Tag: fernando alonso

F1 2016: Austria Gp Review – Hamilton, Lord Of The Ring

Over the course of a grand prix weekend a driver normally runs close to two hundred laps. It’s uncanny then that everything can be made or undone by one lap.

In Saturday qualifying, a wet and dry session, Lewis Hamilton steered his Mercedes to pole position in dominant fashion. While teammate Nico Rosberg qualified second on the road he moved down the grid due to a gearbox penalty. It promoted Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg to the second front-row starting position of his career. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, also hit with a gearbox penalty, fell down the starting grid, which promoted McLaren’s Jenson Button to third place.

As Hamilton led cleanly from pole position it didn’t take too long for Hulkenberg and Button to fall by the wayside. Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen, now into second, kept Hamilton relatively honest with a gap of 3.5 to 4 seconds in the first stint. A recovering Sebastian Vettel was soon running third behind teammate Raikkonen.

Ferrari’s advantage rested on the fact that, as Hamilton’s closest rival, Raikkonen started the race on the supersoft tyre, which, theoretically, should last longer than Hamilton’s ultrasoft tyres. However, for a reason unbeknownst to most Ferrari called Raikkonen in only one lap after Hamilton’s own visit to the pitlane. It dropped the Finn to sixth behind both Red Bull drivers. Ferrari’s strategists, not for the first time this season, had made the wrong call.

As Hamilton and Raikkonen dived intot he pitlane it left Vettel in the lead of the race. However, as the German driver started lap 27 he suffered a violent delamination to the right-rear supersoft tyre. It speared the Ferrari into the pitwall and out of the race. Ferrari do not believe that they pushed the tyres beyond their limits and Vettel’s laptimes before the incident would suggest that the set of tyres were well within working range.

After a short safety-car stint to clear up Vettel’s tyre debris Rosberg resumed the lead of the race on lap 32 with Hamilton in second. After both Merc driver made their second stops Nico Rosberg was delivering a drive at the Austrian grand prix worth remembering. He fought he way through to the lead of the race with consistent speed and superior strategy.

But Hamilton wasn’t giving up and closed the gap to four tenths of a second on lap 67. Rosberg seemed unflustered right until the final lap of the race. The German driver made a mistake into Turn 1 handing Hamilton the advantage. Hamilton had a run on the lead into Turn 2 as Rosberg let his car run wide and made contact with Hamilton. Rosberg got off worse in the exchange as he limped home in fourth with a damaged car. The stewards imposed a 10-second penalty on Rosberg for causing a collision but he remained fourth overall. As it were Rosberg’s brake-by-wire system went into passive mode on the pit-strait. However, it’s clear from on-board footage that he was trying to run Hamilton wide.

Behind race-leader Hamilton Red Bull’s Max Verstappen narrowly held onto second after running a 56-lap stint on the soft tyre. Kimi Raikkonen recovered Ferrari’s dubious strategy call to finish third as Rosberg limped home in fourth. Daniel Ricciardo finished fifth ahead of one of the stars of the race Jenson Button. The Brit out-performed his McLaren to finish in sixth ahead of Romain Grosjean (7th), Carlos Sainz (8th), and Valtteri Bottas (9th). The other star of the afternoon was Manor F1’s Pascal Wehrlein who scored his first career point in tenth.

There is no rest of the sport that never sleeps as the F1 paddock heads straight to legendary Silverstone circuit for this weekend’s British grand prix.

(All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport)

July 4, 2016
F1 2016: Austrian Gp Preview – Quali The Key In Austria

From the medieval city streets of Baku the Formula 1 paddock travels to the crisp countryside of Austria for the eighth round of the 2016 championship.

A case could never be made that Formula 1 lacks diversity. It swops the mostly tight confines of the Baku City circuit for the mountains and fresh air of Austria’s Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. Located in the picturesque Styrian Mountains the 4.3 kilometer circuit is dotted with only nine turns. The average speed of a lap around the Ring is estimated at 224 kph while 70 percent of the lap is spent at full throttle.

There are only seven braking zones around a lap but they are big stops from high speeds, which classifies the brake wear rate as high. This no longer appears to be an issue for Mercedes in 2016 but should they not be running in clear air it could rear its head.

As the shortest lap on the calendar at less than 70 seconds the grid is expected to be tighter, which makes qualifying vital. In 2015 the top three positions in qualifying were covered by four tenths of a second. The circuit’s four long straights mean that there is opportunity for overtaking but getting past a car with a good straight-line speed will be difficult.

For this year’s grand prix teams and drivers have selected the yellow-walled soft, red-walled supersoft, and purple-walled ultrasoft tyres. Both Ferrari drivers have selected nine sets of the ultrasoft tyres while Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have each opted for eight sets of the purple-walled tyres. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen have chosen seven sets of the softest compound. Tyre wear last year was minimal as Daniel Ricciardo was able to run a fifty lap stint on the soft tyre before needing to pit.

Ferrari’s tyre choice could be put down to fact that this track surface is a relatively smooth one with normally cool conditions. This combination often presents some struggle in getting tyres to the optimum temperature. As they’ve continually struggled to get the tyres to their optimal working range Ferrari should find it easier to do with the ultrasoft tyre. This will be a crucial element of Ferrari’s progress and position this weekend.

There is no doubt that Nico Rosberg is sitting pretty. He starts the weekend with a 24 point lead over Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in the race for the driver’s title. The fickleness of Formula 1 demands that even a gap of 24 points must not be taken for granted. It’s this approach that has been Rosberg’s secret in 2016; to take every race on its individual merit. But the two Merc drivers might have to focus on more than just each other, especially in Saturday qualifying.

Williams are notoriously good performers at the Austrian grand prix thanks to the Mercedes power unit and Red Bull are no slouches thanks to the stop up they’ve made with the upgraded power unit. But while they are looking at each other all of them are aware of what Mercedes can deliver. On several occasions in 2016 its been shown that the Silver Arrow is not as potent when it runs in dirty air and under pressure. The qualifying session on Saturday will be the critical point for any driver or team to stop a complete Merc domination.

June 29, 2016
F1 2016: European GP Review – Rosberg Rules In Baku

If you’d asked most people to point out Azerbaijan on a map they would probably struggle. If you then told them that its capital city Baku is going to host its first F1 race in 2016 it would possibly have been met with reluctant enthusiasm.

Nevertheless, on the edge of the Caspian Sea the Azeri organisers plotted a street circuit unlike any other. The combination of the stunningly high-speed section and incredibly tight section around the city’s beautiful medieval architecture merged perfectly to highlight the strengths of Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes. The German driver cleaned house in Baku by taking pole position, fastest lap and the race win in dominant fashion.

Rosberg led cleanly off the line and was never challenged as he completed the 51-lap race on a one-stop strategy. It yielded his fifth win of the season and a sizeable increase in his lead atop the driver’s table. As faultless as Rosberg’s weekend preceded so the opposite was true for teammate Lewis Hamilton. Seemingly out of sorts, Hamilton stuck his Merc in the wall on Saturday and confined himself to a tenth place starting position. An ERS (energy recovery system) issue disrupted his charge through the field. Thanks to the FIA regulation, which bans certain radio communications, Hamilton was left to figure out the setting himself. The Brit was able to eventually resolve the issue and set two blisteringly quick laptimes before cooking his tyres.

Behind race leader Rosberg Sebastian Vettel overtook Daniel Ricciardo for second. To cover the Red Bull stop Ferrari called Vettel into the pits. However, the driver overruled the pitwall and stayed out. It paid off ultimately as Vettel finished second without any realistic shot at victory.

Force India’s Sergio Perez secured third to score his second podium in three races. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen ran third for nearly the entire race. The Finn stopped early on lap 8 and ran a 43-lap stint on the soft tyre. But a five-second penalty for crossing the pit-entry line and a late ERS issue meant he was unable to keep Perez at bay. Eventually Raikkonen, suffering with a bout of food poisoning, finished fourth. Lewis Hamilton finished a lonely and disappointed fifth ahead of Williams’ Valtteri Bottas in sixth.

Both Red Bull drivers were forced onto two-stop strategies with overheating rear tyres and faded badly throughout the race. Daniel Ricciardo finished seventh ahead of teammate Max Verstappen in eighth. Nico Hulkenberg brought his Force India home in ninth while Williams’ Felipe Massa scored the final point in tenth.

All expectations were that the safety car would appear several times throughout the race given the tight confines and close proximity of the walls. But all twenty-two drivers were exceptionally well behaved and there were no major incidents. In fact, only four drivers did not make it to the chequered flag. Toro Rosso has some investigating to do as both their drivers, Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz, were forced to retire with suspension issues. Manor Racing’s Pascal Wehrlein retired with brake failure as Fernando Alonso’s McLaren was pulled into the garage with a gearbox failure.

Remarkably Rosberg had the same ERS issue as Hamilton but was able to rectify it by changing the right settings. This resounding victory increases Rosberg’s championship lead to 24 points over Hamilton. But given that thirteen races remain on the calendar the race for the 2016 driver’s crown is just warming up.

(All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport)

June 20, 2016
F1 2016: European Gp – Free Practice 1 Report – Hamilton Tops Baku Practice

Lewis Hamilton set the quickest time in the first free practice session ahead of Sunday’s Baku grand prix.

The first ever official Formula 1 session in Azerbaijan got underway in splendour as the cars and drivers had their first look at the Baku City circuit. Aesthetically the circuit and its surrounds create a terrific view with the architecture around the circuit making the biggest impression.

Several drivers took their time to get the proverbial eye in around the long lap. Turn 15 claimed the most errors with several drivers taking to the escape road a few times throughout the session.

Daniel Ricciardo became the first victim of the new circuit as he heavily clouted the barrier at turn 15 with the right-rear of his Red Bull. The incident brought out the red flag for several minutes as marshals took about clearing the debris and stricken Red Bull.

The rest of the session ran to plan for most of the teams. However, Max Verstappen’s session ended earlier than scheduled with an oil leak. Similarly, Lewis Hamilton’s session came to a premature end as he flat spotted his tyres with several minutes of practice remaining.

While the two Mercedes drivers led the way with Hamilton in first and Rosberg in second the Williams of Valtteri Bottas set the third quickest time overall. Fernando Alonso set the fourth quickest time ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in fifth.

Free Practice 1 Standings:

June 17, 2016
2016 Formula 1 European Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference

DRIVERS:

Carlos SAINZ (Toro Rosso)

Nico HULKENBERG (Force India)

Rio HARYANTO (Manor)

Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams)

Fernando ALONSO (McLaren)

Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

PRESS CONFERENCE

Fernando, you were here earlier in the year in your capacity as an ambassador for this race. How much has changed since then?

Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, a few things have changed then. Obviously the circuit now is ready and all the garage, the pit lane, the grandstands and also the weather! It was quite cold in March and I remember to have two jackets walking on the circuit and now it’s quite hot, windy and the race will be different on that aspect. But I think the job they have done is fantastic. Everything is ready. Also the fans are well into F1 and they are very prepared, very enthusiastic for the race on Sunday and everything is ready for a good show.

In terms of the layout, which bit looks most interesting?

FA: A few things that we need to discover in the car. Obviously walking is always different, in the simulator it’s different, so let’s see. Turn 8, 9 and 10, the narrow section on the uphill will be quite interesting to drive there and see how we can maximise the car limits there. The very unique theme on this circuit is probably the straight-line speed, which will be very high, and to be on a street circuit those kind of speeds will be quite unique. We need to check if it’s really flat out from Turn 16 to Turn 1 or if Turn 19 and 20 you need make a lift there. Anyway, it’s quite interesting and will be for some teams a little bit more painful, probably for us, in terms of the distance on the straight. I should have made some modifications when I came here in March to make it a little bit slower, but that’s the way it is and we will see.

Thank you Fernando. Valtteri, if we could come on to you. Montreal marked your first podium of the year. How much of a sense of relief was there in the Williams team?

Valtteri BOTTAS: It definitely makes a difference to the team, having a good race by the team, with the strategy and pit stop and everything, it was a good weekend, especially Sunday was a very strong performance by us. It always does give a lot of confidence to every single guy in the race team but also at the factory to push even harder. So yeah it is overall a good positive feeling in the team. We know we can do good results, so it’s nice to continue from here.

Was that result track specific or are we witnessing the start of a mid-season resurgence from Williams?

VB: Montreal definitely was one of the good tracks for our car, really its within the strengths of the car, but there are still plenty of good races to come. I don’t think this is going to be too bad for us and also the next three races after. I’m pretty sure we can still, with a good weekend, if we keep developing the car, we can fight for the podium and that should be the goal for us as a team.

Thank you. Rio, if we come to you. You’ve been making steady progress this year. You’ve outqualified your highly-rate team-mate three times. Are you feeling comfortable in the car now? Just give us a resume of how you feel it’s gone so far in 2016?

Rio HARYANTO: Yes, I have been progress every time, each race. It feels great to be able to be fighting quite close between the team-mates but our goal is still quite a long way, we wanted to really improve and to get the best results we can for the team.

Just give us a word on how things are back home in Indonesia, the popularity of Formula One there and how it’s growing?

RH: I think it’s been really good. The popularity has kept increasing and I believe that as they have broadcast the Formula One races on the national channel the popularity is increasing and I think it’s good for Formula One.

Thank you. Nico, points finishes at the last two races in Monaco and Montreal. Can we expect to see you continue that rich vein of form here in Baku?

Nico HULKENBERG: Yeah, I hope so. Obviously it’s a new venue: no data, no knowledge, no previous laps here, so everybody starts from scratch pretty much, which could be interesting. Obviously the track looks quite exciting, as we’ve all seen now. I think we’ve made a massive step since Barcelona with the car. The upgrade there really made a big change to our game. Since then we’ve really been a points scoring contender on every track, so I feel confident that we can keep it up, yeah.

You say everybody starts from scratch. Just give us a few words on how a driver prepares for a new race like this. Is there much correlation between the simulator and how much will you be relying on those opening laps tomorrow?

NH: I think it’s different from team to team. Some teams have a simulator, they have the track already, we don’t, so for us it’s really going to be starting from scratch, those opening laps are going to be very crucial and important – discovering the track, finding the limit, getting the lines etc. Correlation of simulator, sometimes it’s really good, sometimes not so good. I guess at the end we all have to come here, do the real thing, learn and work from there.

Thanks. Carlos, coming to you, 20th to ninth last weekend in Canada, how satisfying was that result?

Carlos SAINZ: It was very satisfying, especially after the disappointment on Saturday, as you can imagine. To manage to recover well and come back from 20th to ninth was an achievement not only for me but also for the team. We had a bit of a scrappy Sunday in Monaco with some issues on the pit box and all that side and we managed to arrive to Canada and we managed to put on a very good race from the back, with perfect strategy, perfect pit stops and it was a also relief in those terms. Yeah, to manage to split the two Force Indias coming from all the way back was a huge achievement and now we need to keep working, because we need to keep this up and keep going for it.

How difficult is it going to be to keep it up, because other teams are getting a lot of engine upgrades at the minute? How do you rate the competitiveness of the Toro Rosso now with the year-old Ferrari engine?

CS: It’s going to be tough. Already you know… you put an example, in Australia we managed to qualify P5 and P7 and now in places like Canada or Azerbaijan we will struggle to get into Q3, so for sure we are going a bit backwards. We haven’t put that many upgrades on the car since Australia, but thanks to the good effort of the team we are not that much falling back, no? And we are still in the game, we are still fighting for P5 in the Constructors’, with the same car as in Australia, which is a huge achievement, even though you take into account how many upgrades Force India and McLaren are bringing and we are still there trying to hold on.

OK, thank you. Sebastian, thank you for waiting, on to you. Now, this is a coastal location, there is probably going to be a lot of seagulls around, so how do you think that is going to affect your race?

Sebastian VETTEL: Well, technically I think it’s a lake; it’s not a sea. I think I read some… before I knew we would be coming here, I read some years ago that it is the biggest lake in the world. So I shouldn’t be afraid of any seagulls. There will be some, but hopefully they won’t sit in front of the car.

Canada was Ferrari’s most competitive showing of the season. Is that the pace that you have been threatening to do all season or did the upgrades make the difference?

SV: For sure, upgrades help. I think everything we brought to Canada – there was a lot of talk about the turbo update – did make a difference, so that was good. But I think it was just a clean weekend in particular, because the weekends before were a bit messy, in particular in qualifying we weren’t able to show the pace or release the pace of the car, so in this regard Saturday was strong. I think we qualified where the car belongs and on Sunday we had a trouble-free race. Obviously we were able to put Lewis under a lot of pressure, because simply the speed was. I think you just seem to a nicer and easier Sunday where you can do your thing if Saturday goes well and this has to remains the target. As for here, as we’ve been through, it’s a completely new track, but it looks very, very exciting, so I’m very much looking forward to it.

Would you say that Canada was Ferrari’s cleanest weekend of the year so far?

SV: Well, certainly for me it was. I think it’s also a track where last year we have been fairly competitive. It’s probably right to say the characteristics suit us, but I think we should be strong everywhere to be honest, so yeah, the weekends before weren’t entirely clean.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Christian Nimmervoll – Motorsport-total.com) I realise that this is a hypothetical question but if you put all the drivers in the same car on an average track like Barcelona, what do you think would be the difference between the fast and slowest driver? And Sebastian, after Canada, did you have an offer from the World Wildlife Fund or PETA or similar organisations?

SV: No. I start on the first question. I don’t think it would be much, a lot less than what we see now, we know that. I think Formula One has always been like that. I don’t know, to give you and idea, I’d probably say half a second.

Would you agree with that Fernando? If you were all in the same car – half a second?

FA: Very difficult question, I don’t know… maybe.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Valtteri, how would you rank this latest podium of yours compared to the eight previous ones and how much that meant for you personally?

VB: I actually think, yeah, that must have been one of my best ones, because it was one of my best races. I think that was the feeling after the race. I managed to get that long stint to work, with consistent lap times, and you just do feel as a driver when you do a good race compared to some of the other races and I had this feeling after. But it’s difficult to say exactly which one is the best, but of course I’m not too pleased because I want to win races. I’m not 100% satisfied with being third. That’s always the goal. But, of course, it’s been a difficult season for us so that’s a good result for everyone, for me, but we definitely want more.

Q: (Joe Saward – Auto X) Just a question about this circuit: it’s very, very fast, did the drivers get any input on the design? Because Turn Three, for example, you’re going in there at very high speed and there’s about 50m of run-off area. Do you have any thoughts about the circuit, or were you involved at all?

FA: No, obviously we don’t get involved in any of the layout or any of the decisions but, yeah, there are some corners that probably we will talk about. Some others that we need to go on the car first and see how they feel. We saw Singapore also making some small modifications to some corners year after year until we find a good compromise. I guess it’s going to be quite similar here. I think next year maybe some tweaks can be done after we go in the car. But yeah, in terms of safety I think FIA, y’know, ran many simulations in terms of how to make the run-off area safe enough. Obviously some of them are more than enough, some of them, maybe they look small but it’s always better than Monaco, for example. It cannot be any worse than that.

Does anyone have anything else to add. Nico?

NH: No, perfect answer.

Q: (Oana Popoiou – Fanzone) Rio, could you tell us how much a driver can learn while racing for a team that struggles in terms of performances?

RH: I think as a rookie you can certainly learn a lot on your first year with a team like Manor. I think this year they have made huge progress, a huge step compared to last year and certainly in some occasions we’ve been able to race with some other teams as well, like Sauber and Renault – so I don’t think it’s a bad thing.

Q: (Carlos Miguel – Autohebdo sport) A question for Fernando and for Carlos. Question is very simply: who will be the first Spanish driver in the table at the end of the championship?

CS: Hopefully me! I don’t know. It looks tough because Honda keeps bringing upgrades, McLaren keep improving and improving so we will not know where they will end up at the end of the year. But obviously I will try to do my best to keep it up there. I think now we are equal? More or less same points. If we’ve been ahead for seven races and he’s still fighting with us – it means it could be a good fight from now on until the end of the year.

Fernando, will you be ahead?

FA: We’ll see obviously. I would be happy if Carlos is ahead this year and I’m able to fight for the championship next one. It’s not a huge satisfaction to finish ninth or tenth or whatever. Definitely I will be in front of Carlos at the end of the year anyway! I miss two races this year and we are equal so…

Q: (Ben Edwards – Channel 4) Question for Sebastian and Fernando: any concerns about the pit entry here because it looks as though it’s a pretty fast approach and then it’s a chicane before you get to the speed limit. Any concerns about that?

SV: No, actually I don’t understand why this has been the second type of question of the same nature. I walked the track and I was looking on the track, not so much on the runoffs. I think it looks exciting. I’m thrilled to get in the car tomorrow and excited to get out and get a feel. Pit entry looks a challenge – but then again I think that’s why we’re here. And, as I say, I certainly have the plan to stay on track and not use the run-off or the off-track.

FA: Same. Let’s see in the car, how it is. Similar to Brazil a couple of years ago maybe, and some other pit entries. It was no problem.

Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) I would like to know, from all of you, in normal conditions in a new track how many laps do you need in a new track to find the limit?

VB: Well, to find the absolute limit you won’t be able to build up all those small details until the qualifying really. Normally in qualifying you manage to do the best lap of the weekend – but you get very close to that very quickly, I think, with all the preparation we can do nowadays: simulator etc., In Practice One you already have, after the first run, second run you are already very close to the optimal lap time you can do in those kind of conditions. It’s not that long.

Nico, you don’t have access to a simulator. How long until you’ll be exploring the limits tomorrow?

NH: I don’t know. At a guess after ten laps you have a really good idea of the track. You have it in your mind by then. You know what’s coming. From there onwards it’s work-in-progress really. You keep finding little bits here and there. The track will progress as well: there will be more rubber so it will keep moving on and go faster and faster, so you just have to go with that. But, I think, to give you a number, ten laps and you’re at a pretty good level.

Fernando. Ten laps for you as well?

FA: Two!

SV: I do it in one and a half!

Q: (Livio Oricchio – globoesporte.com) To all drivers. From the exit of bend 12 to the braking of 15 you have bend number 13 & 14 in the middle. Looks like flat-out all the time and wall both sides: like oval in principle but in a straight circuit. Would you comment on that please?

CS: From the laps I did on the simulator, looks like it could well be flat with some good walls waiting for you. Maybe behind a car with a bit less downforce it becomes more tricky. But the interesting part, I think, comes after those two flat-out corners. That is a good downhill that you brake and turn that is, again, not much run-off area so I remember the simulator being quite tricky there and hopefully it stays the same tomorrow and is a challenging corner. The more challenges at the end you face, the more exciting it is for the driver, the more open to mistakes also for the driver, and maybe the more exciting qualis and races that we have. Looks definitely an interesting point on the track.

Sebastian?

SV: Well, again, I’m trying to look at what’s coming rather than what I pass. I think the whole part there looks very exciting, starting from Turn Eight. Basically going around the old town. It’s nice to see, when I walk the track, it’s quite some gradient. It goes up, there should be a blind apex around 10-11, which is a big challenge and then obviously those two corners you mentioned at fairly high speed. In terms of safety standards, I think they’ve done everything they could. I’m a lot happier to have the wall that close to the track rather than have a run-off and then some tyres or something waiting for you. Plus there’s a safer wall which is working well, also in tracks like Brazil. I think in that regard should be fine. And the whole bit leading around the old part of the city looks quite spectacular. Hopefully it feels like that as well.

Q: (Jose Carlos Carabias – Journal ABC) Question for Fernando. In this moment of the season do you believe in your car or are you thinking in the next year?

FA: I think a little bit of both. Obviously we want to be fighting for the World Championship. We are not in that position this year and we are making, I think, progress and we are moving in the right direction to achieve that goal in the future but still a long way to go for us. Definitely we need to think on next year’s car, next year’s project and put some focus on there and try to be more competitive next year. At the same time we cannot forget 2016 yet because we are only in June, many races to come, many good possibility to score points, to go a little bit higher on the Constructors’ Championship that will help the team also for next year. And some of the progress and updates we can bring this year will be quite useful for next year as well. Especially on the power unit side. That doesn’t change so much in the regulations. So, still working on both projects and still very motivated to score many points this year and to do a good season.

Q: (Alex Popov – Match TV) This is to all drivers about the ultrasofts, because we used it for two consecutive races, Monaco and Montreal, so how much did you rate it and will you miss these tyres here?

NH: It’s difficult to say without having done a lap here but personally I’m always a fan of the softer compound because they simply give you more grip, especially on one lap in qualifying, so it’s more fun, naturally. I think they performed quite well in Monaco and Montreal. Here we just have to work with what we’re given but we know it’s not here.

VB: Not a lot to add really. Of course it gives you more grip which is nice but on the other hand it wears more and it’s completely unknown if it would be any use here. I doubt it a little bit, because of the track temperature. It’s difficult to say.

SV: Well, I think it was working fine, the grip is high, the principal problem that we had in the last Grands Prix to be fair was that it was cooler than we all expected. We raced in Monaco, it was wet and it was only just shy of 20 degrees ambient. We raced in Canada, it was quite cool, again, so I think the tyre will work better when it’s hotter. I think that’s what it’s made for. Here it should be hot, it shouldn’t be wet but given that it’s the first year, the first race here, it’s unknown how the track is and how the stress on the tyres will be, I think you can understand the choice. For sure, as a driver, the softer the tyres, the quicker you go, the more fun you have so in this regard maybe we miss it but it should be fine with the tyres we have.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – globoEsporte.com) We have a uncommon situation of a straight of 2000 meters. I would like to hear your comment about that, concerning the brake temperature, the tyres and mainly the DRS that you’re going to use in the middle of the straight.

FA: Well, I think all the circuits have their own unique features and this one will be the longest straight in the calendar, the longest straight on any circuit in the world, so that will be challenging in terms of set-up of the car and making your preference in terms of downforce and the settings so that will be a good thing, I think, for F1 and yeah, I don’t have any concerns about brakes or anything like that, so I think it’s OK. Definitely Monaco is Monaco, a very unique circuit and a very unique event. Singapore: racing at night and all the things that are unique there. Valencia was a little bit of a unique circuit and with unique features and here in Baku it’s a similar thing. All the street circuits have one thing and the long straight will be this one, I think we will talk about it with Baku.

VB: I don’t think it’s too bad for us, that kind of straight but of course we need to see. Of course, this track with that long straight it makes it more difficult because for that straight we probably need to run a little bit less downforce so it means that you’re maybe struggling slightly more in the corners but you need to find a good compromise and I’m sure that’s what everyone is going to focus on quite a lot in practice, to find the right set-up in terms of aero.

Q: Carlos, with that year-old Ferrari power unit, are you going to have to trim the car quite heavily down this long straight?

CS: I don’t know, maybe we need to take off the rear wing! It could be a challenge for us, for sure. We will be working a lot on the set-up to try to find a good compromise but you know in Canada we were expecting to be weak and we were not at all weak, we actually had really good pace in the race, so it doesn’t mean that because of that long straight here we cannot compensate with our good car, our good package and be strong. Obviously we are not going to be as fast as in Monaco or Barcelona for sure but hopefully we can still fight the teams that we are fighting now – Force India, McLaren – for those top ten positions.

Q: (Daniel Johnson – The Telegraph) Question to Seb and Fernando as the most experienced guys here and especially Fernando as an ambassador. I know this is likely to be a slightly unpopular question because you’re here to compete, first and foremost, but the race does take place against the wider backdrop and several respected organisations have been critical of the human rights situation here in Baku. Unlike in Bahrain, I don’t think anyone’s calling for a boycott or anything like that, they just ask leading figures in the sport to offer their views on the situation and whether they would ever criticise the regime here. I just wonder if that’s anything that even enters your head before a race or if that’s something you would ever get involved in? Did you think about politics at all before you agreed to be an ambassador for the race here?

FA: Well, I think we completely rely on the FIA in terms of the places and the venues we race. On that aspect – at least in my case – I think we never think any further than that. I totally put all my trust and my confidence on the federation and on the decisions that they make. If we are racing here it’s because everything was good for them and so it’s good for us. We are promoting the sport around the world and we are promoting the values of the sport around the world and that will always be welcome in any country.
SV: Well said, nothing to add.

Q: (Joe Saward – AutoX) Just to ask each one of you, how many simulated laps have you done of this track so we get an idea of who’s done what?

RH: Well yes, I think firstly it’s good for track familiarisation and secondly again, we don’t know much what to expect but it’s good to have a rough idea of the long straights and the corners.

Q: (Joe Saward – AutoX) Just a number, number of laps?

RH: About 80 laps.

NH: (Indicates none)

CS: Good question, around 80, 100, it’s quite a long track so you cannot do many.

VB: I don’t know the exact number but I think more than a race distance, plus a couple of laps running.

FA: I didn’t make any, zero.

SV: One this morning and in the simulator, between 50 and 100, I don’t remember. Maybe 70, something like that.

Q: (Christian Nimmervoll – Motorsport Total.com) Obviously this weekend Le Mans is going on, the 24 hour race and this is a question to Fernando and Nico in particular. Are you going to follow the race and if so, do you have any favourites as to who is going to win it?

NH: You ask if I have a favourite or not? Obviously I’m supporting Porsche and my guys from last year. I’ll be quite busy here but I’ll follow it as much as I can and tune in or watch the live ticker and try to follow it a little bit.

FA: Yeah, same, perfect answer!

Q: (Daniel Johnson – The Telegraph) Seb, people talk about winning teams, like Mercedes, they get in the groove, they get used to different situations arising and conversely, people talk about a team forgetting how to win. Do you think there’s any merit in that argument whatsoever, people saying that because Ferrari haven’t been winning ten races a year for the last five years they become a bit less agile in dealing with situations at the front?

SV: Well, I don’t know about other teams but I disagree when it comes to us. Obviously I joined the team last year and I think it’s a very strong team and I think in the end the mentality is responsible for the fact whether you win or not. Ultimately, obviously, every day you can chose one hundred different reasons. First of all, if you’re competitive enough or not, usually that’s one of the main reasons but in terms of mentality, I see a team full of winning people. I think there’s definitely the desire to win from everyone involved. This is also one of the things that makes me very confident that we will start winning sooner or later. Of course the ambition for anyone involved is always to win, some achieve it and some don’t and there are reasons for that, as I said. If you look at the cars’ performance etc which will help you or not but I think what really makes you a winner is not just the fact that you have a car that’s quick enough, it’s the people that operate the car ultimately and in this regard I think we’re a very very strong team. We can be stronger, so there’s stuff that we can learn and will always have to learn but I haven’t seen a winner yet – a winning team or a winning person – that has learned all the lessons in life or everything there is to learn and in this regard we’re complete. I think naturally if you look at our sport, the way it’s changing, evolving etc, there’s always things that you can learn as a team. There’s definitely things you can learn as a driver, how to drive the car so yeah, I think this never stops but I think it’s the mentality that is most responsible for whether you make it or not.

June 16, 2016
F1 2016: Canadian GP Review – Mercedes Masters Montreal Strategy

As the 2016 Canadian grand prix developed Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel found themselves in front of an open goal. But a dubious strategy call saw the Italian team score an own goal instead.

From third on the grid Vettel rocketed into the lead of the race leaving the two Mercedes to bang wheels into turn two. Here Nico Rosberg got of worse and dropped down to tenth by the end of the first lap. Vettel looked to have a solid grip on the race and was comfortably holding off the second-place Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. But Vettel had committed to a two-stop strategy and divved into the pits on lap eleven.

Hamilton continued to lead until he pitted for soft tyres on lap 24. It brought him out in second place and eleven seconds behind Vettel where he simply bided his time with the knowledge that the Ferrari had a second-stop to make. Vettel’ second stop on lap 37 had him rejoining roughly eight seconds behind Hamilton. Despite being able to reduce the gap to about four seconds Vettel was nailed into second place as Hamilton ran his one-stop strategy to completion.

At teams like Mercedes and Ferrari nearly six hundred people attempt to combine the best of their abilities to put two cars onto the track. One of these people has the job of chief race strategist. This is the person who makes the call on when to pit and what tyres to run during a stint. It’s not an easy job by any stretch of the imagination. It’s trying to make the right call under extreme pressure in the fastest sport in the world. But this high-speed game of chess demands absolute precision and anything less is catastrophic.

Without some unreliability or a bit of argy-bargy between its two drivers Mercedes has proven near impossible to beat over the last two years. So when the opportunity arises to do just that it has to be snapped up. While the circumstances may be different from the opening round of the season in Australia the result in Canada is the same – Ferrari find themselves in the lead of the race and surrender the initiative without rhyme or reason. Although Sebastian Vettel is refusing to blame the team for the strategy the reality is that Ferrari’s call handed Lewis Hamilton victory on a silver platter. Most galling of all is the fact that Vettel had the pace to beat Hamilton on track.

More than 40 seconds behind Williams’ Valtteri Bottas also made the best of a one-stop strategy to secure third and the ninth podium of his career. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen drove a brilliantly defensive final stint to hold of Nico Rosberg for fourth. The second Merc of Rosberg finished fifth after spinning ahead of the final chicane in an unsuccessful attempt to pass Verstappen. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen took a disappointing sixth place in a race where he was constantly asked to “take it easy” and save fuel.

Daniel Ricciardo completed a fairly lackluster run into seventh ahead of Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg in eighth. Carlos Sainz delivered a stunning drive from 20^th on the grid to ninth by the chequered flag. Sergio Perez wrapped up the final point in tenth for Force India. McLaren’s Fernando Alonso ran a 55-lap stint on the soft tyre but ultimately finished eleventh while teammate Jenson Button retired early on with a suspected engine fire.

As Formula 1 heads to Azerbaijan for the inaugural race in Baku this weekend Hamilton dedicated his fifth win in Canada to the great Muhammad Ali. A resurgent Hamilton leaves Montreal nine points behind Nico Rosberg and with a definite and ominous spring in his step.

(All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport)

June 13, 2016
F1 2016: Canadian Gp Preview – Montreal Test For Mercedes

The St. Lawrence Seaway is transformed this weekend into the seventh round of the 2016 F1 season as it hosts the famed Canadian grand prix.

Named after one of the greatest drivers in F1 history the circuit Gilles Villeneuve has a distinct street-like feel thanks to the close proximity of the barriers. It’s long straights, with a top speed of 330 kph, makes it a highly power sensitive circuit with a heavy focus on braking performance. “The track is quite special as it has a lot of long straights and then slow corners with low grip so we have to find the right balance with our setup. You’re very close to the walls so there is a special feeling to drive there,” says Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

The track surface, rarely used throughout the year, is relatively green but grip ramps up exponentially as the weekend progresses. Coupled with variable weather conditions, which often tend to the cooler end of the spectrum, it makes getting the tyres to their prime operating temperature tricky. In terms of tyre strategy Pirelli has made the soft, supersoft, and ultrasoft compound available. In particular the Renault and Haas F1 Team will be worth keeping an eye on as neither pair of drivers has chosen a single set of the red-walled supersoft tyre.

Occasionally the lack of proper overtaking opportunity can turn the race in a procession. However, it has delivered several dramatic and memorable races over the years. As if perfectly scripted the first race in 1978 was won by Gilles Villeneuve in a Ferrari. Throughout the years that followed Ferrari’s love affair with the Montreal circuit deepened. With seven victories Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most Canadian Gp victories while Ferrari and McLaren boast thirteen wins each as constructors.

In 2015 Lewis Hamilton led home teammate Nico Rosberg for a Mercedes one-two. However, it wasn’t a straightforward victory for the championship winning team. Twelve months ago sky-high brake temperatures plagued the pair throughout the race and required drastic management. In 2014 the failure of the brake-by-wire system forced Hamilton into retirement and Rosberg on to the defensive, which allowed Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo to take his first grand prix win.

This year the competition appears a bit closer to the Silver Arrows. In Spain and Monaco, circuits that share several similarities with Canada, Red Bull showed their competitiveness. Add to the fact that the Renault upgrade should come into its own around this track and Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen should be more than a nuisance to Mercedes this weekend.

It isn’t just Red Bull snapping at Mercedes’ heels either. Ferrari will be the first to admit that their season hasn’t quite gone to plan. Mistakes and unreliability has cost the Italian team a slew of points in the first few races of 2016 but they’re not letting up any time soon. This weekend Ferrari is expected to run a new rear suspension in the hopes of improving downforce as well as other aerodynamic upgrades. They are also introducing a new Shell fuel and a new turbo, which is expected to yield more hybrid power and improve reliability.

Mercedes are far from sitting ducks and will, just like the others, continue to push ahead. But they’re under a bit more pressure than what they’re used to.

June 8, 2016
F1 2016: Monaco GP – Masterful Hamilton Wins

If a race around the confined streets of Monte Carlo isn’t a big enough challenge the rain that came down made sure that it was emphatically more demanding.

Daniel Ricciardo started the Monaco grand prix from his first career pole position and would’ve felt he had half the job done. As the race got underway behind the safety-car there was no perilous side-by-side running into turn one with Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes or the fear of pushing slightly over the limit any into a barrier.

When racing did get underway Ricciardo quickly carved out a ten second to second placed Rosberg with Hamilton close behind in third. As the circuit started to dry Ricciardo dived into the pitlane for a set of intermediate tyres but the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton stayed out. It was this stint, on the full wet tyre, that won Lewis Hamilton the Monaco grand prix.

But for Hamilton to take his first victory of the season a lot of things had to go his way. First championship leader and teammate Nico Rosberg had to move over and let him by and this move revealed some Rosberg’s character. Regardless of his pace, as the championship leader, there couldn’t have been an argument against Rosberg if he didn’t move out of the way for his biggest rival. By giving way to Hamilton he showed himself to be a team man.

Still victory seemed a long shot as Ricciardo closed right onto the back of Hamilton on his quicker intermediate tyres. Each driver would have to make one more stop for slick tyres. However, as the Australian dived into the pits for dry tyres a communication error meant the team was not ready. A thirteen second pitstop for Ricciardo meant Hamilton squeezed into the lead of race.

Although demoralized Ricciardo refused to give up and hounded Hamilton for as long as possible. Nevertheless, the Australian was unable to take back the lead of the race and finished second. Not too far behind Force India’s Sergio Perez drove a stellar race to hold of the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel for third. Ferrari’s Monaco experience was an unforgettable one as Kimi Raikkonen retired early on after touching the barrier in the hairpin and getting stuck on his own front-wing.

Fernando Alonso showed his class with a fine fifth place finish for McLaren on their 50^th anniversary. The opportunistic Nico Hulkenberg snatched sixth place from Nico Rosberg into the final corner on the last lap of the race. Meanwhile Rosberg, running with suspected glazed brakes, finished seventh ahead of Carlos Sainz in eighth, Jenson Button in ninth, and the Williams of Felipe Massa in tenth.

The race was interrupted by several virtual safety car periods as drivers fell victim to the difficult conditions and notoriously tight circuit. Renault’s Jolyon Palmer crashed in the start/finish straight while Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat took out Kevin Magnussen. Max Verstappen was well on his way to recovering from a pitlane start but stuck his Red Bull into the barrier on lap 34.

To add insult to a serious lack of pace Marcus Ericsson attempted a bizarre move on his Sauber teammate Felipe Nasr into the final corner that ended in a double retirement for the team.

Some stars had to align for Hamilton’s first win of the 2016 season. But it was his masterfully controlled stint on a drying track with worn wet-weather tyres that sealed the deal. A car as dominate as the 2016 Mercedes often disguises a driver’s skill. But on this day not even this could overshadow Hamilton’s near impeccable feel and talent for driving a Formula 1 car.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport.

May 30, 2016
F1 2016: Monaco GP Qualifying Report – Ricciardo Scores First Pole

Red Bull driver Daniel Riccardo has secured pole position for Sunday’s Monaco grand prix.

Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo has secured the first pole position of his Formula 1 career around the sunny streets of Monte Carlo. Nico Rosberg will line up alongside on the front row of the grid while Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton will start third.

Sebastian Vettel set the fourth fastest time ahead of Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen set the sixth quickest time but will drop down five position after replacing a gearbox. Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, Dannil Kyvat, and Fernando Alonso rounded out the top ten.

Two red-flags marred the first part of qualifying as first Felipe Nasr’s engine let go and later Max Verstappen put his Red Bull into the barriers.

Daniel Ricciardo is in prime position for Sunday’s 78 lap race as he will start on the more durable, red-walled supersoft tyre. Meanwhile his closest rivals will start on the purple-walled ultrasoft compound.

Qualifying Standings:

May 28, 2016
Free Practice 3 Report: Monaco Gp – Vettel Quickest

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel set the quickest time in the final free practice session ahead of Sunday’s Monaco grand prix.

The one hour session got underway in gloriously sunny conditions and saw Sebastian Vettel set the quickest time overall on the purple-walled ultrasoft tyre. Mercedes Lewis Hamiton was second quickest, a mere 0.018 off Vettel’s lap time. Nico Rosberg rounded out the top three in the sister Mercedes.

Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen finished fourth and fifth on the timing sheets as less than half a second covered the top five positions. Verstappen clouted the outside barrier at Massinet with his Red Bull but was able to return to the track after a thorough check by the Red Bull mechanics.

Several other drivers made use of the escape road at Ste Devote with incurring any damage. Unfortunately, Renault’s Jolyon Palmer was as lucky as he damaged the rear-wing against the barriers of Tabac.

Pirelli’s ultrasoft tyre, appearing for the first time this season, appears to be quite robust as several drivers were able to continually improve the lap time over a longish stint on the purple-walled tyre.

Final Free Practice 3 Standings:

May 28, 2016