Tag: mercedes

Hamilton takes comfortable pole for Italian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton comfortably secured pole position for the Italian Grand Prix during qualifying on Saturday at Monza.

Hamilton took the pole grid spot by two tenths of a second over warring Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg. Rosberg went into qualifying without being able to take part in the full final practice session – completing only three laps in FP3 due to a gearbox issue. However, the Mercedes team were able to sort out the problem without having to break any of the FIA seals on the gearbox and as such will not receive a grid penalty for Sunday’s race at Monza.

The Williams duo of Valterri Bottas and Felipe Massa will lock out the second row of the grid.McLaren suprised everyone with Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button lining up fifth and sixth, while Fernando Alonso could only manage seventh for Ferrari’s home Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel finished in eighth place ahead of his Red Bull team mate Daniel Ricciardo and Force India’s Sergio Perez to round out the top 10.

Daniil Kvyat only just missed out on making it through to Q3 but will drop to 21^st on the grid due to a 10 place grid penalty for using a sixth engine this season.

Kimi Raikkonen was the biggest casualty during qualifying, managing only 12th after a pretty scruffy lap.

Your full timesheets and results are below. Please join us tomorrow for live commentary and chat on @F1_Madness on Twitter as we bring you blow-by-blow action of the Italian Grand Prix.

September 6, 2014
2014 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference

Drivers:

Kevin Magnussen (McLaren)

Max Chilton (Marussia)

Valtteri Bottas (Williams)

Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

Q: Fernando, can we start with you? Twice a winner here obviously, on the podium here in Monza for the past four years, but the podium count is down a little bit this year, just the two so far. Do you see signs, though, of encouragement from the performance in Spa?
Fernando Alonso: Well, definitely I think it’s one of the most important races for us in the year, here in front of our tifosi, and we would like to give them some good results on Sunday. I’ve been extremely lucky to have been on the podium in the last four years and hopefully I can repeat that good feeling. It’s going to be difficult. On paper it should be one of the toughest for us. But as you said, I think we saw some signs of being a little bit more competitive in Hungary and we were nearly on the podium in Spa as well with Kimi, so hopefully we can have that opportunity and as I said, being on this podium is something special.

Q: You had quite a battle with Kevin (at Spa) and obviously he was penalised afterwards and we’ll hear from him in a moment, but can you describe the battle from your perspective?
FA: Obviously, you know, we try always to fight and overtake. More than 30 laps behind Kevin in Spa and it was not easy to overtake. I had one chance with some cars in front of us and I took that opportunity and at the end I went a little bit on the grass. The race direction decided to penalise him at the end. We gained that position; we lost a couple more because of that fight but when you are fighting for sixth or seventh at the end of the race it’s not a big deal.

Q: Kevin, obviously you were hit with a penalty after that. Give us your perspective in the battle with Fernando.
Kevin Magnussen: Well, obviously I did my best to fight for sixth position. For us that was a really good result or would have been – sixth. In the end I went over the line and got a penalty. I guess that’s just something you learn from as well, it’s all good experience and I can always say I did my best. I enjoyed it as well. Hopefully, we can have another good strong race here.

Q: Without that penalty you would have had a sixth points finish in seven races. Are you getting any signs of encouragement from the team that this is the kind of form that will keep you in this seat next year?
KM: We’re fighting very closely with Force India. Williams is a step forward compared to us, but we’re fighting for position in the Constructors’ Championship and every point is very important at the moment, so keeping consistency up is very important at the moment.

Q: Well, obviously another duel that had everyone talking in Spa was the Mercedes battle at the start of the race. Nico, we’ve all seen the statement from the team and other things you’ve said since, but what persuaded you that you had something to apologise for because when we spoke after the race in Spa you weren’t sure?
Nico Rosberg: Just with time. I took the week to think about it and had a look at it and discussed with the team on Friday and I just in the end decided that it was me who should take responsibility for it.

Q: So, Lewis, in your mind, is it a racing incident? Is that how would put it in your mind now?
Lewis Hamilton: There was nothing in my mind. I think this is the first time that we’ve been in the room for a long time that there have been so many people here. For me, I’m really excited about moving forward, I feel energetic, I had a good couple of days break last week, so excited to be here, this is one of my favourite circuits so I hope that we can have a good weekend.

Q: And how do you move forward? Have you found a baseline, if you like, of trust and understanding to encourage you to believe that you guys can work together from here?
LH: I knew you were going to say that! I think I already said everything in the press release. Trust is a big word and it’s not something I would particularly apply to racing on the track. Naturally, me and Nico have been racing for a long time and I think we have set a good foundation a long, long time ago so that’s what we work from.

Q: Nico, coming back to you, this duel is often compared to great duels from the past history of our sport. Are you becoming aware that the two of you are making history this year and do you feel the responsibility of that?
NR: Yes, definitely, yes. And in Spa, definitely I was not proud of the way it went because in general I really want to contribute to ‘my sport’ in inverted commas, you know, because I want it to be the most entertaining sport in the world and if I’m able to contribute to that in many ways throughout the season then I’m very happy about that and I’m sure in many we have and that’s great.

Q: And Lewis, just a word from you on that: do you feel the hand of history on your shoulder? Are you aware of the responsibility?
LH: I don’t think I have a responsibility towards history. I mean, history is created every day. I just love racing and I’m proud to be amongst all the drivers here and I’m just trying to enjoy every single day as it comes, you know. Everything becomes history eventually and I personally don’t put us in the same ranking as the greats back in the day.

Q: Thanks for that. Valtteri, coming to you. Another podium in Spa, the fourth for you now this year. You’ve generally been the fastest man throughout this season through the speed traps at a lot of places we’ve visited, so is Monza a potential fifth podium for you?
Valtteri Bottas: Well that should be the target. We don’t see any reason why it would be not possible, so we’re aiming for that. We know it’s a good place for us, one of the good ones. We do have good straight-line speed and a special package for here, as I’m sure everyone does. I’m really looking forward to this one and I really think Sunday will be good fun.

Q: Williams wasn’t too far off a win in Austria or Canada. What will it take to get that final push to get you over the line?
VB: I think by pure pace, it is going to be really, really difficult. Mercedes is… any track they are going to be the strongest at the moment. Even Red Bull was surprisingly quick in Spa, so it’s never going to be easy but we are aiming for that and we still need to work on all areas of the car. We already have a good straight-line speed but all areas including, especially the corners, getting more grip into the car is the main thing really. We’re working on that. It’s still a long season to go, so let’s see.

Q: Max, you were obviously on pole here in your GP2 days. Is this one of your favourite tracks?
Max Chilton: Yeah, I think it’s everyone’s favourite or one the favourites of the year. I was on pole here in Formula 3 and GP2. I’m not saying I’m going to be doing that this weekend but I will give it my best shot and will try to extract the most from the car and I just enjoy being here. You only have to do the track walk this morning to see the old banking and it just gives you a good feeling for the weekend.

Q: Can you shed some light on where you and your backers are now with Marussia after what took place in Spa? You said at the time that it was not what everyone thinks it was. So, is it resolved for you now for the rest of this year and what about 2015?
MC: Yeah well there was never really an issue in the first place. It was a busy weekend, I’m not going to lie, but it was a commercial decision that was overturned by senior management over the course of Thursday evening. So, my weekend didn’t really change. I was always out of the car for practice one for Alex, our reserve driver, and so it was nice to be back in the car for free practice two, because Spa is my favourite circuit so we ended up having a good race and a good weekend.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Ian Parkes – Press Association) To Lewis and Nico. In a TV interview earlier this week that Fernando did, he remarked that both sides of the garage would now be divided – engineers, mechanics, people that know you well would favour one or the other. Do you sense that within the team that you are now a garage divided?
LH: I don’t know if that’s the case. We have a very professional team and yeah I mean they just want to win. So they’ll be working as hard as they can. Also the guys working in the garage work collectively for the pit stops. That thought doesn’t even cross my mind. I think the guys will be working flat out this weekend. They know we have the chance to have one-twos and to win the championship for both the Drivers and the Constructors and I think they will giving it their all.

NR: I general, there has been throughout the whole season a healthy rivalry, within the team also. That is why we are where we are, you know. We have the best car out there, we have the best team at the moment. That’s because we work well together as a team and if you don’t work well together as a team you can’t dominate the sport as we are at the moment so I think that’s the best proof of that.

Q: Fernando you were mentioned there as being quoted. Do you want to qualify your comments or add anything?
FA: No, whatever I say I will always be misinterpreted and always any comment you say after two or three days will be a big thing. I didn’t say exactly that but I cannot change the world.

Q: You don’t want to clarify what you meant?
FA: It’s OK.

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Question to Fernando, could you speak about your early days with Minardi and how difficult was it to begin your Formula One career at the back of the grid and not scoring points and not being visible.
FA: It was tough but it was worse at the end of the year, first year in Renault as test driver. As far as… you are driving, you are on the grid. OK, you are not able to deliver the result that you would like and to fight for the top positions but at least you are racing – which is what you have done for many years in go-karts and different categories. And then, OK, this is Formula One – but you are racing. When you are watching races on the television in the garage, that was very tough.

Q: (Peter Farkas – Autó-Motor) Lewis, do you now accept that it was simply a racing incident from Nico’s part, and Nico, do you think that, in fact now you will be at a small disadvantage because you will have to be extra careful not to have an accident in close combat?
LH: Well, again, I know it’s something you all want to talk about but after the race it was important to really try and move forwards and that’s really what I’m focussing on. What’s happened in the past is in the past and it is what it is. I’m excited to get back in the car. I have seven races, there’s still a lot of points available and so that’s my focus.

Q: Nico?
NR: It’s been very clear from the beginning that we must not have contact between us team-mates. And so from that point of view the approach doesn’t change now for the future. It’s been the same.

Q: (Barna Zsoldos – Nemzeti Sport) Nico, as the tension in the Championship battle is getting bigger and bigger, have you prepared yourself psychologically for a very vicious media attack? What we saw in the past two weeks was basically some kind of witch-hunting already against you from certain journalists.
NR: I respect the opinions and then for me I really try and focus on driving my race car fast, working together with the team, getting the best out of the situation and also, importantly, enjoying the moment. I’m very, very lucky to have such a car. It’s very seldom in F1. I go to every race now and know that I can get pole and I can win the race with the car that I have. The team is doing an unbelievable job, also with the development. Keeping it up, y’know? Pushing further and further and further. The other guys are not getting closer really, y’know? So, that’s great and I want… my focus is on that: in the moment; make the most of it.

Q: (Ralf Bach – Sport-Bild) Lewis, a question for you, we learnt from last Friday that Nico gets punished by the team for the incident in Spa. What I want to know is: did you get punished by the team for not accepting the team order in Hungary as well or not?
LH: Um…well, I don’t know really. We all get punished for all the incidents that we… we have meetings always. We always get a big slap on the wrist. But as I said I’m moving forward. In actual fact in the first… in Hungary I didn’t say ‘no’ to the situation. I said that “if he gets close then I’ll let him by,” so I wouldn’t hold him up. And afterwards I sat with Toto and Paddy and they said “you made the right choice”. As human beings, we have the right to question things that are said to us – orders – just to make sure that it is the right one. And it turns out that that one wasn’t the right one and the team said that to me in the meeting.

Q: But it was a team order during the race…
LH: It was, but Nico didn’t get close enough to go by…

Q: (Vladimir Rogovets – SB Belarus Segodnya) My question for Fernando. You had already seven years ago the negative experience in partnership with Lewis but today I see you are friends – it’s very good. I think the same between Nico and Lewis. My question: can you be the ambassador for peace between Lewis and Nico?
FA: Good! Ah, no I’m definitely not an ambassador for peace but yeah, I think 2007, I think it didn’t work as we wanted. But, as I’ve said many times, it never was a problem with Lewis. We had a very professional relationship, very competitive people inside the team and that was quite normal. It didn’t work because the team… I was not happy with some of the philosophies, and some of the team management at that point and I had more possibilities to go in different teams the year after and we decided to move forward from there. But I never had a problem with Lewis and it’s not a surprise today that we still have a good relationship and I’m sure these guys will move forward. As Nico said, they have a clear target, which is winning the world championship, both of them. They are in a privileged position, which is to fight for that goal. From the outside we will try to enjoy as maximum this beautiful battle. The sport is made of these kind of things. They have a good problem: fight for the world championship.

Q: (Andrea Cremonese, La Gazzetta dello Sport) Question for Nico and one for Lewis. For Nico, how has the booing on the podium affected you in Spa? If you think about that and are you afraid it can happen again? And for Lewis, what does it mean that you freeze the discussion for the future contract with Mercedes? Are you thinking something like Fernando’s strategy in 2007?
NR: It was definitely not a nice feeling to hear boos towards me. And I understand, because they travel a long way, some of them, to watch a great, exciting race; a big battle between Lewis and I, and they didn’t get that. I understand that and I accept that.

Q: Lewis?
LH: Well, I haven’t said that I was freezing anything. We’re constantly talking with the team – but I think at the moment the priority is to win the championship. I still have a contract for a whole ‘nother year on top of this one, so there is no rush. But I do want to say that I see my future with Mercedes. I’m really happy there, so…

Q: (Luis Fernando Ramos – Racing Magazine) A question to Lewis. You fought for the 2007 title with Fernando as an opponent in the team, and now with Nico in the team. Which of the two offered you a fairer fight on and off the track?
LH: That’s not really a particularly good question. When you’re fighting with your team-mate, as Fernando said, you’re fierce competitors but outside it’s really important to remain respectful and, I think I’ve had the pleasure of working with quite a few different drivers and every single one of them has been hard to race against, in a different way, a different manner. I think generally, the majority of the time, we’ve not really had many problems. And that’s what I hope for moving forwards.

Q: (Byron Young – Daily Mirror) Nico, could I just ask why you apologised? Was it because your team bosses made you or was it a heartfelt thing?
NR: They can’t make me apologise. It definitely was a decision that came from me after hearing people’s opinions and after having looked at it myself again. I felt that it was my responsibility.

Q: What changed?
NR: Time. And hearing other people’s opinions.

Q: (Rosie Bailey – F1 Plus) Question to all of you: what do you think about the changes to the run-off area at Parabolica and how will it affect the way you approach that corner now? Will you take more risks because there’s tarmac instead of gravel?
KM: I do think we will take more risk… well, you’re not really taking more risk because it’s more safe and you can just go off the track and come back again and generally I’m not a big fan of that. I think it adds to the experience of driving at circuits if there is a little bit of a bigger consequence of going off the circuit. I’m not saying we should compromise safety but in my opinion, I don’t think we’re making the track more unsafe by having gravel there, but it’s still an awesome circuit – I’m sure – and I’m still going to really enjoying driving here, I know that for sure. But yeah, I haven’t driven it yet so we will see how it is.

VB: Yeah, I agree quite a lot with Kevin. I really think last year it was maybe a bit more challenging in a way because on the exit we were always going with the outside wheels just on the white line and you knew that if you went a couple of centimetres too wide that that would be it, you would go off, but now it doesn’t matter if you go a bit over the white line, you just need to keep at least two wheels on the track and that’s it. It’s still a good track. It’s just that one corner is less exciting.

MC: Yeah, I’m not a huge fan of it. I think it’s maybe allowed us to go for slightly more risky overtakes but I don’t see why they needed to extend it so far around. As Valtteri said, it was a bit of spice, the old circuit, where we used to run up against the white line and if you went slightly too far you would hit the gravel and you knew it was over. Now, to me, it looks like we can get away with it so I’m not a big fan of it but that’s the way it is.

LH: They’ve pretty much said everything. I think the FIA are very very conscious of safety and I think that’s nothing to shy away from, I think that’s a very very important issue but I’m old school, so I like the old circuits, back in the nineties when there was no tarmac run-off areas, where it was grass, because even last year, here, when you went round that corner, you didn’t, as I said, you know… and I experienced it last year, I went wide through a mistake and you pay for the mistake. But what is really important is that of course if you do have an incident the tarmac does slow the car down better, so that is a good move but you can’t win, both sides.

FA: I think they’ve said everything. Nothing to add.

NR: It was one of the more risky corners that we still had in our calendar so it definitely makes things a lot safer and that is the right direction to go in.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – Universo On-line) Nico, in a battle for the world title between two drivers, how important is the psychological war?
NR: Of course in sport it plays a part of it. Your performance is linked to many things and your mental state of mind is always important in sport.

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Fernando, back to the Parabolica again; the FIA said it was the drivers that wanted to see a safer corner so how many drivers were consulted and who were the drivers who actually wanted that tarmac run-off area put there because the back row, I think, would have left it as it is? Lewis you spoke very well about the safety, but Fernando, who were the drivers who said we want this changed?
FA: I don’t know, I don’t know.

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Did the GPDA not discuss this?
FA: As far as I know, I don’t think so. There have been some discussions in the past for the entry, probably in case you have a brake failure or something to have the possibility to not go straight, just into the gravel and hit the tyres but probably from mid- to exit of the corner, that was probably a surprise for us also. Which it still is I think. Artificial grass on mid- to exit which before probably we said that we can put two wheels out of the track and two inside and don’t pay a big price but I don’t agree. I think if you put two wheels now, you will go on that artificial grass and you have to back off because you have a snap on the car and you need to back off, so you still need to be a few centimetres from that artificial grass now to do a perfect corner.

Q: (Sarah Holt – CNN) Just one more question on Spa, if I could ask Fernando and the two Mercedes drivers as well: in a situation that we saw happen last time out in Belgium, when there’s a mistake by one driver and it effectively puts another driver out of the race and then the first driver makes an 18 point gain over the second driver in a hotly contested title race, should the FIA investigate the incident a bit more closely than they did in Spa?
FA: I don’t know why I need to answer so many questions on Spa! No, I would like to answer, you know, to be honest, because I have no clear input on that. It’s FIA rules and they get us to race in a fair way and to respect the rules and they always try to do that and if in Spa they didn’t decide to go any further, they thought that it was OK like this but as I said, I was not in that incident, I was not involved. I saw it the week after but I have no clear opinion.

Q: Nico, were you asked to clarify your comments or anything?
NR: No. Just we need to trust the FIA to make the right calls, that’s our position as drivers.

LH: I think the FIA have a really tough job, particularly over the last couple of years they’ve done an exceptional job, I think, on the majority of the calls. I think their problem is always that the rules… the scenario is always different, so the same rule doesn’t always apply exactly. Sometimes perhaps it’s difficult to say which rule applies to what situation but I think there’s a very good question, to be honest, because how do we move forward from that? Does that mean that we can all now say OK, we can race a lot closer and if the guy in front comes off and is out of the race, nothing’s going to happen so then we will be more relaxed towards it or does that mean if it happens again there will be a penalty? I think we’re always asking to be able to race. It’s very hard out there to manoeuvre a car at those high speeds without sometimes having contact but there’s a fine line. But I think it’s a really good question, I don’t know the full answer to it really.

Q: (Ralf Bach – Sport Bild) Nico, is it right that Niki Lauda talked to you in the week after the Spa race and apologised for the interviews he gave directly after the race at Spa?
NR: Yes, it’s true, yes, and that was a nice gesture of his which I have accepted, fully accepted of course, and also there, it’s a thing of the past.

September 4, 2014
F1 2014: Italian GP Preview – F1 Readies For Monza Mania

Away from the mystical Ardennes forest Formula 1 travels to a place where all things fast and red are relished with a near obsessive passion. In one way or another, the Italian sited Monza grand prix circuit has been on the Formula 1 calendar since 1950 and it’s always been considered a classic.

The distinctive demand of its low downforce layout will compel the designers and engineers of 2014 Formula 1 cars to fit the skinniest rear-wings they have in the shed as at Monza cars will reach the highest possible straight-line speed of the year. As the top end speed of the Turbo power units reaches full tilt the twiddly bits in between the long stretches of tarmac will require some focus. The compromise between aero performance and speed is the biggest of the entire year and some drivers are expected to sacrifice a bit of grip for a quicker trip down the straight. The final Parabolica corner is likely one the most crucial parts of the circuit. If you get it wrong it compromises not only the end of the lap but affects the speed, and laptime, all the way down the straight to the first chicane. Another tester for the drivers is the braking zones as several big stops from high speed will provide a tough test for the brakes.

Nothing is more synonymous with Monza and Italy than their beloved Ferrari. The Tifosi are as dedicated and fanatical as they come and just as demanding. They will have been inconsolable about the shape of the Scuderia in 2014 but will still arrive in their droves to support the Scarlet legends. A step forward with the power unit in Belgium comes at the perfect time for Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen who have an outside chance of giving the Ferrari devotees something to cheer about; perhaps even a podium finish.

The Williams team was supposed to perform well at Spa given their slippery aero package. But they were not near the sharp-end of the grid. The cool weather condition may have played its part in the lack of anything Bottas-shaped at the front. The Finn, on the cusp of inking a new deal with Williams, should find Monza more suited to his car.

As for Red Bull we have now learnt that no matter the circuit or conditions or starting position or even the car underneath him – you can’t count out Daniel Ricciardo. The go-getter Aussie will probably find it tough going amongst the super slick Mercedes engines but if ever there was a man ready to crash the German flavoured party, it’s Ricciardo.

Many a turning point in the championship has taken place here. In 2010, Fernando Alonso ramped up his championship bid with a famous victory and a year later Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull cheekily showed up those naysayers that gave them no chance at the power hungry circuit.

It seems that the cats have been separated from the pidgeons at Mercedes, at least for now. A statement released by the team detailed a meeting that was held between Toto Wolff, Paddy Lowe, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. After the debacle of the Belgian GP it was confirmed that Rosberg had apologised to the team and Lewis Hamilton for his “poor judgment.” Naturally, the more sceptical among us wonder whether the tardy Rosberg apology was made simply to smooth some ruffled feathers.

Most importantly, and most welcome for race fans, is that Mercedes haven’t tightened the leash on either of its drivers. It seems that Lewis and Nico haven’t yet exceeded their drama limit with the team and for now, as long as they don’t run into each other, are free to race each other to the ragged edge. Credit to the Mercedes bosses for handling this as suavely as they have. With hindsight being twenty-twenty and a whole lot calmer Hamilton has expressed his confidence in moving from the incident.

On the back of Hamilton’s helmet the line “Still I Rise” is boldly emblazoned. It speaks to his fighting spirit and the ability to rise above whatever else is happening. At present, with a twenty-nine point deficit it has never been more important for Hamilton to put this into practice.

(Lewis Hamilton helmet image courtesy of @LewisHamilton)

September 3, 2014
Rosberg apologises to Lewis and the team on his Facebook page

Nico Rosberg took to his Facebook page today to publish a personal apology to Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes after admitting fault for the collision at the start of last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

Rosberg made contact with Hamilton on the second lap of the race, causing a puncture for Hamilton, ending the Brit’s race, and extending his championship lead by 29 points over Hamilton.

Rosberg and Hamilton were both summoned by the Mercedes team for a meeting on Friday with Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe in order to clear the air. During the meeting, Rosberg acknowledged his responsibility for the contact. The team took unspecified disciplinary action against Rosberg and stressed that it would not be imposing team orders to avoid a similar situation occuring and confirmed that the drivers were free to race but that future collisions between the team mates would not be tolerated.

Following the meeting, Rosberg published the following apology to Hamilton and the team, on his personal Facebook page:

‘In the days since the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, I have spent a lot of time thinking about what happened during the race and discussing it with the team.

‘I have already expressed my regret about the incident but, after meeting with Toto [Wolff], Paddy [Lowe] and Lewis today, I wish to go a step further and describe it as error of judgement on my part.

‘The number one rule for US as team-mates is that we must not collide but that is exactly what happened. For that error of judgment, I apologise to Lewis and the team. I also want to say sorry to the fans who were deprived of our battle for the lead in Belgium.

‘Lewis and I have been given clear instructions about how we race each other.

‘As drivers, we have a clear responsibility to the team, the fans of the sport, our partners and Mercedes-Benz to deliver clean racing. We take that responsibility very seriously.

‘I look forward to concluding the season with hard, fair competition on and off track right up to the final lap of the season in Abu Dhabi.’

Photo credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas

August 29, 2014
Mercedes confirm drivers free to race and discipline Rosberg

Mercedes has confirmed that their drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton will remain free to race without any team orders, following their collision during the Belgian Grand Prix. They have also confirmed that Nico Rosberg has been disciplined by Mercedes after he “acknowledged his responsibility for the contact” with Lewis Hamilton at Spa.

Rosberg made contact with Hamilton on the second lap of the race, causing a puncture for Hamilton, ending the Brit’s race, and ultimately putting their relations under further strain. Rosberg is now also 29 points clear of Hamilton heading in to the Italian Grand Prix.

In a post race interview, Hamilton said that Rosberg had deliberately not backed out of the move and went as far as saying that Rosberg did it to prove a point, while Rosberg maintained that it was a racing incident.

The two were summoned to a meeting with Mercedes chiefs Toto Wolff (who described the incident as “unacceptable”) and Paddy Lowe to discuss the collision at the Belgian Grand Prix and the repercussions.

In a statement issued by the team after the meeting, Mercedes made it clear that it would not be imposing team orders in order to avoid a repeat scenario.

Instead, the team will maintain their policy of allowing Rosberg and Hamilton to battle it out, but stressed that further collisions between the two team mates would not be tolerated. Further, the statement indicated that Rosberg has accepted responsibility for the crash and that he had apologised for the incident.

“During this meeting, Nico acknowledged his responsibility for the contact that occurred on lap two of the Belgian Grand Prix and apologised for this error of judgement,” the statement read.

The statement went on to say that, “Suitable disciplinary measures have been taken for the incident.”

The full statement reads:

“Toto Wolff, Paddy Lowe, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton met today in the boardroom of Mercedes AMG Petronas headquarters in Brackley to discuss the events of the Belgian Grand Prix.

“During this meeting, Nico acknowledged his responsibility for the contact that occurred on lap two of the Belgian Grand Prix and apologised for this error of judgement.

“Suitable disciplinary measures have been taken for the incident.

“Mercedes-Benz remains committed to hard, fair racing because this is the right way to win world championships. It is good for the team, for the fans and for Formula 1.

“Lewis and Nico understand and accept the team’s number one rule: there must be no contact between the team’s cars on track.

“It has been made clear that another such incident will not be tolerated. But Nico and Lewis are our drivers and we believe in them.

“They remain free to race for the 2014 FIA Formula 1 world championship.”

Photo credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas

August 29, 2014
F1 2014: Belgium GP – Rampant Ricciardo Wins Again

No matter whom you’re a fan of in Formula 1 it’s never a hardship to see Daniel Ricciardo take the top step of the podium. The highly likeable Aussie snapped up his third career victory in brilliant style and is still the only driver to have beaten Mercedes to the chequered flag.

The Mercedes team management had given their driver’s only one rule: do not crash into each other. By the second lap of the Belgium GP the temptation proved too great for Nico Rosberg who’s eyes must’ve lit up as he chucked his car around the outside of Lewis Hamilton into Les Combes; Nico, you rebel you. Rosberg’s front wing damage was far less dramatic than Hamilton’s puncture which dropped the Brit completely out of contention.

What Nico Rosberg did was effectively catapult an atomic bomb of tension right in the middle of the Mercedes garage. Rosberg has since declared his unwavering belief in his relationship with Lewis Hamilton and believes this hullaballoo will blow over. It may, and although the two rivals may make pretty for the cameras there is no doubt that Hamilton will be a bit silent-ragey about this for quite a while. Not least of all because Hamilton revealed, post-race, that Rosberg admitted to “doing it on purpose” and though he could’ve avoided the collision he wanted to “prove a point.” Hamilton wasn’t making it up either as Mercedes management confirmed that Rosberg had indeed made these astonishing statements during the team de-brief.

It doesn’t seem that far-fetched to be honest. Fact is that Nico has been quite reserved when it came to overtaking other drivers. In Hungary he virtually set up camp behind Jean-Eric Vergne and in Spa he barely showed a wheel to Sebastian Vettel before scaring himself off the road at the last chicane. It could’ve been a case of him wanting to show that he has the pluck to overtake. He may want to do a bit more cleanly next time though.

Whatever point Rosberg was so desperate to prove will be irrelevant to race fans. He is now a driver who has admitted to deliberately colliding with a fellow competitor. Rosberg has earned praise this season for his relentless consistency and for delivering some wonderful victories. After this, he hasn’t only had to put up with some booing but more importantly might just lose some respect.

As the Merc boys were swapping carbon fibre Daniel Ricciardo sailed into the lead of the race and masterfully controlled his drive. The Red Bull driver again underlined his class by holding off a monstrously fast Rosberg in the closing stages. As long as this Aussie bloke keeps that superstar talent churning we can’t help but be giddy about the future of F1.

Kimi Raikkonen ran as high as second place in the race but being a sitting duck in the straight bits of the circuit doesn’t make defending very easy. A relatively comparable pace to the frontrunners, at least for some part of the race, kept the Iceman in touch but the podium proved a bridge too far. The weakness of the Ferrari power unit was well and truly on display as a straight-line speed deficit of thirty odd kilometres to the Mercedes powered Williams of Valtteri Bottas meant Raikkonen was relegated to fourth place on the day. Although Raikkonen is highly unlikely to be gushing about fourth place it is the Finn’s best result of the season.

Kevin Magnussen’s race wasn’t too shabby either. The Dane more than held his own against a determined Fernando Alonso in a stonking wheel-to-wheel battle with the Spaniard and his teammate Jenson Button. Regrettably, the stewards took a severe view on some of his racing and slapped him with a twenty-second penalty which results in a twelfth place finish. All the same, the on-track performance won’t have done K-Mag’s contract negotiations any harm at all.

The fall-out of the Rosberg/Hamilton incident may have far reaching consequences, so says Mercedes’ Toto Wolff. The consequences referred to was probably of an internal nature but if they’re not careful the now sixty-five point gap to Daniel Ricciardo may not be as insurmountable as they may think.

August 25, 2014
Video: 2014 Belgian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton Post Race Reaction

Lewis Hamilton gives his version of events after his incident with his team mate Nico Rosberg on Lap 2 of the Belgian Grand Prix

August 24, 2014
Video: 2014 Belgian Grand Prix: Nico Rosberg Post Race Reaction

Nico Rosberg gives his view on the booing of the fans and his take on the 2nd lap incident between himself and team mate Lewis Hamilton

August 24, 2014
Hamilton: “Rosberg Did It To Prove A Point”

Lewis Hamilton unleashed a storm on Sunday afternoon after the Belgian Grand Prix and claimed that Nico Rosberg ran into him on purpose on the second lap of the race to “prove a point”.

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff was left fuming after the race and when asked by Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz what he though about Rosberg’s driving he only had two words to say: “Unacceptable race”.

“This is an absolutely unacceptable race for us. It lead to two of our drivers crashing into each other… Unbelievable!” he added.

Hamilton was interviewed after his team debrief and he revealed that Rosberg ran into him to prove a point.

“We just had a meeting about it and he basically said he did it on purpose,” said Hamilton. He said he could have avoided it. He said ‘I did it to prove a point’. He basically said I did it to prove a point.”

“And you don’t have to just rely on me. Go and ask Toto [Wolff] and Paddy [Lowe] who are not happy with him as well.”

Hamilton felt that he was the innocent in the matter as he felt he left enough room for Rosberg and used Sebastian Vettel’s attempted pass on Rosberg at the start of the race as an example. “Look at Sebastian [Vettel]. He was actually further up [in a lap one move] and he knew he wasn’t going to go out the other side. He was sensible about it,” said Hamilton.

Mercedes Executive Director, Toto Wolff, clarified the matter later in the evening. Wolff said that Rosberg suggested he has not backed down from the move, rather than admitting to deliberately hitting his team mate.

Talking to AutoSport, Wolff had this to say: “Nico felt he needed to hold his line. He needed to make a point, and for Lewis, it was clearly not him who needed to be aware of Nico. [Rosberg] didn’t give in. He thought it was for Lewis to leave him space, and that Lewis didn’t leave him space.”

Both drivers agreed to disagree in the debrief. Wolff also added that Nico’s anger towards Hamilton had not subsided.

This does not mean that the situation between the two has been diffused. There will be some serious discussions between the drivers and the team management. We could see Mercedes implement team orders after this incident. But to what extent these team orders will be implemented is the question.

August 24, 2014
2014 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix: Sunday Press Conference

DRIVERS

1stDaniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

2nd Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

3rd Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams)

PODIUM INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Eddie Jordan)

What a race. Exciting? You loved it? What about this man here? Let’s hear it for him. Daniel, if I have to say to you: you are responsible for keeping half of Australia up until this hour!

Daniel RICCIARDO: Yeah, I think obviously back home there is a huge following, but this is nearly as many Australian flag as there were in Melbourne. It’s impressive, a lot of Aussies or at least Aussie fans out this weekend, so thank you very much.

We saw you for the first time… because with the previous two wins you just happened to get in there in the last three or four laps. This time you led from the front. Different task, different pressure? What was it like?

DR: Yeah, definitely a bit different. When you lead the race, I guess, for that long it’s more about composure, just looking at your lap times, just trying to be as consistent as possible and once I heard Rosberg came in for a third stop we knew he was going to be quick at the end, I just had to try to keep the lap times up and keep it clean.

We’ll be back to you, please don’t go away. I’ve got to ask: where is the man? He’s here – Nico Rosberg, ladies and gentlemen! (Responding to boos from the crowd) Hey, come on guys, steady on, steady, steady, Nico drove an unbelievably good race. Nico, I’ve got to ask you the all-important question: what happened up in Les Combes?

Nico ROSBERG: Well, I got a good run on Lewis and tried to go around the outside and yeah, we just touched in the end, unfortunately, so that hurt both of our races. From a team point of view of course that’s very disappointing. And yeah, that’s the way it is.

Not that this is a question of apportioning blame but did you see blame either way or was it just a racing accident, a 50/50 situation?

NR: I haven’t seen it yet. It wouldn’t be good of me if I would comment now. I need to look at it on TV and then I can comment afterwards.

We know that you have a lot of fans here but there are obviously a lot of Lewis fans here. I’m just thinking myself about Mercedes. The one-two was there obviously, the domination of the qualifying. Did you actually think it would be a one-two today?

NR: I was pretty confident, yeah, because we had very good race speed, as you saw at the end there, but unfortunately it didn’t work out for us today.

Nico, our championship leader. Ladies and gentlemen, Nico Rosberg! (Responding to more boos from the crowd) Hey, guys, come on, come on. That’s not fair. You know it’s not fair. He’s driven his heart out, like everyone of these three guys and everyone on the grid. I think he needs and deserves a round of applause. Thank you.

Valtteri, you’re making a bit of a habit of this aren’t you. We’re going to have to make a special place for you up here. Four podiums out of the last five races, what’s going on?

Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, why not? The team has done such a good job, we are definitely on the right way: another podium, the fourth one in my career and the fourth one this season. We are still chasing for the highest step but for now, for this season, if we keep like this, it’s OK because it’s the future that matters.

The highest step: how far do you think you’re away from that, because Williams have got a really great turn of speed? Can you just get that little final extra piece?

VB: I think this season it’s going to be difficult. We definitely need to be lucky to achieve that. Mercedes is really strong and even on a track like this Red Bull was really, really quick, we couldn’t really challenge Ricciardo, so we have still work to do but we are on the right way.

Daniel there’s a lot of flags, a lot of well-wishers here for you. Your third win of the season. Just tell everybody here what was it like for those final couple of laps, just as you must have known that Nico was closing in on you. What was going through your head?

DR: The first thing obviously that you hope everything holds together. You hope mechanically everything gets you to the finish line. Then it’s just trying to hit your marks and keep consistent but always the last few laps the chequered flag can’t come quick enough.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Daniel, you’re a three-time grand prix winner now. Obviously the passes early on in the grand prix on Alonso and Vettel were fundamental in setting up the platform for the win today and from there obviously you had to cover Nico off for the rest of the race but tell me, did the boy from Perth always dream of a Spa win?

DR: Yeah, I guess so. You dream of… there’s definitely a few on the calendar that stand out more than others and Spa is one of them, but to be honest any win is special in Formula One. Yeah, the first part of the race: we had pretty good pace. On lap one I actually had the inside of Alonso at five but then I locked up and went off so he got me back and then we were able to get in front a few laps later. And then Seb, looked like he just dropped a wheel on the astroturf exit of Turn 10 and obviously with the rain overnight and this morning it was still a bit slippery, so I was able to get him and then I think Nico came in for a front wing change and we were able to get into the lead and then the pace was pretty good. We were happy with what we were doing and the consistency was there and we were making the tyres last. Yeah, it was just really up to me at the end to stay consistent and stay focused. Yeah, it was good fun.

Q: Nico, obviously there is only one real talking point for you at this stage: the incident with Lewis early on in the grand prix. We’ve obviously seen the crowd’s reaction to it. In making history and fighting for championships there are always going to be difficult moments. This is your chance to explain how you saw it.

NR: To be honest I’m not in a position to comment on it at all because I haven’t seen it and, in the heat of the moment… I need to see it on TV before I say an opinion or anything as such. Of course very, very disappointing from the team’s perspective, for sure, because we could have done a lot better than just finish in second place, y’know, with the car that we have, because our car is really… has been very, very special this weekend.

Q: Valtteri, your fourth podium in five grands prix, quite a streak for you. And a similar story really, a recovery for you after quite a disappointing qualifying session, I imagine, yesterday.Starting sixth on the grid and, again, some big overtakes in the story of your race today.

VB: Yeah. It was, again, a really nice race, nice to be in it. Obviously yesterday the weather played a role in the qualifying and we knew that in the dry we would have better pace than in the wet, so we were really hopeful for today. I have to say that we are little bit surprised by the pace of Red Bull and Mercedes. They were quite a bit far away. Of course our race was a bit compromised after the poor start. I was quite a long time stuck behind some other cars and couldn’t really go at the pace we had. But yeah, had some good overtakes. We had good pitstops and good strategy by the team and that allowed us to come up a few places and again to the podium.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Ian Parkes – PA) Nico, Niki Lauda has made it absolutely clear that he feels you were to blame, he’s gone on record saying that already. Toto Wolff has turned around and said that what happened was “totally unacceptable” – that something like that should not have happened on lap two of the race. What you did, was that deliberate? Because we’ve seen before that when a front wing collides into a tyre it causes a puncture. Just give us your thoughts on that please.

NR: First of all, I haven’t heard it myself from the people that you have mentioned but of course I respect and I will respect their opinion. I myself, I don’t have an opinion yet because I haven’t seen it on the TV. All I know is that I was faster and I gave it a go. The inside was blocked so I gave it a go around the outside. Of course it is very, very disappointing from a team’s point of view.

Q: (Dan Johnson – Daily Telegraph) Nico, whatever happens in a race, no-one likes to see people being booed on the podium. I just wonder how that felt from your point of view, given that, whatever happened between you and Lewis, it wasn’t a blatant thing.

NR: As I said, I respect the opinion of the British spectators. They definitely were not happy, so that doesn’t feel good. That’s very clear.

Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action / National Speed Sport News) Dan, where do you do from here. The car wasn’t supposed to be fast here but how do you see the rest of the season unfolding for you and the team?

DR: I see good things, obviously good things ahead. If we can collect maximum points around here, y’know it gives us a bit more hope for the circuits that are going to comelater in the season: Singapore, Suzuka, just a couple to mention. Obviously it’s great. We’re really motivated right now. It’s been a really good day for us on a track we didn’t expect to get maximum points from, so yeah, it’ll keep us smiling for a while. At the same time we’ll stay grounded. Monza we know will be tricky again but obviously the package we brought here was pretty racy, so, try and take something from here to Monza and then I think, as I said, Singapore and Suzuka will be pretty good for us.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Valtteri, how was your fight with Kimi for the podium in the last laps? What was your feeling, was it something special?

VB: I think it was a nice and fair fight. First I nearly had a go into Turn Five but wasn’t really quite as close, so then I just had to wait for a couple of laps to really prepare for it, then went for it and it was nice, clean racing with him. So, yeah, really enjoyed it.

Q: (Oana Popiou – F1 Zone) Nico, we saw the incident when something got stuck on your antenna; can you tell us something about it?

NR: It was a big piece of… I don’t know what it was and it just got stuck right in front of me, it was flapping in front of my eyes which made it difficult and I couldn’t get rid of it either. I tried, because it was just stuck on the front but then after a while it came loose but it was really difficult to see at that time. Sometimes I couldn’t even see where I was going because it was in the wrong place so that was not good.

Q: (Sven Heidinger – Sport Woche) Daniel, did Red Bull change the philosophy of the car because usually you were very bad at those circuits and now the speed on the straight was very good?

DR: Yup, we pretty much came here with a low downforce setting. We knew it would maybe affect us a bit in the second sector but we believe the car has a good base of downforce to sort of get through the second sector good enough and then what we lose naturally on the straights, running this type of wing, was something that put us back in with a fighting chance for sector one and two. Yeah, I guess on TV you could see by the images that the rear wing was pretty simple, there wasn’t much to it but obviously it was a good package here and we’ll see if the Monza wing can get any smaller – I don’t know, otherwise we’ll just run with DRS open all the time!

Q: (Barua Zsoldos – Nemzeti Sport) Nico, do you honestly think that you can keep up the harmony inside the team after what happened today?

NR: Yeah, I’m confident that we can, yes. It is always going to be an intense battle, that’s clear, it was clear from the onset and there will always be difficult moments and just as we did after Hungary, we had a discussion and moved on. I’m sure again we are going to have to discuss today for sure and we’ll review it and then we’ll move on.

Q: (Leigh O’Gorman – Walker Watson) Nico, the early incident with Lewis, did that dramatically change your tyre strategy today? You had to pit on lap eight or was a three stop with an early change always the plan?

NR: No. My strategy was all over the place because of the various things happening so completely changed everything.

Q: (Daniel Johnson – Daily Telegraph) Daniel, you’re 35 points behind Lewis now and I think about maybe 65 behind Nico. With double points at the last race, do you consider yourself firmly in the championship hunt now?

DR: If I’m within fifty coming into Abu Dhabi then yeah, but there’s still a few races to go. While it’s still mathematically possible, yeah, we’ll keep fighting. Today was a big day for that. To come and steal some points on a circuit where let’s say we weren’t supposed to is nice but I think what’s important, looking ahead, is to capitalise on the circuits that we should be strong on and if we can take maximum points, let’s say, at a couple of those then it’s never over.

Q: (Ian Parkes – Press Association) Nico, you talked about Hungary and the meeting that was held there. I think this weekend we’ve seen different body language from yourself: you’ve clearly suggested that you weren’t happy with what was expressed in the meetings that you’ve had with the team personnel and with Lewis. Was there any suggestion today that for once you went into this race with perhaps an uncool head, perhaps, an unclear mind?

NR: I can’t agree with any of your impressions that you’ve got this weekend. We had a very good discussion after Hungary and it was reviewed and clarified who did what, what was wrong, what was right and then we adapted our agreement to move forward. And that was really behind us. To be honest, I was very relaxed this weekend and just looking forward to it, because with this awesome car that I have at the moment, it’s such a pleasure to go to a track like Spa where I know that I can be on pole on Saturday and win the race if I do a good job. I was very much with that frame of mind, not thinking about the championship either, just really this race, wanting to win here in Spa with the Silver Arrow and that was it for the weekend.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – Universo Online) Daniel, twelve races is a representative number of races and you’ve won three times and your teammate not once, being a four time World Champion. What does it mean for you?

DR: Yeah, obviously for me it’s great, it’s what I wanted to achieve, to get some race wins. To have three in twelve races I think has exceeded a few expectations. Let’s say the in-team battle has gone really well. Obviously I’ve showed speed throughout qualifying and also races now. I’ve demonstrated good racecraft and good consistency so I think let’s say the team has been really pleased and I’ve been pleased so we’re in a good place. I’m enjoying it more than ever. Each race that goes on I’m having more and more fun so yeah, just having a good time.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – Universo Online) Nico, in the discussion you had with the team after Hungary, did you predict situations like you faced today with Lewis?

NR: I’m sorry, I don’t want to go into more details. It’s not a good idea. You asked what was agreed and things like that.

Q: The question was did you envisage situations like today in your meetings?

NR: Not in specific detail but of course the battle between us is something that we have discussed many many times, yes of course, and the guidelines from the team… we know what they are and they’re quite clear. In fact it wasn’t that specific to Hungary at all, just generally, of course, it’s been discussed, yeah. Especially after Bahrain, for example. That was a discussion topic.

Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Nico, you haven’t seen the incident but anyway, I think maybe you can feel good because there was no FIA investigation, the incident was not under investigation, that means something. Maybe it was just because it was a racing accident.

NR: I don’t know. I haven’t seen it. I’m sorry, I don’t want to… I need to watch it on TV before I… because really, when you’re in the moment, it’s very difficult now, afterwards, with where I was sitting, to comment.

August 24, 2014