Tag: red bull racing

F1 2022: Azerbaijan Gp Review – Double Red Bull Delight

By Baku standards the 2022 race didn’t set the world alight in terms of entertainment. Nevertheless, the Red Bull team will leave Azerbaijan absolutely delighted with another 1/2 victory in the books.

In contrast, Sunday proved a disastrous day for Ferrari who suffered retirement with both cars. First, it was a hydraulics failure for Carlos Sainz who was running a distant fourth. Later, on lap 21, Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari engine seemed to give up the fight. As smoke poured from the air box so too Leclerc’s chances of a podium finish evaporated into thin air. Such was Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s pace that a win may have been out of the question for Leclerc. Still, any step on the podium would have been better than leaving with zero points from the weekend. Remarkably, Red Bull and Verstappen have transformed a 46-point deficit into a 36-point lead. There’s still a long way to go in the 2022 season but there’s no doubt what enormously demoralizing read these numbers make for Ferrari.

Though Checo Perez out-qualified teammate Verstappen on Saturday he didn’t have the pace, due to higher tyre deg, to keep the reigning champion at bay. Perez’s second place, and fastest lap, on Sunday does move him into second place in the driver’s standings.

George Russell once again saved Mercedes blushes with a third-place finish, thanks to Ferrari’s double retirement. But it’s still not pretty reading for the Silver Arrows as Russell, in normal racing conditions, finished a mammoth 45 seconds adrift of Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton, some 71 seconds behind the race winner, was fifth and suffered some seemingly severe back pain due to the W13’s porpoising issues.

While there are a few other teams who have similar issues none are complaining more about porpoising than Mercedes. What’s more, Russell in the same car seems to be less affected by this issue and there’s a reason for that. The porpoising, or bouncing, is a setup issue, ride height to be specific. Alleviating the velocity of it involves increasing said ride height. But Mercedes is reluctant to do this because it will cost them lap time. It hasn’t stopped Toto Wolff from inferring that the regulations need to be reconsidered. This is not only an attempt to bail out his obviously plan-less design team but also disingenuous.

It’s rather unsporting to imply that regs must be changed because a team hasn’t been able to ace the design. Lest we forget the gigantic power unit advantage Mercedes had with the introduction of the hybrid engine in 2014. It was a marvel of engineering and design prowess and was applauded as such. What it did not do was prompt a demand for a rules change. Instead, others had to get their heads down, take the pain for years, and attempt to get on terms with what Mercedes were able to produce. And so they did. It’s not easy being on the back foot in F1 and Mercedes are showing that they’re in unfamiliar territory but that they are also not very good at handling it.

Behind Hamilton Pierre Gasly was fifth for Alpha Tauri while Seb Vettel recovered beautifully from an early run off to finish sixth for Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso was seventh for Alpine while Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris were eighth and ninth for McLaren. In the final points paying position of tenth was the second Alpine of Esteban Ocon.

There’s not much time to regroup as F1 heads straight into the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

June 14, 2022
F1 2022: Azerbaijan Gp Preview – Redemption for Ferrari?

The Baku City circuit doesn’t have an especially long history on the Formula 1 calendar but it has a colourful one. First introduced in 2016 the track, situated on the coast of the Dead Sea has, every year, delivered races filled with drama and unpredictability second to none.

The 2017 race in particular was blighted by several safety car periods and a red flag. But this was not the drama the 2017 edition of this race will be forever known for. Instead, it will be remembered for the Vettel/Hamilton clash under the safety car. Vettel accused Hamilton, over team radio, of brake testing him which prompted the then Ferrari driver to pull up alongside the Mercedes and nudge into the side of him. It didn’t stop with Vettel being penalized either. Hamilton would lose the lead due to a loose headrest which gifted the win to Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. In 2018 will be remembered for Red Bull teammates Ricciardo and Verstappen taking each other out of the race while the 2019 Gp was fairly tame by these standards. The 2021, back after a Covid break in 2020, was the race of tyre failures as both Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen suffered dramatic tyre blowouts at top speed. It left Checo Perez to pick up the pieces and take only the second win of his career.

Another year on the F1 paddock arrives in Azerbaijan with a completely different complexion to it. Not least of a because of the brand-new cars. Perez most likely arrives in the best place and frame of mind possible. Not only is he fresh off a win on the streets of Monaco but he also has a shiny two-year Red Bull contract in his back pocket. It’s good news for Red Bull as they’ve finally found a driver capable of consistently performing at the sharp end. And Checo certainly wouldn’t be a bad bet for this weekend either. Baku has been a happy hunting ground for the Mexican who has a couple of podiums along with a win on this track.

Ferrari will be looking for some redemption too. Here in 2019 Charles Leclerc crashed in qualifying on his way to pole. He made up for it last year by snatching an unlikely pole. But Ferrari, and Leclerc himself, have make a few mistakes in the last few races. They’re giving away points for Red Bull that they can ill afford to lose. There is very little doubt that the 2022 Ferrari will be competitive this weekend. The question is rather if Ferrari can put together an entire weekend without mistakes on track or on the pitwall.

If Ferrari are assumed to be in the mix this weekend it means that Red Bull will not be far behind. The same though cannot be said for Mercedes. Although there was minor improvement in Spain the form in Monaco was fairly mediocre in comparison to the leaders. Still Lewis Hamilton seems to struggling the most with the W13 as he continues to be outperformed by new teammate George Russell. The long straits of Baku, similar in part to Jeddah, are unlikely to be kind to the Merc either. If they get their respective setups in the sweet spot, the likes of McLaren and Alpine may be a big headache for Mercedes this weekend.

June 7, 2022
F1 2022: Miami Gp Preview – America to the fore

In the 21st century there have been many new circuits and venues added to the F1 calendar. From India to South Korea to Singapore to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. But still the American market and F1’s popularity in the States remained limited. That is until Liberty Media took over the sport’s commercial interests and, possibly, the creation of Netflix’s Drive to Survive series. As it stands now the US is set to host three grands prix from 2023 including this weekend’s race in Miami.

The Formula 1 paddock’s trip to Miami promises to be an American-driven spectacle. The circuit, named the Miami International Autodrome, is set at 5.4 km with a total of 19 corners and is situated in the center of the Sunshine State’s sporting heart. The Hard Rock stadium, which has hosted two Baseball World Series and six NFL Superbowls, is the focal point of a track that organizers hope will encourage “great racing and overtaking opportunities”.

In addition to also being the site of the Miami Open tennis tournament, F1’s arrival has clearly energized the fans as tickets for the event are selling out at record pace. But what of the circuit and its layout? With three long straits it could mean three DRS zones and the chance to see overtaking on a street track. Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly, after testing the circuit on the simulator, thinks that “it looks pretty awesome. I really liked the layout. Quite a lot of high-speed content, quite challenging, unusual type of corners, extremely long corners, very long”.

Ferrari and Red Bull arrive as expected favourites to a circuit that should reward those that have been able to limit porpoising. For Mercedes it might yet be another difficult weekend. Andrew Shovlin, Merc’s Trackside Engineering director, believes they’ll have to chip away at the problems rather than expect a sudden turnaround in form. Nevertheless, the team are expected to bring some new bits and pieces to the car this weekend which they hope will begin to move them in the right direction.

It’s an opportunity too for Haas to showcase their progress on home soil. Drafted in at the last moment Kevin Magnussen has, to date, shone in the 2022 car. It’s about time then that young Mick Schumacher up his game and score his first F1 points. Otherwise, the former F2 champion runs the risk of becoming an also-ran and could very well be under pressure to maintain his seat.

The semi street track will also be a good barometer of how much progress McLaren has made since a dreadful opening two rounds in Bahrain and Jeddah. There may well be a good chance of seeing Lando Norris well up the grid on Sunday.

At 11, no country has hosted F1 at more venues in the same country than America. It’s an ambitious project to transform downtown Miami into a truly global sporting mecca.

May 5, 2022
F1 2022: Australian Gp Review – Leclerc Dominates Down Under

After two years of suffering with a sub-par Ferrari, things can hardly be going any better for Charles Leclerc in 2022. On Saturday the Monegasque driver took Ferrari’s first pole in Australia since Kimi Raikkonen did so his debut season with the team in 2007. Still, there were many that expected second place starting Max Verstappen to mount a serious fight for the win. But Leclerc not only had the pace advantage he also coped extremely well with the re-starts after the safety-car and virtual safety car periods.

For most of the weekend it was clear that Verstappen was not comfortable with his Red Bull. Still, second on the grid and even the second step on the podium would have been acceptable for the reigning champion. But, once again, unreliability reared its head and forced Verstappen into a second retirement in three races. The team has remained tight-lipped on the failure was, but it was most probably mechanically related. The Red Bull powertrains, aka Honda, has proven to be quite problematic so far in 2022 with Alpha Tauri also suffering its own failures in the opening races of the season.

Three races in the championship tables does not make good reading for Red Bull or Max Verstappen. But although Ferrari and Leclerc have gotten off a rollicking start it isn’t the end of the world…yet. Yes, Verstappen currently sits 34 points adrift of Leclerc but there are still 20 races to go and the matter of 544 points up for grabs. There is an awful lot of racing between now and the point where any driver can seriously start to think about the championship.

As predicted in the race preview column Mercedes faired a bit better in Australia than in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. While the Merc pair still finished nearly half-a-minute off the race winner’s pace. Nevertheless, Verstappen’s retirement promoted George Russell onto the podium for the second time in his career while Lewis Hamilton was fourth. The safety car, deployed to enable to clean up of the bits and pieces of Seb Vettel’s Aston Martin, allowed Russell to make a cheap stop and emerged, in P3, ahead of Perez and Hamilton. While Perez easily dispatched of Hamilton, he took P3 off Russell on lap 36. Three laps later Perez would inherit second as Verstappen pulled over his smoking Red Bull at turn 2.

While Perez saved Red Bull’s blushes in second place Mercedes, clearly still struggling, will be pleased with third and fourth. It was a better day too for McLaren as Lando Norris finished fifth ahead of Aussie Daniel Ricciardo in sixth. Esteban Ocon was seventh for Alpine while eighth and ninth place was occupied by Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly.

As impressive as Leclerc’s performance was the driver of the day was undoubtedly Alex Albon. The Thai driver completed a mammoth 56 lap stint on his hard tyres, pitted on the final lap of the race, and emerged to score the final point in tenth for Williams.

The first retirement of the race, one-and-a-half laps in, was Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard spun in turn 9 and beached the Ferrari in the gravel, bringing out the first safety car of the race. It compounded the Spaniard’s misery who had already made a mistake in his Q3 run to start ninth. At the start of the race Sainz dropped to P14 before spinning out of the race. Afterwards Sainz said he would be hard on himself for the driver errors, but that Ferrari too should take some of the blame for the position he found himself in. It’s somewhat difficult to blame the team though for a driver error in both quali and the race. Carlos Sainz is, for the first time in his career, in a race-winning car. The problem he has is that on the other side of the garage is Charles Leclerc – clearly a driver who is ready and at a level capable of winning the title. But just as Verstappen, or even Mercedes, cannot be ruled out this early on Sainz shouldn’t be either. However, the Spanish driver will have to turn things around very quickly before Ferrari begin to push their support towards Leclerc and relegate Sainz to driver number two.

Charles Leclerc has unquestionably hit a sweet spot in 2022. He is driving this new Ferrari faultlessly and ominously comfortably. It’s a new position for him too to be in the lead of the driver’s championship and the pressure hasn’t ramped up quite yet. But there is a feeling that even if it does Leclerc will be equal to the task.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

April 11, 2022
F1 2022: Australian Gp Preview – Down Under Once More

Only two of the twenty-three scheduled races of 2022 have been run so far. But what we have learnt from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia is likely to characterize the first portion of the season. Ferrari has clearly delivered a car capable of producing peak pace for qualifying and one that is more than capable of delivering long-run pace that is not only competitive but puts them in a position to win races. Red Bull too seems to have produced a car that is capable of winning but is perhaps not yet able to deliver the one-lap quali pace as easily as Ferrari.

When there is a major rule change there is always the potential for the pecking order to be re-arranged. But few would have expected Mercedes to stumble early on. After all, the German mark has won a staggering eight constructor’s titles in a row. But fundamental change can catch out even the very best. Bahrain and Saudi exposed some serious deficiencies in the W13 Mercedes. Not only is it still struggling to get a handle on the porpoising (bouncing) at high speed, but aerodynamically the car also seems to be on the draggier end of the scale. Speaking of scales, the Merc is also one of the heaviest cars on the grid, which is not helped by the engine. From the first two rounds of the season, and comparison of speed-trap figures it’s clear that the Merc engine is lacking in comparison to the Ferrari and Red Bull-badged Honda. And heck if numbers isn’t your thing have a gander at the quali results and notice that Merc-engined cars are dominating the bottom-half of the grid.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff remains as bullish as ever and promises that the team will not rest until it finds its way back to the front of the pack. The question remains how long this recovery will take, and will it be in time for the team to be in the mix for the titles? This weekend there may be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel for Mercedes. Formula 1 returns to race in Australia for the first time since 2019. The Albert Park circuit is an outlier on the calendar, a unique semi-street track that combines medium to higher-speed turns and rewards good braking performance.

It is a circuit that has the potential to mask some deficiencies in a car. Missing some k’s on the top-end? This is not much of a problem here as the circuit has a relatively short start/finish strait. Unfortunately, the turn 9 and 10 chicane has been removed which has transformed this sector of the track into a 1.3 km long blast at full throttle. The good news is that several of the corners (read turns 1,3, and 6) have been made broader to encourage more overtaking. All in all, the changes to the track is expected to drop the lap time by an estimated five seconds.

It isn’t exactly a bold suggestion to postulate that Ferrari and Red Bull are likely to duke it out for pole and the win. But already the narrative of Verstappen versus Leclerc is being woven. What then of Carlos Sainz? If Ferrari maintains their competitiveness throughout the season this is the Spaniard’s most important season. Sainz was a match for Leclerc in 2021 but it wasn’t under the guise of championship battle and the colossally unremitting pressure which accompanies it. This will reveal if Sainz is champion-material or not.

For Hamilton and George Russell things should go better than it did in Saudi. But then it could hardly be worse than a Q1 knock-out.

April 5, 2022
F1 2022: Red Bull? Ferrari? Mercedes?

The wait for the start of F1 2022 is over. This weekend the season-opening race in Bahrain brings with it the start to a whole new era in the storied saga of Formula 1.

The new regulations have produced not only a completely different visual aspect to F1 but has showcased some of the brilliant engineering and design prowess up and down the paddock. From McLaren’s wavy floor to Ferrari’s scooped side pods to Mercedes seemingly complete lack of side pods the innovation has been cranked to the max.

The three days of public testing around the Sakhir International circuit has revealed at least some of what the picture could look like at the start of the season. The mid-field battle promises to be exceptionally tight with the likes of McLaren, Aston Martin, Alpine, and Alpha Tauri expected to occupy this space.

Williams looks in fairly good shape, relatively speaking, with Haas and Alfa Romeo expected to bring up the rear. For Haas it certainly hasn’t been a straightforward pre-season. First, their equipment and freight were delayed from arriving to Bahrain in time due to a broken-down plane. Then their title sponsor and one driver were removed from the team, which left them with the task of quickly finding a replacement. Although Pietro Fittipaldi, as reserve driver, seemed to be the most obvious choice Haas opted for experience instead and drafted Kevin Magnussen back into the team. The Danish driver brings with him a decent pedigree of being able to get the most out of a car and will be a good barometer for teammate Mick Schumacher.

What then of the top three. There are some who agree that Mercedes starts the season not as outright favourites. In fact, some have penned them down as in third place behind Red Bull and Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton himself has declared Mercedes as not in a position to win races. But we’ve read this chapter before, haven’t we? Mercedes downplays their chances and sandbag on track only to show up at race one and blitz the field. But there may be some truth to Sir Hamilton’s words. Firstly, the porpoising which Red Bull and Ferrari are appearing to manage is still a major problem at Merc. So much of an issue is the porpoising that Merc have taken to sawing off some underfloor strakes in a bid to change the air flow distribution not only on the forward section of the car but also into the underfloor and the rear diffuser. The front-wing angle has also been significantly altered to combat the understeer that has been plaguing the W13 throughout testing.

But Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz are not buying the line that Mercedes are struggling. Both point out that the Silver Arrows have made a habit of underplaying their position before the season starts. And despite an apparent consensus amongst the pundits in the paddock that Hamilton and co might not be the quickest the fact remains that only time will tell, literally.

Ferrari starts the season in the best shape they’ve been in for a few years. Without any reliability issues the car has run smoothly, and importantly, it’s been quick in both Charles Leclerc and Sainz’s hands. Yet team principal Mattia Binotto is remaining cautious by insisting that the Italian team remain “outsiders” behind Red Bull and McLaren.

On the final day of testing Red Bull bolted a serious upgrade package to its car and it went quite a bit faster, 7 tenths faster than anything Ferrari could manage. But headline times in testing are just that. It’s only in Q3 on Saturday where everyone’s hand will finally be shown. And as it stands right now it looks as if Red Bull and Max Verstappen are holding all the cards.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

March 14, 2022
F1 2021: Styrian Gp Review: Red Bull juggernaut Wins Again

As another race is ticked off the 2021 calendar there is one question that is becoming all but impossible to ignore – has Mercedes finally met their match?

There’s only been eight races in what is slated to be a 23-race calendar but there is no denying that Max Verstappen and Red Bull are in serious form. After securing a first pole position on home soil Verstappen all but cruised to a fourth consecutive win for Red Bull in Austria. Lewis Hamilton was second for Mercedes but had no answer to Verstappen’s pace. Aside from a late race pit stop to snatch an extra point for fastest lap Hamilton was trailing by roughly 15 seconds. It was a big statement too. So far the margin, in terms of pace, has been razor thin between Red Bull and Mercedes and but for a few mistakes Hamilton could well have won in Baku and France. But here in Austria the superior pace run by Verstappen was well beyond anything Mercedes could muster.

Valtteri Bottas was handed a rather harsh 3-place grid penalty after spinning in the pitlane during practice. Nevertheless, the Finn was able to hold off a late charge from Sergio Perez to finish third. A slow pit stop dropped Perez behind Bottas but the Mexican driver, who finished fourth, continued to show impressive pace in the Red Bull, which will undoubtedly please those in charge. Aside from the championship protagonist the driver who has surely been the most impressive in 2021 is Lando Norris. The McLaren driver racked up another fifth place finish after delivering a stunning performance on Saturday too. Though he may be slightly out of the spotlight in comparison to Verstappen and Hamilton Lando Norris is turning into something quite special.

Carlos Sainz drove a brilliant race for Ferrari into sixth while teammate Charles Leclerc recovered from a first lap clash to finish seventh and be voted driver-of-the-day. Lance Stroll was eighth for Aston Martin ahead of Alpine’s Fernando Alonso in ninth. Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda was tenth while his Alpha Tauri teammate, Pierre Gasly, retired on lap one with suspension damage. Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen drove brilliantly to eleventh place after starting eighteenth. George Russell ran as high as eighth place before being painfully forced into retirement with a hydraulic leak. Despite being in the deeply uncompetitive Haas Mick Schumacher once again easily outdrove his teammate to finish sixteenth.

Mercedes has been challenged before but not this relentlessly. Ferrari mounted a serious attack in the first half of 2018 but then faded after the summer break. Before Mercedes even had to think about having to come up with an answer or a plan. But in 2021 it doesn’t seem like Red Bull are likely to fade. And what is most surprising is that Mercedes and Hamilton seem completely stumped. There’s no doubt that they were shell-shocked by Red Bull’s pace in France. But what is more telling about their current inability to respond is their demeanour. The way that Hamilton has spoken post-race tells a story by itself. Instead of motivating talk of fighting until the bitter end or pushing for every last tenth of a second Hamilton seems almost resigned. By saying that Red Bull is simply faster and there’s nothing he [Hamilton] can do about it is what you’d expect from a 7-time champion.

Mercedes have clearly been pushed well out of their comfort zone and they don’t seem able to provide anything to counter the Red Bull onslaught. It isn’t complacency brought on by their complete domination of the hybrid era. But perhaps they are slightly guilty of resting of their laurels and relying on what has happened before to carry them through 2021. But it doesn’t seem, at this stage, like that will be enough. They may be relying on Hamilton’s experience of winning 7 titles but Verstappen’s run is gaining a near unstoppable momentum.

Mercedes have another chance this weekend to do better around the Red Bull Ring and the season is far from over. In 2016 Nico Rosberg proved that Hamilton’s greatest weakness is his mentality. If that begins to crumble he becomes ever more susceptible. And judging by his comments it appears that he is not in a good mental space. The question is now what is Hamilton, who many have dubbed the greatest of all time, really made of when the pressure is on?

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

June 29, 2021
F1 2021: French Gp Review – Mighty Max Fells Mercedes

You’ve got to know that you are in the midst of a cracking Formula 1 season when even the usual drab French Grand Prix turns into a cracker of a race.

Pole position, the perfect race strategy, and a mighty Max Verstappen combined brilliantly to secure a sumptuous win for Red Bull in France. Though he started from pole a snap of oversteer into turn two cost him the lead of the race. Hamilton, now in the lead of the race, maintained a three-second gap to Verstappen as the pit stop phase drew closer. But a gross mistake by Merc and a stonking out-lap by Verstappen earned him back the coveted position of P1.

Some might say that there are cracks beginning to show in the Mercedes armoury and they might be onto something. The Silver Arrows were completely caught out by the power of the undercut and the reality is they didn’t need to be. All the strategists had to do was pay attention to Daniel Ricciardo undercutting both Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz by more than three seconds. But such is the pressure from Red Bull that it is requiring every ounce of their attention. Mercedes dropped the ball on the finer points of Sunday’s race but they will learn from this and will most definitely not lie down.

Lewis Hamilton deserves much credit. The team’s strategy placed him in a difficult position on severely worn tyres. Yet still he managed to deliver some very impressive lap times. It underlines very much that Hamilton is driving at a high level and that it requires something quite special to beat him.

And something special is what Max Verstappen’s 2021 season is turning into. The Dutchman is getting pretty used to the top step of the podium these days but this win was easily his best, so far. On paper having fresher tyres seemingly equals an easy run. But with a formidable opponent in Hamilton, the difficultly of the windy conditions, and the weight of expectation it isn’t as easy as most might think. Nevertheless, Verstappen is on an incredible run of form and he is most definitely making hay while the sun shines.

Checo Perez’s recent form has likely assured his seat for 2022. The Mexican driver eked out his tyres with a longer first stint and transformed his one-stop strategy in a third place finish. Valtteri Bottas started off the weekend seemingly on the up. But when it mattered most the Finn simply wasn’t in the mix. His frustration boiled over on team radio too as he berated the team for not putting him on a two-stop strategy. The fuming Finn eventually finished fourth.

Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo delivered some important points for McLaren in fight and sixth. The points are crucial for McLaren’s fight against Ferrari for third in the constructor’s championship. As it were neither Ferrari driver was able to score any points. Pierre Gasly was seventh while his Alpha Tauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda finished 13th. Fernando Alonso, in eighth, was able to hold off Seb Vettel who brought his Aston Martin home in ninth ahead of teammate Lance Stroll scored the final point of offer in tenth.

From an entertainment point of view the French Grand Prix could not have delivered a more intense and thrilling race. It’s a big win for Red Bull too. To beat Mercedes on a circuit where they had previously destroyed the field is a big statement. It bodes very well for the rest of the season. But Mercedes will regroup and they will find a way to strike back. And the most beautiful thing about F1 2021 is not only the upcoming Styrian Grand Prix this weekend but that this enthralling battle is set fair for the rest of the season.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

June 21, 2021
F1 2020: Eifel Gp Review – Hamilton equals win record

With visits to Mugello and the Nurburgring it is all but confirmed that old school circuits far outclass the passionless supermarket car parks that pass as F1 circuits these days.

The Nurburgring, back in the line-up for the first time since 2013, is a proper challenge to car and driver with the peril of gravel lurking just beyond the edge of the circuit. Friday’s practice sessions were cancelled to due fog and the subsequent inability of the medical helicopter to fly should it be needed. The absence of running on Friday, and extremely cold conditions, heightened the challenge on an already highly technical circuit.

Nevertheless, Valtteri Bottas was able to secure pole position ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. Charles Leclerc drove an outstanding lap too to qualify fourth fastest for Ferrari. Saturday morning also brought the announcement that Lance Stroll would be unable to drive for the rest of the weekend due to illness, not Covid related. In stepped super-sub Nico Hulkenberg who had subbed for Checo Perez at Silverstone several races ago.

Miraculously, the rain held off for all of Sunday which left Bottas a clear run into turn one. He momentarily lost the lead to Hamilton but steamed around the outside of turn one to retake P1 while Verstappen followed behind in third. Bottas’s aggression came as a bit of surprise given his reputation of not getting his elbows out when it matters most. Unfortunately, the Finn’s ascendency was short-lived as he locked up into turn one on lap 13 and allowed Hamilton into the lead of the race. While Verstappen was keeping relatively close in third the top three quickly gapped fourth placed Leclerc. The lofty heights of fourth have been uncharted territory for Ferrari in 2020 and it didn’t last very long at the Nurburgring either as Daniel Ricciardo quickly dispatched of Leclerc. It was even worse for Vettel who spun off at turn one while running outside of the points. Vettel was forced into the pits to get rid of his flat-spotted tyres while Kimi Raikkonen, in his 323^rd race, locked up into turn one and careened into the side of George Russell. The Williams drive was forced into retirement with rear suspension damage while Raikkonen was handed a ten-second penalty for causing a collision.

As if surrendering the lead of the race wasn’t bad enough for Bottas it got a whole lot worse on lap 18 retired from the race with a lack of power. The retirement decimated even the smallest chance that Bottas had to win the title. It did prompt an enticing battle for the final step on the podium with Ricciardo, Lando Norris, and Sergio Perez well within range of snapping it up. While Verstappen was cruising in second Alex Albon’s difficulties at Red Bull continued as he wiped the front-wing off Daniil Kvyat’s car by pulling in front of the Alpha Tauri before being completely clear of him. For what can only be described as a rather embarrassing driver error Albon was given a five-second penalty for the incident. It all came to naught though as he too retired from the grand prix with a mechanical issue. He was followed a lap later by Renault’s Esteban Ocon who retired with a hydraulic failure.

Though Verstappen was able to keep Hamilton within six seconds the gap behind the leading duo was heading towards a minute. Ricciardo, running third, in turn held a healthy gap over Norris but the McLaren driver still fancied his chances at third place. It wasn’t to be though as a sensor issue put paid to his race. Norris’s retirement on lap 44 brought out the safety car and set up a ten-lap sprint to the chequered flag. Hamilton and Verstappen pitted while Ricciardo, Perez, and Sainz too followed suit into the pitlane. The Safety Car was a saving grace for Ricciardo who was facing a near impossible task of keeping Perez, on fresh tyres, at bay.

There was little Verstappen could do in second to challenge Hamilton who secured a record-equaling 91^st race win. Ricciardo’s third place finish is the first for Renault since 2011 while Sergio Perez came home in fourth ahead of Sainz in fifth. Pierre Gasly churned out another solid drive in sixth as Charles Leclerc salvaged seventh for Ferrari. Nico Hulkenberg completed only a handful of laps in qualifying before the race and finished a stunning eighth after qualifying 20^th. Romain Grosjean scored his first points of the season in ninth ahead of Antonio Giovinazzi in tenth. The two former teammates Vettel and Raikkonen finished 11^th and 12^th.

The achievement of Michael Schumacher’s 91 race wins seemed a near impossible record to break. Lewis Hamilton’s win in Germany equals that staggering number but there is no doubt whatsoever that it will be surpassed in the coming weeks. Some will always put the Mercedes forward as the reason for Hamilton’s unfathomable success. They would be right but it simply doesn’t tell the whole story. To maintain the motivation and desire and level of skill that he has must be commended. The Schumacher family too recognized Hamilton’s incredible achievement with a presentation of Schumacher’s 2012 Mercedes helmet by son, Mick Schumacher.

October 15, 2020
2020 Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix: Sunday Press Conference

DRIVERS

1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

2 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)

3 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)

TRACK INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Martin Brundle )

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PRESS CONFERENCE

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

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

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

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

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

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

VIDEO CONFERENCE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

July 12, 2020