F1 Madness

Tag: mercedes

  • F1 2016: Abu Dhabi Gp Free Practice Three Report – Vettel Quickest

    F1 2016: Abu Dhabi Gp Free Practice Three Report – Vettel Quickest

    Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel set the quickest time overall in the third free practice session ahead of the Abu Dhabi grand prix.

    The Ferrari driver’s quickest time of 1:40:775 was a tenth and a half quicker than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen while the sister Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen rounded out the top three some tenths adrift. The first Mercedes, in the shape of Lewis Hamilton was fourth with championship leader Nico Rosberg in fifth.

    Daniel Ricciardo chose to run an alternate strategy to the rest of the frontrunners which saw not use the quickest ultrasoft tyre compound in the sixty minute session. The session ran uneventfully save for a few lazy spins and presented a potentially close battle amongst the mid-field; positions seven to thirteen were covered by only seven tenths of a second.

    While Mercedes did not dominate the final practice session all expectations are that it will be Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg who duke it out for pole in the all important final quali session of the season.

    Final Free Practice Three Standings:

    screen-shot-2016-11-26-at-1-13-44-pm

  • 2016 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Friday Press Conference

    2016 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Friday Press Conference

    TEAM REPRESENTATIVES – Toto WOLFF (Mercedes), Stephen FITZPATRICK (Manor), Otmar SZAFNAUER (Force India), Monisha KALTENBORN (Sauber), Claire WILLIAMS (Williams)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Monisha, can we start with you? Congratulations on the points in Brazil. Describe the emotions and the reaction within the team?

    Monisha KALTENBORN: Well of course it was very relieving considering that it was a long race. You didn’t know are we really going to make it to the end with the points, because you could see how Manor was right behind us and it was so important that the car stays in the race and we could see other cars coming, overtaking us. Yeah, it was a bit of a nightmare. We were all extremely relieved. They are so important for all of us, these points. It’s not only financially, which of course plays a role, but also of course for the morale of the team. We didn’t want to end the season again like we did in 2014. So it was extremely relieving on the track and of course at home as well.

    Q: We had your driver Felipe Nasr, who of course delivered those two points, in the press conference yesterday. He says he hopes it’ll swing things his way. If you do confirm that 10th place in Sunday what does it do for his chances?

    MK: Well, there is no direct link there you know. We have our options, we are looking at them and we know Felipe very well. We’re just going to continue our assessment and when we’re ready we’ll announce.

    Q: OK, thank you. Stephen, coming to you, welcome to your first FIA Press Conference. You rescued Manor a couple of years ago from administration, what has team ownership been like in the interim?

    Stephen FITZPATRICK: I can recommend it to anyone. It’s been a fascinating two years. It has been exhilarating, races like Bahrain this year, obviously Austria and then Brazil. So lots of ups and downs. But also humbling I would say. Coming into this sport as a beginner let’s say, but as a lifelong fan, but new to the inside of the sport, you don’t quite appreciate just how many things you need to get right to bring two cars home at the end of a race and I’ve learned a lot about just how difficult it is to build a car, to race the car, to put the team together. So I would say I’m full of respect for the people around me in the sport, the other teams, the other team principals. It’s been a huge challenge, but also a little bit frustrating. One of the things that makes sport great is the belief that anything can happen and we didn’t come into the sport, or I didn’t come into the sport believing that we would win races or be on the podium in our first couple of years but to be in a sport like F1 you have to believe that incredible can happen and one of the challenges we have at the moment is that that sport has become very predictable. It’s a problem for all of us here, even Toto – who’s winning almost too much – and maybe it’s even becoming a problem for him. I think that’s one of the big frustrations and I think it’s clear that it takes a long time to build a great F1 team. We’ve made a big step forward from 2015 to 2016 but there’s a lot of work still to do clearly.

    Q: There are some stories in the press this week about your team being sold and you CEO appears to have confirmed it. What can you tell us about that?

    SF: Well, I can’t talk too much about the specifics but we have been in discussions with several investors, well, for the last six months let’s say. One of the things I was quite clear on, right from the start, was that I accepted that in the current F1, money equals performance, so anything that was going to bring more funding to the team and help the team develop and progress I was very open and if that meant bringing another investor, even a majority investor, hat was something I was happy to do. We have agreed terms with an investor at the moment and we are still working through that and I can’t really talk more about the specifics.

    Q: Thank you for that. Otmar, coming to you, another championship dogfight going on a bit further up the grid involving you. It’s looking good for beating Claire’s team to P4. How have you done it?

    Otmar SZAFNAUER: Well, we’re not there yet. We’ve got this weekend to go and we’ll work hard, as we usually do, to perform to the best of our ability and hopefully that will result in fourth place. That’s what we’re shooting for. But the building blocks have been put in place for the last five or six years, it’s not something that happens overnight. We’ve been working towards having a better team and a more performant car for a good six years and there’s a lot that goes in it: good decision-making; having the right tools and the right people, having the right engine partner – thanks for that, Toto – but also understanding the tyres, aerodynamically efficient car. You’ve got to do all those things and then the performance comes. Not to mention two good drivers.

    Q: Esteban Ocon joins you next year. It’s been a while since you’ve had a young driver, a relative rookie in fact. What are your expectations and why did you go for him over other candidates?

    OS: Well, we deliberated long and hard. We know Esteban and that helps. We ran him in two different tests and we were impressed with both his speed and his ability to learn, and also with his attitude to racing and his attitude towards learning and we thought he was a good fit for us and that’s why we chose him over some of the others.

    Q: Thanks for that. Claire, you’ve not been at a race for a while, we understand that you have been with your father. How is Frank?

    Claire WILLIAMS: He is good now, thank you. He is on the mend. It’s nice to be back at the track.

    Q: As we were just hearing from Otmar, it’s beginning to look like P4 is slipping away from you. How did that happen from your side?

    CW: I don’t think we’ve delivered where we needed to deliver this year, across a number of key elements. I’m not going to go into detail on the areas of weakness we have in the team this year, but we know where those weaknesses are and we just need to make sure that we improve upon those areas over the winter. But Force India have done a fantastic job. You asked him where they are where they are and they have just done a better job than we have and we need to look into that. We don’t want to finish fifth in the world championship. It’s a bit of a disappointment having come third in two consecutive seasons, in 2014 and 2015. We just need to do a better job.

    Q: With that in mind, tell us about your expectations for Lance Stroll, he’ll be joining you next year, he’ll be 18. After all for Williams to compete for third, fourth place in the championship, he’s going to have score a lot of points?

    CW: Yeah, he is. The Constructors’ Championship is really important for us at Williams and we need to have two strong drivers in our car. Obviously off the back of Felipe’s decision to retire we had a number of options available to us. Lance has been part of a development programme that we’ve run since about this time last year and I think that he’s absolutely proved that he has the credentials to come into Formula One next year and we’re delighted that we were able to make that decision. He has dominated in F3 this year and he’s won the F4 championship. He’s absolutely got the talent, we feel. As with any rookie when they come into Formula One you’ve got to give them a bit of slack in the beginning but we are going to have high expectations of him next year, but anyone that has meet Lance knows and understands that he deserves that promotion into Formula One and he’s extremely intelligent, he’s a very quick learner, we’ve learned that through the work that we have done with him in the ‘3-to-1’ programme, and he’s incredibly charming and I think he’s going to be a great addition to the paddock next year. I think it’s nice to see… as much as it’s sad to be losing a couple of the Formula One legend drivers that we have I think it’s going to be really exciting next year to have a number of rookies lining up on the grid.

    Q: Ok thank you. Toto, you win too much! For the second time in three years your drivers have a title showdown here in Abu Dhabi. How do you assess their mindset and I’d be interested to know how does it differ from the first time they were in this position back in 2014? How have they matured and matured in relation to each other, in their mindset and what you see this weekend?

    Toto WOLFF: Obviously the longer you work with each other the better you get to know each other and it’s the third season that we have had a car that was able to win races and win championships. I said it before, that in the last couple of races we had a great amount of serene… almost a serene environment. Very good for the team because they have worked together to make the car faster. Very productive and then it was very good for the dynamics within the team. Although, I must say that the championship was getting tougher and tougher for both of them. It was clear that they would be the greatest rivals for winning the Drivers’ title and we’ve seen that this weekend is somehow a bit different; you can see that there is pressure coming up, which I guess is pretty normal at this stage of the season.

    Q: Red Bull looked fast this afternoon and earlier on in the long runs, but I’m interested, has the gap really closed up at the back end of the season or have you just done enough to keep everybody at arm’s length?

    TW: We have seen over the last couple of races that the gaps between us and Red Bull and Ferrari have stayed pretty stable, for the simple reason that everybody must have switched off development of the 2016 car. Not all at the same time, there will have been teams that have done it sooner than others, but what you see now in terms of performances gaps or the difference in performance gap, is that somebody just gets it right on a particular track with a set of tyres, but generally it’s been on a similar level for the last, I would say, four or five races.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta Dello Sport): Toto, you know what Lewis said here in the press conference yesterday about the mechanics, the book and so on. I would like to have your comment and that you don’t have any regret over that decision at the beginning of the season?

    TW: You know it’s always dangerous because there is one statement that is being picked out from a press conference between the two of them and as I said before I find it very remarkable how they’ve managed the relationship between the two of them for the benefit of the team, taking into consideration that it must be very intense and very high pressure for them. So that one comment was taken out and it is clear that if you change a crew that is directly involved with a drivers, such as mechanics or a number one that a driver constantly looks at when he’s pulling out of the garage, it can have a psychological effect and we acknowledged that and it was part of our thinking when we shuffled it around. But as a matter of fact we are 1,500 people in Brixworth and Brackley and it’s about developing personnel. Somebody who was working on one corner of the car today as a mechanic might be a number one next year, might be a chief mechanic afterwards and maybe has even more potential within the organisation. In a similar way we have done all through the organisation we are not keeping it static. It’s a dynamic structure and the same happens in the garage. This is a fact. I appreciate the effect on the singular driver and it was taken into consideration and maybe I’ll write a book in 10 years and we’ll put some things in there.

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xero Xone News) To follow up on that question Toto. Isn’t it important to keep your number one satisfied and to give him the best of everything he needs to be successful – especially in the beginning of the season when he was aiming for a fourth world championship?

    TW: It’s very important. It is, in terms of keeping the performance up in the team, you need to consider what your high-performance need; what kind of environment they need, what kind of framework they need in order to perform best. And we’ve considered that. And there is not just one position like the chief mechanic that is important for the performance of the team and the drivers but we have to take decisions for many, many hundreds of people and develop them. It is our duty and obligation towards these 1500 people and the great brand to take the right decisions and not one single individual – although taking into mind what is important for the driver itself. What you are seeing here on the race track is the tip of the iceberg. And by the sheer nature there is a large block underneath that brings performance and has brought the team to where we are today. And part of that is to have the most effective organisation. Not only today but also tomorrow – and that is just part of the normal procedure.

    But if you knew that was going to psychologically affect your number one driver, why would you make that decision?

    TW: I’ve explained it to you already once before that weekend. There’s 1500 and we need to take care that these 1500 perform well. Not one. 1500.

    Q: (Jerome Pugmire – AP) Question for Toto. You said that the pressure is coming up. Just speaking about Nico, do you think that this season he’s been able to deal with pressure better and perhaps he’s a bit more focussed and blocking things out more than he was in the previous two campaigns?

    TW: Yes, he deals with it very well and there is nothing that somehow affects him. This is at least my impression. Whether it’s a difficult weekend, he has learned to assess it in the right way at the right time and move on – or whether it’s a good weekend, to stay humble, both feet on the ground and try to understand why that was. Whether spirits are high or spirits are down it was all pretty stable with him – and certainly, as far as I can see, that is one of the keys why he’s leading the championship today.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Stephen, the Brazilian Grand Prix was obviously from a personal perspective, your own perspective, rather disappointing. Can you try and tell us exactly how you felt when you realised that the cost of this could possibly run to $13 or $15million and potentially even more in the longer term?

    SF: Yeah, I think the first reaction wasn’t really a financial one. It would have been a very exciting race and coming to the end of what was an exhilarating season, lots of ups and downs. We had held tenth place for, I think, ten races, Brazil was number ten and at many points during the race there were lots of different scenarios and there was a lot of furious calculations about finishing the race at different points throughout. The first reaction I had was one of real disappointment for the team. I think they’ve worked incredibly hard for the last, let’s say, 18 months since the start of last season without much reward and it looked like we were heading for a tenth-place finish which was a big step forward for us. So one of immediate disappointment for the team who worked so hard all year back at the factory and here on the circuit. But my next reaction was actually one of… I thought of the opposite feeling that must be going on in the Sauber garage and I thought that the guys in the Sauber team had been fantastic competitors for us all year, we’d enjoyed a great battle with them and I knew how much those points meant to the Sauber team and I was trying to imagine the joy they would be having and they worked so hard all season to bring it back in the end. So in the end I think the season doesn’t come down to one race. Obviously the way the points are structured that was a critical race for us. Very unexpected. But that’s racing. On that day it didn’t go our way but I think we all want to see more of that unpredictability, that excitement. So, in the end, it was a difficult night, let’s say, and then back to business.

    Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Question for Stephen again, and Monisha. Monisha, potentially for you, you could have tenth place locked in at the end of the season. Both teams, Monisha, you’ve got a new investor on-board already, Stephen you potential have a new investor on-board. Does the swapping of positions have any influence on the business decisions made. Obviously it’s more attractive for you Monisha but Stephen, does that put your deal in any particular jeopardy or is it going to hurt you financially? Things planned that you can’t do?

    SF: It doesn’t help financially but the terms of our agreement have been… refinalised, let’s say. It was clear that in tenth place with one point on the board, two races left, that there are lots of scenarios and you plan for those in advance, so, from my point of view it’s disappointing but it’s not unexpected – or at least not a surprise.

    Not a deal-breaker?

    SF: Not a deal-breaker. And, most importantly, we’re not finished yet. We’re looking good today, at least, on Friday, so we’ve still got one race left.

    MK: Well, in our case, the investors came in at a time when we were on P11, so the risks were very well known. So the risks were very well known. And of course we said we are going to do all we can to actually still get to P10. So, it looks better if you end the season, of course,  on P10, that’s clear – but there’s not any other impact.

    [off-mic follow-up] adding more staff?

    MK: Well no. As I said, with the investors we have, our future is secured. There’s nothing out there that would cause us any dramas like in the past – but you simply look better if you have our business case and if you have that additional funding it’s just easier to achieve what you want in your business case.

    Q: (René Hofmann– Süddeutsche Zeitung) I wanted to ask all five of you, concerning the upcoming season: what the rule changes mean for your particular team, what are your hopes, what the challenges you’re facing?

    OS: Well, for a team like ours it’s a big challenge, starting over without any carryover parts whatsoever has a massive impact on us – so it’s a big challenge. We also don’t have some of the infrastructure in place of the bigger teams. We source a lot of our parts to suppliers; we don’t make them ourselves – so that adds extra time. So yeah, it’s a big challenge. Our hopes are we’ve done a good job and others have screwed-up!

    Claire?

    CW: We hope the same! That everyone else has screwed-up as well. No, y’know, for us, fortunately we’re in quite a comfortable financial position at the moment and with the regulations coming out when they did, we were able to start development work on next year’s car pretty early but that’s not to say we know where our performance is. Nobody does until we get to the first test and probably not until we get to the first few races where we know where everybody shakes out. But I think it presents a great opportunity for Formula One to potentially shake up the order. I hope that we’ve found something spectacular over the winter. I know that the guys back at the factory have worked really hard on next year’s car to try and find that performance and improve upon where we finish this year’s championship next year. But I think we just have to wait and see. For the sport, I think it’s pretty exciting.

    Monisha?

    MK: Well, we share that hope as well. We know that we have to take a very big step ahead so we see these rule changes as an opportunity because we want to be back next year in the midfield and we now also have the means to do that. Overall, we do hope that it’s going to make the sport exciting. I think everyone’s been quite critical about certain things which have been introduced so let’s just hope and see if it really mixes up the grid and we have something different next year.

    Stephen?

    SF: Well, interestingly in 2016 we had to build a completely new car: Manor didn’t build a 2015 car because of the administration, so we feel that we’ve been through this already. There was such a big gap between where we were in 2014 and the other teams this year, so we’ve had to make that big step already. I gave the team quite clear instructions this year they were to focus as much of their efforts as possibly on the 2016 programme until we were able to put some points on the board and try to secure tenth place. From Austria onwards the team have been working exclusively on the 2017 programme, so there’s been a lot of work gone in. We’ve really built up the resources of the team this year, we’ve moved to a great new facility; the wind tunnel facility at Mercedes and that’s led to a big step forwards in our aerodynamic development. So the team are hopeful. The thing I guess I’m not really hoping for is that everyone else has screwed-up, because like I said, I’ve developed a lot of respect for all the other teams and I think that might be too much to hope for. It’s certainly going to be a very interesting 2017 season.

    Toto, you pick up where you left off do you, next year?

    TW: Yeah, I tend to go with Otmar! Honestly, we weren’t big supporters of a regulation change. Not because we wanted to freeze the current situation. It’s clear that when regulations stay stable that eventually performance is going to converge. But because we weren’t sure that it is the right way for Formula One. But as it is, we are where we are and the cars, certainly in the wind tunnel, look very spectacular, very wide with the big tyres and I am personally very excited to see them on track for the first time. For the drivers it will be much harder; the cars will be pulling more g through the corners. The simulations that we have seen are very exciting. The corners will be flat that are far from flat today – and we will be breaking records in terms of lap time. So, I guess, an exciting season that will be ahead of us. I hope that overtaking is not going to be too difficult because of the width of the car and the dirty air behind it – but let’s see. In hindsight, now that we are where we are, we have to do the best out of it.

    Q:  (Andrew Benson – BBC Sport) Stephen, when this investment deal happens, will you still be involved and/or in charge? Is it a buy-in or a buy-out?

    SF: I’m not going to talk anything about the specifics.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) To Toto specifically but if the others would like to join in please feel free. Toto, you’ve been on the strategy group since its inception basically. Do you honestly believe that it best serves Formula One’s interests? At the latest one, for example, I believe the teams on either side of you put in certain proposals. These were blocked before they could even reach the Formula One commission so therefore they can’t be voted on properly. Does this really work and is there an alternative to this because there’s been an awful lot of criticism about the group?

    TW: You are a number one fan of the strategy group, we’ve found out. It is what it is. In Formula One, the difficulty is that every team has got to have an opinion and it is very much focused of course on your own performance but then we are responsible enough, within the group, to take into consideration what’s good for Formula One and most recently I’ve seen a development that even within the very big rivals on the strategy group and in the F1 commission there is consensus and we’re trying to seek consensus. Some of the things are not being accepted or not voted on. You refer to two specific proposals which, with all due respect to my friend Otmar, were on the agenda half a year ago. They were referred to the technical regulations meeting, so the competent group, not the dangerous group! The competent group decided that it was not the right way forward and for whatever reason these regulations appeared back on the agenda on the strategy group and this is why it was voted against, that is the fact. But that governance is in place until 2020 and if there is a possibility that we can improve it next time around in order to better the approval process, I’m the first one to vote in favour.

    SF: I never attended this strategy group. I have no idea what happens in the strategy group but I joked earlier on that Toto and Mercedes were winning too many races and maybe it’s been a problem for him but really I know that the Mercedes team is a fantastic organisation and has earned these victories but the sport is not a level playing field, that’s pretty obvious and the structure of the F1 commission and the F1 strategy group is part of that bigger picture. And I think the sport will be much improved and speaking now, as the eleventh placed team this weekend, I know that it’s obviously what I will be saying but the sport will be much improved with a leveller playing field and how that comes about and all of the necessary components – whether financial, organisational, structurally – I think it’s something that should be looked at for the benefit of everybody on the grid but it’s a very complex picture.

    Q: (Jerome Pugmire – AP) Toto, there have been some stressful moments this season. If you were to give your podium of the top three between the first lap incident in Spain, the last lap in Austria and the engine failure for Lewis when he was about to win, which is the one-two-three for you?

    TW: You mean number one is the worst one? Shall we start from the back? Third place, for me, of the worst races is certainly Lewis’s engine failure in Malaysia because it heavily influenced his championship.  He was in the lead, solid in the lead in a race – in races –  where it was going back and forth with Nico. Nico had a great race in Singapore which he dominated. Then Malaysia was very much Lewis’s weekend and it continued that way in – what was the next one? – Suzuka, Mexico. So that’s third place – and it came out of nowhere, really, so still a bit of a traumatic race. Number two? Barcelona. It’s rare that you have a complete wipe-out, one and two in the front and you end up with zero points and for the team, obviously not a nice situation. We stood in front of the screens… I remember, I had the CEO of Daimler, Dieter Zetsche, next to me and he says ‘what are we doing now?’ which was a new experience. But it was OK because it didn’t happen for a long time, since Spa 2014. So number one, for me, the worst, was Austria because it came a couple of races after Barcelona. We made it very clear that we saw Barcelona as a one-off and wasn’t acceptable going forward and here we go, we’re on the last lap of that particular race at the Red Bull-ring, home turf for our great rivals and we nearly lose both cars on the last lap, being in one and two. This is where, for me, the mark was over-stepped and we made that clear, but that was my winner. Not.

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and Speed Sport)  Monisha, Banco do Brasil announced today they will not sponsor Felipe next year. How much of an impact does that have on you deciding if he remains with the team?

    MK: Well that’s correct that the bank informed us as well that they’ve interrupted their 2017 sponsorship programme. Our seat is still open. We aren’t choosing that in our assessments we’re making and that’s all there is to say of it.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) On that vein, Toto, your driver Pascal Wehrlein, Mercedes driver, has basically only got one chance left for a seat next year. Could you see him actually racing in a car with a Ferrari engine?

    TW: It’s two, two chances.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Yes, but then you’d have to provide a budget, wouldn’t you?

    TW: First of all, I must say, really, having had the opportunity with Esteban and Pascal in Manor was great and the development slope of that team is impressive and it’s a great place for both of them and Manor is still very much an opportunity for next year. Well obviously Esteban is going to Force India and we are in discussion with Monisha and in discussion with Stephen and his management group and nothing is decided yet. That’s where we are.

    Q: (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport)  Toto, do you think that at this moment Lewis Hamilton fully trusts your team or if not are you doing something to rebuild the relationship?

    TW: Absolutely trusts. We under-estimate the pressure under which these guys are, not only in the spotlight of a global audience. You have to deliver every single weekend, you have to race your teammate, it’s down to the last race to win the championship and it’s all coming up, all the frustrations and all the happy moments. If a microphone is being put under the nose and you’re being asked the right question, sometimes it produces a good headline like it did yesterday. For me, it’s a bit of a boomerang which keeps coming back, this odd story which internally in the team is a closed chapter and we will not come back to this so it doesn’t change anything in my approach to Lewis or an approach towards Lewis because I think it’s well understood that things are sometimes taken out of context, sometimes over-exaggerated and as I said before, sometimes you just need to allow that the drivers can express their feelings and their emotions. We don’t want to streamline them too much.

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xiro Xone News) Claire and Monisha, we’ve seen a lot of history for women this year. We saw the second female prime minister elected and we also saw the first female elected for president of the United States. As two pioneers in this sport, what are your hopes for the future for women on the business side and on the track in F1?

    CW: That’s a nice question! I think what you see across probably a wide variety of industries in recent years and particularly what you see in the UK with Theresa May coming in as our first female prime minister for – what is it? – three decades I think,  that the landscape is shifting slowly but surely. I think there is a lot of work to do but personally – I don’t know what Monisha does – but I go out and do a lot of talks about women in industry and promoting females in not just leadership roles but throughout different sorts of organisations and I think that’s really important and I think one of the things about Formula One that you don’t necessarily…  yes, you see Monisha and I in the roles that we’re in but there are so many women now who are working across different areas within Formula One, across different disciplines within teams, whether that be in aerodynamics, within engineering, not just the traditional marketing roles and I think that’s a really important shift that we’re seeing in our sport and I think that that can be used as case studies and great story telling, to go out into different businesses because I think if you can be a woman and do well in Formula One.  I think that’s a very powerful message but personally for me, it’s not necessarily about gender and it shouldn’t be about gender I think. But every individual brings different personalities to the roles that they do and particularly in a sport like this, where you have to operate at your peak performance if you’re going to be successful and achieve and that’s what every team is going after, it’s the people who are at the best at their jobs. If they’re going to win in this sport then it shouldn’t necessarily be about gender, it should be about how good you are at your job and how committed and dedicated and what you can do, the team around you. But I would like to see more women come in to Formula One and I would like to see more women come into industry as a whole. I think it’s a really important conversation that we’re having in society as a whole at the moment.

    MK: Yeah, like Claire said, you see that there are far more women in Formula One. It’s been happening over the last few years, actually, where you simply see more on the track. I think the most important responsibility we have here is to actually encourage people to give women the opportunity, because that’s what it’s about. You have enough women out there who have the education, who have the competence and the confidence to actually get the job done at least equally as good and usually they have to be a little bit better to maybe get the same kind of recognition, so what you really need is to give women a fair chance and opportunity.

    Q: And it was a woman in charge of strategy in your team who played a part in bringing you the points in Brazil, right?

    MK: Absolutely. We gave one a chance.

  • 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference (Part II)

    2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference (Part II)

    Championship Press Conference

    Drivers: Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton

    Q: We’ll start with you Nico. How are the nerves? Compared to the 2014 Championship showdown are you feeling more confident this time?

    Nico ROSBERG: It definitely helps to have been there, done that, y’know? This is the third time that we’re fighting for the Championship and the second time that it’s gone to the wire so for sure that helps to feel more relaxed.

    Q: It’s been quite a year for both of you obviously. Which race of Lewis’ most impressed you so far?

    NR: Wow, that’s a bit of a question. I’ll need a bit more time to get into that because I don’t know really, I’m not thinking back. Of course, he’s done a great season, there’s been a lot of great races that Lewis has done, for sure. He’s been a great competitor, tough opponent as always, as was to be expected also. Yeah, but for me it’s just a focus on this weekend.

    Q: Same question to you Lewis. Which race of Nico’s this season has most impressed you?

    Lewis HAMILTON: I haven’t seen any of his races, so…

    Well, the performance, in other words, on any particular weekend.

    LH: I can’t really remember. Same as him. He was quick in lots of different places. I don’t think there’s one that particular stands out.

    Q: OK. We were just talking with Kimi Räikkönen, his 2007 Championship very unlikely given you and Alonso were leading going into that race. Another unlikely one was here in 2010, where Vettel was the least fancied going into that weekend and he came out as the World Champion. Do you take confidence from those two turnaround events, so say that anything is possible in this scenario?

    LH: Not really ‘cos, I mean… it doesn’t really make any difference to this weekend.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Seff Harding – Xero Xone News) Good afternoon, this question is for Lewis. Lewis, if you win this weekend this in win number 53, you inch closer to Schumacher’s record. If things don’t go the way you hope you will this weekend, would that be a bittersweet ending to the season for you?

    LH: Well, firstly Michael’s a long, long way away, so it will be a millimetre step closer to Michael. And if I… that’s my sole goal this weekend, is obviously to win the race. Nico’s been really quick here the last couple of years so it’s something that… it will be a challenge for sure but one I’m certain that I can face head on and do well. In terms of the Championship, if it doesn’t go the way I’d hope, well, the Championship generally hasn’t gone the way I’d hoped up until now. So 2016 has generally not been a spectacular year but there’s been lots of positives to take out from it and either way I will take all the positives into next season.

    Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC) To both of you, Lewis has obviously had worse reliability this year out of the two of you and would be leading on points even if Malaysia hadn’t happened. Nico, how would you feel about the perception that that’s facilitated your championship win if that’s the way it happens. And Lewis, how do you feel about that too. 

    NR: Of course I’m aware of how the season has gone for both of us but those thoughts… first of all the season isn’t even finished. We still have one race to go so it would be premature to get into any such discussions but anyways, such thoughts, I don’t have them at the moment, in any way because for me it’s about concentrating on myself this weekend. I’m excited because it’s the last race, fighting for the Championship again with Lewis and yeah, so I’m just really focussed, trying to get the job done. I really would like to win this race and finish the season with a win. That would be awesome.

    LH: Well, I mean… I don’t know. For me it’s… as I said, it’s been a challenging season in terms of having the ups and downs that I’ve had but I think that I’ve really managed to strengthen. In terms of turning negatives into positives, this year has been a real challenge in terms of strengthening that tool and being able to do so. So I’m really proud of what I have achieved. There have been moments where in the year where… 43 points behind, thought it was impossible to come back but somehow turned it around. I’ve been 33 points behind and almost turned it around. So, I think this year has generally shown that, for me… continued to show me that anything’s possible if you put your mind to it. I’ll keep the facing the races that are coming with that mentality.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Nico, is this the most important ever for your whole family?

    NR: Ha! That’s a pretty easy one to answer. First of all I’m surprised you didn’t pull out a statistic. That’s very surprising. Secondly, no, for sure it’s not the weekend for my whole family, that’s very, very easy to answer, and that has become more clear also with the birth of our daughter.

    Q: (Jerome Pugmire – AP) Question for Nico, given that you’ve finished runner-up twice and are in a dominant position coming into this race, if you do finish second, would this be the most bitter of the three runner-up positions that you’ve had. 

    NR: Again, why…? That’s not going to make me go faster to have such thoughts y’know? About something that might or might not happen in the future. For me what’s important is now. And that’s worked for me until now, and that’s why I’m in this position, fighting for the Championship right here, because of that approach. So I’ll stick with that, continue and focus on a race win this weekend. That’s it.

    Q: (Jonathan McEvoy – Daily Mail) To Nico. Can you say that you won’t get involved in any dodgy driving or with it all on the line is it no-holds barred in this last race?

    NR: Again, it’s none of what you just said. It’s going to be a weekend like any other where I’m going to go for the race win and do what it takes to get that. And that’s it.

    So whatever’s needed to do it, is it?

    NR: Within the limits of what’s acceptable of course.

    Q: (Kate Walker – motorsport.com) I’ve got a question for both of you. It’s been a close-fought season with the advantage swinging in both of your favours. What would each of you say was your best and worst drive of the year please.

    NR: If it’s OK I’m just going to dig into the best, I prefer that one. One of the highlights for me was Singapore definitely this year because it was just a weekend I really… in an important part of the season also which really went my way. In qualifying then in the race the pressure from the Red Bull and still getting the win. In the end that was one that I really like to look back on.

    LH: Can you remind me of the bad races I’ve had? I’m sure there’s been some bad ones but I can’t… someone. Seriously. I don’t want to just discard the negative ones but I need a bit of help with the memory. Singapore. Baku as well – that wasn’t really might fault, I had a dodgy engine setting. I think it’s important for me definitely to try to remember the negative ones because those experiences are generally what help you realise, or appreciate more, the wins. I’m sure there’s been… if I look at Japan for example. Getting off the line terribly, there’s been several races like that but regardless of those really bad starts I’ve always come back through with a fighting spirit and that for me is something to be proud of when I finish the race. That I’ve given it everything, regardless of the stumble or the mistake at the beginning. One of my favourite races was Monaco, I think. In tough, tricky conditions in the rain in Monaco and then wet to dry, staying out ahead of Daniel was a serious challenge and one I really loved.

    Q: (Simon Lazenby – Sky Sports) Lewis, you mentioned your starts there. If you aren’t to go on to win this championship, will you look back and how much responsibility personally will you take for it, along with perhaps the reliability issues that have cost you?

    LH: I won’t really look back. When I get to the end of the season I’ll be looking forwards. I generally don’t dwell to much on the past. I can barely remember the races so there’s not really much to look back on and dwell about. But you know I’ve learned a lot this year, grown a lot, my relationship with my engineers, my new mechanics that I have, that relationship has also grown a huge amount, so there has been lots and lots of positives. I’ll look into another year. The furtherwe go on in our age, the less championship fights we’ll have, or opportunities we have, so naturally you want to utilise every single one but if I was to look back on the season, I would mostly look… if there was anything to be negative about it would obviously be cars failing in certain places for… a car that just wouldn’t stop through testing with the same engine to then have the issues we’ve had. But again, Mercedes recognised those faults and tried everything they could to try and rectify them and improve. We take that, collectively as a team, onto next year and hopefully we will be stronger and won’t have problems like that. We are a team, we win and we lose together. As I said, I’ll just be looking forwards into another season. I know my ability, I think I’ve shown in time and time again and I’ll continue to do so in the future.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Lewis, one of the Twitter users by the name would like to know, would you consider backing Rosberg into the pack on Sunday, assuming you lead by Turn One, Lap One.

    LH: Well, firstly I do really appreciate that you’re using social media really quite a lot now. It doesn’t mean every single question you give me is going to be from social media but I appreciate it either way. I was only just made aware of what Christian had said and a joke came into my mind, thinking I should say he gave me a call to discuss it… as we heard Toto had given him a call, or something, about the drivers in the last race – but I won’t say that because it’s not true. No, my sole goal, as I said, obviously Nico’s been pole for the last two year here. He’s been very, very quick. This has generally been a relatively strong circuit for me but I have not delivered in the last two years, so my sole goal is to do so, make sure I’m at my best this weekend as I have been the last couple of races. In terms of tactics in the race, that has to come on Sunday. I have to really think about that. But that’s not really every been my thought process. I’ve always just really just tried to… if I’m out ahead I want to be generally as far ahead as possible. Generally when you have a 18s… 30s lead that’s as painful a blow as you can give to the guy you’re fighting. So, when you look at the last race, if we didn’t have red flags I would have been 30 seconds ahead and those scenarios for me, it’s more valuable, it’s more of an achievement that backing up your team mate. Plus here, while in theory it sounds like it makes a lot of sense, practically it’s not very practical to do. You have two long DRS zones here. Wouldn’t be very easy and very wise to do so. So, no.

    Q: (Walter Koster – Saarbrucken Zeitung) Nico, on Sunday evening, the season will be over but let’s come to the beginning of the season, but don’t worry, I’m not going through the whole season. But at the beginning five mechanics from Lewis’s team and five from your team left the team for Lewis. What was your impression of this change? Was it, at the end, a good idea during the season? What were your thoughts concerning this change? Were you surprised? Obviously you were not a fan of this change and who had this idea? 

    LH: That’s a very good question. And I would also just like to add to it, what was the explanation given to you?

    NR: So the easiest way to answer that is if we look at the recent team spirit within the team because you know we’ve been fighting now for three years and within the team they’ve been fighting for the race wins and for the championship so it’s quite natural that a little separation can happen between the two sides of the garage and for the overall team performance that’s not a good thing because for the overall team performance you’d want to have great team spirit, everybody fighting for one direction, everybody holding together and that’s why the decision was taken to rotate a little bit and I think it’s shown this year that it’s been a very very good thing to do because our team spirit has been as good as ever, we’ve seen that recently and we’ve had some great parties together and whatever. Everybody’s just sticking together and it’s an awesome feeling within the team so it looks like that it was the right thing to do, even though initially it’s not something that’s super comfortable because my mechanics are close to me and it feels good and everything; to then change takes a little bit of time to gel as Lewis touched on before but I understand that from a team’s perspective that was the right thing to do and it’s worked well.

    LH: You’ll have to buy my book down the line in ten years time when I tell you exactly what happened. It will be an interested read.

    Q: (Rene Hofmann – SudDeutsche Zeitung) Lewis, Nico, could each you just briefly talk about your relationship developing during these three years of fighting for the championship against each other, please? 

    LH: Yeah, it’s been an interesting one. We obviously had a very good relationship generally when we started out, when we were kids. Back then a race weekend was generally… for kids karting it’s… you’re out having fun. You go out and drive and you come in and you fool around, you give a bit of information to your mechanic and you go and play Playstation or you go unicycling. We had a lot in common. We both love pizza, we loved eating boxes of Kellogs Frosties and doing all the crazy things and we go out on big motorbike tours. We did all those things. I still do everyone of those but Nico has shifted in the sense that he’s very very solely focused in terms of looking after himself. And obviously we went quite different ways when we were young: he went BMW, I went Renault. But then we got to Formula One and this was something that we had spoken about as kids and yeah, we obviously had ups and downs but ultimately I think we’ve managed to – particularly in the last year and at the age we are – which is pretty old, considering when we first met – I think we’ve been able to manage it pretty well and I’m really happy for him and his family and proud of stepping away from being our competitive selves, proud of him of how he’s driven, particularly this year obviously and generally it’s been a pleasure having him as a teammate.

    NR: The thing is that we still have from back in those days is the base respect and that will never go and that has definitely helped us through these years. For sure, I have a lot of respect for Lewis outside of the car and also inside the car. As I’ve said, we’ve had some difficult moments but also some good ones over the past years and this year, generally, I think we’ve made progress and so yeah, it’s generally neutral but of course it is a difficult environment.

    Q: (Reem Abulliel – Sport 360) Lewis, I know you’re friends with Serena Williams, she’s an inspirational  figure, someone who’s had a long career. I was wondering if you’ve spoken to each other about your respect for sports, what kind of things can you learn from Serena or maybe be inspired by her? 

    LH: I was actually with Serena last week in LA. For me… she came out to Mexico which for me was a real honour to have someone of her power, someone who has achieved so much. She’s been through… kind of come from similar backgrounds, similar relationships with their parents, being their father figure, being the lead. Growing up watching her career, absolutely being inspired by her and still today by her drive and her sheer… just, she’s if not the greatest athlete we have of our generation today so very proud to have had her there and be friends with her. We generally don’t talk… we generally have a lot of fun when we are around each other. We’re always laughing and joking and enjoying life away from sport, so it’s generally not something we generally talk about, although because she’s been to a Grand Prix she’s generally really interested in cars now and she has asked me a lot of questions about how it feels and all the technical things about Formula One, because she was there, she perhaps didn’t understand everything that was going on, it was her first Grand Prix. But yeah, I’m absolutely mesmerised by what she has achieved and definitely inspired by her as an athlete and as a human being and so trying to learn from her. Every now and then she’ll give me a bit of that magic in her words. Venus talks a lot about wisdom and about her growth and about the process of being a sportsman or sportswoman so generally from both of them, I take a lot of inspiration and admire them both hugely.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta –Turun Sanomat) Lewis, the very sad news  from last week (of the death of Dr Aki Hintsa); did that affect your preparations? 

    LH: The last week, particularly, was definitely a difficult week. Last week definitely wasn’t the best week of sleeping, for sure. I’d known Aki since 2004 I think it was, so I’d known Aki quite a long long time, very close with him and his family and I was very very fortunate to have been able to be there with him and his family in the last days and actually get to see him on the last day of his… On the Monday after Brazil, I got to see him and spend time with him and we played music, get to see him smile, get to see the amazing man he was. You know, proud to have known someone like that and have someone like that in your life, who had been hugely and incredibly helpful in my time. He was very instrumental in me getting that seat at McLaren in Formula One as he’d built a really strong relationship with Ron and Ron was kind of of a mind to say that if Aki says you’re ready then I believe you’re ready, so Aki would take me through all these tests and he would look at me deeply in my eyes and like ‘yeah, you’re ready, I can tell.’ So I have all these great memories with him and for sure it’s… we don’t know why these things are sent to … such wonderful people as well. You hear about prisoners who have done the worse things who die happily in their sleep and then you hear about someone who is almost  a saint like Aki, who would help… who would go to Ethiopia and help children and has helped so many people and affected everyone that he had met in a positive light. To have finished his life so early was definitely tough to see but coming here this weekend, whilst I have that fighting spirit in my heart from the last races I’ve done, I come here with almost double the power in the sense that I feel that I want to win this race more so for him. We were texting every single race through his battle and particularly the last race on Sunday. Yeah, so coming here this weekend, whilst it’s an emotional time, I’m here to try and do him proud, do well for him as he had helped prepare and the belief he had in me.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) Lewis, did you study the history of this race. In 2010, for instance, Alonso lost the World Championship because he could not overtake Petrov and so it’s very important to be in front of Nico. Maybe you need that. Do you think you do any special preparation for that? And the second question for you is that in 2014 you had a kind of magnetic field around you, we could not approach you because it was dangerous for us. You were so nervous, we could see that. In the weekend here, 2014.

    LH: Yeah, it was horrible.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) We could see that. And now it looks like everything… except that you are fighting for the championship.

    LH: In terms of studying the race… the engineers obviously know the history of this race and where have been the good and negative points, the things that I can work on for this weekend so I’m fully up to date with that. Generally there’s one line through the first sector, for example, it’s very hard to follow, you pretty much need a one second, a 1.1s advantage over the car behind so that you can be in a position to overtake the car ahead so there’s quite a big delta compared to other races and it makes it very tough, hence why I am coming here to make sure I’m on first place on the front row which is… as I said, very much aware of how difficult it’s been in the past but with the belief that I’ve been able to do in the last races I believe I can do it here and I know that I can do that here so that’s the goal.

    And the second one was the… ah, 2014. Yeah, it was  a turbulent year again. I remember… was that the year that we had the issue at Monaco? Right.  So we had the issue at Monaco and then there was the issue at Spa, so we went through quite a lot of ups and downs again that season and then to get to the last race where it was double points… I didn’t sleep the night before the race which is one of the first times if not the only time. Yeah, I’d worked so hard… we’d worked so hard, me and my mechanics and engineers, so hard that season to be at the last race and through mechanical failure or something, to have the championship taken away from us… we fully deserved it. I’m pretty sure it was definitely difficult then. Coming here this year is a lot different. I fully believe me and my side of the garage have worked the hardest and yeah, we are not in the position which we’ve worked for but we are still in a position of power, we are still pushing hard, we still aspire to motivate, we’re still very very focused on winning. I’m very very proud of my engineers. I think, as I said, we’ve grown a lot closer this season than ever before. I think our work ethic is greater than it’s ever been, and my new mechanics that have come on board, I feel I’ve really… it started out really tough with us at the beginning of the year, particularly, I would say, on their side because they just didn’t understand what’s going on  and then we had all those problems following, so then they felt on their social media, they felt a lot of heat, fans thinking… people were blaming them which was nothing to do with them. And then we had a lot of success so I built a really great relationship with them, so really really proud of the unit that I have now and of course I feel that we have worked to the point of deserving to have been champions this year as our group but we have this one last race which, all we can do is focus on being great this weekend as we have the last races before. We’ve really grown into a solid unit and continue that way.

    I like these press conferences when it’s just us two.

    Q: (Seff Harding – Xiro Xone News) Nico, you’ve played it pretty conservative back in Brazil, last few races, but that might not be the case this weekend if the Red Bulls get up tight…

    NR: I don’t think you would be saying that if you had been out in the race car with us. You wouldn’t call that conservative.

    Q: (Seff Harding – Xiro Xone News) Are you prepared to deal with that, given the Red Bulls may have a chance to split you two and make things interesting for this title fight? 

    NR: I’m here to win, not think about who might or not come between or be right behind me or whatever. No, I’m just here to win and I know that with the car that I have and the form that I’m in, I can make it happen and I’m just focusing on that. That’s it.

    Q: (Ralf Bach – AutoBild Motorsport) Nico, be honest, what is more important for you here: winning the championship or a victory? 

    NR: For me, here, the most important thing is to do an awesome performance, because that’s going to give both, isn’t it, so I’m doing whatever it takes to give the best possible performance and that’s the same thing that I’ve done for all the other races. Taking this as one more race, keep it simple, focus on going for that race win and putting everything towards that and not thinking about what if, because that wouldn’t be the right approach for me and that’s what feels good to me and that’s what I’m sticking with. Understandable?

  • F1 2016: Abu Dhabi Gp Preview – Season Finale, Title Decider

    F1 2016: Abu Dhabi Gp Preview – Season Finale, Title Decider

    There is much significance to the 2016 season finale in Abu Dhabi this weekend. For one, it is going to decide if Nico Rosberg or Lewis Hamilton walks away with the ultimate prize of driver’s champion.

    What’s more, Formula 1 bids farewell to two drivers who have left their indelible mark in the history books of the sport. Brazilian Felipe Massa entered the sport as an erratic Sauber driver but spectacularly found his feet as teammate to Michael Schumacher at Ferrari. It was during his time at the Italian team that he truly shone and put the best of his talent on display. At the peak of his powers there were few in the business that could’ve trumped Massa’s qualifying speed or his seemingly unbeatable form around Turkey’s Istanbul circuit. There is no reference to Felipe Massa without conjuring the images of the 2008 Brazilian grand prix. Though he felt heartbreakingly short of claiming the title his emotional response to the defeat revealed a man of great character and passion that will remain as one of the most successful Brazilians ever to be a Formula 1 driver.

    felipeJenson Button has not officially announced his retirement from F1 but it is unlikely that he will be seen in the cockpit after his 2017 sabbatical. A fresh-faced Button made his debut for Williams in 2000 before moving to Benneton and Renault for the next two seasons. By the mid-way point of 2002 team boss Flavio Briatore announced that Button would be replaced and called him a “lazy playboy” and said that “time will tell if I’m wrong”. It turns out that Briatore was wrong, categorically so. Button went on to perform solidly for BAR Honda and capped it with a first career win at the 2006 Hungarian grand prix. Four months before the 2009 season Honda announced a sudden departure from F1 and left JB without a drive. The Honda team, bought by Ross Brawn, morphed in Brawn Gp, trounced the field and delivered JB to his much-deserved world championship.

    He then boldly made the move to McLaren to partner a highly vaunted Hamilton. Button not only held his own against Hamilton but also showed him the way in 2012. Unfortunately JB exits the sport after two difficult seasons at McLaren-Honda but his super-smooth driving style, his incredible feel for conditions, great racing brain, and typically dry humour will be missed and remembered.

    Jenson Button grid penalty now 70 placesBesides the farewell parties that are sure to happen there will be a victory party for one of the Mercedes drivers after Sunday’s race. With a 12-point lead Rosberg and barring unreliability is standing in front of an open goal. The permutations for a Hamilton-championship win aren’t easy. Seeing that’s he’s pretty handy around this circuit lets, hypothetically, give him the win on Sunday. Still, he would need Rosberg to finish fourth or lower to win the title. Furthermore, if the drivers are tied on points at the end Rosberg will take the title as he has won more races in 2016.

    With all the permutations running rampant the expectations for the Abu Dhabi Gp are grand so spare a though for both Merc drivers amidst all of it. One is on the cusp of achieving everything he’s ever dreamt of. The other has a chance to join a very select list of drivers who have four world titles. Aint F1 grand?

  • F1 2016: Brazilian Gp Review – Hamilton Cruises Amid Chaos

    F1 2016: Brazilian Gp Review – Hamilton Cruises Amid Chaos

    Three hours, five safety cars, and two red flags all combined to deliver a Brazilian grand prix that was high on intensity and high on emotion. But none of it fazed Lewis Hamilton as he cruised to his first ever victory in Brazil.

    Conditions proved so difficult that race director Charlie Whiting ordered a ten minute delay to the start of the proceedings in the hopes that the rain would ease. This wasn’t enough for Romain Grosjean though as his Haas speared into the wall while making his way to the starting grid. The race commenced behind the safety car and it quickly became apparent that visibility up the long start/finish straight was the biggest issue.

    Nevertheless, a handful of laps later conditions calmed enough to get some proper racing underway. Pole man Lewis Hamilton easily controlled proceedings and scampered off into the distance while Rosberg fended off a feisty Max Verstappen who had already made short work of Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari at the start.

    Ferrari’s afternoon got more difficult as Sebastian Vettel spun at the exit of the final corner which dropped him down to fifteenth. Several drivers dived into the pitlane for intermediate tyres despite track conditions being more conducive to the full wet tyre. The first big crash came in the form of Marcus Ericsson who clipped a white line in the run-in to the pitlane and destroying the Sauber in the process. Ericsson’s stricken car ended up in the pitlane entry which prompted its closure. However, quick thinking from Red Bull saw Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo into the box. While Verstappen made it into the pitlane before the red light Ricciardo was as fortunate and was given a five second penalty for his troubles.

    GP BRASILE F1/2016The safety car once again led the field and just as racing commenced on lap 20 Kimi Raikkonen lost control of his car on the main straight which left him facing oncoming traffic in a situation with low visibility. Several drivers, including Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon, reacted brilliantly to avoid hitting Raikkonen’s car. This prompted the first red flag of the race with Hamilton still in the lead.

    Nearly fifty minutes later the race re-started behind the safety car but the field completed only eight laps before another red flag stopped it. It wasn’t too long before drivers clambered back into their cockpits for the re-start and this time the race ran until lap 48 until the safety car was required in order to recover the Williams of Felipe Massa which had shunted in a similar fashion to Ericsson. It was an bittersweet end the popular Brazilian’s last home race. While a solid result eluded Massa it did afford him an opportunity to salute the thousands of fans in the grandstands with a Brazilian flag draped over his shoulders and a few tears to boot. As Massa made his way into the pitlane it produced one of the most emotional scenes as team mechanics and personnel from several teams, including Mercedes and Ferrari, stood outside the garage to applaud him.

    GP BRASILE F1/2016On lap 55 the race re-started with the spotlight focused on a fast-charging Verstappen in 14th who swopped inters for new full wets. The teenager scythed through the field with some stunning overtakes which had more to do with his bravery than his new rubber. Verstappen eventually finished a miraculous third.

    As rain transformed the Interlagos circuit into a treacherous roller-coaster every F1 driver had to ply the maximum of their ability to keep their cars on track. Several drivers failed to reach the chequered flag but others impressed. Force India’s Sergio Perez was fourth ahead Vettel in fifth and Carlos Sainz in sixth. Nico Hulkenberg took seventh ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in eighth while Felipe Nasr scored Sauber’s first points of the season with a fine ninth place finish. McLaren’s Fernando Alonso survived his own spin to finish tenth.

    Nico Rosberg wasn’t able to clinch the title but he delivered the next best thing with a second place finish. He now takes a 12 point lead to the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi.

  • 2016 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    2016 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    2 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

    3 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Martin Brundle)

     

    Q: Lewis, what a race!

    Lewis HAMILTON: Not too bad, huh!

    Q: You were out front but calling for the red flags and aquaplaning coming up the hill… talk us through it a little bit?

    LH: Firstly, as you said, I want to say a big thank you to all the fans that came out today because that was a long, long race and they stood out in the rain and still at the end there were even more people at the end than there were at the start, so I appreciate all the support here in Brazil. They are always so welcoming to us and their hospitality is second to none. For me, I was generally just chillin’ up front. When it rains it’s usually a good day for me. Today it was tricky for everyone, there were definite opportunities for aquaplaning, which everyone did, but I want to say a big thank you to my team. We’re creating history in this team. This year the stuff that we’ve done, the results we have got are just incredible and I’m so proud to a part of it.

    Q: You talked about water coming in your crash helmet following the safety car early doors, was that your only drama today?

    LH: Yeah, that was the only drama: no mistakes, no issues, no spins. It was kind of interesting to hear along the race how many people were spinning and that, but I didn’t have that problem so I’m really happy about that.

    Q: Fifty-second victory, you move ahead of Alain Prost, second in the all-time list only behind the great Michael Schumacher. Nico, second place, not what your were looking for but it will do today in the championship. You head to Abu Dhabi in two weeks’ time with a 12-point lead, what are you thinking standing here?

    Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, of course, it didn’t go my way today with the win; Lewis just did a great job. But for sure, yeah, it was very difficult conditions out there and I can live with second today for sure.

    Q: Max was pretty handy out there. He was pushing like crazy and taking some rather unusual lines and you must have been thinking: “just leave me alone, I’ve got a championship to win.”

    NR: Yeah, and then I arrived on the straight and I saw him pointing 90 degrees towards the wall! I was like “what the hell?”

    Q: We saw you also once having a bit of a scary moment up the hill?

    NR: That is true, yes. But it worked out fine to stay on track.

    Q: A tough call for the race direction today, safety car, red flag. Do you think they got it right?

    NR: It was on the limit, but in the end, yes, they got it right. They did a good job of judging it but it was quite a fine line out there.

    Q: Max, may I shake your hand, because that was some kind of incredible performance, and he’s already been voted driver of the day by the fans. What an adventure you had this afternoon.

    Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, it was an incredible race, of course, with the red flags, difficult conditions, especially the last straight, really slippery. And then in the final re-start I managed to overtake Nico and I was in quite a comfortable position over there and then I had a massive moment…

    Q: Talk us through that.

    MV: I just… I don’t know, maybe I clipped a bit the kerb, had a massive moment, locked all four wheels, managed to keep it out of the guard rail, continued still in second. Then we decided to pit for intermediates but unfortunately it started to rain afterwards and it didn’t work out. But then after that, I think I was 15, 14, I don’t know what I was, and some great overtakes afterwards to come back on the podium so yes, of course, amazing.

    Q: You were just using a different race track to all the other all afternoon – wherever they went, you went somewhere different.

    MV: Well, I couldn’t see when I was straight behind them, so I had to take another line.

    Q: That big incident you had up here, how much luck and how much skill to keep it out of the barriers?

    MV: 50-50 I guess.

    Q: I thought you might say that. Well, you gave us a thrill. The bravery when you guys just could not see. Did you guys see his incident?

    NR: I just saw him pointing 90 degrees towards the wall.

    LH: I saw both of theirs on the TV.

    MV: He was watching the TV!

    Q: Well, you were cruising out front, Lewis. The showdown, then, in Abu Dhabi, 12 points, what’s it going to be Lewis, how do you go to Abu Dhabi?

    LH: Well, I’m hunting. I’m hunting and all I can do is do what I’m doing right now. The team have been giving me a great car and finding the reliability has been really good, so the results are really showing that. I’m going to go and give it everything I’ve got. Abu Dhabi is generally a really good track for me. But right now I’m just going to live in the moment. This has been my dream since the first time I watched Ayrton race, when I was five or six years old, so to win here…

    Q: Your first victory in Brazil of course.

    LH: Exactly, exactly. And it’s the 44th grand prix here, so it’s kind of a lucky weekend.

    Q: Where would you put this in your 52 wins, one of the tougher ones? One of the very toughest, top five?

    LH: For me, one the easier ones. It was a very easy race generally. Usually in the rain here it’s the hardest but honestly I didn’t have any spins, I didn’t really have any moments and it was pretty straightforward. Silverstone 2008 was way harder than this.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Lewis Hamilton, clearly a very special satisfaction for you today, your first Brazilian Grand Prix win as we were hearing on the podium there with Martin. But I don’t know if you’re aware it’s also a new record: it’s the 24th different race track you’ve won on and that’s never been done before in Formula One history. Obviously today was about what Formula One is all about – but just sum up your feelings and the emotion, I guess.

    LH: I just feel very grateful right now and just incredibly happy. Of course this is a race I’ve been dreaming of winning since I was very, very young. Unfortunately these experienced feel very surreal and probably won’t really kick in until later but after so many years of trying to win this grand prix, all the ups and downs, the emotion, y’know, it’s a hard grand prix to win and today was one of the most difficult in terms of being wet and aquaplaning and everything. Probably the most smooth-sailing race I’ve had here in ten years. I’m just very, very grateful for all the hard work my engineers and mechanics have done because I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.

    Q: Just one detail. When the race was stopped straight after the resumption, you were a bit surprised on the radio. You were saying: “the track is fine.” Tell us a little about the condition at that point and how you felt about the decision to stop it.

    LH: Yeah, I mean, it’s understandable after the first red flag obviously because people were going off, and then the second one… once we went back out after that the track was intermediate tyres – but the Safety Car stayed out for ages. And then that went back in. And then I don’t really understand why the last one came out but the track was the same pretty much throughout, apart from after the first Safety Car so it was kind-of a pointless need to have a Safety Car come out, we should have just kept going. But, y’know, obviously safety comes first and they obviously felt that was the case. Fortunately everyone’s safe so it was obviously the right decision.

    Q: Coming to you Nico, you obviously did what you needed to do today. I guess the key was not being tempted to respond to the provocation of Red Bull twice when they went onto the Intermediate. You basically just, both of you, stayed with that Wet tyre.

    NR: Yeah, it was touch and go but for sure it was risky to go on the Inter because it was just very, very tricky through those couple of sections. It just, as you saw, it caught out Felipe and a few others and you know, of course, in the position that we’re in, can’t really take such big risks. So it was the right decision, of course, and the strategy came in our favour, which is good.

    Q: And what’s the emotion now. Are you feeling relieved at the end of today? If you’re here again on Sunday afternoon in Abu Dhabi, you’re the World Champion.

    NR: Yeah, I mean of course in light of that I have to… I can live with a second place today for sure even though I was hoping for the win – but of course second is OK, yeah.

    Q: Max, an astonishing drive, where do we pick the bones out of that one? Maybe we could start with those passes at the start on Raikkonen and the restart on Nico. Talk us through those.

    MV: Yeah, in the first run I was trying some different lines and I found a good one so I knew that if Kimi was not going to take that line then I had a good chance of overtaking him. That worked out, he couldn’t really see what was happening in front of him and I pulled out of the spray and then I could brake on the inside and pass him, so that was all clean. From there on, I was a bit relieved because they were a bit slower behind me so I could follow the guys in front. But then of course, with the red flag and stuff, coming in twice actually, the same like Lewis, the second one I didn’t really understand because I think I was ready to go. It was similar to before. Then from there on, once we restarted again, I think the track was worse than before. We had good pace again, I had a good fight with Nico in turn three so of course enjoyed overtaking him there and then trying to follow Lewis a bit and then I had a massive moment in the second last corner onto the straight, so lucky not to hit the guardrail. And then I continued and then at one point I got the call to box because I heard Daniel was already gaining a second on the intermediate tyre so we did a pit stop. The first set was actually pretty good but then it started to rain a bit harder than before so then the last sector was undriveable, it was very difficult before but then undriveable on the intermediates, so we had to pit again and I don’t where I was, fifteenth? I hadn’t a clue, fifteenth, sixteenth? Yeah, then I started to pass people again and then it was very difficult, very tricky. I couldn’t see where I was going on the straight, at such high speeds it’s not nice but we managed to pass a lot of them and then of course you come back on the podium and it’s a great result at the end of the day.

    Q: Obviously the feeling was that if you could get the race onto the intermediate condition across the three of you, maybe the Red Bull would be the quicker car. You tried it twice, two gambles as you just referred to, but if you hadn’t taken those gambles, looking back on it, do you think this was possibly a winnable race for you or were they just too strong today?

    MV: Win? Maybe not but I think a second was definitely possible. I think we were in quite a safe position in second but sometimes you have to gamble a bit to try and win the race. That’s what we tried today, it didn’t work out but we’re still on the podium with some great overtakes so I’m quite a happy person.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) Max, can you describe to us a little of the sensation you had overtaking so many drivers and chosing a very original line on the track?

    MV: About the line, I think it’s just because you can’t see where you’re going when you just stay behind them, so you try something else and it seemed to work. The car was working really well also so that helps. Of course it’s great because you have to go forward. We didn’t have the best strategy at the time so you try to make up for it.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Maybe to all three, starting with Lewis: the race was twice interrupted, you had to hang around for half an hour each time. How distracting is that?

    LH: Well, honestly it wasn’t distracting at all. Just very focused at the beginning and managed to maintain that. Got to stop and have something to eat the second time. Fortunately, I just never had to step out of the zone, I was in the zone the whole time which was a positive. In those conditions, obviously it’s much easier to lose focus, particularly in those stops but fortunately I didn’t have that.

    NR: Yeah, it was not a problem. It was fine, it was a good time to relax, eat some spaghetti and good to go again.

    MV: Yeah, pretty OK I think. I was ready to go again so I was just sitting there waiting to hear the message that we could race again.

    Q: (Rodrigo Franca – VIP Magazine) A question to all three and then one for Lewis. The Brazilian fans don’t have a Brazilian driver winning and fighting for the title and they stayed from 7am until now in the rain, so I would like you to comment on that because you guys gave them a very good race despite the conditions. And to Lewis especially, I would like to know if you feel the energy of the Brazilian fans because of your admiration of Ayrton Senna?

    LH: Without a doubt this is one of the best crowds we have in the whole season but the Brazilian fans have always been incredibly passionate about Formula One. I came here with a helmet which was a mix of mine and Ayrton’s as everywhere I go around the world  and bump into Brazilian people they think about Ayrton and it’s just incredible how much he meant to the people here. I feel incredibly proud to have now won in the place that he has done but yeah, the fans are remarkable, to be able to get here that early and even though it was raining… most people would go home but they stayed and cheered the whole way. That’s just fantastic. Brazil generally spits out pretty good drivers so over time I’m sure there will be another winner at some stage.

    NR: For me, even yesterday going to the auto show it was amazing. So many people were wearing my hat and so it’s really good to see a big big support and even now, just before the press conference, I went down to see everybody and they were going crazy so it’s nice to have so much support here in Brazil so I’m very thankful for that.

    MV: Yeah, it was very nice to see them staying, first of all, after two red flags, then you can clearly see the dedication they have to F1 and also when my engineer opened the radio when I was pulling passes on the cars they were cheering, so they were really living up to it and I think that’s great.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) In the past we’ve had much worse conditions than these, much more rain – for example Fuji 2007 – but it seems more and more that driving with these cars is almost impossible, too dangerous in these conditions today. Can you explain why it gets more and more difficult to drive these cars in the rain and can you understand that some people can’t understand that a racing car is not driveable in the rain by the best drivers in the world – how is that possible?

    NR: It’s down to the tyres, you know, not coping well with the aquaplaning. We know that and we’ve been working on that now for next year and so we’re hopeful to make progress on that. Of course it would be good, you know, if it wasn’t so on the edge as soon as there’s a bit of standing water.

    LH: This is Formula One and the rain conditions are the trickiest conditions. If everyone just went round and didn’t make mistakes it would be too easy and then everyone could do it. We are going at some serious speeds and there is a lot of water to disperse by the tyres and the tyre just struggles; the faster we go, the harder it is for the tyres. This wasn’t a particularly difficult race in terms of being wet, there’s been much much worse races in terms of aquaplaning.

    MV: Well of course I haven’t driven in 2007 but yeah, I think it’s a combination of having more horsepower now, so more torque, so the cars are speeding up more and less downforce at the moment. Yeah, I think next year it should be solved already, it will be much easier to drive the cars in the wet because of having quite a lot more downforce on the race. Of course, I think we can do improvements on the tyres, we’re working on that for next year but I think that with more downforce that should help already.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) To Nico and Lewis, Nico, you won last year in Abu Dhabi, Lewis won in 2014. A comment from you about the last round of the championship, the decision of the world title. Do you think you have more chance than Lewis who has more affinity with track? A comment in general about the last round of the championship.

    NR: Well, it’s going to be a great, exciting race weekend, a great battle for sure. I would like to win the race and that’s what I’m going there… I’m going to try and do that for sure. I’ve had good experience there in the past but of course that’s not going to help this year. You know we all start from zero this year, every time we go to a different track. Yeah, feeling good so let’s see.

    LH: Obviously I have to continue what I’m doing. Nico’s finished every single race this year apart, obviously,  from  Barcelona which we both didn’t finish so he’s had fantastic reliability, so I think right now, as the way it’s going it’s going to be very hard to beat him. That doesn’t mean I can’t win the race, so I’m going to take the energy I have now and the speed that I have which has been great this past few races and really try to push as hard as I can in that race to get as far ahead. That’s all I can do

  • F1 2016: Brazil Gp Qualifying Report – Hamilton On Top

    F1 2016: Brazil Gp Qualifying Report – Hamilton On Top

    Lewis Hamilton qualified in pole position for Sunday’s Brazilian grand prix.

    The Mercedes driver locked out the 60th pole of his career and will start the race alongside his championship leading teammate Nico Rosberg.

    Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen delivered an impressive lap to secure third however the Finnish driver called it merely an average performance. In fourth place was Red Bull’s Max Verstappen with Sebastian Vettel in fifth and Daniel Ricciardo in sixth.

    Romain Grosjean delivered the stand-out performance in the quali session to put his Haas in seventh place overall. The Force India’s of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez were eighth and ninth while McLaren’s Fernando Alonso rounded out the top ten.

    Final Qualifying Standings:

    screen-shot-2016-11-12-at-8-10-26-pm

  • Rosberg Ahead in Brazil GP Free Practice 3

    Rosberg Ahead in Brazil GP Free Practice 3

    Nico Rosberg took the honors for the fastest time in the third free practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

    The session got off to a slow start after some rain earlier in the day left the track damp in some places. The damp track seen drivers venture out on the full wets for installation laps. A few laps on the full wets was quickly followed by slick tyres.

    Rosberg was just 9 hundredths of a second faster than team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg’s time of 1:11.740 was 0.093s faster than Hamilton who set a best time of 1:11.833. Rosberg’s time came on his second go at a flying lap where he found some time.

    After a very disappointing showing of pace in yesterday’s sessions, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was 3rd fastest 0.219s off the pace with a 1:11.959. Once again there was not much between the two Ferrari drivers with Kimi Raikkonen 4th fastest with a session best time of 1:12.027. Raikkonen held the fastest lap early on in the session until the second round of soft tyre runs.

    The Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo finished 5th and 6th fastest respectively. Williams’ Valtteri Bottas was 7th fastest with team-mate Felipe Massa in 9th. Splitting the Williams was Renault’s Jolyon Palmer in 8th.

    Finishing off the top 10 was McLaren’s Fernando Alonso. Alonso’s session had a slight delayed start after gearbox issue on his car. He was out on track with 30mins left in the session. His team mate Jenson Button’s session was riddled with issues. Button struggled with front grip and front warming. Towards the end of the session he was told to stop the car. Button managed to nurse the car back to the pits which brought his session to an early end.

    Sauber had issues with both their cars. Early on in the session Felipe Nasr was called in with a problem on his car. Nasr was back out after a few mins. The team, however, found a problem with Ericsson’s engine and found they would have to replace the engine before qualifying.

    After struggling for pace yesterday, Ferrari look like they’re in a better position for fight for the second row of the grid. It does look like the cooler temperatures suit the Ferrari better than the warmer conditions we saw yesterday. Red Bull do look like they have the edge on Ferrari and are expected to have both their cars ahead of Ferrari at the end of Qualifying.

    Pos. Driver Team Best Time Gap Laps
    1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:11.740s –

    19
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:11.833s +0.093s

    21
    3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:11.959s +0.219s

    14
    4 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:12.027s +0.287s

    16
    5 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:12.077s +0.337s

    19
    6 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:12.287s +0.547s

    21
    7 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:12.614s +0.874s

    27
    8 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:12.968s +1.228s

    19
    9 Felipe Massa Williams 1:12.990s +1.250s

    26
    10 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:13.002s +1.262s

    12
    11 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:13.203s +1.463s

    14
    12 Sergio Perez Force India 1:13.231s +1.491s

    19
    13 Kevin Magnussen Renault 1:13.255s +1.515s

    15
    14 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:13.293s +1.553s

    20
    15 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:13.344s +1.604s

    15
    16 Esteban Gutierrez Haas 1:13.596s +1.856s

    16
    17 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:13.609s +1.869s

    13
    18 Jenson Button McLaren 1:13.750s +2.010s

    9
    19 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:13.972s +2.232s

    20
    20 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:13.992s +2.252s

    14
    21 Esteban Ocon Manor 1:14.222s +2.482s

    21
    22 Marcus Ericsson Sauber – –

    1
  • Hamilton Leads Rosberg in Brazil Free Practice 2

    Hamilton Leads Rosberg in Brazil Free Practice 2

    Mercedes stamped their authority on the weekend after Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap of the session with team-mate, Nico Rosberg just 0.030s off the pace in 2nd.

    Hamilton’s best time of 1:12.271 came courtesy of the soft tyres on a qualifying simulation. Rosberg’s time which was just 0.030s off Hamilton’s was done on his second run at a timed lap on the soft, option tyre.

    Williams sprang somewhat of a surprise in FP2 to finish 3rd and 4th. Valtteri Bottas had a best lap 1:12.761 to place him 3rd ahead of Felipe Massa who set a 1:12.789. Williams tend to turn their engines down during practice and turn them back up for FP3 and Qualifying. This turn of pace from Williams is quite refreshing and it sets the weekend up for a very good battle at the top of the field and towards the mid field. The pace will be encouraging as Williams seek to overhaul Force India in the constructors standings for 4th place.

    Daniel Ricciardo finished 5th fastest ahead of Max Versatppen who was 6th fastest. Both Red Bulls were clear of the Ferrari pair of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen who could only manage 7th and 8th respectively with Raikkonen just a little over half a second off the pace.

    Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg was 9th fastest just a little over a second off the pace.

    McLaren’s Jenson Button rounded out the top 10 with a best session time of 1:13.299.

    cameraman-alonso_brazil-2016The highlight of the session came courtesy of Fernando Alonso who ended his session prematurely due to an ERS issue. Alonso was told to pull off the track and jump out of his car. He chose the outside of T3 to park his car. Alonso spent the rest of the session track side watching the cars lap the track and relaxing. Images of 2015 of Alonso resting on a camp chair enjoying the sun came to mind.

    Alonso, not satisfied just watching the cars found a FOM remote camera panel and decided to try his hand at being a camera operator. This pleased everyone on track and Twitter came alive with the images of Alonso making a right hash of being a cameraman.

    FP2 confirmed that Mercedes once again have a firm grip over the weekends proceedings. Hamilton does seem to have the early upper hand over Rosberg who needs a win to secure his first world title.

    With the turn of pace from Williams it will be a close fight for the second row of the podium between Red Bull, Williams and Ferrari.

    The long run pace up front has Mercedes ahead of the rest. Red Bull seem to be best of the rest with Williams and Ferrari very similar on pace.

     

    Photo credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team

  • Hamilton On Top in Brazil GP Free Practice 1

    Hamilton On Top in Brazil GP Free Practice 1

    Lewis Hamilton topped the time sheets at the end of the first practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.

    Hamilton set his best time of 1:11.895 on the soft tyre just marginally faster than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who set a best time of 1:11.991. Verstappen’s time came mid way through the session on the soft tyres and looks like an early signal that Red Bull will be taking the fight to Mercedes this weekend.

    Nico Rosberg was 3rd fastest at the end of the session setting a best time of 1:12.125 on the soft tyre, 0.230s off Hamilton’s pace. Not far off Rosberg’s pace was Daniel Ricciardo in the other Red Bull in 4th.

    Valtteri Bottas finished 5th fastest in the Williams ahead of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg in 6th and 7th respectively for Force India. Felipe Massa, at his final F1 race in his home country, was 8th fastest.

    Rounding out the top 10 were the two Ferrari’s of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen more than 1.5s off the pace. Ferrari did not run the soft tyre in the session and stuck to the medium compound tyres. Both Ferrari drivers had just 0.002s between them at the end of the session. Vettel did not look comfortable in the car and made a few mistakes around the circuit. He spun it at Turn 11 just before the end of the session bringing an end to a very anonymous session by both Ferrari’s.

    Red Bull are showing some good early pace which should give Mercedes something to think about going into Qualifying tomorrow. The characteristics of the track suit the Red Bulls and Mercedes may find it tricky keeping the Red Bulls at bay.

    Pos. Driver Team Best Time Gap Laps
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:11.895s – 32
    2 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:11.991 +0.096s 29
    3 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:12.125 +0.230s 26
    4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:12.371 +0.476s 27
    5 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:13.129 +1.234s 36
    6 Sergio Perez Force India 1:13.289 +1.394s 31
    7 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:13.293 +1.398s 33
    8 Felipe Massa Williams 1:13.318 +1.423s 33
    9 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:13.567 +1.672s 24
    10 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:13.569 +1.674s 26
    11 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:13.711 +1.816s 22
    12 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:14.090 +2.195s 15
    13 Jenson Button McLaren 1:14.252 +2.357s 27
    14 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:14.296 +2.401s 26
    15 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:14.507 +2.612s 25
    16 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:14.631 +2.736s 21
    17 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:14.654 +2.759s 23
    18 Esteban Ocon Manor 1:14.827 +2.932s 30
    19 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:14.908 +3.013s 32
    20 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:14.948 +3.053s 32
    21 Charles Leclerc Haas 1:15.391 +3.496s 27
    22 Sergey Sirotkin Renault 1:15.800 +3.905s 10