Tag: max verstappen

F1 2020: British Gp Preview – Silverstone Primed for Merc Dominance

After a short break F1 returns this weekend for the first of two races at Britain’s Silverstone circuit.

Given what’s transpired in the first three rounds of the season it is difficult to look past Mercedes for the victory. With one win for Valtteri Bottas and two for Lewis Hamilton the Mercedes team has established itself well ahead of the rest of the field. Red Bull, seemingly the closest challenger, languished well behind in Hungary and chalked up their lack of pace to setup issues.

Traditionally the Hungaroring, and the Red Bull Ring for that matter, have been circuits where Red Bull has excelled in the last few years. But it hasn’t been the case in 2020 and it all has to do with timing. By the time F1 normally arrives in Austria and Hungary teams would have already run several races and would know their cars inside and out. What we know of Red Bull in the last few years is that they have tended to start the year slowly and gradually built momentum as the season progresses. However, in 2020 they haven’t had that luxury.

Instead they arrived in Austria and Hungary still learning the behaviour of the car and still discovering exactly how to extract best performance from it. Unfortunately for Red Bull the 2020 season will not afford any time for teams or drivers to find their way. The good news is that the calendar has been extended by three more races with the inclusion the Nürburgring, Portimaõ, and Imola. More good news is that the Red Bull does appear to be a quick car but unlocking the pace is reliant on hitting the setup nail on the head. And even then it might not be enough, on merit, to challenge the might of Mercedes.

Valtteri Bottas sits only five points behind teammate Hamilton. In the next two races at Silverstone he has a big opportunity to not only regain the lead in the driver’s standings but to land a significant mental blow on Hamilton. It’s been repeatedly proven that over the course of a season it is highly unlikely that Hamilton will be beaten in terms of pace.

The only way to ensure eventual victory over the six-time champion is to get inside his head, as proven in 2016 by Nico Rosberg. It will be a monumental effort but if Bottas manages to beat him two weeks running, especially at Silverstone, he will force Hamilton to take notice and adjust his approach.

For Ferrari it was slightly better in Hungary but still nowhere near where they are expected to be. A restructuring back in Maranello has taken some of the pressure off team principal Mattia Binotto but there is a substantial amount of work ahead of Ferrari to return to the top step of the podium. Silverstone should produce a better yardstick for the upgrades introduced in race two but the power deficit of their engine will likely be even more telling around the British circuit.

For much of the first half of 2020 the Formula 1 season was seriously in doubt. It is a real treat then to have back-to-back races on, arguably, one of the most iconic and historic circuits in the world. Silverstone hasn’t only been on the F1 calendar since 1950 but was the first circuit to host a championship race. The power dominant circuit has been re-modeled since and newish layout is possibly even better than its predecessor. Formula 1 too has raced through seven decades that has delivered unforgettable moments and memories. This latest iteration seems primed for Mercedes domination unless Max Verstappen can coax enough pace out of his Red Bull to contest the victory.

July 29, 2020
F1 2020: Styrian Gp Review – Hamilton Opens Win Account

Lewis Hamilton has taken his first win of the 2020 season with teammate Valtteri Bottas in second to make it one-two for Mercedes. Though he never had a true chance of fighting for the win Max Verstappen took the final step on the podium for Red Bull.

A severe rainstorm nearly saw the cancellation of Saturday qualifying but fortunately a break in the weather allowed the session to go ahead. In extremely difficult conditions all driver performed brilliantly but none were as dazzling as Lewis Hamilton who secured pole position by a staggering 1.2 seconds over Verstappen.

After qualifying tenth and eleventh for the second race in a row it didn’t seem like it could get worse for Ferrari. But it did as Charles Leclerc was given a three-place grid penalty for ignoring yellow flags in qualifying. It dropped the Monegasque driver to fourteenth on the grid from which he never recovered. A cautious start from Vettel saw him side by side-by-side into turn 3 with the Racing Point of Sergio Perez and George Russell’s Williams. In what can only described as a rush of blood to the head Leclerc shoved his Ferrari up the inside of Vettel, clunked across the inside kerb, and destroyed the rear-wing of his teammate’s car. The incident, which was far too optimistic, ended both Ferrari drivers’ races. It also accounted for the only safety car period of the race.

Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon fought briefly on track before Ocon was called into the garage to park his Renault with suspected cooling issues. Up front Hamilton was five seconds in the lead and undoubtedly managing the race. Verstappen and Red Bull rolled the dice with an early stop for the medium tyres but he simply didn’t have the pace to challenge Hamilton. In fact, Verstappen had picked up some front-wing damage, which ultimately left him defenseless against a late charge from Valtteri Bottas. The pair put on an entertaining fight for second place but the Finn was clean through on the next lap with Verstappen unable to do much about it.

While Verstappen was happy enough on the third step of the podium Alex Albon finished fourth in the second Red Bull but the Thai-born driver was significantly off his Dutch teammate’s pace. In fact he just held off a racy Sergio Perez. The Mexican driver attempted a move on the final lap of the race but came away with front-wing damage for his effort.

Enter Lando Norris. Norris didn’t have the pace of last week’s Austrian grand prix but he delivered yet another stunning drive. The young McLaren driver started the final lap of the race in seventh and finished a stunning fifth by the chequered flag delivering yet another stonking final lap. Perez eventually finished sixth while his Racing Point teammate, Lance Stroll made a late lunge on Ricciardo to finish seventh. Behind Ricciardo in eighth was the second McLaren of Carlos Sainz in ninth ahead of Daniil Kvyat who secured the final point in tenth for Alpha Tauri.

It was a ‘run away and hide’ victory for Hamilton but the Brit also held some pace in hand. Formula 1 next heads to the Hungaroring for the third round of the 2020 season this weekend.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

July 14, 2020
2020 Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix: Sunday Press Conference

DRIVERS

1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

2 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)

3 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)

TRACK INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Martin Brundle )

Q: Lewis, congratulations, normal service resumes: pole position, victory. You had it covered today.

Lewis HAMILTON: Firstly I just want to say a big thank you to my team and everyone back at the factory. This has been… what a weird year it is but it is great to be back up here and to be driving and to be driving with this kind of performance. The team did a fantastic job with the strategy and then it was just for me to keep it together, stay off the kerbs and bring it home.

Q: You didn’t quite get the point for fastest lap, that went to Carlos Sainz in the McLaren on a fresh set of tyres, but you had to look after the car a little bit through the race did you?

LH: Yeah, well I tried to get the fastest lap but of course on 40 lap-old mediums I wasn’t going to get it over someone on new, fresh tyres. But that’s OK, I’m so grateful to be back in first place and honestly it feels like a long time coming, obviously since the last race last year, and to come back this weekend after a difficult weekend last week, this is a great, great step forwards.

Q: it was certainly a champion’s drive and we get to race again just next weekend don’t we?

LH: I love this. I love back-to-backs. Can we just go back-to-back all year long. I might need a holiday in between though!

Q: Valtteri, you’re still leading the world championship, that’s the good news, but Lewis had the pace today.

Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, Lewis started from the pole, he had a good start, so he could really control the race and there was not so much happening as last weekend. But from my side, I think today was damage limitation, so still got good points, still leading, so it’s not too bad. Yesterday was not ideal so that’s why no 25 points today.

Q: A good fight with Max. You got past him, he got past you, but eventually you got the job done in the end. Exciting at Turn 4 there?

VB: Yeah, it was a good battle with him. Obviously I think I had quite a bit more pace than him at the end as we extended the first stint, but yeah racing closely is always good fun.

Q: So you can leave Austria and head to Hungary very satisfied?

VB: Could have been more satisfied but it’s been a not bad first couple of races so looking forward to next week.

Q: Great drive Max, you tried your best to split the Mercedes and gave it everything you had.

Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, I tried but we’re just a bit too slow, so I pushed as hard as I could and also when Valtteri was trying to pass me I tried to make it a bit difficult. I knew he was going to get by one lap later but it was at least fun because the rest of the race was pretty boring. A podium is good but still a lot of work to do.

Q: You got points on the board. Can you find any speed between now and next weekend? Have you got any goodies, any presents coming in the car?

MV:I don’t know yet. We’ll look into it and then we’ll see next week.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Lewis, many congratulations. It’s been a pretty dominant couple of days for you with that pole position yesterday and the win today. Now, races are never as easy as they look, or are they? Were there any concerns for you today?

LH: Thank you. It’s never easy. It was a challenge this weekend, especially with the Red Bulls really picking up their pace on Friday and we obviously had some sort of issue that we were able to rectify from Friday afternoon. Nothing major. And also, the team did a fantastic job over the week to improve on some of the issues we had in the last race. Today, being able to attack a little bit more and really utilise the car… I think the Red Bulls…. well Max, was quite quick today, so it just shows that they’re definitely not a pushover. I think they’ve done a fantastic job so we’ve got to stay on our toes. We’ve got to go to places like Hungary, where the shorter Red Bull is usually very, very strong. Otherwise, it’s been a great two days and a great way to bounce back from a difficult weekend in the first weekend, where Valtteri was incredibly strong and just a big, big thank you to everyone back at the factory and everyone here who has stayed. The team has stayed all week and been in every single day, not leaving a stone unturned, so that’s a huge confidence boost.

Q: Valtteri, P4 on the grid to P2 at the flag. You mentioned damage limitation earlier. How was the performance of the car?

VB: I think the performance of the car was great, obviously yesterday as well I should have been stronger. There was obviously some things affecting the performance but even from my side the lap was not that clean and I should have been at least P2, so that’s why in some things I’m going to have a look in the mirror why today was a bit more difficult and could have been possibly a good battle with Lewis. But I think, from where I started and how the race went, I think it felt like I and us as a team, we could really maximise everything, so being able to, as a team, get the first 1-2 of the year, only the second race, is obviously really impressive. Like Lewis said, I’m just really thankful for everyone. It’s a privilege to drive for this team. But, of course, I’m not 100 per cent happy because I didn’t win. That’s how it goes as a driver but Lewis did a great job this weekend and… yeah… still points-wise it’s still early days and everything is looking good, so that’s why I can’t wait for the future.

Q: Max, you were carrying some front wing damage for a large proportion of that race. How much was that compromising the performance of the car?

MV: I don’t know, I didn’t look in the data. I was just pushing as hard as I could to try and stay with them, y’know? But clearly, it’s still not good enough. The gaps, compared to the guys behind were massive. I was a bit shocked. I tried everything I could but it’s still not enough. So, we’ve still got some work to do but to bounce back from zero points last week to a podium now is a good start – but I think, as a team, we want to win and we want to fight for the Championship and if you want to fight for the Championship of course you need to win races, so yeah, we need to look into it. I think we were losing quite a bit on the straight as well. So it’s a bit of both at the moment. Just need to keep on working harder to try and close the gap.

VIDEO CONFERENCE

Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Lewis, how much was the gearbox issue over the kerbs, how much did that affect you again today and did you have to drive within yourself as a result – or were you able to push flat-out throughout?

LH: No, it wasn’t a problem today. The guys did a great job during the week, understanding what the issue was. It was nothing particularly major but of course it could have had quite large consequences, so, they did a great job to rectify it and we haven’t really heard them mention it since we started the weekend. So, we were able to drive as normal today.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – The Race) Max, you said you haven’t dived into the data. Can you just talk a little bit through how the car was changing and handling through the race. Heard you talking about some traction issues or driveability issues at times. How was the car for you as the race developed?

MV: It was OK. Of course when the tyres are dropping off automatically you struggle a little more with the balance but there was nothing like dramatic, just the last 10-12 laps I started to struggle with the tyres but that’s it.

Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Max, we heard you querying the timing of your pitstop, and then you seemed to run out of tyres towards the end. Do you believe that was the decisive factor?

MV: No, we were just too slow so we can do whatever we want: pitting early, late or the same, I don’t think it’s going to change the end result. So, at the time I thought we were pitting a bit early, and I knew of course that towards the end of the race I was going to run out of tyres but yeah, it is what it is. I said also on the radio at one point, never mind, just get on with the job.

Q: (Mark Hughes – The Race) Question for Max. In the initial part of the race it looked like you were hanging on to Lewis reasonably well but then they seemed to step it up. Is that a problem that you had or do you think that they just had performance in hand?

MV: No, I think it’s more just Lewis pace-managing. Of course, he knows my lap times, that the gap is not closing or growing. I’m just doing my laps. There’s always a bit of margin but if I would push more, Lewis would push more, so yeah. You could see once you have to push a bit more and you have the tyres to do so, then I’m just a bit too slow.

Q: Max, how confident are you that you’re going to be more competitive in Hungary next weekend?

MV: Well, we’ll just find out, don’t we! Honestly, at the moment I’m not really… I don’t know. That’s the simple answer: I don’t know. But I hope it’s going to be a bit better.

Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC) Valtteri, we know all athletes have strong self-confidence, but when Lewis has a weekend like he has this weekend and a performance on Saturday like he did, how hard is it to keep that belief that you can beat him to the Championship?

VB: I think in any sport, and especially in Formula 1 – it’s quite a special sport, it’s quite easy to doubt yourself – but for the moment I have no reason to. Obviously over the years you find the right tools, how to find your confidence and the trust in yourself and what you are doing. I have no reason to doubt any of my ability or skills. I know Lewis had a strong weekend. He did a good job. Also, based on last weekend, I know what I’m capable of. So, I really feel many improvements in my driving since last year – so that’s why I’m confident it’s going to be a good battle for the Championship this year. So, I’m not going to let one weekend, even multiple weekends, drag me down. I’ve learned that. Just going to focus on the job and improving myself as we go.

Q: (Mathias Brunner – Speedweek.com) For Max: how and when did the damage to the front wing happen, and how much of a difference did that make to the balance of the car?

MV: I didn’t know that. They just suddenly told me that I had damage to the front wing, so honestly I don’t think it was doing that much. It’s of course not ideal but I also realised that my rear end plates were also falling off, like a few bits. I don’t know, the balance is just fine but it’s just not fast enough over a lap so we just need to work on a bit of power on the straights and a bit more grip.

Q: But was the front wing damage as bad as Spain 2018; do you remember that?

MV: Yeah, that was not so lovely. It was fine, yeah, there is a bit of the endplate missing but honestly they told me that I suddenly had wing damage and honestly, while driving, it felt alright.

Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Max, you said that you were shocked by the gap to the guys behind. Now that includes your teammate so I just wondered how costly was it today, not having Alex up there with you, particularly when it looked like Mercedes were waiting to play the threat of the undercut against you with Valtteri?

MV: No, it wouldn’t have mattered, at the end. No. I don’t think so. It’s of course nicer, also for himself, to be up there but I don’t think today it would have mattered like last year, for example, in Hungary or whatever.

Q: (Mark Hughes – The Race) Valtteri, when you came out after your stop, much newer tyres than Max, you were catching immediately but then it seemed to stabilise and it looked as though it wasn’t going to happen and then you seemed to get a second wind. What was going on there?

VB: Yeah, initially it was good. I think why the lap time stabilised, I don’t know if it was shown on TV but I went through quite a bit of traffic, there were many backmarkers and there was actually some of them, it was pretty shocking that sometimes I spent more than a lap with them having blue flags and just not moving away. They were racing each other in front of me and not really caring that they had blue flags so I hope that will be looked into so I think that’s why I lost quite a bit of momentum that time and then finally got again through pretty good free air and managed to find the rhythm again and really then it was pretty consistent and the car felt good and the pace was good so I think that was it.

Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC) Lewis, we saw you do a black power salute, both stand on the car after the race and on the podium. There was another anti-racism protest before the race, it looked a bit messier than last week with not everybody there. Have you thought about how you’re going to continue this push through the rest of the year and how are you going to bring the rest of the Formula One drivers along with you?

LH: Well, we’re learning along the way. I think this weekend the drivers spoke after the drivers’ briefing about what we intended to do. The question was how long do we… some people were asking how do we have to continue to do this? Some felt like they’d… one was enough last week and I just had to encourage them that racism is here, going to be here for probably longer than our time here and people of colour who are subject to racism don’t have time to take a moment to protest and that be it. We’ve got to continue to push for equality and really to raise awareness of it so I don’t really know what else we can do moving forward but for me to have Valtteri and my team also lining and acknowledging and kneeling before the start of the race I think was really huge and I’m incredibly grateful for their understanding and this contribution to it. I think we’ve really got to think as a sport what we can do because of course those are nice signs but passion is needed, it needs taking. It’s great to… as I said before… to see Chase being so kind as to donate $1m and it’s great to see the FIA to step up and also give me a $1m but if you don’t know the problem then you can’t fix it and you know $1m doesn’t really go that far so a lot of work needs to go on with Formula 1, the FIA do really need to be a part of it and I think the drivers need to be a part of it also as we have great voices and platforms. For me, as a team, we’re keeping the car black all year long so it is… we’re going to be fighting and pushing for it all year and me personally, I think this is going to be a lifelong thing for me.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – The Race) For all three: we’re obviously all done with the double header at the same track, the first time that’s happened in F1 history. Just wanted to know what your take is from it. Were you surprised that it was exactly the same format two weekends in a row? Do you think there was a missed opportunity not to try something different and do you think that when we do it at Silverstone, just simply changing one of the step of tyre compounds, is really going to shake things up one weekend to the next?

MV: Well, yeah, I didn’t really do a race last week so for me this was basically the first race. It was fine. Mixing tyre compounds? Well, you can only really, on most of the tracks, go harder because they don’t really allow you to go softer because then probably you end up blistering and stuff and you don’t want to go with even harder tyres so… I don’t know. I don’t really think there’s a lot of option to play with because simply I don’t think they allow us to use softer tyres for safety reasons. I don’t know really what you can do. Yeah, they stopped about the reverse grid but yeah, it would have been a bit weird to know that if you retire in the first race as I had, then you start from pole in the second. I don’t know what you can do and I honestly think it’s fine. It’s more important that we are racing.

LH: I’ve not watched the races so it’s difficult to have the same perspective as you will because we’re in this bubble, it’s a bit of a different viewpoint. I definitely think we should be trying to be more creative maybe, but I don’t know what that is, I don’t have the answers for it but just shifting a tyre is not going to make any difference, literally no difference really for us. It’s a question of format: if you’re going to do back-to-back, it’s a shame we can’t reverse the circuit and go the other way but obviously that was never in the game plan when designing these circuits so… Reverse of grid? I think it would just be mayhem, if you put us all… if we qualified at the front and then you put us last it would be a bit of a difficult one and we would probably just end up not trying to qualify for the front so, it is a difficult one. I wonder if there are other series that are doing anything different that we could look into. We have these two races in Silverstone and we could definitely do something to spice it up, particularly for the second one I think.

VB: I think we saw two different races even though it is the same place. Obviously the weather played a part and mixed things up a bit yesterday and it was a completely different kind of race weekend even though it was the same format, the same track. I think that’s the beauty of the sport, there are always so many unknowns and so many things that can happen, so for me it’s not really a big issue. But, yes, I agree with Lewis, I think we could be creative, it just needs to be done in the right way. I don’t know what’s the right way but I know Silverstone has lots of track layout options but who knows.

Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines/racefans.net) – To all three, based on what Lewis said and the conversation you’ve just had. Lewis you said during the podium interview you love racing, double-header bring it on etc. How many races in a row do you think your system could take? We’ve got another one coming up next weekend. How many in a row do you think we can handle?

LH: Me, as a driver, I feel that we can do a lot of back-to-back races, the three days in between are definitely enough. So, in this kind of season I think it’s fine, but it’s not just about me, it’s about a large group of people who are on the road constantly and are going to be away from their families even longer. It’s such a challenging time to have to stay in your bubble and not see people. I think it’s really going to be heavy for our team members. I know they love racing but they do have families they would love to see, so I really hope things in the world get a bit better for us. But I think we will manage. I don’t there is anything currently that we can’t achieve if we all pull together.

VB:I really have the same feeling as Lewis. From a drivers’ point of view we are really committed to this sport, like any team member is, and we just love racing, so it’s hard to put a hard limit from a driver’s point of view. At least we are in Europe so travelling distances arte pretty easy so that makes things easier, so triple-headers I don’t really see them as an issue, even if there will be many of them. But, for sure, there are many team members who have families, small kids at home, and it’s not fair to be such a long time away from their family. But it is how it is.

MV: I agree with Lewis and Valtteri. It’s good that it’s all in Europe at the moment as that makes travelling a bit easier. But I do think that after here or four weeks it’s good to go home and have a bit of time off. Not only for the driver but especially for the mechanics, you know, with a family. Otherwise they could file for divorce and you don’t want that to happen! It’s good to visit family and friends and that it’s not only F1 in your head. Sometimes you need to relax and think about other stuff, because F1 is not everything. It’s part of your life but there are also other things you have to do.

Q: Are you going to squeeze in a sim race on that weekend off between Hungary and…?

MV: No! I did it a bit too much, so I’m on a break, a long break hopefully!

July 12, 2020
F1 2020: Austria Gp Preview – It’s A GO….Finally

It is finally here. After months of no on-track action to speak off this weekend the 2020 Formula 1 season will finally kick-off.

The season-opener will run around the picture-perfect Red Bull Ring situated at the foothills of the Styrian Mountains. It’s been more than half a year and an awfully long dry spell for all involved but the Austrian grand prix may make the wait more than worth it.

At the outset every new season there are unknowns. Pre-season testing may have provided a rudimentary pecking order but the Red Bull Ring is a far different prospect than the traditional first race of the season around Australia’s Albert Park circuit. Instead of the unique semi-permanent street circuit F1 2020 will start on an Austrian circuit dominated by straights and heavy braking.

Though the teams all observed a compulsory shutdown period work on improving their cars has been progressing. Mercedes and Ferrari are guaranteed to bring a raft of upgrades to their cars. The number of parts may vary in comparison to the bigger teams but all teams are likely to run updated packages this weekend. Ferrari are supposedly bringing only ‘minor’ upgrades to their car. But it is believed that a new smaller and narrower nose configuration will also be introduced. Reports also suggest that Ferrari are readying an engine upgrade that is rumoured to be worth 20 to 30 BHP which could prove valuable on a circuit dominated by straights.

At Mercedes Technical chief James Allison confirmed that the team has made “significant progress” on the 2020 car and will bring a “chunk” of upgrades to Austria. It might mean that Mercedes will maintain the pre-season favourites tag. But Austria hasn’t been overly kind to Mercedes in the last few years. For one, the traditionally sky-high temperatures have severely affected the Merc on several occasions. However, as it stands the weather is forecast to be in the low twenties with 60% chances of showers on Sunday.

The more than three month delay to racing, caused by the coronavirus pandemic, ensures that the 2020 F1 season will long being remembered as one of the most unusual. In addition to the conjecture around Ferrari’s pace and Mercedes’s ability to preserve their dominance Red Bull too enter into the equation. It’s been seven years since they last won a title and the biggest question around the Austrian-owned team is whether or not a sustained challenge can be mounted for the championship. The opening rounds of this season, which include the double-header in Austria and a third round in Hungary, are circuit tailor-made to the characteristics of the Red Bull car. It is as good a chance as they’ve ever had to assert themselves in the championship fight.

In the midfield too there is great sense of anticipation. Can McLaren maintain their position as best-of-the-rest? They have momentum on their side but team’s financial difficulties add an extra layer of pressure to maximise every point-scoring opportunity. Was the pace shown by Racing Point in pre-season testing legitimate and can they keep their eye on the ball despite the team’s imminent re-branding as Aston Martin? Dubbed the ‘pink Mercedes’ due to its overwhelming similarity to the 2019 Merc the Racing Point team made a big statement in testing. It’s now though that they’ll need to prove that their pace is legitimate. Will Renault, undoubtedly under pressure from France, move forward? For a works team Renault has been languishing further down the field than it should be and must begin to show progress up the grid if it is justify its participation in the sport. Has Williams produced a car capable of scoring points? There were signs early on that the 2020 Williams was at least better than its predecessor. However, the 2019 car didn’t exactly set a high bar. The team seemed cautiously optimistic that it is moving in the right direction.

The 2019 Austrian grand prix, which culminated in a last gasp win for Max Verstappen, was easily one of the best races of the season. If the 2020 Austrian grand prix has even the slightest resemblance to it then we’re in for a cracker.

July 2, 2020
F1 2020: Breaking News – F1 Calls Off Season-Opener

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The two pre-season tests at Spain’s circuit de Barcelona Catalunya has concluded and true to Formula 1 form has produced more questions than answers.

Mercedes reliability

The first pre-season test was highlighted by an incredible run of reliability as drivers pounded around the Catalunya circuit for hundreds of laps without breaking down. But the second week of testing brought with it a number of mechanical breakdowns.

An on-track stoppage for Vettel in the second week slightly curtailed his running. However, it was later found to be a minor problem that was easily mended. Ferrari was able to re-install the repaired engine that ran issue-free. It wasn’t quite the same for Mercedes. While the works Mercedes team have emerged with what many believe to be the quickest car on the grid there are some questions over the reliability of the engine.

In the six days of testing Mercedes were forced to run three engines after suffering failures. Williams, powered by Merc, also ran three engines with deputy team principal Claire Williams confirming that the breakdowns were all different in nature.

Mercedes don’t think it’s a major concern but it is a potential chink in the armour ahead of the 2020 season. “It’s just not quite where we want it to be reliability wise,” said Lewis Hamilton. “But I am sure they are back at the factory now working hard to rectify whatever the issue is.”

Midfield

After a strong start to testing Racing Point is not ruling out the possibility of challenging Ferrari and the new car even has Sergio Perez proclaiming it the best car he’s ever driven in his career. For the rest of the of the midfield teams, outside the Big Three, it’s a question of wait and see.

For now long run pace and relative performance in Spain suggest a close contest in the midfield. Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner saying that there is no one of knowing the true pecking order. “We may be at the front [of the midfield] or at the back. We don’t know,” said Steiner.

While McLaren appears to be in a fight with Renault they are wary of Alpha Tauri (formerly Toro Rosso) who in turn are keeping a close eye on Haas and Alfa Romeo. It’s clear too that Williams have made significant strides forward in comparison to 2019 but just how much progress is still unknown. “Certainly the one of the biggest differences is the build quality as has changed dramatically from this time last year,” said deputy team principal Claire Williams. “That’s been really great to see, bringing a car that’s in really good shape, that comes out the box to a very high standard of which we should be proud at Williams.”

Pecking order

Pre-season testing is hardly definitive but it’s safe to say that barring unreliability Mercedes appears to have delivered a quick car. Ferrari’s openness on being behind both Merc and Red Bull and looking over their shoulder to Racing Point is a bit suspicious. It may just be their way of not heading to Australia as the center of attention and with the expectation of winning, as they did in 2019. Or it may well be true. Ferrari may be truly wary of Racing Point. In that is the beauty of a new Formula 1 season. As important as pre-season testing is there is no way of truly knowing what the pecking order will be. But all will be revealed when they roll out for qualifying in Australia.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

March 6, 2020
F1 2020: Testing Diary – Week 1

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

The Big Three

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Racing Point

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

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

Williams

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

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

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

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

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

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

Team of the year

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

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

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

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

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

Driver of the year

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

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

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

Race of the year

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

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

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

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

Rookie of the year

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

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

December 17, 2019
2019 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

DRIVERS

1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
2 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)
3 – Charles LECLERC (Ferrari)

TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by David Coulthard)

Q: Lewis Hamilton, congratulations, your 11^th victory of the season and that looked one of your most dominant. You must be very proud?
Lewis HAMILTON: Honestly, I’m proud definitely but I’m just super grateful for this incredible team. To all at Mercedes, who have continued to push this year… who would have thought that at the end of the year we would have this strength in the race and even though we had the championships won we just really wanted to keep our heads down and try to see if we could learn and if we could extend and if we could extract more from this beautiful car that they’ve worked [on]. It’s a piece of art. And I’m also so grateful to team LH. I travel around the world to 21 different countries, probably even more, and I get to see people who continuously inspire me and send me messages and lift me up. So I want to send a big thank you to everyone that’s here, everyone that’s back home. Thank you for watching, thank you for supporting. I feel so happy with today, man.

Q: Now it has been a great season and I know you’re in that moment, but you’ve got on the podium two young guys, two young chargers. They’ve thrown some big races at you this year, but this is a great way for you to end the season, with such a dominant victory. These guys have still got a lot of work to do?
LH: These guys, there are a lot of youngsters coming through. If you look at the grid, for example, from second to like seventh or eighth was all super youngsters, so I’m really proud to be in a period of time where there are such great youngsters coming through. These guys have been doing a phenomenal job and I really privileged to be in the period of time where they’re here and I’m looking forward to hopefully more close battles with us in the future, so I hope it gets close for us next year.

Q: Just before I move on, what have you got planned for the winter?
LH: Oh, just family time, man.

Q: Enjoy your family time. Max Verstappen, it’s been a pretty good season for you – three victories, third in the Drivers’ Championship. Today that was the best you could hope for. You had some issues though didn’t you? We heard you on the radio; you were having to manage some issues.
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, a few little things. At the end of the day it wouldn’t have made a difference in terms of position. Yeah, we had to do a bit of a different strategy to Ferrari of course, they pitted quite early and we went long, because they overtook us on the first lap. After that our pace was quite decent, just Mercedes and Lewis today, they were just a bit too quick. As a whole I think it’s been a positive season and of course to be P3 in the championship is a nice ending.

Q: Lewis said he’s going to be spending family time in the winter but I guess you’ve got your sights on the world championship, so you’ll be at the factory, you’ll be on the simulator, you’ll be working hard?
MV: I think we are all working hard but it’s also good to take some time off, be with family and friend and be fully recharged for next year and come back stronger.

Q: Congratulations. We’ve got Charles and Lewis sharing notes here. What are you discussing? They way the race played out?
Charles LECLERC: Yeah, just overall how quick he was during the race. With the hard I think he did a 39.2, so yeah, I was just saying congratulations to him.

Q: Now, third place; it’s another podium. It’s been a great year, first year for you at Ferrari. I know you guys all want to win but you have to be satisfied. You are the first team-mate to have finished in front of Sebastian in the world championship in his time at Ferrari, so it’s been very positive for you.
CL: Yeah, I’m extremely about this year. I’ve learned a huge amount thanks to Seb. Yeah, it’s been a great year. For me a realisation of a dream since childhood. I’ve always dreamed to be in Formula 1 but especially with Ferrari. To be now with this team is unbelievable and now it’s up to me to work, to get better, and hopefully give them the success they deserve.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Lewis, many congratulations, as emphatic a victory as we have seen from you, and in your 250^th race as well?
LH: Jeez! That’s a lot of races.
MV: You didn’t celebrate that – 250? No pit board? Two-hundred-and-fifty grands prix, they didn’t celebrate that for you? You didn’t care.
LH: No!
MV: Three hundred? Three-fifty?
LH: No, I don’t want to reminded of the age! No, what an incredible year it has been. What an incredible stretch it’s been with this team. Yeah, after winning the Constructors’ and the Drivers’ Championship I think it was really important for us as a team to continue to push. You know, we hadn’t got absolutely everything from the overall perfect package. So we were just trying to push the limits and push the boundaries and yeah, I think this is the perfect way to end the season, on the right foot. I think it was a great weekend in the sense that there was a Ferrari and a Red Bull and a Mercedes in the top three, obviously in the finishing order but also on the grid, and then a lot of young drivers behind me, making me feel young, which is great. I’m really just grateful to my team who have continued to push all year long and just have never lost sight of the objective. We’ve all had a common goal and inspired each other to continue to push and strive for perfection. So, incredibly grateful to everyone and I hope that everyone at Mercedes and our partners. I’m sure they are pretty happy.

Q: Were you surprised by your dominance today, because you were 13 seconds ahead of Max after 20 laps?
LH: Yeah, I definitely wasn’t expecting to haver the pace advantage to that extent. Our long run pace was quite good and I was told that we might be a tenth or two ahead but then in the race we had a bit more of an advantage in that respect. And once I got out in the clear I was able to manage my pace pretty well in that first stint and manage the tyres. I just had to go as long, basically, as Max was going. Then we got onto that next set of tyres and for this track the tyre was good. The hard tyres is quite resilient to any abrasion and that. It goes a long, long way. I think it can do the whole race stint. I think towards the end of the race I was like ‘I want to have some… I’ve got to push and see if I can extract any more performance from the car’. I do wish that we had some battles. I saw on TV you guys battling…
MV: You could have slowed down!
LH: You guys are too quick on the straights.
MV: Just give it a chance.
LH: I’m sure we are going to have some great races. We had some great races this year, Max and I, so congratulations to them for continuing to rise and I’m excited to be amongst those guys and fight with them next year.

Q: Max, your second consecutive podium here in Abu Dhabi and your ninth podium finish of the season. You didn’t seem happy with the car after your pit stop. Can you just talk us through what the problems were?
MV: Yeah, I just had some torque holes on throttle. There were delays and stuff, so it was not great, and we couldn’t fix it, so we drove around the problem. At the end of the day, it wouldn’t have made a difference in terms of the result.

Q: What does a torque hole mean? In the olden days would we have been talking about a misfire?
MV: No, just when I go on throttle it’s not doing what I want.

Q: Did it cost you lap time?
MV: It did cost me lap-time – but like I said, it wouldn’t have given me the win today.

Q: Apart from that, race was fine?
MV: Yeah, race was fine. Little bit of a shame about the first lap but then I think we had a good first stint, to go long and yeah, I think once we then put the hard tyres on, the pace was decent. I could get by Charles and then I could just do my own race. I mean, Lewis was too quick, so I was just focussing on my own race and lap-times.

Q: And you’ve sealed third in the Championship today. Just how will you reflect on 2019?
MV: Yeah, pretty good. Few victories, poles, so that’s pretty good. I think we improved quite a bit throughout the season. Also, from Honda side. Of course, very happy about that. Now we just need to keep that momentum into the winter break as well and try to improve the car even further, together with the engine and be there from the first race, not from the middle of the season or towards the end. But we know that, so we are working on it.

Q: Charles, it was pretty tight with Valtteri in those closing laps. How worried were you?
CL: Well, Valtteri was very quick towards the end of the race, so yeah, I was pretty worried at one point when he started to catch and I was starting to struggle a little bit – but then, in the last four or five laps, I think he came back a little bit slower: I think he slowed down too, so then I was a bit more hopeful and then I had some traffic, so it was very close towards the end. But yeah, it was a bit of a strange race because in the first stint I was very hopeful, I was behind Lewis. OK, we weren’t as quick as Lewis but I still thought the pace was there – but then we tried to pit pretty early to try to force them to stop early but yeah, then basically I understood I would see Lewis at the end of the race because we were just not quick enough and we never put a challenge to them in front. Yeah, it’s like this. We weren’t quick enough – but overall, I think during the season it’s been more or less the same picture when qualifying, we manage more or less to be there but then in the race we seem to struggle. So we need to work on that for 2020.

Q: So you were trying to force Mercedes into making another pit stop. How early in the race – if indeed you did – were you regretting that two-stop strategy?
CL: I was not. Because it was pretty clear for me that to get this third place, if I wanted it, it was all about winning because Max was still in the race, so we had to do something. I didn’t want to stay there and that’s it. So, I just tried but to be honest with not much hope but yeah, at least we tried.

Q: And Charles, final thoughts. Are you worried about the fuel discrepancy that was discovered by the FIA prior to the race?
CL: To be honest, I’ve got no idea and no details whatsoever of what’s going on, for now. So, yeah. I’ll speak to the team to understand that better.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Jake Boxall-Legge – Autosport) Question for Max. We’ve heard you over the year discussing over the year that you’ve had a little bit of lag sensitivity with the car. It doesn’t always respond to your throttle inputs. Is the problem today related to that – and how did it feel from your perspective in the car?
MV: Most of the time it’s fine-tuning. Today, I’m not sure yet what happened exactly, because they didn’t want to tell me on the radio, they just said there was nothing they could do from their side, so then it also doesn’t matter what it is, so I’ll have to find out.

Q: (Giovanni Messi – NewsF1.it) Max, do you think Red Bull is now in front of Ferrari and ready to catch Mercedes next year for a World Championship? And for Charles, I want to ask your opinion about the strategy today: why did you stop so early in the first laps?
MV: I think it’s pretty close. It just depends a little bit on the track layout but I think from our side, throughout the season, we made good improvements so we could actually take the fight a bit more forward and win a few races and yet for next year there is still a lot of work to do of course, to catch up to Mercedes. At the end of the day, they were the dominant team over the year, or at least, the most consistent. Yeah, we will of course try everything to close that gap but of course it’s not going to be easy.
CL: No. At the end, as I said, to be third in the championship we had to win the race, considering where Max was in the race so we gave it all for that and yeah, I just didn’t want to stay there in second place and follow the others’ strategy because it made no sense so we went for a gamble, it didn’t pay off but it’s OK.

Q: (Christian Menath – motorsportmagazin.com) Lewis, yesterday you said you had to re-centre a bit after Friday. You were a bit behind Valtteri, I don’t know if it was because of the engine, he had a fresh engine, but can you explain how you re-centre yourself? Is that something driving-wise you look completely differently into or is it more personal?
LH: It’s really just about… I don’t know, on Friday, I just had a bit of… I guess, maybe it was slightly erratic, just the balance of…sometimes you over-drive, you under-drive, just not comfortable with the balance of the car and not reacting, there wasn’t synergy between myself and the car. But I would say more so perhaps from my personal side so I don’t know, it’s just about stepping back, taking a breather and kind of realigning your focus, realising what you need to do. As I said, get your heart under control and came back the next day, there was nothing erratic, smooth, calm and collected, so I had my own ways of doing that naturally but I think it’s just the experience over the years, understanding on some days, emotions are heightened and other days it’s more mellow and that was just one of those days.

Q: (Lawrence Edmonson – ESPN) Lewis, I don’t know if you’re aware but there’s been a lot of talk this weekend about you potentially going to Ferrari in 2021. I may as well ask a straight question: is it a consideration and have you met with Ferrari’s president John Elkann?
LH: Well, naturally everything that happens behind closed doors is obviously always private with whoever it is you end up sitting with but I think for many, many years I’ve never ever sat down and considered other options, because we’ve been on a… just driving straight ahead into the path that we’ve been on and the journey that we’ve been on and to be honest, I still think we’re on that path and I think there’s very little that’s going to shift it from that but I think there’s no harm in… I know Toto is also looking at his options in terms of his future and only he will know what is the best thing for him and his family. So I’m waiting to see what he’s doing with that. I love where I am so it’s definitely not a quick decision to do something else, but of course I think it’s only smart and wise for me to sit and think of what I want… if it is the last period or stage in my career. Actually I want to keep winning so I think that’s… I want to keep being able to fight with these guys as well. I can’t really tell you what else is going to happen moving forwards.

Q: Charles, can I just throw that to you as well. If you’re still wearing red in 2021, would you welcome Lewis as a team-mate?
CL: Well of course. At the end, we are in Formula One and we want to fight against the best. I’ve had a big opportunity this year to have Seb next to me who is a four time World Champion and I’ve learned a lot from him and you can always learn from this type of champion so yeah, of course.

December 1, 2019