Tag: max verstappen

F1 2019: Japanese Gp Preview – Suzuka – An Incomparable Classic

The Japanese grand prix is one always highly anticipated on the Formula 1 calendar. The trip around the celebrated Suzuka circuit is a nostalgic and highly demanding one.

It’s nostalgic for it reminds racers and fans alike of how circuits used to be constructed – fast, demanding, and with little room for error. It’s nostalgic for less positive reasons too. It was here five years ago that then Marussia driver Jules Bianchi crashed heavily sustaining injuries that would sadly claim his life several months later. Bianchi, a Ferrari Academy driver at the time, held much promise to be an F1 star of the future. Earlier in the season he scored a sensational point in Monaco for the otherwise embattled Marussia team. It underlined his enormous potential and drew a line under the knowledge that he was likely to end up in a Ferrari sooner rather than later. Sadly, Bianchi’s potential will remain forever unfulfilled.

However, in a rather romantic twist of fate Bianchi was the Godfather of current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. The Monaco-born driver has impressed in his short stint as a Ferrari driver and currently sits with the most pole positions starts of anyone in 2019. Ferrari’s recent uptick in form, including three wins in the last four races, comes on the back of a tremendous amount of work in Maranello and, specifically, the fast-tracking updates meant for 2020. The team will be buoyed but still wary of the challenge in Japan. It is markedly different circuit than those of Spa, Monza, Singapore, and Russia. Still, given Leclerc’s incredible form in the last two months it would be brave to bet against him, especially in quali. Seb Vettel too looks a man renewed after an emotional-fuelled win in Singapore.

Nevertheless, the Italian squad will face stern opposition from Red Bull and Mercedes. After all, it was here that Max Verstappen made his debut, in practice, just three days after his 17^th birthday. It’s a rollercoaster for the Dutchman since that includes 7 victories and slew of impressive drives from the back of the field. Though Red Bull has lagged behind since the summer break the Suzuka circuit should suit the characteristics of the car. As it happens to be engine supplier Honda’s home race to boot nothing less than a podium will suffice.

In Russia Mercedes one-two victory would have re-installed a much-needed calm. Of course there wasn’t any great panic in light of the results since the month-long break but there has undoubtedly been a few nervy and uncomfortable moments in the last two months. Japan should be a good track for Mercedes given the high to medium speed make-up of most of the corners.

Through the decades Japan’s Suzuka circuit has delivered some of the best and most memorable races in the history of the sport. It was here in 1990 that Ayrton Senna, arguably, drove into the side of archrival Alain Prost, took him out of the race, and won the championship title. It was here too that produced one of the best races in the history of the sport when in 2005 Kimi Raikkonen came from 17^th on the grid to pass Giancarlo Fisichella’s Renault on the last lap of the race for a extraordinary and unforgettable win.

And it is here in 2019 where teams and drivers will arrive to fervent fans and one of the most iconic and beloved circuits in the world. On form the suggestion is that Mercedes head into the weekend as favourites but only by the smallest margin. But this Suzuka circuit has its own ambience, its own way of dishing up the unexpected and because of that so-called form and results from years gone by may not be the best predictor in Japan.

October 9, 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
Singapore GP Qualifying Recap: Leclerc takes stunning pole for Ferrari

Charles Leclerc claimed his third consecutive pole position for Ferrari, taking both the Mercedes and Red Bull teams by surprise ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

Leclerc outpaced Hamilton by 0.19s seconds to clinch the pole despite losing control of the car on several occasions, according to the Frenchman. Sebastian Vettel had held the provisional pole position after the first runs in Q3, but both Hamilton and Leclerc improved on their times during their second runs to claim the front row of the grid.

It was expected that Ferrari would struggle around the streets of Singapore, but both Ferrari drivers made significant progress with the setup of the car during the course of the race weekend.

Leclerc was strongest in the first sector, where Ferrari is able to maximise its power advantage. That said, Leclerc did have to put in the work to fend off Hamilton in the next two sectors where Mercedes appears to be the stronger car.

Vettel aborted his second run after making an error which meant his time would not improve. The German will be starting from third position. Vettel said that he had “peaked too early in the session,” and that his lap “should have been better”.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had been hoping to be stronger and challenge the front row of the grid, but finished in fourth place, just under 6 tenths off Leclerc’s time. Valtteri Bottas initially showed some good pace but failed to improve on his Q2 time and had to settle for fifth place in the second Mercedes.

Alex Albon impressed on his first visit to Singapore, claiming sixth place in the second Red Bull. Carlos Sainz finished seventh fastest for McLaren ahead of the Renaults of Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg. Lando Norris claimed the last spot in the top ten for the second McLaren.

Sergio Perez qualified in eleventh position but will drop five grid places with a penalty following a gearbox replacement. That moves Antonio Giovinazzi up a position, and he’ll start ahead of the Toro Rosso of Pierre Gasly.

Kimi Raikkonen damaged his front wing on his first run out in Q2 and was unable to improve on his second run. Magnussen will start the race behind him with Daniil Kvyat, Lance Stroll, Romain Grosjean, George Russel, and Robert Kubica rounding out the grid.

UPDATE: Daniel Ricciardo has been excluded from the qualifying results for exceeding the MGU-K power limit during Q1.

September 22, 2019
F1 2019: Singapore Gp Preview – F1 Ready to Rule the Streets

After the back-to-back stops in Belgium and Italy Formula 1 heads off for the fly-away races for which the first stop is the Far-East Asian city state of Singapore.

The Marina Bay Circuit, first introduced in 2008, is famed for being the first night race on the F1 calendar. It hasn’t been without controversy with the most contentious incident being the 2008 Crashgate saga. Then Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. was ordered by Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds to deliberately crash in assistance of teammate Fernando Alonso. Luckily, the Singapore grand prix and F1 has moved on from then to deliver several memorable races on the city streets of Singapore.

The 5.063 kilometer stretch around the harbour is comprised of a tapestry of twenty-three corners. The proximity of the barriers combined with the relentlessly nature of corner-after-corner gives drivers little time to relax and demands persistent attentiveness and concentration in fairly extreme conditions of 80% humidity and more than 30 degree ambient temperatures.

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel each have four wins a piece in Singapore. It was Vettel’s win 2015, seemingly out of the blue, that stopped Mercedes’ domination, albeit momentarily. Last year’s qualifying session saw Hamilton deliver, arguably, one of the most perfect quali laps of his career. The lap may have been only three tenths clear of second-placed Max Verstappen but the way he danced the Silver Arrow around the twisting Singapore streets will live long in the memory.

Ferrari arrives on a tremendous high after winning in both Spa and Monza. But they also arrive with the understanding that it will be far greater task to take the top step of the podium. Given the characteristics of the Ferrari and its struggle in low speed corners it is almost inevitable that this weekend will be an uphill battle to beat either Red Bull or Mercedes.

The story this weekend isn’t expected to be all Ferrari and Mercedes though. There is every expectation that Red Bull will be solidly in the mix for top honours, especially in the form of Max Verstappen who always excels on street tracks.

September 16, 2019
F1 2019: Italian Gp Review – Leclerc Dazzles with Home Win

On lap 69 at the Red Bull Ring in Austria Max Verstappen sent his Red Bull up the inside of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, banged wheels, and snatched the lead of the race and ultimately the victory. This was a significant moment in Leclerc’s fledging F1 career. To that point he’d been refined, a bit too polite for the cutthroat world of Formula 1 racing.

But he learned from Austria and with it his mentality shifted. And it’s a good thing it did for he needed all of that ruthlessness in Monza. Ferrari arrived in Monza fresh off a win in Spa and with the knowledge that their car should be the favourite at Italy’s famed Cathedral of Speed. This was confirmed as they secured pole position with Leclerc on Saturday. The shambolic final few minutes of quali all drivers, except Carlos Sainz, missed the chance to set a laptime because of jockeying for a slipstream. It left Hamilton on the front row and Vettel down in fourth.

It was a bit of a nervy start for Leclerc who had to fend off Hamilton into the first chicane. But he held his own with Hamilton running within 1.5 seconds in second. While Bottas remained in third Vettel momentarily lost out to Nico Hulkenberg but quickly recovered fourth by passing the Renault down the start/finish straight on the start of lap 2.

Vettel’s failure to make inroads at the start wasn’t a particularly big problem as he held the front three well within view. However, a handful of laps later and seemingly out of the blue he spun in the middle of the Ascari chicane. The German rejoined the track and in doing so hit the Racing Point of Lance Stroll. While Stroll attempted his own recovery he too rejoined in an unsafe manner which forced Pierre Gasly into taking avoiding action in the Toro Rosso. Vettel was subsequently, and rightly, handed a ten second stop/go penalty for rejoining the circuit in an unsafe manner while Stroll was handed a drive-through penalty for his own infringement.

It spelled the end of Vettel’s race who ultimately trundled home in 13^th. Elsewhere, Kimi Raikkonen too was given a ten second stop/go penalty for starting the race on the incorrect tyres. The Finn was forced into a pitlane start after a crash in quali and started on the medium compound whereas his run in Q2 and advancement to Q3 meant he was locked into starting on the soft compound. Newly minted Red Bull driver Alex Albon too was given a five-second time penalty for cutting the chicane and gaining a lasting advantage.

At the front Hamilton continued to hound the rear of Leclerc’s Ferrari but the Monagasque driver was more than equal to the task. There were a few chinks in the Leclerc-armour though. A lock-up into the first chicane late on meant he had to cut the corner, which allowed Hamilton ever closer. Leclerc close the door into the second chicane but crowding Hamilton towards the edge of the track. Opinion will undoubtedly be split on whether the move deserved a penalty but the stewards felt that it required no investigation and, therefore, no penalty. Here is where Leclerc’s experience in Austria stood him in good stead. Had he not learned from that scenario and vowed to take a more aggressive approach Hamilton could well have been passed and into the lead of the race.

Through all of this Leclerc supplied a master-class in absorbing pressure from Hamilton. Consider the factors: he is 21-years-old, in a Ferrari, at Monza, and with a five-time world champion glued to your gearbox. The level of pressure is off the charts and for Leclerc to take it in his stride the way he did is telling. Lest we forget this is only his second F1 season. He is a driver still very much in his infancy but this performance in Monza demonstrates an enormous potential if everything goes according to plan.

Hamilton himself locked up in the first chicane and lost his chance at taking the lead and the win. It was Valtteri Bottas’s chance next but even on fresher tyres Leclerc was too canny, and too quick in the straight. He held off both Mercs and sailed to a hugely popular win that sent the Tifosi into raptures.

While Bottas and Hamilton completed the top three Renault enjoyed their best day of the season with a fine fourth and fifth place for Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg respectively. Albon recovered from his earlier penalty to finish sixth ahead of Sergio Perez in seventh. Max Verstappen recovered to eighth from starting at the back of the grid while Antonio Giovinazzi finished ninth on home soil. Lando Norris completed the top ten for McLaren.

Ferrari and Leclerc will leave Italy having achieved something truly special. And while Mercedes were bested they are safe in the knowledge that extended their lead in the constructor’s championship heading into Singapore where they are expected to be extremely strong.

September 9, 2019
F1 2019: Belgium Gp Review – Leclerc Takes Debut Win

After roughly a month long break the Formula 1 season commenced the second half of the season at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit this weekend.

Teams and drivers arrived in the paddock refreshed and raring to unleash their cars on the 7 km carousel that is the Spa circuit. In a brilliant display of superiority and skill Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc stormed to pole position on Saturday ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel. Regrettably, the excitement would be short-lived as a serious accident in the F2 feature race would claim the life of Anthoine Hubert and badly injure Alfa Romeo development driver Juan-Manuel Correa. The Columbian-American driver is reported to be in stable condition after undergoing surgery.

At only 22 years old Hubert, the 2018 GP3 champion, celebrated two GP2 wins in France and Monaco earlier this year. Described as a kind person with an enormous work ethic Hubert’s early years were spent racing alongside and becoming friends with the likes of Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, George Russell and pole-sitter Charles Leclerc. The loss of Hubert is a deeply tragic and unfortunate reminder that as much as safety has advanced racing cars can never been one hundred per cent safe. It has served too as a reminder of the great camaraderie that exists in the motorsport fraternity. For as fiercely competitive as it can be, in moment of shock and sadness, display incredible compassion and togetherness.

For only the third time in his career Leclerc lined up on pole position. The Ferrari’s power advantage on the long Spa straights were a clear advantage as, from the start, Leclerc held the lead. Further back the Turn 1 hairpin saw Max Verstappen into the side of Kimi Raikkonen’s Alfa Romeo causing significant damage to both cars. While Verstappen was out of the race a few corners later with a broken driveshaft Raikkonen, despite massive floor damage, trundled home in 16^thplace.

Seb Vettel seemed to play the perfect strategy as he pitted on lap 15 for a set of medium tyres. He quickly closed the gap to Leclerc, Hamilton, and Bottas and assumed the lead of the race as the front three took to the pitlane seven laps later. However, it quickly became evident to the pitwall and Vettel that he wouldn’t be able to make it to the end of the race on the one set of tyres. By this stage Hamilton, happier on the medium compound, had begun to reel in the Ferraris’.

With Leclerc only two seconds ahead of his teammate and Hamilton bearing down on the pair of them the Ferrari’s seemed defenseless. But Vettel took one for the team by staying out two laps longer in order to hold off Hamilton. It allowed Leclerc to build a roughly six second gap over Hamilton. It proved to be just enough for the Monaco-born driver who crossed the line only nine tenths of a second ahead of the Mercedes driver. Valtteri Bottas completed the podium in third while Vettel, after a second stop, came home in fourth.

Lando Norris, voted driver of the day by fans, fell heartbreakingly short of a stellar fifth place finish as his McLaren expired on the last lap. It promoted Alex Albon to fifth in what was an impressive first Red Bull outing despite starting at the back of the field due to engine component penalties. Sergio Perez, with a new three-year deal in his pocket, was sixth ahead of Dannil Kvyat in the Toro Rosso. Nico Hulkenberg was seventh for Renault while Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll secured the final points-paying positions in ninth and tenth.

The help from Vettel proved invaluable for Leclerc as he secured his maiden Formula 1 victory. A first win in F1 is meant to be accompanied by unbridled joy and elation but for Leclerc it is marred by the death of his friend. Still, Leclerc put on a fine performance that he could well carry through to Ferrari’s home race this weekend.

As prodigious as the Ferrari power was at Spa it could be ever more devastating to their competitors at Monza this weekend. There is little to suggest that we wont see Ferrari on the top step at their famed La pista Magica.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

September 2, 2019
2019 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference

DRIVERS – Alex ALBON (Red Bull Racing), Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing), George RUSSELL (Williams), Sergio PÉREZ (Racing Point), Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Alex, many congratulations, new colours for you this weekend. How much of as surprise was it for you to get the call up for this weekend?

Alex ALBON: Yeah, definitely. Starting the summer break, I came into it expecting a relaxing time and then the first day of the summer break I got told the news. I had a lot of time to think about it. Obviously in F1 with the summer break you can’t really speak to anyone, so there was a lot of time there where I was like: “OK, who do I speak to? What can I do?” The first time really speaking to everyone was really on Monday. I’m kind of catching up right now, trying to know all the team and that’s about it.

Q: So what are the objectives for this weekend at Spa?

AA: Just see how the weekend goes. We’re starting at the back anyway. Just take it step-by-step. Obviously it’s a new environment around, so just trying to understand really how the team works, how the car works and just to listen to Max as well, just to see how he interacts with the team and kind of learn from that. Yeah, we’ll take it step-by-step.

Q: And on a scale of 1-10 how excited are you?

AA: I’d say it’s a 10 for excitement, but then the numbers for nerves are quite high as well!

Q: Good luck, thank you Alex. Max, what was your reaction when you heard Alex was going to be your team-mate?

Max VERSTAPPEN: Well I knew before. They told me when I was on the simulator before holidays so for me it was not a surprise. I mean, yeah, I’ve been there before myself.

Q: And are you looking forward to having him as a team-mate? What do you think you can achieve together?

MV: I guess time will tell isn’t it. It’s a bit difficult for me to answer that. Alex is a great guy. I know him already for a long time. A bit like Pierre, we raced against each other, all together in 2010. Yeah, he’s a fast guy and as you can hear he’s very excited and that’s always good.

Q: Max, the car was very competitive before the summer break. What are your expectations here at Spa?

MV: I don’t know. I think in general it will be a bit tougher for us because of the long straights, but even in Silverstone, for example, we were still competitive, so we just needs to find a good balance in the car. Of course, around here Sectors 1 and 3 are pretty much flat out and in Sector 2 there are a lot of corners, so you have to find the right compromise there.

Q: OK, good luck with that. Thank you, Max. Checo, a lot of talk about contracts coming into this weekend. What news about your whereabouts for 2020?

Sergio PÉREZ: Yeah, I’ve seen the news. It was a busy day in that regard. I am confident and I hope that soon we can announce it and just can get on with it.

Q: Announce with Racing Point?

SP: Well, what my plans are. I think I am very close to finding out what I am going to do for next year, so it shouldn’t be long before I know.

Q: OK. Turning to this weekend, the car wasn’t so competitive last time out, can we expect more from you here because the team certainly has a good record at Spa-Francorchamps?

SP: Yeah. No, definitely. It’s a good place for us. We’ve been strong in the past so I see no reason why we cannot be strong this weekend. The margins in the midfield are very small, so a little improvement it can put us back in contention to be the fourth fastest here. We are aiming to finish the season on a high. It has been a struggle all the way up to now but margins are small, we are improving, so hopefully we can finish the season with the fourth fastest car.

Q: OK, good luck with that. Thanks Checo. George, I’ve asked almost everybody else about 2020, so I’m going to ask you. What are you plans?

George RUSSELL: Hopefully in Formula One, I guess. No, I’ll be racing with Williams next year. When I signed the deal it was a multi-year deal with Williams, so I guess it’s just waiting to formally announce everything.

Q: OK. It was a very solid performance from you in Hungary last time out. What can we expect from you here? Do you think you can maintain that momentum?

GR: I think in Hungary we optimized everything to the absolute maximum. I think a few drivers didn’t – there was obviously the incident with Daniel and Sergio in qualifying, which probably helped us a little bit. I think this circuit, and also Monza next week, will really not suit our car. Unfortunately we don’t have much downforce but we also have a hell of a lot of drag, so we’re going to struggle on these long straights. But the season has been full of surprises and we’ll see what we can do.

Q: OK, thanks for that. Valtteri, some very positive news for you this morning. You’re staying with Mercedes for another year. When were you told and please give us your reaction?

Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, thank you, for sure that’s always good news when you get things confirmed for next year and it’s definitely all that I wanted, because I believe the team will be strong for sure for the rest of the year but also next year. I see no reasons why it wouldn’t. So obviously that made me very happy to hear it and to get it all done finally. I think it was last weekend that we signed and the paperwork was done. So we had to wait a bit until then, but I still had a good break and lots of fun and everything, but I’m happy now.

Q: Looking ahead to this weekend. Ferrari won at Spa last year. Who are favourites coming into this weekend?

VB: I think Ferrari can be really good here, as we’ve seen with the straight-line performance. There are super long straights here. And Red Bull have been improving at all kind of tracks. It’s not going to be an easy weekend for us, for sure. We are not standing still. We have some new parts on the car. I think also power unit. So it should be quite interesting to see how the car feels again here and how is the engine.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Livio Oricchio – liviooricchio.com) Max, all drivers says the first competition is on your side, your team-mate. Do you believe it will be more difficult for you, the next of the season, with Albon?

MV: It’s a bit difficult to say at the moment. I rate Alex very high, but I also rated Pierre very high, so we’ll find out.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Valtteri, how was your birthday party and was it like a double celebration because of your new contract as well?

VB: Thanks, yeah, I turned 30 yesterday actually. I didn’t have a party yesterday but the day before I had. It was a good one, with some good people around. Obviously, 30 it happens only once in a lifetime, so… There is always a good excuse to throw a party, but that’s a good excuse. It was good. I enjoyed it. Was there another part to the question?

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Was it a double celebration because of the contract?

VB: Well, yeah, for sure. I knew by then. Everything was done by then, so it was actually nice to celebrate with the closest people. Another good excuse.

Q: (Jerome Pugmire – Associated Press) Question for Valtteri. After the last two races, what happened in Hockenheim and then in Budapest, did that add to the stress of waiting for the decision – or were you still confident you would get another contract?

VB: To be honest, going to the summer break, and in this sport you know once you’ve not signed, anything can happen in this sport and obviously always what comes, the driver decisions by the teams, there’s many different things that the teams look at and what kind of things make the difference between the choices, and obviously it was very openly spoken, the whole situation between me and Esteban and yeah, so I had to wait until last weekend. For sure it was… thinking about it and other options just in case, because obviously you never, in this sport, want to be left between two chairs. So for sure I was trying to make a plan for something else but then things started to go the right way and I saw that it’s just better to commit to this as it is, and it makes me, like I said, very happy to know about the future and don’t need to worry about that now. I can just really focus on the job. Unlike the last couple of races I really want to have a strong result here and a really strong end of the year.

Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Alex, can you just explain a little about how you found out that you were going to be driving for Red Bull for this part of the season? And also, do you think that you’ve got the tools to be able to take the challenge to Max at Red Bull?

AA: Yeah, sure. So, it was just a normal thing, a daily catch-up with Dr Marko in his office in Austria. Pretty much that’s how the conversation went. I think it was the Monday at the beginning of the summer break. That conversation went through and it was one of those things: “oh, by the way, this is what’s going on.” And that was pretty much it. I think you guys knew only an hour after I did, so it was quite close, in that sense. But yeah, it was all OK. Regarding Max, yes, on my side it’s really just focusing on myself. I’m not looking too much at Max at the minute. I’m know I’m coming in quite inexperienced. I know that; I think the team know that as well. So, it will just be about step-by-step; start from the beginning, know my team, know how everyone works and understand the car and then we’ll see. Treat every weekend race-by-race really and if we start picking up results towards the end, that’s obviously great – but that’s not really the focus at the minute.

Q: Alex, team-mates now but when did you first race Max?

AA: 2010, wasn’t it? We did the European and World Championships together. We had a few crashes together, do you remember?

MV: A few touches, yeah!

AA: We had a good rivalry going. Max was the young guy, I was the experienced one – which is a bit weird. I mean, I’m older than Max but he’s a bit more experienced than me in F1. So, yeah, we started like that. We had some good races.

Q: (Pierre Van Vliet – Fi) To Alex again – sorry Alex – just to understand, how difficult is it going to be to adapt to a new team in the middle of the season – and do you fear encountering the same difficulties as Pierre Gasly versus Max?

AA: I can’t really tell what it’s like from experience to start with a new team midway through. We did some sim this weekend, just to try to get the first initial feeling and, of course, the cars are different but in the end they still have four wheels and yeah, we’ll get used to it. In terms of the whole feeling of not being ready. Let’s say, the beginning of the year, in February when I didn’t drive the car, I felt more in this situation than I do now. That kind of anxiety and stress about ‘what’s it going to be like?’ I went through that already in January. Coming into the summer break I was a lot more relaxed about it – and again, yeah, we’ll see? I wasn’t looking too much at Pierre, I was just focused on myself. Of course, I think Max is on top of his game right now, so it would never be easy but with Pierre, I wasn’t really involved in all of that and I didn’t really look too much on where he was struggling – but it’s still trying to do my own thing and trying to get on top of the car.

Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC Sport) Alex, a couple for you wrapped into one. First of all, I’m sure you’re caught in the whirlwind at the moment but ten months ago you thought your Formula One career was over, so can you take a step back and tell us how you feel about that huge turnaround in your career and, secondly, does the engine penalty take the pressure off a bit for this weekend?

AA: Yes, it is quite laughable really, when I look back at it. Even just now, having the announcement and everything. I called my Mum and Dad, it was the first thing I did and they were… it’s kind of a journey that we’ve all took from… even as early as 2012, I don’t think my career has been very fluid, let’s say. I’ve had a few ups and downs and just to be in this position is incredible. I think there are a lot of drivers who have done an amazing job in F1 who have never been given an opportunity to be in a race winning, championship winning team. So, it’s a big opportunity for me and I really know that. Engine penalty, you could say that, yes. I think we just go into the weekend more towards the race pace, more focused on race pace – which also means more laps as well. So, that will be the target – and yes, of course, I think that kind of feeling, straight away into qualifying, it will be a different atmosphere but I still would have liked to have given it a go and see how I would have done in qualifying and started further up than I will be.

Q: (Jonathan McEvoy – Daily Mail) To Max, how much do you think you can really have a go at Lewis now over these last nine races? How high have you set your ambitions and realities?

MV: I always try to do the best I can. I think it’s just going to be a bit track dependent for us. Where are we going to be a bit more competitive? I’m expecting this to be a bit more tricky, and especially Monza but from there onwards, and especially with upgrades coming to the car. Of course, everybody is doing that but I think, in recent years we’ve always been quite strong in developing the car throughout the year. Yeah, there are a few tracks where I think we can have a good go but for the Championship, I don’t think so. But, as I said, I always try to get the best out of it every single race weekend and we’ll find out where we end up at the end.

Q: (Phil Duncan – Press Association) Alex, you said you called your Mum and Dad when you found out that you’d got the drive with Red Bull; can you just say how they reacted?

AA: Sure. Mum was just being a Mum, kind of that ‘ah, I don’t know what to say’ kind of thing. OK, thanks. And then my Dad was just laughing actually. Yeah, just kind of surreal. I felt like they were a bit more excited than I was actually.

Q: (Vladimir Rogovets – Sb Belarus) I have a question for Max: we know you for five seasons already and every time we are writing ‘Max is a very good young driver’. What do you think? How long can you be a young driver?

MV: Until I’m old. Is it 30 that you get old? Thirty. OK. Well, I guess there’s eight and a half more years.

Q: (Joost Nederfelt – NU.NL) Max, can you imagine other drivers being a bit nervous being your team-mate, as it can damage their careers?

MV: Well. I don’t know. I think everybody always tries to do the best they can, don’t they? I don’t know what to answer. It’s a bit shitty – to answer.

Q: Do you feel on top of your game like never before at the moment?

MV: I think it’s quite natural. You just get older and more experienced so for me it’s not a big surprise what is happening at the moment. Just a natural process that you go through, that you become better. I think it would be bad if you were already declining at 21.

Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC Sport) Max, you drive into Spa from the Burnenville direction and all you can see on your left hand side is big Max Verstappen banners and motorhomes and all the rest of it, and driving over there’s caravanners and everything coming in from the Netherlands. You’ve got a following for a single driver that hasn’t been seen for a while. How do you feel about that? What kind of reaction do you have and what kind of interaction do you have with the fans? Do you know any of them, do you meet them? How does that all work?

MV: Well, I think over the year I get to meet quite a few but of course it’s amazing to see that, to have such a big following. Of course, I think also the colour helps quite a bit. It’s quite easy to spot a Dutch fan around the track. I would say it’s a positive motivation for the weekend because I don’t experience any more pressure through it because at the end of the day, you always try to do the best you can so it’s not changing for this weekend. The more the better, of course. They get quite crazy with flares and stuff so I remember once going up the Kemmel straight, it was almost turning orange but yeah, it’s great to see and of course I’m happy to have such a big following. I hope over the years that it will only become bigger.

Q: Do you find it motivational to have that many people supporting you?

MV: Absolutely. It brings a big smile to my face and of course if you then… like here, we created our own grandstand as well so when you see them all jumping up like during the drivers’ parade or there’s any music going on they’re going completely crazy already when there’s not even a race going on then it’s quite special.

Q: (Arjan Schouten – AD) Alex, to follow up on the question from my neighbour here, in a process, did you get a chance at Red Bull, is there any room for doubt in your first year or is doubt not even in the question and you just go on it?

AA: Yeah. The way I see it is that it’s an opportunity. Doubt in myself, not really, no. You have to go into it as confident as you can. I can have no… I’ve only done six months in a Formula One car so there is definitely room for improvement and I know that. When I look back at how I was in Melbourne and how I am now, I have definitely improved as a driver so I know that kind of progress is only going to continue and of course jumping into a car this early I do feel like in a way you would wish it would happen a bit later but no, I’m still very excited and I can’t wait to get started.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – liviooricchio.com) Valtteri, you started the season at a very high level, you won in Australia and Azerbaijan and then you were unlucky in some situations and also did some mistakes in Hockenheim. In this period of vacation, did you analyse your own performance in the first part of the season and if you can come back in the same level as you started the championship?

VB: Yeah, for sure you’re always analysing. You look back to things to learn from those and for sure with the team before we all went for holidays we had a good catch-up on everything and as always, trying to improve and learn from every single mistake and every single situation. I feel that I could have been better or we could have been better as a team, so there’s nothing new in that and definitely I feel overall the level at the beginning of the year was very good but I believe my performance since then has not been dropping, it’s just been a few odd races and some mistakes for sure, that has been my bad which were not there at the beginning of the year. But those happen and you learn from that and my goal, definitely, for the second half is to be as strong as I can, try to be on my best level and I know what I can do if I get there but how to get there, that’s the tricky part in this sport but obviously the goal is to – and I have the belief that I can be strong for the rest of the year.

Q: And Valtteri, has Lewis Hamilton said anything to you about your contract renewal?

VB: Yeah, he sent me a message actually when it was all confirmed, when he heard about it. I think so far we’ve made a good team and I believe we’re going to make a good team in the future as well.

Q: (Jerome Pugmire – Associated Press) Just to follow up on that, Valtteri, you said that you needed to keep your options open in case you didn’t get the seat. I think you said that in Hungary as well before the mid-season break. Were there any talks with specific teams, any verbal agreements that you could then go back to Mercedes with and say ‘well, if you don’t keep me, I can go here’? How far did some discussions go if there were any?

VB: Yeah, unfortunately I can’t really say much. That kind of question is very private, obviously, all the conversations. I would never say the name of the team or person I’ve been talking to because I want to keep the trust and people can trust me so can’t say much but basically, like I said, I was waiting first for Mercedes to decide and still knowing that other things could be possible if we wouldn’t continue but everything turned out good and I’m happy and the team is happy.

August 30, 2019
F1 2019: Belgium Gp Preview – Return From Hiatus

The summer hiatus is over and Formula 1 returns in true style at Belgium’s legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

In the interim between races F1 has carried on its merry way of making headlines. Relatively early on in the summer break the somewhat inevitable announcement was made that after a string of lackluster performances Pierre Gasly will swop cockpits with Alex Albon from the Belgian Gp onwards.

It’s a big knock to Gasly’s already tattered confidence but, at the very least, he has a chance to regain his footing as a Toro Rosso driver for the rest of the 2019 season. It won’t be an easy task by any stretch of the imagination but he should take heart from the fact that he wasn’t booted out of F1 and the Red Bull driver program entirely.

As much pressure as Gasly faces to put his F1 career back on track Alex Albon faces exponentially more as a new Red Bull driver. The Thai-born driver is no stranger to success and many would go so far as to brand him a bonafide Karting superstar. He’s impressed in the lower Formula and at Toro Rosso too but the spotlight will become immeasurably more focused as he steps into a cockpit of a front-running car. He won’t be expected to beat teammate Max Verstappen from the word go but the Red Bull decision-makers are scrutinizing his performances. Should he perform well, which he definitely has the potential to do, he’ll all but seal his place at the team for 2020.

Pressure is everywhere in F1 and it’s found a home too in the cockpit of Valtteri Bottas. The Finn started the season with a bang but has faded in the last few grand prix weekends in comparison to teammate Lewis Hamilton. The pressure comes in the form of Esteban Ocon who is confirmed to be under consideration, along with Bottas, for the second Mercedes seat for 2020.

However, Bottas may yet be safe as some rumours suggest that Merc could allow Ocon to be signed by Renault who is nearly always under pressure to be a put a French driver in the French works team. Where is the vacancy at Renault you ask? Some suggestions abound that Nico Hulkenberg could be off the Haas for next season in place of Romain Grosjean. Isn’t the silly season great?

Ferrari too is under pressure. But then they have been under pressure to deliver a title for more than a decade now. The characteristics of Spa-Francorchamps should suit the 2019 Ferrari and its low-drag philosophy to a degree. Whether the red team will be able to get all their ducks in a row is another question. As Kimi Raikkonen’s triumph Texas last year remains Ferrari’s last race win the team will be desperate to get their name on the winners’ board for the first time in 2019. Spa may provide them their best chance of doing just that.

There are few greater stretches of tarmac in the world than the 7.004 km Circuit at the foot of the Ardennes Mountains. It’s an old-school test of man and machine and demands precision, bravery, and respect. It’s a circuit seeping with nostalgia for all of the greats who has graced it before. It is Spa-Francorchamps.

August 27, 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: Hungarian Gp Review – Hamilton Charges to Victory

For the first time in his career Max Verstappen secured pole position for the Hungarian grand prix with a breathtaking lap on Saturday. Not only was P1 a new experience for the Dutchman but so would be leading a grand prix from the front.

For nearly all of his previous seven race wins Verstappen has been the hunter. However, the tables were turned and it was up to the Red Bull driver to control the race and maintain the lead while being hunted by the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. And until the last third of the race Verstappen had been doing a mighty fine job of holding P1.

But such was the pace of the leading pair that it created a colossal gap to the Ferrari’s of Leclerc and Vettel. A gap big and obvious enough for Mercedes to bring Hamilton into the pits for a fresh set of tyres. While Verstappen tried to eek out the laps on his set of hard tyres Hamilton was unleashed on fresh rubber and eviscerated the nineteen-second gap to the leader. Initially, Verstappen seemed able to respond and for the briefest of moments it seemed possible that he could hold the lead. But Hamilton delivered a blistering pace, sometimes more than two seconds a lap quicker, to be right on the Red Bull’s gearbox with four laps to go. He made short work of a defenseless Verstappen and career victory number 81 was in the bag.

It’s gone from bad to worse for Ferrari in the first half of the season and Hungary was no exception. Sebastian Vettel, on an alternate strategy, was able to snatch the final step of the podium from teammate Charles Leclerc but it was an embarrassing outing for Ferrari who finished more than a minute adrift of the race-winner. Fundamentally, the 2019 Ferrari is lacking in downforce. So it doesn’t come as too much of a surprise then that they would struggle around the long medium speed corners of the Hungaroring. Still, to be more than a minute behind will smart all the way through the summer break.

Elsewhere, Carlos Sainz finished in a fine fifth place ahead of the ever under pressure Pierre Gasly in sixth while Kimi Raikkonen, in seventh, once again punched well above the Alfa Romeo’s weight. Valtteri Bottas finished eighth after suffering front-wing damage on the opening lap with a coming together first with teammate Hamilton and then Charles Leclerc. Lando Norris made it a double points score for McLaren in ninth while Thai-born driver Alex Albon secured the final point on offer in tenth.

After pre-season testing the mid-field battle looked as if it would be an extremely close fight between several teams. And while it is for the most part still closely fought the opening half of the season hasn’t gone quite the way many would have expected. What has gone accordingly to expectation is that McLaren are well in charge of the mid-field battle with 82 points on the board. Toro Rosso too will be pleased with 5^thplace in the constructor’s championship courtesy of Kvyat’s podium finish in Germany.

But there are big question marks at Renault as they are not only being beaten by their customer team in McLaren but also by both Honda powered teams. For a works team it simply isn’t good enough and the French team will have serious conversations over the break. It could possibly result in some restructuring at the top with team principal Cyril Abiteboul likely the most under pressure.

Alfa Romeo may not say so publically but they’ll be thanking their lucky stars for Kimi Raikkonen who has scored 31 of the teams’ total of 32 points in 2019. They might even try to extend the Finn’s contract which currently takes him to the end of 2020. Despite a significant uptick in investment Racing Point it hasn’t materialized in the way they would’ve expected. There is still half a season to go however and they may yet come good as that investment begins to filter through.

So far 2019 has been a head-scratcher for Haas. Though the American-based team clearly has a quick car it’s only shown in brief flashes. By their own admission they have struggled to understand the car and are still trying to comprehend why and how of it. For Williams there has hardly been a more difficult time than this season. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, as a new upgrade package appears to have pushed the team closer to the rest of the field. The important thing now for Williams will be to continue with this trend.

In Austria, Silverstone, Germany, and Hungary Formula 1 have delivered four stunning races in succession and the good news is that there is still half a season to go. It re-starts with the famed Belgian grand prix on August 30.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

August 5, 2019