approached you, suddenly in one lap you could increase the gap easily.

    LH: Compared to practice we knew that the temperature was a lot higher. I think it was 43 degrees track temperature in practice and today was about 53. It’s an unknown how long these tyres are really going to last. We have a target which need to get to so once I got into the lead, I was able to just manage my tyres, my car and manage the gap and react only when I needed to. For sure, I think the backmarkers caused a little bit of trouble towards the end but generally I was able to keep the buffer to the right amount. There was one moment… I was thinking… the whole race I was thinking, this has been great, I’ve not made any mistakes and in one moment… I can’t remember if I was behind someone but I locked up one or two front wheels and I went slightly wide and Nico then was all of a sudden on my tail which wasn’t exactly a moment… but then after that  it was just head down and increase that lead.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) Daniel, I realise you don’t have a crystal ball but if you’d taken the lead of the race at the start, would it have been possible to keep it?

    DR: I think for a part of the race, sure. You know there were moments when we looked competitive compared to Mercedes. I think once the first stint settled, they had a bit more pace than us but at the start of the second stint with the soft (tyres) we seemed really competitive but in the end it looked like Mercedes were just doing what they needed to do and then it felt like their pace got stronger and stronger. Little parts of the race where we thought we were  quick enough but I think as the stints got on then they were able to keep a bit more pace. Probably wouldn’t have lasted the 70 laps if I had the lead at the start but yeah, what if? I don’t know.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Lewis, in yesterday’s Mercedes team press conference, your session, you said that you’d asked for urgent clarification of the double yellow flag ruling, regulation. In fact your words were ‘it just needs to be clarified now.’ About an hour later, Nico got called to the stewards. Do you believe that you influenced it in any way, did you contact anybody or was it purely coincidental that Nico was called in an hour after you made that comment?

    LH: Well the stewards needs to come up with some kind of solution because it is… the whole 23 years of racing, it has been ‘if it’s yellow flag, you slow down’ and if it’s double yellow flag, you be prepared to stop and Nico was doing the same speed at the apex as I was doing on the previous timed lap. If there happened to be a car that was spun or a marshal on the track, it would have been pretty hard for him to have slowed down in that case, so that’s why… and the fact that he didn’t get penalised for it means that we need to be careful because the message we’re sending not only to the drivers here but also to the drivers in the lower categories is that it’s now possible for you to lose only one tenth of a second in a double waved yellow flag section which is the most dangerous – one of the most dangerous scenarios with the double yellow flags. They need to clear that up because before it was two tenths that you were meant to lose with one yellow flag and half a second with two yellow flags. It wasn’t the case yesterday and there was no penalty, so going into the next race, we could be battling for pole position and we see double yellow flags and we know we only have to do a small lift and lose one tenth of a second and we’ll be fine and go purple in the sector. So that’s why it does need to be clarified and I’m sure Charlie and the stewards are going to do so because it needs to be clear.

    NR: Can I respond? Thank you very much. Thank you for making that statement, so now I’m going to put my response. What you have to do with a double yellow is significantly reduce your speed and make sure you go safe. I went twenty kilometres per hour slower into that corner, twenty kilometres per hour is a different world in an F1 car. Twenty kilometres per hour, you are going proper slow. It’s completely… everything is safe. That’s how I did my speed and lifted off thirty meters before my braking point, so I was just rolling there, twenty kilometres per hour slower until I got to the apex. Then of course when you’re in the apex, I would have a much tighter line because I went in slow and then so I could accelerate out again. So definitely I significantly reduced my speed and that’s what it says you need to do and that’s why for the stewards that was completely acceptable. It was very very obvious what I did, very clear and of course on a drying track you’re going to get massively faster every lap. It’s not like the track was consistent. On a drying track, it’s irrelevant what the sector time was because you’re going to get so much quicker every time you go out there because there’s wet patches and when they dry, you just go so much quicker. And so in that segment, I was slower, where there was the yellow flag but of course in the big sector, yeah, I’m quicker because the track is getting quicker and I’m pushing in all the other corners. So it was a pretty clear case for the stewards and that’s why I didn’t get any penalty.

    Q: Daniel, can we just get your thoughts on what happened in qualifying yesterday?

    DR: Yeah. With that incident? Yeah, for me, I think at least the principle, whether it was the situation yesterday or not but I think Lewis touched on the principle. It’s something which we’ve actually been wanting to probably discuss further for a long time or quantify because a single yellow, people are getting away with a micro lift and showing the stewards that look, I slowed down where you’re not really. But a double yellow is a significant… it’s a big risk on the track, perhaps and in my case, Fernando was still at the apex, pointing towards us on the racing line so I had no choice but obviously ,looking at the double yellows before that, it’s a little bit blind so already I was willing to drastically slow down, I guess. I think the double yellow needs to be very different to the single yellow and I think that’s what we’re not too pleased with at the moment.

    Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) Nico, sorry to ask you but it was impossible not to notice that you were drinking a lot. Was it because maybe your drinking system failed in the car or was it a particularly hard race physically, and is it fair to say and also to Lewis and Daniel, that this is one of the hardest because it’s so hot, there are so many corners, you cannot really rest?

    NR: Definitely it’s a difficult race, it’s very hot out there, but I’m just thirsty, because we sweat a lot and it’s nice to drink this good stuff and that’s it, nothing more than that. My drink system was working fine.

    DR: Yeah, it was definitely hot, I’m still sweating. We don’t have a whole lot of liquid in the car. You could drink probably four litres during the race if you had it, so sure, we’re hydrating a lot after the race, a) because we’re thirsty and b) because it helps, I think, with recovery. But also this track has always been physical, because there’s not much rest. Obviously you’ve got the one main straight but after that it’s a lot of corners  and you keep very busy. It’s probably top three on the calendar, I would say, for most physical circuit.

    Q: Faster lap times this year, did that impact on the physicality of the race?

    LH: Not really. It’s always hot here, it’s always physical but today wasn’t actually the most physical I’ve had here. I’m sure next year will be.

    Q: (Sandor Meszaros – Kelet Magyaroroszag) Nico, for the first time this season, Lewis is the leader of the championship. How do you see the rest of your campaign?

    NR: Well, it’s very close. It’s been a good season so far up to now, it’s been a good battle with Lewis and as I’ve always said, I’m not counting the points, there’s still a long long way to go. Everything’s still possible and I just want to focus on winning races, that’s what I wanted to do today, I had my full focus on that, it didn’t work out unfortunately, just losing out in turn one and now I move my focus to Hockenheim, because it’s my home race and I’m really looking forward to going there, racing there.  I love the track and so I’m going to try and win there.

    Q: (Istvan Simon – Auto Magazin) Daniel, during the podium interview you referred that the smile, the famous grin is back on your face. Is it due to the fact that you more or less managed to keep in touch with those guys in the silver cars, here in this physical race or more, due to the fact that you’ve managed to beat your teammate Max for the first time since Azerbaijan?

    DR: Yeah, for me it was, I think for quite a few races, I think the qualifying generally has still been really strong. The Saturdays, I’ve put them together well but the Sundays, whether it was circumstances, bad luck or just not being quick enough, haven’t really felt like I’d get the most out of a Sunday. With Barcelona and Monaco which was so close and then it just felt like… I wouldn’t say, it looked like momentum, sort of swings a bit, but just the way racing goes. It was just nice to… I feel from Friday onwards until the last lap today, I got the most out of it, so I’m more pleased with that this weekend, to leave Sunday feeling happy again and knowing that I got everything I could out of the car and package and it’s nice to be rewarded with champagne and a very nice trophy here.

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action) Daniel, you came in for your stop on lap 33, way before anybody else. Why so early and how difficult was it to keep the tyres alive for so long?

    DR: Yeah, at the time we looked quite competitive to Mercedes. I think I was closing on them a few tenths a lap and basically, yeah, we were looking to maybe… we thought perhaps they were struggling, so we thought we’d try and just be aggressive and try and get closer to them, basically, if they were going to pit very soon. And also, I think Seb wasn’t too far behind but I think it was more trying to fight for the win at that time, as opposed to defending, I think, what was happening behind us. That was pretty much that, but then once we pitted, it looked like they just turned up the volume, unfortunately.

    Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Lewis, we know how much you like music. I would love to know, at this moment in your life, on the top of the wave, as you said two days ago, what is the song which describes this moment in your life?

    LH: Right now I need to go the toilet so… It’s killing me, it’s something else! I don’t know. The song that was playing in my head today was LL Cool J, Mama Said Knock You Out. OK, can I go?

  • Stewards Clear Rosberg for Ignoring Yellow Flags

    Stewards Clear Rosberg for Ignoring Yellow Flags

    The stewards have ruled that Nico Rosberg did, in fact, slow down for the yellow flags in qualifying and will keep pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

    Rosberg was called to stewards late on Saturday evening after an alleged breach of Appendix H, Article 2.4.5.1 b) of the FIA Sporting Regulations. It was alleged that Rosberg did not slow down for the yellow flags at Turn 9 in Q3 after McLaren’s Fernando Alonso spun and came to a stop with his car partially on the track.

    Rosberg’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton was on a flying lap and the yellow flags meant that he had to back out of the lap. By the time Rosberg had reached Turn 9, Alonso had already cleared the area and was on his way back to the pits. The yellow flag conditions, however, persisted. When Rosberg had reached T9, the yellow flags were still out. On board shots of Rosberg going through Turns 8 and 9 showed that he had lifted off.

    The stewards ruled that no further action should be taken on Rosberg as telemetry had showed that he had slowed down.

    In a statement the stewards said: “The telemetry demonstrated that the driver reduced speed significantly into turn 8.”

     

    Photo credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team

  • 2016 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    2016 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

    2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    3 – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

    TV UNILATERAL

    Nico, what a dramatic qualifying session. How difficult was it out there and just describe your elation when you saw you had taken pole position at the end?

    Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, it was a really challenging qualifying: the conditions changing all the time, very exciting out there. In the end it was pretty amazing that it did full dry out towards the end. I mean some kerbs still had some patches – going on to the start-finish straight, you had to be really careful opening DRS, I think you saw a lot of moments coming on to there. Then, yeah, I just got a really good lap in on that last lap – awesome, I’m very happy with that.

    Lewis, I guess you must feel disappointed? You had set the fastest first sector and then you came across Fernando Alonso’s spinning McLaren. Do you think pole position was on for you today?

    Lewis HAMILTON: I don’t know how much Nico was up, but obviously as you said I got the fastest first sector, I was four tenths up, so I felt good on the lap. Bit unfortunate with Fernando, but these things happen. I’m not really too disappointed, it was a tricky session and I did the best I could do and yeah, we still have a long race ahead of us tomorrow, so I’ll give it everything I’ve got from there.

    Daniel, as Lewis says, it was a tricky session. You had a big moment exiting the final corner during qualifying. Describe what happened there and also your performance during qualifying, do you think you got the maximum out of the Red Bull package?

    Daniel RICCIARDO: I think yeah… the maximum? I don’t know. We got hurt by the yellow as well. I was pretty angry on that last lap, because I was up a bit and I think it would have put me closer to pole. It would have been interesting without the yellow, so I’m a little bit disappointed, because it’s a maybe what could have been. But at the same time I think the session went really well. I think in all conditions we were competitive. It was crazy. You had to adapt quickly – when to go on the slicks in Q2 and even just little things: getting out of pit lane on the slick tyre when it was so wet, yeah it was sideways coming into turn one. It was fun, it was challenging. On the last corner, I think it was in Q3. There was still a little bit of a wet patch just next to the kerb and it sort of just sucked me in as I opened DRS as well, so I was in for a little bit of a ride but in the end I survived.

    Nico, looking ahead to tomorrow’s race: you’ve never finished on the podium here at the Hungaroring and I guess looking to put that right tomorrow?

    NR: I don’t really think of the past in those ways, just looking forward to it now, yeah, because of pole position and I’ve been really feeling good out there the whole weekend, in all conditions – wet, dry, even with high fuel on Friday – so it’s been a great weekend so far. Looking forward to the race and a great opportunity tomorrow.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Well, Nico that was an unbelievably exciting qualifying session ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Timing seemed to be so important: when to be out on the track to ensure you were there when the track was at its driest. Just give us an insight into how tricky it was?

    NR: Yeah, it was unbelievable. Just changing all the time, and so many things count, even just getting a gap at the end of the lap, everybody is backing off and to make sure you get a good gap there was difficult, even for there, because the time was quite tight. And then, yeah, I really nailed that last lap, so I’m very happy about that.

    Congratulations. Lewis, I look to Q2 when I look at you. It was a very tense moment. You just got through into Q3 in P10; you heart must have been in your mouth?

    LH: I wouldn’t say my heart was in my mouth, but yeah, obviously when I came in and saw how close it was, that wasn’t great. I went wide at Turn One. The rest of the lap I pushed as hard as I could. I was up on my previous, but of course I knew that everyone else would be quicker, so I lost too much time there. Very fortunate to get through and so that’s why even though I’m second I’m just grateful I got through and this puts me in a position to be at least be able to fight for the win tomorrow.

    Well Daniel, Lewis wants to fight for the win tomorrow, do you think you can fight for the win?

    DR: That’s the plan. We’ve more or less fought for it the last two years and I think we’re even closer this year than we have been in the past, in terms of pure pace. We’re getting stronger and we were close today and in all conditions we weren’t too far off pole. Tomorrow should be interesting. As always the Mercs have had good long run pace, we’ve seen [that] in free practice, but we’ll be there and obviously we start close enough to the front to make a fight of it and so hopefully it’s an exciting race.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Balazs Vajta – Eszak Magyarorszag) My question is for Lewis. Well, first of all, unlucky last lap of course, and it seems you have been struggling a little bit more on this weekend than usual. Would you be able to explain why you are struggling? That’s question number one and question two: looking at your qualifying today, rainy conditions, do you prefer rain conditions tomorrow or a dry race?

    LH: Obviously I missed a lot of time yesterday. It was probably the first time, at least in the ten years that I have… actually in 2006 I had a spin in qualifying which meant I started at the back in GP2, otherwise in Formula One I’ve not really had any shunts here. Yesterday really put us on the back foot. Sometimes a missed session doesn’t really make too much of a difference but with a track as technical as this it’s really about building a solid foundation and I didn’t obviously get that yesterday and that was my fault. Today has been just trying to catch up from being on that back foot. I was kind of grateful it was wet at the beginning of qualifying because that levels the playing field a bit more, kind of helps you get back to the rhythm. As I said at the end it felt good. In terms of a wet or dry race, I hope it’s going to be a dry race tomorrow, but I don’t mind it being mixed because those are conditions I seem to go well in, so we shall see. For the fans I hope that it’s dry but for them also I hope that it’s a fun race like it was at the last one.

    Q: (Istvan Simon – Auto Magazin) Nico, we were lucky enough to see replays of your quickest lap in Q3 and it looked like there were double yellow flags right after the chicane. How do you remember that lap? How was it from the cockpit and aren’t you afraid of losing pole, perhaps after the investigation?

    NR: I don’t know. For sure there were double waved yeah, but I had a very, very big lift and lost a lot of time as a result and I was also slower than on my previous lap in that yellow sector, or in that yellow segment, or whatever it’s called, so I’m sure it will be OK.

    Q: (Péter Vámosi – Vas Népe) Question to all drivers: the Hungarian government will rebuild the whole building here, it’s now official here, in two years. The whole media centre, this building, the boxes. Can you give us some advice what you need? Elevators? Bigger places? Whatever?

    NR: We don’t really… it’s great that they’re doing it because yes, it’s a bit out-of-date, and that’s awesome because this place deserves to have Formula One for many, many more years y’know? So many fans come to watch us and the track is awesome – it’s a very, very exciting track – so it’s cool that they’re redoing it.

    Lewis, anything to add?

    LH: I love it here. I don’t think people need elevators! Could be a fun weekend but also one that you lose weight, bit of a workout! As Nico said, this is a historic grand prix, one of those that we cannot miss. I don’t think they need to go too overboard, we just need slightly bigger garages. I don’t know how it is for the hospitality but, just sensible improvement I would say.

    Daniel, your thoughts.

    DR: They’ve said it, yeah.

    Q: (Barna Zsoldos – Nemzeti Sport) How did you find the new surface and the new kerbs in the wet conditions? Is it any different to how it was in the past? To all.

    NR: It’s good. The grip is very high and that’s a great feeling, to be able to go so fast. Even in the wet, grip is very high. Yeah, I think they’ve done a very good job. Feels good. The only thing that still needs work are the two track limit areas where they just need to figure something out for there. Otherwise it’s been done very well.

    Lewis, your thoughts on the track surface and the kerbs?

    LH: I still don’t think they needed to do it, but obviously it’s done. I hope they don’t resurface it for a long time because it’s a track with age it gets better, it gains character. Yes, there are bumps and stuff but that’s what… as long as it’s not like a monster track bump then it’s fine; that means it’s more technical for us. But it’s very, very smooth now. And as Nico said, for one of the track limit kerbs, we have to find maybe a different solution – but the one seems to work now, so maybe that is the way forwards.

    And Daniel?

    DR: I’m sort-of on both sides. I definitely agree with Lewis that a lot of tracks have character through some bumps or some little parts on the track which… it’s like Monaco, for example, out of Casino Square we always avoid the bump, or the drain, whatever it is. If they smooth that out it would lose a lot of Monaco. It wasn’t to the extent here with Budapest, but there were some corners, like Turn Five, which was always really bumpy and sometimes uncomfortable but it was a challenge to work your way around that and setup the car around that particular corner. Thankfully it’s still got a lot of character, the track is still very flowing and still a lot of fun. Having a new surface, it does make it a lot grippier, so I think when you’re going faster as well, you are having fun. But yeah, they’ve done alright here. Hopefully they don’t resurface every track on the calendar because it does create a bit of atmosphere around it.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Nico, you have now 26 poles like Mika Häkkinen, do you feel that you equalled the Finnish record in this way?

    NR: I didn’t know and, I don’t know…it’s not really…  yeah it’s great to here that. But it’s not something that I think about. It’s just statistics. I’m not really focussed on that. I’m focussed on this weekend, happy to be on pole because it’s the best chance of winning the grand prix tomorrow.

    Q: (Attila Lénart – Autó Stílus) I would like to ask all of you guys, after what we have seen here, we had more than an hour-long Q1, aren’t you feeling you are a bit over-protected?

    DR: The only thing I feel is Hungry. I had a light lunch and now I’m hungry.

    Can you elaborate a little bit for us? What were your thoughts about the conditions at the start?

    DR: I think, a lot like these new surfaces, they do… because they haven’t bedded in, there’s not many cracks and whatever, the water does seem to sit on top of these very smooth types of asphalt. You could see that even the Safety Car, at least from what it looked like, the first ten minutes after two o’clock, it was even aquaplaning a bit. Normally if the Safety Car’s having problems then it’s very hard for us. Sure, we want to be out there, we don’t want to wait but at the same time, the car can only handle so much water and the tyres can only handle so much. I think they made the best of the situation with what it was. I think all of us where amazed at how quickly it then dried. From extremes to then Inters and then slicks in 10-15 minutes nearly.

    Nico, do you feel the right decisions were made in Q1?

    NR: Yeah, for sure because these puddles, they make it unbelievably uncontrollable, the car, this aquaplaning. You can’t drive in that. Even when we did drive, there were still a lot of those as you saw people going off everywhere. So, it was fine, it was good.

    And Lewis, your thoughts on Q1.

    LH: I agree with them. Honestly. I’m pretty crazy and I like to go out in conditions like that but I had crazy aquaplaning at one point Nico was mentioning. I was ahead of him. And so I think they made the right calls. Unfortunately the tyres… there is water sitting on top of the track and the tyres cannot disperse the water quick enough, and so I think they made the right call and the right steps.

    Q: (Ralf Bach – Auto Bild Motorsport) A question to Nico and Lewis. We will see a total free race tomorrow between you guys, or could it be that we hear “keep position” at one moment of this race?

    NR: For sure we can expect a good battle and free racing.

    Lewis?

    LH: Good to see you smiling Ralf! We’re supposed to race, same as always.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globosport) To Daniel, your team-mate comes from two podiums, two second places. What is the importance for you in this race to be in front of him?

    DR: Always you want to beat your team-mate. That’s always, in a way, your first target. Everyone wants to win but if you can’t win you want to try to win the team battle, as it’s called. So yeah, I want to have a good race tomorrow. I really feel we can fight for more than just a podium – but let’s see. Yeah, I’ve obviously put myself in a good position I think from the start of the weekend, things have been working well. Obviously Max has done very well and he’s got some great results since he’s been here and I really believe we’re pushing each other to that next level and I think it’s showing in the team’s results. But also on myself I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can. So I focus on me first, and then try to understand a little bit of what’s happening around me.

    Q: (Silvia Arias – Revista Parabrisas) For all of you, I want to know how difficult it’s going to be tomorrow: Avoid three times the corners Four and 11 out of the limits with the electronics.

    NR: It’s OK. You can see the white line and I’m sure it will be fine.

    Lewis, anything to add? Track limits.

    LH: I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. It is relatively easy, you just don’t go through as fast as you would if you could go wider.

    Daniel?

    DR: Yeah, just being disciplined. That’s all it is really. It’s good that they are applying it. I think three times is definitely enough. Some people try to say ‘what if this happens? Or in this scenario…’ Three times is enough and that’s that. We can see it. It’s not like, as Lewis said, we can see the kerb, we can see the track limit. So, just be disciplined, be sensible and not too greedy.

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Speedsport) Daniel, your team-mate reported on one run in Q3 that he lost ‘sync’. What does that mean, and did you have a similar glitch?

    DR: Yes, so normally when you download from iTunes… I’m not sure what Max is using but obviously the music must have stopped. Weak wifi! Anyway, it’s normally just for the gears. Like a quick shift setting.

    Did you have any problem?

    DR: No, it was all good.

    Q: (Péter Farkas – Autó Motor) Daniel, it was difficult to judge because of the conditions but based on what happened in P3, Red Bull seemed to get closer to Mercedes today than it was yesterday. How confident were you of fighting for pole if the conditions were staying dry?

    DR: I think we would have got close on the last run, with the yellow. It sounded like Lewis was improving as well but looking at the 19.9 that Nico did, I did a 20.2, I think and I was three-and-a-half tenths up a the time of the yellow on my time, so I think it would have been very close at least to the time Nico set, so I was pretty frustrated on the radio. But anyway. It is what it is. I think we’ve definitely made some ground today over yesterday which is really nice because, particularly in qualifying Mercedes seem to, if not hold the gap, normally increase it, generally speaking. So I’m really happy with what we’ve done today. I did a little long run this morning which I was more comfortable than I was yesterday, so the signs are going there to be more competitive for tomorrow. Let’s see, give it a good crack.

    Q: (Agris Lauzinieks – Kapitals) Nico, as a leader this season and your contract just being signed now, how can it be justified that you are earning less than Lewis?

    NR: How do you know that?

    I can feel it

    NR: Well you need to check your feelings maybe. I don’t want to talk about such details.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globosport) To all drivers. In dry conditions, what do you project concerning tyres.

    NR: Concerning tyres, it’s going to be, I think quite straightforward. Of course the supersoft is going to be very difficult initially, that’s going to be interesting how that goes. There could be some big differences there. After that, it’s going to be OK.

    Lewis, you all did a lot of laps on the supersoft in Q2. How’s that going to impact on that first stint tomorrow.

    LH: I only did the one lap on the supersoft in Q2. I think it’s the same for both of us. Only one lap on that tyre. I’m pretty sure that’s the case.

    Daniel, how do you think it’s going to play-out tomorrow?

    DR: I think if it’s hot the supersoft, it’s quite hard to get a lot of laps out of it. Or at least fast laps. It depends what the weather is doing. If it’s cooler, you can definitely run it longer but it does suffer more in the heat. Let’s see. I don’t think it’s going to be a one-stop race. We’ll see if anyone proves me wrong but at this stage it looks like a two stop and whether people do… obviously we’ve got three compounds to choose from. They might mix it up a little bit – but I don’t think we’ll see extremely long stints at the beginning with the supersoft.

  • Rosberg Fastest, Hamilton Crashes – Hungarian GP FP2 Report

    Rosberg Fastest, Hamilton Crashes – Hungarian GP FP2 Report

    Nico Rosberg claimed the fastest time of the second free practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix after Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton crashed out earlier in the session.

    Rosberg’s best time of 1:20.435 came courtesy of the super soft compound tyres. Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull was the closes to Rosberg with a 1:21.030, 0.595s off Rosberg’s time. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel left his fastest time of the to a little later in the session where he set his best lap of 1:21.348 which is 0.913s off the fastest time.

    Before Rosberg had set the fastest time his team mate was the fastest around the circuit and on a flying lap Hamilton dipped his outside wheel onto the kerb under braking for Turn 11. The rear of his Mercedes came around and sent the Briton sideways over the run-off area and into the tyre barriers. Hamilton’s car made contact with the barriers square on and sideways and recorded an impact force of 10g. The session was subsequently red flagged while the marshals made repairs to the barrier. Hamilton was able to make his way slowly back to the pits.

    Max Verstappen finished his FP2 4th fastest with a 1:21.770. Hamilton’s time of 1:21.960 before his crash was good enough to get him 5th fastest for the session.

    Hungary 2016_Hamilton FP2 CrashKimi Raikkonen was 6th fastest more than 1.5s off the pace. The two McLaren’s once again finished side-by-side in 7th and 8th with Fernando Alonso leading Jenson Button.

    After narrowly missing out on a top 10 finish in FP1, Nico Hulkenberg finsihed 9th fastest in FP2 ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez.

    Both Williams cars seems to be struggling for grip around the Hungaroring. Bottas is under investigation for failing to keep right of the pit entry bollard.

    In addition to Hamilton retiring from the session, Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz and Sauber’s Felipe Nasr also retired from the session with mechanical problems.

    Mercedes looked very strong in their long runs. Red Bull and Ferrari are close, but are some way off Mercedes.

    Pos Driver Car Time Gap Laps
    1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:20.435 – 45
    2 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:21.030 +0.595 36
    3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:21.348 +0.913 31
    4 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:21.770 +1.335 35
    5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:21.960 +1.525 4
    6 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:22.058 +1.623 46
    7 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:22.328 +1.893 21
    8 Jenson Button McLaren 1:22.387 +1.952 34
    9 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:22.449 +2.014 41
    10 Sergio Perez Force India 1:22.653 +2.218 38
    11 Esteban Gutierrez Haas 1:22.673 +2.238 38
    12 Felipe Massa Williams 1:22.681 +2.246 39
    13 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:22.689 +2.254 24
    14 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:22.773 +2.338 38
    15 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:22.864 +2.429 28
    16 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:22.948 +2.513 43
    17 Kevin Magnussen Renault 1:23.347 +2.912 41
    18 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:23.437 +3.002 36
    19 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:23.528 +3.093 12
    20 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:23.986 +3.551 31
    21 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:23.992 +3.557 22
    22 Rio Haryanto Manor 1:24.265 +3.830 36

     

    Photo credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team

  • Hamilton Fastest at Hungarian GP Practice 1

    Hamilton Fastest at Hungarian GP Practice 1

    Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished the first free practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix on top of the time sheets.

    Hamilton’s time of 1:21.347 sent him to the top of the time sheets on the red marked super-soft tyre. Newly re-signed Mercedes team mate, Nico Rosberg was second fastest, 0.237s off the pace, with a 1:21.584.

    The session which started under overcast and damp conditions saw drivers head out on the intermediates initially. There was hardly any running for the first 30mins of the session. Once the track was dry drivers took to the track and the lap times started tumbling.

    Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were 3rd and 4th fastest respectively for Ferrari with Vettels best time of 1:22.991, 1.644s off Hamilton’s pace. The Red Bull pair of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen were 5th and 6th fastest.

    Both McLaren’s finished in the top 10 with Fernando Alonso setting a 1:23.961 to place him 7th fastest ahead of his team mate Jenson Button in 8th.

    Haas F1’s Romain Grosjean was 9th fastest and Force India’s Sergio Perez marginally faster than his team mate to take 10th fastest.

    Mercedes once again showed why they are the team to beat laying down the gauntlet early on. Times will get much quicker once the track rubbers in and the dust is cleared.

    Red Bull have not showed their hand yet as they completed the session without running the super soft tyres. Both drivers’ times came courtesy of the yellow marked soft-compound tyre. There is not much between Red Bull on the softs and Ferrari on the super softs and it does look like Red Bull may have the upper hand over Ferrari.

    Pos Driver Car Time Gap Laps
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:21.347 – 34
    2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:21.584 +0.237 34
    3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:22.991 +1.644 22
    4 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:23.082 +1.735 19
    5 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:23.174 +1.827 28
    6 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:23.457 +2.110 27
    7 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:23.935 +2.588 28
    8 Jenson Button McLaren 1:23.961 +2.614 18
    9 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:24.013 +2.666 22
    10 Sergio Perez Force India 1:24.073 +2.726 29
    11 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:24.120 +2.773 29
    12 Felipe Massa Williams 1:24.154 +2.807 27
    13 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:24.370 +3.023 33
    14 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:24.579 +3.232 27
    15 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:24.981 +3.634 19
    16 Charles Leclerc Haas 1:25.181 +3.834 22
    17 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:25.256 +3.909 18
    18 Esteban Ocon Renault 1:25.260 +3.913 28
    19 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:25.324 +3.977 16
    20 Rio Haryanto Manor 1:27.012 +5.665 23
    21 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:27.249 +5.902 9
    22 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:28.560 +7.213 6

     

    Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team

  • Rosberg Signs New Deal With Mercedes

    Rosberg Signs New Deal With Mercedes

    German driver Nico Rosberg has signed a new deal with Mercedes AMG Petronas F1.

    In a video released on Friday morning Rosberg could be seen signing a paper with with Toto Wolff.

    The deal which took a while to finalize was handled by former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger. The deal is reportedly for another two years which will see Rosberg at Mercedes till the end of 2018.

     

     

     

  • FIA Revises Radio Restrictions Ahead of Hungarian GP

    FIA Revises Radio Restrictions Ahead of Hungarian GP

    The FIA has made changes to the radio regulations ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

    The changes come after Nico Rosberg was given a 10-second time penalty after the British Grand Prix when his race engineer instructed him on how to drive around his gearbox problem during the race.

    The FIA have now issued a new directive to teams regarding radio regulations which tightens up the rules slightly. The big change to the rules is that race engineers will be allowed to instruct drivers on setting changes but this has to be done when the driver is in the pit lane only. The regulation regarding radio communication in the pit lane has also been altered in this regard. Previously race engineers were only allowed to give instructions when the driver was in his garage. Communications are now allowed until the driver has exited the pit lane.

    The section regarding instructions now reads: “Indication of a problem with the car. Any message of this sort must include an irreversible instruction to enter the pits to rectify the problem or to retire the car.”

    Another change was made to the regulation regarding a damaged car. Previously drivers were told exactly which component on the car was damaged. Under the revised directives, the race engineer is only allowed to warn the driver of damage to the car and cannot state which part of the car is damaged.

    On the issue of car settings, engineers are now allowed to inform the driver of a setting change “for the sole purpose of mitigating loss of function of a sensor, actuator or controller whose degradation or failure was not detected and handled by the on-board software.”

  • New Owners at Sauber F1 Team

    New Owners at Sauber F1 Team

    The Sauber Group have been acquired by Swiss finance company Longbow Finance S.A..

    The deal which was signed on Tuesday 19 July by Peter Sauber and Monisha Kaltenborn. The deal will see Peter Sauber retire with Pascal Picci the current President and CEO of Longbow Finanace S.A take over as Chairman of Sauber Holdings A.G.

    Kaltenborn will keep her seat on the board and will continue her role as CEO and Team Principal of Sauber.

    “As a Swiss company, we are very pleased with having secured the future of a Swiss presence in a highly specialized and innovative industry,” said Picci on the share purchase.

    Monisha Kaltenborn had this to say about the new owners: “:“We are very pleased that by reaching an agreement with Longbow Finance S.A., we can secure the future of Sauber at the pinnacle of motorsport.

    We are convinced that Longbow Finance S.A. is the perfect partner to again make the team competitive and successful in Formula 1.

    At the same time the new structure will allow us to finally further expand our third party business in which we commercialise our know-how. This solution is in the best interest of our employees, partners, loyal suppliers, the base in Hinwil and for the Swiss motorsport.

    We are very grateful that Longbow Finance S.A.believes in the competences, efficiency and capabilities of Sauber Group, and we look forward to a new exciting future.”

    Peter Sauber, President of the Board of Directors, Sauber Holding AG:
    “Monisha Kaltenborn and I yesterday signed an agreement which secures the future of the Formula 1 Team and the Sauber Group.

    I am very happy that my courageous investment to buy the team back, which I made six years ago, with the intention to secure the base in Hinwil and the place in Formula 1 has proved to be correct.”

  • Weather Report for the 2016 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix

    Weather Report for the 2016 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix

    Coming up to the halfway point in the Formula One World Championship and we are at the Hungaroring for the 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix in Mogyoród, Hungary.

    The middle of the season is always an interesting time. Teams are starting to focus on the next years cars and drivers are moving around. Some teams are already shifting focus to 2017 with a small development team focusing on 2016. The front running teams who have the bigger budgets have the luxury of keeping their foot on gas pedal to keep the 2016 development and 2017 going.

    The Hungaroring is a track that has been good to many drivers and teams. Many first F1 victories have been recorded at the historic circuit which has been hosting F1 since 1986. The location and topography of the track make it possible, in some places, so see up to 80% of the track. The elevations changes are not that extreme but the twisty flowing nature of the track makes overtaking very difficult. Not to say overtaking is difficult but it is a bit of a challenge if a driver cannot get close enough into Turn 1 with DRS.

    For 2016 the track has been resurfaced and the kerbs have been changed. This new surface should make braking a little easier compared to the old surface where breaking was rather bumpy into some corners. There is talk of lap records tumbling once again.

    Mercedes are currently on a roll, Red Bull are looking stronger while Ferrari seem neither here nor there. Red Bull fancy their chances to take the fight to Mercedes this weekend. The characteristics of the track suits the Red Bull car very well. Mercedes will not take things lying down they will take the fight to who ever threatens their dominance.

    In the mid-field battle, Force India will be hoping to overturn a 19 point lead Williams has over them as they target 4th in the Constructors Championship. Slow circuits are neither Williams not Force India’s cup of tea. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top at the end of the race on Sunday.

    The Hungarian Grand Prix takes place in the middle of summer in Hungary. Conditions are usually very hot and dry. Temperatures this weekend will stay around the low 30’s with clear conditions expected throughout the weekend.

    Hungary 2016_Weather

     



  • F1 2016: Hungarian Gp Preview – Three-Way Battle Around The Ring

    F1 2016: Hungarian Gp Preview – Three-Way Battle Around The Ring

    When the FIA announced a 21-race calendar for the 2016 it’s likely that few really took notice of what this actually meant. As the paddock heads to the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary for the 11th round it will, astonishingly, only reach the halfway mark of the season on lap 35 of the race.

    The 70 laps of the Hungaroring are akin to a street circuit thanks to its tight and twisting layout. The second sector especially highlights the flowing nature of the circuit, as it comprises eight medium to high speed flowing turns that demand absolute precision.

    The price for its kart-like layout and lack of straits is that overtaking opportunities are not obvious or abundant. The most predictable overtaking opportunity is an out-braking maneuver into turn one.

    The top two teams in the championship are split on tyre strategy. Pirelli is bringing the white-walled medium, yellow-walled soft, and red-walled supersoft tyre compounds to the race. Ferrari has loaded up on nine sets of supersoft tyres each for Raikkonen and Vettel while Mercedes have opted for eight sets of the softest tyre for Rosberg and Hamilton. The Hungaroring is a circuit that is notoriously low on grip for which the supersoft tyre is ideal.

    Daniel Ricciardo_Monaco 2016The Red Bull team are primed for a good weekend in Hungary. The improved Renault power unit is not quite to the standard of Mercedes and Ferrari but it’s not far off. But they do excel in the aerodynamic department and with a better power unit than ever bolted to the back of the Red Bull and the tight and twisting nature of the Hungaroring Christian Horner and his team can be more than bullish about their chances, pun intended.

    The inter-team rivalry between Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen will be especially interesting to note this weekend. In their six races, so far, as teammates Verstappen has scored 77 points to Ricciardo’s 64 points. But the Hungarian grand prix will be a big test for the Verstappen vs. Ricciardo battle.

    Ricciardo has an affinity for the tight and twisty circuits as he has proved on several occasions including earlier this year in Monaco. The Aussie knows his way around the Hungaroring too as it was here, in 2014, that he pulled off several magnificent overtaking moves to win a memorable race. This will be a good indicator of how Verstappen is progressing. “I have to up my game compared to where I was before in Toro Rosso because he [Ricciardo] is very quick,” said Verstappen.

    Ferrari-SF15-T-Jerez-01It should be a better weekend for Ferrari too. As it stands Kimi Raikkonen currently sits third in the championship with 106 points while teammate Sebastian Vettel is fifth on 98 points. However, the team experienced their worst race weekend, in terms of performance, at Silverstone. But Raikkonen believes that the team’s struggles in Britain were a once off. The biggest issue, which plagued Ferrari at the last race weekend, was the cooler weather. It’s a well-documented fact that both drivers struggle to get the front tyres to the correct operating temperature in cool condition. This shouldn’t be an issue this weekend as the Hungarian grand prix weekend in hot summer conditions.

    But while Red Bull and Ferrari are likely to be in better shape for Hungary the ever-dominant Mercedes will still be lurking. The qualifying pace advantage will be a big asset around a circuit where overtaking is difficult. Nevertheless, while the two Silver Arrows are in prime form they should, and likely will, face stiff competition for the top step of the podium in Hungary.