Tag: george russell

F1 2020: Breaking News – F1 Calls Off Season-Opener

Formula 1 has announced that it is calling off the opening round of the 2020 season.

The first race of the new F1 season was scheduled to take place around Australia’s Albert Park circuit this weekend. Despite fears of the coronavirus pandemic F1 surged ahead with plans to kick of its season of racing while several other major sporting codes have called a halt to activities.

Earlier on Thursday afternoon the McLaren team released a statement detailing their withdrawal from the race weekend due to a positive coronavirus test by a team member.

Towards midnight on Thursday all team principals were huddled in a meeting to discuss the way forward. By three am Australian time no decision had been made despite several rumours running rampant that the season-opener was to be postponed. Fans and journalists alike waited seemingly in vain for an official update from the power that be but nothing was forthcoming. It wasn’t until several hours later than an announcement was made that a majority of the teams had decided against racing this weekend.

“We appreciate this is very disappointing news for the thousands of fans due to attend the race” the official statement read. “All parties took into consideration the huge efforts of the AGPC [Australian Grand Prix Corporation], Motorsport Australia, staff and volunteers to stage the opening round of the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship in Melbourne, however concluded that the safety of all members of the Formula 1 family and the wider community, as well as the fairness of the competition take priority”.

Though there are several aspects that needed to have been considered the amount of time that was taken before an official announcement was forthcoming has not endeared F1 to the racing community of its fans.

While Bahrain has already announced a race ‘behind closed doors’ it is difficult to imagine that it can go ahead. Similarly, the threat that Vietnam could soon be added to the postponement list, along with Australia and China, remains very real. The best-case scenario for F1 2020 is a season-opening race in Zandvoort. But even this remains up in the air.

March 13, 2020
F1 2020: Australian Gp Preview – Expectations & Anticipation

The wait is nearly over as the 2020 Formula 1 season is poised to commence this weekend at Australia’s Albert Park circuit.

The Formula 1 paddock will travel nearly halfway around the globe to reach the destination of the first round of the new season. They’ll leave behind not only their base of operations but also the expectations that six days of running in pre-season testing may have suggested. The testing at Spain’s circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya plays a crucial part in the teams’ own understanding of what they have produced for the first few races of the 2020 season. And while they may have some inclination as to where everyone stands it wont be absolutely confirmed until Sunday’s race.

The threat of coronavirus has already prompted Formula 1 to announce a postponement of the Chinese grand prix. A few days ago the Bahrain grand prix organizers, in conjunction with F1, revealed that the race would go ahead but without any spectators in the stands. German commercial broadcaster RTL has said that it will not be sending any journalists to the first three races of the season. RTL holds free-to-air broadcast rights for Formula 1 and will be broadcasting remotely. Italy too has announced a quarantine of spanning large parts of the country. Nevertheless, Ferrari and Formula 1 are confident that all will be in place for the season-opening race.

With the show set to go on there is also the added complexity of the make-up of the Albert Park circuit. The temporary, semi-street track is unlike any other on the calendar. The mixture of medium speed corners and three relatively short straight bits puts a bigger emphasis on braking stability. Still, Australia isn’t always the best indication of the pecking order. But there is still a potential twenty-six world championship points up-for-grabs for whoever wins the race and/or set the fastest lap.

Though the sharp-end of the grid seems likely to be dominated by the Big Three the mid-field promises to be an incredibly close battle. The stagnant regulations have meant that the 2020 cars are evolutions of their predecessors. It has, potentially, given teams the opportunity to put right any missteps there may have been in 2019 and the occasion to improve their designs for this season.

The expectation is that Mercedes will arrive in Australia with the quickest car with Red Bull and Ferrari, in that order, trailing the Silver Arrows. But Formula 1 is after all a sport that is infamously unpredictable, especially at the start of a new season. There are still questions however. Has Mercedes sorted the reliability issues suffered in pre-season testing? Did Ferrari run to their full capability? Is Racing Point genuinely nipping at the heels of the Big Three?

March 11, 2020
F1 2020: Testing Diary – Week 1

The first four-day test has concluded at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya and has raised numerous talking points and more than a few eyebrows.

The Big Three

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said in a press conference that the Maranello-based team might well be behind both Mercedes and Red Bull in the early part of the season. But the initial reports from both Seb Vettel and Charles Leclerc is that the 2020 car, dubbed the SF1000, is a definite improvement from last season’s car.

This is a different approach from Ferrari. In 2019 the team were upbeat and seemingly sure that they were heading to Australia well ahead of Mercedes. It wasn’t the case and the team spent the better part of the season playing catch up. This year they’ve taken what appears to be a more measured approach. There were no performance runs in the first week of testing and the engines were run at a very conservative mode for most of it too. It could be that they’ve decided to take the same, more cautious, approach with what they are saying too. It might well be smoke and mirrors and Ferrari’s attempt to not get ahead of themselves after being burnt in 2019.

Here is what we do know for sure. The long runs during the first test showed a car quite heavy on the tyres with the laptimes deteriorating quite a bit quicker than nearest rivals Merc and Red Bull. The team is also expected to introduce a bevy of new parts for the second test that could, if Binotto’s admissions are true, push them closer to their competitors.

There is a good feeling around the Red Bull garage that they have unquestionably taken a step forward. Max Verstappen racked up more than 100 laps in his first day in the car and declared it “fast everywhere”. How much of a step forward they have made and whether it is enough to beat Mercedes remains a mystery. But there is real optimism that Red Bull has produced a car that could well fight for the championship from the beginning of the season. It remains to be seen however if this optimism is a genuine reflection of pace or merely hype.

One of the biggest talking point to come out of the first test is Mercedes’s introduction of a moveable steering wheel which tech director James Allison has named DAS – Dual Axis Steering. From on-board footage of Lewis Hamilton’s car it became clear that he was pulling the steering wheel towards himself and then pushing it back before braking for either turn one or turn nine on the Catalunya circuit. It is believed, but unconfirmed by Mercedes; that the DAS system alters the toe, the lean angle of the front wheels, on the straits.

By adjusting the toe out it straightens the wheels thereby creating less aero drag and less scrub on the front tyres as they are now pointing straight ahead instead of at an angle. It is speculated that because the tyres point straight ahead it creates less resistance and therefore aids with tyre temperature and wear. The question remains as to how much of an advantage this system gives Merc. Some in the paddock believe that DAS is not a game-changer and that the rest of the Mercedes package for 2020 is far more important in providing performance.

Nevertheless, the DAS system is an incredibly feat of engineering that strikes right at the heart of what makes F1 technology the dazzling marvel that it is. While some might wish for the DAS to be illegal Merc has confirmed that the FIA has known about the system for some time and that they are confident of its legality.

Racing Point

When the Racing Point pulled out of the garage and rolled down the pitlane on the first day of testing it raised more than a few eyebrows and it wasn’t because of the slightly brighter pink livery either. You don’t need any technical nous to understand that Racing Point had produced, virtually, a carbon copy of Mercedes’s 2019 car. From the slightly bulbous nose through to the rear suspension it’s so similar that it has been nicknamed the ‘Pink Mercedes’ in the paddock.

Racing Point isn’t trying to hide the effective ‘photocopying’ of the 2019 Merc either. Along with tech director Andy Green they have patently admitted to taking thousands of photos of the 2019 Merc and simply copying the design. And it’s worked too, at least to some degree as a smiling Sergio Perez proclaimed that he finally has a racecar to fight with.

Williams

The Grove-based team could hardly have done worse than they did in 2019. The good news is that from all indication they are doing significantly better than twelve months ago. Not only was the team ready and raring to go on the first day of testing but also they were first onto track with a clear statement of intent.

George Russell, now in his second year with the team, is confident that the team wont simply be making up the numbers this year and that they will be racing in 2020. De facto team principal Claire Williams too was positively buoyant and with a smile on her face said that the target is getting into Q2, the second part of quali, points finishes, and a comprehensive upgrade schedule for 2020. There is unlikely to be a single person in the paddock who wouldn’t be happy that Williams has started to climb out of the doldrums of the last few years.

The second test, scheduled to run at Catalunya this week, is expected to see the focus shift somewhat towards more work on performance, meaning more focus on shorter runs and ultimate pace.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

February 24, 2020
F1 Season Review: Greatest Hits of 2019

In less than one hundred days a brand-new season of Formula 1 will kick off in Australia. A new decade and new challenges awaits but there is one more moment to appreciate the greatest hits of the 2019 season.

Team of the year

The easiest choice would be to pick Mercedes as team of the year. Their staggeringly impressive run of six consecutive double world championship triumphs certainly makes them one of the most prolific teams ever. And such is there record in the Hybrid era that is seems near impossible to be matched or beaten by anyone else.

But the team of the 2019 Formula 1 season is McLaren. Just two years ago, in 2017, McLaren ended the season in ninth place with a paltry thirty points scored by then-drivers Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne under the leadership of Eric Boullier. In 2019, now headed by former Porsche LMP1 boss Andreas Seidl, McLaren scored 145 points to finish fourth overall.

It hasn’t been so much of a turnaround for McLaren as it has been a rebuilding. The relationship with Honda never hit its stride and the atmosphere created by one Fernando Alonso simply wasn’t conducive to an environment needed to move a team forward. The appointment of Seidl and various other changes to the management structure to McLaren is one part of a concerted effort that began to stimulate the team’s resurgence.

They haven’t yet reached the point of challenging the ‘Big Three’ (Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari) but they are trending upwards in a manner that is very exciting. The misery that the team endured was tantamount to torture for the once majestic championship outfit. Before Carlos Sainz’s third place in Brazil the team had last visited the podium in 2014. But the podium finish was just a bit of icing on the cake. They also outscored the Renault works team but most impressively had built a car that worked, nearly, in all areas.

Here’s to the dark days of McLaren languishing down the bottom of the field being truly behind them. And here is too an extraordinary resurgence and long may it continue.

Driver of the year

With six world titles a convincing case could be made for Lewis Hamilton. But it is difficult to look beyond Carlos Sainz. Throughout the season the Spaniard continually proved his prowess and exceptional talent. His sixth place finish in the driver’s championship is all the more impressive when his season is deconstructed.

His season started with zero points in the first three rounds and he would fail to score on eight occasions in total, which included three retirements. But the thirteen point scores he did rack up with mightily impressive. From the sixth place in Monaco to the fourth in Hungary and certainly his first-ever podium in Brazil were all marvelous successes. But what truly underlined Sainz’s splendid ability and underlined his tremendous season was the tenth place finish in Abu Dhabi. In the context of Sainz’s season that tenth place finish meant that he finished sixth overall in the driver’s championship and ahead of Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly. And he did by passing Nico Hulkenberg on the final lap of the race too.

There were a lot of doubts when Carlos Sainz severed ties with Red Bull and moved to McLaren, not least of all for the driver himself. But now he’s proven himself more than capable of mixing it with the best of them.

Race of the year

The 2019 German grand prix is likely to go down as of the most chaotic and exhilarating races of all time. But this year’s Austrian grand prix just edges it in the stakes for best race of the year. It was an emotional weekend at the home race of the recently departed Niki Lauda and it turned out to be a race most befitting of the three-time champion.

Anti-stall at the start of the race seemed to fell any chance Max Verstappen had of challenging for the win as he dropped from second to eighth by the first corner of the race. But if unyielding tenacity were a person it would be Max Verstappen. Dazzlingly, he carved his way through the field and by the time the pitstops were sorted he was running fourth.

In the true uncompromising Verstappen fashion he made short work of Seb Vettel on lap 50 and a few laps later dispatched of Valtteri Bottas for second place. Only Charles Leclerc stood in his way now. With three laps to go Verstappen spectacularly barged his way past the Ferrari and was on his way to the most impressive win of his career.

It was an amazing feat for Red Bull to win their home race. But even more so for Honda who had reclaimed the top step of the podium for the first time since 2006. To say that Honda has had a torrid time in F1 would be an understatement. As a proud Japanese company they suffered the blows to their reputation with grace and humility. To see Toyoharu Tanabe, Honda F1’s technical director, in tears is all you needed to know just how difficult it had been and how much the victory meant.

Rookie of the year

Three rookies started the season in Australia and all three conducted themselves in a genuinely impressive manner. But Lando Norris’s relentless consistency and standout performances in, amongst others, Bahrain, Belgium, and Singapore announced the Brit on the world’s biggest motor racing stage.

As the season progressed Norris suffered, effectively, five retirements overall and racked up twelve points-scoring races. Aside from the numbers his race craft proved faultless to the point that most forgot that he was a nineteen-year-old rookie. It is unquestionable that if McLaren should produce a competitive car in 2020 that Lando Norris will be more than equal to the task.

December 17, 2019
2019 Mexican Gp Preview: Bottas vs. Hamilton

Only four races remain in the 2019 Formula 1 season and in this weekend’s Mexican grand prix only two drivers are still in contention to win the driver’s title.

The result at the Japanese grand prix not only secured Mercedes a monumental sixth consecutive constructors crown but also insured that only Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas are in contention for the driver’s championship. Bottas’s victory in Japan was impressive but he still trails teammate Hamilton by 64 points with a maximum of 104 available in the last four races. It’s is a enormous gap to overhaul and Bottas himself knows that in order to do so he’ll need some luck on his side. “Everything’s possible although I’m realistic as well that I will need to be very lucky, that’s a fact, to win all the rest of the races but I don’t really think about that much at this point,” said Bottas.

For Hamilton the prospect of a sixth crown looms larger than ever and he could clinch it this weekend. If he outscores Bottas by 14 points he will secure the title. But given the layout and characteristics of Mexico’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez it may not be all in Mercedes hands this weekend.

The 71 laps of the Mexican grand prix will be run around the 4.304 km circuit situated in the heart of Mexico City. One of its most striking features is that sits nearly two kilometers above sea level. The high altitude, and subsequently thinner air, somewhat dulls the power output of the power unit but the long straits will still reward those with an advantage in the engine department. It has evident for some time now that Ferrari has surpassed Mercedes in terms of power output and delivery. And since turning a metaphorical corner in Singapore they have looked in much better shape, pace wise. It means that the prancing horses could well be the team to beat this weekend which plays more into Bottas’s hands than it does Hamilton.

Traditionally, Red Bull would be expected to be at the sharp end in Mexico given that Max Verstappen has won here the last two years. However, the Dutchman seems less than enthused about his chances. “I don’t think there’s one track left this season where we can do a particularly good job. Several incidents since the summer break and an overall lack of pace has seen Verstappen drift away from the frontrunners. “So I think if we can fight for the podium [in Mexico] this time around, we’ve done a good job,” added Verstappen.

Much of the crowd in attendance will be there to cheer on one of their own in the shape of Sergio Perez. Checo, as he is affectionately known, made his F1 debut for Sauber in 2011. His performances were impressive enough to net him a drive with McLaren for 2013 during which fifth was his highest placed finish. The early version of Checo Perez was often overly aggressive but his speed was evident too. It wasn’t enough for McLaren who cut the Mexican loose at the end of 2013. He took up with Force India, now Racing Point, and delivered some truly memorable performances including several stunning podium finishes. He is contracted to remain at Racing Point until the end of 2022. At 29 years old he chance at driving for a top team has likely gone but he is no less beloved in his native Mexico whom are likely to be out in full force and garb this weekend.

October 23, 2019
F1 2019: Russian Gp Review – Ferrari Hit By Karma

Ferrari arrived in Russia less than seven days after stunning the paddock with a sublime one/two in Singapore. They had turned a corner in the Lion City, no pun intended, and when they hit the track in Russia it seemed it would be more of the same.

And it was, as Charles Leclerc became the second Ferrari driver, after the great Michael Schumacher, to take four consecutive pole positions of the Italian team. Lewis Hamilton delivered an impressive lap which was good enough for the front row while Seb Vettel was third quickest. Pole position at the Sochi Autodrom though isn’t the be all and end all. In fact, it probably wouldn’t be a driver’s first choice of starting position for the simple reason that this circuit has the longest run to turn 1 of any on the calendar. It means that while the car in front is punching a big F1-sized hole in the air those behind can take advantage of the slipstream and simply sail past.

But it still requires a driver to make a good start at lights out. This time around neither Leclerc or Hamilton nailed the perfect start but Vettel did. From third on the grid he surged into the lead of the race. And yes he did gain some benefit from the slipstream. Slowly but surely Vettel began to pull away from Leclerc and the pair of Ferrari’s were in turn leaving Hamilton, in third, and Bottas, in fourth, well behind.

Soon though the radio messages from Leclerc started trickling through the airwaves. His tone became increasingly disgruntled and revealed an awfully exasperated driver. It seemed Ferrari had agreed before the start of the race that Leclerc would allow Vettel to pick up his slipstream, tow him to turn 2, and thereby ensure a Ferrari one/two at the start of the race. But what Ferrari, and likely young Leclerc, failed to account for was a lightening start from Vettel that rendered this plan mute. While Leclerc was adamant that he had helped Vettel into the lead of the race. On-board footage and replays clearly show that Vettel’s spectacular launch off the line catapulted him into the lead with little help from his teammate. A back-and-forth ensued with both drivers and the Ferrari pitwall who eventually instructed Vettel to swop positions with Leclerc as early on as lap 5. But the four-time champion was clearly quicker that Leclerc who at this stage had fallen more than three-seconds behind the leading Ferrari. A swop would have required Vettel to slow significantly and run the risk of falling into the clutches of Hamilton and he was having none of it.

The first round of pitstops rolled around and Ferrari seized the opportunity to give Leclerc, despite being the second Ferrari on the road, the lead of the race by pitting him first. On fresh tyres he was able to undercut Vettel and take the lead of the Russian grand prix. Ferrari had doctored the running order and in doing so clearly upset the karmic balance of things. A few hundred meters after exiting the pitlane from his own stop Seb Vettel was forced to pull over and out of the race with a MGU-K failure. Ferrari had contrived to manufacture and manipulate the race and Karma kicked them in the teeth for it. One would think, and hope, that Ferrari had learnt by now to leave well enough alone. But instead their ridiculous games took them from a net race win to handing Mercedes an unlikely one/two at the chequered flag.

A Virtual Safety Car was deployed to recover Vettel’s stricken Ferrari and it allowed Hamilton, effectively, a free pit stop. By staying out longer on his medium tyre Hamilton emerged in the lead of the race. Had Ferrari simply allowed their drivers to race flat out Leclerc likely would have been clear of Hamilton and in P1.

A full Safety-Car was called on a bit later to collect the crashed Williams of George Russell. But Ferrari’s tomfoolery had already caused them to lose the race. Leclerc pitted for fresh tyres and emerged behind Bottas with the hope that with twenty laps to go he could mount a challenge and overtake both Merc drivers. He couldn’t. As it were, and excuse the pun, Ferrari handed Mercedes victory on a silver platter. Hamilton cruised home ahead of Bottas and has now put Mercedes in a position to potentially secure the constructor’s title next time out in Japan. Leclerc, in third, normally the toast of social media was dubbed ‘LeJerk’ for his petulance over team radio. It was desperately unlucky for Vettel who easily looked the class of the field on race day. Fans around the world clearly agreed as he was voted driver of the day despite failing to finish.

Elsewhere, Max Verstappen recovered to fourth after taking grid drop for engine penalties. The fresh and upgraded engine bits put Red Bull in good stead for Honda’s home race in Japan next time out. Alex Albon completed an impressive afternoon’s racing by going from pitlane to fifth while Carlos Sainz continues to deliver brilliant performances for McLaren in sixth. Sergio Perez finished seventh for Racing Point ahead of Lando Norris eighth. Haas F1’s newly re-signed Kevin Magnussen was ninth ahead of Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg.

Seb Vettel was certainly the most high profile retirement of the race but not the only one. Earlier a coming together at turn 1 at the start of the race meant the end for Romain Grosjean and Daniel Ricciardo would follow him into retirement a few laps later with floor damage from the same incident. Williams also opted to retire Robert Kubica’s car in order to save parts for the upcoming races. It reveals the desperate state that Williams are currently mired in and one hopes that there is some light at the end of the tunnel for the legendary team.

Since the Summer-break Ferrari has clearly turned a corner. The two wins in Span and Monza were impressive but somewhat expected. However, victory in Singapore and genuinely superior pace in Russia makes it clear that they have unlocked authentic and indisputable pace in the car. Now, they just need to get out of their own way.

September 30, 2019
F1 2019: So Far…

The summer break typically denotes the ‘halfway’ mark of a Formula 1 season. Though there is technically less than half a season remaining in 2019 it’s in this ‘cool down’ period where teams will assess their performance to date and begin to plot the way forward for what remains.

Before moving forward however it is imperative to assess the standout performance, good or bad, in the first twelve races of the year.

Best rookies in a decade

In Australia George Russell, Alex Albon, and Lando Norris lined up as F1 debutants and they haven’t put a wheel wrong since. As difficult as it is to shine in the lethargic Williams Russell has impressed by completely wiping the floor with teammate Robert Kubica. Additionally, his positive demeanour out of the car has shown his high level of professionalism and respect.

Thai-born driver Alex Albon has been slightly under the radar but no less than any of the rookies. Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost, notoriously merciless, has nothing but praise for Albon. And Red Bull obviously agrees as they’ve slotted Albon into the senior team alongside Max Verstappen from the Belgian Gp onwards.

McLaren’s Lando Norris is easily one of the most entertaining drivers on and off the track (his Instagram profile is definitely worth a follow) and he has some remarkable speed to boot. It’s clear that McLaren has made progress in 2019 but it still requires drivers to realize that improvement which Norris, and Sainz, has emphatically done. In fact, Norris has been so exciting and impressive that you’d be excused for forgetting that he still only twelve races into his F1 career.

There have been numerous rookies in F1 over the last decade but Russell, Albon, and Norris are easily some of the most polished, accomplished, and exciting of them all.

Biggest disappointment – Ferrari & Pierre Gasly

It is now clear to that Ferrari’s design philosophy for their 2019 car is flawed. Their choice to focus on horsepower has seen them deliver the most powerful engine in the sport but at the cost of neglecting to concentrate on downforce. It’s come at a significant price for the Italian team who is yet to win a race in 2019.

It hasn’t only a flawed design path that has cost Ferrari this season. Several instances of poor decision-making on the pitwall have resulted in some embarrassing gaffes. Their drivers too haven’t been operating at the top of their powers. Seb Vettel has occasionally cut a despondent figure this season while new recruit Charles Leclerc has made several mistakes at crucial times.

Ferrari isn’t the only ones experiencing an annus horribilis in 2019. Pierre Gasly season can only be described as a shambles. The Frenchman has never found his feet at Red Bull. Twice he was embarrassingly lapped be his teammate and those weren’t even his worst Sundays. So woeful were his performances that he’s been ejected from the seat and sent back to Toro Rosso.

Best team – Mercedes

The German juggernaut simply picked up from where they left off in 2018. While there have been a few blips, read Austria and Germany, the Mercedes team has performed as clinically as ever. Valtteri Bottas hit the ground running in Australia and for much of the first half of the season seemed as if he would be a genuine contender for the title against teammate Lewis Hamilton. But the Finn has faded somewhat in crucial moments. The championship battle between this pair is far from concluded but is certainly slanted towards Hamilton who always finds another gear, pun intended, in the final push towards the conclusion of the season.

The added incentive, or pressure, for Bottas is that he is driving for his life at Mercedes. Team boss Toto Wolff has been open about the fact that the decision on who will partner Hamilton in 2020 is between Bottas and reserve driver Esteban Ocon. Despite Ocon’s impressive stint at Racing Point (formerly Force India) he remains an unknown quantity. Whereas Bottas has proven his ability to rack up the constructor’s points and even, on occasion, push Hamilton. Mercedes know what they have in Bottas and can hardly afford a Gasly-Red Bull type situation with Ocon. If Merc do stick with Bottas there is likely to be a spot at Williams for Ocon in place of Kubica.

Best driver – Max Verstappen

In qualifying for the 2018 Monaco grand prix Max Verstappen’s exuberance got the better of him. He ended up in the wall and out of victory contention. Something else changed too. He learnt a lesson that day that he’s adopted as part of his repertoire ever since: speed and precision equal results. It is clear that he has grown and matured in leaps and bounds since that moment.

Its transformed Verstappen from a quick racing driver to a driver ready to contend for a championship. Now if Red Bull could deliver a car on par with Verstappen’s considerable talent from the start of the season, and maintain it, he’ll be a champion before long.

August 25, 2019
F1 2019: British Gp Preview – Formula 1 at its British Best

The adage goes that you’re only as good as your last race. It will take some doing then for Formula 1 to top itself after the thrilling Austrian grand prix of two weeks ago. Nevertheless, the Silverstone circuit and British grand prix is as iconic as it comes in motorsport.

Rookies

Being a rookie in Formula 1 is almost always a baptism of fire. But as the F2 champion and runner-up in 2018 George Russell and Lando Norris have been enormously impressive in their respective debut seasons.

Lando Norris was drafted into McLaren with the team still very much in the doldrums. However, 2019, and especially the last two races, has shown the progress that the Woking-based team has made. Progress means little however if the drivers in the cockpit are unable to capitalize and deliver the results. So far, Norris has produced nearly every time that he has been behind the wheel. With four races in the points he sits eighth in the world driver’s championship. Added to this is that he qualified a brilliant fifth in Austria, his noteworthy race-craft, and the fact that he hasn’t made any major mistakes. At only nineteen years old and with one of the best Instagram accounts in the paddock Norris has all he needs to a star of the future.

George Russell’s superb and self-determined initiative to personally contact Williams and present himself as the best choice for a 2019 drive impressed Williams enough to agree and draft him into the team. Though he has been unable to trouble the point scoring positions in 2019 he has impressed not only in his demeanour but also in the complete demolition of teammate Robert Kubica both in qualifying and the races.

Similarly, Russell had kept his nose clean and his car on the black stuff. Williams are expected to bring a major update to the German grand prix weekend and while it’s unlikely to propel them up the grid it may bring them closer to the field in terms of pace. If all goes to plan Russell seems the more likely of the two Williams drivers to extract performance from the car.

Silverstone under threat

As much as Silverstone forms part of the fabric of Formula 1 the threat that it could disappear from the calendar is ever present. Commercial rights owner Liberty Media has evidently renewed their interest in a London street race which suggest that it could take over Silverstone’s slot on the calendar.*

One of the biggest problems for Silverstone and the BRDC (British Racing Drivers Club) is the hosting cost. The suggestion is though that the BRDC and Liberty Media understand the importance of a British grand prix on the F1 calendar. It is not impractical for Liberty Media to consider offering a discount on hosting costs to those venues such as Silverstone, Monza, Spa-Francorchamps, etc. that are historically significant to the sport and thereby ensure their presence on the calendar.

As a fan you get a little bit of everything at Silverstone. An incredible track layout highlighted by the incomparable Maggots-Becketts complex, Stowe, and Copse Corner combine for a supreme test of aerodynamic efficiency. It stands to reason then that Mercedes will be in the pound seats this weekend, no pun intended.

The last few races hasn’t seen the best of Valtteri Bottas and while Lewis Hamilton is habitually exceptional at Silverstone it will be a good place for the Finn to re-state his designs on the world title. To beat Hamilton on home soil would go a long way, mentally, to begin chipping away at the reigning champion.

But with all being equal it is difficult to bet against another British grand prix victory for Lewis Hamilton.

*It has since been announced that Silverstone has struck a deal that will keep itself on the calendar for five more years.

July 11, 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
F1 2019: Baku Gp Review – Bottas 2.0 Wins Again

Since joining the Mercedes team at the start of the 2017 season Valtteri Bottas has had impressive races. But there was recognition by all other drivers that if you show him a front wheel he’d, embarrassingly, give way. But the Valtteri Bottas that has been unleashed at the start of the 2019 season is far removed from the driver of the last two seasons.

Finns are notoriously measured in how much they say and at the start of Sunday’s Baku grand prix Bottas let his peerless driving do all the talking. The manner in which he held his car inches from teammate Hamilton made it clear that he wasn’t going to budge nor was going to simply give up the lead of the race if he could help it. His statement was clear – you’re going to have to go through me. That tenacity kept him the lead of the race off the start line and he backed it up with a faultless drive to secure the fifth win of his F1 career.

Mercedes, quite literally, could not have started the season in a more perfect manner than scoring a one-two victory in all four of the races so far in 2019. Operationally, there are no teams on the grid that can touch the might of Mercedes. They arrived on Friday genuinely unsure of their pace. It appeared that Ferrari easily had the measure of the circuit and a pace advantage that seemed insurmountable. But if nothing else Mercedes must be respected and lauded for the stunning work they do behind the scenes.

If it’s organizational brilliance at Mercedes then at Ferrari it is the calamitous opposite. The dubious decision to put both cars out on the medium compound tyre for the second session of qualifying was the beginning of Ferrari’s unraveling this weekend. Not only was the track temperature not conducive to the medium tyre but also strategically it made little sense for Sunday’s race, more on that later.

It resulted in both drivers hitting the turn 8 wall with Leclerc coming off worst with a wrecked front suspension. Vettel was able to carry on but only managed third on the grid after failing to cash in on the slipstream benefit. Ferrari had gone from a near guaranteed front-row locked out to third and eighth on grid.

But still they had a chance; At least until it came time to make their strategy call. Leclerc made decent headway on the more durable medium tyre in the opening stint of the race and looked set for good result, perhaps even a podium. But Ferrari has become rather infamous for mad strategic calls and it was no different in Baku. They left Leclerc out on track despite the fact that he was losing, often, more than a second per lap to the chasing pack of Bottas, Hamilton, Vettel, and Verstappen. Eventually Bottas and Hamilton made their pitstops, closed down Leclerc and passed him on track. Leclerc eventually finished fifth with a strategy only Ferrari would be able to explain. A late pitstop for fresh tyres earned the Ferrari driver the consolation of an extra point for fastest lap.

Ahead Bottas had the race firmly in control despite a late VSC (Virtual Safety Car) deployed for the stricken Red Bull of Pierre Gasly. Elsewhere the other biggest incident of the race was a misjudgment on the brakes from Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo who took out himself and Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat. To add to his blushes Ricciardo strangely reversed into side of Kvyat when trying to rejoin the track and has been given a three-place grid penalty for the next race in Spain.

While Bottas and Hamilton secured yet another one-two victory for Mercedes Vettel trundled home third in the Ferrari. Though the German driver was only a handful of second adrift of the Silver Arrows it will be scant comfort on a weekend where Ferrari brought several updates to their car. Max Verstappen finished a solid fourth for Red Bull ahead of Leclerc in fifth.

Twice a podium finisher in Baku Sergio Perez was sixth for Racing Point ahead of the McLaren duo of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. Lance Stroll made it a double-points finish for Racing Point in ninth ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in tenth who started the race from the pitlane in his Alfa Romeo.

At the start of the season Valtteri Bottas noted that, during the off season, he’d spent a lot of time hiking in the Finnish woods and eating porridge. Whatever he discovered in those woods and whatever is in that porridge it has transformed Valtteri Bottas into an uncompromising and unapologetic racing machine. Long may it continue.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

April 29, 2019