Tag: ferrari

F1 2019: Race Preview – The French Connection

With the Canadian grand prix and all its accouterments consigned the history books Formula 1 turns the page to the eighth round of the season and France’s Paul Ricard circuit.

Renault progress

The season so far for the French works team has been well below par. Team principal Cyril Abiteboul and others in charge of the F1 project are likely to admit that the team has not achieved its projections, so far, in 2019.

The big money signing of Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull would have been a morale boosting shot in the arm for most at Renault. The highly rated Australian has won several grand prix and is expected to excel no matter the car he drives. But there have, expectedly, been some teething issues in joining a completely new environment. So much so that apart from a standout Canadian grand prix weekend Ricciardo has been somewhat anonymous in 2019.

Nevertheless, Renault and Abiteboul appear to be committed to Formula 1 and making their way back to the front of the sport. A repeat performance of sixth and seventh this weekend for Renault would go down well on home soil.

Pierre Gasly

As Ricciardo’s replacement at Red Bull Pierre Gasly hasn’t had any easy time of it. The Frenchman has struggled to find his feet at the team and has been emphatically out-performed by teammate Max Verstappen. Yes, Verstappen, with his heaps of talent, isn’t your average teammate but Gasly is in a top-flight team where he is expected to turn in performances befitting the equipment at his disposal.

There is every chance that Gasly could come good in the Red Bull but for his sake it has to be sooner rather than later. Rumours linking Reanult’s Nico Hulkenberg to the Red Bull seat are already making the rounds and given Gasly’s run of results this season it isn’t unfathomable to imagine Hulkenberg in the Red Bull cockpit.

Romain Grosjean

Although he was born in Switzerland Romain Grosjean is very much a Frenchman and will be keen to do well in his home race. It hasn’t been an easy season for Grosjean as Haas F1 has struggled to unearth their tyre issues on race day. So far, Grosjean has contributed only two points to the team’s tally of sixteen points in 2019.

Once a teammate to Fernando Alonso at Renault Grosjean’s career has been somewhat of an anomaly. As a bonafide winner in the GP2 series he came into F1 with a good reputation. His speed though never materialized. His second go at F1 at Lotus alongside Kimi Raikkonen finally began to reveal his talents. A slew of podium finishes in 2013 upped his stock in F1 but it was followed by a miserable two years in which Lotus produced an equally miserable car. Still, he secured a hard-earned podium at Spa in 2015 but his career was blotted by several outrageous first-lap crashes.

His move to Haas F1 came on the eve of Renault’s announcement that they would return to F1. Nevertheless, he seemed to slot into the newly formed American team with ease. But despite again slowing flashes of real talent and speed he simply hasn’t been consistent enough to catch the eye of any of the top teams. At the age of 33 Grosjean could be one of the unfilled talents in F1.

Paul Ricard

The Paul Ricard circuit’s 15-turn layout comprises a variance of corners that dictates a compromise on set-up. The first sector of the lap consists of lower speed corners where traction and good braking performance is most rewarded. Quicker corners characterize the middle sector of the circuit while the medium-downforce track also features three long straights that demand a lot from the power units.

The higher speed sections of the track will mean that lateral grip is increased and therefore the tyres are put under more stress. It might place enough strain and wear on the tyres to open up some intriguing strategies for Sunday’s race.

June 20, 2019
F1 2019: Canadian Gp Review – Hamilton Wins…Sort of

There are several points, performances, and moments from the 2019 Canadian grand prix that are worth mentioning in the customary post-race review.

Elsewhere, Daniil Kvyat held onto the final point in tenth for Toro Rosso while Lance Stroll finished an impressive ninth for Racing Point on home soil. Pierre Gasly brought his Red Bull home in eighth behind the two Renault’s of Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo in seventh and sixth. Ricciardo’s brilliant fourth place in qualifying netted his best start since joining Renault at the start of the season. He would’ve had designs in getting in amongst the podium positions, at least early on in the race, but they proved a touch too quick for the Aussie driver. Nevertheless, after an under-performing start to the season Renault will be delighted with their performance.

Apart from a few overtakes down the back straight fifth place finisher Max Verstappen ran a fairly anonymous race unable to make an impression on either Ferrari or Mercedes. In comparison to what he had delivered so far in 2019 Valtteri Bottas endured a poor weekend with a difficult qualifying followed by a lowly fourth place finish in the race. Charles Leclerc showed flashes of speed but though it was never enough to trouble the front of the race he did finish third on the day.

McLaren’s Lando Norris was running well in the points before overheating rear brakes caused a suspension failure and his subsequent retirement from the race. Haas F1’s struggle on race pace continued with a lowly showing of fourteenth and seventeenth for Grosjean and Magnussen. Though Williams still has a mountain to climb the team showed a slight improvement in pace with George Russell.

At the end of seventy laps at the chequered flag came out Sebastian Vettel crossed the line first with Lewis Hamilton following less than two seconds behind. Vettel had put together the perfect weekend which included pole position and leading all but two laps of the grand prix. A seriously underperforming Ferrari team had finally put everything together and taken their first victory of the season. But they didn’t.

For the first time in 2019 Vettel and Hamilton were engaged in a race-long battle for the lead of the race. It was enthralling and what fans had been yearning for all season. From on-board footage on lap 48 it was clear that the rear of Vettel’s car stepped out. It sent him wide and onto the grass run-off of the Turn ¾ chicane. From several replays it was abundantly clear that Vettel was not fully in control of his car as he slid back onto the track in front of Hamilton.

The Mercedes was immediately on the radio to decry Vettel’s rejoining of the track as “dangerous”. There is little doubt that Hamilton wanted the incident investigated by stewards and any other driver in his position would have done the same thing. The stewards awarded a five-second penalty to Vettel for rejoining the track in an unsafe manner and for forcing Hamilton off the track.

First, it is clear that the FIA race stewards showed a complete lack of understanding of what Vettel did. Several replays clearly show Vettel with opposite lock on the steering wheel as he rejoins the track which is clearly an indication that he was not under full control. Second, every single driver has consistently navigated the exit of the Turn 3/4 chicane with all four wheels beyond the white line. Seeing as this was not noted by the FIA as exceeding track limits at any point during the weekend it is then presumed to be a part of the circuit. By this logic, and the Stewards own allowance, Hamilton could not have been “forced off track”.

From Jenson Button, to Mario Andretti, to Mark Webber there is hardly any former driver that views the penalty as fair. Social media polls too are overwhelmingly slanted towards the penalty being unjust. The Stewards have, at their misguided discretion, robbed fans of what was otherwise a fascinating race that had all the makings of a memorable. While it will still be remembered it certainly wont be for the right reasons. On days like these and with decision as blatantly wrong as this it is difficult to defend this sport and truthfully one should not even try do so.

June 10, 2019
F1 2019: Canadian Gp Preview – Ferrari to the Fore?

Formula 1 travels from Monaco to Montreal for the seventh round of the 2019 championship this weekend. The Canadian grand prix track is a relatively short one with a lap time below seventy seconds highly likely in 2019. But the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, seemingly innocuous, has quirks and nuances that have caught out many drivers. From barriers just beyond the edge of the rumble strips to the famed Wall of Champions together with a number of big braking points combine to produce a fast, low downforce circuit.

Seven races into the 2019 season and Ferrari’s best result is Seb Vettel’s second place finish at the Monaco grand prix. On merit the Ferrari was the third quickest car at the last race which is a far cry from pre-season expectations. But for several mechanical and driver errors in 2018 the Scuderia could well have won the championship and it seemed as if they were on the path towards maintaining the challenge in 2019. While their engine is currently the class of the field Ferrari’s biggest problem with the SF90 is that it lacks downforce. This means that while they may be the quickest on the straight they fall painfully shy of Mercedes, and even Red Bull, in cornering.

It stands to reason then that in Canada Ferrari should fare better. In Spain they introduced an upgraded engine but because of the layout of Catalunya and Monaco the gains were masked by the circuit layouts. However, a fresh, upgraded engine will aid them on the power sensitive Canadian circuit. While it may not be outright domination by Ferrari the expectation is that they could be significantly closer to Mercedes but only if they check all the boxes, including a seamless strategic and organizational weekend.

Mercedes are likely to bring an upgraded engine to Canada as will have to manage their own inter-team battle given the manner in which Bottas 2.0 has stepped up in 2019. While he has never taken victory on this circuit Valtteri Bottas has been somewhat of a Canadian Gp specialist. In 2013, his debut year with Williams, he secured an impressive third on the starting grid before taking his first podium, still as a Williams driver, at the same circuit in 2015 and 2016.

If Bottas could be classed as somewhat of a specialist around these parts then Lewis Hamilton must be the master. His first career win came here in 2007 and he’s followed it with five more victories for a grand total of six wins in Canada and only one adrift of the great Michael Schumacher. Hamilton has recently been quoted as saying that he hasn’t been driving particularly good this year. If he is to be believed this weekend’s Canadian grand prix, where he has exceled brilliantly in the past, could well spur him into stepping up his game.

If it is to be battle between Mercedes and Ferrari the expectation is that Red Bull would be the third quickest team. But on a circuit layout like this which rewards engine prowess they too will have to tick all the boxes if they are to have a solid weekend. There is the added element of unpredictability of this grand prix which has turned many races here on its head. And it is this randomness that has made the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and the Canadian grand prix one of the most anticipated races of the year.

June 6, 2019
F1 2019: Monaco Gp Review – Hamilton’s Fortitude Ensures Win

In 1974 it was his performance at the Monaco grand prix that prompted Enzo Ferrari into signing up a Niki Lauda. Not only would he become a three-time world champion but also complete the greatest comeback in sporting history following a near-fatal crash in 1976 at the Nordschleife. As drivers, teams, and fans paid tribute to the great champion who passed away on May 20 one thing became crystal clear Niki Lauda is an unmistakable and an unequaled part of Formula 1 lore who will never be forgotten.

On the face of it Lewis Hamilton’s pole-to-flag victory may seem like yet another Mercedes domination. But looking a bit closer reveals a far different story and a race performance that Hamilton will remember for some time to come. It started in Saturday qualifying where the Brit had to “dig far deeper than ever” to pip teammate Valtteri Bottas to the coveted pole position by a mere margin of 0.086.

Hamilton led off the line easily enough as Max Verstappen nearly snatched second from Bottas. Nevertheless, Bottas 2.0 was never going to yield into turn one and held his position around the outside of Sainte Devote (Turn one). Behind the first three Sebastian Vettel made a clean start to maintain fourth on the road. Charles Leclerc, following a strategy blunder in qualifying by Ferrari, didn’t have the same luxury and was forced into taking major risks to advance through the field after starting fifteenth. He pulled off a move on Lando Norris for thirteenth before, on lap seven, sending his car up the inside of Rascasse and past the Haas of Romain Grosjean. It proved one lunge too many though for the Monegasque driver who tagged the wall while attempting to put the same move on Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg. While he did get going again a right-rear puncture caused his tyre to delaminate and destroy the floor of the car which eventually put him out of the race. As pieces of Leclerc’s floor littered the circuit it prompted the appearance of the Safety Car on lap eleven.

The top four, Hamilton, Bottas, Verstappen, and Vettel, all took the pitlane for fresh tyres but it was Bottas who would pay the biggest price. The Finn was slow into the pitbox to allow service to Hamilton first, which allowed Verstappen to be released perilously close to the Mercedes. So close in fact that he nudged Bottas into the pitwall and caused a puncture. Verstappen netted second on the road but it was clearly an unsafe release for which the stewards awarded an especially light penalty of five seconds. It was especially lenient when considering that it not only compromised Bottas’ race but also caused a collision in the pitlane amongst a plethora of mechanics.

With 67 more laps to go Verstappen, Vettel and Bottas had fitted the hard compound tyre with the clear intention of making it to the chequered flag without making further trips to the pitlane. Hamilton however was fitted with the medium compound tyre with the same intention of not pitting again. As the race continued Hamilton became more and more worried about the state of his tyres. At one point, on lap 50, he deemed them completely “dead” and said there was no way he could hold of Verstappen who was harassing the rear of the Mercedes.

But true to Monaco track position is king and despite a late lunge up the inside of the Nouvelle chicane Verstappen was never able to overtake the race leader. Despite the near impossibility of overtaking in Monaco Hamilton’s drive shouldn’t be undervalued. The sheer amount of mental strength required for Hamilton to maintain his position despite driving on treacherously worn down tyres is off the charts. “That was probably the hardest race I’ve had, but nonetheless I really was fighting with the spirit of Niki.”Said Hamilton.

Verstappen finished second on the road but due to his five-second penalty was demoted to fourth on the timing sheets. Sebastian Vettel salvaged second in yet another difficult weekend for Ferrari while Valtteri Bottas took the final step on the podium.

Pierre Gasly took fifth and the fastest lap in his Red Bull while Carlos Sainz scored a brilliant sixth place finish for McLaren. Toro Rosso teammates Dannil Kvyat and Alex Albon were seventh and eighth as Daniel Ricciardo was ninth after a penalty for crossing the pit-exit line dropped Romain Grosjean to tenth. It was forgettable day for Alfa Romeo Racing as Kimi Raikkonen finished a lowly 17^thin his 300^thgrand prix weekend. Though overtaking is at a premium here there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel, no pun intended, for Williams as George Russell finished an encouraging fifteenth on merit.

As it turns out Hamilton confirmed after the race that despite the multitude of radio messages pitting was never on the cards. I wasn’t going to come in – I was either going to crash or finish. Honestly, I was driving around on nothing.” Hamilton’s drive to win the Monaco grand prix was a master-class of precision and mental strength that must be rightfully lauded. And to boot he extend his championship to seventeen points over teammate Bottas heading to the Canadian grand prix in two weeks time.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

May 28, 2019
2019 Monaco Grand Prix: Wednesday Press Conference

PART ONE: DRIVERS – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes) Charles LECLERC (Ferrari), Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing), Robert KUBICA (Williams), Daniel RICCIARDO (Renault)

This week motorsport lost one of its greats when three-time Formula 1 World Champion Niki Lauda passed away. Valtteri, you worked with Niki at Mercedes over the last few years, what did he mean to you?

Valtteri BOTTAS: Obviously really, really shocking news to start the week. For sure, he meant a lot to me but for every single team member of ours, in the race team and at the factory, and he was a big part of the Mercedes family. He was a massive motivation for everyone, for myself ass well, for sure, as a driver because of everything he achieved and with the difficult career he had, and all the comebacks and everything. But also as a person, it’s been great, and never forget many, many good moments, and for sure it’s not nice in terms of mindset for the weekend but I’m sure as a team we can turn it into a strength and respect Niki by going flat out on track and bringing a good result.

Q: Thank you. Robert, if I could ask you for your memories of Niki Lauda? You’ve been around Formula 1 for a long time.

Robert KUBICA: As Valtteri said it’s shocking news. He wrote a big chunk of the story of this sport, not only as a driver but as a person. I never had the opportunity to work with him but definitely he was a big racer and all of us will miss him. At least my personal hopes were to meet him back in the paddock but unfortunately this will not happen. That’s unfortunately part of life.

Q: Thanks. Max, we saw a message from you yesterday on social media. Any thoughts to share about Niki?

Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, of course. Niki was a legend of the sport. He achieved a lot in his career, but also after his career he was also a very generous and funny guy as well. Of course, I’ve never really worked with him, but with the chats we had, he’s been a great guy and for sure it’s a big loss to Formula 1, so all thoughts go out to his family right now.

Q: Thank you. Daniel, Niki was in and out of the Red Bull motorhome a lot when you were there. Any memories of Niki that you have?

Daniel RICCIARDO: Only good ones, for sure. Any interaction I had with him, any brief chats, or just pleasantries, just a kind man. Most of the world that follows motorsport knows him as the racer, for sure, and everything he went through, which was astonishing to say the least. But my personal moments with him were always kind. For a few years we were competitors but, yeah, never a bad thing to say. As the guys just touched on, thinking of his family. The legacy he leaves is pretty amazing and for sure we remember these good things.

Q: Thank you. Charles, two of Niki’s championships came with Ferrari, what does he mean to you?

Charles LECLERC: Well, I didn’t have too many chances to speak to Niki, but the very few times I have been speaking with him he has been extremely nice to me and was always very disponible… is that the right word?

Q: Available?

CL: Available, yes, sorry. And also very humble for what he achieved. He’s a great example for the sport in general and he will be missed a lot.

Q: Thank you. If we look ahead to this weekend now, Charles we’ll stay with you. This is your second time racing at home in Formula 1, but the first time racing here with Ferrari, so it must be a very special weekend for you?

CL: Yeah, a home grand prix is always a special weekend and even more this weekend, obviously, coming here in full red with Ferrari and also with the chance to have a very good result, so we will push. Obviously we’ve had a difficult start to the season. The low-speed corners weren’t great in Barcelona, but normally Monaco is pretty different. We will try to turn things round. It’s not going to be easy but we will give it everything.

Q: Valtteri, you’ve never actually been on the podium, but with the start to the season Mercedes have enjoyed there must be a big opportunity to change that this weekend?

VB: Yeah, I’ve not had great races here, but targeting to change that. It’s been a very promising beginning of the year for us as a team. But we also have to remember that Monaco is a unique circuit and it needs different kinds of things from the car to be quick and in the past few years we have been struggling a little bit and we have not had the quickest car here, even though we have been quick on other tracks. So, for that we are a little bit cautious but also very motivated to change that and to be performing here as well. For me, for sure it’s maybe a tiny bit similar feeling to Charles, you know, living here, it’s really unique, and it would be an amazing weekend to do well.

Q: Max, Red Bull traditionally have gone well in Monaco. Are you able to threaten both Mercedes and Ferrari this weekend, do you think?

MV: I think we get into this weekend seeing Mercedes clearly as the favourite. I don’t think we are as good as we were last year. But we will find out. I’m confident that we can fight for a podium, but we have to find out what step of the podium.

Q: Daniel, Max mentioned last year. You won that race and you obviously have great memories of that but what is realistic for you to target this season?

DR: I don’t know yet. I’m certainly still coming as excited as I always do. When I say coming here, I also live here, but it’s still different coming here for the race or being here for the race. The circuit transforms and there’s a different feeling in the air. I don’t know, the whole atmosphere is pretty unreal. So yeah, I’ll see where we’re at tomorrow… Yeah, tomorrow’s practice. It’s Thursday here; that’s a bit different as well. But yeah, obviously quietly confident and excited and optimistic that we can do something good.

Q: Thank you. Robert, Williams has had quite a tricky car so far this season, but is Monaco still a race you look forward to as a driver?

Robert KUBICA: Oh yeah. Monaco has always been very special and approaching… coming back here after a long break the feeling in the past was that the track was pretty narrow but with current F1 cars it will be even more narrow than it was in the past, because the cars are much bigger, much wider. So looking forward, it’s always a special feeling going through those streets and driving an F1 car. But definitely our car is struggling and normally here whenever you struggle, you struggle even more. But there’s always something; this track is different; it’s unique, so hopefully it will suit better our car.

Q: Thank you. Just a final topic before we open this to the floor. This weekend is the third FIA Volunteers Weekend, celebrating those who give up their time to support motorsport events. Just wondered if I could get a message from each of you about the importance of volunteers in motorsport. Robert if we can start with you?

RK: Yeah, definitely. I think most us don’t realize how many people are involved to organize this show, in every single aspect, not only on track but off track to help. Definitely we need those people and I would like to thank them. They are normally very passionate people and we need those people more than anyone else.

Q: Max?

MV: Yeah, it’s great to see that there are so many people out there who are so passionate about the sport and actually willing to risk their lives as well for us. I think it’s great and I just hope that we all have a great and safe weekend.

Q: And Charles?

CL: Yeah, as Max said, it’s great to see so many people that are passionate about the sport and what they are doing for the sport. I came to see them, especially the marshals training for this grand prix, which was very impressive. They are putting a lot of time into it and they are doing these things extremely seriously, so it was a great experience to see them preparing the grand prix and hopefully we’ll have a safe and good weekend.

Q: Thank you. And Valtteri?

VB: Yeah, for sure, without them the event would not be possible. I’m lucky to know a couple of them and they have explained to me what it includes and how much actually they work for it and all the training and everything and they are so passionate about racing, so from my side, hat’s off to them.

Q: Thank you. And finally, Daniel?

DR: This is a race where I feel they always stand out – how quick they are able to collect a car or move on, so that our session can be as little or less disrupted as possible, if that’s the right English, I don’t know. They’re pretty awesome. They do have pretty good here seats as well, probably the best seats in the house! But all jokes aside, it’s good that they get the recognition as well, because it’s easily dismissed at times, so hat’s off the them and we appreciate it.

PRESS CONFERENCE

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action / Speed Sport) Charles, the drivers that live here say when it’s not the race week, they can walk around, nobody stops them. Now you’re a famous Ferrari driver, I see your photo and poster all over time. How is it now, going around town, not on the race weekend?

CL: To be honest, I think there are drivers more famous than me living in Monaco. For sure, I’m Monegasque, so it’s a little bit different. Also, in Monaco, they are quite used to it, so all year around, they don’t stop you that much in the city. When it comes to grand prix time, it’s a bit harder to go around Monaco because there’s a lot of strangers coming here for the grand prix and obviously they want to have pictures, etc., During the year it’s quite OK. But yeah, it’s great to have a weekend at home. It’s a city that I’ve been growing up in and yeah, it’s a huge honour for me to be driving in these streets. It’s actually pretty weird because these are the same streets – I’ve said this story quite a lot of times – but it’s the same streets I’ve taken on the bus going to school when I was five or six years old. To take them in a Formula One car feels special.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Charles, after five races, Bahrain stands out as the obvious highlight for Ferrari in terms of performance. Now that you’ve had a couple of tests to dig into what’s holding you back at other races, does Bahrain feels like a one-off, or do you have a better understanding of what’s stopping you from hitting those peaks at other tracks as well?

CL: I think during testing we understood a few things. Not enough, obviously, to be at the level of these guys, or Mercedes – but we understand a few things. I think we gained a little bit of time. Not enough: we need to keep working, we need to try and understand what was the main issue but the engineers are working on that.

Q: (George Boulton – The Sun) Question for Valtteri. We’ve heard how much of a great character Niki was. Could you reveal your funniest story of having worked with him so closely?

VB: He was always funny. Full of a good sense of humour and so direct. He always said whatever he thinks, how things are. He didn’t take different routes, he always said things directly. So that made for some funny situations sometimes in meetings and stuff – but I will say the best thing that will stand in my mind is that he was always there when I had a good result, to congratulation, and you could always see he was truly happy. But the main thing was, when I had some bad races, and difficult times, he was still always available to speak about anything, and really supportive – because he has the experience himself, as a racer, in life and racing that there will be setbacks and you can really improve from those. In that sense, that’s been massive motivation for me and will stay in my mind.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – globoesporte.com) To Max. You’ve taken part in four editions of this grand prix and your best result is fifth in 2017. Now, with many people saying you are in the best moment as a driver, does it disturb you, to think to enjoy your moment, to change your history in this grand prix?

MV: I’ve done four, hopefully I’ll do another 20, so I have a lot of chances to do a good result.

Q: (Andrew Frankel – Forza) Max, some of us are old enough to have been to Zandvoort many, many years ago and obviously we’re terribly excited we’re going back to Zandvoort. Will the new track be very different from the existing one?

MV: I think in general the layout will be pretty similar but some corners might be a bit banked, a bit shorter, a bit more space. The track itself won’t be changed a lot. It’s good to see that the track is coming back on the calendar after so many years. It’s very close to the beach, so you can also chill at the beach after the races if you would like – but as a driver it’s a really cool track to drive. I just hope we can also have a really good fight instead of just following each other throughout the race – but we’ll find out.

Q: (inaudible) Question to Robert. You’re coming here in a difficult situation but you’ve been here many times before – you won the Monaco Kart Cup twice, you’ve been on the podium in Formula One twice, you’ve been leading the Monte Carlo Rally. You won some super stages – so what are your best memories from Monte Carlo?

RK: As you say, Monaco has been always pretty good for me from a very young ago, so yeah. Actually probably the first time I have been racing here was 1998, in karting, and probably this was one of the great days. But definitely finishing on the podium in an F1 car in the F1 race also stands up. I would say those two – but at the same time, also Rally is something special – but we shouldn’t be speaking about rally here, I think. There are more F1 fans and more F1 journalists than rally.

Q: (Lennart Boemhof – Volksrant) Question to all drivers. Last year Daniel set a lap record here. With the cars getting faster each year, is it getting harder to race here in Monaco? Is the circuit getting harder?

DR: Last year was pretty easy!

But is it getting harder?

DR: For some! Ah, it’s all good. We also grow with the cars. I think any car, if you’re pushing any car on the limit, it feels fast, whether it’s a 1m10 or a 1m20s. So, I look back at the onboard lap of last year and I see places where I think ‘ah, could be quicker here’ – so it’s never fast enough.

VB: Yeah, every year with the cars getting faster, it gets even more intense – but like Daniel said, we get used to the cars, and the speed and, in the end, we would prefer to go still a lot quicker – but for sure it’s quick, and it’s going to be fun.

CL: I’ve only driven once here in Formula One, so from Formula 2 it was a huge step up and it really felt extremely quick. To be honest, in no other places do I have a similar feeling that I have here in qualifying. I think to be so close to the walls and also, it’s a bit like a karting track, you have no rest, and this just feels amazing. Then in the race, of course it’s quite difficult to overtake. Overall, the quali lap is just the best moment of the weekend for me, as a driver.

Max, has it got more difficult as the cars have got quicker?

MV: I would say easier – because you have more grip, compared to 2015-16 where the car was just sliding around a lot more. The only thing is, if you want to overtake with these wide cars, it’s almost impossible – because if the guy just stays in the middle, you can’t really do a lot – but I guess that’s why you have to make sure you do well in quali.

Robert, are you expecting a very different challenge this weekend?

RK: I’m expecting a unique experience. Definitely it will not be easy but it is never easy when you are trying to bring whatever car you drive to the limit. As everybody mentioned, the more grip you have, the faster you go – but also it makes things more simple in some ways. But still, it’s always a very challenge track.

Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Valtteri, you’re obviously replacing Lewis today for this press conference. How is he, have you had a chance to have a chat with him today?

VB: Yeah, I saw him today. Everything was normal. I just got a request from our marketing team to be in the press conference. So that’s all I know really. He seemed OK.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Daniel, when you were here last year, obviously it was a pretty strong performance from you all weekend. You made your mark and I guess this is a slightly different situation coming here twelve months later. Renault’s been very honest about the performance so far. When you joined the team, you were very realistic and said that you weren’t expecting to fight for wins this year but five races in, how would you assess… or your feelings with the move so far and what are the changes in the background to try and improve the team’s fortunes?

DR: Yeah, it’s been a… there’s still certainly a process. I wouldn’t say I’m surprised by anything. Obviously we would have hoped for better results than what we’ve currently got and we all want that and we’re all honest enough to admit that but as you’ve said, I didn’t really… it would have been nice to get a few more seventh places as opposed to struggling for the top tens. Yeah, we didn’t expect to be in podium contention or anything, certainly not at this stage, but I still see what I saw when I signed as far as the input that everyone’s having and the infrastructure is still going up. Motivation certainly hasn’t dipped, by any means. It’s going to take a bit more time but I’m certainly trying as well and doing everything I can. I feel that also, everything that I’ve put in has really been taken on board and the team is certainly willing to grow and learn. I’m not saying it’s all me but at least my input has been quite positive, I think. I’m enjoying it, I really am. Obviously I would love to get better results but as an environment I am enjoying it so hopefully a special weekend here and that will kick things off nicely.

Q: (Jerome Pugmire – Associated Press) A couple of years ago, when Alonso made his Indy debut, F1 was extremely impressed with how well he did. Obviously you will know that he failed to qualify for this year. How much of a surprise is that to you and perhaps it shows that the difficulty was a bit underestimated? Two or three drivers? Perhaps Daniel, Valtteri and Robert?

DR: Personally, because I’ve never done it – driven an IndyCar or been on an oval – I never really had an expectation for Alonso. I didn’t know how easy or difficult it would be. Obviously I had confidence that he would be able to hop in and be relatively competitive, because I think he’s obviously a very very good driver and very capable and still very motivated and driven, so I think that showed in 2017, was it? But I guess, as well, this year it looks like obviously you need… you’ve got to be a good driver but set-up and all those things at those margins is so important. I don’t know the ins and outs but everything needs to work right and that’s the thing with race cars, it’s a love-hate relationship. Obviously this year for him was more of a hate one. It’s sad to see; obviously, as part of the F1 family, we want to see him do well but yeah, for reasons I honestly couldn’t understand or explain… I’m not in that world.

VB: I can’t say that much because I didn’t really follow… for sure I heard that they didn’t qualify and there was some issue with some of the test days and stuff like this but to be honest, before that I didn’t even know it was happening.

RK: Not a lot to add, I would say. I would never comment on something that I don’t know enough information. Looking at the classification it’s too easy to arrive at the wrong assumptions or conclusions. Fernando, we know what a great driver he is and he showed two years ago that he was fighting there and even winning on debut. This year it didn’t work but there is not a lot to say.

Q: (Maximilian Werdl – Mannheimer Morgen) Mr Leclerc, after the hard start for Ferrari, how would you describe the atmosphere in the team?

CL: Quite calm, I think. We are all working extremely hard. Obviously the engineers are trying to understand and trying to push the team forward but overall I think we are all quite calm which is needed. We obviously want to improve so everyone is pushing very hard, as I’ve said but I think the most important thing is that the serenity in the team doesn’t change which it doesn’t for now.

Q: (Pierre van Vliet – F1i) Charles, do you think that rain can maybe help you in fighting Mercedes and Red Bull this weekend and if so, how big are your chances to win your very first Grand Prix at home?

CL: Obviously Monaco is already quite a lottery in the dry so I think in the rain it will add a little bit more of that so it can go in either way but it should be exciting if it rains. Whether it will help us or not I don’t really know but yeah, I would like it to rain, actually, for qualifying to change things a little bit. In Monaco we don’t see rain very often, so it would be nice.

Q: (Daniel Ortelli – F1 Only) Max, how surprised are you by the level of performance of your Honda engine since the beginning of the season, and do you think it’s a good engine for this track – although it’s not an engine track?

MV: I’m not really surprised, because it was all just targeted and they delivered what they promised so just a continuous process which is going really well and I really enjoy working with them. They really take it all very seriously and they are very professional so I’m always working with a big smile on my face and of course, we know that we still have to improve but from both sides, not just the engine side. We are working very closely together to try and do that and of course this track is normally a little bit more competitive for us.

Q: (George Boulton – The Sun) Charles, growing up in these streets, what were your memories of watching it with your friends and probably being the most popular man in Monaco this weekend? How are your feelings and pressures coming into this?

CL: My first memory of the Grand Prix – I was probably about four, something like this. I always kept this image in my head: I was at a friend’s apartment, out of turn one, playing with the small cars, watching the Grand Prix at the same time – I think Michael was at Ferrari – obviously watching the red cars more than the others and yeah, just enjoying and dreaming of being there one day. Yeah, as I’ve said before, it feels great to be at home.

Q: (Arjan Schouten – AD Sportswereld) Max, a year ago, here in Monaco, I think it was the location – and correct me if I’m wrong – of your last personal mistake. With everybody speaking about you, they always say ‘after that, he became more mature.’ How do you see that yourself?

MV: Well, I think not only after that, I think in general, it’s life. I’m getting older, general life experience but yes, sometimes you have to make mistakes to become a better driver and so this was one of them.

Q: (Luis Vasconcelos – Formula Press) Valtteri, you lost, at the start, the last two pole positions and here it’s clearly a place where nobody wants to a lose a place at the start. Have you got to the bottom of what went wrong in Barcelona and well, and what has been done to prevent a repetition of that?

VB: Yeah, for sure, we went through all the details and things to improve from my side and the team’s side as usual and yeah, we can see the cause of it. For sure, that clutch physically is out from the pool but also there were things on the control side in that unfortunate moment which being on the grip limit allowed some hesitation and variation on the clutch torque. We’ve done changes to prevent that. Hopefully it will not happen again and we move on

May 22, 2019
F1 2019: Monaco Gp Preview – Win or Bust for Ferrari

Formula 1 cars have raced through the sun-kissed streets of Monte Carlo every year since 1950. Decade after decade it the Monaco grand prix stood proud as the jewel in F1’s crown. All the legends have won here from Juan-Manuel Fangio to Sir Jackie Stewart to Ayrton Senna to the great Michael Schumacher. And it is unquestionably the grand prix victory that drivers want in their CV.

More recently it hasn’t done must to endear itself to modern-day F1 fans. And it isn’t because these fans are a lot of whingers either. It isn’t even that in an over-saturated world that they are easily bored, as some would have you believe. Most, if not all, of these fans appreciate and laud the sport’s venerated history and speak in awe of decades gone by.

The utter precision and bravery that it demands to fling these marvels of design and engineering through the barrier-lined streets is a feat so outrageous it shouldn’t be possible. But it is. And year after year Formula 1 shows up and proves it possible. As gloriously insane a spectacle as that is it simply isn’t conducive anymore to what modern F1 fans yearn for. There is a great hunger for wheel-to-wheel racing, for overtaking, for edge-of-the-seat racing that leaves you, simultaneously, stunned and exhilarated. And this is nothing something that the Monaco grand prix can deliver anymore.

Several decades ago the story was different but with modern F1 cars it just isn’t feasible. The width of the cars alone makes overtaking in Monaco, already at a premium, nearly impossible. This means that Saturday qualifying dictates Sunday’s race, barring unreliability. In the recent past, 2016 to be precise, leader Nico Rosberg drove deliberately slowly and still no one was able to overtake the then Mercedes driver. Off the track, for which the action starts on Thursday, it is the place to be seen. Here you can rub shoulders with the rich and famous provided you have the right invite or the ability to cough up an exorbitant amount of money to make it into the paddock or onto one of the luxury yachts.

The reality is though that most F1 save for months, even years, to make it to a racetrack somewhere in the world and hardly entertain the thought of being able to attend a grand prix on the French Riviera. It seems nearly unthinkable to imagine an F1 calendar with the Monaco grand prix. But what it even more inconceivable is that those who tend to the sport do not take into account what the fans want and can afford.

For the foreseeable future there is a Monaco grand prix and this weekend someone will again loft the famous first place trophy into the air as the winner. In recent years Mercedes have struggled with equal tyre warm-up across both axles of their car. However, recent form in Singapore, also a street-track, suggests that they have begun to get on top of the issue. Valtteri Bottas will be interesting to watch here, as Monaco has never been a strong circuit for the Finn. It’s a good place then to show that new-for-2019 Bottas is not only a force to be reckoned with but also a bonafide championship contender.

Red Bull won here in 2018 with Daniel Ricciardo despite a loss of power. It could well be Max Verstappen’s chance to shine on the famous streets provided he can keep his Red Bull out of the barrier – a feat he didn’t accomplish in 2018.

For Ferrari, as in Spain, it’s win or bust. Anything other than the top step of the podium will be devastating to their championship aspirations that are already hanging by a catastrophically thin thread.

May 22, 2019
F1 2019: Spanish Gp Review – Mercedes Untouchable

To say the Spanish grand prix was a damp squib would be generous. The circuit de Catalunya produced a dreary affair that didn’t do much for the image of Formula 1.

But first, the rightly deserved plaudits. Just ten weeks ago Mercedes left pre-season testing with the firm belief that they would have to work overtime to catch up to a seemingly imperious Ferrari. Far and wide the expectation were that this would be the year the Italian team hit the ground running. In fact, they were tipped to dominate, at least, the opening rounds of the 2019 season. How quickly reality has decimated those predictions.

Up and down the paddock the teams arrived at the first European race of the season with various updates they’d hope would increase the pace of their car. Not least of all, Ferrari arrived with a raft of upgrades from rear-wing endplates to the front-wing, to a completely new internal combustion engine. But still it fell significantly short of Mercedes.

Valtteri Bottas spectacularly scored a third consecutive pole position by trouncing his teammate Lewis Hamilton by six tenths of a second. It was a big statement by the Finn but it wouldn’t go unanswered for too long. Elsewhere, Seb Vettel managed third on the grid while another error in quali meant Charles Leclerc was fifth quickest behind Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.

Hamilton’s answer to Bottas came quickly as he scythed into the lead of the race as soon as the lights went out. Though Vettel had a decent getaway from the line he soon found himself on the outside of turn one with nowhere to go which allowed Verstappen into third. Bar a few moments in the race when Bottas closed the gap slightly there was little for Hamilton to be concerned about as he strolled to a third win in Spain.

Verstappen who easily had the measure of Ferrari on the day joined the Mercedes teammates on the podium. For Ferrari it wasn’t only yet another day to forget in terms of their lack of pace but also for yet more dubious strategy calls. Early on in the race it was clear that Leclerc had pace in hand over Vettel who had flat-spotted his left-front tyre into turn one. With the top three disappearing up the road it seemed the obvious choice to release Leclerc. But the pitwall spent several laps apparently discussing the switch. Eventually, Vettel himself offered to let Leclerc by.

By the first round of pitstops Hamilton emerged with a nearly ten second lead over Bottas while Verstappen effortlessly held onto third. Both Vettel and Leclerc suffered a rear-left issue in their respective stops. Although the delay in the pitbox didn’t necessarily affect either Ferrari driver’s ultimate position it is yet another sign of a team in trouble. At this stage Ferrari split the drivers’ strategy with Leclerc on the hard tyre and Vettel on the medium.

However, for several laps Vettel, on the much quicker compound, was stuck behind Leclerc. Chaos reigned at Ferrari as neither side of the garage seemed to know that the other was on the opposite strategy. By the time Ferrari pitwall caught up, and Vettel was let by Leclerc, the slim chance at the final step on the podium was gone.

The comedy of errors from Ferrari is yet again an indication of a team that it miles away from being able to challenge Mercedes much less beat them. Ferrari may yet win a few races in 2019 but from their display in Spain it seems highly unlikely that they will make a legitimate charge on either championship this season.

A late race Safety-car, deployed for a turn one clash between Lando Norris and Lance Stroll, threatened to inject some excitement into the otherwise monotonous race with a fifteen-lap sprint to the chequered flag but it never happened. It was a rather docile end to what is expected to be the last Spanish grand prix before Zandvoort takes over the mid-May slot in 2020.

With Vettel and Leclerc in fourth and fifth Pierre Gasly was sixth for Red Bull. Kevin Magnussen was seventh for Haas ahead of home-favourite Carlos Sainz in eighth. After pulling of several impressive overtakes Daniil Kvyat was ninth for Toro Rosso as Romain Grosjean took the final point on offer in tenth.

At least for now it appears that there is no end to Mercedes’ domination in sight. Even at the height of Ferrari’s dominance in the early 2000s and Red Bull’s stellar run in the mid 2010s they couldn’t deliver a staggering five consecutive one-two victories as Mercedes have done in 2019. Though there are several months and a lot of racing to go this season some would say that the writing is on the wall.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

May 13, 2019
2019 Spanish Grand Prix: Saturday Press Conference

DRIVERS

1– Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes), 2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), 3 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Jenson Button)

Q: Valtteri, that was a fantastic qualifying effort, outstanding. And to beat this guy around here. I know how difficult that is. The car is obviously feeling pretty awesome underneath you?
Valtteri Bottas: Yeah, by the time of Quali 3 it was just really getting better and better. Really enjoyed that and enjoyed the adrenaline rush we get from those laps. I’m very pleased. Practice 3 was difficult obviously with the spin, but I just forgot that and moved on.

Q: But it wasn’t just that, it was a massive margin. And now that makes it three in a row. That must give you a massive boost for the race tomorrow and for the rest of the season?
VB: It does, yeah. It’s started well, the season, and the way I’d hoped for. I feel better and better in the car, so I look forward to tomorrow.

Q: Good man. Lewis, watching that it looked like you really needed to get the lap in the first run in Q3. The second run, I don’t know if it was the temperature or what, but you needed to get it done then, and it seemed like the last sector was a bit loose?
Lewis Hamilton: Yeah, I mean, firstly Valtteri did a fantastic job, he’s been quick all weekend. I think on my side I just didn’t put the laps together. The last couple of laps in Q3 particularly just weren’t strong. I had to go out early, because I had come in too early and I had a low battery pack and so I had to go out first, ahead of everyone and ultimately it just wasn’t a good enough job.

Q: But the thing here, starting P2, you get that massive tow down the straight, so looking forward to a great race tomorrow?
LH: Yeah, I’ll be giving it everything. We’ve always got great weather here. It’s great for the team to have this one-two. We’ll try to convert that into a one-two and if I can reverse it I’ll be happy.

Q: Sebastian, I think that’s probably as good as you could have expected. Looking at the last sector that seems to be a massive deficit for you guys here.
Sebastian Vettel: Yeah, it seems to be more than an Achilles’ heel at the moment. I just spoke to Valtteri and they were both very happy with the car, especially last sector. For us it was a bit more tricky. I think we got everything out of the car in the first run. In the second run I had to try something different and it didn’t work, but yeah, happy but not happy, if you know what I mean.

Q: I totally know what you mean. But it’s weird in the last sector, because it looks like the car is planted. It looks like the rear end is planted and you just have understeer. But maybe that’s an aerodynamic deficit, so you balance the car like that. Is that the case?
SV: The car doesn’t feel bad, but obviously we are not quick enough. In terms of balance we got it more or less right. I had a bit more understeer; what you saw is right. Probably more than they have but I think overall in those sort of corners, you know yourself, you just need the grip and I think we might be down on that.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Valtteri, congratulations, it was a stunning lap from you there in Q3. The only man to break into the 1 minute 15s all afternoon, just talk us through that final segment of qualifying in particular.
VB: Yeah, thanks, it was really enjoyable and to get a nice lap like that is a nice feeling and a nice adrenaline rush. What makes it enjoyable is when the car is behaving, when the car is doing what you want it to do and what you ask it to do. I think as a team we have done an incredible job with the upgrades we brought here and with the set-up direction we’ve taken. But I was really building up to the qualifying after a difficult Practice 3 with the spin and each run I always knew ‘OK, here I can improve’ and so on and I managed to put it together for Q3.

Q: How good was that lap in Q3 and are you surprised by the gap to Lewis?
VB: For sure the gap is big. I never would expect that but I don’t know how Lewis’ lap was but this time I got everything pretty well right in the lap.

Q: Mika Häkkinen has the Finnish record of six consecutive pole positions, just something for you to think about?
VB: I’m not really a big fan of numbers. Obviously I respect Mika a lot, but at this point of the season there’s no point counting numbers, the point is focusing on the moment.

Q: Congratulations. Well, Lewis, coming to you, Valtteri made the point ‘how was Lewis’ lap’, well how was Lewis’ lap?
LH: It was OK; it could have been better for sure. Valtteri did a fantastic job particularly once he got to Q3. It was a bit of a tacky Q3 for me, which is kind of rare for me, but it happens. Otherwise, I’m just really happy and proud of the team for the upgrades we were able to bring this weekend to eke the gap to the Ferraris. It is an amazing track to drive, especially as we come from Barcelona testing, it’s transformed so much since then, so really proud of everyone.

Q: Surprising gap between you and Valtteri. What do you put that down to? It looked like a very aggressive lap from you that first lap in Q3.
LH: They just weren’t very good laps. Simple as that, and Valtteri was just quicker today and rightly deserved the pole.

Q: Sebastian, coming on to you, looks like it was quite a tough afternoon for you – but it’s been a hard weekend for Ferrari, as well, relative to the performance of the Mercedes. Just talk us through the handling of your car.
SV: Well, it’s been a busy weekend, obviously. Happy to be in P3. I think it gives us a good chance for tomorrow and we look forward to the race. I think we brought some new bits, a new engine, everything seems to work but clearly we are not yet where we want to be but I think in terms of team effort, everybody was doing their utmost. We tried a lot of stuff yesterday, and again today. Different directions. I think we ended up getting the best out of the car for today, which, as I say, wasn’t enough and we’re certainly not satisfied – but I’m very happy with the approach, with the chance that we took, in terms of trying something daring, something I think ultimately will pay off. Not yet – not today at least! But hopefully it helps us in terms of pace tomorrow. Hopefully sets of the right direction for the next couple of weeks.

Q: Happy with the approach of the team – but were you surprised by the gap to Mercedes?
SV: I think yes. Of course. Coming here we did not expect… but also we seemed to lose a quite big amount of time in the last sector. I think it’s quite clear we seem to be faster down the straights, so probably carrying a little bit less wing than them, but then obviously in the last sector there are no straights and yeah, struggling a little bit to bring it together, so it’s not a very long sector but they’re quite some corners, and mostly lower speed, and that’s where we seem to be losing the most time. So, definitely some homework. We know this track very well, everybody does, but the conditions today, etcetera, we were not able to match them

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Valtteri, your first-ever hat-trick of poles. Is the speed in qualifying your strongest weapon in this World Championship fight right now?
VB: Well, for sure, in terms of qualifying performance, it has been so far my best start of the year in Formula One – but it’s not only about Saturdays. For sure, it’s super-important and, depending on the track, but also the race performance, start performance. I think it’s going to be key – one of the key things for sure.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) To Sebastian. You said the last sector was very slow. 1500m – eight-tenths. Can you describe for us if you lose when you brake, the speed in the middle of the corner, the traction? Because it’s really a lot in a very short space.
SV: Yes, it’s a lot of time – but as I said, obviously we gain down the straights and we lose in the corners. Obviously the first in the first two sectors we have straights to compensate, so maybe you don’t see the loses in the corners but, I think it’s pretty transparent: I think you have access as much as we have to the GPS data. We lose time in the last sector in the corners in pretty much every corner. So, from 10 to 15 there’s not one corner that stands out. Obviously eight-tenths sounds a lot but if you then divide it by the amount of corners, it’s a bit less – but it’s still a lot. In the end of the day, it doesn’t change anything. For us, it’s a lot of homework. The car, I think, certainly didn’t feel perfect, so there’s something we can improve but overall, obviously, yeah, overall we seem to be a bit down in terms of grip and not being able to carry as much speed through the corner, not go on throttle as easy as them, so it’s a loss not necessarily in braking, I think it’s more the speed carried around the corner. It’s not the first time. Obviously here it bites you in the last sector because there are many corners and no straights – but that’s what it is. For tomorrow, we’ll see what we can do. Certainly the straight-line speed will help us to put pressure on the first straight and then go from there.

Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsportmagazin.com) Two questions for Seb: did you feel that problem during the winter tests as well, the problem in the slow corners and secondly, you always said the potential is there; did you have this feeling this weekend as well?
SV: Well, I think, starting with the second question, I think we didn’t start off well in Australia, we certainly weren’t extracting the maximum from the car. I think we probably, with hindsight, didn’t carry the best set-up but from then onwards we gradually improved, we certainly were not where we wanted to be. To return to your first question, I think winter testing is now quite a while ago and I think the cars have progressed quite a lot – our car as much as other cars. Obviously conditions were different and so on. We had a very good feeling the first week. The second week things were a lot closer but obviously there was a lot of – how can I say? – positivity after the first week which we carried over and we sort of wanted to carry into the season but so far we haven’t managed to extract that. I think overall the car is good, we have the performance, we need to put it together, we know we can do better so we need to dig deep. Obviously now is not the first time we’re losing out and not the second time and not the third time, so there’s a consistent trend that we seem to lose in some places, independent of conditions: sunshine, clouds, tyres, compounds and so on. Yeah, a bit more fast to understand but if we had the solution surely it would be on the car already.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) To the two Mercedes drivers: are you surprised by the gap? I know you’ve brought upgrades this weekend but are you surprised by the gap that you’ve got over Ferrari? I know the cars have changed from last year, the aero rules are different but how much better does this car feel to 2018?
LH: Well, we didn’t expect to have the gap, for sure and in terms of whether it’s better than last year, for sure it’s better. I don’t really know what else to say. VB: I have to say that when I saw the times, definitely we expected Ferrari to be closer. Everything based on winter testing, this seemed to be a track that really suits them and since the practice, we saw yesterday that we were in good form. Obviously we have been doing a good job as a team with the direction we’ve been taking the car in, in terms of where to find the performance and how and so on, so we’ve done a really good job on that and I think we’re all impressed. Obviously race pace is going to be important tomorrow and for sure the car feels better. With the new aero regs, everyone thought it’s going to be a bit slower but with the technology nowadays that the team has it’s incredible how (inaudible) can still improve. The amount of downforce the amount of stability the cars have now is enjoyable.

Q: (Luis Vasconcelos – Formula Press) Also for Valtteri and Lewis: you had a very clean and exciting fight in the first few corners in Baku but there you can overtake later in the race. Here, given how difficult it is to pass, how crucial are those first six, seven hundred meters going to be and how are you planning to play it?
VB: For sure it’s going to be important. It’s one of the longer runs into turn one from the start so definitely the start performance is important and there’s also a bit of a tow effect for the cars behind so on track, it’s difficult to overtake, for sure the start is going to be important and turn one but yeah, it’s pretty normal and (I shall) look forward to the fight. LH: Yeah, pretty much the same. Just approach it as we always do.

Q: (Laurence Edmonson – ESPN) To both Mercedes drivers: there’s obviously a few changes to the car this weekend. Valtteri, do you feel that’s brought it a little more closer to what you were looking for and has that helped you? And Lewis, has it upset your balance and where you have the car?
VB: I think we’ve just been able to improve the general stability and provide a bit more grip from the aero of the car. There’s no different kind of behaviour from the car than any races before, I feel. It does feel a bit different from winter testing though, in a big way, but if it really suits me or not – I really can’t say but definitely the car feels better and that’s always – when you have the grip – it’s always a good feeling. LH: The upgrades always feel good so sometimes they’re transparent – this one’s quite transparent for me and obviously I was not able to utilise the performance of the car or extract the performance of the car so I will just continue to work on that.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) Lewis, we always used to see you in the middle (in the press conference) with the phenomenal numbers you have but now for the third time in a row you are on the left side. Is this a sign of something? Do you start to re-think your approach to Q3, to analyse more, because you have lost out to your teammate with the same car for the last three times?
LH: I don’t think it’s about Q3, I think it’s about the whole weekend and it’s the feel that I have in the car, I just need to work on it so I don’t think it’s really about my approach in qualifying particularly. But of course I’m looking at all solutions and I’ll get there eventually.

May 12, 2019
2019 Spanish Grand Prix: Friday Press Conference

TEAM REPRESENTATIVES – Mattia BINOTTO (Ferrari), Frédéric VASSEUR (Alfa Romeo Racing), Guenther STEINER (Haas), Franz TOST (Toro Rosso), Mario ISOLA (Pirelli)

Q: Guenther, a promising start for the Haas team here in FP1 but it’s been another difficult start to the season for Romain Grosjean. Are we seeing a repeat of last year or is it a different set of problems for him?

Guenther STEINER: I hope that he hasn’t got the same problems here as he had last year. I think a lot of people would not enjoy that. I think we’ve struggled as everyone has seen. In Australia we were performance-wise not too bad but we had the pit stop issue. In the races afterwards… I shouldn’t say it because I’ve got Mario beside me, but we had some issues, we couldn’t get the tyres to work, which he will disagree with heavily, I forewarn you. But here it seems to be working. But it’s too early to say, it’s FP1, you know. We at least have to go through FP2 to get to some conclusions. This morning was a good session; it was enjoyable again. Let’s hope we can repeat it for the rest of the weekend and we don’t do any damage in the race.

Q: But from Romain’s point of view are you seeing more consistency from him this year than at the same stage last year?

GS: Absolutely. He’s very calm. He cannot do anything about it. He stays very calm, he stays focused, and I’ve all the confidence that he doesn’t repeat what happened last year.

Q: Now, you’ve already touched on tyres. You were quite outspoken about them after the race in Baku two weeks ago. Just tell us what the issues were?

GS: Mario knows better than me. He’s the expert on tyres, not me you know. We have got issues, we cannot get them to work, we cannot get the heat into them on certain kinds of tracks and that is our problem. I said in Baku that we would be struggling, beforehand. Here I was more confident, not completely, be should get them to work here and we get them to work here. But we have an issue that we cannot get the tyres to work at each track, so that is our issue.

Q: Thank you and good luck this weekend. Mario, perhaps we could get your reaction to some of the comments Guenther came out with in Baku?

Mario ISOLA: Yeah, I believe that Baku is quite a unique circuit, where you have an asphalt that is very smooth and so is not going to generate energy into the tyre, you have a long straight, cold weather conditions, the tyres are losing a lot of temperature and we know from the past the characteristics of the circuit. Last year, when we developed the current product, we were require to have a product without blistering – you remember last year we had some race with blistering – and to reduce overheating. That was a clear request from the drivers. So basically, our tyres have been developed with this in mind. Also, the working ranges are probably a bit higher than last year. But we didn’t experience any issue here in Barcelona in the pre-season test. We had good weather, but it was February, March, and the same in Melbourne. In Bahrain, OK, I had a chat with Guenther, I know their situation, and I hope they find a solution to that but I cannot say that it is a common problem to everybody. In Baku, because of the circuit characteristics it was a bit more difficult to keep the front and rear tyres in the right operating window. The operating windows cannot be narrower than last year because don’t forget that we have two compounds, that we call C3 and C4, that are the same compounds as we had last year, so at least with these two compounds we have the same operating window, and this is the analysis I can do now.

Q: Apart from the two compounds that are the same as last year, have the new compounds become harder to work with for the teams?

MI: I don’t think so, because the C1 and C2 are slightly softer than last year and with the C5, which is equivalent to what we called the hypersoft in 2018, the main issue was the graining and the new compound has a better mechanical stability with the same or wider operating window. Obviously we have to discover that in the next few races, where we are going to use this compound. They tested this compound in Abu Dhabi, they tested it in Barcelona, because it was a free choice of all the five compounds, and I believe that the new compounds are not more difficult to manage.

Q: Looking a little bit further ahead, you announced yesterday that Formula 2 will use 18-inch tyres in 2020. What can you tell us about your testing programme ahead of Formula 1 making the same changes in 2021? Have you decided how that’s going to work yet?

MI: Yeah, for Formula 2 we obviously have a very packed test programme because we have to develop the tyres in six or seven months. We already agreed a test schedule with the promoter and with the FIA. For Formula 1 the intention is to have three sessions – September, October and November – and three teams are going to supply the mule car, and they are Mercedes, McLaren and Renault. And we are going to offer the opportunity to provide a mule car for 2020 again to all the teams, it’s their choice if they want to do that or not. So it’s the same system and the same procedure that we have used in the last few years. We offer to everybody, teams can accept or not and then we make a plan according to the number of teams that accept it. We have 25 days of testing for next year, as it was in the last few years, so we have a short development plan for 2020 in the first half of the season and then we switch on 18-inch tyres from September onwards.

Q: Thanks. Franz, perhaps we could move on to you. We heard from Guenther an overview of Haas’ start to the season, perhaps you could give us your thoughts after the opening four races from Toro Rosso’s point of view?

Franz TOST: Toro Rosso has a competitive package. We have a car that works well, we have a powerful engine from Honda, and two drivers that are also competing quite good. We scored points in all the races apart from Baku but I think Daniil could have finished there in the ninth or tenth position but unfortunately he was involved in a collision with Ricciardo. I’m quite positive that we can also be here within the first ten. Generally speaking I think we are in the position to come with at least one car in qualifying three and to score points.

Q: OK. A word about Alex Albon as well. He was something of an unknown quantity coming into this season. Has he surprised you with how quickly he has adapted to Formula 1?

FT: Yes, it was a positive surprise, because as you know, if a young inexperienced driver is coming into Formula 1 there is always a questions mark, but I said already during the test sessions here in Barcelona in February that Alex could become the driver surprise of the year and so far he has done really a very good job, with good technical feedback on the mechanical side and the aero side, but also regarding the tyres he understands how to use the tyres in the best possible and we are really very happy to have him in the team.

Q: Thank you, Franz. Fréd, coming to you, we saw some compliance issues with the front wing of Kimi Räikkönen’s car in Baku a couple of weeks ago. How have you resolved that for this race? Have you reverted to an older spec or have you updated the Baku wing?

Frédéric VASSEUR: Just to clarify, that I think first we were out of the spec, we did a mistake, and perhaps you could consider that the decision was a bit harsh, but it’s like this, we have to clean in front of our door first and I think the mistake was on our side and for sure that we are not coming in Barcelona with the same wing.

Q: It’s been a strong start for Alfa Romeo this year, particular on Kimi Räikkönen’s side of the garage. But we saw progress from, Antonio in Baku. How confident are you that he’s made a breakthrough and that he can progress and challenge Kimi for the rest of the season?

FV: I think if you look at the first four races I think he was into the pace but I think we made on his side too many mistakes. He had some reliability issues. He got the penalty in China first, he didn’t do the quali and then in Baku… OK it’s far too much, we have to give him a clean sheet one week and to do a proper job, but I think he is improving. He was in front of Kimi in Baku, and he did a very strong quali also in Melbourne. No, I’m quite confident that he is very focused and motivate and the results will come and will help.

Q: OK, thanks Fréd, good luck with that. Mattia, we’re back Barcelona, where two months ago Sebastian in particular was singing the praises of your car. The driveability then seemed to drop away when we went racing. After FP1 today can you tell us, are you back where you were in March?

Mattia BINOTTO: I think we never dropped away. I think that certainly we had a strong winter testing, but I think that our main competitors were as strong as we were at the time, and on the last day of winter testing they scored the same lap time as us. As a matter of fact, I think we already mentioned that they would have been very strong as well. I think that since then we are both developing our car. The car developed, so coming here it’s certainly not any more the same car we had at the time, the weather conditions are completely different, the heat is certainly a different factor. So, are you exactly, let me say, on the same page? I don’t think you can compare. I think more important that it’s a relative competition so it’s more important that we are focusing on the weekend and trying to optimize the car and the package, and we are doing our best.

Q: You’ve bought a host of upgrades to this race. A lot has been made of the power unit upgrade that is a couple of races early. Can you just tell us what’s been going on in Maranello to bring these updates forward? Are people working even harder than normal?

MB: Obviously when you are planning such a change on your schedule you need to do it a few weeks ago. It’s not something we decided within that week. Having started the season in Melbourne we recognized that somehow we may have been late on our let me say performance compared with our competitors and we tried simply to push on all the main items where we were already planning developments. We were simply looking for opportunities in anticipating some of the programmes. We did it already with an aero package in Baku which was somehow introduced earlier compared to our initial programme. We did it here as well for the power unit. You simply achieve that by trying maybe sometime to shortcut or intensify the activity. I have to say that the people back at Maranello have worked very hard, we intensified our activities, and we are working still very hard, as it seems that’s what we need to do at the moment.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Question to all of you: has the success of the Netflix series helped you to have an agreement with them for the Season Two?

Franz, have you signed something with them for the second season?

FT: No, not that I’m aware of.

Will you sign with them?

FT: We will see.

Do any of you just want to give us your thoughts on the success of the Netflix series, and what you think it’s done?

GS: I didn’t see it – but everyone tells me. I don’t know how successful it is because there were no ratings, so I’m told and Netflix never gives them, but I think everybody was positive about it, so I guess it helps. It should help to bring people in who don’t normally watch the races, who see this. There are more people watching Netflix than F1, I would say. If the people watch it and then get interested in F1, that should help us. That should help us all, and it’s a good thing in my opinion.

And Guenther, to follow up on Fred’s question, would you be willing to help Netflix with a Series Two.

GS: Yes!

Mattia, will we see Ferrari involved?

MB: I think that, as Guenther said, it’s certainly an interesting programme. We were not participating last season as Ferrari. We are considering it at the moment. We have not taken our final decision, so it’s something we will do in the next few weeks.

Q: (Sam Collins – Racecar Engineering) Looking to the future, in 2021 to 2024, we’re going to have single make brakes and wheels. I’m a little bit interested to know how that’s going to affect your teams and, in terms of Pirelli, how it’s going to affect your company, both commercially and technically. That’s to everybody.

MI: On our side, having a standard rim is obviously… you know that at the moment each team is designing his own rim and that could make things a bit complicated for us. Sometimes it’s difficult to fit a tyre. And heat exchange with the rim is also an item we are able to consider so, for sure, it’s a standardisation that could help on our side. The brakes as well.

GS: Standardisation. First of all, I think it hasn’t been decided how much we do standardisation so I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves here to say that it’s been decided for ’21. I don’t know if anyone signed an agreement that it will be standardised. A lot of parties looked into it because the tenders went out – but it could go both ways, y’know? Sometimes you get some parts which just work, and sometimes you get parts that everybody’s got the same and some people get them to work with their car. The worst bit for me, we need to make sure that Formula One keeps its DNA. And the DNA of F1 for me, it’s developing… it’s the only motorsport that is free for technology. Once you start standardisation, it can be a slippery slope in my opinion. We need to be careful not going down that slope and all of a sudden ending up with all the same cars. A lot of people are interested in our technology and that is why they’re watching F1. I don’t know. First of all, we need to see what is happening with standardisation before I make a final comment how I think about it.

Mattia, what’s your view?

MB: Very much aligned with Guenther. So, first it’s not decided yet, yes, true there are some tenders and discussions are on-going. As Ferrari, we always relay that we are against the standardisation principle – but we know as well that we need to control the costs and expenses – and obviously there is a budget cap so we need to find the right balance. Standardisation only makes sense if you may save money, which has to be proved first. And as well we need to take care of the DNA of F1, as Guenther said. For example, if we take the rims, all the cars with exactly the same rims – I think that, in terms of aesthetics, is not good for F1 from the outside, because you’re not differentiating any more the cars from one car to the other, maybe just the paint. But it’s not something we should look at. We are going through an entire process, together with the FIA tenders. I think first we should look at the result of the tenders and then to a proper evaluation and make it carefully.

Fred?

FV: F1 was able to do it on the ECU 15 years ago. I think that we can manage a situation on the brakes or the rims. The only issue, for me, would be the timeline. We need to be aware quite soon, and we need to have more details quite soon about the technical aspects. If we are in a rush then everything is more and more expensive.

And Franz?

FT: First of all we have to wait, what the regulation at the end will say. Standardisation of parts, there are two reasons: first to come down with the costs; the second also to bring the performance together of the different teams. I don’t agree to say the DNA of Formula One is just to develop, we have to find a way to come down with the costs and no-one takes care which brakes we have in the car, or which rims they have. The people want to see some interesting races, some overtaking manoeuvres. They don’t care about the form of the rims or about the brakes. They just want to see interesting races. And we have to come down with the costs. Therefore I am in agreement with as many standardised parts as possible.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Mattia, you talked about the upgrades and the earlier upgrades and rejigging the schedule. I just wanted to check what the longer-term consequences of that will be this season – because obviously it’s a long season. Does this, by bringing it at race five, does that lock you into probably a fourth engine at the end of the year – and could you introduce an additional spec at the end of the season?

MB: No, that’s not the plan. The early introduction doesn’t mean that we cannot still use PU1 in some races. Maybe that can be an option – but certainly we are not hoping to have four engines per season per driver plan.

Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines / racefans.net) Mario, given all the talk about the tyres etc., obviously when you came into the season, you had some form of objective list, your target letter etcetera. Are you quite comfortable that you’ve achieved all of those in terms of compounds, of degradation etcetera – and at which stage do you phase-out of developing 13-inch tyres and concentrate purely on 18-inch?

MI: I would say, as I’ve said before, one of the targets was to eliminate the blistering that we had last year. And the other one was to reduce the overheating to give the opportunity for drivers to push more. I believe we are in the right direction. Last year we started the development of the new produce with some other ideas – and we want to conclude this phase for 2020. That’s why we have decided to keep the development of 13-inch tyre in the first part of the season for next year, so the plan is also to find new compounds with a wider working range, that is what they are asking for. And to upgrade another step in the construction. Then obviously we will focus on 18-inches, that is a big challenge.

Q: (Ian Parkes – New York Times) Question to all four team principals. Given your respective starts to the season, could you give us an idea as to whether it has been worse, or better than expected, and the reasons behind that. And what your expectations are for the rest of the season, now you have a decent idea as to where you are performance-wise.

FT: From Toro Rosso’s side, I must say we had a reasonably good start into the season. As I mentioned beforehand, we scored points and we have a competitive package. From the different race tracks, I must say Australia was really a big success. Many people were there, it was also not so bad in Bahrain and Baku. From the race entertainment itself, I must say it was not so exciting because we have two cars in front which are winning race after race and that’s not, I think the best for Formula One because it starts to become boring as far as friends of mine say to me: don’t watch F1 any more because always the same are winning. This I think is not good.

Alfa Romeo’s perspective?

FV: For Alfa Romeo racing, probably a good start to the season that we score points on every single event and it’s so tight in the midfield that you can – as Franz said before – that from one session to another one, or one race to another one, you can move from P4 to P10 and it’s very difficult to make any prediction. But I think at least at this stage of the grid it’s exciting, and when you arrive in Barcelona, you never know if you will be P7 or P20. I think that the fun is there and everybody is pushing like hell to bring updates and to push and get results on the next one. I think I’m quite happy with the job done so far – and for Alfa Romeo Racing it was a good one.

Mattia?

MB: Difficult answer. Certainly we are not happy for the points we’ve scored so far. I think we have missed a great opportunity in Bahrain where we certainly could have done a fantastic result compared to the one we did. I think as well in Baku we could have done a better race and certainly a better quali – so if you make the sum at the end, we are missing points, we are missing points compared to where we believe is our potential. Our objective certainly is not to be where we are in terms of – again – points and classification, so we cannot be happy on the start of the season. But assessing that from the performance overall, it’s not a drama at all. I think we have got still a good car. The competition is very, very strong and that, I think, was known and it’s not a surprise but I think we are still in the battle and we could to every single racing with the willing to do well – and we can do it.

GS: I think we clearly underperformed from Australia onwards, because of our issues which we cannot get a grip of, and we need to do a better job going forward on that one. I think, as Fred said, the competition in the midfield is very tight which makes it interesting for F1 but I think, if you ask, maybe we should have more points but we don’t. The good thing is, it’s very close together. Nobody in the midfield went away with 30 or 40 points so you can make up a lot in one race. As long as we don’t keep on doing what we did up until now, we should be OK – but I would say, I’m happy on one side – the car is very competitive – but we didn’t get the maximum out of it. We just need to do a better job as a team altogether.

Q: (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) Mattia, you mentioned earlier about Netflix. Another area that Ferrari have not been involved and I’m sure it’s well down your list of priorities is e-sports. I just wondered if you’d made the decision whether you were going to be competing in it and what are the pros and cons for a team like Ferrari of getting involved?

MB: I think e-sports and Netflix – both of them are certainly great programmes. E-sport is increasing in terms of interest and certainly as Ferrari we are looking seriously into it. We are not yet fully committed to the programme but it’s something where the discussions are ongoing and we will very soon make our own decision.

Q: (Joe van Burik – Racing News 365) It seems very likely, a year from now, we will be racing in Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix. What are your personal experiences with that track and what do you expect of that event?

MI: I don’t have a lot of experience in Zandvoort. We go there with GT racing but to be honest, I don’t know the circuit very well.

GS: I have been once in Zandvoort with DTM, a long time ago and I think it’s a great place to go racing. It’s a race track near cities, for sure there will be a lot of Dutch fans there and I think it’s always exciting to go to new places. I know Zandvoort is not new but it’s new again for Formula One. I think it’s exciting because we reach out to more people who are sometimes in areas where they cannot go to other races and it’s interesting, new things to learn, new things to see and I actually look forward to it.

MB: It’s new for me as well, I have never been in Zandvoort so it will be the very first time. Quite interested and exciting to be there. I think it’s good to have another race in Europe and the Netherlands, as Guenther said, a lot of Dutch fans so I’m pretty sure it will be a good race so I’m looking forward (to it).

FV: Yeah, I went a couple of times to Zandvoort for the F3 and DTM and it was always a great and exciting event with a lot of fans. I think it’s a good place.

FT: We did a lot of races in Zandvoort in Formula Ford, Formula Three. It was very positive, I must say I like it there, it’s close to the sea, it’s close to Amsterdam. They have, I think a fantastic infrastructure, interesting track and I expect many many spectators will come there and it will become a very exciting race for Formula One, therefore I hope that we go there.

Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsportmagazin.com) First part of the question for you, Mario: can you talk us through the process, how you chose the three teams for the 18 inch tyre tests this year and how many teams offered the possibility? And for the team principals: what are your feelings about that, you were probably not chosen or you didn’t offer your cars? Do you think this could be a disadvantage, especially for Mattia? Your main competitor, Mercedes, is delivering a car. Could this be a disadvantage for you?

MI: OK, the process is the one I described before. We offered the opportunity to test to all the teams and three teams replied in a positive way and obviously everybody knows that the development is not just in these three sessions in 2019, so as I said, all the team can decide to participate in 2020. The three teams that replied positively have been chosen and we are planning three sessions so it’s quite easy to give one session each.

MB: Yeah. Obviously we have been offered. It has been our own choice not to participate. Been short on time and the resources for the programme so as Ferrari we decided simply not to take part in this test in ’19 but we are preparing ourselves to do it obviously in 2020. I’m pretty sure that we will have the opportunity to do it. Will that be a disadvantage? Certainly you cannot do everything and you need to make your own priorities as some stage and that again has been our own choice but there is still a process put in place where Pirelli anyway are sharing the data with all the teams, of the output and the results of the new tyre testing so we are certainly counting on that one for actually the very first test.

FT: Everybody could decide. We from Toro Rosso can not afford to do this test because we simply don’t have the manpower and also not the financial resources and therefore three teams decided to do it and that’s fair.

FV: If Mattia is short of resources to do the test, you can imagine that for us it’s not easy.

GS: We are working hard to figure out the ’19 tyres so we have no time for the ’21 tyres.

Q: (Sergio Rodriguez – Formula Rapida) Yesterday we saw that PIrelli will use F2 as a way to develop the 18 inch tyres. Do you think that F2 can be used as a development platform for the new revolutions coming in 2021? Not only that but in the future as well? Do you think F2 can be used as a platform test?

FT: Of course. First tests with F2 makes sense. Pirelli can get a lot of information, data about it and in parallel to this, anyway test with the three Formula One teams and I think the way they are doing it is the right one.

FV: Yeah, they will get live experience with Formula Two. I think it’s also good for young drivers in F2 to be used to drive with the 18 inch tyres and then I think each team will try to build up a collaboration with GP2(F2) teams and to have a look.

MB: The question has been asked of the four team principals but for me Pirelli is the best person to reply, whether that is useful or not as a platform. The cars are quite different, the level of performance is certainly quite different. The level of downforce and loads on the tyres are different but those are things that Pirelli is obviously aware of but at least it’s a good starting point. They can get some experience on a different platform, a different formula and whatever they can do there will be of help for Formula One, but I’m pretty sure that they are pretty aware that on the F1, the exercise will be much more difficult.

GS: I think there are no negatives to test them in F2 but the technicalities… I will leave that one to Mario to explain because as Mattia said, the loads and the forces, I think they are different, unless Mario disagrees with me!

MI: No, no. I never disagree with you. He’s right. The forces, especially after 2017 when Formula One decided to move on to the wider size and the cars are faster and faster, it’s a good opportunity to get some experience from our side but we cannot compare the F2 tyre with a Formula One tyre. We will develop the Formula One tyre with the new cars, with a representative performance and otherwise we make a mistake for sure. We have to develop a bespoke tyre for Formula One but the effect we are anticipating with Formula Two is helpful because we can have some experience with single-seaters on 18 inches but don’t forget we are supplying a lot of other championships with 18 inch tyres, like GT and touring cars and so on, but the stress and the energy that is going into the tyre on a Formula One car is not comparable.

Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, racefans.net) Mattia, the way that I understand it, the veto that Ferrari has is a contractual right, not a lifetime right. How important is it to Ferrari to retain this veto right after 2020, in other words from 2021 onwards? Is it a sticking point in your negotiations or are you happy to forfeit it?

MB: No, certainly the veto right is something important for Ferrari but I believe it’s something important for F1 overall as well because somehow it’s not only protecting us but it’s protecting all the teams maybe against some decisions which could be against the spirit or the interest of the teams themselves, something that we are starting discussing with both the FIA and F1. I think we are doing well in that respect and hopefully we can keep the same rights.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Fred, just wanted to clarify what you said at the beginning about the front wing hereafter what happened in Baku. So is it correct to say you haven’t had to change the specification, it’s just that you’ve had to replace it with one of the other front wings that you had?

FV: No, we changed the hook and the fixation.

May 10, 2019
2019 Spanish Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference

DRIVERS – Carlos SAINZ (McLaren), Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari), Pierre GASLY (Red Bull Racing), George RUSSELL (Williams), Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)

Q: Carlos, welcome home. You’ve said that this is the most important race of the year, just tell us why that is and tell us what you’ve been up to in the build-up?
Carlos SAINZ: Thank you and welcome to Spain, beinvenidos. Yeah, a special race for everyone I guess, but for me in particular because it’s my home race. I’m one of those lucky drivers on the grid to have a home race to enjoy with the fans and the Spanish people. It’s my fifth now and it’s incredible how time goes by so quickly. I remember my first time here in 2015 like it was yesterday. Yeah, looking forward to enjoying it, spending some extra time with the fans and the media of course and that’s it.

Q: Have you had more attention now that you are the only Spanish driver on the grid?
CS: Honestly I don’t feel it. I don’t feel like I get more or less attention. Probably this weekend I’ll be quite busy. But it’s not something that really affects me much or it’s not something I’m noticing in particular, but if it does happen I guess it’s not a bad thing.

Q: You’ve finished in the points every time you’ve raced here in Barcelona. How confident are you of continuing that trend this weekend?
CS: Well, I think one of the main reasons for that is that this track has always suited the car I’ve been racing with. I think I’ve struggled in the past with top speeds and long straights in the cars that I’ve been racing with and in Barcelona that deficit was always reduced. So it meant my cars that I was racing here were a bit better. But also I think I’ve always been comfortable in this track. I’ve had some success also in lower categories. I like the track, I like the challenge, I like racing with the fans behind me. I think after this week, what happened to Liverpool, you can also see that having a crowd behind you also helps and at least to me it always helps.

Q: Good luck for this weekend, thank you for that. George, coming to you. It’s been a difficult start for you and the team this year. How important is this race in establishing a development path for the car? Are you aware of anything new?
George RUSSELL: Well, there were a few things on the plan but unfortunately, after the incidents in Baku, they sort of shuffled things back a bit. But it’s normal that every race that we have some things to test. At the moment we’re probably slightly different to other teams because we’re trying to test to understand our limitations and to try to bring something greater a bit further down the line, because obviously we are quite far behind at the moment and we need to find a sizeable chunk.

Q: What about from a driving point of view, how are you developing as a driver?
GR: I think very well to be honest. I think it’s a great opportunity for me, being slightly under the radar, slightly less pressure off my shoulders. Really I’m only fighting with Robert let’s say. I’m not really interested in that. I want to be fighting with the guys further up the grid and I’m working really closely with the team and with Robert actually because, as I said, we’re not interested in fighting for 19^th place.

Q: You’re working closely with the team, but what about with Patrick Head? He’s back as a consultant with Williams. How have those discussions gone with him?
GR: yeah, Patrick’s a great guy. He’s going to bring some motivation and some great spirit to the team, with obviously all of his knowledge. So much history with Williams as well, so I think it will be a positive step.

Q: Thank you very much. Pierre, coming on to you. We’ve seen progress with you at every grand prix this year; you’ve been chipping away at it. I wonder if you could give us a little bit more detail on what have been the issues with the car, and is it now more to your liking?
Pierre GASLY: Yeah, quite a lot of things happened since the beginning of the season I think, overall. Things don’t really come our way so far, but we can see progress. I can feel I’m getting more comfortable inside the car and the direction we are taking is working and making me feel better. I think we saw some progress in Baku. We had penalties and unfortunately I had to retire in the race, but we are going in the right direction.

Q: You say you had progress in Baku. A lot has been made of Ferrari’s power unit upgrade this weekend, but Honda brought an upgrade to Baku. What can you tell us about it?
PG: As we said in Baku, I think it was mainly on the reliability side. So I think everything is going as expected on the PU side. I think Honda is pushing massively into bringing new upgrades this season as well. But I think we are really pleased with what they have achieved since the beginning of the season in terms of performance and reliability. Of course we always want more, and we know Ferrari and Mercedes are also pushing and are still a bit faster than we are. But I think with the development we will catch progressively.

Q: Now, you’ve raced Max Verstappen for many years. How would you assess the job he’s doing this year? Has he surprised you?
PG: I mean I’ve always known he’s one of the most talented guys, but yeah, I must say he is really good at extracting the maximum from the package at the moment. For me it’s really good to be next to him at the moment, use his experience with the team, with Red Bull Racing, with the car, to see a bit what he does to extract the maximum from the package that we have. He has been driving really well, really consistently, so it’s definitely a good benchmark to me.

Q: Thank you Pierre, best of luck this weekend. Valtteri, coming to you: world championship leader, best ever start to a season, double the number of points as this time last year. People look for a reason why things happen. Do you have an explanation for why things are going better this year than last year?
Valtteri BOTTAS: There are many things in this sport that can affect things for sure. Sometimes you’re more lucky for sure, sometime very much less so, but I honestly think why I’ve been able to improve year by year is work. Work with the team; work with my ability; focus on all the single details, and if you work hard it’s only a matter of time before things start to go right. Obviously I’m pleased with season, how it has been started compared to recent ones, that’s very positive. But also one of the things is as a team – the level we have been able to perform at in these first four races has been really impressive. It’s not only me, it’s the team, but it’s a good battle with Lewis at the moment.

Q: You have a new race engineer this year. How has that shaken things up on your side of the garage?
VB: Yeah, I have a new engineering team completely, race and performance engineer, and whenever you have new people around it makes you think about some things differently. It can open up some new routes on the set-up and the direction. It has started really well. We have been learning a lot as an engineering team all the time and it’s getting better and better. So far, so good.

Q: Now your boss Toto Wolff says Mercedes have been lucky at some races this season. Would you agree with that?
VB: Well, I think we have done a great job as a team and at the level we’ve been performing we deserve these results at the moment. Sometimes we might get lucky, like Bahrain, where obviously it was due to other teams failures that we got the one-two, but it meant that we were the most reliable car at that race. So it’s not about luck, I think it’s mostly how the team is performing.

Q: Thank you. Sebastian, we’re heading into race five, what’s the mood in the Ferrari camp?
Sebastian VETTEL: Good.

Q: You’ve got a lot of upgrades coming this weekend. Do you need a faster car or a more driveable car? What are you hoping for from these upgrades?
SV: Well, we hope to improve the car obviously. We introduced some bits in Baku already last race and another set of new parts here. Obviously we want to make the car faster here and there. I think we were reasonably quick but not quick enough overall to put the cars on the front row at every event. We’re lacking a little bit, but I think overall the package is promising. We know that we have a strong car; we’ve struggle a bit to put it together, so to answer your question, probably a bit of both.

Q: It’s clear that you have a big fight on your hands, particularly with Mercedes. How is the team reacting to that compared with previous seasons, from an internal perspective?
SV: Well, every year is different. As I said, the spirit is good, the team is in good shape, so we’re looking forward to come here, we’re confident about the parts we’ve brought here, we are introducing a new engine as well, so we’ve got some stuff that wee think should help us to be stronger than the last races. And as I said, the spirit is good. Comparing to previous years, at this point last year we were in a better place, we had won some races and overall we’d been more competitive, but nevertheless I think the spirit is as good or better than last year.

Q: Before I open this up to the floor, it’s the UN’s global road safety week, something that all of you guys contributed to earlier on in the year when you helped produce a video. I’ve got a question to each of you, which is: what can everyday road users learn from Formula One drivers.

SV: Obviously we try to go as fast as we can, which is not a good idea on the roads, so my initial response would be ‘not that much!’ But we are very professional, we try to obviously control every situation that we are in, and I think we are very lucky that we can push ourselves to the limit on the race track, so there’s no need to try to do something funny or odd outside the track. I think, as much as we respect ourselves on the track, you should respect other people that are participating and trying to get from one place to another. The road, or the track, you’re not on your own. That’s something that you hear many times from racing drivers at any time they raced in Formula One or other categories, that they respect the other people that raced with them. In the same way, you should respect other drivers that share the road with you.

CS: Basically, what Seb has said. You must not behave like an idiot on the road on the road. Respect everyone – and wear your seatbelt. I think those two things are the most important.

VB: We never have mobile phones in the cars – so that’s something everyone can learn not to use them.

PG: Yeah, I agree with all the comments. I think most of us have been also involved in some loss from road car accidents. In my case, I have been, and I think safety is the most important thing. Respecting others, and yeah, just be responsible when you’re on the road. You’re not by yourself, you have other people around and yeah, I think it’s important to take care of the lives of other people around, and also of your own life. As Seb says, we don’t give a great example on track because hopefully we have the chance to drive really fast on track, but when we get to the road, we must be really responsible and be careful of others.

GR: I think it’s important to respect the road. On a race track, you know what’s around the corner, whereas on the road, anything could be there: could be a small child crossing the road or whatever. You have to respect the road: it’s not a racetrack.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) To Sebastian. You said in February your feeling about the new car was very good since the first moment. You got the fastest time after eight days here. What happened that you didn’t get in the races the same good performances – and do you believe you can repeat this weekend what you experienced here in February and March?
SV: The honest answer is we don’t know entirely. Obviously the car was really good in testing. We arrived in Australia and we struggled a little bit to feel the same. I think the first four races for us have been a little bit up-and-down. There were stretches where the cars felt really good and other parts where the car hasn’t – but deep down we know that the car is strong. So, we are trying to put the bits together and trying to understand. We haven’t found the silver bullet – but in the last ten years I never found the silver bullet so I don’t think it exists. It’s really getting down to the detail, trying to understand more and more, trying to understand the conditions that we face, and trying to obviously improve and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Now, this weekend will be interesting for us because obviously we had such a good feeling and it’s not so long ago. I’m pretty sure I remember how the car felt and it will be interesting to see how it behaves the next couple of days. But I’m quite confident if we can get to that level then we should be very competitive. As I said, on top of that, we have some new stuff, so let’s see. I can’t give you an exact answer.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Question to all five please. It seems very possible this could be the last time we have the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona. It seems a race at Zandvoort, a Dutch Grand Prix, could replace it in the future. I’d just like to know what you think about the prospect of an F1 race at Zandvoort and what you would miss about this place?
PG: I think it would be quite a shock to lose the Spanish Grand Prix because Barcelona is probably the track we have all driven on the most since Formula 4, Formula Renault, all the categories. So, hopefully an agreement can be found. I don’t mind having more races, I like races, I like racing and hopefully we can get the two in the calendar. And Zandvoort is pretty exciting if it happens. It’s a really narrow track. I’ve been there only once but it’s really challenging on the driving side. So, I think to put some F1 cars there will be pretty cool and exciting.

VB: I’ve no information on the details and the politics of what’s going on, but obviously it would be a shame. It’s been in Formula One a long time, this track, and there’s so many fans in Spain and around Barcelona. It’s a nice grand prix for all the fans to come to, also from elsewhere. So, that would be a shame. On the other hand, I’ve raced with F3 in Zandvoort and it’s a pretty cool circuit. There’s a lot of of culture now, especially with Max being in Formula One for a few years now, so for sure that will be a nice one – but the two combined would be obviously ideal for everyone.

CS: Obviously for me it would be a big loss in the calendar – but as far as I know, negotiations are still on-going. I think that’s been confined. From me, wishing that all the institutions are going to do their job, they’re going to agree on something. I think it’s in the benefit of Barcelona, of Spain, of Formula One. I think a Spanish Grand Prix has a lot of history in Formula One; I think this track has a lot of history in Formula One, and it would be a shame to lose it. So, hopefully they can agree on something. Maybe not next year because it’s too late, or hopefully yes, just agree on something for the future.

SV: It would be a shame for Carlos. For the rest of us, we’ve been here many times and I think we’d still do the testing but it’s a nice venue, it’s a nice time of year to come here, so it would be a shame. Maybe we could go somewhere else in Spain. Maybe they could build him a race track close to Madrid. Easy for you as well…

CS: Maybe in the future I can build one myself!

GR: I think it would be a shame to lose this circuit because it’s a great one – but on the other hand, Zandvoort is probably in my top five favourite circuits. I think it’s a really incredible circuit, it’s got so much character. Obviously safety is incredibly important these days in Formula One but I just truly hope we don’t get rid of the gravel runoffs in Zandvoort in the two high-speed corners because that’s what makes the circuit so daunting and so incredible to drive. Like I said, it would be a shame to lose Barcelona but equally I’d be very excited to race in Zandvoort.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Valtteri, on Sunday it will be Mothers’ Day, at least in Finland. Would victory be a perfect present for your mother?
VB: Of course it would! Traditionally this grand prix is the Mothers’ Day grand prix and normally my mum comes here. She’s coming this year as well, and that would be a nice gift for her. Also nice for me, to win another one.

Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Sebastian, you’re already 35 points behind in the championship race. How imperative is it you win on Sunday. Question to Valtteri as well: do you think Lewis views you as a genuine rival for the championship?
SV: Yeah, I wasn’t aware but I knew we were behind. At this point of the year, it doesn’t really matter by how much. I think it’s quite straightforward, we need to start scoring more points. The later we start doing that, the worse it looks. The sooner, the better. It’s pretty straightforward to be honest.

VB: I think that’s something you’re better to ask Lewis – but I would guess so.

Q: (Lorenzo de Linares Alvarez – momentogp.com) Carlos, as Sebastian said earlier and with the rumours of not having Barcelona next year, you won the Formula Renault at Jerez; would you like to race there in Formula One?
CS: What I would like the most is to have Barcelona. I think this city, this track, deserves to be in Formula One. If you could add Jerez, then even better because I (would) have two (Grands Prix in my country). And if you don’t get Barcelona, I wouldn’t mind having Jerez back. That’s pretty much my order of priorities if you ask me now. But this city and Spain, I think, deserves to be Barcelona in the F1 calendar.

Q: (Ian Parkes – New York Times) Seb and Valtteri, after pre-season testing, as drivers, you guys generally say that you won’t know where you are as a driver, where the car is at, the team as a whole until after the first few Grands Prix of the season. We’ve had those first few Grands Prix now so could you kindly provide an assessment of where you feel you’re at at the moment on the back of those first few races, what you feel your chances are of winning the world title?
VB: Well, I think that obviously if you look at the results, it looks like we’ve been dominating as a team, four one-twos in a row but I think on the pure pace of the car, I think there’s not that much difference between us and Ferrari. It’s really been depending on the race weekend. For sure Melbourne we were stronger. I think on pure pace in Bahrain they were better and after that it’s been pretty close and all about fine details in qualifying and what’s been happening in the race. I would see us as not far from par with Ferrari and depending on tracks, it’s going to change and obviously this weekend with the upgrades – from my understanding, Ferrari is bringing a new power unit – see how that works and we have some new parts as well so see how those work. Can’t really count off Red Bull on this type of track and also Monaco in two weeks. It is early on in the season and as always with some regulation changes it’s going to be about the development, how much we can improve from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi.
SV: I think that first when we were testing we were ahead. Second we were going testing I think we were a match. First race we were behind, second race slightly ahead, third, fourth race behind both in qualifying and race so at the moment we are slightly behind but we also know that it’s not a long way and then things could come our way so that’s why I said it before, the spirit is good, everybody is fired up and willing to fight and therefore I believe our chances also are as good as anybody else’s.

Q: (Luis Vasconcelos – Formula Press) Traditionally this is not a Grand Prix where we see a lot of overtaking but this year DRS is a lot more powerful than before. Can we look forward to quite a bit of overtaking this year on Sunday?
GR: Yeah, probably obvious that we haven’t done much overtaking this year so I can’t really comment on that.
SV: Yeah, I think we will see some. It depends on the race, obviously, but I think we should see some, we should definitely see more here than if we go to Zandvoort. It’s just true, no? It’s like Monaco isn’t it?
CS: Overtaking? Yeah. Tiny bit easier this year with the DRS effect and maybe the cars being a tiny bit better to follow but overtaking in Barcelona is always difficult. You need a big tyre delta here to overtake. I think the races are one-stop and if everyone is on a one-stop unless there’s a big pace delta you are not able to overtake. If there is a race of two or three stops, one-stop, a mix, then you have a big tyre delta and that tyre delta helps you to overtake. It depends a bit on the strategy, on the tyres, but for sure the DRS is helping.
VB: I think it’s going to be difficult still, on this type of track, but it is the nature of the track and that makes qualifying more valuable and like Carlos said, it’s a lot about strategy. If we see one stop, two stops then it could be more interesting but we’ll see.
PG: Yeah, I agree. Barcelona is always difficult but from one year to another it can always be different so we will see this year but maybe with all the cars being slightly closer, slightly bigger, the DRS effect could make things a bit more exciting.

Q: (Michael Doodson – Michael Doodson) Carlos, you’ve done your best to be optimistic about the future of Formula One in Spain but we’ve lost Fernando, we’re about to lose this place and worst of all, there seems to be no free-to-air television Formula One in Spain. I’ve lived here and I know how difficult it is to find it. Do you think that there’s anything that can be done, like for example you or your team bringing pressure on Liberty to make sure that Formula One gets a good deal and can be seen by ordinary Spanish people on free-to-air television?
CS: Well, you have me, which hopefully helps, to keep this thing going and keep the momentum that Fernando built with his success in Spain. Free-to-air television is none of my business, that’s purely Liberty and Formula One deals with the TVs which I have absolutely no access to, where I cannot put pressure. Spain normally hasn’t had a big culture for paying for watching sports like maybe now they have in the UK or in other countries but yeah, let’s see how that develops. And for the rest, yeah, just keep hoping, no? For myself, I’m going to try and do everything I can, maybe a podium this weekend helps but I think it will not happen. I don’t know, I don’t know what I can do apart from just talking with the institutions and maybe ask and pray to keep this thing going.

Q: (Lennart Wermke – Bild) Seb, Frankfurt’s playing in the Europe League semi-finals tonight. Will you watch the game and could it provide some extra motivation for you if Frankfurt makes it to the final?
SV: Yes, yes. Yeah, I will be watching, of course. Yeah. Obviously for Frankfurt it’s a huge achievement already to be in the semi-final. Anything can happen. Obviously it’s not easy but yeah, I’m rooting for them as many others will so…

Q: (Roksana Cwik – SwiatWyscigow.pl) We had a question about Zandvoort and I would like to ask about Rio and if we lose Interlagos. What is your opinion about it?

(Q: It’s been reported in the media about the future of the Brazilian Grand Prix and it’s been speculated that maybe a move to Rio is on the cards).
PG: Yeah, I saw some news about it but I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen. I love Brazil in general. Sao Paulo is a really cool track, quite challenging. I’ve been there only twice, drove twice there. I’ll be happy to continue to go there. I don’t know what’s the plan with Rio but I think I will need to wait a bit longer and see what’s going to happen.
VB: I think the same thing. In Sao Paulo there is obviously a lot of history in Formula One, many great races have been done there. Many I remember seeing as a kid and so on but Rio would be nice. I have been there once and it’s a beautiful place. No idea for me either what’s happening behind the scenes but I’d be there for sure.
CS: I like Sao Paulo, I like its track, this old school layout, the history it has from the nineties and also the famous title fight there in 2007. I think it brings great memories. I don’t know, I think it depends on the track they build in Rio. If they build a cool track with cool racing, I think the city’s great, from what I’ve heard. Just ask for a cool track with cool racing, good overtaking and a fun track for the drivers then I think we wouldn’t miss Sao Paulo as much as we will if it doesn’t go so well.
SV: Yeah, I wasn’t aware that it’s going to happen. I heard some rumours but I think it’s a shock. I think Interlagos is a great place, a lot of history. I think the old track at Interlagos is even better than the current one but I couldn’t think of anything other than maybe the track being a little bit short that Interlagos is almost missing. Yeah, I’m really looking forward to the last race we have there. Who knows, in the future, if we go back? It’s a great place, so it’s a real shame. I’m sort of a fan of hanging on to old things. It would be nice to go back very soon. Maybe have two races in Brazil, since the crowd is usually quite amazing.
GR: Sao Paulo was where I made my FP1 debut in 2017 so I have some fond memories there. I think it’s an amazing circuit but I think Rio’s a really cool place. It’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to go so if the rumours are true, I would be looking forward to it.

Q: (Oliver Reuter – Express, Cologne) Seb, you compared your Ferrari with a Rubik Cube. Are you confident that the Ferrari guys are so clever that you can fit all the parts in the right direction? Did you try it yourself and are you confident that they can fix it this weekend?
SV: You mean the Rubik Cube or the car? The car I’ve tried, the Rubik Cube, yeah, I’ve tried as well. Easy, sub-two minutes. Yeah, I think we have a lot of clever people on board. As I’ve said before, I think this track will be interesting for us because the car was really working well pre-season so we will see how it works this weekend and how it feels in comparison but yeah, we’re working flat out, trying to make sure that we have the fastest car on the grid and we win all the races that are left.

May 9, 2019