F1 Madness

Tag: fernando alonso

  • F1 2017: Australian Gp Review – Ferrari On Top Down Under

    F1 2017: Australian Gp Review – Ferrari On Top Down Under

    For the first time since the hybrid era started in Formula 1 a team other than Mercedes is leading the world championship. That team is Ferrari and the driver is Sebastian Vettel.

    It shouldn’t come as a big surprise that a Ferrari claimed the top step of podium as all signs in testing pointed to the fact that the Italian team had built a good car. While not too surprising, it was a breath of fresh air. Consider how refreshing it is to have a red car cross the finish line when you take into account that this is the Ferrari victory since the 2015 Singapore grand prix and the first time since November 2008 that Ferrari has led the constructor’s championship.

    It was a measured start to the grand prix that Lewis Hamilton led into turn one from pole position with Vettel in close attendance. There was however a coming together of Kevin Magnussen’s Haas and Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber a bit later in the lap. While the rest of the pack sorted themselves out Vettel was glued to the back of the Mercedes exhaust, this time Hamilton wasn’t simply scampering off into the distance.

    1169This meant while Hamilton could control the front of the race he couldn’t run at too conservative a pace. This meant that Hamilton was not able to extend the life of the ultrasoft tyres and was forced into the pitlane ahead of the Ferrari. This gave Vettel the impetuous to push ahead and take the lead of the race.

    Hamilton’s early visit to the pits came a surprise too many as the new-for-2017 pirelli tyres have a much long lifespan than their 2016 counterparts. Nevertheless, the three-time champ emerged behind the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and was stuck behind the Dutchman for a handful of laps while Vettel pulled away up front.

    Mercedes, and Hamilton, would have you believe that this is where the race was lost but Verstappen didn’t play as big a role. Firstly, Hamilton dived into the pitlane because he’d exhausted the tyres and was losing grip. Secondly, while he did lose a few seconds behind Verstappen he wasn’t stuck behind him for the remainder of the race, in fact, it wasn’t even half distance yet. The simple fact is that the Mercedes just didn’t have the pace to beat the Ferrari.

    Post-race Hamilton bemoaned the inability to overtake Verstappen. Given the unique characteristics of Albert Park it’s not yet clear whether overtaking in 2017 will be more difficult. Shangai, in two weeks time, should be a better barometer. But again, this didn’t seem like a valid point as several other drivers pulled of overtakes, including a stunning double-overtake from Force India’s Esteban Ocon on Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg. But we’ve seen before that the Merc isn’t a car that runs as efficiently as others in dirty air, and it seems, at least from Australia that it’s an issue that haven’t gotten on top yet.

    1142Valtteri Bottas impressed with his performance in third only two seconds off Hamilton. Ideally he’ll want to be ahead but he’ll take a lot of confidence from the margin to his teammate in only his first race with the team. Kimi Raikkonen came home a distant fourth and said that understeer in the first stint on the ultrasoft tyres put him in no-mans land. But when he swithced to the soft tyre he was able to run the pace of the top three and set the fastest lap of the race. Was fourth ideal? No, but the important thing is that Raikkonen and the team indicated that they knew where they’d gone wrong on the set-up and know what to fix for China in two weeks time.

    Max Verstappen, in fifth, brought the Red Bull home in a predictable position given the team’s pace. Daniel Ricciardo never recovered from a qualifying crash as he first broke down on the lap to the grid then joined the race two laps down only to break down again.

    Verstappen, in fifth, ended up pretty much where you’d have predicted for Red Bull. The unretired Felipe Massa was sixth for Williams ahead of the Force India of Sergio Perez and the Toro Rosso of Carlos Sainz in seventh and eighth. Daniil Kvyat was ninth in the other Toro Rosso ahead of Esteban Ocon’s Force India in tenth.

    1166It was a day to forget for McLaren as Stoffel Vandoorne finished last and Fernando Alonso retired with suspension failure. What is evident for the Honda-powered team is that 2017 will be another painfully long season.

    After Friday practice Hamilton was crowned champion at least seventeen different times and Ferrari had no chance of even getting close to the Mercedes. Just as it was premature to write off Ferrari after Friday it is equally unwise to declare them the team to beat after one race. It’s a new formula with a lot of room for improvement throughout the season. Even if a team dominates the first races it doesn’t mean that they will be the team to beat at the end of the year. The learning curve on these cars will be enormous.

    But Ferrari’s victory is no fluke, or once-off, the SF-70H is a good car that has every possibility of taking the fight to Mercedes through all of the nineteen remaining races.

  • 2017 Australian Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference – Part 1

    2017 Australian Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference – Part 1

    PART ONE: DRIVERS – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari), Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing), Fernando ALONSO (McLaren)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Let’s start with Lewis Hamilton – a two-time Australian Grand Prix winner, record five times pole sitter here at Albert Park? Lewis, you and the other drivers have spoken about how much you enjoy driving this new generation of new cars. Could you perhaps give us an idea from your own point of view of a few areas you particularly like about it?

    Lewis HAMILTON: Well, firstly, hi everyone, it’s good to see you, it’s good to be back. I don’t know, as racing drivers and in general you want to drive the quickest cars in the world and you always want to go faster and the cars are faster than they were last year. And the challenge of exploiting that speed with your car on track is a great challenge. It’s more in the direction of how Formula One should be, in the sense of the physicality side of it. We are athletes, and Formula One should be the most physically demanding sport in terms of all the driving series. In the previous years that’s not been the case. To the level we train to it’s relatively easy for us to, but now you are going to have to push the boundaries, which I like.

    There’s a saying in sport – never change a winning team. But you have a new Mercedes technical boss and a new team-mate. How’s that all working out?

    LH: So far, great. I sat down with James and had a great conversation with him and he’s really blended well into the team and super-excited to work with him. It’s always great to have great new creative minds and he’s one of the smartest people I have ever met, if not the smartest. I’m excited to see what he can bring out of me and the team and all the guys we’re working with. Valtteri has, as I said before, Valtteri has been gelling really well into the team, working really hard to be the best he can be, which is all I want.

    Sebastian coming to you, of course 2011 Australian Grand Prix winner. You had a good chance to win this race last year and the recent testing would suggest you will be in the hunt again on Sunday. Is there a more solid baseline do you feel to this year’s Ferrari attack.

    Sebastian VETTEL: We’ll see. So far we don’t know anything. For all of us it will be exciting to find out where we are on Saturday/Sunday, to get a first impression. For us a lot of new things last year didn’t really go the way we expected, so I think for this year we have really focused on ourselves. We have tried to do our job back in the factory and in testing… I think testing times, I don’t think they are that crucial, I think it matters much more what you show from here onwards. We’ll see. I think we are a bit in the dark like everyone else, not knowing what other people have done. For ourselves we can be reasonably happy, we did decent mileage, we didn’t have any major issues with the car and hopefully we can carry that momentum into the race.

    Well, the car looks pretty competitive but the real question I guess is how it will do in qualifying. Ferrari have only taken five pole positions this decade, since 2010, so how have you addressed that? Have you got a go-faster engine setting for the final part of qualifying?

    SV: Not necessarily. I think we worked on all areas, trying to improve. Obviously we all know that qualifying is important to have a good race, so the higher up you qualify the better the chance you have in the race. Statistically it doesn’t look that good, so hopefully we can turn that around.

    Fernando, coming to you, 2006 winner here of course, there’s no hiding the fact that McLaren and Honda are in a very difficulty position at this stage. Do you have any expectations at all for this season?

    Fernando ALONSO: Well, I think let’s wait and see. We have only done the testing period, so I think the first race now will put things a little bit more clear. It’s a question mark also for us where we exactly are. We were not able to push the car to anywhere close to the limit at any lap on the testing, due to different problems. Let’s see. If we can have a good first weekend, see a little bit more of the potential of the car and hopefully see where we are. But yeah, still a long way to go for us and a lot of work to do.

    It’s been only three weeks since testing began and the problems came to light. Have you and team been able to put the rescue plan in place yet or is that something that’s going to come in the next few weeks?

    FA: The team is always working to improve the situation – to word as hard we can, to identify the problems and to improve those areas. I guess everyone did the maximum in the last three weeks and let’s see what we can find tomorrow on the track and that’s more a question for Eric and Honda.

    Daniel, it’s a stat they don’t care for much around these parts, but no Australian has won the Australian Grand Prix since it became a championship round in 1985, so come on Dan, are you going to put that right this weekend?

    Daniel RICCIARDO: I’ll try. I’ll try to. It would be nice. If anyone could win just one race they’d always say their home, so that’d be cool, it would be good.

    SV: Didn’t Alan Jones win here?

    Not since it became a world championship round, no.

    SV: So what race did he win in 1980?

    DR: That was the world championship. He’s here; I’ll ask him.

    Daniel, do you want to add anything more?

    DR: I’d love to. We’ll see what happens. I’m prepared. As Lewis touched on, it’s more physical this year and I think we’ve all done our work in the pre-season. I’m sure all of us up here feel like we’re coming in as well prepared as possible and it’s been fun to put more emphasis on that, on the training. The cars are more enjoyable. They are going to be fast. For the fans here this weekend to see the cars on track, the cornering speeds, I think they’ll definitely see that. Hopefully we’re cornering quicker than anyone else.

    Well, you got a really good look at your team-mate Max Verstappen in the second half of last season. How tough are the battles between you two this year?

    DR: Hopefully tough. Hopefully we’re fighting for victories, I think that would be something we would welcome. He’s obviously fast. It’s his third year now and although he’s young, he’s no longer a rookie anymore so I think we both carry a bit of experience. I think the team is excited to see how we go and I think everyone else is. They’re starting to hype it up a little bit. Hopefully it’s hyped up by the fact that we’re fighting at the front, that’s what we both want.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xiro Xone News) I want to say good afternoon to everyone and I want to wish us good press conferences for the rest of the season and a good, robust conversation. This question is for the entire panel. This year we have some new owners, the sport is owned by Liberty Media and they have a big, bold vision for the future of F1. What would be your top three wishes for the new owners of Formula One?

    DR: A race in Vegas.

    SV: A race in Germany.

    DR: That’s it; I’ve said mine.

    LH: Miami race…. More ladies in the paddock? More paddock access to some women, there’s too many dudes in the paddock.

    SV: V12s.

    LH: V12s, I agree.

    Fernando?

    FA: I agree. I agree with everyone… equal engines for everyone.

    LH: I don’t agree with that one.

    DR: But not electric.

    LH: And not Honda. I’m kidding…

    Q: (Andy Benson – BBC) We had Charlie Whiting in here a couple of hours ago and one of the things he was saying was that the so-called ‘Verstappen rule’ has been removed, just leaving the general catch-all regulation about potentially dangerous driving. Are you all happy with that situation?

    SV: I don’t know. I’m not…

    You’ll be told tomorrow.

    DR: We’ll be told tomorrow? You know everything before us! Let’s see. I think we can… the good part of it is it means less decisions to be made on track. If they leave it up to us I guess the positive is that we sort it out on track. Hopefully we can get redemption if we feel like something has not gone our way. We’ll see., I like being able to race. That’s the positive from it.

    SV: Will I get my trophy back… it makes sense!

    DR: I guess he wants his trophy back from Mexico. It was a pretty small one actually. Right, I’ll shut up.

    Q: (Leon Alepidis – F1fan) A question for Daniel. For many years it has been talked of to have a second grand prix in the USA. In the past Germany, Spain and Italy had a second grand prix in the same year. Your thoughts about a possible second grand prix in Australia and where would you like that to be?

    DR: I’m going to sound greedy if I ask for another one here. We’ve got some great circuits… Seb’s saying Bathurst. That would be an amazing circuit for sure. Adelaide, I believe… I was very young but I did go to the 1993 grand prix, I was very young but I heard Adelaide was amazing, they still do it with the V8 supercars. Phillip Island, they host a great event for MotoGP, so there’s a lot. I wouldn’t say no, but I feel a bit greedy asking for more than we have got already. I think everyone else would like to come here. You guys like Australia, right?

    Q: (Rebecca Williams – News Ltd) A question for Fernando. You were involved in a frightening smash here last year at Albert Park. Just wondering how you feel about your return to the track this year, and if that’s something that’s going to be at the back of your mind when you get out there, specifically at that corner?

    FA: Not really. You try always to forget all the accidents, all the moments you were scared in the car, so yeah, it was a pretty big one here last year but it will be perfectly OK and I’m really looking forward to go back here. I like the circuit. I like how passionate the fans are when we are on the track so it will be a good experience to go through those turns.

    Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere Della Sera) To Sebastian. You said it’s too early to have a judgement on your car. But do you feel this car has enough quality to let you fight for the title?

    SV: Well, it’s March now! I think if you are in a fight for the title that’s a question for October, November. I think looking at the performance of the cars obviously it was expected to be a big step up and that’s how it felt on the track. I think that’s what we all said when we first got out of the car, that it’s a big step forward. It’s not entirely fair to judge to the previous years because it’s a different formula but I think they will be the fastest cars we have ever driven. Naturally, the day I came into Formula One the cars got a bit faster, a bit faster, then they tended stall a little bit. We distributed straight line speed versus cornering speed and I think for us what really gives us a good feeling is cornering speed and I think we are back to the level we were probably ten years ago, and maybe a bit faster. For us it’s always nice to have the feeling that these are the fastest cars we have ever driven. On competitiveness we are all here to find out, that’s why we go racing I guess.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Sebastian, last year it was very tight between you and Kimi in qualifying. With this better car do you think it can be even tighter or is it easier for you in qualifying against him?

    SV: I think it’s never easy. You try to get the best out of yourself, out of your car for one lap. I think last year has been closer than the year before but it’s always been fairly close. Obviously I want to be in front of him and he wants to be in front of me but I think starting the season priority number one is hopefully we are in front of the others. But as I said its still very, very early. We try to do the best job for ourselves and the team and we go from there.

    Q: (Andre Leslie – DPA) Question for Daniel. Daniel, this week in Australia – I’m sure you’ve been here longer than that – how has it been with the pressure and the reception that you’ve received around the country? Is it something that is a weight on your shoulders or is it something you look forward to?

    DR: It’s not a weight on my shoulders. It means more work, for sure. This week is easily the busiest F1 week of the year for me. But it’s all positive support. It’s kind-of overwhelming actually. I’m surprised that so many people are getting behind me and the event but it’s obviously cool. It’s nice and encouraging to see. I hear that ticket sales and everything is up quite a chunk from last year. I try to enjoy it. I appreciate it won’t last for ever. It’s demanding, it’s a tiring week but it’s pretty cool to see so many people supportive of me and the event. I don’t see it as pressure in terms of, if I don’t win on Sunday, they’re all going to leave the track and say I’m hopeless and never come back. They want to see me do well and that’s how I see it. It’s just a bit of extra motivation for me and I think the drivers’ parade on Sunday I’ll see that and feel it and get me jacked-up for the race.

    Q: (Abhishek Takle – Mid Day) Question for Fernando. Fernando, you’ve spoken about how much you’re enjoyed driving these cars, this new generation of cars, despite all the problems in testing. I just wanted to ask you, does the joy of these new cars take away some of the pain – or is it a case that if you’re not competitive then it’s no-longer fun? Thank you.

    FA: No, I think they are two separate things. One is how you enjoy and how much adrenaline these cars are giving to you on the cornering speed. Comparing with the last couple of years I think it’s a good step forward. Not only for us drivers but also for the spectators: for the people here in the grandstands and watching on television they look spectacular and that’s a positive thing. And then, yeah, naturally I think all sportsmen, we are competitive and y’know, when you arrive to race like we are doing now in the first grand prix of the year, you know that joy is together if you are competitive. Let’s see how competitive we can be this year. At least when you are driving alone, you are enjoying. Then when you have a car close to you and they go much faster than you, that’s a little bit less enjoyable.

    Q: (Jerome Bourret – L’Equipe) Do you think that the new regulation can stop Mercedes’ domination or do you expect Lewis to still be the man to beat this weekend and this year? And Lewis, do you consider yourself the favourite for the Championship?

    SV: Well, I think he must be. Mercedes obviously has been in very, very strong form the last three years and even though we changed the regulations, if a team is strong then they will build a strong car the year after, no matter what you do with the rules. I think it’s very clear who is the favourite. For all of us sitting here, we are trying our best to catch-up. How much we have succeeded, we will see and, as the season goes on, I’m sure the cars will have big progression and all the teams will bring lots of stuff to develop the cars. So, whoever’s in a good place in the beginning and still in a good place at the end will have a chance.

    DR: I think for everyone, it’s like when Red Bull were dominating a few years ago, everyone wanted to see someone else win. So it’s natural. People like change. And for us drivers not being in a Mercedes, we want to see change as well. I think even to have more cars fighting for a win, it makes it more exciting. I’ll let Lewis answer but I think if he wins a race against four of us as opposed to just maybe his team-mate, I think that reward is bigger as well. So, I think if you can win against more, it’s not only good for the fans but that feeling of self-accomplishment is greater. We’ll see. Ferrari showed good pace in testing. If they can maybe take a few points away as well, it opens up the Championship over the long term.

    See it that way Lewis?

    LH: I see Ferrari being the quickest at the moment and I think they will definitely be the favourites but we’ll find out more going into the weekend. It’s interesting to see Sebastian’s usually a lot more hype and I can tell he’s trying to keep a lid on it. But their pace was obviously great in testing. I’m very keen to see what Red Bull bring because they were quite far behind through testing, at least compared to Ferrari and didn’t see them bring many upgrades – or an upgrade as far as I could see. So I’m assuming they’re bringing something here which I’m excited to see what they do bring. And I agree with Daniel in the sense of having more teams and more drivers up at the front fighting for wins, that’s what racing is all about. I’m hoping that’s the case. We, as a team, I don’t believe, as far as I know, no team has won back-to-back through rule regulation changes, so that is our goal as a team. We’re here to win, we’re here to do something no-one else has done. Whether or not we’re in the right place at this moment in the season, we’ll find out. But I have every belief in my team that we can do that.

    Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS) Can you remember how many cars were on the grid during your first grand prix weekend. And the real question is, is 20 enough to keep the public satisfied.

    FA: Yes. Enough. Obviously, it’s nice to have many cars on track and many teams in Formula One but at the same point it’s a sport that’s quite difficult to get in, quite difficult to stay for many years. We see with some of the smaller teams how they struggle to keep their financial situation healthy in the year. I think to have a good ten teams and 20 cars on track is more or less the number that we see in Formula One for many years. I think it’s OK.

    Q: (Giles Richards – The Guardian) You just touched on this. The last three years you’ve been fighting for the title, just between you and your team-mate. Would this year be more significant, would you enjoy it more if it was a two- or three-way fight with Ferrari, Red Bull and other drivers. Would it mean more to you?

    LH: Well, as I just mentioned, every year your goal is to beat everyone, of course, and the more of a fight you have, the more satisfying it is when you are victorious, so we’re fully up for a challenge and for a fight. So, that’s what I prepare for. I think it’s not a bad thing. I can’t remember the last time we had three years and then a rule change – but I think they should probably shorten that, maybe, and do more changes. Because there can often be dominance for a certain team and it’s hard to catch up. There’s a limit to how much development you can do through a year, and the top teams can generally develop at a similar pace. If you’ve got a gap already at the beginning it’s hard to squish that gap being that there are rules in terms of how much investment and time you can put into developing your cars. Doing drastic changes kind of spices it up. I’ve never seen the fans so excited about the season as they are this season, being how that it is we don’t know where the cars and the teams are. So, more of these kinds of experiences would, I think, be welcome.

    Q: (Shane McInnes – Radio 3AW) Just about the length of the season, we know it’s 20 races this year but new owners have suggested they might like to see it get out to 25 races. Is 25 too many, and do you think 20 is the right amount or even less, going forward?

    DR: I think it depends on how they structure it. It’s not too many. NASCAR do 36 or something. It’s a lot but the travel’s a lot less because they’re just in the US. So, I think it depends logistically how they do it. It’s all… I don’t know. I like racing. If it means just racing and no testing and less other stuff then… maybe. We spend more days in front of cameras and other things than actually behind the wheel of a racing car. I’d be open to the idea.

    SV: I think 25 is too many. I think 20 is enough. We don’t need more. I think anything between 16 and 20 is the right number. Also, thinking of the efforts going in from the team point of view. For us it’s fairly easy, arriving more or less with hand luggage, doing the job and getting back. I think we’re on the better side. For a lot of the team, for the staff, it’s hard work. So, I think we are having enough races.

    LH: I think if you asked any member of my team whether they’d want to do more races or less, they’d ask for more. It is definitely tough on the guys that are travelling but they love it. They’re addicted to it. They love motor racing and, of course they love time at home but… I’m like Daniel, I love racing so I’m not opposed to more races but I think they’ve got to change the structure, at least on different weekends. If it’s the same four days for 25 races, oh my God I think that would be too much. If they spice it up and make it more… a period during the season that’s perhaps more exciting than another, I think there’s a lot they can do. As long as they are in countries that have a good following. There’s no point in going to a country… for example Turkey, which was a beautiful place but there was no-one that turned up to a race. But if you go to places where there’s a real great atmosphere then you can create a great event, then I think that would be awesome.

    Fernando, any thoughts?

    FA: The same. We all love racing I think so more racing will be always welcome – but in a couple of years’ time.

    Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Lewis, how excited are you about the prospect of taking on Seb, a driver that’s won four titles. Obviously, you have three. Do you think this could be the start of a great rivalry that Formula One needs with arguably the two best drivers of their generation going for the title?

    LH: Yeah. I’ve not had a lot of battles with Sebastian on track so, of course, would love to have that. I think the fans want to see that but even between all of us. We need this guy [Fernando] to have a good car so he can get up there and fight with us as well – before his time’s up. We got a hint that it’s another couple of years at least, so that’s good. I feel we’re yet to see the best of Fernando. The sport needs that and he deserves to be able to show that. So, yeah, you want to be racing against the best. I think that’s what the fans want to see. That close racing and sheer competitiveness and see the ups and downs of the best doing their best. I’m definitely looking forward to racing with all these guys and I hope there’s lots of close racing.

    Q: (Andrew Tate – The Age) Lewis, does part of you wish you were racing the reigning champion for the championship this year.

    LH: Not really. When I walked in here I was thinking it was kind of neat because I have a champion here, a champion there and a potential champion here as well.

    DR: Thanks!

    LH: …so it obviously doesn’t make any difference if the reigning champion’s here or not. At the end of the day every year it’s a brand-new year, a brand-new start, it’s a brand-new challenge and a brand-new championship to win. So, I think we’re all out there to beat each other – but as far as I’m aware you don’t say ‘that guy over there’s the current World Champion, I want to go and beat him’. You just want to beat whoever it is you’re up against.

  • Australian Gp Preview: F1 2017 Finally Comes To Life

    Australian Gp Preview: F1 2017 Finally Comes To Life

    The wait for the 2017 Formula 1 season is nearly over as it heads into the first round at Australia’s Albert Park circuit.

    This weekend one of the most dramatic overhauls of F1 regulations will finally come to life as the battle commences for the 2017 championship. From a purely visual perspective the wider tyres and different aerodynamic layout of the cars present a rather different, but appealing, new look to Formula 1. They will be much faster too and may be up to five seconds a lap quicker than their predecessors.

    With the new era comes a change in several sporting regulations too. For the tyres Pirelli have attempted to provide more durability so as to allow drivers to push harder for longer before it begins to degrade. Whether this will have a detrimental effect on strategy, cutting down on the number of stops, remains to be seen.

    Should it rain Down Under the race will longer start behind a safety-car. Instead, the safety-car will take the field around the track until it is deemed safe to re-start in which case the cars will line up on the grid for a standing start. Further, the launch off the grid has been tightened up where it concerns the clutch. It’s now up to the driver to find the correct bite point, without any pre-programmed settings, and to ensure the best start without getting wheelspin or bogging down the engine.

    TEST F1/2017 - T2 SPAGNAThe eight days of running, across two sessions of testing, suggested that the top three teams might be the closest they’ve been since the start of the hybrid era. Lewis Hamilton has been on record calling Ferrari the favourite. Race drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen shied away from such declarations but there is no denying that the Scuderia have made an impressive step forward. So impressive in fact that it is likely the team to beat in Australia. But they aren’t buying into the hype though as Ferrari president, Sergio Marcionne, has insisted that Mercedes are still ahead.

    For their part Mercedes have announced that it will be running a second, upgraded, specification of engine in Australia. While reports are that it would’ve been introduced later on because of reliability concerns to the timetable has been moved up. There could be several reasons for this but the likelihood is that Mercedes is feeling slightly nervous about the Ferrari hence the early introduction.

    What is a fact is that both Ferrari and Mercedes were sandbagging at different times during testing in Spain and the true pace of both cars will only be revealed in Saturday’s qualifying session.

    2017 Barcelona Pre-Season Test 2, Day 2 - Steve EtheringtonAlong with Ferrari and Mercedes, Red Bull are tipped to be part of the front-running group the true pace of the RB13 is the biggest mystery of the top three teams. While Renault has made impressive progressive with its 2017 power unit it is still behind the Mercedes and Ferrari. Despite this, given the street-like layout of Albert Park, Red Bull is very much the dark horse. While they are well capable of springing a surprise with all things being equal it’s unlikely to be for the top step of the podium.

    As part street-track with a layout comprised, mostly, of medium speed corners, the Albert Park circuit is an outlier on the calendar that is unlikely to present the truest representation of the pecking order in 2017. Nevertheless, at the end of it there will be twenty-five important points and it is the first step of a 2017 season in which it seems that there might finally be a three-horse race.

  • Vettel Ends His Pre-Season Testing Top of the Time Sheets

    Vettel Ends His Pre-Season Testing Top of the Time Sheets

    Sebastian Vettel topped the timing sheets for Ferrari on the penultimate day of testing before the start of the 2017 season.

    The session before lunch was topped by Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel who set a time of 1:19:024 on a set of the purple marked ultra softy tyres. However, what was eye-catching about the German’s time was the manner in which he set it. Twice on his approach to the start/finish line he deliberately lifted off the throttle making his time significantly slower than it would’ve been. There could be several reasons for this approach but most point to Ferrari wanting to disguise their true pace ahead of the season-opener in Australia.

    Mercedes had another good day with 147 laps between Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton was 2nd fastest just a little over three tenths down on Vettel’s time. Hamilton also setting his time on the ultra soft tyres. Taking over in the afternoon was Bottas who completed 95 laps before calling it a day.

    It was not a smooth start to the day for Toro Rosso who suffered with technical issues in the morning session. But things looked much more encouraging in the afternoon session and Daniil Kvyat was able to put in some good times and his fastest time of 1:20.416 earned him 4th fastest.

    Quietly going about their business was the Haas team with Kevin Magnussen at the wheel of the VF-17. Magnussen set the 5th fastest time of the day and completed a very respectable 119 laps. Finishing behind Haas on the day was Daniel Ricciardo for Red Bull who seemed somewhat off the pace today. Red Bull have put the pace down to setup. Despite the slow pace Ricciardo completed 128 laps in the RB13.

    There were yet more woes for McLaren as Stoffel Vandoorne ground to halt and brought out the red flag. The Belgian’s stoppage wasn’t crash related but it was an electrical issue. This comes merely a day after Alonso fingered Honda as the villain in McLaren’s 2017 story. Vandoorne manage to complete 48 laps before the chequered flag and finished 7th fastest.

    Both Sauber drivers were out in the car once again today with Pascal Wehrlein 9th fastest and Marcus Ericsson 11th fastest. Between the the Sauber drivers was Renault’s Jolyon Palmer in 10th.

    The two Williams drivers finished 11th and 12th with Felipe Massa ahead of rookie Lance Stroll. Williams concentrated on race simulations and long run tyre evaluation. They had a very good day of running and between the two drivers completed 165 laps.

     

  • F1 2017: Official Testing Day 1 Wrap-Up

    F1 2017: Official Testing Day 1 Wrap-Up

    The first official day of testing commenced at Spain’s Circuit de Catalunya on Monday.

    The eagerly awaited first day of testing got off to an expected slow start as the new cars trickled out of their respective garages to set the first installations laps. First out on circuit was Renault’s RS17 but the rest quickly followed suit.

    The first red flag of the testing session was brought out by Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo who parked his brand-new RB13 at turn 3. Nevertheless, before the stoppage Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas had set a quickest time in the 1:24s with a set of Pirelli’s new medium compound tyre.

    This time was soon eclipsed by Sebastian Vettel who put the Ferrari on top of the timing sheets with a 1:23:560. The Ferrari and Mercedes teams easily set the most number of laps in the opening morning of testing. Meanwhile, gremlins struck in the McLaren garage as Fernando Alonso’s car developed an oil system problem. The team estimated a four to five hour period to get to the bottom of the issue.

    McLaren’s problems with their engine seem like a repeat of last years testing and was summed up by AutoSport’s Gary Anderson rather eloquently.

    “It’s not good news for McLaren-Honda to be sat in the garage chasing some kind of oil system problem. The engines coming to this test should all be test-bench run and where the engine connects up to the system of the car should be bulletproof. Using the excuse that this is testing and things will go wrong is rubbish because you only have eight days and you need to hit the ground running. Losing a big part of a day is time you will never recover, and by the time the McLaren runs again, most of its rivals will have built up a lot of mileage. We’ve seen a lot of finger problems for McLaren and Honda during the past few years, and maybe this is the same again. Not a good start to testing.”

     

    The second half of the day was more productive for the teams that were off to a slow start in the mornings.

    McLaren changed the engine in the MCL32 and sent Alonso out on track for a few laps and to catch on on some running he missed during the morning. Alonso ended his day with 14 laps on the board with a fastest time of 1:24.852.

     

    Ricciardo was the first one to emerge from the pits after the lunch break and Red Bull were able to get going with their testing program and managed to complete 50-laps before the end of the day. Ricciardo’s fastest lap put him 5th fastest on the day with a time of 1:22.926.

    Mercedes topped the time sheets at the end of the day and had the highest tally of completed laps on the day. Lewis Hamilton jumped into the car after lunch and set the fastest time of the day of 1:21.765. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was the second fastest with a 1:21.878. Vettel completed 128 laps and will welcome a day’s rest when Kimi Raikkonen takes over testing duties on Tuesday.

     

    After a brief retirement, Felipe Massa completed 103 laps on his return. He set the 3rd fastest time of the day with a time of 1:22.706.

    With limited running, Sergio Perez completed 39 laps for Force India and finished the day 7th fastest ahead of Carlos Sainz who was 8th fastest on the day. ON his first outing for Renault, Nico Hulkenberg set the 9th fastest time of the day completing 57 laps around the Circuit de Catalunya.

    Compared to last year the times are already much quicker and are set to become faster as testing goes on. The times have almost no meaning at this point. The objective for the teams is to get as much mileage on the cars during these few days as possible and learn as much about the car as they can. Engineers will be pouring over the data and will be ready with new setup parameters tomorrow

     

  • F1 2017: F1 2017: Team-by-team Guide, Part 2

    F1 2017: F1 2017: Team-by-team Guide, Part 2

    McLaren – Fernando Alonso & Stoffel Vandoorne

    Given the results it’s produced over the last two seasons it’s safe to say that McLaren’s renewed partnership with Honda has been miserable. As proud and prominent a company Honda may be there is no doubt that they underestimated the task of re-entering the sport.

    Fernando Alonso and 24-year-old Stoffel Vandoorne will drive for the team in 2017. In the 2016 Bahrain grand prix Vandoorne made his debut as Alonso sat out with fractured ribs from a crash in Australia. The Belgian driver not only out-qualified teammate Jenson Button but when on to finish in tenth, scoring one point for the team. What was most impressive about Vandoorne’s grand prix debut was the ease with which he slipped into the role of race driver. There were no wild off-track moments and hardly any mistakes. Regardless of the car’s performance in 2017 he’s unlikely to rattle Alonso’s cage but he has already revealed himself as a driver to watch.

    For a driver of Fernando Alonso’s caliber 2017 will be catalyst for his future in the sport. It’s unlikely, if McLaren were to underperform again, that he would stick around for much longer. It’s unlikely that he’ll slip into retirement either given his hunger for success. Come 2018 there is likely to be a plethora of options and all of them would welcome Alonso with open arms.

    Carlos Sainz_Russia 2015Toro Rosso – Carlos Sainz JR & Daniil Kvyat

    The sister Red Bull team should have had a much better 2016 season. But running a year-old Ferrari engine encumbered it. This season they revert back to Renault power and with a good chassis they could, potentially, threaten a team like Force India.

    For one of its drivers, Russian Daniil Kvyat, it’s likely the last chance to make a real impression. His very public demotion from the Red Bull team last year was a spirit breaker and he took months to show some sort of recovery from it. But he did so as he fiercely held off her replacement Max Verstappen at the 2016 Singapore grand prix. On the other side of the garage Carlos Sainz Jr. must underline the enormous talent shown in the previous season. If he does, a better drive at a bigger team is definitely in his future.

    Sauber_RearWing ComparisonSauber – Marcus Ericsson & Pascal Wehrlein

    In the nick of time the Swiss-based team was given a new lease on life from Swedish investment firm, Longbow Finance. Though an independent team Sauber has rich history in the sport. Much credit must go to Monisha Kaltenborn and her team for continuing to fight for a team in a near financial death spiral. Sauber has already stressed the importance of chassis design and development in the new season. Thanks to relatively comfortable financial position the team will be able to maintain a program of development in 2017 unlike in 2016.

    Marcus Ericsson remains as driver and while his performances have been solid an uncompetitive car has dwarfed them. Pascal Wehrlein slots in alongside and has a lot to prove to the paddock and himself. He will feel hard done by for not getting the Force India or Merc drive. But there’s a reason he didn’t get – the powers that be didn’t think him ready to step up. 2017 is his chance of changing that opinion not just on the track but in the garage too.

    Motor Racing - Formula One World Championship - Bahrain Grand Prix - Practice Day - Sakhir, BahrainRenault – Nico Hulkenberg & Jolyon Palmer

    The French team is very much in a re-building phase and wouldn’t expect to make a massive splash in the new season. But their expectation will be to see a steady improvement throughout the season.

    With several crashes and lackluster showings Jolyon Palmer has not impressed in the Renault. And now he’ll be matched up against one of the most highly rated drivers on the grid in Nico Hulkenberg. German-driver Hulkenberg is the sort that fits well into any team but is running short on time to make it into one of the top teams in the sport.

    kevin-magnussen_haas

    Haas F1 – Romain Grosjean & Keven Magnussen

    The American-owned team started the 2016 season like a house on fire. That fire has dampened slightly but it is still a team of immense potential that is run, by Gene Haas, in the best way possible.

    There is a sense of unfulfilled potential when you think about Romain Grosjean. His stint in the Lotus a few seasons ago looked like it would be the springboard to greater things but it hasn’t worked out for the Frenchman. But he’s a quality driver who should easily have the measure of teammate Kevin Magnussen if he can learn how to drive around the issues that may be present in the 2017 Haas car.

     

  • F1 2017: Team-by-team Guide, Part 1

    F1 2017: Team-by-team Guide, Part 1

    Mercedes – Lewis Hamilton & Valtteri Bottas

    Given their ominous and unbeatable run since the start of the hybrid era Merc automatically start the new year as favourites. However, this ‘theory’ is based solely on what’s gone before. In reality, there is nothing to suggest that the Silver Arrows’ dominance will continue into the vastly different 2017 season. Nevertheless, even if they don’t brandish the same sort of advantage over the rest of the field there is a reasonable expectation that they’ll be mixing it at the front.

    The Silver Arrows enter an interesting period where its driver line-up is concerned too. In Lewis Hamilton they have a three-time world champion who is prodigiously fast and who still seems to have an incredible hunger for winning. However, Hamilton showed his fallibility through several costly errors on track and a few peppery statements off it.

    Red Bull Racing RB12 launchRed Bull – Daniel Ricciardo & Max Verstappen

    With the virtuoso Adrian Newey in the stable the new aero rules could play right into Red Bull’s hands. In 2016 the Austrian team proved that their power unit was the only hindrance to their competitiveness. If the Tag Heuer-branded Renault power unit can match its Merc counterpart the Red Bull will be exceptionally difficult to beat.

    Although Max Verstappen exploded onto the scene and electrified more than a few supporters Daniel Ricciardo still had the measure of the teenaged Dutchman. Verstappen’s biggest test this season will be to, firstly, consistently out-perform his Aussie teammate. What’s more, Verstappen’s biggest challenge will be to deal with the weight of expectation. In 2016 he had near free reign; if he performed well it was a bonus for the team, if he didn’t they would understand that he was dropped into the deep-end. Now he is expected to deliver every time he’s strapped into cockpit.

    Ferrari Kimi Raikkonen Canadian Grand PrixFerrari – Kimi Raikkonen & Sebastian Vettel

    There is such a thing as famous last words but Ferrari’s season could hardly be worse than in 2016. The team failed to win a single race and made several, embarrassing mistakes. Nevertheless, the Maranello-based team is keen to turn things around. They’re reportedly doing so with an innovative new multi-jet system for its internal combustion engine that will limit reliance on the turbocharger.

    It’s unlikely that there is a more harmonious driver pairing in the paddock than Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel. The two teammates work in perfect symmetry with the team with little to no ego getting in the way of the task at hand. Rumours of Raikkonen’s future will undoubtedly begin to swirl as soon as he hits the track that but as history has shown it couldn’t bother him any less. There is little question about the Ferrari drivers’ ability to deliver. Rather the question is about what they’ll be given to drive.

    Force India F1 Team Preview QuotesForce India – Sergio Perez & Esteban Ocon

    For a privately-owned team Force India’s likely expectation will be to finish fourth in the constructor’s championship as they did in 2016, perhaps to score a first win if the cards fall their way. They’re a team that regularly punches above its weight but is unlikely to do better than last season.

    It’s a big year for Sergio Perez and his future in F1. Several outstanding performances have proven his ability but he’s yet to translate it into a drive for a top team. With Bottas on a one-year deal at Mercedes a standout season from Perez could catapult him into the seat in 2018. Despite being favoured over Pascal Wehrlein Merc prodigy Esteban Ocon, who is still finding his feet in the sport, is highly unlikely to show Perez the way in 2017.

    Felipe Massa_Brazil 2016Williams – Felipe Massa & Lance Stroll

    The Claire Williams-run operation’s ambition is unlikely to be a title in 2017. However, the aim will be to restore the legendary team’s name to at least fourth in the standings. They’ve already completed a massive coup by snatching Paddy Lowe from Mercedes. While it’s unclear if Lowe will take up his new position immediately the Englishman is one of the most highly regarded leaders in F1.

    Valtteri Bottas’ departure to Merc has cut short Felipe Massa’s retirement and while the Brazilian’s stock in F1 isn’t nearly as high as it was in the mid-2000s his level of experience was attractive enough to Williams. Alongside the one-time runner-up will be Canadian teenager Lance Stroll. It will be a learning curve for Stroll but expect him to take the fight to his veteran teammate in terms of outright speed.

    Part 2 coming soon. 

  • F1 2017: The Case For Valtteri Bottas

    F1 2017: The Case For Valtteri Bottas

    By now the news has spread far and wide that Mercedes have, officially, picked Valtteri Bottas to partner Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the 2017 season. Instinctively, the dominant question will be how he will shape up against his three-time world champion teammate.

    It wasn’t the electrifying choice many were looking for but Bottas is a known quantity with a solid track record, literally. He isn’t considered as exciting as a Max Verstappen but that has more to do with his circumstances rather than his ability. For an independent mid-field team such as Williams the constructor’s championship is vitally important. Hence, Bottas could not afford to throw caution to the wind as Red Bull drivers often do. Williams needed a consistent driver and one that would convert his points-scoring opportunities and this is what Bottas delivered.

    Since it didn’t include flashy overtakes it’s easy to forget Bottas’ performances in 2014 and 2015 that ensured Williams finished ahead of significantly richer teams Ferrari and Red Bull respectively in the constructor’s standings. His four years at Williams has undoubtedly ensured that is much better prepared to step into the Merc seat, and into the limelight, than any younger driver would be.

    What’s more, over their three years as teammates Bottas regularly out-qualified his veteran teammate Felipe Massa. While Lewis Hamilton will undoubtedly be a much tougher benchmark Bottas has the potential to challenge his new teammate in this arena.

    Bottas_Barcelona 2015 - CopyNevertheless, while the Finnish driver has spent four seasons at Williams he remains somewhat unproven. At Williams his good performance were praised, but they were just that good. Not great, not awesome, never enough to induce a genuine thrill amongst those watching. What he has now is a golden opportunity to unleash all of his talent and show what he is truly capable of without inhibitions.

    There is no doubt that Mercedes’ first choice for Nico Rosberg’s replacement would have been either a Sebastian Vettel, or Fernando Alonso, or even Daniel Ricciardo. Since these drivers were all locked into contracts Valtteri Bottas was the next best option. However, the likes of Vettel and Alonso are only signed up with their respective teams until the end of 2017. Therefore, Bottas has signed a one-year deal with Mercedes and he’ll have twenty-one races to prove that he deserves to be signed ahead of them.

    The other aspect of being a driver in a top team is life outside the car. The media focus on Valtteri Bottas will be intense, unrelenting, with a microscopic level of interest. But he is Finnish and like most of the great Finns in Formula 1 history, like Kimi Raikkonen, Mika Hakkinen, Bottas will likely be unflustered by the pomp and circumstance.

    All this assumes that Mercedes’ 2017 car will be at the sharp-end of the grid. Given the comprehensive rule changes this prediction is impossible. But wherever Merc stack up in the pecking order Bottas’ performance against Hamilton will be one of the most fascinating developing stories of the season.

    Will Bottas beat Hamilton in 2017? Probably not, but he will be closer to Hamilton than many predict.

  • Alonso Reaffirms his Commitment to McLaren

    Alonso Reaffirms his Commitment to McLaren

    Fernando Alonso told workers at the McLaren factory in Woking today that he is committed to the teams Formula 1 project and that he wants to win a world title with McLaren.

    Alonso’s affirmation comes after he was linked to the empty Mercedes seat after Nico Rosberg announced his retirement from Formula 1.

    The Spaniard was linked with the Mercedes seat even though he was under contract at McLaren till 2018. The rumors and reports did not stop. Mercedes Director Toto Wolff said after that he would not interfere with the drivers in other teams.

    “I believe in this project,” said Alonso speaking to the staff at the McLaren factory.

    “I’m committed and I want to be world champion with McLaren-Honda.

    “That is my only goal”


    This puts Alonso firmly out of reach of Mercedes and his place at McLaren solid till his contract expires.

    The name on everyone’s lips for the Mercedes seat is now Williams’ Valtteri Bottas and quite possibly Carlos Sainz Jr. A Bottas switch to Mercedes is quite a delicate and complicated deal to conclude. Mercedes supply engines to Williams, who could also do with the extra cash that a Bottas contract buy-out from Mercedes will bring. Doing this will leave Williams without a senior just as we head into a period with new cars and new technical regulations.

    The other hand Sainz’s contract may be cheaper to buy out from Toro Rosso. We all know that Sainz has punched above his weight this season and has definitely made his case to stay in F1.

    Until we hear who’s taking up the Mercedes seat in 2017, everything is just speculation. But for now, we know Alonso is not going anywhere.

  • F1 2016: Abu Dhabi Gp – Rosberg Holds Nerve To Win Title

    F1 2016: Abu Dhabi Gp – Rosberg Holds Nerve To Win Title

    Since that first weekend of the F1 season, back in mid-March, there has been a menacing steeliness about Nico Rosberg that seemed unbreakable. This steeliness, along with astonishing form, has, after eleven seasons and 206 grand prix, made Nico Rosberg the 2016 Formula 1 World Champion.

    The season-ending Abu Dhabi grand prix delivered a tension filled race from beginning to end. Lewis Hamilton, starting on pole, needed to win the race with Rosberg in fourth to take the title. Unfortunately for Hamilton Rosberg stayed in a close second for the majority of the race and as would be expected Hamilton tried all he could to win the championship. In fact, Hamilton attempted to back his teammate into the clutches of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen by deliberately slowing his pace. Less than two seconds covered the top four by the chequered flag but just as in the other twenty races of this season Rosberg held his nerve and finished second.

    Ultimately, Hamilton won the Abu Dhabi Gp ahead of Rosberg and a late-charging Vettel. Meanwhile, the two Red Bulls of Verstappen and Ricciardo finished fourth and fifth, respectively, while Raikkonen brought his Ferrari home in sixth. Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez’ seventh and eighth capped a tremendous season for Force India who finished a superb fourth in the constructor’s championship. In his final F1 race Felipe Massa finished ninth ahead of McLaren’s Fernando Alonso. Jenson Button’s 17-year F1 career, sadly, came to a premature end with the failure of a wishbone on the right-front suspension.

    GP ABU DHABI F1/2016There will be those who question whether Nico Rosberg deserves to be the 2016 drivers champion but the answer to their question is an easy yes. He’s won nine grand prix this season and most vitally, delivered stunning qualifying performances under extreme pressure. His ability to absorb the pressure and not buckle under it has been the key to Rosberg’s success in 2016. In 2014, his inability to handle pressure from Hamilton was there for all to see as he buckled first in Russia and then in Italy and Texas while leading. He went away with the aim of coming back stronger, and he did. His heightened mental strength allowed him the ability to focus on one race at a time. While it seems an easy enough concept the mental strength required to successfully accomplish it, under extreme conditions, cannot be underestimated and must be commended.

    Some will crow about unreliability, specifically Hamilton’s failure in Malaysia. But unreliability has been a part of the sport for as long as it’s been in existence and it will be going forward. It’s as much a part of a grand prix season as changeable weather or safety cars. In context, the ‘unreliability-argument’ only goes so far though. For example, while the headlines after the Malaysian Gp screamed of Hamilton’s truly unfortunate failure it didn’t focus much on Rosberg’s drive in the same race. After all Rosberg was dead last after a collision with Sebastian Vettel and recovered brilliantly to ultimately finish third. What’s more Hamilton’s ‘finger-trouble’ off the start-line in Japan and Italy, and the crash in Baku, that prompted a gearbox penalty, were all his own doing. The simple, but telling, fact is that Hamilton was simply out-performed by Rosberg.

    GP ABU DHABI F1/2016Any world championship triumph depends on the consistency of the eventual winner and the proof of Rosberg deserved success is in the numbers. Of the 1268 laps in the 2016 season the German driver has spent 957, or 75%, in the top three. In addition, in all of the 21 races he never qualified outside the top two and only spent thirteen laps outside the top ten in the entire season.

    While all these numbers reveal an emphatically imposing season the only number that Nico Rosberg will care about is the 285 points which have made him the 2016 Formula 1 World Champion.