F1 Madness

Tag: sebastian vettel

  • F12017: Brazilian Gp Preview – Free-for-all at Iconic Interlagos

    F12017: Brazilian Gp Preview – Free-for-all at Iconic Interlagos

    For all the innovation that Formula 1 continues to deliver there are some things in the sport that, untouched by too much change, remain and embodies the very essence of the sport. One such example is the Brazilian grand prix and the famed Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.

    For decade after decade the Interlagos based circuit has delivered on everything a Formula 1 race should be. Through scorching temperatures and rain-soaked afternoons the Brazilian fan’s euphoria for F1 has always been palpable. And it has, since 1973, been driven by some of the most dramatic and memorable races in the history of the sport.

    There have been many highly emotional Brazilian grand prix throughout its history but none more so than Ayrton Senna’s majestic 1991 win in the McLaren after which he was so physically exhausted that he had to be extricated from the cockpit. In the decades since there’s been no let up on the drama with several of the most theatrical moments coming in the 21st century. In 2005 Fernando Alonso became, at the time, the youngest world champion and two years later, in 2007, Kimi Raikkonen won his world title in what had been, arguably, one of the most fascinating championship battles of all time. A year later thousands of Brazilian hearts sank as Lewis Hamilton snatched the title from local-favourite Felipe Massa, literally, on the last corner of the last lap whereas the 2012 grand prix marked the final race of the great Michael Schumacher storied career.

    Felipe Massa 2008The circuit, at roughly 4.3 kilometers, isn’t a long one and a lap time below seventy seconds is likely, especially for quali. Besides having the iconic, and tight, Senna S as Turn One its three sectors stand in contract to each other. A strait and several medium to high-speed corners dominate the first part of the lap while the middle sector is the more technical section before its capped by Junção, the final climb up the hill to the start/finish strait.

    Despite not having a Brazilian world champion since Ayrton Senna the fans have shown a fanaticism for the sport and other Brazilian drivers as fervent as you’re likely to see anywhere in the world. One driver responsible for inspiring said passion is Felipe Massa. The Williams driver has announced his retirement at the end of the 2017 season making this weekend his final Brazilian grand prix. Though never a world champion Massa has inspired countless fans, colleagues, and contemporaries with his incredible talent, generosity, passion, and sportsmanship. Obrigado Felipe.

    Nico Rosberg_Brazil 2014The fact that most positions in both the drivers and constructors championships have been settled adds a further element to this weekend’s Brazilian grand prix. No longer do teams such as Force India have to impose team orders on Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon. Now they’ll be free to race and bang wheels to their heart’s content and this directive, pretty much, goes for everyone up and down the pitlane too.

    While the forecast predicts a dry race weekend the weather for the Brazilian grand prix has always been, at best, uncertain.

    One thing that is a certainty however is that there has rarely been a dull Brazilian grand prix and it shouldn’t be any different in 2017.

  • 2017 Mexico Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    2017 Mexico Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

    2 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)

    3 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    TRACK INTERVIEWS
    (Conducted by Damon Hill)

    Sebastian, what a great lap, tell us all about it?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, it was quite a lap I have to say, I’m really, really happy. It’s very difficult here. It’s very slippery and difficult to get everything in one lap. I had a little bit in the first sector and I managed to get that right, so I had a good start. Then I had a bit of a moment in I think Turn 6. I nearly lost it there, I had to go down to first gear, but I didn’t lose any time and then I knew in the last sector if I just kept it clean across the line it should be enough and it was, so really, really happy.

    You’ve had to work really hard, I think Ferrari have really been working all weekend trying to get close. Is the car the racecar you want to have tomorrow?

    SV: Yeah, yesterday wasn’t that good for us in all honesty, but I think overnight we improved, we had a lot of things we worked on and changed and they all worked. So for now I’m really happy. For tomorrow, we’ll see what happens, but the race pace should be good.

    Max, what a tremendous effort. We really thought you had pole there. I expect you thought you had it too. Great performance, great qualifying, tell us about your laps?

    Max VERSTAPPEN: I’m super annoyed. I don’t know. Actually in Q3 it just got a bit more difficult, couldn’t really get the tyres to work. Of course, yeah, second is good, but not in the way I want.

    Well, I’m thinking you probably feel like you deserve a podium don’t you?

    MV: Well, deserve is a big word but I gave it my all today in qualifying but it was just not enough. I really wanted that pole position but at least we have a decent starting position.

    Well, we’ve seen what you can do today, what a terrific effort. Thank you very much for showing us what your talent is all about. Lewis, you tried everything today, but maybe the Mercedes is not the car for this track today. What’s going on there?

    Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, I mean those guys did a great job, they’re obviously very quick. I gave it everything I could, honestly I think the last lap could have been a couple of tenths quicker but still I wouldn’t have been able to match these guys.

    As far as the championship goes, you’re not concerned with where Ferrari is, where Seb is, they’ve done everything they need to do?

    LH: We’re still in the running for the win I think. We’ll see what happens with Max, but I’m hoping that I get to at least have a battle with one of them.

    Big day tomorrow, wishing you all the best for tomorrow. Seb, what needs to happen? You’ve got a slender chance left now for the world championship. You just have to go down that empty track and take the race for yourself do you?

    SV: I mean we have to maximise every session, whether it’s practice or qualifying. Obviously today is really important and tomorrow we see. You know yourself, it’s not as much in my control as I would like it to be, so it depends on what Lewis is doing, but for us we go all out. We attack and see what we can do. We deserve a good result, Ferrari deserves a good result so let’s see what we can do tomorrow.

     

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Well, Sebastian it looked like a great lap, but let’s start by talking about 50 pole positions. What does that number mean to you?

    SV: It sounds like a lot. I guess it is a lot. I don’t know really what to say. It’s a big number. I’m very, very happy with today. Before qualifying I didn’t look at it that way, so I was surprised myself to hear just now. I think every session you try to get the best. Quali has obviously been tough for us, and really rewarding when it worked, just like today. So really, really happy with the session that we had, with the lap I had at the end. So I think at the moment, right now, that probably means more than the raw number, but for sure overall it’s a great achievement.

    And how confident were you of getting pole position in Q3 given the pace of the man sitting on your right?

    SV: Yeah, he was very quick in Q2. I don’t know where he pulled that one from, so we had to stretch, I think, all of us. It’s very difficult around here because there is not much running I believe. The altitude has a different affect on the asphalt in terms of ageing, so it’s very slippery for all of us, very easy to do a mistake, very difficult to find that limit, to understand where exactly it is, where you can push, where you can’t, where you have to be careful. And then he foes four tenths quicker than everybody else, it’s a bit “how do I do that?” But I knew if I get the first sector together then I’ll have a better chance and yeah, it worked just in the end, so I was really happy with my first sector, so I was really happy with my first sector. And then I was able to build on that. Had a moment in six, where I nearly lost the car, but managed to go through without any time loss. From there I felt really comfortable and again able to push to the end. Obviously when I saw how much I was up crossing the line, I knew it would be close, but it should be enough. But I didn’t know what the others are doing; I guess the track improved a bit. When I heard it was enough, then, yeah, it’s like an explosion in the car. I had one yesterday with the extinguisher but today was a real one, so I’m really happy.

    Q: Coming to you Max, Sebastian has just been eulogising about your pace in Q2, so how frustrated are you that you’re not the man sitting in the middle this afternoon?

    MV: I mean you always try to go for pole position and Q2 was looking really good but somehow in Q3 I couldn’t switch the tyres on and, yeah, I couldn’t go faster, simple as that. On this track, it’s really slippery and for me the front tyres were not working, so just a bit of understeer and, on this track, you need to turn the car very quickly in the very low-speed corners and that was not happening in Q3, so I couldn’t improve. Yeah, of course, I mean second is still a good place but I think, yeah, especially after Q2 I was hoping for more.

    Q: Is there anything you might have done differently, with hindsight in Q3?

    MV: It’s difficult to say. Basically, we did exactly the same thing as in Q2 but both sets, they didn’t really switch on as well as I had in Q2. Somehow also the last sector was a bit more difficult. So yeah, really difficult to understand but sometimes you have that in qualifying, that you put a new set on and somehow it’s a bit more tricky.

    Q: Lewis, can you just talk us through that session from your point of view – because the gap between yourself and pole is unusually big.

    LH: Well, firstly, congratulations to Sebastian with the Number 50. I tried to deny him it but it wasn’t to be this weekend. Yeah, I think it was a difficult session in general. I think it’s been a difficult weekend, I would say, overall. As Max was saying, it’s very slippery here. I think some of the issues we have with the car are a little bit highlighted here. Perhaps not as big as places like Singapore but a little bit more here. I gave it everything I could. I think the gap really is a couple of tenths more. My last lap I was two-tenths up and I didn’t finish it, but still that’s a significant gap. I think they just did a great job. I think their car was working a little bit better this weekend, and yeah, we’re still there in the fight. I think our long run pace is definitely better than our qualifying pace.

    Q: I was going to say, you did a very long run in practice. How confident are you of your race pace?

    LH: As I said, the race pace is good, so not worried about that – but you can’t overtake here, you need a big delta to overtake, I think it’s over a second delta to the car in front, as far as I’m aware – 1.3s or something – so positioning is important but there’s a long way down to Turn One. So, we should have some fun tomorrow.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Rodrigo Amozurrutia de Anzorena – Récord) Sebastian, will it be special for you to win the race where maybe Lewis will get the World Championship.

    SV: Well, I don’t think we need to debate what’s the bigger cup. For us, it’s pretty straightforward. I don’t think it’s much point looking at what others are doing, what Lewis is doing. I think the position we are in, we need to try and maximise everything we can and then, depends on him. It’s pretty straightforward, I would say but for sure this is a very nice race, a very nice atmosphere and I think tomorrow there will be even more people than today and yeah, last year I think we were fighting for the podium and weren’t sure who was supposed to be there, so this year I hope that y’know.

    MV: I’m used to it, I’ve had practice…

    SV: … so when we get to the podium, we end up there and deserve it.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) Max, what influence the new engine of Renault engine you use already in Austin, this qualifying? And Lewis, maybe you have some problem in the power unit. Are you worried concerning the race?

    MV: A tickle difference. But y’know, every step is positive so I think they can learn a lot for next year, which is positive already, in terms of reliability, so it’s always good to already have that right now.

    And Lewis, any engine dramas for you? We did hear you in practice on the radio.

    LH: It’s not something I’m thinking too much about but it has not been a clean weekend in terms of the power unit, so we’ll see what happens.

    Q: (Rik Spekenbrink – Ad Sportwereld) Question for Max. What do you make of the incident with Bottas?

    MV: Which incident? I was on the inside, he was just doing his line and he locked up, so there was no incident.

    We heard there was some investigation

    MV: That can be. But for me, there is no incident.

    Q: (Mariana Jiménez – Record) Lewis, you said the race pace is better for tomorrow than the qualifying but what could stop you from winning tomorrow and would you like to get your fourth title, even though you don’t win tomorrow?

    LH: Yeah, I mean that’s obviously the goal. Pole position was obviously the goal today but it just wasn’t meant to be. Honestly it was so close through practice and I think it’s the first time it’s been so close between five or six of us which is exciting and put us all under pressure but as I said, a lot of very good qualifying sessions I’ve had this year… it wasn’t at the top of those. But I think, as I said, overtaking here is very difficult but the start’s going to be fun. I’m hoping I’m able to move forwards there if possible and then after that it’s a one stop strategy here so it’s really how you look after your tyres’ degradation but there’s not really much degradation if any. I think in the race it’s going to be very very tough but I hope that I will remain at least close if I’m not where I want to be in turn one but yeah, winning here would be…. If you’ve seen the crowd today it’s such a spectacle from above. I saw the camera from the helicopter, it looks incredible. There’s a lot of energy in the crowd so to do it on Mexican soil would be pretty neat.

    Q: (Jim Vertuno – Associated Press) For all three of you: at one point in different points of the race last year you all had issues, adventures around that first turn. How do you think the kerbs and the changes there are going to affect how aggressive you can be off the start between the three of you?

    SV: Well, you don’t want to go there, simple as that. I know that last year we had a bit of discussion here and there but personally I don’t like… we might as well put a wall. I think for the guys it’s probably the same. We all try to get the corner, every time we go round. Obviously sometimes we don’t but it is what it is.

    MV: I do think this year it’s normally a little bit easier. We don’t arrive as fast and we have more downforce compared to last year so the locking is a little bit less of an issue but of course turn one, if you really want to go for it, you can always brake a bit too late but I think those kerbs really stop you from like braking ridiculously late, for sure.

    LH: I don’t really have much more to say, it’s the same.

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xiro Xone News) Max, you’ve often shown that you’re a young man without fear, you don’t care if it’s a red car, silver car and you’ve often said that these guys have everything to lose and you don’t. Are you planning to take advantage of that tomorrow?

    MV: You’re always careful. I think everybody here in the paddock wants to win races so if you see that opportunity of course you go for it but I think you always respect your competitor.

    Q: (Frank – Woestenburg De Telegraaf) Max, you’ve been here a couple of days. The altitude, is that a factor for you?

    MV: Personally not, because it’s actually quite nice because you don’t sweat as much but of course for the car it’s a lot of downforce loss, I think it’s even less than Monza so yes, it’s a bit more tricky and then also with the track I think in general being a bit slippery, then with a lot of loss of downforce compared to normal tracks yeah, that’s a bit more difficult but personally or like physically it’s all good.

    Q: (Carlos Alberto Velázquez – Reforma News) Lewis, have you thought how you will celebrate tomorrow if you win your fourth championship here in Mexico?

    LH: I haven’t and I won’t think of it until I achieve it.

  • F1 2017: Mexican Gp Quali Report – Vettel Delivers

    F1 2017: Mexican Gp Quali Report – Vettel Delivers

    Sebastian Vettel has delivered a stunning lap to secure pole position for the 2017 Mexican grand prix.

    The Ferrari driver had it all to do in qualifying and he delivered with a quite stunning lap to take pole position for the Mexican grand prix. Alongside on the front row, and less than a tenth adrift, is Max Verstappen who looked in fine form throughout the quali session.

    Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will share the second row in third and fourth with a 5th place or better all that Hamilton needs to secure his fourth driver’s championship title. Kimi Raikkonen and Esteban Ocon will share the third row in fifth and sixth respectively.

    The second Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo was mysteriously off the pace and will start Sunday’s race in seventh overall. Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz, and local hero Sergio Perez will round out the top ten.

    While Brendon Hartley set the 13th quickest time overall he was a no-show in Q2 as yet another unreliability issue put an end to Toro Rosso’s participation. This comes after teammate Pierre Gasly did not even start quali due to a engine change stemming from a failure in free practice three.

    With tyre degradation likely to reduce the Mexican grand prix to a one-stopper it will all hang on the run to turn one for Mercedes as both Ferrari and Red Bull have shown a better long run pace than the Silver Arrows.

  • 2017 Mexico Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference – Part 2

    2017 Mexico Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference – Part 2

    PART TWO: DRIVERS: Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari), Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes), Pierre GASLY (Toro Rosso)

     

    Q: Pierre, welcome back to Formula One, Before we talk about this weekend in Mexico, tell us about last weekend and how frustrating it must have been to go all the way to Japan, where you were hoping to wrap-up the Super Formula title but didn’t get to race.

    Pierre GASLY: Yeah, really strange last weekend in Japan. I went there really excited, really motivated to fight for the title and, in the end with the Typhoon coming in, in the country they cancelled both races, so really weird to finish the weekend on the Saturday night but in the end I keep really good memories from my season in Super Formula. I really enjoyed it out there. It was great finishing second in my rookie year but of course I would have liked to really fight for the title until the end.

     

    Q: Let’s talk about Toro Rosso now. You’ve completed two races for the team in Malaysia and Japan. Can you tell us about those experiences? How did you find the car? How did you find Formula One?

    PG: It was amazing. Of course starting in Formula One is always a special moment and for me, Malaysia was crazy. I really enjoyed it, and a lot of things to learn with the team, to come at the end of the year like this is never easy but I really tried to make the best out of it. Yeah, I just feel more comfortable in the car, lap after lap. So, I guess it’s going to get better race after race, but yeah, you know, I’m trying my best to make sure we have good races and I’m really looking forward to the next couple of race weekends.

     

    Q: New team-mate this week. I think that makes you the senior driver in the team.

    PG: yeah, exactly. A bit weird after only two race weekend. We’re both new, it’s exciting to be in this position. For me it’s a great opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it.

     

    Q: Valtteri, coming to you, Mercedes sealed the Constructors’ Championship in Austin. Just how proud of that achievement are you and of the contribution you made.

    Valtteri BOTTAS: Definitely really proud. It’s amazing feeling, being part of a championship winning team, and also the feeling you get that you’ve been part of it, you’ve done something right. We’ve done this as a team. No other team has done it with such a big regulation change, again winning the title. It’s such a strong team and I’m a really proud member of it.

     

    Q: Hard car to drive, hard team-mate. Have you been able to pinpoint where you’ve been losing out to Lewis Hamilton since the summer break?

    VB: Yes, I’ve been able to pinpoint quite well and there’s been some races where I’ve definitely struggled more than the others. Some have been quite positive. I think there was a lot of positive things, even to take from the last race, even though the end result was far away optimal – but yeah, it’s all about details, as always in this sport. Some things with the driving style, some things with setting up the car, which I’m getting, learning all the time. That’s why I really believe that I can get to a good level again before the end of the year.

     

    Q: Do you feel that Lewis has raised his game since the summer break?

    VB: I think so. I think he’s been really on it all year but especially after the summer break. He’s been consistently getting everything out of the car and being able to set it up right for each track, for each condition. That comes from experience but also hard work and he definitely deserves all the credit for his results this year.

     

    Q: Sebastian, you’ve won four titles, you’ve come close on other occasions. Now, of course it’s not over until it’s over this year but how do you reflect on 2017. Is there a little bit of you that feels this is the one that got away?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Well, first of all it’s not over, though obviously it’s not in our hands as much as we’d like it to be but overall I think it’s been a very good year. Obviously, nobody expected us to be that strong to start with, nobody expected us to be that strong midway through the season, towards the end of the season, so I think there’s a lot of positives. The pity really is that, y’know, there were a couple of races where we just weren’t there to fight. We didn’t have a chance to fight. I would have loved to have been on three wheels, even in the race but with a chance to fight. They obviously got away from us and we were just sitting on the sidelines. That was bitter but in the end, made a big difference. Nevertheless, we are now where we are and, as I said, we still have a chance. We want to win the last three races and I think we can. So that’s our goal. And then we see what happens. Overall, I think the team has done incredible to be where we are now. Which, again, nobody expected. We’ve proven probably everybody wrong. There was a lot of talk in the winter, I remember, for sure about Mercedes, who were the favourites going in, but a lot of talk about Red Bull, other people, but no so much about Ferrari. It was good, obviously, to start off strong and keep going that way.

     

    Q: So what’s the team got to do to go one place better? You’re a man of huge experience. Do you think it’s more of the same and just hone a little bit or do you think there needs to be some changes back in Maranello?

    SV: No, I think, y’know, we had things breaking and so on but that’s part of racing. I think overall  I know and I feel there’s still a lot we can do, and we have to do better. But we know where to tackle, I think we know our weaknesses. Some things may happen quick, some things will take some time but if we get those things sorted I think we will end up being a much stronger team, able to build a much stronger car and a stronger package, stronger engine, so that’s the things that we need to keep working on. We keep growing as a team, growing the culture, that allows us to build a strong package, a strong car, a strong engine. That’s where we’ve made massive steps in the last three years and where we have to continue to make those steps.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

     

    Q: (Rafael Bolaños – Televisa) Seb, do you think in the future you will be willing to get as a team-mate another top driver for example, like Daniel Ricciardo, that you raced against in Red Bull?

    SV: Yeah, I don’t mind. I like Daniel. Obviously for next year things are sorted, and then, y’know, things can change quick. Things cannot change that quick, it depends always on what’s going on but yeah, in the end it’s not my choice, it’s the team’s choice and in the end if you’re not prepared to race whoever it is, then what’s the point of racing? That’s the way I think. I don’t know what happens but to be honest it’s not what I’m thinking about now because it’s still quite far away.

     

    Q: (Manuel Franco – Diario As) For all three: Fernando Alonso will be in the Daytona 24 hours next year. What is your opinion about that and would you like to compete in a similar race in the future, out of Formula One, like Daytona, Le Mans?

    VB: I never really thought about much elsewhere. I’m loving driving Formula One, competing with all the best drivers around and with such cool cars, so at the moment I’m just focusing on this, so no thoughts on the other categories at the moment. Of course it’s good for Fernando if he can do it and if he wants to do it, why not?

    PG: Exactly, for me at the moment my only target is on F1 and that’s the only thing I’m excited about at the moment but yeah, I’m still 21, I still have many years ahead of me. I think Fernando looks to like America at the moment so if he’s happy about it then it’s going to be a great experience for him. That’s about it.

    SV: Well, all the best. I don’t even know which cars they really race there; I think it’s GT3 mostly in Daytona. LMP2. The way I look at it, in the past, if you look back a long way, not the last twenty years probably, but a long way, drivers used to race a lot more in different cars which I generally find pretty cool. The fact that they had to adapt to different cars, work with different people, with different mechanics, setting up the cars differently but mostly drive and adapt. Obviously where the sport has gone has been very very professional, there’s not that much time to do many other things, if you commit properly to Formula One but overall we are racing drivers and I quite like the idea to drive more in different cars. I don’t know if that will ever change in the future but if they had different categories in the same weekend where Formula One drivers were… I don’t know, with the Procar series many years ago, for example, with the BMW M1s, where they did a race before the Grand Prix. Stuff like that I think would be cool but for sure you can see the difficulties these days in terms of the paperwork and all that. But for raw racing, it’s very nice to race different cars, why not, every weekend.

     

    Q: Max Verstappen told us in the first session that he’d like to do Daytona with his father, Jos. Is there anyone you’d like to race with, Sebastian?

    SV: Well if I raced with my father I’d probably compete in a hillclimb race and he would probably show me my limits, still, but yeah, I think there’s a lot of different categories. Even if you go back, down in a way, the level of competition is very high in karting. That would be really cool to do more of that and then there are so many cars to explore. The question is obviously who pays for it but yeah, I think overall it would be nice to explore a lot more and drive different cars.

     

    Q: (Carlo Felipe – Fast Mag) Last year, Valtteri, you almost broke the record for straightline speed in Formula One. You came within a tenth of a kilometre short of Montoya’s record at Monza. Do you think this year, with the faster cars, you can break that record? Well, you or any of the twenty drivers?

    VB: Honestly, I doubt it a little bit because the cars are definitely faster around the lap but they are not quicker on a straightline, they are quite a bit slower on a straightline than years before, so I doubt it.

     

    Q: (Jack Lopez – Moment GP) Valtteri you seem to have had some problems in the last races against the rhythm of Lewis. Can you say why? Obviously, he’s so fast but you know, in the first part of the season, you always were there, but in the second part, it seems like some lack of pace or something. Can you tell us what?

    VB: I think… when we started this press conference, I already listed quite a few things that I think Lewis has been really on it in the second half. I’ve been struggling to find the optimal set-up many times, sometimes going in the wrong direction, myself. Some tracks, with this car we have, the way it needs to be driven has been arguing with my natural driving style so I’ve had to change some things with my driving style and that doesn’t happen overnight. If you think about it, if you need to change your golf swing, you just can’t do it like that and be natural about it and not to think about it too much. So yeah, there are multiple things: how to manage the tyres, preparing for qualifying laps and especially during the race I’ve been struggling a little bit more with overheating the tyres. But we have been working on every single issue we’ve spotted, always managed to improve those, step by step, been getting stronger. I think my pace in the last race was actually very similar to Lewis before I struggled in the second stint with… various reasons for that so that was positive. So like I said, aim to continue the hard work and to continue to get better and better and quicker and hopefully can finish the season strongly.

     

    Q: Has the momentum swing within the garage affected your relationship with Lewis?

    VB: No. Not at all.

     

    Q: (Marius Salvini – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Sebastian, the last two times here have been difficult races for you. Do you think there is a particular reason for that, maybe about the track or something else?

    SV: Not really. I think two years ago I crashed. Last year, obviously we had that fight for the podium and then podium, no podium so… Generally I think we’ve been quick. I like the track, it’s obviously not easy to get everything right. The cars, despite maximum downforce, are quite difficult to drive and a bit – in a way – similar to Monza but you’ve got more corners, different nature of corners. But we will see. But I hope for a smooth race this time without any issues and hopefully at the end a deserved podium.

     

    Q: (Simon Lazenby – Sky Sports) Sebastian, in the past, when championships have got away from Ferrari, the poor old team principal seems to be the one that gets it in the neck. If this one gets away from you guys, would you like to see Mr Arrivabene stay in that position? Is continuity in that position really important to you guys? And what are his strengths, as a team principal, that you’ve enjoyed this year?

    SV: Absolutely. What are his strengths? Look at the results. Look at where Ferrari was after 2014, how competitive Ferrari was in 2014 and how – sorry to say – what miserable shape it was. The spirit was down so I think he’s the key person responsible for bringing most of that back and to make the team grow, to open things up, to change things that have been set like that for 20 years before that, just because they used to be like that. So I think he has a very innovative and creative way of thinking. So I think he’s the right man, he’s a very strong leader, I think he’s well respected – I know he’s well respected by all the people, no matter… I don’t know… if you look at a hierarchical way, no matter which level of the company, so absolutely I’m a fan. As I said, the most important thing is that if you look at the result, it’s coming. Obviously this year we would like it to be a bit different, especially towards the end but these things happen, we’re still growing and we set ourselves the target at the very beginning to grow and to do something new, something different and we’re still on that journey. Obviously the expectations are always high, you finish second in the championship, the year after you want to win, you don’t manage to do that but I think where we’ve gone, ’15 to ’16, especially through ’16 and then for ’17, things are going and heading the right way and he’s a key person in that.

     

    Q: (Christoph Becker – Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung) Valtteri, just to stick to the point of the relationship with Lewis; Toto and Lewis have both markedly talked about the atmosphere in the team and how much it has improved since last year, so my question to you is have you been too nice and if your answer is No, then can you elaborate a little bit why it is important to have such a good relationship with your teammate?

    VB: I think, personally, maybe it’s important to have a good relationship with your teammate, such that you can work well as a team, that you don’t need to hide anything within the team, that you have two cars, two drivers producing data and producing points that can be improved. Obviously always it’s better the closer the teammates are, you can always pick up things better and better. And also everyone is having more fun when the spirit is good. Obviously I have no idea how it’s been before with the team. I only joined in January but since January everything has been very good and to work as two teammates together I think just pushing the team forward together for a long term that will bring results.

     

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xiro Xone News) To go back last week to what the new owners have been doing, especially all season with some of the changes that have been made, we saw that at the US Grand Prix with the intros for the drivers. Generally some sports have an end-of-season event like an all-star game. Would you guys be up for something like that, like an all-star kart race, get all of you together in the same karts, everyone get a chance to really show and shine and just have fun at the end of the season?

    SV: It’s called Race of Champions, so I think we have something in place. I like it, I join it every year that I can and we race in different cars. Obviously it’s mostly fun and the track is a different track, it’s in a stadium and there’s a lot of show as well but overall I think it’s a great idea as well. I don’t know why other people are not joining, I think mostly because they prefer to spend their holidays somewhere else. I think it would be great to meet up for a race in the same car and just race for fun.

    On the Austin thing, it’s not my cup of tea to be honest but I think for the people if they enjoyed it then that was obviously nice.

    VB: I think it was a good idea. I think if they’re planning when it’s going to be important so everyone can make it but yeah, good idea. I kind of like the direction things have been taken within Formula One now, a bit more relaxed, like the thing in Austin before the race. Of course for us it was a bit more extra things to do before the race and a bit more busy than normal, less time to focus on our performance with the engineers and so on but if people like it then it’s good.

     

    Q: Pierre, you weren’t in Austin but what was your take on what we saw there before the start and would you like to see an all-stars race?

    PG: Yeah, I think in Austin it was pretty cool. I wasn’t there but from what I heard from close people they seem to have liked it so it’s different than what it was before but if the people liked it then that was the main thing. It’s a pretty cool show and I will be happy if I can discover it properly. Yeah, on the kind of Race of Champions or stuff like this I think it’s a really cool idea, at least to give me the proper chance to race with Seb and Valtteri because of the same equipment and yeah, I think it’s cool, as a driver you want to be able to fight with the same cars, same karts, stuff like this, so I think it would be really cool. I have never been to the Race of Champions but always watched it and it’s a really great event with drivers coming from different series, more or less the best drivers of all these series and yeah, it’s really exciting and really cool, so if we can make something like this in Formula One I will be more than happy.

  • 2017 Mexico Grand Prix: Hamilton on the Threshold of Greatness

    2017 Mexico Grand Prix: Hamilton on the Threshold of Greatness

    There are some out there that feel that Lewis Hamilton’s world titles at Mercedes came because he had the best car under him and some would give more credit to the cars that Mercedes have built than to the driver. Truth of the matter is that to win one world title is hard enough. Just look at how much it took out of Nico Rosberg. To win three takes astounding dedication and drive, not only from the driver but from everyone in the team. Hamilton, on the threshold of becoming World Champion for the 4th time, should be admired and respected and if he does clinch the title this weekend, he’ll become the most successful British driver in Formula One history.

    Hamilton heads into the Mexico Grand Prix weekend a massive 66 points ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in the drivers’ championship and only needs to finish 5th or higher to become world champion. It won’t matter if Vettel wins, unless Hamilton is lower than 5th. A scenario that is quite unlikely given the bulletproof reliability of the Mercedes power unit this season.

    After the United States Grand Prix Vettel looked resigned to the fact that he had lost the world title. It was a race that he needed to win but the pace of Hamilton in the Mercedes was too much for Ferrari. Ferrari will not give up and neither will Vettel as long as there is a chance. Hamilton, of course, is never going to take it easy. He’s a sportsman and he will do everything he can to win the race.

    Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

    This is the 3rd installment of the Mexico Grand Prix in modern F1. The circuit is 4.304km long with 17 corners. A mix of high-speed sweeps and slow technical sections brings some balance to the circuit. The long straight preceded by the long right-handed Turn 17 sees cars reaching speeds upwards of 360km/h with a tow and DRS before Turn 1. The cars this year, with the increased downforce, are not expected to reach those speeds.

    Teams tend to run full downforce setups around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez despite the high-speed nature of the circuit due to the high elevation of the circuit. The highest point of the circuit is at Turn 6 with an elevation of 2 229m above sea level. Higher elevation means the thinner air than at sea level, the thinner the air, the harder the wings and diffusers need to work.

    Pirelli goes a step softer

    Pirelli has brought the yellow marked soft, the red marked super soft, and the purple marked ultra soft tyres to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. It’s the first time the ultra soft will meet the tarmac in Mexico since the first race in 2015. We should see some lap records being broken this weekend.

    The asphalt around the circuit is relatively new and quite smooth which puts degradation in the lower end of the scale. The twisty middle sector and slow final sector should put the ultra soft to the test.

    Weather this weekend is expected to be mild so thermal degradation should be low as well.

    Teams will have to get to grips with the ultra soft since it will be used for the first time. Although it will be used as a qualifying tyre, the long run pace and degradation will be important as it is expected to be a one stop race.

    Mid-Field Battle for Supremacy

    The top four positions in the Constructors’ Championship are all but confirmed with Mercedes already winning the Constructors’ Championship at the US Grand Prix.

    The battle for 5th between Williams (68 points), Toro Rosso (53 points), Renault (48 points) and Haas (43 points) is reaching the business end in these final few races and you can expect some hard racing between them.

    The circuit characteristics of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez should favour the Williams setup, but Renault with Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg are not far from closing the gap to the Grove-based outfit and Toro Rosso.

    Toro Rosso who have Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley in the cars for what looks like the remaining races of the season will find it hard to hold off Renault in these final few and if Haas can get their balance issues sorted out, could potentially overhaul Toro Rosso who are just 10 points behind the Faenza based team.

    As much fun as it was watching the title challenge unfold, it’s worth keeping an eye on the battle in the mid-field. We can expect some great racing and epic battles between the teams and drivers.

  • F1 2017: US Gp Review – Unstoppable Hamilton Supreme in Texas

    F1 2017: US Gp Review – Unstoppable Hamilton Supreme in Texas

    If Sebastian Vettel’s chance of winning the 2017 driver’s title were slim going into the United States grand prix they’ve now all but evaporated. Lewis Hamilton delivered a controlled drive to not only win in Texas but also ensure Mercedes as the 2017 constructor’s champions.

    Despite Hamilton’s 72nd pole position Sebastian Vettel tried his damnedest to reduce the points gap. While the Ferrari driver had good pace it wasn’t enough to keep Hamilton at bay who retook the lead and built a solid gap of around four seconds before the first round of stops.

    It was Ferrari and Vettel who opted into the pitlane first in the hopes that a few laps on fresh tyres could see the jump Hamilton and it nearly worked too. Hamilton and Vettel went wheel-to-wheel as he exited the pitlane with Mercedes holding onto the lead by his fingernails.

    Bottas, Ricciardo, and Raikkonen had been keeping a watching brief behind the championship protagonists while involved in their own exhilarating scrap for the final podium position. Unfortunately, Ricciardo’s challenge was felled by an engine problem that ultimately forced his retirement from the race.

    50His Red Bull teammate however was scything the field at an impressive rate. Verstappen, who’d started sixteenth due to power unit penalties, had taken as others dived into the pitlane. By the time he completed his own stop for new tyres he emerged fifth overall. Stuck a bit in no man’s land Red Bull opted for another stop and with thirteen laps to go fitted a fresh set of supersoft tyres. Vettel, with not much to lose, opted for the same strategy in the hopes of pulling off a spectacular comeback.

    This promoted Bottas to second with Raikkonen on his gearbox. The Ferrari driver snatched second with an impressive move on the back strait and promptly moved over for a flying Vettel on fresh rubber within the next few laps.

    Similiarly, Verstappen new tyres was allowing him to lap more than a second faster than Bottas and Raikkonen. He took fourth around the outside of Bottas with five laps to go and proceeded to stalk the back of Raikkonen’s Ferrari who was now on 38-lap old soft tyres. Verstappen’s eventual dive down the inside of Raikkonen in the final sequence of corners got him third across the line but he’d done so illegally. From replays it was evident that Verstappen had all four wheels beyond the track limit while overtaking Raikkonen. Race stewards deemed that he gained an advantage by cutting the track and awarded him a five second penalty that re-installed Raikkonen to third.

    22553383_218269682045207_4543058910359125085_o-768x432There likely isn’t a Verstappen fan on the planet that wouldn’t bemoan the penalty. However, while his driver was enormously impressive and exciting the penalty was rather cut and dried. Elsewhere Valtteri Bottas finished a distant fifth after a late race pitstop nearly a minute ahead of Force India’s Esteban Ocon in sixth. Carlos Sainz impressed with a tremendous seventh place in his first race for Renault while Sergio Perez, Felipe Massa and the returning Daniil Kvyat rounded out the top ten.

    The happiest of the lot was undoubtedly Lewis Hamilton who not only took career win number 62 but also a definitive step towards a fourth world title. As F1 heads across the border to Mexico this weekend Hamilton needs only to finish fifth or higher to become the 2017 drivers champion.

  • 2017 United States Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    2017 United States Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    2 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

    3 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)

     

    TRACK INTERVIEWS

    Cowboy Lewis, and you rode that car beautifully around there and you even left a couple of ‘11s’ on the lap coming down out of Turn 1. The first sector wasn’t perfect but the lap was good enough to beat everybody today?

    Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, the team have done a great job. The track was very difficult today, guys. With the wind picking up, you’ve got a headwind into Turn 1, a tailwind out of Turn1. Through the fast section, sector one, there’s tailwind and then you’ve got a headwind into Turn 9 and so it’s shifting the whole way through the lap, so you’re kind of gauging how hard you can push and how hard you have to let off. But that’s why I love this track, man. It’s such a fantastic circuit to drive, I love it, especially when you have a car you can really drive, it’s great.

     

    And the heat as well, on those open parts of the circuit, it is so intense.

    LH: I mean, it’s always hot in the car. I think it’s just the right temperature today. It’s not too hot, the sun’s out, we can at least enjoy it, I mean the guys out here are not getting a sun tan but still… It’s going to be a great race tomorrow, it’s going to be a tough one, because looking after the tyres in these conditions is still tough but I’m the best prepared I can be.

     

    Sebastian, you needed this front row, man, didn’t you, to take this championship fight, to keep the pressure on him, to keep the heat on him. How much did you have to draw out of yourself for that lap, because it was a brilliant lap?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, I was very happy in the end, but I was lacking a bit the rhythm, especially the transition of the first to second sector, it was quite tricky with the wind, so I struggled a bit there. But finally I got it right, in the last run, when it mattered. As you said, important obviously to get front row, because I believe our race pace is really good. I quali all year we’ve been just a little bit behind, so well done to Lewis, obviously, he did two great laps and yeah, looking forward to tomorrow now.

     

    All the talk this week has been about what Lewis needs to do to win the title this weekend. What you need to do is win this race, do you think you can?

    SV: Not just here, it would be good to win also the others. But we go day by day. We were lacking a bit of running yesterday. Today was a lot better. I was getting up to speed and it was there when it mattered, but the race is tomorrow. It’s a great track, a great place, a lot of people, so it should be a good day tomorrow.

     

    And a big run up to Turn 1 as well. Well done, many congratulations. Valtteri, not quite the front row today. I guess a little bit disappointed but the pace is there, the car looks great, how confident are you feeling for the race?

    Valtteri BOTTAS: Definitely disappointing, you know. It was looking good for us and quite close with Lewis as well at some points, so disappointing, but there is always tomorrow.

     

    Well done. Lewis, back to you. Nick is here this weekend, adoring fans in the grandstand, which is pretty much your second home here in the States. I know how much you love it, you wrapped up your third title here, is it going to be four tomorrow?

    LH: I think It’s highly unlikely that will be the case. Sebastian did a great job today to bring the Ferrari back up there. Ultimately all I can do is the best I can of my abilities and we have to work as hard as we can to get maximum points. Sebastian is right there, so unless he makes a silly mistake, which is unlikely, he’s a four-time world champion, then we’re going to be seeing it continue on to other races.

     

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Lewis, how good was that opening lap [of Q3], the one that followed and generally how are you feeling?

    LH: I feel fantastic. I feel very fresh and happy and naturally always wish that qualifying would go longer because it’s the most fun session of the weekend. In general, very happy with all of qualifying. The last was not spectacular but up until then generally very, very strong. The team have done an exceptional job all weekend in filtering all of the data that we’ve got to really put the car in the right place and enable me, again, have the opportunity to exploit that. This is such a fantastic circuit, because just the layout and the way the wind comes and intertwines with the corners, it really makes it challenging, you know, so when you are going through the ‘Esses’ it’s not all the same through them, then you come out and you’ve got a headwind and then a crosswind and then you’ve got a headwind and a tailwind. So you’re constantly dancing with the wind. That I do love. On the last lap, I got caught out by a bit of a gust but that’s how it goes but yeah really happy to be up here, especially in front of such a great crowd.

     

    And you had a low 1m33s on that first run, when you went out for that final run did you think that with a perfect lap it might be possible to get a high 1m32s or was that too much to hope for?

    LH: It never even crossed my mind! I don’t even know what time I did if I’m really honest! What was it?

     

    I think it was a 33.2 or something like that.

    LH: I think I was up on that last one. I think on a perfect lap I could get down into the 32s but it’s very hard out there in those conditions.

     

    Very well done, great job. Sebastian from your point of view it’s a story of recovery really. We saw your old chassis being wheeled out yesterday, a new chassis being built up overnight. Tell us about that process, how you got back into it, and how you feel to be able to split the Mercedes?

    SV: I think we are very happy with the result. It was obviously crucial to get that final run. Bit of a slow start. We had a couple of problems, I didn’t feel comfortable yesterday with the car, and we did hardly any laps. Obviously I lost the car very early in FP2, which didn’t help and I thought that there’s something not right. Obviously a big job overnight. The team was fantastic, the mechanics now had a couple of weekends in a row with a lot of work, with last-minute engine changes, now a chassis change overnight and they didn’t break the curfew. You know you’re allowed to use a certain time before everybody has to leave the garages and if you do that big job there is always a threat but I think they did another re3cord time to change. Obviously it’s not what we want, but obviously today was a lot better, I was much happier with the car. I’m glad it worked out. And not finding the rhythm straight away in quali, I struggled a bit in a couple of corners but I knew if I get them right I should be able to make a big step in the final run, so I was very happy. I think in the end we were closer than probably we even expected so for today, but for tomorrow I think if the car behaves like today it should be good.

     

    Valtteri, conditions this weekend for this session the hottest of the weekend so far, how did the car feel and what are you expecting from the race?

    VB: Well, as Lewis said it was quite a tricky session with the wind and every lap was always a little bit different. We have been making quite big set-up changes in the weekend and definitely made the car quicker but quite tricky car for me to drive at least. I just struggled really with the pace and the laps they felt good, I just couldn’t go quicker. Lewis did a good job again.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) Lewis, you are the fastest guy all weekend. Do you think in race conditions you can keep also. In Malaysia you said you had doubts in the race, is it the same case here. And to Valtteri, you did an incredible first sector, in the strongest points of Lewis in this circuit, but then the lap was not so fast as the first part, why?

    LH: We know we’re often good through practice and qualifying but then the races are always a tricky one for us in terms of balance. We’re not terrible but you would think that we’re generally stronger in qualifying than we are in race, that’s been the case all year. But I think we’re good. I think I’ve got a good set of tyres, I think I’ve got a good balance for tomorrow. I’m looking forward to a good race with Sebastian and Valtteri. This is a track where you can follow a lot closer and even overtake as that race me and Sebastian had back in 2012 here, which was great, but I don’t plan on him getting that close but we shall see. But I think we will be OK tomorrow.

     

    VB: I didn’t understand the question.

     

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) I said you did a fantastic first part of the lap, you were the fastest guy at that moment, but then the rest of the lap was not so good.

    VB: In Q3. Yeah, I couldn’t improve in the second run. The first run felt OK, but Lewis managed to gain somehow more from Q2 to Q3 and I couldn’t really. I couldn’t find any track improvement. Like I said it was not easy sessions, every lap was a bit different but there were no big mistakes, just small things here and there as I feel for all the drivers but there was just this big gap.

    Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-Magazin.com) Question for Sebastian. Would you compare the situation you had today in Q3 in the last lap with the one you had in Japan where you saw the gap was quite to the front runners? Or was it completely the opposite – because you knew he had to be a bit more on the safe side to get these two corners right. And which two corners was it?

    SV: Well, I struggled a bit into Turn Eight, so Eight-Nine then it’s a succession up the hill. Obviously, the wind was quite tricky all day really. In the morning, I thought it was fine. In the afternoon, I just started on the wrong foot. It wasn’t really a question of stepping down, or calming down. It was more a question of getting it right. The shots that I had before, I obviously tried. Maybe I did take a little bit more risk but it never really worked – and then yeah, I knew what I had to get right, so I got it right. That was the most important but obviously in Japan I was fairly comfortable, let’s say, front row, no matter what Valtteri was going to do, so I decided to take a bit more risk but it was very different here, obviously. My lap was very poor in Q3 and I knew that I had to deliver otherwise I would have been, I don’t know, not even top six maybe. Therefor the timing was just right.

     

    Q: (Jeff Gluck – Jeffgluck.com) Lewis, how has your relationship with the American fans evolved over the years? It seems like you’ve soaked up the relationship with the American fans and the adoration that they have for you. How has that evolved for you over the years here?

    LH: Yeah, I think it’s been an interesting journey for me. I think it’s… my love of America started many, many years before I even came to the States, watching movies and seeing these great cities, like New York and all over. My Mum actually saved up to bring me to New York for my 17th birthday and we had an amazing few days. It kind of grew from then. And obviously coming here, racing here, my first… my second grand prix win but first race in the US was Indy and that was an amazing feeling. A great battle that I had with Fernando, and then obviously moving here. I don’t know why it’s always gone so well for me here but there definitely is a… I do feel a lot of positivity here. It is such a great country, it’s got so much to offer. Obviously, you’ve got great mountains, great countryside, great seaside, great food. There’s not really anything it doesn’t have. Plus you’ve got NASA here, which is pretty awesome. Rocket! I like that. So yeah, and I generally feel like, obviously… naturally I think people, Americans really do relate to… they’re crazy into their sports, they relate to winners, and obviously the fact I’ve had the success that I’ve had here I think comes hand-in-hand with that relationship but I really do appreciate the support that I have here and it does feel like a second home for me. It’s a place that I try to spend as much time as I can in my off-time ‘cos it’s where I’m generally happiest.

     

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) A question to Sebastian. You obviously didn’t do many laps yesterday. How much could you recover in P3, in terms of race preparation?

    SV: Not much. Obviously, we had a touch of a small long run, I think two timed laps, so we’re missing a bit. As the season progresses everybody gets better in terms of reading the sessions, understanding the tyres so I don’t think we’re in any weaker position. Would have been nice to do more laps but the little laps that I had this morning were fine. I think we know what we need to do. Now we see what the conditions are like. It’s supposed to be a bit cooler, we’ll see what the wind does. We have to react to those. That’s far more important that maybe what we’ve missed, because that has an impact on how your balance is in the first stint and then how you are able to feel the car push or not and then put pressure on whoever’s in front or disappear if you’re ahead, or whatever.

     

    Q: (Luis Vasconcelos – Formula Press) Questions to Valtteri and Sebastian. For Valtteri, three-quarters of the time you’re losing to Lewis is all in the last sector, he was three-tenths quicker than you. Is there something not to your liking in the car in that kind of corner. And for Sebastian, even though it’s not as bad as in the first two years, there’s still a difference in grip on the two sides of the grid. Does that worry you for the start tomorrow?

    VB: Yes, definitely the last sector in the qualifying I did struggle more. It felt more tricky for some reason than, for example, in some of the practice sessions. There’s been things I’ve been struggling with, with this car, with the brake modulation and front-locking and transferring the weight between the four wheels. It’s fine details but just struggled to get it together. Many times 13 and 15, lost a bit of time. Sometimes I got it right but still I couldn’t match Lewis in terms of cornering speeds, etcetera – but yeah, those are the longest corners, slow speed corners and normally the bigger differences are there.

     

    And Sebastian, the grip differential.

    SV: I don’t know. We see tomorrow. I saw Formula 4 race but they start on the other side, so the polesitter starts left. Anyway, the guy who started left turned in first into the first corner, so I don’t know. I don’t think there’s a big difference. We just need to make sure the cheerleaders tomorrow stay away from that side and they can get all excited on Lewis’ side.

     

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action / Speed Sport) Lewis, you mentioned the rockets. F1 has a lot of high technology. A lot of it is kept hidden. What did you like about the high technology that you got to see at NASA?

    LH: Well, to be honest, a lot of the technology I saw quite pre-dated. The most impressive thing was the big rocket that was one of the first rockets to go up in the ‘70s, and the engine technology of the most power has not progressed since then, from what they told me. That was like the best they could do with it. I think the most impressive thing for it is that it had like 1.5million pounds of torque in those five engines, and the distance of the blast of the jet was like two or three hundred metres, which was awesome. I think it was just mind-blowing to see what they were able to do. How amazing the technology, and how great the scientists were back in the ‘60s, ‘70s when they were building those space rockets, and then obviously now they’re planning more missions to the Moon, and Mars, and the new space station, I guess they’re going to have to start designing and building the new space station sometime because the life of that thing’s about to run out. I think it was just great. There’s no other country that I’ve ever been… everyone around the world knows about the journey to space. You see the movies and it’s so fascinating, so to be there and actually speak to an astronaut who was the last one to go up to the space station and is going to be the one to pilot the next mission, I was like: “Can I join you? Or we can swap jobs, I don’t mind doing your job.” It’s just mind-blowing when you think of how many intelligent people there are there working. I think there’s something like 10,000 people working at NASA but I think there was a lot more in the earlier days and there are similarities to Formula One. Obviously on a much, much smaller scale but in terms of the science. Honestly, I’m a space geek. I was there and I was asking a million questions and I’d happily go and work at NASA if I had the brains to do so. I could definitely pilot one of those ships. No problem!

     

    Q: (Les Kaiser – Speed City) Lewis you half way joked when you responded “can I do with you?” How serious would you be if they approached you in another year or two to join them?

    LH: I would go immediately. I would go tomorrow. Generally, the trips are, like, two weeks, so I’d be back in time for the next trip. After the race, jump on the Shuttle, no problem. No, I really, really would love to go. I know someone that has gone up. It was quite expensive so I don’t know how that’s going to happen. If I win the lottery then definitely, I’m going to go.

     

    Q: (Peter Habicht – The Auto Channel) Question to each of the drivers: Formula One has often been described as a space race in motorsports in comparison to other forms of motorsport. Who or what about the hundreds of people that support your cars, your efforts, impresses you the most or strikes you the strongest?

    SV: Well, if you open the bonnet and you’re allowed to have a good look, which normally people unfortunately are not, they don’t get too close to the cars, then you’ll be impressed by how much stuff there is going on, especially with the new engines that we have, how complex they are. But still, we manage to get (them to be) more and more robust, run for longer with more power so obviously in the last couple of years that has been very crucial and there has been a big step in all areas on the power unit side. But I think really the most impressive bit is how everything comes together. You know you talk about the car in the end but it’s so much more. I know we’ve got the basic stuff: four tyres and yeah, for some people the cars look similar to how they looked ten, twenty, thirty years ago but how much has changed.  And seeing all that coming together, the planning of the project and how much work is going into the project and every year build a new car which is crazy but a completely new car. You try to improve, you try to come up with new ideas, solutions, better packaging, design, materials. You want to save weight. And then to see winter time, in that regard, is very very exciting to see it coming together and then firing up for the first time, driving out on the track for the first time. It’s really the work and brains of more than a thousand people. In the end, two drivers per team who have the chance to describe the feeling to drive the car so I think that’s really one of the most exciting bits. In my opinion, that also makes it a team sport because I can’t do it on my own, I’m not even close. You need every single one and you need to… I don’t know if you can compare it to an orchestra, you need to play in sync, perfect timing and then only then are you able to come up with a competitive package because the other teams that you’re up against are so good as well.

    VB: I have to say it’s how much every single person’s work actually makes a difference. Every single woman and man in a race team, whatever areas they work on, at the factory, in the race team, on the engine side, everyone’s work matters so much. All the credit goes to every single one in the team, there’s no one person who can make the big difference. It is, as a team, it’s really interesting to see, when a team works well, together, how big a difference you can make with the team spirit, and if everyone gives 100 percent instead of 99 percent and when there’s nearly a thousand people, it makes a massive difference and that’s nice to see.

    LH: I will try and keep it short but for me it’s the technology, it’s the design. I think the most impressive part is when you go back to the factory and you see what’s going on back then, a huge group of people with great creative minds coming together and really stretching the boundaries of the rules, legality-wise and advancing technology at a crazy rate. When you look at how they’re building these engines and the amount of test components you see they’ve failed and then they are able to dissect it and improve it for the next time, that for me is just mind-blowing when I go there, and I’ve been in the sport for a long time, obviously, but to see that every year, growing and improving and the process in which they do that, particularly quality control, has come so far forward which is probably why we are able to have the reliability, and that for me is the most mind-blowing thing.

     

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) To Sebastian and Lewis: at this race we can have the world title decided and we haven’t mentioned it in this press conference. Does it come to your mind at any moment? When will you take it into consideration?

    LH: Well, I mean it’s a bit like a game of chess. Obviously right now it’s check but there’s still a long long way to go. There’s still a hundred points available. Sebastian and his team are going to be working as hard as they can as are we. Who knows? It’s going to go to the wire I still think. In the next four races, I think they are going to give it a great shot and I’m going to do my utmost to try and defend and not only defend but really maximise and win these races. I want to win these races, that’s what I’m working towards and naturally, in winning races, points come and championships are won so that’s what I’m here to do.

    SV: Well, it’s pretty straightforward. I think we have to win and then we see what happens. Obviously we are not in the position that we would like to be but still we have a chance so we go for that and it’s pretty straightforward. We have the car, we had the car to win the last three races, didn’t happen, so I don’t see why the next four races we shouldn’t have the package to win so we start tomorrow.

     

    LH: Buddy, do you have a question for us? Do you have a question for us? You sure?

     

    Q: (“Buddy”) Are you excited to race in Austin?

    LH: Am I excited to race in Austin? Well I’m excited to meet you and yeah, I love racing this track, it’s so much fun, I think you’d love it. If I had a two-seater would like to go with me?

     

    Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport Magazin.com) Question for all three of you: it was pretty hot today, how much did you have to look at tyre temperatures, especially with ultrasoft in the fast flowing sector one or is the straight afterwards long enough to cool it down? How much was tyre temperature a concern for one lap today?

    LH: I think tyres are definitely… I mean there are a lot of high speed corners here, what’s really unfortunate is that TV’s not really able to show you the forces that are going through not only our bodies but the tyres, the car, how it’s flexing through these corners. I think here more than many of the other circuits through that first section you really can see the car shifting and turning. I don’t think people realise how tight those corners are and how ridiculously fast we’re going through them but it’s fantastic. With these tyres, they’re kind of like living tissue, you know? The temperature’s moving all the time so how you manage them on the out lap, whether you get a small slide or a bit of wheelspin affects the next corner and the corner after that. It’s kind of difficult to explain but it is really important to make sure you manage them in the best way possible to get the optimum performance for a lap and there is a knack to it for sure which obviously we are able to do.

    VB: Nothing to add really. We could actually push relatively hard. Obviously we needed to take care on the out lap but like the first sector, we could really go for it and the long straights, they definitely make it easier to cool them down a bit but like Lewis said, you still need to not go crazy with them.

    SV: Well first of all I don’t like the imagination of living tissue; that just sounds a bit… Yeah, I think we would like to push more but you obviously have to look after the tyres and manage them which to some degree is fine because it’s part of our skill set but still I prefer to be able to push more.

  • F1 2017: United States GP – Friday Practice Round-up

    F1 2017: United States GP – Friday Practice Round-up

    Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton topped both of Friday’s free practice sessions ahead of the United States grand prix.

    The first session proved a rather difficult one to read as most of the running was done on the intermediate tyre. While conditions remained slippery, and tricky, several cars spun out but, thankfully, didn’t incur any damage.

    Brendon Hartley made his debut for the Toro Rosso team alongside Sean Geleal in the morning session while Daniel Kvyat returned to the fold for the afternoon session and the remainder of the weekend. Carlos Sainz impressed in his first outing as a Renault driver by immediately out-pacing his new teammate Nico Hulkenberg.

    While championship leader Hamilton topped both 90 minute sessions the Ferrari’s of Vettel and Raikkonen and Red Bull’s of Verstappen and Ricciardo were ever present. With regard to long run pace there appeared to be little to choose between the top three teams. However, Vettel and Ferrari endured some suspension issues late on the afternoon session which were seemingly sorted.

    With a raft of penalties to be served on Sunday’s grid the verdict is still out on whether Verstappen will incur his own penalty for a new Internal combustion engine. As it stands Red Bull have not yet revealed whether this will be the case.

    The organizers of the Texas Gp along with the FIA and F1 teams have all done their bit to highlight Breast Cancer Awareness month with everything from racing gloves to shoes to the ultra soft tyre being accented in pink for the weekend. In conjunction with the Susan G. Komen foundation F1 is hoping to shine a light on finding a cure for and spreading awareness of breast cancer.

    The weekend is  an ultra important one for Vettel and Ferrari who must win in Texas to keep the championship fight going. In contrast, Hamilton, sure to be the more relaxed of the two championship contenders, is sitting pretty with a 59 point lead.

  • F1 2017: United States Gp Preview – Can Ferrari Bounce Back In Texas?

    F1 2017: United States Gp Preview – Can Ferrari Bounce Back In Texas?

    Most people would hold the opinion that the fight for the 2017 world championship is all but over. And you’d be hard pressed to make a legitimate argument against this opinion given that Hamilton holds a mammoth 59 point lead going into the United States grand prix.

    It’s as good a time as any then at this weekend’s US grand prix for Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari to start cutting Hamilton’s lead. BU they need to understand and overcome their reliability woes to do that. The galling thing for Ferrari over the last few races would have been that they had the pace to win, with the possible exception of Japan, but failed to even reach the chequered flag. Some suggestions are that quality control at the Maranello factory hasn’t been up to scratch and its been painfully illustrated on track. What it is though is further evidence of how much Ferrari have flirted with the edge in the design of their 2017 car and their bid to win the title. Its evident that they’ve pushed the margins too far and have, arguably, lost the likely chance of being champions in 2017.

    The question is really if Ferrari can recover. Instead, it is can they recover in time? It would be tough to find much support for the idea that Ferrari and Vettel could still walk away with the title. Still, however unlikely it seems it is never impossible especially in a sport as unpredictable as Formula 1. The silver lining in Vettel’s woes, however small it might be, is that he’ll have fresher power unit components in the bank than Hamilton which could allow him to push harder on Sunday afternoons, granted he gets the opportunity to do so.

    Lewis Hamilton - Italian Grand Prix pole positionFor Hamilton the equation is a simple one. Keep racking up the points with race finished, which will invariably not be outside the top three and it’ll be enough to make him a four time champ perhaps even before the end of the season. If Hamilton were to win around the Circuit of the Americas this weekend and Vettel finishes fifth or lower he would be champion.

    What are Hamilton’s chances of taking victory in Texas this weekend? Barring any sort of unreliability for anyone, it should be a good fight between Merc and Ferrari with the latter probably holding an edge on Sunday. The first important factor is that the ultra- and supersoft combination of tyre compounds are in offing this weekend. Traditionally, Ferrari has been the stronger on this combination. What’s more, it’s also expected to be slightly warmer in Texas than in Japan, which plays to Ferrari’s strength as Merc’s problem of maintaining the correct core tyre temperature, continues to be an issue for them.

    The layout too of the Herman Tilke designed track is more suitable to Ferrari and their aerodynamic proficiency. The first sector is dominated by a fast and flowing Esses section which has characteristics of both Silverstone’s iconic Maggots-Becketts complex and the first sector of Japan’s Suzuka circuit. In general, the five and a half kilometer circuit is dominated by medium to high-speed corners thatreward a good aero package. Added to this are a few hairpins, which will encourage and provide overtaking opportunities.

    Vettel - Final Practice, Chinese GPWhile most of the attention is focused at the front of the grid there are a few changes in the offing further down. Carlos Sainz bid farewell to the Toro Rosso team in Japan and will this weekend race as a fully-fledged Renault works driver. It means that Daniil Kvyat returns to the Toro Rosso fold. However, he will not be alongside Pierre Gasly who will instead be looking to win the Super Formula title this weekend. In his place will be 27 year old Kiwi and WEC superstar Brendon Hartley.

    Given their horrendous run in the last three rounds there is little expectation of Ferrari. However, the pressure on the team to deliver is enormous and could prove the catalyst for Vettel to simply throw caution to wind in Texas.

  • F1 2017: Japanese Gp Review – Hamilton Wins Big In Japan

    F1 2017: Japanese Gp Review – Hamilton Wins Big In Japan

    Since the month-long summer break Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have touched little that hasn’t turned to gold. This momentum, which has an eerily familiar complexion to it, has garnered Hamilton victory in Japan and a nearly insurmountable in driver’s championship.

    After the events in Singapore and Malaysia Sebastian Vettel needed to win the Japanese grand prix in order to get his bid for the world title back on track. With a front row start alongside Hamilton it seemed it he would have the chance to do so. However, yet another reliability issue, this time a spark plug failure, brought the German’s race to an abrupt and painfully costly end. And while Vettel was left to console his engineers Hamilton, literally, drove home the advantage by extending his championship lead to 59 points with four races to go.

    While last week’s race winner Max Verstappen tried his utmost to challenge the Mercedes it was evident that the Red Bull was lacking the final bit of pace to make a genuine bid for the win. Nevertheless, Verstappen’s performance once again underlines the Dutchmen’s impressive flair and talent and should Renault be able to up the prowess of its power unit it clear to all that Verstappen is ready to fight not only for victories but also for the championship title.

    39As Verstappen’s number 33 Red Bull could only get within two seconds of Hamilton the other Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo, in third, was able to hold off Valtteri Bottas who recovered to fourth after incurring a gearbox penalty. Similarly, Kimi Raikkonen too had to overcome his own gearbox penalty to finish fifth. Force India took a big step towards securing the mid-field battle with a solid haul of points for Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez, in sixth and seventh respectively. Haas too would’ve been happy with their day’s work as Kevin Magnussen, in eight, and Romain Grosjean, in ninth delivered a double points finish for the American team. Despite struggling with tyre degradation Williams Felipe Massa snapped up the final point on offer in tenth.

    Neutral or not, most would lament Ferrari’s run of unreliability and the effect it’s had on the championship. The expectation was that the fight between Hamilton and Vettel would carry all the way through to the final round in Abu Dhabi and in so doing would provide the intense battle that spectators have been craving for some time. While the race for the title is by no means done and dusted it has become increasingly difficult for Vettel and Ferrari to get their hands on the coveted trophy.

    _R3I8542Nevertheless, many a world championship has been won and lost on reliability. Having a fast and competitive car has never, solely, been enough to take the big prize. Reliability is a blatant factor, which has always gone hand-in-hand with the sport.

    And while Ferrari are suffering a horrendous run of unreliability credit must be given to Mercedes. Their near flawless reliability is no fluke. Instead it’s a testament to how Mercedes is not only on top in terms of car performance and driver management but also all the factors and details that goes into successfully winning a world title. It’s a true art to maintain the level of attention to detail on quality control and ensuring that all procedures are perfected in a high pressure environment at Formula 1. For that alone, whether you’re a fan or not, Mercedes must be applauded.

    All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport