Tag: silverstone

Mercedes lock out front row at Silverstone Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton stormed to pole position in Silverstone qualifying today a massive four tenths ahead of team mate Nico Rosberg for a Mercedes front row lock out.

Hamilton’s time, a 1.29.607 proved too fast for Rosberg, or the Red Bulls to contest. The Red Bull team mates locked out the second row, a mere 0.009 seconds apart.

Ferrari were in a very bad place today – Massa did not make it through to Q3 and Alonso struggled and managed to qualify in 10th place.

The McLarens faired no better – neither getting through to Q3 either.

Below are the results for today’s Silverstone Qualifying session.

June 29, 2013
2013 Silverstone F1 Free Practice 3 Results

Free Practice 3 took place under dry, but windy conditions today at Silverstone.

Nico Rosberg went fastest again with a time of 1.31.487, ever so slightly ahead of his team mate Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes team are looking strong for a pole position – and possibly even a front row lock out in today’s qualifying session.

Sergio Perez brought out a red flag with 40 minutes remaining in the session, following what McLaren MD, Jonathan Neale called an “instantaneous failure” of his left rear tyre. The tyre literally just came off and Perez came over his team radio saying “the tyre exploded”. There was exstensive damage to his car but the McLaren team amazingly got him back out on track with 9 mins left of the session.

Felipe Massa sat out the end of the session while his team made a “precautionary” engine change.

Here are the results for the FP3 session:

June 29, 2013
F1 2013 – Free Practice 2 Report – British GP

The second free practice session for the British grand prix got underway in gloomy, overcast conditions. Thankfully, the dreaded rain that curtailed the morning’s running stayed away for the most part.

Drivers took advantage of improved conditions and set about testing new parts, and sorting out a set-up for Sunday’s all important race. Vettel was first out on track followed by teammate Webber – both on intermediate tyres. The two Red Bulls lapped consistently on both the hard and medium compound tyres.

The two Toro Rosso drivers, in the running for the Red Bull seat in 2014, did their level best to impress ‘onlookers’ as they traded fastest laps between the pair of them and spent the better part of the session in the top end of the timing sheets.

Felipe Massa’s miserable run continued as he wiped off the front-wing and broke the front-right suspension of his Ferrari. The rear-end of the Ferrari seemed to get away from the Brazilian as he exited Stowe corner. This makes it three crashes at all of the last three races for the man who says that his future with Ferrari is secure.

Ferrari didn’t show too much of their hand in the long runs but Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen set competitive long run times in the mid to high 1 minute 38 region. The Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Rosberg set a competitive long run pace but soon dropped off to the 1 minute 39s.

The track temperature didn’t reach any great heights with 20 degrees celcius the highest it climbed too. The rest of the weekend is expected to be dry and slightly hotter. Good news for the likes of Ferrari who seemed to struggle with getting the heat into the medium tyre in the cold conditions.

McLaren continued to struggle with Button managing 11th and Perez 14th overall. No doubt they’d prefer the wet stuff this weekend.

Mercedes Nico Rosberg, and qualifying ace of late, set the fastest time overall.

June 28, 2013
Williams F1 celebrating 600 races at the British Grand Prix

The Williams F1 Team is celebrating a landmark achievement this weekend at the British Grand Prix – reaching 600 races in Formula One.

Founded in 1977 by Frank Williams and Patrick Head, Williams has secured 297 podiums, 114 race wins and 16 World Championship titles over the past 36 years.

Nine of these titles have been won in the Constructors’ Championship, with the remaining seven titles being Drivers’ Championships won with Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. Williams has grown into a significant international business since its inception and its achievements have earned Founder and Team Principal Frank Williams a knighthood in the 1999 New Year’s Honours List to augment France’s highest decoration, the legion d’Honneur.

The team will publicly celebrate reaching 600 races at its home Grand Prix this weekend – a fitting place to celebrate as Silverstone witnessed the team’s first ever race win in 1979 and its 100th race win in 1997. The team will officially reach 600 starts in Formula One at the German Grand Prix, and will mark this milestone by displaying the number 600 on the sidepod of both FW35s. The livery will also be emblazoned with the names of all 691 Williams employees who work across all divisions of the Williams Group as a tribute to their continued hard work and dedication.

Speaking about reaching 600 starts in Formula One, Founder and Team Principal Sir Frank Williams said; “For an independent team like Williams to reach 600 races at the pinnacle of motorsport is a remarkable achievement. 78 teams have come and gone or changed ownership since our foundation and our longevity is a testament to the thousands of people who have sacrificed so much to keep us here. It seems only right to mark this milestone at the home of British motorsport alongside our loyal British fans.”

Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal and Commercial Director, added; “Williams has never been an organisation to dwell on what has gone before, but this weekend we will be rightly celebrating our heritage and reflecting on some of our defining moments over the past 36 years. This is also an opportunity for us to take stock and look ahead to the future, making sure that we have the necessary pieces in place to make our next 600 races just as memorable.”

Source: Williams F1

June 28, 2013
Silverstone Grand Prix Preview Quotes – Williams F1 Team

Preview Quotes from the Williams F1 Team ahead of the Silverstone F1 Grand Prix this weekend.

Pastor Maldonado, Williams

“This weekend has been something that the team have been looking forward to all year and I’m proud to be part of this historic moment. Silverstone also happens to be one of my favourite circuits on the calendar. It has a lot of character and some very iconic corners, and the British fans are always very passionate and knowledgeable. With the track being quick and the temperatures usually low it is easy to grain the front tyres and this is something we will have to manage and consider when deciding on the pit stop strategy. The new part of the track is still very green with less grip which is something you have to bear in mind when behind the wheel. Hopefully we can have a strong weekend and score some points to make the weekend even more memorable for the team.”

Valtteri Bottas, Williams

“This is going to be a very special weekend for Williams, celebrating 600 races in front of our home fans at a track which has a lot of history
for the team and is great fun to drive. Silverstone is a classic racers track – with some very high speed corners which require a lot of downforce in order to be quick through them. I drove in FP1 last year and at the young drivers test so I have experience of driving a Formula One car at Silverstone which is always helpful in getting up to speed quickly. Normally the track is quite tough on the tyres with quite a bit of graining because the temperatures are cool and the track is very demanding. The weather never makes the circuit any easier due to the often rainy and cold conditions, but after our strong qualifying in Canada in wet conditions I’m confident we would handle this well.”

Mike Coughlan, Williams technical director

“This weekend is the Williams F1 Team’s home race and it is always great to be amongst all our fans. It is also one of our most successful races,
with ten wins in total for the team in Britain. The new circuit layout, introduced in 2010, has the second highest average speed of any circuit
on the calendar, behind Monza, and the average corner speed is the highest of any circuit this season. Ambient conditions are typically cool which means good engine power and less chance of thermal degradation in the tyres. The track is relatively rough and tyre energy input is high, higher than Barcelona but much more evenly balanced across the left and right hand sides of the car and more towards the front. Longer range forecasts predict a dry and sunny weekend but whatever conditions we meet, we will be pushing hard to continue the development of the FW35.”

Remi Taffin, Renault Sport F1 head of track operations

“Even with the addition of the new slow loop, Silverstone remains one of the toughest challenges for the engine. A touch over 66 percent of the lap is spent at full throttle in qualifying and the average speed is well over 200km/h. However it is the high speed corners that also challenge
the RS27, particularly the sweeping Maggotts-Beckett-Chapel complex. Average speeds through this section are around 250km/h and no lower than 190km/h at any one point, with huge lateral forces put through the car. The oil and fuel systems therefore have to be resilient as the fluids
are squashed from side to side, while the engine needs to be smooth to maintain the speed.”

June 27, 2013
Silverstone F1 Grand Prix Preview Quotes – Sauber F1 Team

Preview quotes from the Sauber F1 Team ahead of the Silverstone Grand Prix.

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber

“The British Grand Prix has a lot of history and is the home Grand Prix for the English Formula One teams. For the fans it also holds a lot of tradition. I’m comfortable with the track. I particularly like corners like Maggots, Becketts and Chapel, which require a lot of driving skill.
They are a lot of fun in a Formula One car, because you can really feel the downforce. High downforce will be important, but also aerodynamic
efficiency, because there are still a few straights. The track is challenging for every driver and, in addition, the weather can be tricky as well. So it should be an interesting weekend.”

Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber

“Silverstone is a traditional track. I’ve raced there in every year of my career and it’s one of the circuits I like the most. The track has a lot of fast
corners that you pass in split seconds. To feel the limit of the car at such high speed, for example in corners like Becketts, is something special. In GP3 Silverstone was the track where I scored the most points in one weekend, and I also have good memories of winning there in Formula BMW and GP2. Usually the weather presents a challenge there, so we can expect a bit of variety again.”

Tom McCullough, Sauber head of track engineering

“Silverstone is one of the most challenging circuits, with a bias towards high speed corners and relatively short straights compared to the more modern circuits. The layout favours high-speed stability and a good change of direction, whereas the demand on the braking system is low. The track is also quite bumpy in some areas so the ride performance is important too. The abrasive tarmac and high-speed nature of the circuit result in it being hard on the tyres. Therefore, Pirelli has selected the two hardest tyre compounds in its range – medium and hard. Historically,
overtaking has not been easy, but this year there is an additional DRS zone on the Hangar straight, which should help create a few more opportunities. The weather often plays a significant role during the weekend, so this needs to be monitored at all times.”

June 27, 2013
Silverstone F1 Grand Prix Preview Quotes – Marrusia

Here’s what the Marussia F1 team have to say ahead of this weekend’s Silverstone F1 Grand Prix.

Jules Bianchi, Marussia

“I’m really looking forward to the Team’s home race at Silverstone. I know from Monaco what it feels like to have achieved your dream of racing in Formula One and then be able to do just that in front of your home crowd, so it will be a nice weekend for Max. It is also an important weekend for the whole Team and I too will be looking to achieve my objectives – to contribute to a good overall team result and keep up the fight with the cars around us. We will have a lot of our team members who don’t usually get to a race present and that is really important and nice for them, to be able to see us racing so close to our base. As for the track, I really like it, having raced here before in different formulae. It is one of the best tracks on the calendar in my opinion – very fast, challenging and technical. I’ve done some good preparation and now I can’t wait to start running on Friday.”

Max Chilton, Marussia

“The British Grand Prix is really special, and for so many reasons, so to be able to call it my home Grand Prix is pretty incredible and without
doubt it will be the highlight of my debut season so far. It is also the Team’s home race and Silverstone is just 18 miles from our base in
Banbury, so we’re racing in our own backyard with fantastic support from our fans, our Team and our Partners right here on our doorstep. It
doesn’t get much better than that, apart from bringing home a great result of course, which is what we’ll all be pushing for. I know from
having raced at Silverstone previously that the atmosphere is electric, with a sea of Union Jack flags and some big noise coming from the
grandstands. I’m sure it will be better than ever this year with four British drivers in the mix. As for the circuit itself, it has always been a real driver’s track with a character all if its own. The high-speed corners make it really exciting to drive, particularly Copse, Becketts and Stowe. We have a few small developments for this race but we are also still making progress with the updates we brought prior to that, so I’m optimistic that we will be able to put a good weekend together on track. Off-track, it’s looking very busy but exciting, with a lot of media activity and appearances. All in all, I can’t wait.”

Marussia F1 at Barcelona

John Booth, Marussia team principal

“The British Grand Prix is always a fantastic occasion and one of the highlights of the calendar for teams and fans alike. We are proud to be the only Anglo-Russian team on the grid and next year we will have two home races to celebrate, but for now, with our operational base in Banbury, Silverstone continues to be ‘home asphalt’ for us. We are also delighted to be fielding a British driver for the first time in our brief history. Max is, quite rightly, very excited to be racing in front of his home crowd for the first time in a Formula One car and, if the atmosphere we have seen there in previous years is anything to go by, he’ll thoroughly enjoy the support for him and the other British drivers. The British fans are incredible; so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. They are very patriotic but equally, they’ll back whoever shines there next weekend because they just love to see a great race at the end of the day. We hope to play our part in the racing action and we’ll be aiming for the best possible finish with both our drivers to maintain our fight for position in the Constructors’ Championship and to reward the Team members and our Partners, many of whom will be sharing in the occasion with us. We look forward to a great weekend and a classic British Grand Prix.”

June 27, 2013
Silverstone Grand Prix Preview Quotes – Lotus F1 Team

Preview quotes from the Lotus F1 team ahead of the Silverstone Grand Prix this weekend.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus

“Silverstone is a more normal circuit and we’ve been okay at every other permanent circuit so far this year. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be back to the positions we should be with this package. We just have to be patient, do our very best over the entire weekend and step-by-step we
can start catching the leaders. Silverstone is all about long sweeping high-speed corners and high downforce levels. It’s one of the fastest circuits on the calendar; it’s very challenging and the flowing corners are pretty good fun to drive. Hopefully our new parts will help us; particularly in the faster corners. If that’s the case, it could be a good weekend.

It’s always such a good feeling going to Silverstone. It’s a great place to race and it has been a good circuit for me since the very beginning of my career. I have a long history there. It was the real base for the start of my international racing career in Formula Renault in 1999 and 2000. Since then I’ve always enjoyed racing at Silverstone. I don’t know why; there must be this nostalgic feeling that I have every time we go there. When you win in Silverstone, it gives such a good feeling. You have to get everything exactly right. I won there in Formula Renault and then in Formula 1 with Ferrari in 2007. It would be fantastic to win again there, especially with the factory just down the road. I’m sure we would have some fantastic celebrations. It’s always windy at Silverstone. Often it rains too, like we saw last year in qualifying. The track conditions change very quickly, which makes the car more tricky to set-up. Obviously when you are running at the front it’s best to have stable conditions, but I don’t mind really. The weather is just a part of the fun of racing in England. I’ll enjoy the weekend whatever the weather will be.”

Romain Grosjean, Lotus

“(Silverstone) is a fantastic track with a lot of high speed corners which should suit the E21; especially with the upgrade package we have for it. It’s a home race for myself and the team so we’re sure to have a lot of support. I won there in the GP2 Series in 2011, so I have to say I quite like it! I also scored points on my Silverstone Formula 1 debut so it’s a run of results I’d like to continue.
Silverstone is challenging, but it has a good feel. It’s one of the quickest tracks of the year, with legendary corners like the Magotts, Becketts, Chapel complex. It’s quite a feeling going through there and I can’t wait to feel that sensation once more. It’s also a special Grand Prix for the team as the factory is very close to the track. It’s always nice to see not only the race team, but also some of the many people from the factory who come to see us in action. It’s thanks to all their hard work that we’re out on track and they are all doing an amazing job, always working so hard. I
will be visiting them after the race and hopefully I will go there with some silverware to show them. Last year there was quite a bit of wet weather over the weekend; not that this was much of a surprise to the Englishmen I’ve spoken to! I live quite near to the track now and my experience of regularly visiting Enstone means that I know the weather can change quite a lot. An English summer’s day is wonderful, but sometimes you have to look hard to find one!”

Eric Boullier, Lotus team principal

“We’re certainly not going to let two weekends of poor results (in Monaco and Canada) stop us in our efforts. We have a very reasonable package to fit to the E21 for Silverstone – with a number of elements which should help with our performance – and we have plenty of other upgrades to come later in the season too. We head to Silverstone with a determined strategy to be back fighting for podiums.”

Alan Permane, Lotus trackside operations director

“(Silverstone) is a circuit which is similar to Barcelona in the regard that it exposes weaknesses in downforce. You need an efficient car; one with a decent amount of downforce, but one which remains slippery for the straights. There are two straights where the cars exceed 300kph, so too
much drag will hurt here. There are some very high speed corners, with the first sector of the lap consisting entirely of high speed turns. The new layout has brought a few more technical corners, but overall it’s still counted as a high-speed track. You need to set up the car aerodynamically to be as quick as possible through the medium and high speed corners and along the straights. The circuit is windy with a
scarcity of shelter which – added to unpredictable weather – makes set-up difficult at times. The wind can lead you to run with less than
optimum levels of front wing to keep the car consistent. With regard to upgrades, we have a tighter, figure-hugging bodywork package which
should give some benefit; especially if the weather is quite cool at Silverstone. There’s a new front wing, suspension profiles and suspension upgrades in addition to various other aero upgrades, which combine to give us what should be our biggest step forward of the year.

This is a good thing, of course, but we’ll be running them in the context of all our rivals probably unveiling significant upgrade packs too. We conducted a couple of days of straight-line running after Canada with positive results and some of the fruits of this work should be seen in Silverstone.”

June 27, 2013
F1 2013: British GP Preview – Silverstone: The Heart of Motorsport

On this same Silverstone circuit legends such as Senna, Fangio, Stewart and Clark unleashed their virtuoso talents. The circuit, the ground, the grandstands, everything here is drenched in motorsport history and is considered one of the most unique racing venues in the world. The memories will linger forever but the times and the talents have changed as F1 heads into the eighth round of the 2013 season.

There wasn’t much wrong with the ‘old’ Silverstone layout, in fact, it was pretty darn special. The magnificent Copse corner, the breathtaking Maggots and Becketts section, ultra quick Stowe corner is enough to make any race fan nostalgic. Nevertheless, an upgrade in time for the 2010 grand prix vaulted the circuit into the 21^st Century and what is considered the modern Formula 1 era. But it wasn’t some wishy washy attempt. The major overhaul of the paddock area was slick and eye-catchingly impressive and the changes to the layout, importantly, retained the essence of what makes this place great.

It wouldn’t be Silverstone if the perennially unpredictable weather wasn’t a topic of conversation. The British weather is sure to have its say at some stage during the weekend and the forecast predicts showers for Friday with low temperatures present throughout the weekend.

Three weeks have elapsed since the Canadian GP but F1 is after all the sport that never sleeps. Sebastian Vettel has entrenched himself deeper into the Red Bull Racing family by extending his contract to the end of the 2015 season. Talks about who will partner the German continue as Mark Webber is yet to announce his plans for 2014.

Mercedes escaped the International tribunal in France with a mere slap on the wrist. The Brackley based team was called to the tribunal in Paris on the 20^th of June to explain a secret 1000 kilometer tyre test they had completed after the Spanish GP. Despite being found to be in breach of the sporting regulations Mercedes’ only penalty was a ban from the young driver’s test slated for mid-July. It seems tad light considering the possible advantage that they could’ve gained. Ironically, the two races following the Spanish GP, both street tracks, wouldn’t have given any indication if Mercedes’ had gleaned a genuine advantage from the test. Silverstone is a return to a ‘proper’ high-speed F1 circuit and should be a better gauge.

With any luck it will also be a return to proper racing instead of days spent in front of tribunals and waiting for verdicts. Patience is what Kimi Raikkonen has called for in his pursuit of the driver’s crown. The Finn has conceded a hefty forty points to Sebastian Vettel but believes that the title is still within reach. In pursuit of his quest Lotus is planning its biggest upgrade package of the year at this weekend’s race. Lotus’ track operations director, Alan Permane, laid out the parts that will be fitted to the car. “We have a tighter, figure-hugging bodywork package which should give some benefit; especially if the weather is quite cool at Silverstone. There’s a new front wing, suspension profiles and suspension upgrades in addition to various other aero upgrades, which combine to give us what should be our biggest step forward of the year.”

There are a few others drivers who will have the same desire for the top step of the podium. Mark Webber has been more than handy around Silverstone in the past and needs a good performance to bolster his lacklustre season. By having won the race on two previous occasions and the very fact that he is Fernando Alonso the Ferrari driver will be a factor.

There aren’t many things better than a grand prix in the very heart of motorsport; besides the fact that twenty-two of the world’s best drivers will add 52 more laps of history to magnificent Silverstone.

June 27, 2013
Silverstone F1 Grand Prix Preview Quotes – McLaren

Here’s what Jenson Button, Sergio Perez and Martin Whitmars had to say ahead of the upcoming Silverstone Grand Prix this weekend.

Jenson Button, McLaren
“Any driver’s home race is a special thing, but racing at Silverstone means so much to me: it’s the place where I grew up watching Formula 1 – I
first came here in 1994 – and it’s also a race that means so much to grand prix racing’s history and heritage. It’s just unique: to race on the same track as Fangio, Clark, Stewart and Senna is cool, and you always feel the echoes of the past when you arrive at the circuit for the first time. Even though it’s almost changed beyond recognition since 1950, and is now one of the best grand prix facilities in the world, it’s still lost none of that special atmosphere. I love it. One of the most amazing things at Silverstone has been the level of support I’ve seen every single year. From the garage, on the slow-down lap, on the drivers’ parade, or just on the way to the paddock in the morning, you see the fans cheering you on.

Silverstone really reverberates to fan-power. After our difficult weekend in Canada, I’ll be hoping for a more representative weekend at home. Although the race in Montreal was disappointing, I still feel that it wasn’t a fully accurate reflection of where we are as a team – on a smoother track like Silverstone, I’m optimistic that we’ll fare better. Of course, I don’t want to raise everyone’s expectations: I think the fans know what to expect. For me, my goal will be to get the maximum from the package and to race as hard as I can – that’ll be a satisfactory outcome for me next weekend.”

Sergio Perez, McLaren
“It’s exciting to be going to Silverstone for my first ‘home’ race with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. Like McLaren, Silverstone is a place with an
incredible amount of history – it’s cool that you can look at old black-and-white photos of the British Grand Prix and still clearly recognise corners like Copse and Stowe, and the Hangar Straight. It’s amazing to think that the circuit has been in use since the very first race of the Formula 1 World Championship. I like Silverstone, and I usually go well there: I had a good race in 2011, when I finished seventh, and I feel confident I could have had a points finish last year until I had an accident with Pastor [Maldonado].

After a tough weekend in Canada, we’ll be looking for a stronger showing in front of the team’s home fans. We are steadily making progress – I’m hopeful of a better showing next weekend.”

Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
“The Santander British Grand Prix is an extremely special race for everybody at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. Of course, Silverstone is our home race, which naturally makes it feel different from every other event on the calendar, but, regardless, there’s a unique atmosphere on display at
Silverstone. It’s a place where Formula 1 encounters both the support and expectation of the most passionate and knowledgeable crowd of the
entire season. That can be uplifting and daunting in equal measure. The circuit itself is tough to master: it still retains enough of the
original wartime layout to successfully link it to the past, but it’s probably the best example in the world of how a track can be updated and
re-profiled in order to meet modern safety standards and yet still maintain the challenge required for contemporary Formula 1. Most
importantly, it’s an absolutely fabulous high-speed challenge that the drivers love, and which provides the opportunity to witness Formula 1 at
its unfettered best.”

June 26, 2013