F1 Madness

Tag: Valtteri Bottas

  • 2018 Russian GP: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    2018 Russian GP: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)

    2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    3 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

    TRACK INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Paul Di Resta )

     

    Q: Valtteri, I have to say, an incredible lap. Your team-mate looked in supreme form, but you go the job done and you got pole position on a track where you took your first win last year.

    Valtteri BOTTAS: Thanks, yeah, it was a nice lap. In the end I managed to also improve a little bit. I don’t know what happened, I think he aborted his lap. It feels good. I’ve still got a bit of the shakes. It takes some concentration, but it was fun.

     

    Q: Did it take that much to get pole position? I can see you’re still shaking, the emotion are trying to get on top. Lewis on supreme form at the moment coming up behind you to congratulate you.

    VB: Yeah, maybe I don’t look like it, but I’m really happy, for sure. But it’s only the first step in this weekend. It’s a massively long run from the start line to Turn 1, so it’s going to be important to try to keep that position.

     

    Q: You can be happiest today, you got the job done. Lewis, another front row lock-out by Mercedes. You looked like you did a very good sector, but just lost it out of Turn 7?

    Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, first of all a big congratulations to Valtteri, he has been driving all weekend and just did the better job. It’s a great track and the weather is fantastic and we have a great crowd. It was intense naturally as it always is. Just my last two laps were not special at all! But you can’t always get it right and at least we are still in the fight for the race tomorrow. But the team are doing an amazing job, so really happy with the 1-2.

     

    Q: You did the good job in Singapore. You got the best qualifying lap of everybody and you managed to control the race. You’ve come here with an upgrade and the car is working very well. How much do you owe to the team to keep that momentum and to keep that carrying on for you to take the fight to Sebastian?

    LH: We rely fully on the team. The guys back at the factory, the guys here do an impeccable job and it’s really motivating to see new upgrades come, just to see the evolution of the car throughout the year, because I’m the one that gets to go out and test it. And as I said, a big thank you to everyone here in Russia for having us, because it’s a beautiful place so far.

     

    Q: Sebastian, P3 today. I think we can say it’s not over, this weekend, but it’s very difficult from Ferrari’s point of view. Mercedes have come here with some upgrades and you just haven’t had the pace, have you?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Not yet. We’ll see, maybe it happens tomorrow. Obviously it was important to get as close as possible to them, and then we’ll see. But it’s true that they have been very quick so we’ll see. Tomorrow is a long race, we’ve seen that the tyres are very important. For today, I think it should have been a bit closer, the gap, but not enough to be a threat. I had a tiny mistake in the last sector. But I knew that I had to improve by half a second, so I had to try. It didn’t work but I’m quite happy. The car felt alright, so that makes me quite positive for Sunday.

     

    Q: It’s a long run down to Turn 2, which is the first braking zone. Do you think you can use the extra power you’ve normally got and equally is it your best chance of getting on top of these two?

    SV: I hope so. I just spoke to Valtteri and reminded him of what happened here last year. Maybe we can turn it around; that would be nice. I think it depends on the start, the initial jump, that’s important. Then I think you know where you are and then we see what we can do for the first corner but after that, as I said, it’s a long race. Tricky one, but for sure if there’s a gap we’ll go for it.

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE

     

    Q: Valtteri, after a fairly tough run of form, you said you wanted a big result, so how sweet does this pole position feel today?

    VB: For sure it feels good. I’ve only once on pole, earlier this year in Austria, so it’s been a bit long since last time, so it is a good feeling. Coming into this weekend I knew that normally this has been a pretty good track for me and again managed to get some good laps in qualifying and the car just felt really, really strong. As the times show, I think the team has done an exceptional job again, bringing new bits again at this race. We’re just step-by-step improving this car, which is going to be really important for the rest of the year with the championship fight

     

    Q: Congratulations. Lewis, fastest in Q1 and fastest in Q2. It’s still a Mercedes one-two, but just talk us through your session, finishing second today?

    LH: Well, big congratulations to Valtteri, he did a great job in Q3. It’s been a really good weekend so far, honestly. I really can’t complain. I don’t know where it really got away from me in Q3 but I struggled a little bit and Valtteri obviously picked up quite a bit of pace. The middle sector was where I was slacking, as I’d call it. Anyway, it’s great to have a one-two and it’s a long way down to Turn 1 so we’ll still have a fight at least tomorrow. It’s going to be a long race, for sure.

    Q: Seb, third place today and with the pace that Mercedes’ showed in FP2, FP3 and then earlier in qualifying as well, do you think Ferrari maximised its potential today?

    SV: Yes.

     

    Q: …and in that case, what’s the potential for tomorrow?

    SV: Well, we go racing. You never know what’s going to happen. I think… I was joking with Valtteri earlier that he should remember what happened last year where he was third, I was on pole. But you never know. It depends on the start. It depends on so many things. So, we will see. As I said, we will go racing and try to do, obviously, our best. It’s been a bit of a tricky one for us. We didn’t have the pace by quite a big gap, which is a surprise but it is like this and we will fight as much as we can tomorrow.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

     

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Lewis, question for you. You mentioned the time loss in the middle sector so far. Can you talk us through where you think you’ve been losing that time – and did that have any bearing on the mistake on the second run, just knowing you had a little bit of time to find?

    LH: The middle sector hadn’t been too bad throughout qualifying. Q1 was really good and then Q2 wasn’t so great and just generally throughout the weekend it’s been a bit up and down through that sector but been quick in the first and third. And then, yeah, the first lap in Q3, was down three-tenths in the middle sector but I was quickest in the first and last. So I knew I had to push quite a lot because I knew also he would gain time, so it wasn’t three tenths it has half a second I needed to improve. And so just over-egged it a little bit. I think I picked up a little bit of dirt on my outside tyres and then there was less grip there for the next corner.

     

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – globoesporte.com) To Sebastian. What’s the main problem in your car? Your tyres don’t reach the temperature? They go over temperature? Or they are normal and you have understeer? Oversteer?

    SV: To be honest, I was pretty happy. I think the car was pretty good. The balance was pretty good. I think it peaked in Q3 just the way it should so I think we got everything we could. I had a tiny bit of a mistake because I knew I had half a second to find, not just a couple of hundredths, so should have been two-tenths up on the last lap – but yeah, I was pretty happy with the car. It’s not like there’s a big issue with car balance. I think we reached out full potential today.

     

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Question for all three drivers. We’ve seen that the track’s been resurfaced slightly on the approach to Turn One and that means the first row of the grid will definitely start on the new tarmac. Not sure if the second row of the grid gets it. How much has that come up with your discussions with the teams this weekend? Have you talked about it – and do you think it could make any difference off the start tomorrow?

    VB: I think it’s a little bit unknown, to say exactly how much there is going to be a grip difference, if there is going to be – but usually new tarmac tends to have a bit more grip – but also it depends on the type of tarmac. We’ve been only driving around that part of the track in non grip-limited conditions, so flat-out. We’ll find out tomorrow how it’s going to affect.

     

    Lewis, do you see it affecting the starts?

    LH: I really don’t know. Pretty much the same as what Valtteri said. So, tarmac’s always different but we’ve not done a start out there, so I anticipate it’ll probably be different to the older stuff – but whether it’s better or worse, we’ll find out. Hopefully better.

     

    And Seb, your thoughts on the grid?

    SV: I don’t know. I thought P3 is also just in the range. If not, that’s not good. I think the grip should be a bit higher. I think it’s wrong to resurface just a bit, whether that’s positions one-two-three, or four-five-six, eight-nine-ten, it doesn’t matter. If you resurface something of the grid you should resurface everything. But it is what it is.

     

    Q: (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) A question for the two (Mercedes) drivers: of course there is a championship on the table. I would like to know about that, from both of you. How is the strategy for tomorrow? Valtteri, are you free to race completely or to look a little bit for your teammate at the start, particularly? And for Sebastian, I would like to know if you can explain what happened after Singapore, just because some new parts didn’t work or there was something else wrong?

    VB: My approach to the race tomorrow is definitely just trying to win the race. You can’t have any other goal, starting from the pole so that’s going to be the aim, for sure, but of course we’re here as a team, we’re fighting for both championships. Obviously Lewis is leading the championship with a bit of a gap to Sebastian and a very big gap to me, so always need to keep those things in mind but yeah, my approach, starting the race, is trying to win and we’ll then see how it goes.

    LH: I think all of our goals is to try and win this race. It’s a difficult track on which to try and overtake so the start will be an interesting one and after that it’s partly about strategy which we’re all pretty much on the same (strategy). We just give it everything we’ve got.

     

    Q: And Seb, your thoughts on Ferrari’s form at Singapore compared to here?

    SV: Well, I don’t think it’s too different. Obviously in Singapore I think we were looking a bit more competitive until qualifying. Then, for various reasons, we didn’t get a very good session but I think also on Sunday it was true that we didn’t have enough pace. I don’t think anything has happened, to be honest. I think the races that we’ve seen so far have been quite close. I don’t think there was a race where we had really that superior pace in the race. I think it was always a match on Sunday, at best for us. On Saturday I think it’s been one way or the other but yeah, for sure, yesterday we didn’t get a very good feeling but I think today the car was really good and I was quite happy in qualifying. I didn’t have much to complain about but we’re still not quick enough so I think it’s just what we saw today but tomorrow is the race and that’s what we focus on now.

     

    Q: (Valery Kartashev – Racing News Agency) My question is not about qualifying. You know the current situation where we have only two seats available in Formula One and much more young drivers who would like to be a Formula One driver but have no opportunity to do this. And yesterday, Lando Norris actually said that the Formula Two car is quite fun to drive, so maybe they would like to continue to do GP3 or Formula Two but there is one problem. There are no more spectators in the grandstands, so what about if you, instead of giving all the interviews on Thursday, have one race in a Formula Two car so we could see you in the same cars and spectators go to the autodrome and the young drivers could use your result as a benchmark.

    SV: Yeah, anything’s better than interviews! I think it would be fun. In the past racing drivers were a lot more all-rounders, they raced in different cars, different categories. Nowadays motor sport has changed, the sport has changed and everything has got more professional, more serious so there’s also not that much time maybe on hand but I think it would be nice to drive more often and talk less.

     

    Q: Lewis, you won the GP2 title but would you go back to race a Formula Two car against some of the current guys?

    LH: I don’t really feel the need to. We’re already racing too much in my opinion, and I don’t want to drive a slower car. GP2, it’s the best thing you’ve ever driven up until you’ve driven a Formula One car. I’m pretty sure there’s not a single driver who’s driven a Formula One car who says I want to go back to a GP2 car. I don’t really see the benefit of it, to be honest. GP2 is not there for spectators, it’s a proving ground for young guys to get to Formula One, so I don’t really have an answer there.

     

    Q: And Valtteri, would you rather race a Formula Two car on a Thursday than do interviews?

    VB: If I could chose, I definitely would drive but I’m not that keen to race there. Like Seb said, it is pretty professional nowadays and there’s not much time and you want to invest more of your time or your thoughts or your commitment to this sport if you want to be at the top really.

  • 2018 Russian GP: Thursday Press Conference

    2018 Russian GP: Thursday Press Conference

    DRIVERS – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes), Marcus Ericsson (Sauber), Sergey SIROTKIN (Williams), Charles LECLERC (Sauber)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Marcus, Sauber announced this week that Antonio Giovinazzi will be racing next season but you’re going to be remaining with the team in 2019, so just give us your reaction to the news about what’s happening next year.

    Marcus ERICSSON: Yeah, it’s obviously disappointing to be not racing. It’s all you want to do; you want to race. It’s not good news for me, obviously. Still, I’m happy to be able to continue my relationship with the team but then yeah, let’s see. I want to race still, so I’m looking at different options on how to keep doing that and looking at everything really, what I can do, in what series and what it could be – but it’s still a bit early. It’s quite fresh, this news, so I need to look at my options. Overall, of course, I would like to stay.

     

    Q: You said on social media ‘it’s not the end of the story – just the start of a new chapter’ but does it feel like it’s the end of the Formula One chapter, in your eyes?

    ME: No. My goal is still to come back into Formula One. I think for 2019 that’s not going to happen but hopefully after that there will be possibilities to come back. That’s still the goal, to come back to Formula One.

     

    Q: Sergey, moving onto you next. You raced here in what was GP2 but this will be your first Russian Grand Prix as a Formula One driver – so it must be a special weekend for you.

    Sergey SIROTKIN: It is. It’s going to be special, for sure. Obviously being here almost every year, since F1 came here, I raced here in GP2 but it’s all quite different form being here as a race Formula One Driver. I can feel it already now, it’s a lot of attention, a lot of support, which is very nice to feel as a driver, it’s very nice to feel especially in the situation we are this year. I mean, it’s a lot more activity, it’s a bit of… y’know… I would say it’s a bit more difficult to manage all of that but I mean, I try to get the best from it, I try to get energy from it and keep going. So, it is a pleasure to be here and race in front of the home crowd.

     

    Q: That’s the specifics of this weekend – but more generally, do you know what you’ll be doing in 2019 yet?

    SS: I definitely know what I want to be doing. I’m not sure I can guarantee something right here, right now, but, I mean, I think it’s quite obvious, with the way everything is developing, I think it’s quite obvious what I want and it’s something that should happen quite soon. Yeah, I have no guarantees right now, right here, but at the same time I’m not too much worried about the future, let’s say.

     

    Q: Valtteri, this will be Sergey’s first grand prix here in Formula One and this was the scene of your first Formula One victory for Mercedes last year – so does it bring back special memories, returning to Sochi?

    Valtteri BOTTAS: Definitely. You never forget the first time. It was a good memory and it will be nice to be back here. Strong track normally. I’ve had pretty decent races so in that way it’s a nice approach to the weekend.

     

    Q: You had more wins after this win here during last season but 2017 was the last time you won a grand prix. How do you go about turning that around this weekend?

    VB: No wins for me this year yet but there’s still a bit of the season left and I come here with only one thing on my mind and that is being on the pole and winning the race.

     

    Q: Charles, you’ve a few weeks now to digest where you’ll be racing next year, and you called it a dream come true, to be moving teams. Can we ask, in those dreams, have you started thinking about your first grand prix victory yet?

    Charles LECLERC: No, not yet, it’s still very far away. First of all, I have to finish this season on a high, which is for now the main importance to me. There are still six races to go, so I’ll first try to focus on that. Obviously, it’s a dream come true to be racing for Ferrari next year – but I’m trying to take it out of my mind to focus fully on the end of this season.

     

    Q: Focussing on that then, what is it you want to do with Sauber in these final six races. What are the things you still need to learn and work on ahead of your move?

    CL: I think you can always improve. To learn, I still think I can learn in everything. So there is still a lot to learn. The target for the end of the season is to try to keep our form. It’s not going to be easy, because, as the team already mentioned, we started to focus, or the team started to focus, on next year’s car and I believe some of the other teams are still pushing a little bit to gain some positions in the championship – so it’s not an easy situation to be in, but we will try to keep our form.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

     

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Question for Marcus. The confirmation that you would be reserve driver obviously followed pretty immediately after Sauber confirmed its driver lineup. So, it’s not like you had to face speculation in public about what you would be doing or if you would drive for another team. So, how much notice did you get have? How aware were you that was coming? And did you have much opportunity to look at maybe Williams for next year or staying in F1 in a race role?

    ME: I think when Kimi signed, I think that was bad news for me. I was still hoping but then obviously over the past weekend I got the information that Antonio had signed for the other car. And then yeah, my management were looking around a little bit but we decided to continue with Sauber and the relationship there, which we think is important. And then yeah, we go from there basically.

    Q: (Andrey Kirsanov – Sputnik News Agency) My question is to Sergey Sirotkin, to our champion. As you know, the last edition of Formula 1 in Singapore, Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes, he won this edition. So what are your expectations for this edition in Sochi, how are you preparing and who are your main rivals in this time?

    SS: Tricky question because everybody speaks that we are coming here to Sochi and that it should be a special event and so on and so on, but at the end of the day, in terms of preparation, how you build up your weekend, how you prepare yourself and how you do all your work with the team, it doesn’t really change much at all. It doesn’t matter if you go to Sochi or you go wherever else, every time you try to do your job, you try to do it as good as you can. If I could do anything better than I could I would do it a long time ago, I wouldn’t wait for here. So, I wouldn’t say there is anything different. I wouldn’t say anything different in terms of our opponents or whatever. So yeah, again we just try to do the best from where we are and maximise the situation and I’m afraid that’s it.

     

    And your main rivals?

    SS: It’s exactly the same as any other single race. First of all I think we should look at ourselves because I think it’s that type of track where we can have surprises, in both ways, in a good way and in bad way, and depending on that it will put us either closer or further away from the teams we want to be fighting with, so it’s quite difficult to say. But there’s not much movement around the field now anyway, so I would say nothing is going to be much different from what we saw in, let’s say, the recent three, four or five races.

     

    Q: (Valery Kartashev – Racing News Agency) My question is to everybody. In Singapore, Lewis Hamilton said his passion for music and the fashion industry helps him to stay motivated, so my question is: do you have something outside Formula 1 that helps you to stay motivated and recharge the batteries?

    VB: Yeah, I think everyone definitely has some things they have time to do between the races. I think for me personally it’s been always… I love sports. It’s a way of staying healthy and a way of getting rid of stress that we can experience with this sport. If I have free time, which I didn’t really have since the last race, but if I have, it’s nice to see the family, friends that you don’t normally get to see. Personally, I love nature, so sometimes a proper escape to hiking or some mountains or something is nice.

    ME: Yeah, I’m a bit the same like Valtteri. I enjoy sports in general. I recently opened a paddle centre, so I play quite a lot of that with my friend. I enjoy that a lot. And then, I’m an ice hockey freak, so I watch a lot of ice hockey.

    CL: First of all, what motivates me is the results. To me, it’s just trying to work as hard as possible to get the best result possible then on track. Then what relaxes me is just staying with the family and friends in Monaco. Nothing special to be honest.

    SS: I would repeat what Valtteri says. I mean most of my life is anyway dedicated to the cars, so anything related to that – I’m never really going far away from it. Again, some type of training. I do like also to stay with the family, to go to see some nature, to be as switched off as possible at certain points from racing. So nothing really much unusual I would say.

     

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) To all drivers, I start with Valtteri. You started third position and you became first before… at the end of the straight you got a good two from Sebastian, overtook him. And we saw this year also, Sebastian starting behind Lewis in Spa, the same situation; he overtook him after the starting grid and a long straight. Circuits like this, it’s interesting to maybe start from second position or even third rather than pole position?

    VB: Yeah, it is tricky one here. It is an extremely long run into Turn 2. Last year I missed the pole by, I think, less than one tenth, which maybe in the end was good, I got a nice tow. But you also need a good start for that. I think still you would like to be on pole because from pole if you get a good start there is… I think if you look at the past, 2015 and 2016, who started on pole could keep the first place into Turn 2. It is a tricky one. Now I think there is a bit of resurfacing done, which affects position one and two. Normally when there is new tarmac it means there is more grip so potentially you would like to be in the first two places.

     

    Marcus, you’ve raced here before, is this a circuit you can make big gains at into Turn 2?

    ME: Yeah, I think when it’s a long run into the first braking zone, it’s obviously important with a good start but then you need to look for a good tow, especially these days with the heavy downforce cars, it can make a difference. But as Valtteri says, you still need a good start, to get the momentum on the people around you. But it definitely opens up a bit of a mixture of positions, because it’s such a long run, you know. Some other tracks, like Singapore, even if you do it a good start it’s difficult to make up from it, but here it can really make a difference and you can gain quite a lot of positions.

     

    Charles, it will be the first time you race here, so is this something you look at when you come to a new circuit?

    CL: Yeah, you do, but it’s quite difficult to speak when you don’t know the track. Starts haven’t been my strong point this year; I think I struggled quite a bit. But to know there’s a long straight will for sure help overtakes after the start, but apart from that I don’t really know what to say. I don’t know this track so…

     

    Sergey, did you have a similar experience in GP2?

    SS: I don’t really remember how it was in GP2, but for sure this kind of track, the speed you approach Turn 2 for the braking and the speed you actually want to brake down to for the apex, it’s quite a big offset, so you can still do something. But again, it all should start with a good launch initially. Without that, it doesn’t matter how long is the straight you won’t really be able to do much.

     

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) In Singapore we had blue flags as a topic in the race and afterwards. It seems to have split opinion on their merit in Formula One. What are your respective thoughts on blue flags? Should they be dropped or do they still have a place? Could it be implemented differently? What do you think?

    SS: Firstly, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced it as the leading car, obviously, so I can imagine that for the leaders it’s as painful as it is for us. It’s one story when you’re just finishing your race and you’re not really fighting but there are some other occasions when we’re still fighting for positions and for us it’s quite painful to find a good safe way for ourselves, first of all, to let the leading cars pass by. Honestly, I don’t think I have the best experienced to comment if I wish to keep that or if I wish to get rid of it but yeah…

    CL: Well, in Singapore first of all, I would like to thank Sergey because if my strategy worked that well it’s thanks to him also.

    SS: It was a pleasure.

    CL: I think if it’s done well, it’s the right thing to have in Formula One but then in Singapore it was a bit of a mess, I think. At one point, the marshals were waving yellow flags at me for several laps but I had nobody behind or more than one second or quite a lot more, actually. If it’s done properly I think it should stay but we just need to fix this issue for next year in Singapore.

    ME: I think it’s always difficult with the blue flags and there are always arguments between the top cars compared to the guys they are lapping and it’s always two opinions there. I think we’ve tried 1.5 seconds, we’ve been down to one second and now I think it’s 1.2s. It’s difficult to find the perfect solution. I think it changes from track to track. In my opinion I think 1.2s is a good compromise. It’s never going to be perfect, but I think it’s just part of the sport, part of the race and I think as it is now I think is the best solution in my opinion, that’s the most fair for both the top and the guys who are getting lapped as well. I can also understand the frustration in the case of Valtteri in Singapore, obviously, because it’s a track where it’s very difficult to get close enough but at the same the guys who they are lapping are also having a race and fighting for points so it is a very difficult subject but I think where it is now is a good compromise.

    VB: Well yes, first of all I’m definitely happy to keep the blue flags. I’ve been on both sides, really. I’ve been blue-flagged many times as well. I think honestly, as Marcus says, it really depends on different tracks. Sometimes this new 1.2s rule is good and sometimes it’s a bit tricky to get close enough to trigger the blue flags, like what happened to me in Singapore but it is also going to be a compromise, it’s never going to be perfect. In the end, for all the lead cars lapping, it is the same. Sometimes you get more luck with it, sometimes more unlucky and that’s how it goes. For now it’s fine.

     

    Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Sergey, what are your thoughts on the recent success of Russian drivers you met before, in two years’ time in the Formula One paddock? Is it a question of growing motor racing culture in your country or the chance to have big companies to support you?

    SS: I think it’s a good question. I think it’s a bit of both generally,  the racing getting more and more popular which obviously gives more chances, initially, for the drivers first of all, more like a base and I think we will see it even more in the future. Same for the companies: there are more and more companies and different organisations and so on starting to be interested in supporting the racing, whatever it could be. It could be drivers’ sponsorship, it could be like that here. Many companies supporting the track activity here in Sochi or other things similar in Moscow or whatever. Yeah, there’s definitely a lot more movement around this sport nowadays than there’s been, even when I started so it’s a good way to keep going and to improve it. I think it’s still just beginning and I think what’s going on on the base what we have today is going to come in quite a few years and I think it will be quite an impressive improvement.

  • F1 2018: Russian Gp Preview – In-form Mercedes Favourites

    F1 2018: Russian Gp Preview – In-form Mercedes Favourites

    If the Singapore grand prix was a must win for Ferrari then the race in Russia this weekend and the twenty-five points on offer are even more critical from Sebastian Vettel’s perspective.

    The 2018 Formula 1 season started with a lot of promise for Ferrari. In Australia they hit the ground running and genuinely seemed to have built a great racecar. It’s true, they did built an extremely quick and perhaps even championship-winning car but they’ve never really hit their stride. Sure, there were a handful of victories in the early part of the season but their inconsistency has always lurked not too far away.  Not inconsistency in speed per say but in executing strategy and clinical decision-making. The irony here is that this is an area in which Ferrari has struggled for a number of years and it may, still, be something they’re not aware of. Instead they diverted and invested all attention and energy into producing a quick car and they have but it isn’t enough to win a world championship against an opposition like Mercedes.

    Though they are imperative Mercedes’s might isn’t only in the car it produces or Lewis Hamilton. Many would have you believe that Vettel throwing away 25 points at the German grand prix was likely the seminal moment of the season but they would be mistaken. The Singapore grand prix weekend was far more pivotal. Not because Ferrari could only manage third but for how Mercedes turned around their fortunes on a circuit where they had been embarrassed previously. For all to see the brilliance of the entire Mercedes operation was put on display. It allowed a for a glimpse of their unyielding tenacity and their relentless drive for success on and, importantly, off the track.

    Russia 2016_Mercedes Pit WallThe result in Singapore will have galvanized the team and infused them with an unshakeable believe that the both 2018 titles are very much within their grasp.

    The next step is the Russian grand prix and the Sochi Autodrom.  Built by F1 architect Herman Tilke the 5.8 km long circuit has several distinguishing features with the most prominent being turn 3, a 750-meter constant radius left-hander. Besides a long fairly straight and flat-out drag to turn 2 the rest of the lap is littered with 90-degree corners that lends the middle sector its fast and flowing nature. Because the track is built around the Olympic Park it utlises some of the internal roads of the park making it, effectively, a street circuit. However, there will be no fear for the durability of the Hypersoft tyre this weekend as the track surface of the Sochi Autodrom is notoriously smooth.

    sirotkinThere is no way to hide the fact that the Williams F1 team has endured one of the most difficult seasons in its storied history. Far from competitive the once championship winning team has been nailed to the back of the grid for most of the 2018 season. But it’s not all doom and gloom as the team recently advanced to the final part of qualifying in Italy and followed it with a double points score in the race. Tenth place in Italy secured Sergey Sirotkin’s first points in F1. As the third Russian driver to compete in the sport, following Vitaly Petrov and Daniil Kvyat, Sirotkin has been, mostly, under the radar. But he’s been quite impressive even if the results don’t reflect it. Besides driving the wheels, figuratively, off his Williams and ekeing out every last milli-second of speed his demeanour outside of the car has been noteworthy. Never one to criticize he’s remained positive and continually looked to boost the morale of the team with what he says. While talk is cheap in F1 and it wont make you go any faster it does boost self-esteem in a moment when Williams needs all it can get.

    Formula 1 often tends towards throwing up contrary results and you predict it at your peril. But on current form Mercedes should see the chequered flag first on Sunday unless Ferrari can get its house in order.

  • F1 2018: Singapore Gp Review – Mercedes Rule Marina Bay

    F1 2018: Singapore Gp Review – Mercedes Rule Marina Bay

    The Singapore grand prix was not a classic by any stretch of the imagination. But Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

    A stunning lap on Saturday assured Lewis Hamilton pole position and, arguably, meant half the job was done come Sunday. He wasn’t challenged off the line either and was well in control of all of the 61 laps. Max Verstappen, who produced an equally impressive lap to qualify second, fell behind third-place starter Sebastian Vettel just as the safety car was deployed on lap.

    While those at the front were well behaved through turns one, two, and three the Force India pitwall watched on in dismay as their drivers collided. On-board footage showed Sergio Perez steering into the side of Esteban Ocon with the latter ending up in the wall and out of the race. Though stewards deemed it a ‘racing incident’ the Force India team principal Otmar Szafnaeur called the incident “completely outrageous” and instituted team orders for the remainder of the season.

    This wasn’t Perez’s only adventure during the Singapore grand prix either. Later on his strategy saw him stuck behind the Sergey Sirotkin for a number of laps during which he became increasingly frustrated. As he finally managed to make his way past the Williams he clearly lost his mind as he deliberately crashed into the side of Sirotkin. Surprisingly, race stewards deemed a drive-though penalty enough of a punishment for Perez.

    0026It’s a shockingly light punishment in view of other penalties given to drivers throughout the season. The British grand prix and the Raikkonen/Hamilton incident come to mind. In that case, Raikkonen had locked-up and banged wheels with Hamilton sending the Brit into a spin on lap one. Normally, stewards take a more lenient approach to lap one incidents but in this case they slapped a ten second penalty on Raikkonen.

    And because it was on lap one it effectively turned into a ten second stop-go penalty.  In this case Perez had deliberately crashed into the side of another car and, unbelievably, got away with a mere slap on the wrist. The stewards have set a dangerous precedent with how they have handled this situation.

    While the midfield were involved in quite a battle for positions those at the front were trundling around in a procession with Hamilton firmly in control.  Though Vettel was relatively close behind Hamilton he was never able to make a move for the lead. Clearly frustrated with proceedings Ferrari rolled the dice on strategy. The problem with this approach is that in Formula 1 you don’t roll the dice or take a chance on strategy. It must be a well thought out decision-making process that is going to improve the driver’s position in the race. This is an area where Ferrari are have been, plainly, mediocre.

    Though there is no telling if Vettel had the ultimate pace to beat Hamilton Ferrari’s strategy made sure he never had the opportunity to find out. The opening stint of the race was characterized by drivers trying to eek out their tyre life which saw the frontrunners run, mostly, at the same pace. However, as soon as Hamilton started pumping in fastest sectors Ferrari didn’t respond in kind. Instead they called Vettel in and armed him with a set of Ultrasoft tyres that could ‘potentially’ made it to the chequered flag. Though Hamilton pitted the next lap he fitted the Soft compound tyre, which were sure to easily make it to the end of the race.

    0007Even if Ferrari wanted to try the undercut strategy to get ahead of Hamilton fitting the Soft tyre was still the better strategy, as it was a long shot to work no matter which tyre he left the pitlane with. It was as if Ferrari were too impatient to see how things would pan out and, therefore, pulled Vettel in too early. Conversely, Raikkonen and Ricciardo were able to run 26 laps on the Hypersoft before switching to the Soft compound. As a result Ferrari left their driver without the ability to fight Hamilton and Verstappen, who also got ahead because of Vettel’s early stop. Because he didn’t know if the Ultras would last to the end of the race he couldn’t push as hard as he would have on the more durable Soft tyres. In fact, Raikkonen’s strategy would’ve been much better suited to Vettel. The worst-case scenario, with the Raikkonen-strategy, is that he would’ve finished third which he did anyway. There’s some irony in that.

    As it were Vettel slinked home in a distant third ahead of Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo in fourth, fifth, and sixth. Some fifty seconds behind the Red Bull in seventh was Fernando Alonso while Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top ten.

    This win on the Singapore streets could be the most significant of the lot as far as 2018 is concerned. It wasn’t too long ago that Mercedes were woeful around the slow corners of the Marina Bay Circuit. And while Hamilton produced an exquisite lap to take pole and controlled the race on Sunday the win in Singapore is a true testament to the might of the entire Mercedes team.

    Hamilton and Mercedes have struck a hammer blow, pardon the pun, to Vettel and Ferrari’s chances of winning the 2018 title. This result gives Hamilton a mammoth 40-point lead over Vettel heading to Russia in two weeks time.

     

  • F1 2018: Italian Gp Review – Hamilton Snatches Victory

    F1 2018: Italian Gp Review – Hamilton Snatches Victory

    What a difference a day can make. On Saturday the Tifosi were in raptures as Ferrari locked out the front row of the grid with Kimi Raikkonen setting the fastest lap, in terms of average speed, in Formula 1 history.

    But Ferrari’s front row lockout didn’t go anything like they would’ve planned.While it was a relatively clean start for polesitter Kimi Raikkonen the other Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel got caught up with Lewis Hamilton into the second chicane. Vettel and Hamilton came together with the Ferrari driver coming off worse for wear and with a broken front wing which dropped him to plumb last.

    The move by Hamilton was deemed a racing incident and rightly so. Though Vettel may want to believe that the Merc driver didn’t leave him enough space it simply isn’t the case. Instead Vettel could benefit from some serious self-reflection. The old adage goes that you cannot win a race in the first corner but you can certainly lose it. In this instance Vettel should have kept calm and bided his time. But in the moment, as has happened before, he failed to see the bigger picture. This result could have serious ramifications for Vettel and his bid for a fifth driver’s title.

    Hamilton had briefly taken the lead but Raikkonen brilliantly regained it with a move around the outside of the Mercedes driver into the Della Roggia chicane. The Safety Car was deployed to recover the stricken Toro Rosso of Brendon Hartley but Raikkonen handled the re-start easily and maintained the lead of the race. From there Raikkonen kept his Ferrari ahead albeit by a scant second.

    0041The speed of racing around Monza meant the pitstop phase was upon the drivers fairly quickly. Mercedes sent out a pitcrew into the pitlane suggesting that they would call in Hamilton. However, no pitstop eventuated and the mechanics trundled back into the garage. Subsequently, the FIA has clarified that mock pitstops are illegal and will be policed more strictly going forward.

    As it were, Raikkonen set a blistering pace immediately after his pitstop that left with a six second gap over Hamilton. But Mercedes played the perfect strategic hand by using Valtteri Bottas to back Raikkonen into Hamilton. Though the Ferrari driver was able to hold off Hamilton for quite some time with a hand full of laps to go it was clear that his rear tyres were in a critical state. Hamilton, on slightly fresher tyres, was able to take the lead of the race and ultimately the victory.

    In fact, Raikkonen’s rear tyres were in such a critical state it’s a bit of a surprise that he managed to get to the chequered flag. This too could be viewed as a strategic error by Ferrari but one committed long before they even got to Italian grand prix. Ferrari paid the soft tyre next to no mind when it came time to select the compounds for the race. It eventually meant that the team, and Raikkonen, had little to no data and understanding as to how the compound would react and wear in long runs. Hence, they were unable to predict tyre life and likely made their pitstop too early.

    0123Much further adrift Max Verstappen finished third on the road for Red Bull but had five seconds added to his race time for banging wheels with Bottas going into turn one. This promoted Bottas to third while Vettel was ultimately able to recover to fourth. It left Verstappen in fifth while his Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo failed to reach the chequered flag with a confirmed clutch failure.

    Haas F1’s Romain Grosjean finished sixth on the road but his car was subsequently disqualified as the FIA deemed the leading edge of the floor to be illegal. The American team has since lodged an appeal. Grosjean’s disqualification promoted Esteban Ocon to sixth with his Force India teammate Sergio Perez in seventh. Carlos Sainz was eighth for Renault, the team that lodged the complaint against Haas, while Williams’ Lance Stroll was ninth and Sergey Sirotkin scored the first point of his F1 career in tenth.

    Hamilton’s win gives him a thirty point lead in the drivers standings over Vettel heading into Singapore in two weeks time.

    All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport 
  • F1 2018: Hungarian Gp Review – Hamilton Cruises to Victory

    F1 2018: Hungarian Gp Review – Hamilton Cruises to Victory

    The Hungarian grand prix weekend was never one Mercedes would’ve marked as one where they had a clear shot at the win. Its tight and twisting layout rewards superior aerodynamics and a shorter wheelbase, which are two areas where Ferrari and Red Bull hold the upper hand.

    But Formula 1 in 2018 has arguably been one of the most unpredictable seasons of this decade and likely the previous one too. Extraordinarily a downpour during Saturday qualifying nullified Mercedes’s biggest weaknesses and brought their drivers’ prowess to the fore. Lewis Hamilton took a stunning 77thcareer pole and Valtteri Bottas ensured a team lock out of the front row.

    Mercedes biggest job on race was to orchestrate a clean start and from there Hamilton would be able to control the race.  It panned out beautifully for the Silver Arrows as Bottas slotted in behind with Vettel and Raikkonen in third and fourth. Before long Hamilton had built a handy lead with the assistance of his teammate Bottas who team boss Toto Wolff referred to as a “sensational wingman” post race.

    56i0670Try as they might Ferrari couldn’t make inroads on Hamilton who never looked troubled on his way to a sixth victory around the Hungaroring. It wasn’t quite the day Red Bull had envisioned either. Max Verstappen had made a rapid start from seventh to fifth but was soon forced into retirement with yet another power unit failure this time on the MGU-K. If the Red Bull/Renault relationship was fraught before it is now boiled over and some serious questions are likely to be asked by Christian Horner and co.

    The ever dependable and impressive Daniel Ricciardo, who started 12th, made his way through the field in true Honey Badger style as he dispatched several drivers with numerous brilliant overtakes. Still Hamilton was leading with ease with a significant gap to Bottas who was now beginning to struggle on his soft compound tyres.

    Vettel was on the gearbox of the Mercedes but never within striking distance of taking the place. However, it all went off the closing stages for Vettel as he elbowed his way into second. Bottas desperately tried to maintain his position and lost a good chunk of his front wing in the process, which also allowed Raikkonen through into third. Raikkonen finished just 2.9 seconds behind Vettel despite making an extra pitstop and losing time in the pitlane. His fifth podium in a row surely means that the Finn deserves to be signed up for 2019.

    54i6661It wasn’t the last of Bottas’ woes as he frantically tried to keep Ricciardo at bay by running into the side of the Red Bull in Turn One. Ultimately Bottas was handed a ten second penalty but still finished fifth on the road behind Ricciardo. For as quick as Bottas occasionally can be, i.e. Russia and Austria, he does not have the essential mettle against the top drivers. In Bahrain earlier this year he was mugged by Vettel, similarly in Silverstone and again in Hungary Vettel doffed him up.

    Unfortunately for Bottas he’s beginning to get a reputation of being soft in wheel-to-wheel combat. It’s unquestionably an issue that he should be pondering over the break.

    Elsewhere, Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly finished a superb sixth with Kevin Magnussen of Haas in seventh. Birthday boy Fernando Alonso finished eighth ahead of Carlos Sainz and Romain Grosjean in ninth and tenth respectively. Early on Charles Leclerc was out of the race with suspension damage. Verstappen joined him on the DNF list as did Stoffel Vandoorne whose McLaren conjured up yet another gearbox failure.

    Hamilton’s win ensures him a 25-point lead in the driver’s championship standings over Vettel ahead of the Belgium grand prix on August 26.

    All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport 

  • 2018 Hungarian Grand Prix: Friday Practice Round Up

    2018 Hungarian Grand Prix: Friday Practice Round Up

    Coming into the weekend Red Bull looked the favourites for the 2018 instalment for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Come Free Practice 1 on the Friday and they showed that they were in the running from the outset with Daniel Ricciardo taking the honours in the first practice session. Free Practice 2 was more of the same up front, this time with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel taking the top spot.

    Free Practice 1

    Red Bull showed they were fast as soon as their cars hit the tarmac in the morning session. At the end of the session it was Daniel Ricciardo running an older spec Renault engine that took the top spot with a 1:17.613. Ricciardo’s time came courtesy of the soft compound tyres. The Red Bull driver ran the medium and soft compound tyres during FP1.

    Just narrowly missing out on the top spot in FP1 was the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel with a session best time of 1:17.692, just a mere 0.079s ff the pace. Vettel only ran the soft compound tyres. Kimi Raikkonen in the other Ferrari finished 4th fastest behind the other Red Bull of Max Verstappen. The top 3 drivers being covered by just 0.088s.

    It was quite a lively session with the green track proving challenging with the lack of grip in places. Marcus Ericsson spun twice in the Sauber. It was not just Ericsson that was caught out. Brendon Hartley in the Toro Rosso, and Max Verstappen also had off track excursions courtesy of  spins.

    If drivers were not spinning off the track they were locking up. Notable lock ups from Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes as well as Sauber test driver Antonio Giovinazzi.

    Both Mercedes drivers struggled for grip around the tight and twisty Hungaroring while Renault appeared best of the rest despite the Ferrari customer teams receiving new power units.

     

    Free Practice 2

    The fight between Ferrari and Red Bull continued in FP2 with Vettel topping the time sheets with a fastest time of 1:16.834 on his qualifying simulation. Max Versatppen in the Red Bull was just 0.074s off Vettel’s benchmark on his qualifying setting a time of 1:16.908. Daniel Ricciardo was 3rd fastest ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in 4th.

    Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas finished in the same spot as they finished in FP1, with Hamilton in P5 and Bottas in P6. Romain Grosjean got his Haas in P7 ahead of the Renault of Carlos Sainz in 8th.

    Pierre Gasly in the Toro Rosso and Esteban Ocon in the Force India rounded out the top 10.

    The session has fewer spins than FP1. The big one was McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne who spun at T5 after dipping a wheel on the grass just before turn-in.

    Both Mercedes cars could not get a representative qualifying simulation time with Hamilton more than half a second off the pace.

     

  • F1 2018: German Gp Review – Hamilton Delivers Miraculous Win

    F1 2018: German Gp Review – Hamilton Delivers Miraculous Win

    How dramatically the Formula 1 pendulum can swing. For most of the German grand prix pole sitter Sebastian Vettel seemed well in control and seemingly heading towards a first win at the Hockenheimgring.

    He led Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen cleanly from the start and was eking out the first stint on the ultrasoft compound. Meanwhile Hamilton, starting 14thafter a mechanical failure in quali, was scything his way through the field on the soft compound tyre. Nevertheless, before too long he was a pitstop adrift of the race leader.

    Raikkonen pitted first of the front-runners on lap fifteen. On the soft tyre the Finn delivered a string of fastest laps, which ultimately netted him the lead of the race after the pitstop phase. However, as Vettel’s tyres were twelve laps fresher the Ferrari pitwall instructed Raikkonen to let his German teammate through. Hamilton and his Mercedes team chose not to pit and completed a stunningly impressive stint of 42 laps on the soft tyre. It was unquestionably a master class in tyre management.

    By now Daniel Ricciardo, starting from the back of the grid due to penalties had pulled out of the race after reporting that he was “losing power”.  On lap 46 the rain came in and prompted several drivers, including Verstappen, into the pitlane for intermediate tyres. While the track remained slippery unfortunately for them the rain didn’t increase and they had to switch back to slicks.

    Vettel’s race too would be dramatically affected in the slippery conditions. as the race plunged into chaos with a dozen laps to go. Caught out by conditions Vettel dumped his Ferrari into the barriers and out of the race. It brought out the safety car which Raikkonen and Bottas took advantage off by switching to fresh ultrasofts.

    0090Hamilton too was initially called in only to be told to stay out. The Brit stayed out by controversially cutting the pit entry line. Post race a Mercedes team representative and Hamilton were summoned to the stewards for breaching Appendix L, Chapter IV Article 4 (d) of the FIA International Sporting Code. The regulation states that crossing the pit entry line is prohibited. While Raikkonen received a five second penalty for breaching the same rule in the 2016 Azerbaijan grand prix Hamilton was given only a reprimand. Remarkably, the stewards considered the fact that the “team candidly admitted the mistake and the fact that there was confusion” as a mitigating factor.  Considering this and the inconsistency of the rule application teams will undoubtedly store this nugget for future reference.

    Nonetheless, Hamilton’s drive was a stellar one. His control on the soft tyre and ability to master the slippery conditions makes this victory, arguably, one of the best of his career. The one two victory for Mercedes regains them the lead in the constructors standings by eight points while Hamilton returns to the top of the driver’s standings as well. Raikkonen’s third place, his fourth podium in four races, keeps his third in the standings and some would say still within striking distance should all thing be equal.

    0112Elsewhere, Verstappen finished fourth after a gamble on the intermediate tyres didn’t pay off. Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg proved best of the rest in fifth with Romain Grosjean, Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon, Marcus Ericsson, and Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley rounding out the top ten. Meanwhile, in addition to Vettel and Ricciardo both McLaren drivers and both the Williams’ failed to reach the chequered flag.

    Hamilton now takes a 17-point lead to the Hungarian grand prix next weekend where Ferrari and especially Red Bull are expected to have the upper hand.

    All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

  • F1 2018: German Gp Review – Ferrari Favourite?

    F1 2018: German Gp Review – Ferrari Favourite?

    Formula 1 returns to Germany and the Hockenheimring for the eleventh round of the absorbing 2018 season.

    Throughout the decades Germany and Formula 1 have become synonymous, arguably, because of a man named Michael Schumacher. Schumi’s unprecedented brilliance not only made him a record breaking seven times world champion but also catapulted F1 to superstardom in Germany. What’s more, Schumacher’s relentless genius easily transcended the boundaries of his sport and seeped into the consciousness of sports fans around the globe. To this day hardly anyone would speak of Formula 1 with mentioning the unmatched genius of Schumacher. Keep fighting Michael.

    These days there is another German at the forefront of the sport. Sebastian Vettel, aiming to win a fifth world title, currently leads the driver’s standings by eight points from Lewis Hamilton. And if he was determined to take victory at Silverstone one can only imagine that he’ll be even more resolute to win on home soil.

    Ferrari’s stunning pace in Silverstone would’ve come as a bit of a surprise to Mercedes given the team’ long running domination of the British circuit. Mercedes have been an incredible team at the forefront of Formula 1 for the last three and a half years. But they’ve been placed under enormous pressure in 2018. Ferrari has pushed the German mark into uncharted territory and they haven’t responded in the most elegant of ways. Off the track technical director James Allison called Raikkonen’s clash of wheels with Hamilton in Silverstone “either incompetent or deliberate”. Peculiar statements like this only tell of one thing – they’re starting to feel the pressure.

    Mercedes-Benz, MotorsportNevertheless, they are an incredibly resourceful and driven team who will bounce back sooner rather than later. Their first opportunity to do so comes this weekend around the 4.574 km Hockenheimring. The circuit’s layout is a blend of long straights and a final sector of medium-speed corners that should play to the strengths of a superior aero package and may bring Red Bull somewhat in to play.

    The hairpin in the first sector of the lap is a key area for overtaking and demands good braking performance. Despite a relatively short lap drivers and engineers seek to strike a balance between top-speed and downforce. “You’d like to have the downforce for the stadium and to keep it steady on the brakes but equally you don’t want too much drag on the straights,” says Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo.

    GP CANADA F1/2017The final sector is not favourable for overtaking but the stadium section is a vital element to what makes the German GP unique. The decidedly muted sound of Formula 1 cars should make it possible to hear the cheering of the crowds, should a certain German driver be leading the race.

    The driver’s will need to vigilant at the start of the race as the first corner tightens dramatically before opening up onto the straight. Although there is an expanse of run-off area a touching of wheels or front-wing is a high probability.

    Though it may be the home race of Mercedes it’s likely to be a difficult task for Hamilton and co to beat Ferrari to the chequered flag. And if either Hamilton or Bottas best the Italian team it’ll be 67 laps you wouldn’t want to miss.

  • F1 2018: Spanish Gp Preview – Merc, Ferrari, Red Bull In The Mix

    F1 2018: Spanish Gp Preview – Merc, Ferrari, Red Bull In The Mix

    Formula heads to Spain’s circuit de Catalunya for the fifth round of the 2018 season.

    Amid the enthralling on track action of the season there has been many, significant, developments off it. Firstly, it was recently announced that the aerodynamic rules for the 2019 will be modified with the aim of allowing cars to follow each more easily. This, the FIA hopes, will ultimately aid in overtaking. The revision include a wider, simplified front wing and brake duct with no aero winglets and a wider and deeper rear wing that will increase the effectiveness of DRS. These changes are a bit of a quick fix for the 2019 season while the FIA are planning a comprehensive overhaul of the sport’s technical regulations for 2021.

    On the face of it anything that improves the ability to overtake is a positive. However, several teams voted against the 2019 changes and for good reason. The changes proposed by the FIA aren’t trivial and will likely force several teams into completely changing aerodynamic philosophy of their cars. And a re-designed aero package precipitates a re-design that will likely cost teams a lot of money.

    Elsewhere, the local authorities of Miami will vote this week on a bid to bring F1 to Florida from 2019 onwards. The bid is being backed by Miami mayor Francis Suarez and with American-owned Liberty Media wanting to expand the sport’s presence in the US it seems like a no-brainer. The first images of a possible layout for the Miami street-track have been revealed and it features a, first-ever, bridge that runs across the water and back, an idea first touted by Bernie Ecclestone in the 1980s. With F1’s calendar already bulging with 21 races it remains to be seen how a Miami Gp will be slotted in.

    spain-hamilton-rosbergAmidst it all there is a grand prix to be had this weekend around a circuit that teams and drivers know all to well. The circuit de Catalunya has long been the pre-season testing venue of choice meaning that teams arrive at the Southern-Spain track with a vast amount of data and know-how. Still the cars tested in late-February will be significantly different to what they arrive with this weekend. What’s more, it is the traditional trend that the Spanish grand prix weekend sees several teams bolt on upgrade packages to their respective cars.

    While Lewis Hamilton may have taken victory in a chaotic Azerbaijan grand prix he has been decidedly lacking in his usually near-faultless form. Still, he comes into the weekend with a four-point lead over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and with the expectation of being near the sharp-end of the grid.

    However, what has been most thrilling about F1 in 2018 is that no grand prix weekend has been predictable. Whether it be because of safety-cars, pit strategy, or out-right pace the potential has been there for at least six drivers to stand on top of the podium.

    Your money could be on Mercedes as they traditionally excel in Spain, or Ferrari who have seemingly built a car that can perform well at all circuits, including over one lap. Or you could put your money on Red Bull. After all it was here that Max Verstappen won his first race and who would bet against an ultra-confident Daniel Ricciardo? If nothing else this is what fans of the sport have wanted, and deserved, for the last several years – the beautiful unpredictability of Formula 1.