F1 Madness

Tag: lewis hamilton

  • F1 2017: Austrian Gp Free Practice 3 Report – Vettel Leads

    F1 2017: Austrian Gp Free Practice 3 Report – Vettel Leads

    Sebastian Vettel set the quickest time for Ferrari in the third free practice session ahead of the Austrian grand prix.

    The Saturday practice session commenced under overcast conditions but without any threat of rain. Carlos Sainz lost roughly half the session to an engine issue. However, the Toro Rosso was speedily recovered to the garage and the Spaniard was able to rejoin the session with about twenty-five minutes remaining.

    Lewis Hamilton didn’t look as comfortable around the Red Bull Ring but still set the second quickest time overall. Nevertheless, his session ended prematurely with a front-right brake failure. As if to compound matters Hamilton will drop five places from wherever he qualifies due to a gearbox change. Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Raikkonen, Max Verstappen, and Daniel Ricciardo completed the top six.

    While Williams struggled for pace with Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa in 18th and 19th respectively, Kevin Magnussen slotted his Haas F1 car into seventh ahead of teammate, Romain Grosjean, in eighth.

  • Hamilton Takes Command on Friday for Austrian GP Free Practice

    Hamilton Takes Command on Friday for Austrian GP Free Practice

    Lewis Hamilton took charge of Friday Free Practice for the Austrian Grand Prix after finishing both Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2 on top of the time sheets.

    Free Practice 1

    Free Practice got underway under glorious sunshine. With the track still green drivers were slow to get out of their garages but eventually we got some track action.

    Hamilton put his Mercedes in the top spot finishing the session with a best time of 1:05.975 with the soft tyre which is the hardest compound available to the drivers this weekend.

    Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was not too far off Hamilton’s time finishing the session 2nd fastest with a best time of 1:06.165 which was just 0.190s off. Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes finished 3rd fastest.

    Sebastian Vettel finished 4th fastest for Ferrari with Daniel Ricciardo 5th.

    It was not a session without some drama. The green track meant that the drivers did not have to do too much to get out of shape under braking unto T1. Carlos Sainz, Vettel, Raikkonen and Bottas had spins at Turn 1. Elsewhere on track, Verstappen was spat out of Turn 7, and across the gravel trap. He saved his slide just before the barrier but not before clouting the rear right on the tyre wall. He spent some time in the pits while the Red Bull mechanics examined his car for any damage.

     

    Free Practice 2

    After a little rain shower, Free Practice 2 was underway a little while later. The little bit of rain did not do much to wash out the rubber laid down during Free Practice 1 but the track once again proved to be very tricky.

    There were offs from McLaren’s Fernando Alonso who spun at Turn 6 after spending some time in the garage because of floor damage. Carlos Sainz spun a few times and went off at Turns 9 and 10. Daniil Kvyat, who ended his session early due to a brake problem, also ran a bit too hot into Turn 9 and had to take to the run off area.

    The best time of the session was once again set by Lewis Hamilton on the ultra softs. His time of 1:05.483 was just under half a second faster than his FP1 time on the soft compound tyres.

    Ferrari looked much closer in FP2 with Sebastian Vettel 0.147s off the pace in 2nd with Valtteri Bottas 3rd fastest for the session.

    The two Red Bulls of Verstappen and Ricciardo were 4th and 5th fastest respectively with Raikkonen in the second Ferrari in 6th.

    Finishing 7th fastest was Kevin Magnussen in the Haas with Alonso 8th fastest.

    Rounding out the top 10 were Nico Hulkenberg in the Renault in 9th and Romain Grojean 10th fastest for the session.

    The long run pace was very close between Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. The low degradation characteristics of the circuit should make a one stop race the more likely strategy call.

    The battle will have to be won on track and with Hamilton being handed a 5-place grid penalty for a gearbox change Vettel will feel that he, ever so slightly, has the upper hand.

     

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

    2017 Austrian Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference – Part 1

    PART ONE: DRIVERS – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari), Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), Kevin MAGNUSSEN (Haas)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Sebastian, begin by looking back at events in Baku two weeks ago. You said in a statement on Monday that you over-reacted in the heat of the moment. Please can you just talk us through what happened in that moment.

    Sebastian VETTEL: I don’t think that’s necessary, is it? I think we’ve seen it many times. I’ve seen it, I’ve looked at it, so err… obviously, I had a very different view inside the car than I had with a little bit of a gap and outside the car – hence why obviously I made a statement. I had the chance to quickly talk to Lewis after the race – but I don’t want to pump this up more than it is already. I think that it’s my right, our right that it stays between us. I think I said everything I had to say. I think it was the wrong decision. Obviously I got a penalty in the race and, yeah, lost a potential race win. We couldn’t obviously foresee that Lewis was running into a problem with his headrest but could have been a lot more points at stake. After that obviously I tried everything to recover.

    Q: Seb, you said ‘it was the wrong decision.’ What was the wrong decision?

    SV: It was the wrong move, the wrong decision. It was the wrong move to drive alongside him and hit his tyre. So, that’s obviously I guess what you all want to hear but there’s not much more to say. At the time I was surprised. It felt like Lewis hit the brakes and I couldn’t stop running into his car – but I also said in the statement and said afterwards that I don’t think there was any bad intention. So I don’t think he actually brake-tested me. At the time I read it like that. I was surprised, and hence why I was obviously I was upset and over-reacted. Am I proud of the moment? No. Can I take it back? Do I regret it? Yes. So I don’t think we need to drag it out any longer.

    Q: Lewis, is it the end of the matter for you as well now?

    Lewis HAMILTON: It is for me, yeah. Solely, really focussed on this weekend. Obviously it’s an interesting press conference, as I mentioned, with so many people here. The people watching can’t see how many people are behind the camera. Yeah, I mean, I said everything I felt I needed to say at the last race and just left it there. Now the job is just to focus on… still got a lot of races ahead of us and a little bit behind points-wise. So just trying to keep my head down.

    Q: Does what happened in Baku in any way change the dynamic between you and Sebastian?

    LH: I don’t think it does. Sebastian and I, we spoke after the race and on Monday and shortly after that he messaged me, I think the day after I think it was. For me, I just said that, for me, I still have the utmost respect for him as a driver and will continue to race him hard for the rest of the season in the same way I always have. No less hard than we have been already up until now. My only point to Sebastian was that I felt that, saying I had brake-tested him, I was like, I hope you can correct that publically – because people who are watching felt that this was something I did. In the data it obviously showed that was not the case. In actual case he accelerated. I think the goal was to try and be as close as possible to me but that was an error in judgement. My own point there in reply to him was that I hope he makes that clear because I had no intentions… there was no need for me to do something like that. I was in the lead. And… yeah. I accepted his apology and moved forwards.

    Q: Sebastian, just a few words from you about the relationship with Lewis. The dynamic between you.

    SV: Well, I’m happy to hear that it doesn’t seem to have a big impact. Obviously what I did was wrong and I apologised. I think it’s totally up to Lewis. Obviously I did a mistake so I can understand he’s upset but it’s nice to hear that we are able to move forward. Yeah. I think the respect that we have for each other on-track, off-track helps us in this regard.

    Q: Kevin, team’s best finish of the season in Baku. Haas are now up to seventh in the championship. You must be very pleased with how things are going. Do you feel you’re getting the best out of the team and yourself?

    Kevin MAGNUSSEN: Yes. I feel like it’s going well. I’m enjoying my time at the moment. We’re getting good results, both me and Romain, scoring points for the team. As a team the size that we are with so little people and limited budgets, it’s a good effort to be where we are. I hope to be able to keep it up. I think seventh in the championship is one position better than last year and I think our target as a team was to try to improve at least a little bit on last year – which was already a good rookie season for Haas. So, y’know, we need to keep it up and keep scoring those points when other people make mistakes and take the opportunities when they’re there.

    Q: You talk about the target for the season; what’s the target for this weekend? You’ve never been out-qualified by a team-mate here but you haven’t been in Q3 yet this season. Can you do it here?

    KM: Q3? I think… it’s not going to be easy. It’s not our natural position. We don’t have the actual pace to be there but I think it’s not far away. With a slight variation in people’s performance and if we get a little more out of the tyres, balance, setup etc., we can get there. But for this track it’s not our natural position but for sure we’ll do our best.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) Sebastian, of course I respect what you said that you wouldn’t want this topic to drag and drag – but there’s one interesting question. There are some suggestions that you didn’t deliberately move onto Lewis’ car and it was only because you were just showing the gestures that we all know about and it was unintentional. Was it really intentional to crash into Lewis or it was only that you didn’t really pay any attention to the steering?

    SV: It’s a very confusing question. I think it’s very simple: obviously, I got surprised. I got the impression at the time – which I have corrected: I was wrong – that I got, let’s say, fouled and y’know I wasn’t happy about it. I drove alongside him, obviously wasn’t happy about it, over-reacted. I don’t think I need to explain further. I think it’s very clear. You all saw what happened, so… yeah. Not sure I get the question.

    Q: (Jerome Pugmire – AP) Question for Lewis. After that race you had some strong words, obviously in the heat of the moment you were very angry and you said that Sebastian, on that incident, was a disgrace to the sport. Do you regret saying that now? Do you think perhaps you were overly upset? Do you regret those words?

    LH: I don’t feel I was particularly upset after the race. If I was upset it was for other reasons but I don’t feel like I said anything I particularly would wish to take back.  But I think, I still have the same opinion of what happened – but it’s water under the bridge now. We move forwards. We spoke about it, we move forwards. There’s no point really saying much more.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Sebastian, you’ve admitted that you made a foul. Why did it take you so long then to actually apologise? Why did you have to wait until after you’d appeared before an FIA investigation?

    SV: I don’t have your number. I don’t want it. So, I don’t feel the need to talk to… sorry… all of you for more than what I have to. So, I think the person that I had to talk to was Lewis, that was the most important. Obviously then Monday I went to Paris to see the FIA, we had the hearing, they asked me my opinion in terms of what happened, to run through the incidents, that’s what I did, so yeah, I don’t think, as I said, there was a need to talk to you straight after. You’re not the most important people I think. As I said, the most important for me is the guy I’m racing with, is Lewis, and that’s the one I decided to call first.

    Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport Magazin) Question for Lewis, we were a bit surprised with the reaction from inside the car that you stayed so calm when Sebastian hit you. Can you explain how you managed to stay that calm? Because if something like that happens we probably expect… we ourselves would probably react differently.

    LH: Well, it’s a little bit different perhaps to if it had happened on a football pitch and you’re face-to-face with someone. I think maybe your initial reaction would be different – but we’re strapped into these cars so there’s not much I can do in the actual car at the time. As I said, I was more focussed on the race result and the difficult race that we had had. So, whilst that was a difficult scenario – or an unfortunate mishap during the race – that was not my main focus or goal. So, while there are questions about it, I was just thinking about the points that we had lost, how we are going to regroup as a team again to try to make sure we don’t have that same issue again, and that we still have a pretty steep mountain to climb before the end of the season.

    Q: (Ralf Bach – Sport Bild) A question to Lewis. Gerhard Berger said last week, first the FIA punished Sebastian in Baku but then God himself punished you. Can you tell us something about what he could mean?

    LH: I don’t know what he’s talking about, so… [Question repeated off-mike] I guess that’s an opinion of his, and… what do you think it means? I don’t care what he thinks he means, he didn’t say it to me, he said it to you! I don’t know. I don’t think it had anything to do with God.

    Q: (Natalie Pinkham – Sky Sports) You’re both guys who are passionate and vocal and speak your mind – I’m thinking Seb, you with Kvyat in the cooldown room. Why didn’t you just speak to him straight away after the race?

    SV: Well it’s the same as if you ask me to try and exit through that door. There’s a lot of people I have to go through first and I think it was the wrong time given how much fuss there was kicked up after the race to talk to him. So, I’m sure he was busy as well after the race. You usually have your meetings and so on. So I don’t think that was the right time, straight out of the car. Too many people in between us, let’s say.

    Q: (Rebecca Clancy – The Times) For Sebastian. You’ve just said now that you’re happy to hear that it’s moved on, following Lewis’ comments now. Does that mean that’s not the impression you got after you spoke on Monday? And just a very quick question to Lewis: did you accept his apology?

    SV: No, it’s not the impression I got. I’m just in that regard happy to hear that we, obviously… yeah… mature enough to move on. Obviously what I did was wrong and I did a mistake. I apologise but it doesn’t take it away. It’s still there. If I can could literally take it back and go back in time, I would – but I can’t do that. And since I can’t do that, it’s good that we’re able to sit here and say that we’re focussed on the weekend and we go out there and race and do what we love most.

    Lewis?

    LH: Just on my point, the conversation we had… there wasn’t actually an apology in the conversation that we had – even though that was perhaps the intent. It was literally the next day when we were texting. I got a text from Sebastian, apologising and I did accept it.

    Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) A question for Sebastian. You’re laughing about it now but I would suggest that you have nine penalty points, you tell the Race Director what you did in Mexico, you swear at him, you use your car as a weapon. Would you agree that you got off quite lightly?

    SV: Well I got a penalty, obviously the race was potentially handed to me with the fault or the technical problem Lewis’ car had with the headrest, so you can believe me that I wasn’t happy at all after the race because I finished fourth and I could have won the race. So I dion’t need to tell you how many points difference that is. So…

    Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Yet you were driving into him, using your car to ram into him…

    SV: Well I said also to him that I never had the intention to hurt him. It’s not like I tried to punch him…

    Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) But you did.

    SV: As I said, the Intention… I over-reacted. The intention was not to hurt him, damage his car, it was at low speed but looking back it was the wrong thing to do, it was dangerous, plus it was unnecessary because it didn’t win me anything.

    Q: (Livio Orrichio  – GlobeEsporte) To all drivers, when you have a stress point in a relationship, as Sebastian and Lewis now, even if it’s clarified between you, and you go to the next race, here or Silverstone for example, is it possible to leave everything in the past or unconsciously do you take it to the moment of the fight with the same driver into the track? 

    LH: No honestly I really don’t feel that there is tension here. Obviously you guys might feel that there is. We just really distinguished that when we spoke on the phone and it remains respectful. As I said, there are two things that are most important for me, the first is that Sebastian acknowledged that I didn’t brake test him, which while he has apologized I don’t know if people still understand that. That’s important for me because people were commenting or sending messages to me saying that I was out of order. Obviously I didn’t do any of the braking. Secondly, road safety is a big issue, a campaign the FIA are constantly pushing and obviously the decisions and how they govern the sport and how it reflects to the rest of thr world, they were the only two points I was focused on. 

    Q: Sebastian, can you let it be or do you take it with you into the next race? 

    SV: No, I’m quite happy to get into the car tomorrow. I think come practice, come race day you try to do your best. Obviously, you’re very busy driving the car, when you fight someone, we know that overtaking is not easy, I don’t think you have much time to think. Obviously you’re planning an overtake, etcetera – but sitting here I think I would say it doesn’t impact on the next race and who you’re racing.

    Q: Kevin, do you have anything to add?

    KM: I have no grudges to either of those guys!

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xiro Xone News) There’s too much tension in this room right now. This question’s for Lewis and Sebastian. Lewis, I know recently both of you were involved in Cars 3 doing voiceover work, and Sebastian you did a German version of it. What was it like working with the people at Pixar, and for Lewis, what was it like doing another voiceover for Cars, and Kevin, would you do any voiceover work or acting like these two?

    Let’s start with Kevin.

    KM: I did, actually! On the Danish Cars, as well. I’m one of the Cars, I guess. Yeah, we all did it.

    SV: All the same car, I guess, Sat Nav.

    KM: I’m not a Sat Nav, I’m… I can’t ever remember which one it is. That’s too bad!

    SV: I’m sure they ask you again!

    Sebastian, how did you find the experience?

    SV: Well, I think I’m quite comfortable with voiceover… acting maybe less. It was good fun, it’s a fun experience. People help you a lot. Obviously, as I said, it’s quite easy because they just put your voice wherever they need to – whereas with acting I think you need to be a lot more precise. It was good fun. I did the German version and also the Italian version, which was a bit more difficult but good fun. Looking forward to hear myself when the movie comes out.

    Lewis, how did you find it?

    LH: It was the second time I’ve done it and I had a lot of fun with it. I’m appreciative of the opportunity.

    Q: (Peter Vamosi – Vas Népe) Question is to Lewis and Sebastian. Fernando Alonso’s management is right now in talks with Ferrari and Mercedes – at least the rumours are about this. How do you like the idea having him as team-mate?

    Lewis, why don’t we start with you? You’ve had him as a team-mate before.

    LH: I’m pretty happy with the team-mate I have, so it’s not even a thought in my thought process right now.

    And Sebastian?

    SV: Well, I’m not responsible to sign the drivers but if I had a say, I’d say I prefer Kimi.

    Q: (Tom Slater – Soymotor) A question for Kevin. I wanted to know your vision about the Baku incident because these last days a lot of people were saying the FIA wasn’t hard enough with the penalty. If it had been different drivers do you think the penalty, the FIA would have acted the same?

    KM: I have no idea.

    Q: (Petr Hlawiczka – F1news . cz) Sebastian, do you have each other’s phone number now and the other questions regarding latest technical directive about burning oil, do you think Ferrari is most suffer by this latest technical directive?

    SV: I’ll start with the second question. I don’t think so. I think it’s better for you to ask somebody who understands a lot more about the engine. For me it’s important that the engine is running, that it’s working. Then, I’m not sure I understood the first question. I said we spoke on the phone. To call somebody… I don’t know where you are from but to every place I have been to you need the number of the other person! Maybe you have a good phone, you just say the name and it dials the number.

    Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) This is also for Lewis and Sebastian, but about the racing at last. There are now two races where Mercedes seem to be much stronger than Ferrari. Lewis, are you now confident that you are on top of the tyre problems you had before and Sebastian how concerning is it? Obviously the race in Baku was hard to judge because it was chaotic but especially in qualifying the gap was really big and how optimistic are you that you will be able to get close to Mercedes again?

    LH: I think we’re constantly learning about these tyres, so I think we definitely made a big step, I think it was going into Montreal and from there we are continuing to learned weekend-in, weekend-out. Of course we’re coming to other circuits. Each time it’s a little bit different – different abrasiveness, different challenges – but I think we do understand obviously what the issue has been and that it can occur at any point but I think we have the better tools and understanding now to be able to tackle whatever issue we do.

    SV: I know what was going on in the last two races. They were very different. The tracks are different. But if you take Canada: we actually had good pace in the race. The car was damaged and obviously my race looked very different to Lewis’, he could control the race from the front. Then in Baku in qualifying, we just didn’t get it together. The gap was artificially big. I’m not sitting here thinking that we are 1.1s behind in quali here. Came Sunday I think the pace was very similar. Overall it’s probably fair to say that Mercedes had the upper hand Saturday and Sunday but the difference was small. I think you are constantly trying to push all the areas, trying to improve the car, understanding the tyres, these kind of things. But I think for here we should be all set and we should be ready to race. Hopefully we have a calmer race and we should have more, let’s say, consistent conditions, then you are able to read much more how close we are.

    Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS) Kevin, do you think the next world champion is on your right or on your left?

    KM: I have no idea. I can’t see into the future. Let’s see.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Mark Webber has recently suggested that drivers shouldn’t be penalised for technical issues with grid penalties etc. How do you feel about that – can one separate a driver from a team and vice versa?

    SV: I think it’s a difficult one. I think we understand as drivers what Mark meant and he’s probably right about it but on the other hand you have to get the rules straight and set some rules so that the teams comply with it. Since everyone is always really competitive in Formula One, you are always trying to look for something maybe the other guy hasn’t, so you might develop a pattern of I don’t know, changing your gearbox every race because of whatever advantage it brings to you, so I don’t know… yeah, that’s a tricky one.

    LH: I understand his point. I’ve only just heard it, so I haven’t had much time to think about it. But I imagine it’s difficult to really implement that. You’re a team. If a driver makes a mistake, the team loses points and if teams, ultimately if it’s a team, collective mistake when something or when reliability hits, it hits you all together… and then also you know, if you have an engine issue and you get a brand new one and you don’t take a penalty you gain an advantage on power quite often. I don’t know. Perhaps there’s a way they could do it.

    KM: I think it’s frustrating for the driver but it is also for the team. It’s true that if you make a mistake as a driver it goes to the team as well. But if there is an engine failure it’s more on the team’s side of the blame, if you want. I think it could be looked at a solution to take a constructor point or something like that instead of penalizing the start position for the race. But it’s not something I think too much about.

    Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere Della Sera ) A question for Sebastian. Today we heard that in the team there’s a change, the [person] responsible for the engine is not any longer in his role. Do you think it could affect the second part of the season?

    SV: I don’t know. I don’t know what you’re referring to, but again I think these kind of things it’s better you ask a little bit higher up.

    Q: (Giles Richards – The Guardian) Lewis, after the race you said you were concerned about the example the incident set for children. Are you happy with the message being sent from the hearing on Monday after what happened to Sebastian?

    LH: I don’t think anything changes. My opinion stays the same. With all due respect, Jean [Todt] should be sitting next to us to be honest to answer some questions perhaps because they didn’t change anything on the Monday, so the message that was sent still remains the same.

    Q: (Nathalie Pinkham – Sky Sports) Seb, in the heat of the moment, you do seem to lose your cool a bit. Do you think you have a problem with your temperament? Lewis, do you think that judging by the size of this crowd this kind of jeopardy and rivalry is good for the sport?

    SV: To answer your question, I don’t think so. I could see why you might believe it’s not, but I think I have faced a lot of situations that are quite hot and I don’t think so.

    LH: I think an intense battle is always a good thing for any sport, so I don’t disagree with that but of course we are used as a platform, we are supposed to be role models, we are supposed to give a certain message. We are only human beings, so we don’t always get things right. However, collectively we are supposed to inspire and send the right message to young kids. There are so many people who want to be in our position. We are in a position of power and how we utilise that is very important.

  • F1 2017: Austria Gp Preview – Advantage Mercedes

    F1 2017: Austria Gp Preview – Advantage Mercedes

    From the confines of Baku City Formula 1 returns to the sprawling vista of Austria for the ninth round of the 2017 championship.

    Situated in Spielberg the Red Bull Ring is a short circuit consisting of nine corners in total. These corners are linked with several long straits and though it may be a power-dominant circuit its layout allows more than a few good spots for overtaking. “At any kind of power circuit like Austria you want to be smooth and get good exits in order to give yourself the best chance on the long straights,” said Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. “The compromise is always the aero package. In the middle to the end of the lap you want more downforce because the corners are quite fast but more downforce means you are slower on the straights, so the key is to find a good balance throughout the lap”.

    The Austrian circuit is of course owned by Red Bull which makes the weekend all the more important for the team. Ironically the layout of the Red Bull Ring and its demand on engine power has never been a Renault strong suit. Nevertheless, a minor upgrade, brought by Renault in Baku, has moved them slightly forward in terms of ultimate power output. What’s more, both Red Bulls ran relatively well in Baku, which is similarly in its demands on the power unit. It is perhaps unlikely that Ricciardo or Verstappen could, on pure pace, beat either Mercedes or Ferrari but likewise, they’ll likely not be challenged by either Williams or Force India who traditionally perform well at low drag circuits. Red Bull and their drivers are probably the most canny drivers on the grid and they will be close enough to snatch up any positions should something go awry.

    GP EUROPA F1/2016The Pirelli tyre compounds available this weekend, the ultra- and supersoft, would ordinarily play to the strength of the Ferrari. While they’ll still likely fair better on the ultrasoft compound the low level of degradation will limit any creativity on pit stop strategies. What’s more the ultrasoft tyre is effectively last year’s supersoft tyre and on a circuit where drivers made do with a one-stopper in 2016 it’s unlikely that any one team will carry a significant advantage.

    The FIA had announced that there would be no further punishment for Vettel behaviour in Baku during which he turned his Ferrari into the side of Hamilton’s Mercedes behind the safety car. While the outcome of the re-investigation has gone in Vettel’s favour it is an important weekend for the Ferrari driver regardless. As it stands Vettel remains in the lead of the championship but there’s no denying that Canada and Baku were messy races, which has somewhat, stalled Ferrari’s momentum. This will not be an easy weekend for Ferrari either. The circuit layout means that Mercedes start the weekend as clear favourites and you can bet that the media will still be posing questions about the Baku-incident. In fact, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Ferrari institutes a media blackout on their drivers this weekend.

    Sebastian Vettel - Italian Grand Prix qualifyingWhatever your opinion of Vettel’s behaviour and what sort of punishment he does, or does not deserve, he must deliver this weekend. The best way to put the last race behind him and to control the story is by delivering on track. It wont be easy though. Hamilton and Mercedes not only start the weekend as clear favourites and without the incessant and uncomfortable attention of the media, but, vitally, with a sort of momentum that can quickly become ominous.

  • F1 2017: Azerbaijan Gp Review – Bedlam In Baku

    F1 2017: Azerbaijan Gp Review – Bedlam In Baku

    If you had been given absolute free reign to dream up the most dramatic script for a Formula 1 race the chances are you still wouldn’t have come up with what transpired in the 51 laps of the 2017 Baku grand prix.

    From the first corner on lap one to the crossing of the finish line there was action and drama and tension stamped on every lap of the race which featured three safety-car periods and red flag stoppage. While Hamilton led cleanly away pole his teammate Valterri Bottas and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen clashed into turn two. Raikkonen with significant damage the floor of his car somehow maintained a place in the top ten while Bottas’ puncture dropped him a lap down.

    Hamilton led Sebastian Vettel by roughly three seconds until lap 13 when the first safety car was deployed to recover the stricken Toro Rosso of Dannil Kvyat. Racing resumed on lap 16 but an overzealous Esteban Ocon attempt to overtake his Force India teammate Sergio Perez ended in a shower of carbon fiber and the deployment of a second safety-car period.

    008The Pirelli tyres, supersoft and soft, available for this weekend, proved a step too hard as nearly the entire field of drivers struggled with warming the tyres to their optimal working range. A tyre not within this critical working range produces little to no grip and leaves drivers vulnerable. It’s for this reason that Hamilton complained that the Safety car was not going fast enough. Nevertheless, Hamilton bunched up the field into turn 16 which must’ve caught Vettel by surprise as he hit the rear of the Mercedes. The Ferrari driver then pulled alongside Hamilton and turned his Ferrari into the side of the Mercedes. It was an outrageously disappointing, irresponsible and daft reaction from Vettel which earned him a ten second stop/go penalty. While some might like to think Vettel’s actions are defensible consider the fact that, post-race, he could not defend his actions.

    So much carbon fiber lay strewn across the racetrack that the race was red-flagged on lap 22 in order to clear it away. While Raikkonen had retired with additional rear-wing damage a lap earlier the Ferrari mechanics had somehow managed to change an entire floor and a rear-wing endplate to get Raikkonen back in the race. Similarly, Force India made running repairs to Perez’s car and he too was back in the race. Unfortunately, the pair would ultimately retire from the race.

    012The race resumed after a 23 minutes stoppage with Hamilton in the lead and Vettel behind. Through the chaos and carnage Williams’ Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa had emerged in third and fourth. Daniel Ricciardo, who had earlier been 17th in the Red Bull after an early stop, was not in fifth for long as he pulled off an exquisite move to pass both the Williams’ into turn one on the restart. Felipe Massa would soon after retire with a broken rear-damper.

    The drama was still far from over however as the headrest on Hamilton’s leading Mercedes had not been attached correctly. He tried in vain to push it back into place before the FIA directed the Mercedes team to stop and fit a new headrest. It dropped Hamilton to eighth and promoted Vettel into the lead of the race but the Ferrari driver still needed to serve the ten second stop/go penalty. He served the penalty on lap 33 and emerged in seventh ahead of Hamilton.

    Now it was Daniel Ricciardo in the lead with Lance Stroll in second and Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen in third. Magnussen could mount much of a fight for the position though and was quickly shuffled back by Ocon before himself falling victim to a recovering Bottas. Vettel and Hamilton would also pass Ocon and Magnussen.

    026Bottas’ significantly superior pace to the Williams of Stroll proved just enough as he snatched second place, on the line, by one tenth of a second. As if to prove how crazy the Baku grand prix was Fernando Alonso was running in fifth at one stage and with a bit more grunt from the Honda could justifiably have won the race.

    As it were Ricciardo took his first win since Malaysia 2016 ahead of Bottas and Stroll who, at 18, has become the youngest rookie, to score a podium finish. Astoundingly, Vettel emerged in fourth and extended his championship lead to 14 points over Hamilton who eventually finished fifth. Esteban Ocon salvaged sixth ahead of Kevin Magnussen in seventh and Carlos Sainz in eighth. Fernando Alonso finally opened McLaren’s points account with ninth as Pascal Wehrlein in the Sauber finished tenth.

    The Baku grand prix was undoubtedly the race of the season so far as nearly the entire field ran into some sort of trouble. Roll on Austria.

    (All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport)

  • F1 2017: Azerbaijan Gp First Free Practice Report – Verstappen Quickest

    F1 2017: Azerbaijan Gp First Free Practice Report – Verstappen Quickest

    Red Bull’s Max Verstappen topped the timing sheets in the first free practice session ahead of Sunday’s Baku grand prix.

    The 90 minute session got underway in glorious sunshine in the city of Baku. However, the second longest circuit on the grid proved quite slippery and dusty as several drivers endured spins and running wide at various parts on the circuit.

    While Verstappen’s 1:44:410, on SuperSoft tyres, was quickest enough for P1 it was his Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo, also on the SuperSoft compound, who set the 2nd quickest time overall. The first of the Ferrari’s was third in the form of Sebastian Vettel who set a 1:44:967. The first of the Mercedes was Lewis Hamilton who set the 5th quickest time for the session.

    There was a lengthy red flag period towards the end of the session at the Force India of Sergio Perez bounced off the wall at Turn 8 after clipping the entry curb. The damage sustained looked quite significant as both the front-right and left-rear corners of the car were torn off. It remains to be seen if the Mexican will make it out at the start of the second free practice later this afternoon.

     

  • F1 2017: Azerbaijan Gp Preview – Merc And Ferrari Battle in Baku

    F1 2017: Azerbaijan Gp Preview – Merc And Ferrari Battle in Baku

    In 2016 Azerbaijan became the newest addition to the Formula 1 calendar as it hosted the country’s first ever street-race in the capital city of Baku. F1’s favourite designer Herman Tilke envisioned and delivered a circuit, which combined the city’s uniquely historical buildings with the modern, and technical world of Formula1.

    The Baku City track, the third longest of the season, is an exercise in extreme opposites. While the mid sector of exceedingly tight and twisting corners is more akin to Monaco it is in stark contrast to the enormously long straits that dominates the first and final sectors of the lap and are more reminiscent of Monza. The circuit is the first counterclockwise track on the calendar and provides one of the most picturesque backdrops seen all year.

    The last time Lewis Hamilton steered his Mercedes around a proper street circuit was the Monaco grand prix. To put it mildly, thing didn’t go well for the Brit on those streets. Though the Baku race is similarly contested on the streets of Azerbaijan it doesn’t have too many parallels.

    GP EUROPA F1/2016There are a few factors in Hamilton’s, and to a greater degree Mercedes, favour this weekend. The longest strait on the F1 calendar will allow Merc to focus on its best feature, the engine. Further the Pirelli compounds on offer this weekend in the soft and supersoft compounds, which Mercedes favour far more than the ultra- and supersoft combo.

    From last year’s tyre performance it doesn’t appear that degradation is a big factor in Baku, which saw driver able to run long stints and make fewer pitstops. As there are fewer opportunities for a creative pit strategy on Sunday it ultimately increases the importance of qualifying well on Saturday.

    Similarly, there are a few factors that Hamilton will have to overcome this weekend in order to claw back the lead of the driver’s championship. The most important of these are undoubtedly the two Ferrari’s of Vettel and Raikkonen. Be it because of damage or unreliability the Canadian grand prix was a messy one for Ferrari. It was the type of grand prix that will, undoubtedly, harden their resolve of securing a good haul of points this weekend. Given their relative performance on other street circuits so far this year form dictates that the prancing horse will be no slouch around here either.

    GP AUSTRALIA F1/2017In 2016 the Italian team delivered a solid race here last year despite not being near the performance level of Mercedes. In far less competitive car than they have in 2017 Sebastian Vettel finished second while Kimi Raikkonen ran third for the majority of the race. Since the Monaco grand prix the team has vehemently denied any team orders are at work between its two drivers. It will make for interesting viewing should the Scuderia be faced with a similar scenario, to Monaco, this weekend.

    Valtteri Bottas could yet prove to be a factor for Hamilton too. The Finn is currently thirty-six points adrift of his teammate and that with a retirement in Spain. His first race win, in Russia, came on a weekend when Hamilton was inexplicably off the pace and he delivered in Monaco too and he firmly believes that in a head-to-head battle he has the measure of his teammate. “I think we [Hamilton and I] are very close, I don’t see a difference,” he said. “I believe in myself. But he was shown up in Canada on a circuit where he is considered to be somewhat of a specialist. It’s as perfect a time as any to beat Hamilton in a direct fight.

  • F1 2017: Canadian Gp Review – Hamilton Strolls, Ferrari Struggles

    F1 2017: Canadian Gp Review – Hamilton Strolls, Ferrari Struggles

    As far as grand prix wins go Lewis Hamilton’s win in Canada appeared no more taxing than a leisurely Sunday afternoon drive. Untroubled, the Mercedes driver, for the sixth time in his storied F1 career, reached the chequered flag first on the circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

    Hamilton’s unchallenged run to the chequered flag was set up by an exquisite qualifying lap on Saturday which netted him a 65th career pole position. It was this premium starting position on the grid, and a steady get-away, which ensured that he stayed clear of the mess of the first few turns. Though championship leader Sebastian Vettel started alongside in second he fell victim to Max Verstappen who rocketed off the line from fifth to second. In his charge to the front, the Red Bull driver clipped Vettel’s front-wing prompting the Ferrari driver to pit for a replacement and dropping him to 18th place.

    The carnage wasn’t only contained the sharp-end of the grid either. Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz triggered a crash that damaged Romain Grosjean’s Haas and ultimately eliminated himself and William’s Felipe Massa from the race all on lap one. The incident prompted a short safety-car period on the first lap. The race resumed with Hamilton able to easily pull away from second-placed Max Verstappen. The Dutchman was running comfortably in second until the Red Bull grinded to a halt with a battery failure on lap eleven. It cleared the way for Bottas in the second Mercedes but the Finn was unable to keep pace with Hamilton for the majority of the race.

    Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada. Sunday 11 June 2017. World Copyright: Steven Tee/LAT Images ref: Digital Image _R3I0800

    Behind Daniel Ricciardo drove faultlessly to maintain third place ahead of the Force India pair of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon. While both the Force India cars sat within striking distance of Ricciardo they were never able to get close enough to attempt an overtake. By now Ferrari had opted for a different strategy that had both Raikkonen and Vettel on the ultrasoft tyre for the last 30-odd laps of the race.

    Finally, the Ferrari’s were able to run at the pace that was initially expected of them as they closed down on the battle for the final podium spot. However, as Raikkonen closed on the back of fifth-placed Ocon he suffered a brake-by-wire issue that cost him six seconds a lap. Ultimately, the Ferrari was nursed home seventh place. Vettel, without such issues, boldly scythed his way past both the Force India drivers to finish an impressive fourth.

    Ferrari’s pace didn’t simply evaporate into thin air either more so it was the fact that they were unable to run in clean air, which is indicative of how an F1 car’s true pace and performance can be nullified if it is running in traffics. It’s no secret that all F1 cars are designed to run in clear air and as soon as that air becomes disturbed, by a car in front, the ‘dirty’ air causes too much instability to run as efficiently as possible. This is an issue, which Ross Brawn, as part of the new F1 brain trust, has earmarked in his quest to make F1 more “raceable.”

    Motor Racing - Formula One World Championship - Canadian Grand Prix - Race Day - Montreal, CanadaOn any other day Force India would’ve been pleased with a double-points finish but Perez’s ignored called to swop positions with teammate Ocon, on significantly fresher tyres, likely cost the team a podium finish. Nevertheless, the pair finished fifth and sixth ahead of an ailing Raikkonen in seventh. Nico Hulkenberg brought his Renault home in a solid eighth ahead of Montreal-native Lance Stroll who scored his first F1 points with a fine ninth-place finish ahead of Haas’ Romain Grosjean in tenth.

    After the struggles of the Monaco the Canadian grand prix was a must-win for Hamilton and Mercedes. He now trails championship leader Vettel by twelve points ahead of the Baku grand prix in two weeks time.

  • 2017 Canadian GP: Post Race Press Conference

    2017 Canadian GP: Post Race Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    2 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)

    3 – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

     

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (conducted by Sir Patrick Stewart)

    Q: Congratulations, Lewis. You might say that there’s nothing like a pleasant, quiet drive along the river on a Sunday afternoon in Montreal. But this was a little different, wasn’t it?

    Lewis HAMILTON: It was! I just want to start by saying thank you to this crowd — you guys have been amazing. Every year we come back, every year the crowd grows, the energy grows, the atmosphere grows. I don’t think anywhere in the world we do qualifying and have the reaction we have here, thank you!

    Q: It means something special to you, this track?

    LH: It is! I mean, I had my first pole here, I had my first win here ten years ago, and to repeat it this weekend is incredibly special. I really have to thank my team who made this possible, the guys back at the factory have worked so hard to really fix what we had in the last race, to bring it here and give it to the Ferraris. It’s great. Valtteri did a fantastic job to get collectively great points; I’m over the moon.

    Q: It’s a wonderful win, congratulations. Valtteri, congratulations. This is a good season, isn’t it? This is your fourth podium. Isn’t it? It is. How did it feel?

    Valtteri BOTTAS: It felt good! Thank you Montreal, again. It’s my fifth time racing here, and my third time up here on the podium, so it’s been a good place for me. It’s always good to be here, and as a team we really needed to get those points. After a tough race in Monaco I’m pretty impressed with what the team has done to get it together, and how much we have improved in two weeks is impressive. I’m just very, very proud to be a part of this.

    Q: And how does it feel, following Lewis like this around the track?

    VB: You know, in the beginning it was tough being behind the Red Bull, and then I was stuck behind one of the Force Indias for some time there. We split the strategy with Lewis, I went on soft. Initially we had [unclear] control of the race and I knew what I had to do to bring the car home. It was a good day for us.

    Q: Well, congratulations. Daniel Ricciardo! What an afternoon! You seemed to be having a lot of fun. But don’t you always have a lot of fun?

    Daniel RICCIARDO: Today I don’t think I had fun till I saw the chequered flag! It was tough. I was defending the whole race, and we weren’t that quick to be honest. I had pressure, so I couldn’t afford to do any mistakes, and it was getting quite hot so concentration was being tested, but it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it and it is awesome to be on the podium here, with all the fans. As Lewis said, it’s awesome. It’s amazing. [crowd roars] I think I hear something… I have to do something. [DR does ‘shoey’ then gives PS ‘shoey’]

    Q: This is becoming a ritual! Good vintage! Cheers! Congratulations. Lewis…

    LH: I’m proud of you for doing that! It’s something I couldn’t do. Have you seen how sweaty his feet are?

    Q: I don’t care – I’m on the podium for the first time; I’ll drink out of anybody’s shoe! You were in the lead for the whole race, from pole to the last lap. How does that feel? What impact does it have?

    LH: I’ll tell you that in a second, but can you read my mind?

    Yes. You are happy!

    LH: I’m just so honoured to be here this weekend, to match the record yesterday in qualifying. LIke I said, I work with a great group of people, I’m a small part of a big team, so a big thank you to everyone, and let’s keep it going for the rest of the season!

    Do you hear that, Canada? Montreal — what he said! Thank you! Thank you!

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Lewis, many congratulations. Amazing atmosphere, amazing win. Ten years you’ve been coming here to Montreal, you’ve had six poles and now you’ve had six wins. I believe that’s the first time in your career you’ve won the same race six times. Quite a day, quite a moment. I guess it was one of those days that worked out quite well for you — once you’d got Turn One, the strategy came towards you, you controlled the race; it must have been a great day.

    LH: It’s been an incredible weekend — I couldn’t be happier. Firstly, for the team to have come away from Monaco, everyone kind scratching their heads but everyone wanting to work, to pull together, which we did. I don’t think in the five years I’ve been with the team that I’ve seen them pull so well together and really work towards the same cause. Understand the car and then come here and deliver what we’ve delivered – a great blow to the Ferraris, I think, because Valtteri did a fantastic job to get a 1-2 – it’s our first 1-2 together – and it’s important points for the team. So, well deserved. It’s kind of crazy to think that I had my first pole position and grand prix win here years ago. It felt great; it felt very reminiscent of 2007 in terms of how the race went. Once we did the restart, once I got past the pit straight it was all under control from there. I had to manage the car, the tyres, it’s a long race! When you’re out there on your own it feels very long — when you’ve got 35 laps to go, you think it’s a long way. Just hoping that the car holds together, which it did. The crowd here — as I mentioned on the podium — every year they turn up in their masses, and the energy from them is as close to the British Grand Prix as anywhere else. Really, the energy’s fantastic — you could almost hear them through qualifying, just generally excited. The city’s been buzzing, as it is every year. I’ve definitely put on weight, because the food is great, and it’s very hard not to eat it. I’m just really, really happy and a big thank you to everyone.

    Q: Valtteri, as Lewis said it’s amazingly the first one-two of the season, really well done, really built on that aggressive start. The move on Sebastian Vettel crucial to the outcome today. Tell us a little bit about that and then also the decision to go with the soft tyre after had done, obviously, the same thing before you I think.

    VB: Yes, so first of all, like Lewis said, I’m also really happy for us as a team. It’s been really impressive to see in only two weeks what we have been able to do and improve with everything, with the team. Never seen a group of people, so determined to win and get back on top and now a one-two here is amazing. Really proud to be part of that. Lewis did a really good job all weekend and today. Obviously in the start I tried to do everything I can to be aggressive, to try and get ahead of Ferraris. Had a bit of a lock-up there, which was compromising my first stint – but I knew there was an opportunity. I kind of dived in. I knew that the inside line is the way to go, so that was good. Then, lost a bit of time behind the Red Bull and then after the stop behind the Force India. We decided to go for the soft based on what the team saw with other cars running the soft – but it wasn’t quite as good as I was expecting as well, so the pace was missing a bit in the second stint but still, I knew what I had to do in the end: bring the car home and get the points. Not maybe the ideal tyre for me today but I tried everything to make the most out of that.

    Q: Coming to you Daniel, third podium in a row. It’s becoming a habit. On the cool down your engineer said you “had a bit on today.” Obviously, a lot of it going on in your rear-view mirrors, so a word about that. There’s a bit of a controversy with Force India, Ocon asking to be allowed to have a crack at you. From what you saw, do you think he would have had a better chance than Pérez did? Be interesting to here your thoughts on that. And also, did you feel the same way as Valtteri, that the soft didn’t quite turn out the way you thought it was going to?

    DR: Yeah, if he wants to have a crack we can go at it in the car park in about an hour! It was tough. I had a race of defence. The soft, yeah, it was a bit slow to get going and then, for a few laps, I was able to pull away from Pérez and it looked like then maybe the supersoft was struggling. But then, yeah, I couldn’t get anything out really of the soft. It was really hard to find the grip and quite easy to make a mistake. Hard to be consistent every lap. And then, yeah, Pérez started coming again. For sure the supersoft I think was better – and yeah we weren’t particularly quick with that tyre but, yeah, just managed to put in as clean laps as I could. It was tricky with the level of grip the tyre had but also with the wind. The wind was throwing the car around quite a lot and that was tricky. And then a few laps to go I heard Seb was coming, so yeah, I couldn’t rest the whole race. It was a tough one, y’know. It was quite warm and tested the concentration and everything. Very, very happy. Got carried away on the podium and didn’t manage to thank the team but yeah, three podiums in a row. Happy with that. Obviously, we’re not the quickest car on the track at the moment but we’re managing to put it together on a Sunday. Yeah, it’s nice. It’s nice obviously. Max had his problems today, I’m sure he would have been up there as well. We’ll try to get both cars on the podium soon.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xero Xone News) Lewis, you were controlled, you were measured and you made this look, like Sir Patrick Stewart said, incredibly easy today. You’ve had a whole lot of milestones here and it seems like after the incredible, emotional weekend that you’ve had, I asked you on Thursday if this place is very special to you. Has today and this weekend made it even more special?

    LH: Definitely. It’s always been a special place for me, as I said, being my first grand prix win. I think every year I feel the fans have grown with me over these ten years and I think that it’s just my appreciation for Canada and the people here has just grown over the time. It’s crazy to think after ten years I enjoy driving every single lap just as much as I did ten years ago when I was 22 years old. I absolutely loved it the whole way today and I hope that I get many more experiences like that here.

    Q: (Bill Beacon – Canadian Press) This is for Lewis and Valtteri. How were you able to avoid all that mess on the first lap, and how do you think all that affected the race?

    LH: I’ve not really got much to say. I got a really good start, so I was generally in the clear. I think I saw in my mirror… I think it might have been Valtteri on the inside, I thought saw him lock-up, and I thought he was going to… I didn’t know who was on the right of me but I came out of Turn Two and saw that Valtteri was behind. You were behind?

    VB: Yeah, I was third

    LH: … so the Red Bull, I think, and then seeing the Ferraris further back, I was thinking ‘that’s fantastic for us’.

    Valtteri?

    VB: Yeah, I was trying to get in front of the Ferrari, that was only target for Turn One really. Had a good start, had a bit of a lock-up which compromised my first stint. The visibility was poor and it was difficult to see and I think I need a dentist as well! But it came out OK in the end.

    Q: (Mike Doodson – Honorary) Many congratulations Lewis. You said earlier this year how tricky this year’s car is to drive – but on the podium, you praised the team on the effectiveness of the updates they’ve bought this weekend. Does this mean to say it’s the end of Monaco-style upsets?

    LH: I wasn’t praising them on the updates because we didn’t bring any upgrades here. I was praising them on the due diligence they did after the last race. They really did such great work in terms of analysing where we’d gone wrong, all the different points, and then giving us a summary: ‘this is where we went wrong, this is what we think we need to do to fix it.’ And then putting it into action. It was just amazing teamwork. We came here, the car’s back to where it should be. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be like that every time but I think we learned a lot. And I’m happy that it was actually… even though Monaco’s a special one to win… I’m happy that it was that early in the season that we had learned those things. I think it should put us in a strong position from here moving forwards. We know which direction we need to be developing the car from now on.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Valtteri, third with Williams, second with Mercedes here. Which one feels better?

    VB: This one, for sure because it’s… yeah, it’s my best result here ever, although it’s not first, it is second and second is better than third, so ’15, ’16, ’17 been on the podium here so Montreal has been really good for me – but this definitely feels better, for sure because of the result but first of all because it is our first one of the year to be one-two as a team. And also other results that we need. We are here to win the Championship and these kind of results we need, obviously. As a driver, I would prefer to be first rather than second. As a team, it is really good for us, I’m really proud of what we have done. It feels good.

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and Speed Sport) For Daniel, of course: When you saw Max Verstappen go out, how much of a concern was that and did the team give you any instructions to avoid maybe having the same thing?

    DR: Yeah, I’m not sure of the reason. I still don’t know. To be honest, I’m not too fussed in terms of it doesn’t bother me whether the team tell me what happened or not. Obviously I’ve got my car underneath me an I’ve got to do the best I can with that. I think sometimes if you know, you try to… I don’t know, you might be hesitant. I wasn’t sure but I had a lot of switches to change constantly, so I assume that had something to do with it, to try and prevent maybe the same happening with me. It was pretty busy. There are some procedures we do to avoid system failure and all of that kind of stuff, so I presume that was the things I was doing. But fortunately there’s a long straight so you get plenty of time to do that, but it wasn’t so easy when I’m trying to look in my mirrors as well and do all these switch changes. I still don’t know exactly what happened to Max, but it was quite early in the race. I don’t think it was anything with the brakes, I guess it was something more terminal.

    Energy store.

    DR: OK. Alright. Yeah. Fortunately mine held up today.

    Q: (Luis Vasconcelos – La Presse) To Valterri and Lewis. It’s unusual when a team is leading 1-2 very comfortably to split strategies. Was that planned or was that a consequence of Ferrari being on the back foot and trying things that were not normal to try in a race like this?

    LH: I think it was just because it was an unknown… They have explained that for the lead car to have taken the soft would have been a risk and depending on where the second car is and in terms of the gap behind them, perhaps it’s a worthwhile risk for the second car. That’s why they said they would try. Also, because I was quite comfortable on the ultrasoft, they kept me out way longer than my stop, which was to be lap 21 and in that period of time everyone had stopped behind me and I was able to wait a bit to see how everyone was doing on the different tyres and after they had seen one of the drivers on the supersoft and it was going well, Vettel maybe, they said this is the better tyre go with. We chose that and to be honest the tyres were great today. I had no problems with them at all.

    VB: I completely understand why we went to the soft. We spoke about it before the race and I was also up for it because of the temperatures being hotter today. I tried the soft tyre on Friday and it wasn’t too bad but it wasn’t just quiet up there as expected. I was personally expecting it to be better and if I could have chosen the tyre at that point when we stopped I would have taken the soft, just to try. The gap already to Lewis was quite big and there was nothing to lose really, just to try. But unfortunately it was the slower tyre today. It cost me some points but it didn’t cost me time.

    Q: (Jeff Pappone – Inside Track) Lewis, I’m just wondering with everything that has happened this weekend, the blazing pole lap, the helmet, everything fell together today, can this be considered one of the best weekends of your career?

    LH: I think it’s always difficult to say the best. I have been so fortunate. Motor racing has given me some great memories, from the early days when I was eight years old. And being in Formula One from 22 onwards I think there are just so many, I wouldn’t want to say one was more special than the other. The first grand prix win I had when my dad was here. The first grand prix I had when I finished third on the podium and seeing my dad coming out of the garage and we couldn’t believe that we were there; winning my first championship, there are just so many amazing memories, Each weekend you just want to arrive as a more solid, complete driver. I think this weekend I would like to hope being that I’m older, more experienced, further down the line, I would like to think I’m a lot more composed, a lot more complete as a driver. In terms of performance I would like to think it was one of the best weekends, yeah.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Does it feel any different to have a one 1-2 with Valtteri than it did with Nico?

    LH: It’s always a great thing for a team to achieve a 1-2, it’s always special. I think experiencing it with Valtteri is definitely different. I think the chemistry Valtteri and I have is different. I think the working environment we’ve both experienced this year is on a complete other level, on a professional level that’s been above any other year that I have experienced. That obviously comes from Valtteri’s maturity and how the team also works with us, to give us a fair platform to fight. As I said on the podium there, it’s pour first 1-2, it’s solid, solid points for the team. I’m sure Valtteri will say he didn’t enjoy his qualifying, because he was rapid in Monaco for example but it’s very difficult with the car we have at the moment. I know he is going to have many more wins to come and I that when he has those wins I am able to back him up and get those points for the team.

    Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) You’re heading for a third street track in a row after Monaco and Canada. Baku could be considered a combination of both. How will you be attacking Baku and will you using what you learned in Monaco there or from here and Monaco?

    LH: Definitely. You take each experience and you pile ‘em up. What we learned in Monaco will definitely impact Baku. It’s a much longer circuit; I think it’s very smooth, a lot more flat. Downforce efficiency is going to be important there, you don’t have to be as soft as for example you have to be here in roll and bumps. Last year I think I was very quick there; I just didn’t deliver. So the plan is to make sure I deliver. The trickiest part will be tyres I believe. I’m not sure which tyres we have, I’m sure it’s quite similar to here, but that’s going to be the tricky part, these tyres. Getting them in the window on such a smooth surface. That’s going to be the challenge for everyone. I’m excited to go back there. Now we know the place, I might try to get there a bit earlier to experience a bit more of Azerbaijan and sense a bit more of the culture. It always makes the experience much better when you get to live in the culture moment for a while, rather than just pop in and out; you miss so many great things.

  • 2017 Canadian GP: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    2017 Canadian GP: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    2 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

    3 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)

    TRACKSIDE INTERVIEWS (conducted by Will Buxton)

    Q: Sixth career position, here in Montreal, 12,000 friends to celebrate with. That was an exceptional lap.

    Lewis HAMILTON: What’s up Montreal? How are you guys doing? I’m so happy! Thank you so much for coming out here every year, you guys are the ones who all make this grand prix as special as it is for us. Thank you so much. Montreal’s been good to me over the years; it was a close battle with the Ferraris, they were so quick. They’ve been quick all year, but I was gunning, I was pushing — I’ve got great support out here and I just wanted to give them a good lap.

    Q: The first flyer in Q3 was exceptional. The second almost defied belief. What a lap!

    LH: It was a sexy lap! It was a great lap. I can’t believe it came together so well — the first section was fantastic and I just managed to be a little bit up on each one. The team did a fantastic job to learn from our mistakes in the last race and really build up for this race, so I owe it all to them. To everyone back at the factory, a big thank you.

    Q: Seb, it was close man, it was so close, particularly on that first run. We’ve got the Montreal Ferrari Fan Club there. Yeah it’s front row, but can you win it tomorrow? Have you got the pace?

    Sebastian VETTEL: I think we have. I’m not so happy with the last run I had in qualy; I’d like to repeat the second run, just find a little bit. I probably pushed a bit too hard, lost a little bit in sector two, and then I tried a little bit of catch-up. Not ketchup to eat, catching up the lap times! It was a good qualifying session, though, getting better at the end. At the beginning I was struggling to find a rhythm. Great atmosphere, people cheering, free practice they’re on it, so it’s really great to be here.

    Q: And no seagulls this year, just this man to get in your way.

    SV: Yeah, I mean, the seagulls were in Turn One last year, so I’m pretty sure we should be fine.

    Q: Valtteri, this is a track that’s always suited you. Once again, another phenomenal job – talk me through your qualifying.

    Valtteri BOTTAS: It was close here, as I expected. Lewis had a mega run today. For me, on the second run I tried to go faster, but I went deep into Turn Ten [unclear]. So well done to Lewis, as I said

    Q: Lewis, today you equalled your great hero Ayrton Senna to go second of all-time in pole positions. The Senna family wanted to give you something to congratulate you on equalling Ayrton’s record. It’s not a replica, it’s race-worn. From your hero, to you. Lewis, you’ve had a few emotions in Formula One. How does that one rank?

    LH: I’m shaking. I’m speechless. Ayrton… I know for many of you he was your favourite driver. It was the same for me – he was the one who inspired me to be where I am today. To match him, and to receive this, is the greatest honour. A big, big thank you to the Senna family, and to everyone here. God bless you all. Thank you.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Many congratulations, Lewis. An inspired drive today, and obviously a very special moment with this amazing memento you’ve been given. A tremendous battle continues, with you and Sebastian clearly pushing each other right to the limit. Perhaps you’d like to tell us a little bit about that lap in detail and where you found it from.

    LH: We’ve obviously been working very hard over the past two weeks to try and rectify the issues we had with the car. Needless to tell you, the guys worked harder than ever and did an amazing job to firstly understand where we went wrong and then figure out how we can progress forwards. I’m really so grateful for all the hard work back in the factory. We’ve known all weekend that it was going to be really close, but Ferrari really did seem like they had the upper hand. Being as it is a street circuit, being that there are risk factors in terms of how you push on your lap, you always save your best for last. We’ve been building up, honestly… We thought they might have another power mode to step up, Seb had been very very strong. Yeah, and I just went out and tried to do very consistent runs, and just build upon each lap, each time I went out, but knowing there are a few places to improve on. Working the ultrasoft tyre for the first lap is not easy, and obviously that’s been an issue in the past and it’s something I’ve been working very hard to make sure I fully understood and how to capitalise on the use of the tyre. Today was the day that I needed to do that – I knew that number 65 was there in the waiting, I knew that Montreal has been a beautiful place and a beautiful home for me in the many years since my first win here. So I was like ‘if I’m going to get a pole, get that special pole, if anywhere it’s going to be here. Of course, you go into your last lap and you can’t imagine it. You can only hope and imagine it’s going to go well, but often it doesn’t. The lap just started perfectly on the exit of the last corner; I built it on the foundations I had already set on the previous lap. Very smooth, no mistakes, just a little bit up everywhere. And then the last part was in the last corner, which has always been a strength of mine throughout my time here. And an incredible reception from the fans, so a big thank you to them. For the Senna family to send me this… I don’t actually own any of Ayrton’s artefacts, anything from him, so this is the most special thing I have, above and beyond all my trophies and everything. A big, big thank you – I’m honoured to be honoured by that family.

    Q: And only three behind the all-time record, might be achievable in the near future. Very well done. Well, in any great duel there is always the other side of the story, Sebastian. Two great champions pushing each other to the limit at the moment. It was four one thousandths between you after that first run, but were you dismayed by the lap time he pulled out?

    SV: Well I didn’t know at that point, I was still on my lap but I knew I had to improve, even just by five thousandths. First of all, congrats to him, it’s a massive achievement, so he was the better man today. I’m not entirely happy. We had a bit of a different run in in qualifying, which was fine and it just got better and better and for the last run I thought OK, we can step it up and I should be able to find a little bit of time but I lost the car a bit in Turn 2, I was on the back foot already, losing two tenths out of the second corner and then I knew I had to catch up which I did until the end of the lap but just enough to do the same time as before so not entirely clean. I would have loved to get a better lap at the end. But that’s how it is but nevertheless I think the car is very good. I was happy this morning, I was happy this afternoon and it should be very good in the race so looking forward to tomorrow.

    Q: Valtteri, this has always been a very strong track for you. Were you surprised by the pace Lewis was able to pull out of the car today? And thoughts on the race for tomorrow because it looked to me on the long runs yesterday that you had pretty low degradation on the tyres. You looked very strong yesterday in the long runs.

    VB: Yeah, first of all, big congrats to Lewis for his 65th pole position. It’s a great achievement matching Senna, so well done. He had a mega-lap today. I was really trying hard. It was a tricky day for me, especially Practice Three with the balance of the car. It really hasn’t happy at all but a lot better for qualifying. Q1, Q2 felt good but in Q3, when I came down to getting those last hundredths and tenths and pushing harder, the car became unstable again and not so easy to predict. I struggled more with the car today than Lewis did and couldn’t get a lap together. But yeah, long runs seemed OK. Again, it’s going to be close with Ferrari I think, so I felt good in the car on the long runs and it’s all about tomorrow.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Mike Doodson – Honorary) Lewis, Ayrton himself always placed more importance on pole positions than he did on race wins. What is your policy in that area?

    LH: I can understand that because obviously it makes the Sunday often easier. Even though it’s still difficult it gives you the best possible opportunity and the optimum position to start the race. So, I can agree with that, and obviously I equalled Ayrton in race wins a while ago so this had been focus. Literally as a kid, I’d come home and, like, one day if I’m really lucky and I can get to Formula One, I’d want emulate Ayrton. The fact I’ve now reached him in that area… I just can’t believe it. Honestly, I can’t believe it. I remember coming home from school and putting on the videotape of Ayrton, so it’s really strange to think that now I’m here and level in poles. And being that it is the most difficult season, I would say, in my career, racing against these two great drivers, and Kimi, and having us so close, really, then pushes us all to the limit and relies on us all being perfect. And, of course, we can’t always be perfect. Today I got as close as I could get.

    Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS) For Lewis. I can imagine this is far better getting his helmet near the people, near the audience, in the public than in the press conference?

    LH: Sure, I’ve really grown a lot with the fans here. There’s a lot of Ferrari fans here, as there are around the world – but there’s a lot of Team LH fans here that have really grown with me from my first pole position, my first win in 2007. So, there’s been a lot of growth over those years and I really feel welcomed in Canada when I come. Not only here but just, when I go to Toronto, for example. It’s a place I love. I really do love this track, and when you’re able to pull out a lap like that, it just cements the love that you have for it again. And to receive that in front of the crowd, it’s a huge, huge fillip. Sold out crowd I think today – they always turn out in their thousands and really, really create the atmosphere. As I was driving towards them, outside the car, I could feel the roar. I can feel it when I do the out-lap, when I do the in-lap, when I’ve finished the lap, I can see them in the corner of my eye. They’re just out-and-out sports fans. I think they just have an appreciation for competition.

    Q: (Chris Medland – Racer.com) Lewis, you said that was a near-perfect lap. Obviously 65 is a lot of pole positions – but is this one of your best, or maybe even your best?

    LH: If I’m really honest it’s really hard to remember every single pole. If I’m really honest… they’ve all been special and unique in their own way. I think being that it’s hard to remember them, it also feels like it’s the first time. Honestly, coming across that line, almost holding your breathe, hoping, fingers crossed, waiting, knowing that Sebastian was still on a lap, Valtteri was still on a lap, not sure. It was a good lap but you don’t want to get your hopes too much up because you’ll be disappointed if they do a better lap – but in the intensity of the moment, I don’t really recall having as intense a moment, in terms of this intense battle that we’re having I would like to think that it is one of the best, yeah. And being that it is equalling Ayrton as well, makes it a little bit more special.

    Q: (Bill Beacon – Canadian Press) A question for Lewis and Sebastian. Given that the two of you are so close in every way this year, what sort of race are you expecting tomorrow? Is it one of those races that’s going to go down to the last lap?

    LH: I believe it will, being that we are so close. Ferrari have great single lap pace but very, very strong always, as they have shown in the races. I anticipate tomorrow… it was a close battle last year between us and I can only imagine that tomorrow it’s going to be pushing all the way to the end. It’s definitely going to be a good one. I’m excited about it.

    SV: I expect a close race! I think it has been very close in every race so far. Maybe Monaco they were struggling a bit more in terms of pace but everywhere else we went it’s unfair to say that one was quicker than the other. I think we were in the same tenth in race pace. That’s great. Not so easy to overtake if you are that close, no matter where you go, but we’ll see. It will be a long race tomorrow. Canada is always nice, so looking forward to tomorrow.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Lewis, three more pole positions and you will equal the record. Will that be a similar emotion, because it seems that the 65 of Senna stands out more than the 68 of Michael?

    LH: I haven’t got to the 68 of Michael so I can’t really say. I can’t really look that far ahead at the moment. I just have to be really grateful and appreciate this moment, because it was, as I said, Ayrton was the guy that I noticed at the beginning… I think it was the colour of the helmet. That’s what kids notice, the colours, and then you kind of get hooked – ‘that’s my driver’. But of course a big fan of Michael’s and to think that I am that close to his incredible record it would be… I’m going to be racing for a while so I plan on getting there. That would be an honour in itself at that moment but that’s all ifs and buts and whens and I have to appreciate this moment. You never know when it’s you last day.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Valtteri, how would you rate your own chances tomorrow for winning the race, if these two are only concentrating on each other?

    VB: For sure starting third you have all the chances. It’s a long race tomorrow and we are all in the first few rows going into the race so try and win it. For us, as a team, it would be best to try and get a 1-2 but of course as a driver you always go for the best and try to win it and there is a chance. But it’s going to be a long race, so we’ll see.

    LH: Heikki, do you have questions for the non-Finnish drivers? I’m actually part-Finnish, I spend a lot of time with Finnish people. He [Seb] has a home in Finland!

    Q: (Jeff Pappone – Inside Track) It’s not a Senna helmet, but last month there was a set of stamps unveiled in Canada to mark the 50th anniversary of this race featuring Jackie Stewart, Gilles Villeneuve, Aytron Senna, Michael Schumacher and yourself. I just want to know how you feel about that? Have you seen the stamp and what’s your feeling about included among those drivers as one of the drivers of the decades of this race?

    LH: I have seen the stamp. I’ve got the stamp. I posted it the other day…

    SV: To who?

    LH: No, no, I posted it on Instagram! That’s actually a good idea! I should post it to someone! Yeah, I’m honoured to be amongst those great drivers, those previous legends. I posted an image on Instagram, of an image that had the other drivers on there, that showed me amongst them. Ultimately just very proud of… it wouldn’t be possible without the all the hard work of my family. My dad standing here for the time when I won my first grand prix here, all the work that went in before that which no one really gets to see. Right now all the stuff you see is the tip of the iceberg and no one know how big an ice berg is and no one knows how hard we work to get where we are today, so I really owe it to a lot of people who are behind me. I’m proud that I can put the Hamilton name there and if today is my last day on the Earth then the Hamilton name will remain in the sport forever and that’s something we can be proud of.

    Q: (Ralph Woodall – L’Equipe) Seb, the two Ferraris were very quick during practice. How do you explain the bit of struggle you had during qualification?

    SV: I don’t know what happened to Kimi. I was quite busy in Q3, doing three runs, so I didn’t see much and I didn’t know what times Lewis was doing until qualifying was over. I don’t know, I think we always expect Mercedes to be quick, especially in the last segment. It’s true that maybe I didn’t get the best lap, but I think Lewis did just a better job today and got a really, really good lap. I don’t know, maybe Kimi struggled with the car but otherwise we were fairly close all weekend.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Seb, about the three runs in Q3: was that meant from the beginning and is it here more important to have an extra run in Q3 than other circuits?

    SV: No, not really but we spoke about it before obviously and then made the call. I was quite confident at the time to go with the first lap. Before, the session were a bit mixed, you saw that the lap times were getting better and better and when we made the call then I didn’t run again in Q2 and the others put in the fastest lap on their first lap, so I was pretty confident we made the right call.

    Q: (Chris Medland – Racer.com) Lewis, you referenced the fight with Ferrari, how much is this tight battle pushing you to improve yourself and perform at your very best? And to Seb and Valtteri how much more being in the fight for pole positions and wins at every race, does it produce your best?

    LH: It’s a good question. I would say my opinion is that it is a little bit more so for us because we are having a car that is not working everywhere. It’s a great car but it’s a trickier car to set up than the cars I’ve had in the past. It appears from the outside that the Ferrari is easier – while they are working hard – it works everywhere it seems. If we are staying level and we are up and down all the time, for sure it puts a lot of emphasis on us pulling together more than ever and as a team we are closer and more united than we have ever been. Utilising every engineer to the absolute max and utilising everyone’s abilities as a team. In the five years I have been with this team I’ve never seen such great teamwork and communication. We are all just talking more than we have ever done. It’s great today to be able to say the fruits of that hard work. It’s not just chatting for nothing. It’s going to continue to be a tough, tough, tough race with the Ferraris, because they are so strong but today we have shown we can have an answer if we put the work in.

    SV: I’m not sure I remember the question! I think it’s always great if you step into the car knowing you can have a great weekend. I’ve always been very fortunate so far in my career that I have had very, very good years but I’m sure if you speak to the other half of the grid they are longing to be there, longing to have the chance, but for sure it’s more enjoyable when you race for trophies – and maybe helmets as well!

    VB: I think you are always trying to [find new limits] especially now being Lewis’ team-mate and fighting with Seb and Kimi, for sure you are always trying to find new limits, and you are. You can improve as long as you want to. That is exciting but today was a tricky day for me. I didn’t get everything… I wasn’t so comfortable with the car and that’s why I was behind but tomorrow is a new day.