F1 Madness

Tag: sebastian vettel

  • F1 2018: Abu Dhabi Quali Report – Hamilton Romps to Pole

    F1 2018: Abu Dhabi Quali Report – Hamilton Romps to Pole

    Decked out in shiny new golden dome Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton romped to pole position for the final round of the 2018 F1 season in Abu Dhabi.

    The five-time champion lapped the Yas Marina circuit is a staggeringly quick 1:34:794 while teammate Valtteri Bottas was second on the timing sheets. The one-two lock out secures a record-breaking fifth consecutive domination of the front row in Abu Dhabi.

    Elsewhere, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was third quickest and will share the second row of the grid with departing teammate Kimi Raikkonen. Though Red Bull turned an impressive pace in free practice they weren’t able to replicate it in quali. In his final race for Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo is slated to start fifth with teammate Max Verstappen alongside in sixth.

    Haas F1’s Romain Grosjean proved to be best-of-the-rest in seventh while Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon, and Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg complete the top ten. In what is he last quali session, at least for some time, Fernando Alonso could only qualify 15th in his McLaren. He does however ensure a season whitewash of 21-0 over teammate Stoffel Vandoorne in qualifying.

    (1. Hamilton, 2. Bottas, 3. Vettel, 4. Raikkonen, 5. Ricciardo, 6. Verstappen, 7. Grosjean, 8. Leclerc, 9. Ocon, 10. Hulkenberg, 11. Sainz, 12. Ericsson, 13. Magnussen, 14. Perez, 15. Alonso, 16. Hartley, 17. Gasly, 18. Vandoorne, 19. Sirotkin, 20. Stroll)
  • F1 2018: Abu Dhabi Gp Preview – Adieu Formula 1 2018

    F1 2018: Abu Dhabi Gp Preview – Adieu Formula 1 2018

    Unfortunately all good things must eventually come to an end. So it is the case for, amongst other things, the 2018 Formula 1 world championship season.

    For the final round of the season the Formula 1 paddock makes its home in the Abu Dhabi paddock as the cars and drivers ready themselves for a dash around the Yas Marina circuit. Introduced in 2009 the Abu Dhabi grand prix has provided a most fitting and spectacular backdrop as the season finale. It is unique as the only race that starts at dusk and ends under floodlights thereby making it the only twilight race on the calendar.

    While the Yas Marina complex is an impressive complex the 5.5 km circuit hasn’t exactly been known for delivering spectacular races. Designed by F1’s architect of choice Herman Tilke the track is dominated by 1.2 km straight which naturally rewards those with a bit more engine power. The straight is bookended by slow-speed corners that will encourage overtaking. The track surface is especially smooth which should be in favour of those who have a tendency to put extra of their tyres.

    It isn’t only the 2018 season that comes to its conclusion this weekend either. Double world champion Fernando Alonso bids Formula 1 farewell after a storied career. In 2001 he showed up as a fresh-faced rookie driver at Minardi. From Minardi he joined Renault and won back-to-back titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006 before moving to McLaren for 2007. He made a brief return to Renault in 2008 and 2009 before joining Ferrari in 2010. Unable to win a title with the Italian team Alonso returned to McLaren at the start of the 2015 season.

    Fernando Alonso_Canada 2017_Thursday Part 1His speed and unapologetic hunger to win was immediately evident and a trademark of his years in the sport. Not only did he popularized Formula 1 in Spain but he is also, by many, considered to be one of the best drivers of his generation. Of his talent there is little doubt but his is a career also tinged by several controversies. But still there can be no uncertainty that Fernando Alonso’s name will forever be written and remembered the folklore of Formula 1.

    Despite four years of uncompetitive racing at McLaren Fernando Alonso has lost none of his racing spirit and certainly none of his desire for desire for victory. In 2019 he will continue to race in the World Endurance Championship while making another bid for victory at the Indianapolis 500 and the famed Triple Crown. And though it seems unlikely there is nothing to suggest, despite his age, that he couldn’t make a return to Formula 1 in the future.

    behind-the-scenes-at-yas-marina-circuit-hero-04Elsewhere, Kimi Raikkonen’s 151stfor Ferrari will also be his last for team. The Raikkonen/Ferrari story has been an fascinating one highlighted by the ultimate pinnacle of the world championship in 2007. While Raikkonen moves to Sauber for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, where he hopes “to have fun”, he remains, to date, Ferrari’s last F1 world champion.

    Daniel Ricciardo too moves into the next phase of his racing career as he competes in his final race for Red Bull this weekend. Not too long ago it was unfathomable to imagine the popular Aussie as anything other than a Red Bull driver. However, his move to Renault for 2019 is an enormous challenge and he will leave the Red Bull stable with his head held high and several dazzling victories.

    Valtteri Bottas is staying put at Mercedes and will be hoping to add a dazzling victory to his otherwise mediocre season. The Yas Marina circuit, and its smooth surface, is one that suits Bottas’ driving style and he’d be a good bet for the win this weekend is he hits the sweet spot.

  • F1 2018: Brazil Gp Review – Verstappen Clash Gifts Hamilton Win

    F1 2018: Brazil Gp Review – Verstappen Clash Gifts Hamilton Win

    The 2018 Brazilian grand prix will long be remembered for the one where Mercedes secured a stunning fifth consecutive constructor’s championship and that Verstappen/Ocon incident.

    While qualifying was as close as anything we’ve seen in 2018 it was Lewis Hamilton who once again delivered and put his Mercedes in pole position. With Sebastian Vettel alongside on the more durable soft tyre it appeared Ferrari were in the pound seats for victory. But while Hamilton led cleanly off the line Vettel, Bottas, and Raikkonen could do nothing to hold back a charging Max Verstappen.

    The Dutchman made short work of both Ferrari’s and Bottas before closing up on Hamilton and simply taking the lead of the race. The most surprising factor being Verstappen’s straight-line speed which the driver and his team principal has been lamenting nearly since the beginning of time. If the pace of the Red Bull was a surprise then Vettel and Ferrari’s lack of pace was even more puzzling. Throughout Friday’s practice sessions and even quali the red car looked well in the mix. But that pace was nowhere to be found on Sunday at least not in Vettel’s case. Kimi Raikkonen was able to turn a much quicker pace despite initially getting stuck behind the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas.

    0007While the midfield were bumping and barging their way past each other the sixth place starting Marcus Ericsson was forced into retirement with a Sauber that had lost part of its diffuser on the way to the grid. Nico Hulkenberg too was forced to retire his Renault while both McLaren drivers’, Alonso and Vandoorne, lack of pace was further compounded by each receiving a five second penalty for ignoring blue flags.

    Back at the front Verstappen’s early pace wasn’t quite enough to maintain the lead of the race after the pitstop phase as he emerged three seconds behind Hamilton. But his fresher tyres and superior pace meant that a few laps later though he breezed past the Mercedes and back into P1. Verstappen easily pulled away from Hamilton and looked set to take back-to-back victories for the first time in his career.

    It would all go horribly wrong on lap 44 as Esteban Ocon, fully within his right to do so, attempted to unlap himself going in Turns 1 and 2. Ocon held his line into the second part of the Senna S and made contact with race leader Verstappen sending both cars into a spin. It allowed Hamilton back into the lead of the race and ultimately towards the 72ndwin of his career. Hamilton’s win helped to secure a stunning fifth consecutive constructors title for Mercedes. As a mere five seconds covered the top three Verstappen maintained second while Raikkonen held of a late charging Daniel Ricciardo for the 103rd podium of his career on the day he started 150 races for Ferrari.

    0083Second place was a scant consolation to a seething Verstappen who sought out Ocon after the race and proceeded to shove him several times before walking away. The Dutch driver was subsequently ordered, by the FIA, to do two days of community service for his conduct. Some pointed out physical confrontations between Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard or Ayrton Senna and Eddie Irvine as comparison and reasoning for why Verstappen’s actions shouldn’t be taken seriously.

    If the FIA were to disregard Verstappen’s post-race behaviour the line for what will be deemed acceptable next time is moved. Violence in no way, shape, or form should ever be deemed acceptable no matter how minor it may seem to others and it certainly has no place in sport.

    Max Verstappen is a great natural talent in the fact that he is an innately quick F1 driver and there is no denying that he deserved to win the Brazilian Gp. But Verstappen’s air of entitlement clouds his way of thinking. As a frequent and vociferous basher of the Renault engine he infers that it is only through his superior skill that he finds himself at the head of the field. While he is certainly a factor in the equation this type of attitude and deameanour squawks of arrogance. It is exactly this mentality that meant he simply dismissed Ocon as irrelevant in the greater scheme of things and ended up tangling with him. It was Verstappen who had the most to lose and he did. There will be some who do not agree but who should ask themselves if the same would have happened if it was Hamilton or Ricciardo or Raikkonen in the same situation.

    All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport
  • F1 2018: Brazil Gp Preview – Title Battle Still On

    F1 2018: Brazil Gp Preview – Title Battle Still On

    More often than not the crowing of an F1 drivers’ champion takes the sting out of the remaining races of that season. But there is no such thing as a dead rubber in Formula 1 and it is certainly not the case in 2018 as Mercedes and Ferrari are still embroiled in a battle for the constructor’s championship title.

    While most of the attention is often paid to the drivers’ title the constructor’s championship trophy is as coveted. Lest we forget, the two cars that pound around circuit after circuit around the globe are only able to do so because of the incredible effort of hundreds of people both at the factories and trackside. And then there is the marketing capitol that goes along with being able to emblazon all promotional material with the champion epithet.

    The fight for the sought-after prize sees Mercedes in the lead by 55 points over Ferrari. With a maximum of 86 points still available in the final two races of the season there is every chance that Ferrari could still walk away with at least one championship trophy from 2018.  And there are several reasons to suggest why they may just do it too. Generally, as evidenced in the last few seasons, Lewis Hamilton’s form seems to dip slightly after winning a title, which could be something for Ferrari to pounce on. What’s more, Valtteri Bottas will no longer be in Hamilton-wingman-mode which could, potentially, prevent Mercedes from executing the perfect strategy by focusing on only one car.

    GP MALESIA F1/2017Another detail to add to the mix is the fact that Hamilton has never been a particularly special performer around Brazil’s Autodromo Carlos Pace, which hosts the penultimate race of the season this weekend. Though Hamilton claimed his first championship title here in 2008 in astonishingly dramatic fashion the Brit has never truly bossed this track.

    What’s more, since Ferrari finally figured out where it went wrong with their upgrade package their pace has returned. A win at the US grand prix and a double podium in Mexico is proof of that. While Kimi Raikkonen, off to Sauber for 2019, has racked up eleven podium finishes in nineteen races, it is Sebastian Vettel who should want to atone for the mistakes that he’s made this season. There is no better way to do this than to deliver the constructor’s trophy to Maranello. With the weather forecast predicted to be sunny on race, at least for now, Ferrari has every opportunity to put one over Mercedes who has been struggling with tyre wear in warmer conditions.

    There could hardly be a better backdrop for this battle that Brazil’s iconic circuit at Interlagos. The lap may be a relatively short one but it has hardly ever been short on delivering dramatic and enthralling races. And it has been the sight of many a championship triumph. This is Ferrari’s chance, which has already let one title slip through their fingers, to stand up and show what they are made of. Or will they once again trip over their own feet?

  • F1 2018: Mexican Gp Review – Verstappen Mighty in Mexico

    F1 2018: Mexican Gp Review – Verstappen Mighty in Mexico

    The 2018 Mexican grand prix hasn’t been the most dramatic race of the season but it was certainly an unusual one. For Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari the equation was quite simple as nothing other than victory could stop Lewis Hamilton from clinching the driver’s championship.

    Victory however was nearly always out of the question as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, dominant for most of the weekend, jumped into the lead of the race and never looked back. Though it was Daniel Ricciardo who started from pole the other Verstappen and Hamilton overtook the Red Bull driver before they reached turn one.

    It was fairly easy for Verstappen to clear off in the lead of the race and replicate his performance from 2017. Behind him Hamilton, Ricciardo, and Vettel were engaged in a close scrap for most of the race. Hamilton, with a Merc shredding its tyres, would eventually be out of the equation and off the podium but still in position to win the title. Though Vettel turned a much quicker pace on the Supersoft tyre in the second stint of the race Verstappen was already too far up the road. He was on the verge of taking second place of Ricciardo but the Aussie driver suffered a suspected engine failure on lap 62 bringing his number of retirements for the season to eight.

    0145Further adrift Kimi Raikkonen came home in third for Ferrari while Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were fourth and fifth. It was a peculiar day in terms of performance for Mercedes who struggled significantly with tyre-wear throughout the race. Such was their lack of pace that Hamilton finished nearly eighty-seconds behind Verstappen while Bottas was lapped by the race leader.

    It was a good day for Renault with Nico Hulkenberg in sixth ahead of Sauber’s Charles Leclerc in seventh. While Fernando Alonso retired early on after hitting debris on lap one McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne finished eighth while Marcus Ericsson and Pierre Gasly completed the top ten. Unfortunately, the fervent crowd support for their local driver Sergio Perez wasn’t enough as the Mexican driver failed to reach the chequered flag.

    Other than a few anxious moments towards the end of the race, given Ricciardo’s suspected engine failure, Verstappen delivered a flawless drive to claim the fifth win of his career. The amazing fact is that at age 21 Max Verstappen has not yet reached his full potential. It’s an exciting thought then that even from dominant performances, like in Mexico, Verstappen could and probably will only get better with time.

    0015As much praise as Verstappen deserves for his performance the limelight too belong to Lewis Hamilton. It doesn’t feel all that long ago that a rookie British driver scythed around of Fernando Alonso into turn one at the start of the Australian grand prix in 2007. There would likely have been more than a few who would’ve predicted that Hamilton would become world champion but few would’ve imagined a tally of five world titles.

    The inevitable question is where Hamilton ranks in the list of the all-time greatest Formula 1 drivers. But how do you quantify greatness? Some would cite race wins or number of titles as the determining factor. If this is the most logical way of quantifying and calculating greatness then an astonishing five world titles has pushed Lewis Hamilton into the company of Juan-Manuel Fangio and the great Michael Schumacher. And he’s not done yet.

    All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport
  • 2018 Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    2018 Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    WORLD CHAMPION

    Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    TOP THREE DRIVERS

    1 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)

    2 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

    3 – Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Ferrari)

     

    TRACK INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by David Coulthard)

     

    Q: Max, Mexico loves you; you must love Mexico – your second straight win here.

    Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, amazing. The start was the key. To be honest with you, I didn’t sleep very well last night, so I was really determined to win today and luckily we did that. Yeah, amazing job by the team as well. We had the right tyres available and the car was working brilliantly.

     

    Q: You didn’t sleep well but you made up for it with that great drive. We saw your team-mate pull out with some issue. We heard you on the radio saying “what do I need to do, do I turn it down?” Nervous moments for you towards the end.

    MV: Yeah, of course, it was a shame to lose Daniel. I think we could have had a one-two, or at least two cars on the podium and of course then afterwards you want to make sure yours doesn’t retire.

     

    Q: A bit of a party tonight?

    MV: I’m going home, so really happy about that.

     

    Q: Well done, congratulations. Sebastian, congratulations on your podium, your first podium here, but I guess this is a reflective moment as we see Lewis Hamilton celebrating his championship. You pushed him hard all year but in the end it just didn’t work out.

    Sebastian VETTEL: No. Yeah, obviously not an easy day, but well deserved, congrats to him and his team, they did a superb job all year, so I think we need to stand there, accept that and say congratulations. Obviously I would loved to hang in there in a little bit longer, but it wasn’t the case.

     

    Q: You had the car at various points this year; you had some fantastic victories, where do you think championship started to slip away?

    SV: Oh David, I don’t know if I answer that question now. Let me say congratulations to Lewis.

     

    Q: Beautiful moment here between two great champions. We’re going to hear from our five-time world champion. Lewis, beautiful moment there, great respect between you two guys, you are a five-time world champion. You’ve had some time to think about it. That was a tough race, but you’ve just equalled Fangio and it’s only Michael Schumacher with more world titles.

    Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, it’s a very strange feeling right now, but I think I firstly want to say a big thank you to all the fans here, really for making the Mexico Grand Prix as special as it is. So a big, big thank you there. Secondly I want to say a big thank you to my team. You know, Bonno said on the radio it wasn’t won here, it was won through a lot of hard work throughout the races. I’m so grateful for all the hard work back home. To Petronas, Epson, to Bose, everyone that has been part of it and ultimately to Mercedes. I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13, so to complete this when Fangio had done it with Mercedes, you know, it’s just an incredible feeling and very, very surreal at the moment.

     

    Q: Do you want to talk about the difficult race you had this afternoon with the tyres or do you just want to keep talking about this amazing achievement? Where does this rate with your other four titles?

    LH: It was a horrible race! I got a great start and really was working my way up. I really don’t know what happened after that. We were struggling, both Valtteri and I, but I was just trying to hold, just trying to bring the car home. Honestly, I’m just so grateful to God today, to my family back home – I love you, thank you for all the support. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for all the hard work my dad did, all my family. Yeah, a humbling experience.

     

    Q: Enjoy the moment. And then finally, Kimi Räikkönen. Congratulations. One stop. That would prove quite tricky for you, but was that the best strategy for your car this afternoon.

    Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: Yeah, I think from where we started. I think the tyres lasted pretty OK, obviously not the fastest anymore, but there were times that was the best in the position were were.

     

    Q: This trip to the Americas has been quite consistent for you though, winning last time out in Austin, third place here.

    KR: Yeah, I mean it’s good. Obviously we always want to more, but I cannot complain too much. We have two more races to go and we’ll try to do better.

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE – TOP THREE DRIVERS

     

    Q: (Francisco Alcala – Global Com Group) What did you say to Lewis after the race?

    SV: I’m not a big sharing person. I congratulated him, I think he drove superbly all year and was the better one of us two. So I told him well deserved and to enjoy it – number five is something incredible. Mainly congratulated him and asked him to keep pushing for next year, I need him at his best to fight him again

     

    Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-Magazin.com) A question for Seb. If I remember correctly last year, after the championship was decided here, you were really down, and today again, even if it was for us all a bit expected it was going to happen. Can you explain why you are down when the championship is decided?

    SV: It’s a horrible moment. You put a lot of work in and OK, I get your point that you saw it coming. I did pay attention in maths so I could make the numbers, but still, you hang in there as long as you can. I’ve had three times now in my life that sort of disappointment, where you realise that you can’t win the championship any more and those are not happy days. You reflect not on one moment but the whole year: the work that goes in, the effort that goes in from the end of the last year until now and yeah, I think we had our chances. We used most of them, some we did not. But in the end we were not good enough.

     

    Q: (Arjan Schouten – AD Sportswereld) A question for Max, about your frustration yesterday. Was that only because of missing the pole or was it also because of missing the record from Sebastian?

    MV: No, the frustration was that I didn’t have an optimum package to fight for pole, because we had the same problem as in the second practice, so I never felt comfortable because of the problems and that’s why I was frustrated. In qualifying everything needs to come together and you try to optimise everything and clearly it was not optimised. I’m not there to be second or third. I want to win; I want to be on pole. At the end of the day the record for me is not a big deal, because the points and stuff are always on Sunday and that’s the most important thing.

     

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Max, a win today is another peak in a brilliant run for you from Canada onwards. What would you say is the main difference with you now as a driver compared with the start of the year and how fine a line is it between maybe overtaking or being caught in scrapes and the level of performance you’re at now?

    MV: The difference is I just listen to myself. I do my own thing, even if there are a lot of things written, I really don’t care. My dad always told me in go-karting, back in the day, if I was maybe overdriving or something, he would always tell me “Max, even if you think you are not going fast enough, it’s still fast enough”. So basically, for my feeling, I just backed it out a little bit and that seems to make me a bit faster.

     

    Q: (Jens Nagler – Bild) A question for Seb. Is this a moment to let sink in the disappointment or is it already the first moment to bounce back?

    SV: No. I don’t want to make a big deal about today. As with the question before, you could see it sort of coming, but for sure it’s different. I focus on my own, I focus on my car. It’s what you work for the whole year and when you are not anymore in control, it’s obviously not a great moment but I think it’s normal as well to have that moment of disappointment and that you are a bit down but I think I will be as strong as I can be in two weeks’ time heading to Brazil. Because that’s what my team deserves and that’s what all the guys at home in Maranello deserve and all on top all the people that have supported me, Kimi, myself and the whole team, all the tifosi all year. Maybe for now I’m not the happiest guy, but in two weeks’ time I’m allowed to step into the car that I always dreamt of driving, so plenty of things to be happy about.

     

    Q: (Julien Billotte – AutoHebdo) Question to both Ferrari drivers. You’re still in for the Constructors’ Championship. Could it help you make up for the loss of the drivers title?

    KR: I was hoping nobody was asking! Obviously that’s our aim, as it has been all year – but I don’t know what the points are and we can only do our best and hopefully we’ll say in the fight and can catch up. Two races to go, so we’ll do our best.

     

    SV: Yeah, as I said, I think in two weeks time we have the possibility to show once again what we can do and obviously we race for the team and as long we keep on catching, that’s good. We need some more points but I think last weekend was good for us, this weekend was good for us – so hopefully we can continue the last two races like that.

     

    Q: (Luis Vasconcelos – Formula Press) Kimi – you answered one question, might as well answer two – you lost a position to Sainz in the beginning, that sort of compromised you a bit and you lost contact, and your first stint wasn’t very good and then you have just the one stop race. How was it from your point of view?

    KR: Yeah, I think on the start, the initial start was OK, I was following Seb and then somehow that side of the road slowed down in the middle of the straight. I went on the other side but obviously I was behind Seb going through the first corner, and didn’t really want to get involved. I lost one place and got it back the next time around on the straight, so it wasn’t a big deal. It was tricky with them. I think I had more speed than the Mercedes in front of me, but tried to get past but just didn’t have enough of a good run on the straight and then yeah, my tyres basically gave up. The front tyres. It was tricky. We were planning to come in but yeah, then Mercedes came and we decided to do the opposite. Yeah, I knew that we were going to go for one stop from that point and I think the tyres, the second set was very good but obviously we needed to look after then a bit too, to make it to the end. Not an awful lot happened after that. Obviously I caught up with the Mercedes, past him, locked up at the same time and went straight and then obviously I think it was Ricciardo had some issue and stopped. Good end result, not the most exciting race but that’s how it goes.

     

    Q: (Arturo Lopez Escalona – El Sol de Mexico) Question for Max, what represents for you to win here at the Mexican Grand Prix for the second year?

    MV: What it means. It’s of course great. We knew last year we were strong and then coming into this event we had the same hopes – but of course it’s never easy to win a race. Yeah, of course, very happy to win it for the second time in a row, and yeah, it’s a special track with the fans, they’re very passionate and the stadium section as well. I think anywhere if you win a race it’s always positive.

     

    Q: (Jaap de Groot – De Telegraaf) For Max. You just said you were mainly disappointed yesterday because the car didn’t deliver in the way you wanted…

    MV: …no, the car did. The engine didn’t.

     

    OK. But today, how were you balancing between the doubt and the focus to win. I notice you were fine-tuning the state of the tyres and the engine constantly.

    MV: The only option was to win today for me. That was in my head and, of course, that’s why I was very disappointed yesterday but we made it up today, so of course I’m very happy with that.

     

    Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS) Also for Max. Does this make… this victory also a bit a Renault victory, a revenge? Because it’s better than yesterday. The engine also gave you the victory?

    MV: How do you know it’s better?

     

    I don’t know, I’m asking.

     

    MV: No.

     

    Q: (Fernando Alonso – Motorlat) We here that maybe the tyres are not giving enough chances to have open races. I see this weekend all words about the perfect point in the degradation and everything. Max or Sebastian, tell us this could be a constant thing in the next races?

    MV: I think it was a bit unexpected how the tyres behaved. Maybe with the hyper, yes but with the ultra, I think nobody really expected it to be like this. We came into this event with a few different tyre strategies but normally you always end up on the same tyres, more or less, for the race. But very quickly, in the weekend I think that we saw that the supersoft was quite a strong tyre and luckily I had two. I didn’t use any in practice, I just saved them for the race in case we needed it and clearly we needed it. So, it’s a bit of a guess.

     

    Q: (Carlos Alberto Velazquez – Reforma) Max, is the second time you win here. You’re the fourth driver that makes that accomplishment. What does the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez give you to have such success – and will you be prepared next year to come here and run for the Championship maybe?

    MV: That’s a very far ahead thought so I don’t want to speak about that yet – but what’s good for us, at this track, it’s a lot about mechanical grip and the aero is a little bit less important but also the top speed is not that important compared to other tracks, so we are not losing out that much on the straight, and yeah, it suits our car much better. We make up a lot of time through the corners. That makes us competitive. I enjoy driving here but I don’t really think this track is a particular favourite of mine in terms of my driving style or whatever. Of course, when your car works well, you can have a good result.

     

    Q: (Alfredo Lopez Ledesma – MomentoGP) Question for Seb. This 2018 has been your most difficult year in Formula One?

    SV: Maybe. I don’t know. I need to think about it but in some regards, definitely yes. Yes it was definitely different to other years but nevertheless I think we shouldn’t neglect the fact that we had a very strong package, we were able to win races, we’re not in contention any more for the Drivers’ Championship but we can fight for the Constructors’. So, even if it has been a difficult year, I think still it’s been a good year for us as a team. We’re still improving – but certainly there were also things that became apparent, needs addressing, needs fixing in order to do that final step that we are looking for.

     

    Q: (Victor Macin Serrano – ESPN) Question for Seb. Germany or Monza? Which moment is, in your opinion, is the defining moment of the season?

    SV: None of the two, to be honest. For me it was more Singapore. I think, yeah, from Singapore onwards we just didn’t have the pace to keep up with Mercedes for a couple of races and then obviously some other things happened on top that didn’t help and we couldn’t score the points due to mistakes that we did, mistakes that I did. So it didn’t help. I can’t be too hard on myself with what happened in Germany because it’s not like… I’ve done much bigger mistakes this year but obviously it was the most costly one. Unfortunately it’s part of racing: when you push you might be sometimes pushing a little bit too hard. I chose the wrong corner as well. But anyway, it’s behind me and I’m not really thinking about that too much. I consider it part of racing and it happens to others as well. So, but yeah, seeing that struggled in the last couple of weeks, just for pace and speed was probably more defining than that.

     

    QUESTIONS TO LEWIS HAMILTON

    Q: (Henry Bonilla – F1Latam.com) Lewis, once again, here in Mexico, in Latin America. What are you feeling?

    LH: Right now, it just doesn’t feel real. I feel like I’m going to wake up in a matter of moments. It’s been such a difficult year and such a great battle but a lot of work, like a lot of word and to try and raise the bar this year has been such a huge challenge and naturally… you know I’ve trained myself this year, I prepare myself mentally, don’t believe in mind coaches and all those kind of things and so, I really work hard to make sure I’ve got the right energy, the right balance in my life and this year, working on all these different aspects to enable myself to perform better. I think I had a great year last year and I was thinking to myself how can I raise the bar, how can I squeeze some more out of myself? And honestly, you never know what the formula is and there is no secret formula but somehow I managed to find that balance and that flow and I’ve had some of my best races of my career and I think that’s ultimately why I’m sitting here. But it doesn’t even register at the moment, being number five. Just getting my first was amazing and the third was incredible. People are mentioning Fangio so I think right it’s just kind of… it’s very very humbling as well because I’m conflicted emotionally, right now, because I’ve had this tough race which I wanted to win, got a great start and then it went from good to bad but we still finished fourth. It’s not a bad finish and ultimately it’s what we needed but in my mind, we’ve still got a team championship to win and today we lost some points to Ferrari and I really want to deliver for the team, so I’ve still got two races to win.

     

    Q: (Fernando Alonso – Motorlat) The question…

    LH: Your name is Fernando Alonso.

    Q: (Fernando Alonso – Motorlat) Yeah. A little longer but I shortened it.

    LH: I never thought Fernando would be asking me questions!

    Q: (Fernando Alonso – Motorlat) A pleasure for myself.

    LH: Can you drive?

    Q: (Fernando Alonso – Motorlat) Not that fast but I think I can drive. I have been in conference in Valencia in the test and you said you played many games and you are training like you said before, but you delivered this like one of your best years in formula One. What do you think is your best skill that you have developed this year?

    LH: Honestly, it was all round. I’ve obviously had the ability since I was very young. Since I’ve been in Formula One I’ve had the ability to drive like I do today but naturally I think every year you are always trying to raise the bar and when I say raise the bar, you’re trying to work on all areas, how you prepared, how you get yourself in the right mindset, how you deliver in the car with your feel. How you learn to balance the car and risk versus reward. How you communicate with the guys who you work closely with, to extract the best from them. All those areas are so important, even things like… I’ve got certain people who work very closely to me, I’ve got make sure I keep… how do I keep their spirits up, how do I keep them driven? If they seem me at a weekend and they know that I’m here to win – which, you know, sometimes you can arrive in a bad head space, we’re only human – but if you can try and focus on doing that each weekend it can really make a big difference to your weekend, so there are so many areas and I think for me, just being… the most personally in the car, I’ve been the most centred this year, been the healthiest I’ve ever been and I’ve had more energy than I’ve ever had. Part of that, I’m sure, is being on a vegan diet. It’s been fantastic and I’m so happy that I went that way. I wish I went there a long long time ago.

     

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Lewis, there have been lots of time this year when Ferrari and Seb probably had the faster package overall. You’ve won a lot of races but arguably they may be should have. The battle was so to and fro for the first half of the year. The fact that you’ve wrapped it up comprehensively with two races to go, how much of a surprise is that and how does that feel?

    LH: Yeah, absolutely. Through the year there were a lot of testing times for us. Even on weekends where we didn’t have the package and we were on the back foot but then came away with that belief within the team, still, that we could come away with something good, we’d come away with wins, even though we weren’t the quickest. It took some special laps, it took some special moments in the car and I honestly could just re-live those moments all the time. Some of those experiences I had in the car were really magical. I truly believed that we could win this championship but it has been the toughest battle that we’ve had collectively as a team. So much work has gone on in the background. These guys in the garage have just been flawless every single weekend, with our pit stops, with our decision-making in the background, strategy and set-up. That’s been key to… ultimately, for me, I feel like I can drive anything and I feel I can take the car to places that nobody else can. But to do that, you have to get the car in the right place and so that means ultimately you’ve got to work with the team, to help unleash what’s great within them so that you can unleash the greatness in yourself.

     

    Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Could you identify a turning point, perhaps, this season, whether it was the German Grand Prix  and winning that, and following it up with that qualifying lap in Budapest? Was it round that sort of time?

    LH: What was before Hockenheim? Silverstone? Before that? Austria. France was good. There have been so many races that I don’t remember them all. I think naturally at the beginning of the year, we started out great in the first race and then we had that fall back and then we had some testing races after that. Then we had that DNF when I think we were leading the Grand Prix or at least one-two or whatever it was in Austria and then we the difficult collision at Silverstone but came back. I think when I came back at Silverstone, firstly being on your home circuit is always something so special and when you see that crowd that really lifts you up, they just… Ever since my first Grand Prix there but most importantly, the second one, 2008, I could see the guys in the grandstand. That’s probably the first time I started noticing people standing up and cheering me on. And that has never faded, all these years being going to the British Grand Prix. So coming back from last to second, for me, in my mind, was like OK, I think that might have been quite a confidence boost, but then of course we went on to some great races after that. Budapest, obviously, going into the break, it’s great going into the break with a win, particularly when we knew that we weren’t quickest at that point of the season. And we knew that that was more a confidence blow to the other team. And then Hockenheim, Monza… I think we just went from strength to strength after that and we just kept taking a step up. But look, we’re still here in Mexico and it was a tough race for us today and the Ferraris were quickest than us again. I think undenyingly, we’ve been very very close on performance through the year and I think it’s still arguable whether or not we’ve had the perfect package but I think, as a team, we’ve operated better than any other.

     

    Q: (Rebecca Clancy – The Times) What are your plans now, how will you celebrate, what happens between here and Brazil?

    LH: You know it’s going to sound really boring – which it is, probably – because I just feel very content right now. I just feel very happy. Jeez, I’m looking forward to going to sleep, honestly, but I’m really trying to cherish this moment because I know this moment will only last for a period of time and then you’re moving on to the next thing. Time is just so precious, this is a precious moment for me so I’m just to absorb it and really cherish it. I still have work to do. I’ve still got to get back to the factory and rally the troops next week to figure out how we can come back and win these next races. I have no idea why I struggled so much in these last two and we all feel the pain of not winning those races and we still have the Constructors championship to win, which I know will mean even more to all the guys back at the factory. So that’s the focus. But right now, I think tonight, I’ll leave this beautiful country, Mexico and Mexico City has always been good to me and the people here… the food has been great, the hospitality has been exceptional so I always enjoy my time here and looking forward to coming back. I’m probably going to come back some time in January to train and surf and enjoy myself but until then, I think… I’m looking forward to seeing my dogs, I’m going to go and see my dogs tonight, the unconditional love of a pet is something quite special. I think I’ve got a lot of friends around me so I’m sure we’ll come together and really try to embrace the moment but yeah, as I’ve said, I’ve still got races I want to win so a little bit conflicted.

     

    Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) There are lots of people, who now you’ve got your fifth title will say you’re the greatest of all time or you’re up there, given that you’ve won so many races, so many poles, five championships. You’ve never resorted to any dirty tactics. Do you think you’re Formula One’s GOAT (greatest of all time)?

    LH: No, I think, honestly I would prefer that term but I do when I look at other people that I admire who are doing great in whatever field they’re working in.  Right now, I’ve still got things to achieve, there are so many targets, so many things ahead. Now I can tick off, I can strike out one of the things that I put on my list of the year. It’s always at the top: win the World title, do everything for that. I think it’s impossible to say whether or not… firstly I could never ever personally classify myself as the best. Obviously, within myself, I know of my abilities and where I stand but ultimately… My Dad always told me, since I was eight years old, he said ‘do your talking on the track.’ So I just try to let my results and the results from the things that I do outside of my sport, hopefully, also contribute to that, so that people can hopefully create a decent opinion. But there’s still Michael’s… Michael’s still quite far ahead in race wins so you can have to say he is still the GOAT. Fangio, I think, is the godfather and always will be, from a driver’s perspective. To do what he did at that time when everything was so dangerous… my respect is so high for him. I feel very honoured to have my name alongside his, that’s for sure and naturally just every proud to have the Hamilton name up there. If I stopped today, the Hamilton name will always be there. If you could see how tough it was for us from the beginning and even this year, you know, there’s still fighting with those obstacles and still coming stronger and stronger each year. I feel like I’m still driving with that fierce fire that I had when I was eight years old which I love. So I’ll keep going until that goes, which I don’t think it’s ever going to go but I will just… my bodyclock will run out at some stage.

     

    Q: (Luke Smith – Crash.net) Lewis, following on from that, how much of your outside activities from Formula One this year really empowered you and helped you on track this year? You seem to be in a very very happy place right now.

    LH: Definitely, definitely. It’s been a special year in the sense of… I think for everyone and I guess I can only really talk for myself but I think being able to tap into your creativity is only a positive, there’s no negatives about that. Naturally people will have opinions for and against things that you do but one thing for me is that all of you will know – and I don’t do everything perfectly  and I don’t always say the right things – but one thing I do do is I do me. Only I can live my life the way I live it and it can’t be steered by anyone else and I try to do the right things in order to be my best. Having these opportunities to do these other things, tapping into a different part of the mind, naturally doing these things outside a race and it has nothing to do with being a racing driver, but I think it’s keeping the brain stimulated and knowledge is power, so naturally when you’re learning new things, when you’re experiencing new things you’re gaining knowledge as you travel the world and I only see that as a positive so I try and be a sponge and absorb from people like Tommy, who has built an incredible brand. Ultimately, on my list, there’s a new dream there, to do something like he’s done within that business. So we will see how it is ten years from now.

     

    Q: (Arturo Lopez – El Sol de Mexico) What does it represent to you to be Formula One World Champion? And here in Mexico?

    LH: I couldn’t have bet and told you it would have happened here in Mexico. It’s been strange because the first race I didn’t win, I think I came second and then I had a win in 2016 here which felt incredible. Did I win last year? No, we didn’t win last year, we finished eighth last year which was disastrous but what it’s proved to be, it’s such a difficult Grand Prix for so many reasons. One is the altitude, one is the traffic – you could easily miss the race with the traffic that’s here! You’ve got some good drivers here in the city, that’s for sure. But I always have such a great stay here, it’s been such a peaceful stay. I’ve been really really well looked after. It’s interesting, I was just outside doing the TV pen and everyone was smiley but the Mexicans were, like, bubbly and there’s a different spirit, there’s a great spirit within the culture of the Mexican people, as you can hear with the music. They’re celebrating and partying outside. I appreciate that and I respect that and look forward to coming back, hopefully, for many more years.

     

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, Racefans.net) Lewis, obviously matching Fangio’s record is a massive achievement but he did it with a variety of different teams, whereas you’ve done all your five with Mercedes power. Michael had two teams to get to seven. Could you imagine doing it with any team other than Mercedes?

    LH: Well, naturally I did it with McLaren which was obviously a different team so I have one it with two different teams. Michael had five with one team? He had two with Renault and then five with Ferrari, right? Renault, Benetton. So ultimately we’ve both done it with two teams, just he’s had two different power units. Three? What was the third one? (Voice off: Ford, Renault, Ferrari) At the moment, it’s very very difficult to imagine, envisage myself anywhere else. This is my family, this is where I grew up but I said the same thing when I was at McLaren. I think one of the reasons I wanted to move was to go somewhere else and see if you could do something special somewhere else. I knew I could but I needed to prove it to everyone else. Right now, I don’t feel like I need to go and be in another team to win a title in another team but you can never say never.

     

    Q: (Victor Macin Serrano – ESPN) Can you share with us, what you told to Sebastian Vettel after the race?

    LH: I didn’t really say anything to him. He came over and, the one thing he said was, ‘just don’t let off – I need you fighting with me next year’ – which I respect, naturally. I think for me, I just said, thank you so much for being such a strong competitor this year. But it happens so fast so I don’t remember everything we said but ultimately it was a true showing of great sportsmanship and respect between us, as I think has been there all year long. So, I think that’s great to have in multiple world champions, two competitors who’ve gone head-to-head. It’s been a hard year. He’s fought so well this year and I know he drove fantastically well today and I know he’d going to go from strength to strength so I I’ve got to keep… stay on my toes and make sure I keep trying to come back with a good blow in the future.

     

    Q: (Lawrence Barretto – F1.com) Congratulations Lewis. You’ve obviously competed against many guys for the world title. Where does Sebastian rank – or how does he compare as a rival?

    LH: Y’know, it’s very difficult to… it’s never a great thing to try to compare people because everyone’s unique in their own way. If you try to do that, then naturally that becomes headlines and it can be taken negatively. He is a deserving four-times World Champion and this year, the pressure he would be under in Ferrari who’ve not won a championship for many, many years… it’s a lot to ride on one’s shoulders. I think this year he’s… even though he’s had some difficult times, he’s still bounced back, like today, and that’s the true showing of a champion. I’ve been very fortunate to race against a lot of drivers and it’s all small percentages that separate us all. And that’s the great thing about this sport.

     

    Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Lewis, congratulations. Same sort of question. Do you think that Michael is beatable with seven titles and 91 victories?

    LH: It honestly feels… I’ve not really put any thought towards getting to that number – just becaue I’ve been trying to focus on getting this one. And even this morning, I woke up very relaxed but I didn’t know whether or not it was going to happen today. Lots of things could have happened. Engine could have blown up. Seb could have won the race. We could have gone to the next one. You could see it’s getting tough for us, these last few races. It’s not been great for us, so I was just really not trying to take anything for granted. So, the way I’ve always approached it, is I’ve just been really thankful for the ones you have. I’ve very, very fortunate to be up here now, obviously with more than most people have, and I don’t take that for granted. Whether or not I’m going to have the chance to win more, who knows – but I’m going to give it everything to do so – but I think just one step at a time. The 91 wins that he has, for example, that’s a lot of wins. But naturally… I don’t know how much I’m away? I guess 20 away now, aren’t I? There’s still a long way to go but I’m here for a few more years, so I’m hoping that I can at least get close. But even so, Michael was just such a genius in how he implemented himself into Ferrari and what he did with that team and yeah, I will always be a fan of him.

     

    Q: (Masahiro Owari – Formula Owari Masahiro) Last year and this year you are fighting the same driver and deciding the championship at the same Mexico Grand Prix. What is the biggest difference between last year and this year?

    LH: I think we had some strong races last year but I really wanted to, personally wanted to see how I could raise the bar, because each year you have to expect your opponents are going to do the same. Ferrari really picked up the pace this year and ultimately I think we’ve always… most of the time we’ve been trailing them slightly. Even if it’s only by a tenth or two, and do I’ve had to try and bring something extra, to dig so deep to another level, so that I could pull those performances out where we weren’t quickest but we won the race. Whether it’s through mental preparation or strength or whether it’s just a unified great job from the team. Strategy, all these different things. I think ultimately on the drivers’ side I am very, very happy and, within myself, I’m very proud of how I’ve delivered – but I’m really, really proud of how everyone around me has also raised their bar, raised their game. That’s been key.

     

    Q: (Jonathan McEvoy – Daily Mail) Lewis, it would be a great honour for any sportsman to go to the palace to be knighted. How would you feel if it ‘arise Sir Lewis’. Does that sound good.

    LH: Well, firstly welcome back. I think it’s the first time we’ve spoken for years. So firstly, let me acknowledge that I’ve seen some of the stories that you’ve written this year and I just want to say thank you for it, and I appreciate the great work that you’ve done. Y’know, we had some difficult years for sure. In terms of… honestly that is really not something that is on my mind, and not something I’m even contemplating. I’ve been very fortunately and very grateful to have met the Queen on a couple of occasions, which I’m just grateful for. I’m very proud, I don’t know if you notice that sometimes, when I’m on the podium I look back and see the Union Jack and I’m very proud to raise that flag, and which I’ll continue to do so. And hopefully try to make more and more Brits proud. And yeah, at the moment, A German has the most titles but I think I’m quite grateful and quite proud of the ones that we have as Brits and yeah, going to continue to try to raise the game.

     

    Q: (Rosa Torres  – The Paddock Magazine) Congratulations. Of course every championship is different – but which one was your favourite and also how to you compare this championship with the others?

    LH: I don’t have the greatest memory, so remembering what happened in every single year and what happened in every single year is… it’s always been different. Winning the first world title in Brazil, and the last corner, I mean, that was something I wouldn’t… that was so special in its own way. They’ve all required different bits of input. They’ve all required different manoeuvrability, different agility, different approaches, so they’ve all been unique, and I’ve been faced with different things. Stuff behind the scenes which no-one will never know about, just like for all of you sitting here, I’m sure there’s so many thing that you go through that no-one around you would really understand – but those challenges, I would say the biggest forces outside are the ones that can really impact. I would say this year, for me, from memory, this feels the proudest. This is definitely the proudest moment because there’s been a year when we’ve not had the fastest car at the majority of the races. And yet we’ve come away with more wins that I could have hoped for, more pole positions, and… ah jeez, I love driving and I’ve really enjoyed driving this year even more, and I think each year, being that I’m getting older and I’m getting to really enjoy more my work, the things I do. I worry about things less. I’m able to let things go quicker and move forwards and grow faster. I think that just comes with being old – which I’m sure many of you would know what that’s like.

     

    Q: (Yesme Cortez – El Economista) How would you like to be defined in the future?

    LH: How would I like to be defined in the future? I have so many things that I want to do, so many things. The racing is at the core of everything that I do and naturally I am always going to be remembered as a racing driver, but this great sport and this great opportunity that I have had has created a great foundation and an opportunity for me to do other things. I’ve always been one to want to have some positive impact; I don’t want to be just taking, taking, taking. I want to be doing some positive things for the future. So, if I want to be remembered for anything it’s by… whether it’s helping some kids getting through school, getting through difficult times. Whether it’s building a school, whether it’s encouraging education, whether it’s just helping people get through difficult times. It’s kind of difficult to put it into words but naturally I don’t want my time on earth to mean nothing. I’m sure that you all feel that way. You all want to know that your time was spent well and you didn’t squander it. And that’s my goal.

     

    Q: (Maria Jimenez – Record) Felicidades, Lewis. I think that throughout your career you have said how hard it has been to get you to a racing career for you and for your family, and now you are a role model for the new generation – a five-time world champion. What does that mean for you, and what responsibility do you think you have to this new generation of drivers as a five-time world champion?

    LH: It’s been a long, long journey and one that I’m really proud of and it’s not been perfect along the way. There have been many pitfalls and many mistakes made. But that’s ultimately enabled me to be where I am today. But it’s awesome to see young kids. I invited this one young female racing driver from Mexico this weekend. I had her come when she didn’t have tickets to come. It’s crazy for me to see this little sparkle in these young people’s eyes, who look at me as I once looked at several of the drivers when I was young – when I had the chance to meet Mika, when I had the chance to meet David, and Damon Hill and Nigel, and all these guys, and I was this kid, I imagine with this sparkle, saying “one day, I want to do what you guys do”. It’s a very, very humbling experience and it’s a beautiful privilege to have. I just want to keep on driving hard and keep encouraging kids. I really do still feel that within Formula 1, with the FIA, for example, hopefully I’m going to meet with Jean at some stage, because I feel there is some positive impact that we can have on young kids that are at school for example. Because a lot of kids that are racing don’t have an education, don’t get an education. I would say it’s over 50% probably. I’m just guessing there, but parents take the kids out of school to focus on trying to get that ultimate and then when it doesn’t happen you fall flat on your back. If I have any impact on this sport – obviously winning a championship is a great thing – but hopefully I can work on that with Jean, so that with these kids, even if they don’t make it to Formula 1, or as another racing driver, they can be an engineer. There are thousands of people within these teams, there are so many opportunities within all these organisations, so that’s something I want to get involved in. But it is really cool when I see these young… at this point in my career I feel like I have the most respect I’ve ever had from my peers and my respect for them has never wavered and that’s a great position to be in.

     

    Q: (Oliver Brown – The Telegraph) Lewis, many congratulations. Five is a monumental feat and I was touched by how on track you mentioned your father. In the emotions of the moment, how much do you think of him – he’s clearly watching – and of the struggles the two of you once faced and how impossible a dream this once seemed?

    LH: It’s a good question. You know, this has actually been a really difficult weekend, because my grandfather died on Friday, was it Friday… Thursday morning. Naturally, when someone passes away, it brings the whole family together, but he was the godfather of the family and so it just brought… my dad and me were already quite close, but it naturally brought us a little bit closer and I will always remember and I never will forget the things that he did in order for me to be here today and for our family to thrive. I really do aspire to be like him, as a strong, black man and as a father and as a human being for doing what he did in the difficult times the little that he had. I think that’s testament to where we are. I think all that work that he put in, my grandfather would be so proud of him, so proud of us and grateful that the Hamilton is there and established and will now go down in history, which is kind of crazy to think. Honestly, at the centre of who I am, I always remember driving around Rye House and my dad was the only father that would go out on the track and he would go and stand, when I was eight years old, he would go and stand where the quickest kid was sitting, and at the time it was a kid called Nicky Richardson. As an eight-year-old I looked up to Nicky. He was so quick and I was like “I’ve got to be better than him somehow”. My dad would go and stand where he was braking and he would move several metres down and say “this is where you have to brake”. No other father was doing that. I would go around and try to brake at that point and I would spin off and crash and spin off and crash. Eventually I could do it and that’s been at the core of… I’ve always been known as a late braker. Today, I didn’t utilise that, because I didn’t need to. Those core moments, those special moments are what I fight with today and are at the core of who I am.

     

    Q: (Francisco Alcala – Global Com Group) Lewis, first of all congratulations. I think it’s really amazing you have won your fifth championship. How thankful or what do you think about Valtteri right now as he had some involvement in order for you to get the championship today and maybe not in Brazil?

    LH: Absolutely. One of the most difficult moments of the year was in Russia for me. Being at the core of me I want to win the race, by winning the race. Being let by in Russia was a horrible feeling for, I would say. I think everyone in the team felt it. I think also for Valtteri it was not a great feeling. He just came up to me now, and we have such a huge respect for each other. I see how hard he works, he sees how hard I work, we don’t play games in between to try to throw off the guy. In actual fact, we work together. There are times were I’ve figured something out in my set-up and I’ll tell me and there are times that I can talk to him and be open. It’s the greatest partnership in terms of respect and teamwork from drivers that I’m sure has ever existed in Formula 1 probably. This year definitely there have been times when he has been fundamental in us winning races. Ultimately, the team don’t care which driver wins, so there are scenarios where he could have been up ahead and I’m the second driver and I needed to play my role. My goal, in my mind, was “OK, I’ve got to make sure I’m always ahead”. If it comes to a point that you need someone to support, it’s Valtteri. This year, he started out really strong and then he had some really difficult races. I think Baku, for example, was a huge hit for him. He deserved that win and then he got that tyre blow up. Yes, I’m very, very grateful to him as a team-mate and for the help that he has given me in achieving this incredible dream so a big, big thank you to him.

  • F1 2018: USA Gp Preview – Texas Tailor-made for Hamilton

    F1 2018: USA Gp Preview – Texas Tailor-made for Hamilton

    Given how the 2018 season started it’s rather bizarre to know that if Lewis Hamilton scores eight more points than Sebastian Vettel this weekend he will be crowned the 2018 F1 champion.

    It wasn’t that long ago that Vettel himself enjoyed a ‘comfortable’ lead in the title race. But since the Belgian grand prix it’s not only evaporated but has also swung appreciably, emphatically even, towards Hamilton and Mercedes. A plethora of reasons have combined to form the situation Vettel and Ferrari currently finds itself in, all well detailed in previous columns. It’s not about to get any easier for the Italian team either.

    This weekend’s race is in Texas and around the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) where Hamilton has been near impossible to beat. He’s won around COTA on five previous occasions that includes a hat trick of victories in the last three races. Add to this a win at Indianapolis in 2007 and clear that Hamilton is very much a North-American specialist.

    As if to add insult to Ferrari’s noticeably low level of morale the Mercedes car is likely to shine in Texas. Designed by Herman Tilke COTA’s first sector is noticeably ruled a fast and flowing Esses section somewhat akin to Silverstone’s iconic Maggots-Becketts complex though a more elongated version. At five and a half kilometers in length the circuit further comprises medium to high-speed corners that will reward a good aero package, right up Mercedes ally. Added to this are a few big braking points preceding hairpin turns which will encourage overtaking.

    Romain Grosjean_Germany 2016The start of the season should’ve netted the Haas team a bag full of points but a combination of mistakes, unreliability, and driver error meant they’ve left those points on the table. But Haas is clearly a well-run team and they’ve picked themselves up pretty impressively. So too has Romain Grosjean whose first half of the season had many speculating that he might be given the boot. The Frenchman, inherently quick, cleaned up his act and has delivered several impressive performances that have guaranteed his place for 2019. And who knows if he keeps turning in impressive performances there could even be a drive in a certain red in a few years time. Danish driver Kevin Magnussen too has performed well enough to retain his drive at Haas for 2019, which is an especially impressive feat given that he’s had to make a comeback from a near-disastrous year as a McLaren driver.

    There has been several American teams who have tried to cut in F1 but few have done as well as the Haas F1 team has in its short existence. And that in an era of the sport where major manufacturer teams hold all the cards and advantage.

    At this point in time Formula 1 is a sport dominated by big money. Theoretically, smaller teams, like Haas, with less money shouldn’t be able to trouble full works teams. But the American team, despite its tardy start to the season is proving to be more than a thorn in Renault’s side. With the added lift of home ground advantage they have a relatively good chance of overhauling the French team this weekend.

    cota-aerialThe fight between Haas and Renault isn’t the only one worth keeping an eye on as the driver’s standings in the mid-field is an incredibly close fought battle. In fact, only four points currently cover points 7 through 11 with Force India’s Sergio Perez currently heading the pack.

    As intriguing as the mid-field battle may be all attention will be on Lewis Hamilton as he stands on the cusp of becoming only the third driver in Formula 1 history to win five driver’s world titles.

  • F1 2018: Japanes Gp Review – Hamilton Win Virtually Assures Title

    F1 2018: Japanes Gp Review – Hamilton Win Virtually Assures Title

    It’s not pretentious at all to declare that Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are assured of being champions, again, in 2018. Victory in Japan makes it six wins in the last seven races for Hamilton and with a mammoth 63-point he is every bit the champion presumptive.

    A faultless weekend from Mercedes ensured a front-row lock out on Saturday while an unnerved Ferrari was left scrambling. On Saturday as the clouds rolled in Ferrari’s senseless decision-making reared its head again as both Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel were sent out onto a dry track with Intermediate tyres. Though there was enough team for both drivers to switch to dry tyres it left them with only one lap in the final part of qualifying. While Raikkonen secured fourth Vettel ran off track and was relegated to the fourth row of the grid.

    All wasn’t lost for the would-be championship contender as a good start to Sunday’s race saw him quickly into fourth. But while Hamilton and Bottas pulled away up front Vettel’s impatience got the better of him. Verstappen, who started third, was correctly given a five second time penalty for re-joining the circuit in an unsafe manner at the final chicane. The Red Bull driver had driven into the side of Raikkonen allowing Vettel to pass his teammate and settle on the Verstappen’s gearbox. Clearly faster it appeared to be a matter of time until the Ferrari would find its way past. But Vettel threw caution to the wind and attempted an overtake on Verstappen in Spoon corner. Not only didn’t he make the move stick but he also sent himself into a spin that left him plumb last. He eventually recovered to finish sixth.

    Australian GP Qualifying - Sebastian Vettel, FerrariThere is no denying that from an operational standpoint Ferrari has had some embarrassing blunders on strategy. But the mistakes in the races lay firmly at Vettel’s feet. The lock-up in Baku, the crash with Bottas in France, the bizarre crash while leading in Germany, the crash with Hamilton in Italy, the mistake on the Q3 lap in Japan, and finally the crash with Verstappen in the race.

    Together all of these moments have ensured that unless some truly miraculous happens in the last four races Sebastian Vettel will not be the 2018 champion.

    It’s clear too that Vettel, in 2018, is a far cry from the driver that won four consecutive titles between 2010 and 2013. The reason could very well be the cockpit he’s currently sitting in. The pressure of being a Ferrari driver and the constant demand and expectation to win in unlike any other and its evident that Vettel has cracked under that pressure.

    Meanwhile, it could hardly be any better if you’re Lewis Hamilton. Yes, Vettel and Ferrari’s mistakes have contributed to his enormous points lead but he’s still delivered. There’s a mental switch that happens with Hamilton in the second half of the season that means he raises his game to a level no one, with the exception of Nico Rosberg, has been able to match. Plainly put, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes has wiped the floor with Vettel and Ferrari.

    jap1While Hamilton cruised to victory the ever-dutiful Valtteri Bottas followed him home in second while Max Verstappen snapped up the final step on the podium. The sister Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo, once again felled by mechanical issues in quali, recovered to an impressive fourth. Kimi Raikkonen was fifth for Ferrari while Vettel trundled home in sixth.

    Sergio Perez proved to be best-of-the-rest for Force India in seventh while Romain Grosjean, Esteban Ocon, and Carlos Sainz completed the top ten on a day where the mid-field battle proved the most scintillating part of the race. In fact, the battle behind Merc, Ferrari, and Red Bull is so close that only four points cover positions seven through eleven in the driver’s standings.

    Victory in Japan indicates that Lewis Hamilton’s fifth world championship crown is a mere formality. With a 63-point lead and four races remaining in 2018 it’s not if Hamilton will win the big prize but rather when.

    All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport 

  • 2018 Japanese GP: Thursday Press Conference

    2018 Japanese GP: Thursday Press Conference

    DRIVERS – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari), Stoffel VANDOORNE (McLaren), Esteban OCON (Racing Point Force India), Lance STROLL (Williams).

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Three of the four of you are without a contract for 2019, so let’s start with that topic, and perhaps you could just tell us the latest. Let’s start with Esteban.

    Esteban OCON: Yeah, that is true, so far. I still don’t have any news to tell you, unfortunately. For sure I am trying to get a seat for next year but if I don’t, I will be sitting on the side, but the sure thing is I will be back for 2020 and I will push my maximum to be back in 2020 anyway.

    Lance?

    Lance STROLL: Right now, still have five more races to go so I’m going to take it weekend by weekend. Yeah, we’ll see what the future holds.

    Stoffel?

    Stoffel VANDOORNE: So far not much news from my side, to be honest. Formula One seems very unlikely, obviously, and like I said last week, there’s been a lot of talks with different series, different teams, and there are a lot of possibilities. So, I hope I can tell you a bit more in the next couple of weeks.

    Q: Esteban, the car is performing very well at the moment, had a good race in Russia and you have a very good record here at Suzuka: qualified fifth last year, finished sixth. So, what are your expectations for the weekend?

    EO: Yeah, definitely big expectations. We have a strong car since a couple of races now. We had a strong upgrade now and we are fighting to be the fourth fastest team each time so definitely looking forward to be racing on this track. As you said, I have great memories, so I can’t wait. It’s a track that suits my driving style quite well, and it’s one I’ve been successful at, so I look forward.

    Q: Lance, Russia was a tough weekend for you and the team. Can you tell us, what are the car’s shortcomings, and how difficult is it to drive at the moment?

    LS: In terms of result it was a tough weekend. We didn’t pick up any points or anything but I still think we had a decent race, y’know? The position is not what we’re hoping for and not what we’re aiming for but y’know, we had some pace during the race. I was behind Fernando throughout the whole race, challenging him, trying to get by – but the nature of the track, it’s very, very difficult to overtake. Yeah, and y’know, where we stand now, I believe there’s no more upgrades for the rest of the season, but we’re still going to be doing everything we can every weekend to try to improve the balance of the car. I’m going to try to get everything I can out of the package that we have for the rest of the season.

    Q: Stoffel, I believe you came down on the bullet train this morning from Tokyo, I just wanted to explore your love affair with Japan. You raced here, of course, a couple of years ago in Super Formula. Just what is it about Japan that you love so much and perhaps you could tell us a secret about Suzuka as well – because you won your last race in Super Formula here at Suzuka.

    StV: Yeah, I’ve got some good memories from Japan, racing here in Super Formula. I think first of all the fans are always pretty amazing and it’s quite exciting to come back here and see what they bring for all the drivers. I think they really support everyone. So, definitely good memories from my year in Super Formula. Also, one of the greatest circuits. I think the feelings you have here in a Formula One car is probably the best you can have. Very challenging and looking forward to being back here this weekend.

    Q: Sebastian, we saw quite a gap in performance between yourselves and Mercedes last weekend in Russia, particularly over one lap. How confident are you of closing that gap here at Suzuka – particularly at a track that’s been very kind to you in the past.

    Sebastian VETTEL: Well, within a week you can’t do too many things differently, so we hope that the track suits us a bit better and we have a better weekend than in Russia. I think we nevertheless managed to get and squeeze everything out of the car. I think in race pace we were hopefully a bit closer – so let’s see where we start off here.

    Q: One of the highlights for us, observers of the Sochi weekend, was seeing you and Lewis going wheel-to-wheel. He spoke after the race about how much he enjoys the challenge of racing against a driver of your calibre. I just wanted to get your thoughts on him. How much are you enjoying the challenge of racing Lewis Hamilton this year? And in what areas does he impress you the most?

    SeV: Well, first of all I think you always enjoy when you race somebody on track and you tend to enjoy more when you come out ahead – so I’m sure he had more fun last weekend than I had. But yeah, obviously, it’s tough to have a wheel-to-wheel battle on the track but then if you do, you appreciate it a lot more, so I think… it’s been intense races and challenging races we had but not that much wheel-to-wheel racing but yeah, as I said, I enjoyed it. I didn’t enjoy it probably as much as he did. I would have liked it to have lastest a little bit longer, for more laps, but that was probably the only chance that we had. Apart from that, obviously, it’s always difficult to compare. These days, I think racing is very different to maybe the way it has been many years ago. You don’t spend much time with each other even though you share the track for all the sessions, you don’t see each other very often until the race, and then even in the race it depends on how the race unfolds – but I think it’s also fine like that, in a way, that some races are more intense than others. I think if every race would be intense then they would all be normal again. Naturally, obviously you enjoy it more when you come out on top.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Sebastian, you talked about getting the most out of the car last weekend in Sochi. In the last swinging fight with Mercedes, over the last couple of weekends have you been surprised to be behind Mercedes at a couple of tracks where they struggled at in the past, especially when you seemed to have a performance advantage in Belgium and then again in Italy in qualifying?

    SeV: I think I answered it many times. I think I’ve said many times that we have a strong car, but I don’t think, against the people’s opinions, that we had a dominant car at any point this year. I think the highlights that you mentioned or the races that mentioned, in qualifying we were not ahead. In the race I think it was very close and I think it has been very close all year. I think there were too many races from our side where we weren’t close enough. A race like last weekend, the way they could play with us in the race, usually means they had more pace. There were other races in the season where we didn’t have the pace they had. But I think we have always been very close, most of the races close enough to have a good fight. So we’ll hope that we have the same performance here. Hopefully we are closer in qualifying, which matters obviously to place the car well to then have a strong car and show that pace, because once you are behind, for the reasons I mentioned earlier we don’t have a lot of wheel-to-wheel racing, it’s not that easy to follow close, and then if you are racing for the same tenth, even if the cars were easier to overtake it wouldn’t be that straightforward because ultimately you go as quick as the guys around you, but hopefully we are a bit closer.

    Q: (Julien Billotte – AutoHebdo) Sebastian, do you think that Ferrari is not pragmatic enough when it comes to team orders? We saw in Sochi that Mercedes was quite open to ask Valtteri to move aside and if we think about Germany or Italy, you guys seemed a bit more reluctant with Kimi, so do you think they have the edge in that area?

    SeV: Generally, I think it is a sensitive topic or subject, obviously for the reasons that we have seen after last weekend. I don’t think we have been in the same position as they have, probably, during the race, so I think it is more a question for the team and not for me.

    Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Sebastian, given that you have finished behind Lewis at five of the last six races, how do you, personally, as a driver, keep your confidence up and do you head into this weekend thinking it’s now or never in terms of the championship?

    SeV: I don’t like the now or never approach. I don’t think there’s much sense in that. I didn’t know it was five out of six, now I know, so the secret before just now has been not to count. No, I think you attack every weekend, every weekend is different, the track is different, the circumstances are different, so I’m very happy to be here. I love this track, it’s my favourite track in the world, so I’d better enjoy it and not spoil it by starting to count the things that are against me and focus on the things that are working for me.

    Q: (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Seb, the weather forecast, it seems that it will be bad until Sunday, only Sunday there will be the dry track. In rain conditions, the last few races you were not very lucky. It is a handicap? And the second question, technically did you lose a little bit the direction in these few races after Monza?

    SeV: How do you know about our technical direction? Sorry, but I don’t think it’s true; I don’t think we lost direction. We made progress with our cars, the steps that we planned, the steps have been coming. Now, you never know where you are in comparison to others, maybe they have done smaller steps or bigger steps, I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure speaking to all our engineers that we are where we would like to be or where we wanted to be. Of course you would like to be always further with more performance, but that’s the same for everyone. And the first question, I think there is nothing that speaks against us in wet conditions. I think as you said, here and there it didn’t play into our hands but it won’t be like that forever, so I’m not afraid if it’s wet.

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) A question for all four drivers. It’s one of the few tracks where we don’t have tow DRS zones. I know if you had DRS down the back straight, maybe 130R wouldn’t be flat or would be more of a challenge but do you think there should be a second DRS zone at that part of the circuit?

    LS: I would say so. Whether 130R is flat or not is car dependent and depends on how much risk you are willing to take. I don’t think that’s really the reason why we should debate whether there is a DRS zone or not on the back straight. I think it could only help overtaking. It’s already a track where due to the nature of the track it’s very difficult to follow, with all the high-speed corners and all that, so if there is a way of helping overtaking, helping the show, it would be good.

    Esteban?

    EO: I think it would be quite a challenge to have DRS there, even harder than Silverstone, Turn 1 really. Let’s see what’s going to happen in the future, it could be interesting.

    So you would like to see a second DRS on that straight?

    EO: As Lance said, it could only help overtaking into the last chicane. In the race it would not probably flat, especially following other cars, but in qualifying it could be an interesting challenge.

    Sebastian?

    SeV: I’m not a big fan of DRS, so I don’t know. Now we are in Japan, I think Mario Kart, if you remember, it might be more fun to throw bananas out of the cockpit, so maybe it’s a better idea to have bananas than DRS. I don’t like it, I think it’s artificial. I think we should find a different way to make the cars follower each other closer and not rely on DRS.

    Stoffel?

    StV: I agree with Seb. I think the fact that we are talking about DRS probably shows how difficult it has been for cars to follow each other and to race each other, so I think in the future if we could have much closer racing and do the old school overtakes, that would be the best.

    How difficult was it to overtake in Super Formula here?

    StV: It wasn’t easy, because obviously the cars are all the same as well and the competition was tough as well, but there were possibilities and those cars didn’t have DRS as well.

    Q: (Masahiro Owari – Formula Owari Masahiro) This is the 30th Japanese Grand Prix. Do you remember which Grand Prix, which year, did you see your first Japanese Grand Prix on TV, and do you remember who won?

    StV: I don’t remember it! No, I don’t. One I remember was when Kamui was racing and got on the podium. Which was 2012? Quite late. Yeah.

    SeV: I watched all of the races that Michael ran later with Ferrari but I always fell asleep in the second part because it was very early and usually he was in the lead. It was sort of clear after half the race or after the first couple of laps. But I remember the one where… when did Ayrton win here? ’88? Yeah, this I don’t remember. I was one. Later, did he win again? 1991? Yeah. 1993? Maybe that one. ’88, for sure not, because that would be unrealistic, I was one year old. But ’93, that sort of makes sense. That was the first memories anyway and I remember how he lifted the cup, and I think the cup here is beautiful as well, the trophy. It was the same back then as it is now. Yeah, I remember that. Not so much the race but I remember the moment on the podium.

    Q: Do you get a kick that the track is pretty similar to how it was back then when Ayrton was racing on it?

    SeV: Yeah, I do. I think it’s one of the… it’s my favourite track and I think it’s one of the original tracks that haven’t been messed with. I think it’s… like Stoffel described earlier, I think the feeling you get inside here, in the car, is probably the best all season, when you throw the car from one side to the other up the hill and then you’ve got some really characteristic… how you say?…

    EO: Iconic.

    SeV: Iconic, thank you French, iconic corners like Spoon, 130R nowadays maybe not as tough as it was back then but overall it’s a great track.

    EO: Yeah, I don’t remember the first time I’ve watched this track or this Formula One Grand Prix but the first thing that comes into my mind is always the fight Alain against Ayrton Senna, obviously, in the last chicane and also the first corner the following year, that’s the first thing that comes to my mind, like for sure, historic stories.

    LS: Yeah, same. I don’t remember a race in particular. We saw Schumacher take off and win the race round here but that’s probably when I started watching Formula One but I’ve watched the replays of Senna and Prost fighting around here and making contact in the last chicane. Those are historic moments.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, Racefans.net) You may have seen that the Strategy Group has discussed changing qualifying into four Qs so it will be four out, then four, then four and then finally leaving eight for the final Q1 shoot-out. What do you think about that? Will it make any difference? Will it help you? How do you feel about it?

    LS: That’s the first time I’ve heard of that format. There’s more entertainment for the fans and gives the drivers a bigger chance, maybe can mix up the top three teams a bit more and increase the risk of getting into the last qualifying session. Could spice things up.

    EO: Could be a good challenge for the midfield teams, you know, so you could have two drivers in Q4 so it could be fun but then I don’t know how it would change things for the top teams. It would probably be the same.

    SeV: Just wondering what we will discuss in ten years’ time, whether we will be talking about Q9 and Q10, if that makes sense. I don’t know. Probably not but I don’t know, maybe we should go less. Without going too deep, my personal opinion is that nowadays I think we need too much entertainment to be happy. I think it would be nice to settle for something less as well. My preferred qualifying was back in the days when they had one hour and you could do what you want. Obviously qualifying for some people will never be as exciting as the race but for other people it’s more exciting than the race so it depends on your tastes, but I think it’s about getting the perfect lap and I don’t think it matters how many qualifying sessions you have. Now we have three and the one that most people look out for is the last one, so if you have Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7 what’s going to change?

    Q: Do you think the current format needs changing?

    SeV: No but that’s my opinion, so I might be wrong.

    StV: Yeah, not much to say to that, really. I don’t think this is the biggest problem so far. As Seb says, I think we don’t really need to have an extra session. We’re out in Q1 anyway so… It doesn’t change for me.

  • F1 2018: Russian Gp Review – Merc Employ Team Orders

    F1 2018: Russian Gp Review – Merc Employ Team Orders

    Victory for Lewis Hamilton in Russia sees the Brit extend his championship lead over Sebastian Vettel. However, celebrations were muted for the reigning world champion after scoring what can only be described as a hollow victory. After all, it was his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas who snapped up pole on Saturday and had the race well in control on Sunday. And it was also Valtteri Bottas who, under instruction from the team, moved over and gifted the lead and the race win to Hamilton.

    For decades a fiery debate has raged around team orders in Formula 1. Some are vehemently opposed while others see it as part of a ‘team’ sport. The unmistakable truth was clear for all to see in the muted celebrations by Hamilton and the stone-faced Bottas on the podium. From a clinical and emotionless perspective it’s understandable why Mercedes made the call. Hamilton now holds a 50-point lead over Vettel instead of 43 if he had finished second. But, and it’s a big but, while they had a plausible reason for making the switch it dilutes the accomplishment of winning a grand prix and damages the spectacle. It was a clear case of putting ‘politics’ ahead of talent by Mercedes.

    0005Despite being able to match the pace of the two Mercs Sebastian Vettel never got close enough to make a real go of winning the race. After the only round of pitstops for the frontrunners Vettel was briefly in front of Hamilton before being relegated to third once more.

    The last few race weekends has revealed a peculiar downturn in form for Ferrari that is likely to leave more than a few at the team’s base in Maranello scratching their heads. By no means did Ferrari have a dominant car when compared to Mercedes but their relative lack of pace in comparison to their title rivals is worrying. Elsewhere Kimi Raikkonen qualified and finished fourth after spending most of the race in fuel-saving mode.

    Driver of the day undoubtedly belongs to Max Verstappen who breathtakingly scythed his way through the field from 19thto 8thin a matter of six laps. Ironically, he led the most laps of the Russian grand prix thanks to his elongated first stint. Ultimately he managed fifth in what was not only a spectacular drive but also a mature one. Daniel Ricciardo finished sixth in the sister Red Bull as Charles Leclerc won the ‘best of the rest’ battle in seventh for Sauber. Kevin Magnussen, Esteban Ocon, and Sergio Perez completed the top ten.

    Following the race Hamilton termed the win in Russia as one that he is not “particularly proud of”. Nevertheless, it takes him an ominous 50-points clear of Vettel in the driver’s championship standings heading into the Japanese grand prix in one week.

    All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport