Tag: Valtteri Bottas

Broadcast Times for the Formula 1 Grosser Preis Von Osterreich 2015

The hills will be alive to the sound of Formula 1 for round 8 of the Formula 1 World Championship at the Red Bull ring for the Austrian Grand Prix.

In the picturesque Styrian mountains lies the 4.326km track ready and waiting to host another round of the F1 Championship. The circuit is a power hungry circuit with its long straights and fast corners. With the track high up in the mountains, it may dull the power of some power units, which McLaren have already warned about. There are not that many slow corners around the circuit but the few that are there require good mechanical grip to get back quickly onto the power.

Many teams will be bringing a second round of major updates to their cars for the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend. The final in-season test that takes place on the Wednesday and Thursday after the race will give teams an extra chance to test their new parts for the coming races before the summer break.

Speaking ahead of this weekend, Mercedes have said that they feel Ferrari have not yet shown their true pace after running their upgraded engine in Canada. Ferrari’s podium chance was dealt a blow a fortnight ago after Kimi Raikkonen spun at the Turn 10 hairpin at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve during the race. Mercedes think that they will get a true sense of Ferrari’s pace this weekend at the Red Bull Ring. The expectation is that Ferrari will have made some gains but will still be 2 to 3 tenths off the pace.

Williams have set their sights firmly on Ferrari and believe that they will have the pace to get close and possibly finish ahead of Ferrari this weekend. After a solid 3rd place finish for Valtteri Bottas in Canada, spirits are high in the team and they will be hoping they can carry that momentum through the weekend. Elsewhere in the paddock, Lotus think that they have the pace to overhaul Red Bull at their home race.

McLaren are anticipating a difficult weekend ahead of them. With them already being down on power, Yasuhisa Arai – the Chief Motorsport officer of Honda – has said that the high altitudes will have a negative effect on engine performance.

This weekend will be interesting to see how the top teams stack up against each other in terms of engine performance.

With the race in Europe, we return to normal viewing times. All times are GMT+2

Free Practice 1: Friday 10:00

Free Practice 2: Friday 14:00

Free Practice 3: Saturday 11:00

Qualifying: Saturday 14:00

Race: Sunday 14:00

June 17, 2015
Williams sets its sights on closing Ferrari gap in Austria

The Williams Martini Racing Formula One team is confident that it can close the gap to its Ferrari rivals at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, following its good performance at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Williams has been comfortably the third best squad for most of the 2015 season so far and secured their first podium position for the season in Canada with Valtteri Bottas collecting the third place trophy.

Last year, Williams locked out the front row of the Austrian Grand Prix grid in a very strong qualifying session and managed to hold on to third and fourth positions being beaten only by their Mercedes rivals.

Ferrari is currently 76 ahead of Williams in the Constructors’ championship and the Williams team intend closing that gap this weekend.

Williams’ Rob Smedley: “We are coming out of a race where we’ve shown great pace and good tyre management so going into Austria we can be confident of aiming for the front again.”

“It’s a circuit that is very rewarding for power and drag and we know that our car is strong in these areas, so we’re confident.

“It’s a great little track out in the countryside, you get a lot of fans there who are big fans of Formula 1 which is always nice.

“Third is looking even more solid but we can’t take anything for granted and it isn’t just about third. We want to push on and try to close up to Ferrari. It’s a circuit where we can make points on them and that is our target.”

Photo Credits: Williams Martini Racing

June 17, 2015
WATCH: 2014 F1 Austrian Grand Prix Race Edit

The rivalry between Mercedes duo Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton intensified as we headed for the 2014 F1 Austrian Grand Prix while Williams’ Valtteri Bottas got to celebrate his first F1 podium at the return of the stunning Spielberg racing circuit in Austria. Relive the action and catch up on what happened at last season’s Austrian Grand Prix in the official Formula One race edit.

June 16, 2015
Niki Lauda says it’s not Mercedes’ job to make F1 entertaining

Mercedes team boss Niki Lauda has dismissed suggestions that the dominance of the Mercedes team is making Formula One boring. He says that the team is focused on “winning every bloody race” rather than the overall spectacle.

Mercedes took a comfortable 1-2 at the Canadian Grand Prix with the nearest rival Valtteri Bottas crossing the line an insane 40 seconds later. The team looks unlikely to be challenged on pace this season having already won 22 of the 26 races since the start of the V6 turbo era.

When asked if the rather boring Canadian Grand Prix was a good day for Mercedes but a bad day for F1, Niki Lauda said, “Guys, I’m not here in charge of your politics. I can only run, with Toto [Wolff] together, the team in the best possible professional way. Win every bloody race, that’s what I’m here for and the rest I don’t know.”

When it was suggested that Mercedes should lead the change to increase the spectacle of Formula One, Lauda replied, “We do take a lead for the sport, we win the races for you. Look at the Canadians – 12% more people here for this so-called boring sport, you are trying to tell me, with no noise. Only Canadians are crazy here. I just said to Austrian TV ‘you crazy Austrians, think like the Canadians and all come to Spielberg!’”

Niki Lauda Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas

Lewis Hamilton Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas

June 12, 2015
F1 2015: Canadian GP Review – Mercedes Dominate In Montreal

Most would hold the opinion that the Canadian grand prix was far from the riveting showpiece it typically delivers. In terms of on track action they would be right but there were a number of significant goings-on for various teams.

It wouldn’t have been considered outlandish to expect McLaren to be threatening the outskirts of the top ten by race seven of the 2015 championship. The reality however is far from this lofty expectation. Neither Jenson Button nor Fernando Alonso saw the chequered flag at the end of the Canadian grand prix and whilst they were running it wasn’t pretty.

An ERS (energy recovery system) failure on Jenson Button’s number 22 McLaren meant that the Brit had to sit out qualifying which was the preface to yet another retirement this time due to an exhaust issue. The sister McLaren of Fernando Alonso ran until lap 44 until he too was forced into his third consecutive retirement. The Spaniard’s race was rather painful as the double world champion appeared as nothing more than a mobile chicane with cars sauntering past him with embarrassing ease.

The McLaren drivers have been measured in their comments to the press since the start of the season but the frustrations are starting to show. First it was Jenson Button who described the McLaren as a scary car to drive which he then promptly walked back with a bit of PR spin. And then there is Fernando Alonso who remains adamant that he does not regret his departure from Ferrari.

The driver’s statements to the press are more often than not just PR drabble regimented by the team. But occasionally we are privy to the radio comms between car and pitwall and here the unadorned feelings often come to light in very colourful ways.

Fernando Alonso irritation was evident as he told his team over the radio that he was being made to look like “an amateur” during the race. Similarly, when he was asked to save fuel after a meagre twenty-four laps Alonso responded with “I don’t want, I don’t want.” As much as the blame has been placed at Honda’s doorstep McLaren’s racing director Eric Boullier accepted that improvement is needed “everywhere.”

This year’s Canandian grand prix was far less dramatic for Mercedes than twelve months ago when brake failure devastated Lewis Hamilton’s race and severely impeded Nico Rosberg’s progress. But even though Hamilton and Rosberg appeared to be untroubled as they secured a dominant one-two victory several issues needed managing throughout the race. At various stages both Hamilton and Rosberg were instructed to manage sky rocketing brake temperatures and the inevitable phase of fuel saving to get to the end of the grand prix.

Just when it looks as if Ferrari has taken a step towards closing the chasm to Mercedes it’s found to be off base. The long run pace in the second free practice session suggested that the Ferrari was looking in great shape to take the fight to Ferrari. Besides the reality that Ferrari is still off the Merc pace, circumstances combined to make it a difficult weekend.

Sebastian Vettel’s ERS issue in qualifying and subsequent 5 place penalty for overtaking under red flag relegated him to the back of the grid. Yet, the German was able to make his way through to a solid fifth place by the end of the race. Kimi Raikkonen’s Saturday afternoon had a far better outcome with a season’s best third place on the grid.

The race itself wasn’t going too badly for the Finn who was keeping both Mercedes in sight. Alas, a couple of laps after switching onto the yellow side-walled soft tyre a spin at the exit of the turn ten hairpin comprised his afternoon’s work. The spin was eerily similar to one Raikkonen suffered in last year’s Canadian grand prix which was prompted by a difference in the torque map. The Ferrari driver, who had now slipped to fourth, confirmed on the radio that the spin was “the same as last year.” A second pitstop for the supersoft tyre didn’t lose the number seven Ferrari any positions but left it nearly twenty seconds adrift of the third placed Williams of Valtteri Bottas. Despite Raikkonen’s best efforts his fellow Finn still held a five second gap by the time the chequered flag was unfurled.

Williams driver Felipe Massa too suffered issues in qualifying which dropped him to the back of the starting grid. The Brazilian was able to recover to sixth overall which included an inch perfect overtake on Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson. Pastor Maldonado, Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat and the second Lotus of Romain Grosjean rounded out the top ten.

Last year’s Canadian Gp winner Daniel Ricciardo described his race as horrible beyond his wildest dreams. And this less than pretty statement was followed with a threat from Renault, via Christian Horner, that they may quit the sport in 2016. Notably Carlos Sainz junior out-performed his highly fancied teammate Max Verstappen.

Contrary to Canadian grand prix history the 2015 edition was a meek outing with little to amp up the excitement factor. There were several overtaking manoeuvres but no close dices for position. Lotus’ Romain Grosjean was slapped with a five second penalty for clipping the edge off Will Stevens’ Manor.

Often we get caught up in the chaotic world of Formula 1 to the point where the bigger picture is sometimes overlooked. Yes, Lewis Hamilton is in the most magnificent car built for at least the last decade; but what has been truly impressive is make-up of Hamilton and how he has evolved. The Monaco grand prix debacle was undoubtedly a tough moment but the driver he is now and the temperament he has now allows not for a showy comeback but rather a deafening response which declares that he can surmount whatever obstacle is placed in his way.

June 9, 2015
Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2015: Sunday Press Conference

DRIVERS

1st Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

2nd Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

3rd Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams)

PODIUM INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Ted Kravitz)

Lewis, congratulations, tell us your emotions right now. Does this make up for Monaco?

Lewis HAMILTON: I love Montreal. I love this track; I love the city and really just a fantastic weekend and great to get back on the top step. For me personally and I’m sure I’m speak for the team, I want to dedicate this to my engineer Bonno’s [Pete Bonnington’s] father, who I know it’s been a tough weekend for him but he has been amazing all weekend and he helped me win this today and this is really dedicated to him.

It was hard out there; it was hard-fought. It might not have looked it but tell us how close it was, how tough it was with Nico and what you had to handle in the car?

LH: I didn’t feel happy or the most comfortable, I generally had a lot of understeer but I never really felt too much under pressure. Nico was quick but I felt like I always had it under control, I had a bit of time in my pocket to be able to pull it out when I needed to, so it was never too serious. But it was a great race. I don’t know how it was to watch but it felt like it was intense and I really enjoyed it.

And tell me: you’re back in business now, do you feel you needed this after Monaco?

LH: Did I need this? I think so. I think so. Again, just a big thank you to all the fans today. Every time we come here we have the most incredible support from all the fans, so I just take my hat off to you guys.

Thank you very much Lewis. Nico, coming to you: great race, you were struggling with all sorts of things; the team was telling you to save brakes and save fuel sometimes. How close was it?

Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, it was a good race against Lewis. I was pushing like mad to try to put the pressure on but he didn’t make any mistakes, so fair play. It was a challenging race, yeah, because we had to manage fuel, brakes, all these things, but it was the same for Lewis, the same for both of us. It was a good race. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it happen but second place is still OK.

Well, you say it’s still OK but it is another second place. You were coming off a couple of good races for you. Where have you been lacking this weekend do you feel?

NR: It was just that tiny bit I lost out qualifying in the end, because the race pace was there and just that qualifying position makes that big difference. That’s what I need to try and make happen the next time.

Valterri, coming to you: Williams’ first podium of the season, it must be a great result for you and everybody from Williams?

Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, really happy for us as a team, really proud. A proud member of the team and this was really good teamwork all weekend. And then the mistake Kimi made allowed us to get one position and we also changed the plan with the strategy during the race, which I thought was really dynamic, so really good job from the team and it was not a bad race from me either.

It must be satisfying to beat your fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen. Now, where can Williams go from here, two tracks that should be good for you, Austria and Silverstone, coming up?

VB: I think we really needed this result. Like last year we saw that it really boosts confidence. We know again now that we are a top team and that we can fight for podiums. I think from Austria, with the package that we have coming there, from then onwards we really hope that we can repeat at least these kind of results.

Thank you very much Valtteri. Lewis, final word from you. You see the flags, the crosses of Saint George, the Union flags, the flags of Grenada out there as well. What does this mean to you? Do you feel the momentum is back with you? And what are you going to do tonight, Lewis?

LH: Honestly, as I said, the support is incredible. Lots of British flags, people from out here in Canada supporting, Grenadian flags, Barbados flags, you know I’m so grateful. The team did amazing job and I’m really just proud to be up here and as I said, my first grand prix win was here back in 2007, so to be back up here feels really historic.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Many congratulations Lewis, you’re fourth win here in Canada and the 37^th of your career. In control really, I guess, in qualifying and the race is the best way to sum it up. Just a brief moment after the pitstop when the gap to Nico seemed to come down quite a bit, he got within DRS range of you. What was going on there?

LH: Well, I think because Nico was in my tow he was able to save more fuel. Naturally when you’re behind someone you use less fuel. And for me, I thought I had saved enough but I needed to save some more, so through that period I was just fuel-saving. Managing the gap within a second but I was saving a lot of fuel, and then once I’d saved enough, I was able to get on it a little bit more. But I only really needed to answer to the lap times Nico would do. If I could do a tenth or two faster, that would be fine. So that’s what I tried to do – just tried to manage it and bring the car home safely.

Q: Nico, tell us a little about the start. There was a lot of radio messages about the brakes. So maybe you could tell us a little bit more about the management you had to do there.

NR: Yeah. The start was good but not quite enough to somehow try and challenge Lewis. And also tight from Kimi behind and even Valtteri I think – I’m not sure. But anyways, it all went OK and second place after that. And then yeah, a very challenging race because of fuel saving – but that wasn’t so bad, more the brakes. And to adapt to the front brakes getting too hot. Adapting around that, changing brake balance, things like that. So that was the most challenging part – especially of course because I have Lewis in front, so I don’t have any clean air to cool the brakes – so for me it was even more of a challenge behind. But it worked out OK. I was still able to put the pressure on but not quite enough.

Q: Valtteri, welcome back. First podium of the season. Last year from this point onwards, you and Williams went on a bit of a spree on getting on the podium. Do you see that happening again? And also, obviously Kimi Räikkönen spun. You and the strategy team took advantage of that. Do you think you could have done it without Räikkönen’s problem?

VB: That’s really difficult to say really – for sure it helped us and it was good that we weren’t very far away at any point in the beginning to Kimi, so we could always put a bit of pressure on them. And we also managed to change the strategy halfway of the race. I think that was really dynamic from the team. The team did really good work today with the strategy and just being aware of all the things what was happening around us and in front. Really pleased that we finally got a good result. I’m sure it’s a big boost for the whole team.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Mike Doodson – Grand Prix Week) Lewis, very soon after you put on your second set of tyres, you had a big lock-up which we saw on the slo-mo and then later in the race you had a few more lock-ups. I wonder if you had any bad vibrations which may have affected your speed?

LH: Fortunately not. I didn’t have really… I think right at the end I might have had one lock-up but it was never enough to be a problem.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis, is it a relief to come back to the victory after the last two races where Nico has been catching up points, especially after Monte Carlo where you were disappointed?

LH: Not particularly. I don’t feel I needed to be relieved. I was quickest all of the previous race weekend as well. Obviously we had the problem which enabled Nico to win the race but otherwise, generally I had good pace for the last two races so it’s not a relief, it just feels good to continue with good strength and it’s great that the team is continuing to be strong as well and continue to move forwards. That’s probably the most impressive thing.

Q: (Collin Hunt – formulaspy.com) For both Nico and Lewis: Nico, we heard you ask over the radio about Lewis’s fuel levels and were told that you couldn’t be told about that while Lewis was being told when he was able to lift and coast. Can both of you shed some light on how that strategy call worked from the garage?

NR: Yeah, I can just say my part because I wasn’t to know if Lewis would run into trouble at the end of the race or not because that could help me judge how much fuel I would need to save at that point in time and when I should try and put the pressure on but unfortunately that’s been banned, to give that information, so I wasn’t able to get that, which is a pity, because it would have helped me judge, maybe put on a better attack if I had that information but it’s the way it is, it’s what they decided to do so OK.

LH: I don’t really know what I need to say. At the end I had fuel. I think the team was just… they wanted us to come home. I knew I had plenty of fuel at the end. There was a point where – I think about 15 laps from the end – I had enough fuel to make it to the end, even if I pushed flat out so that was good.

Q: (Dean McNulty – Toronto Sun) Lewis, this is your fourth win at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. What is it about this circuit in particular that suits your style of driving?

LH: You know at this circuit you need to be very attacking and you need to be quick and good on the brakes, consistent under braking and that’s always been a strength for me. So I guess that’s really why I’ve been good here all these years because braking has been one of my strengths. And also having the guts to kind of push it up as close to the wall and over the kerbs as hard as you can. I guess it’s a bit like a go-kart track, so you can throw the car around.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis and Nico, Ferrari was using a new engine here as they had used a few tokens and you haven’t done that. There were a lot of questions whether they could get closer to you and we have seen that Mercedes still has a big gap. Does it make you even more relaxed that the fight for the championship is just between you two?

LH: I think it’s pretty much impossible for you to come to that conclusion because Kimi spun so we didn’t really get to see his true pace in the race. Maybe at the beginning of the race he wasn’t with us and also Sebastian wasn’t there and obviously Sebastian has generally been the quicker of the two so far this season so we didn’t really get to see Ferrari’s true pace this weekend, I think, and in the next race we will.

NR: Well, great to see how we’re continuing to push on with the development and everything. Even though Ferrari is throwing everything at it we seem to be keeping our advantage so that’s really great to see and a fantastic job from the team.

Q: (Graham Keilloh – Grand Prix Times) Valtteri, it was round about this point last season that Williams really stepped up to be competitive and had some really good results in qualifying. Are you confident that we’ll see something similar this season?

VB: I think the next couple of tracks, at least, will be pretty good for us. Austria, Silverstone, I think they will suit our car and I’m quite confident also with the package we have coming to Austria. At least, if it works like all the updates so far we’ve had, I think it should be a very good step and then possibly we could be fighting for many more podiums. I really hope it’s possible.

June 8, 2015
F1 2015: GP Preview – Classic Canada

Change is said to be inevitable and Formula 1 has embraced this fate with more regularity than most. Thankfully, it hasn’t abandoned some of thegreat circuit that lends its much needed character to the world championship.

As the seventh round of the 2015 season the Canadian grand prix is collectively treasured by drivers, teams and fans. The circuit Gilles Villeneuve is an oldie but a goodie and renowned for its tendency to dish up thrilling racing.

Its decades old history is spectacular and has rarely faltered to live up to its magnificent highs. The last several races around here have all had their own dramatic and enthralling stories. Last year the grinning Aussie Daniel Ricciardo snapped up his first grand prix victory after Mercedes ran into trouble. In especially dramatic fashion Jenson Button snatched victory from Sebastian Vettel on the last lap in 2011 after an appalling race at which stage the Brit was dead last.

It was here too that Lewis Hamilton took his first race win in 2007 as a bright-eyed McLaren driver. Altogether Hamilton has quite the romance with North American races having in Canada and the United States on several occasions. The incident that kept the reigning champion from winning the Monaco grand prix would have been tough to take on the day but there is little doubt that Hamilton will arrive in Montreal with that controversial issue well out of his mind.

The physical make-up of the circuit Gilles Villeneuve calls for an aggressive approach. “I remember coming back into the pits and saying ‘what a circuit,’ I was amazed at how good it was – and I’d only done an install. It’s just a ridiculous amount of fun. You can jump across the kerbs and really get the car bouncing around,” shares Daniel Ricciardo. “It’s like getting back to go-kart days, you really feel like you own it – and I love that. You can get aggressive with it, and aim to just brush the wall.”

The close proximity of the barriers often draws comparisons with Monaco which makes the likelihood of a safety car appearance fairly high. There is a distinct lack of overtaking opportunities which means that a good performance in qualifying can often translate to a good showing in Sunday’s race.

In technical terms the track’s long straight classifies it as a power dominant circuit. A greater focus is placed on brake wear with several big stops around the circuit. This was the area in 2014 that found out Mercedes as both cars suffered brake failure with only Rosberg seeing the chequered flag on that occasion. The circuit is mostly unused during the rest of the year which will make for a slow start to the weekend. Here too the weather conditions can be variable making the job of getting temperature into the tyres a tough one.

Mercedes closest rivals are likely to Ferrari as it has been for the most part this year. The reality however is that though Ferrari are labelled as Mercedes’ rivals they still remain some way off their dominating pace.

The steps that are being taken forward by Ferrari have grown slightly shorter over the last few months. The victory in Malaysia seems a long time ago and the Italian team has not been able to make a real impression on Mercedes of late. The upgradepackage brought to the Spanish grand prix wasn’t shown up to its potential in Monaco and may add a bit of performance.

A ten point gap is all that is between Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. But will it be left to a battle between the two Silver Arrows or will the Canadian grand prix once again deliver its notoriously dramatic races?

June 3, 2015
Williams Lack of Pace Monaco Specific

The Williams F1 team say that their lack of pace at the Monaco circuit is specific to the nature of the track and they are almost certain that it will not affect them at other circuits.

The 2015 Williams FW37, much like the 2014 car, suits tracks with long straights and fast corners. The Monaco circuit is the complete opposite to that which is why Williams have struggled for pace the entire weekend. Both Williams drivers also found it difficult to get temperature in the tyres which resulted in a lack of grip.

Valtteri Bottas was eliminated at the end of Q1 after qualifying in 17th. He blamed the lack of grip and traffic but he also admitted that the Monaco circuit does not suit the Williams.

“I had some traffic on my initial option run and couldn’t go at the sort of pace needed to keep the tyre temperatures correct, and on my timed lap I just lacked overall grip throughout the lap,” said Bottas after qualifying.

“We knew this track was not going to suit our car and we’ve been struggling to get the tyres to work throughout the weekend.”

Felipe Massa echoed Bottas’ sentiments: “There were no major issues during qualifying that caused us to be out of position; Monaco just isn’t a circuit that suits the characteristics of our car,” said Massa.

“We struggled throughout the day and found it hard to set the lap times we wanted.”

Head of Performance Engineering at Williams Rob Smedley called it a tough qualifying session for the team. He says that they’ve made changes to the setup to get more heat into the tyres but it was not enough.

“It was clearly a tough qualifying session for us and we are out of our usual position,” commented Smedley

“We have been pouring through the data all week to try and find ways to improve our pace here, and whilst we have made some in-roads, qualifying has just come too soon for us to recover everything.

Photo credit: Williams Martini Racing Formula 1 Team

May 23, 2015
Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2015: Wednesday Press Conference

DRIVERS:

Marcus ERICSSON (Sauber)

Romain GROSJEAN (Lotus)

Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams)

Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Ferrari)

Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

Jenson BUTTON (McLAREN)

PRESS CONFERENCE

Lewis, we have to start with you. Congratulations on your new contract. Why is Mercedes the right choice for you for the next few years?

Lewis HAMILTON: Well, hi, everyone. It’s the first time I’ve seen so many people in the room for a long time. Well, I mean, I’ve been with Mercedes a long, long time, they were a part of getting me to Formula One. When I signed in, what was it – ’97 – at McLaren-Mercedes, they were hugely influential in guiding me to Formula One and I’ve only ever driven for Mercedes, so it was natural to want to continue with them. Plus, obviously I joined this team and we’ve had amazing success. I’m very, very happy with the package and the group of people that I have within this team. So it was a very easy decision to make and it’s also great that the team wanted to continue working with me.

This is your ninth Monaco Grand Prix. You were the winner back in 2008, your first championship-winning season. Can you put into words what this event means to you?

LH: It’s a great race. It’s great fun. It’s another race. Naturally, it’s special for everyone. But it’s Monaco, I live here, it’s one of my favourite places in the world to go. The track is incredible. It’s the one track we have which is special on another level and it generally always turns our to be one of the most amazing weekends of the year. Not only for us but for people who get to come and enjoy the weekend.

OK, thank you for that. Jenson, coming to you, you’ve raced here I think 14 of the last 16 years – you’ve been here 16 years but you’ve raced 14 times – winner in ’09. Is the Monaco win still the most important one on your CV?

Jenson BUTTON: Good afternoon everyone. The win? Probably not so much. I think Monaco, as we all know, it’s very difficult to overtake [here]. So Saturday is probably more important than Sunday. Probably the most important pole position I’ve ever had, yeah, and that really made my weekend.

You expressed a few concerns about the car during the Spanish Grand Prix last time out. How have those been resolved and what sort of shape does McLaren-Honda present itself here in Monaco this weekend?

JB: Yeah, as you might have noticed, I was very outspoken. When emotions are running high you always exaggerate things. It was a tough race for me in Barcelona. It was good to have the test three days later, also in Barcelona, to really put everything right. The car felt much nice to drive, much more consistent, especially on the long-run pace. We also had some new parts to test for this season, but also specifically for here. It was a good test. So, really end of the test, happy and you could see how far we have come since February, as a whole team but especially Honda and the Japanese side of the team. There was so much more confidence within and really happy to complete the amount of laps we did but also to do a lot of very useful work. It was a really good day and hopefully we can carry that through to this weekend.

Thank you for that. Marcus, you finished 11^th here last year. Obviously you’ve switched teams since then. How do you think the Sauber will go this weekend?

Marcus ERICSSON: I think we have a good base to work from. I usually go well on street tracks as well, so I’m looking forward to this one. Like you say last year I had a really good race here, finishing 11^th. So hopefully I can finish a couple of places higher and get back in the points. I think that’s the main aim for us.

Qualifying for you started well this season but it’s not been so strong since China. What’s the reason for that and how do you feel about qualifying here in Monaco with all the walls and the barriers?

ME: Yeah, we’ve been struggling a little bit to get the maximum out on new tyres, whereas in the races we’ve been better. We’ve been working, I think especially in the test in Barcelona, we did some work on one-lap pace and we found some good improvements, so hopefully we can bring that here. Obviously this is very important to have the one-lap pace but I’m feeling confident and hopefully we can be back fighting for points again on Sunday.

Thank you for that. Valtteri, perhaps surprisingly you’ve never been in the points or even in Q3 here in Monaco, so is this year that you crack the streets of Monte Carlo?

Valtteri BOTTAS: I really hope so. The first year obviously was tough. We didn’t have that easy a car around here and not much space to fight for the points really. Last year was unlucky with engine failure but, yeah, with a normal race we should be able to get some points and I really hope they will be good points as well.

Well, Lewis has done his but there’s been a lot of speculation about your future. What’s the right place for Valtteri Bottas going forward?

VB: Well, that’s too early to say. At the moment I am completely focusing on getting the best results at this moment, as a team, working, with the best I can do to go forward. It’s too early to say, that’s all I can do.

Thank you. Romain, you’ve been in the points in the last three grands prix, getting back into the groove. Do you feel there’s scope to challenge Williams?

Romain GROSJEAN: Well, it’s one of the tracks where you always… you don’t know what’s going to happen, how the car is going to work. As everyone says, qualifying is the key around here. Sometimes there is a surprise – I don’t even remember… I went from P19 to P8 last year, after a first-lap puncture. You always have to do your best around the track and avoid any contact with the wall.

Tell us about your personal relationship with this track, because you won pole in GP2 but you’ve had mixed fortunes in a Formula One car. How do feel about this place?

RG: Yeah, I’ve been winning, I’ve been fast, sometimes too fast for to go our of the race… especially in 2013 when I had the confidence back with my and I was pushing hard. I think I crashed three times in free practice – that was far too much. But it’s all about confidence and finding the limit with the car. There are a few laps where you can really enjoy, which are the qualifying laps, where you take everything you have in the car and try to go around, which is a nice feeling and then when you’re leading the race from pole your life is a bit easier than on other tracks.

Coming to you Kimi, you’re another former winner of the Monaco Grand Prix. Is Monaco a race where Ferrari can hope to challenge Mercedes, given the nature of the circuit but particularly the tyres that are on offer this weekend?

Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: It’s hard to say, obviously. We have go into the weekend and see how it goes tomorrow and go from there. But I expect us to be as good as we’ve been this year at least and then obviously whatever happens over the weekends we will see. But I think it’s a pretty normal race weekend for us, even though it’s always a special place.

Tell us your assessment of Ferrari’s latest updates, why you made the decisions you did in Spain? Obviously you’ve spoken a bit about that already but having reflected on that since Spain, what do you expect here and going forward?

KR: Obviously we think that they are good parts; otherwise they would not be on the car at all. No, there were certain things we wanted to learn and I was prepared to take the chance and work for the long future for all of us. I think we learned things and I’m sure that we will get them working 100 per cent in the future. Maybe here I think they should be fine. You know, every circuit, every condition is different. It was a bit of a tricky weekend for us but I’m sure we’ll be better here and in upcoming races. Like I said, it wasn’t ideal for us but the aim is to improve. We have come still a long way from last year and we want to improve and improve and we have to keep working.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and Speedsport) Lewis, I’m sure you looked at all options but you also said it was an easy decision to stay at Mercedes. So how much did you look at other options besides Mercedes?

LH: I didn’t really at all. I said to Mercedes from the get-go that I wasn’t planning to speak to anyone and I believe that they did the same.

Q: (Ian Parkes – Autosport) Two questions for Lewis. Lewis, was there ever any doubt in your mind that you would not re-sign for Mercedes – because talks have been going on now obviously since the second half of last year. And, secondly, you’ll be 33 – sorry to mention that – come the expiry of this contract. Do you feel there’s another contract in you beyond that? Again, either with Mercedes or even potentially with another team?

LH: There was never any doubt, honestly. I was led to believe that the team wanted to continue with me and naturally with the success we’ve had and the relationship we have, it felt certain. That’s why I never, ever felt like a) I’ve got to sign on the dotted line now – kind of took my time and didn’t feel like I ever had to… kind of… I wasn’t being challenged elsewhere by another driver so… erm… which was a good thing. What was the next one?

You’ll be 33 at the end of the contract, have you got another one in you?

LH: That’s not too… that’s pretty young still, hopefully, which I’m grateful for. So yes, definitely. I definitely see me continuing past that.

Q: (Chris Medland – F1i.com) Question for Romain. Do you believe Lotus has the sufficient resources in terms of development to move up the top ten, fighting Red Bull and perhaps Williams?

RG: I think we are fighting Red Bull at the minute. We’ve been chasing them in Bahrain, we were probably as quick as them, if not quicker in Barcelona so it’s pretty nice. The next target will be to try to close the gap with Williams but we need to find some performance in the car to do so. So, y’know, I think we’ve got a lot of ideas in the pipeline and a lot of good people at the factory. It’s just a question of bringing the parts to the track.

Q: (Stuart Codling – F1 Racing) A question for Jenson. Autosport magazine has just launched a global fan survey today with the hashtag #fanfirstf1. Do you think Formula One fans deserve a greater say in the sport’s future – given that the Strategy Group doesn’t seem to be doing a particularly good job of it at the moment?

JB: I don’t know how to answer that now you’ve added that bit on at the end! But yes, I think the fans are very important, their opinions, and that’s exactly why the GPDA has a global fan survey which will be announced tomorrow at 1730 – but you knew that already. No, I think it’s massively important because we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the fans. This is a sport that needs fans, we have millions of fans around the world and it’s always interesting to have their opinion. To see where they think the sport it, where they think the sport can go. Obviously we all have our own ideas, which is great, and I think the sport is in a good place right now – but there’s always room for improvement – as there is in any sport, especially a sport that’s always changing like Formula One in terms of technology and what have you. So, I think it’s really important, it’s going to be interesting to see how it goes.

Q: (Vladimir Rogovets – Sb Belarus) I have two questions for all drivers. Last time we talk a lot about the future changes in Formula One. For example, the ban of radio communication between the drivers and the teams. First question: your opinion about this ban. Second question: do you like to be not modern in the race without radio communication?

Kimi why don’t you answer the first one first about the radio ban. Has it made any difference to you at all?

KR: No. For me not – but overall I think it’s not such a big deal to anybody but obviously taking the radio out completely would change a lot and probably in the beginning we wouldn’t finish races but, y’know, I don’t think that’s the way of making F1 more interesting.

And what about the idea that, if the technology’s there, why shouldn’t you be able to use it?

KR: Yeah, I mean obviously something has to change for the future to make it more interesting, to make it more challenging for us also. It would be nice to see the cars going faster and all those things.

Valtteri, what do you think about all of this?

VB: I think it’s not a big deal really. Obviously the team can now give us a lot of information to help us. There was already some limitations during last year made and it didn’t make a big difference. Everyone in the team can always adapt to the new rules, so… yeah.

Romain?

RG: More or less the same as Valtteri. It doesn’t change your life. We have a bit more knowledge about those new technologies. It’s less important than it was last year to have information through the radios.

Lewis, you have much bigger screens now on the steering wheels, most cars, than we had last year. Is that compensating for the messages that were coming via radio on the whole?

LH: I wasn’t expecting another question – I thought Kimi answered it perfectly. Yeah, naturally the screens help give you more feedback. I don’t really have a particular care about either.

Q: (Sebastian Scott – racedepartment.com) Lewis, signing your three year extension, did you factor in the possible technical changes for the 2017 rules – or did that not really bother you?

LH: No, of course. It’d be very silly if I hadn’t taken that into account. That’s generally what you have to do every time you go into… you think about the future, you think about the long run, and naturally, as I said, when I joined this team, I knew where the team was going to, the plans and changes that we’re making to get to where we are now. I would, of course, analyse where the team plans to go, moving forwards –that’s why it was quite an easy decision.

Q: (Dan Knutson – AutoAction / Speed Sport magazines) All six of you, just yes or no, would you like to see refuelling return?

Marcus?

ME: I like it as it is now.

Romain:

RG: Don’t care.

Valtteri?

VB: I’ve never tried refuelling so maybe it would be nice to try.

All three gentleman in the front row did race with refuelling. Jenson?

JB: It’s not a question that has a yes or no answer is it? You obviously the safety aspect – the reason we went away from refuelling – and also the money, the cost. In terms of racing, I think it was great, back in the day when we had refuelling. If you had an issue on lap one, you could change your race around, you could do something different – whereas now it’s very difficult…

LH: He did say just a yes or no…

JB: Yeah, I know – but it’s rubbish as a yes or no question!

LH: I’m going to say yes.

KR: Yes.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboSport.com) We can expand this question. In general the packaging the Strategy Group is planning for Formula One 2016, 2017. In general, do you agree with wider cars, wider tyres, more horsepower and – mainly – one team supplying the car for another team?

JB: Wow. There’s lots of ideas that have been thrown around – which I think is a good thing. I think, as I said, there’s always room for improvement. For me, the best years that I raced in Formula One, the most fun from a driver’s point of view, was 2004. We had V10 engines, three litre, 900hp, they revved to 21,000rpm, we had a tyre war. It was great – but times change. The costs and everything have to be taken into account and I don’t really know where that puts us for the future.

Kimi, did you like what you heard from last week – the suggestions?

KR: I don’t really know. More or less. I think it would be nice. Would be good for everybody, and it would look much nicer. It would I think be more like it used to be and I think it’s the right way to go. Hopefully it happens – but we have to wait and see.

Valtteri: cars harder to drive, much faster…

VB: Yeah, why not. I see, yeah, what I’ve heard from it, it’s nice if the sport could keep developing – and I’m sure that every driver would like the quickest car you can get under you. That’s always more fun.

Q: (Christian – Der Tagespiel) Lewis, what exactly took so long for the negotiations? Was it simply the money and do you have an exit option in your contract or will it last three years no matter what?

LH: Well, firstly, it’s all confidential so I can’t answer that one. What took long was that… well, we started conversations in February . I took my time. Some weeks I thought about it, some weeks I didn’t. I never felt there was a particular rush. I had this year when I was still contracted so it wasn’t a case where I was studying it every single day. I would kind of go away from it, come back to it, go away from it, come back to it and just took my time really. And it was also the first time I’d ever done it so there was a lot to learn, there was a lot to learn, there was a lot of studying to do, to really understand everything. It was great. I earned my ten percent so I felt great!

Q: (Ian Parkes – Autosport) Kimi, I’m sure you’re probably aware that your fellow Finn behind you has been linked with your seat for next year, should you or Ferrari opt not to exercise the extension in your contract. Would Valtteri be a good fit for Ferrari, knowing him as you do and knowing Ferrari as you do and if so, why?

KR: Who knows? Even though we are both Finns, we don’t know each other so well. You will have to ask Ferrari what they’re going to do but very certain what will happen and obviously it seems to be every year or every team I am in, it seems I’m being kicked out or a new contract or whatever. I’m not worried about it at all so time will tell, for sure.

Q: (Oliver de Wilde – La Dernier Heure Les Sport) Lewis, considering what happened last year in qualifying, does that change your approach for this year’s qualifying?

LH: No, generally the same. I arrive here just doing another new race. There’s a lot of areas which… I’m mostly focused on areas that I need to improve on, so it’s an opportunity, another chance. I’ve only won here once in 2008 and that wasn’t even a perfect weekend then so I’m still struggling for that perfect kind of weekend. There are some that the drivers here have had over the years so I’m looking for that.

Q: (Daniel Ortelli – Agence France Presse) Jenson, is the GPDA being consulted or listened to with regards to what might happen in 2016 and 2017? And how is that process going on if the GPDA is involved?

JB: Well, not yet but I’m sure we will be consulted. I think that we’ve got a lot to give, we’ve got a lot of opinions about how to make the sport better for us – obviously for us as individuals because that’s always going to be the case but for everyone else, I think there’s a lot that can be done. With the experience that we have of driving different cars and putting ourselves in different situations, we can help out and just give an opinion, so I’m sure that will be the case but it’s not the case yet, no.

Q: (Barna Zsoldos – Nemzeti Sport) Lewis, at the moment when you sign such a contract which is obviously very very rewarding in financial terms, do you spend some time thinking about the beginnings, the first year of your career, and just how far you have gone, also in terms of money?

LH: I think about that every day, really, how far I’ve come. Generally, I’ve been here in Monaco the last two weeks, when I wake up and I go out onto my balcony and look over Monaco and I think ‘this is just crazy’, where from growing up in Peartree Way, coming out of the front doorstep and you look at a hostel in front of where I grew up and of course, I remember every single day like it was yesterday so it’s very very strange to me, to look over that view and you think, ‘wow’. I was just speaking to Jenson, just saying I remember sitting on my… I remember the exact time when I was sitting on my couch watching his first race, when he was 19, at Melbourne. My Dad’s living room was yellow, sitting there watching… obviously it was the weekend so I was still at school and everything. It’s just crazy how time flies. Nothing really changes, except that you can do more things. I do have the coolest job.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, qualifying being so crucial here, how much more pressure does that put on you when you’re qualifying has not been that great this year?

KR: Not any more. Obviously it’s not been ideal. If you think it’s not going to be ideal, it’s probably going to be better than expected. It’s always the important race, but every race is simple in qualifying. This might be a bit more but these days it’s not the easiest thing to overtake. The cars… we do our best, try and get things right all weekend long and be up there.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globosport.com) Lewis, you had a wonderful season last year until you came to this Grand Prix. Then you started facing a lot of problems. You only got the leadership of the championship in Singapore. Do you feel more prepared to face eventually new situations in this Grand Prix?

LH: I think generally in life I’m better prepared. I would hope that would be the case anyway, as you get older and wiser. I definitely feel more prepared than I ever have been in my life but also very wary that there will always be new things and always be bumps in the road up ahead, so lots more things to learn and new experiences which perhaps I’d not anticipated. But coming here, definitely this year, I feel much stronger to be able to deal with perhaps whatever is head of me.

Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Romain, Jolyon Palmer said last week that he expects to do ten or eleven FP1 on Fridays this year and the general consensus is that you will be making way for him on all of those Fridays. Firstly, how does this affect you and your race preparation and secondly, is there any reason why you’re not sharing this duty with Pastor?

RG: Well, it does affect you quite a lot in terms of preparation for the weekend. FP1 is normally when you test new aero parts and you can do a back-to-back and you know that you do three runs of five or six timed laps and you assess what’s the best part for the weekend and then you get a first idea of the car and then you can do a set-up change for FP2, prepare your diff map, your brake map and then go into FP2. When you only start in FP2 you’ve got five timed laps on prime, three timed laps on option and then you go into your long runs so it’s much harder to chose what is the right set-up and then you can make some changes overnight but again, the Saturday morning is the not the same fuel load and under the same track conditions. Yeah, it does affect you, I believe that’s why not everyone is doing it and the more time you spend in the car the better it is, especially when you have very little testing in a year. As far as I’m aware, at the minute, I will have to leave to Jolyon ten FP1 and this is as it is.

Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Lewis, unlike last year, assuming things go well, this year in Q3 you have the option to go out first. I just wondered what your strategy might be for that, if you’ve thought about that? Relative to Nico…

LH: Well I do have the choice this year which is good. It’s lucky that I get that in the sense that at the first race we tossed a coin, I guess Nico perhaps won in the first race and chose to go second and from race to race, there’s pros and cons to being the first car or wanting to be one of the latter cars in qualifying, and naturally here, yellow flags and all those kind of things are an issue. To be honest you could get it wrong either way. If you decided to go first and then on your lap there happens to be yellow flags, so… I don’t know. I think we’ll play to be as a team, me and my engineers decide. I’m confident that last year’s episode will not re-occur and so I don’t feel pressured either way. I’m just going with the mindset of trying to be even better than I was last year and do a better lap.

Q: (Ian Parkes – Autosport) Jenson, we’ve got these surveys obviously coming out now. Are you confident that the results of them, that the powers that be will listen to these ideas and maybe even action some of them in the future of F1?

JB: I think our aim is just to put them in place and to see how it goes. I think that it’s very interesting to see which direction the supporters of this sport and the fans of this sport feel that the sport should go in. It doesn’t mean that it’s going to change anything, it’s just… it’s interesting for us as drivers but I think as us collectively in Formula One, to get a better understanding. And I don’t think it’s been done for a while, so I just think it’s necessary to do and hopefully we’ll get some positive results.

May 20, 2015
F1 2015: Spanish GP Preview – Formula 1 To Raise Its Game In Spain

The three week wait is over and the battle is ready to resume at this weekend’s Spanish GP. The question is which battle; will it be a battle between Mercedes teammates or will Ferrari ascend to true championship contenders?

The Spanish GP doesn’t necessarily have the definitive answer to these questions but it will be more than indicator for the rest of the season. The first European round of a Formula 1 season coincides with the first major upgrade package of the year. It’s the first point in the season where teams can potentially raise their game.

The Lotus F1 team is planning to up the ante by fitting a major upgrade package to its E23 while Ferrari team Principal Maurizio Arrivebene confirms that the Italian team will be arriving for the Spanish GP with its own bits and pieces. “I heard a lot of teams are coming with new things,” he said.”We are now preparing, as all the others are, some solutions for Barcelona. We are doing all of our development step-by-step but I think in Barcelona, we are going to finally take a good package.”

The three week gap will have helped French manufacturer Renault who has faced serious pressure to produce a better power unit. Since the Bahrain GP Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has made a stop at the Paris factory to urge Renault into speeding up their development plan. “For Barcelona we will be bringing a few bits and pieces, as will all the teams,” said Horner. “The significant thing for us is what specification of engine will we have in Barcelona, because it’s a bit earlier than Renault had in their plan for the next step.”

One of McLaren’s upgrades for the Spanish GP will include a new livery. Sadly, it’s rumoured to be rather dull shades of grey scheme, yes you read that correctly, as described by the team. The new livery is seen more as a move away from the Silver that characterised their latter partnership with Mercedes.

More significant is the team’s progress on track and Ron Dennis’, still steadfast, prediction that they will be winning races … soon. There is something however that has been troubling about the McLaren Honda partnership. The claims that 2015 is a “development year” are complete rubbish. There can be no such thing at the pinnacle of motorsport and it is embarrassing for a company of Honda’s pedigree to say so. What McLaren could have and should have done is hold off on bolting the Honda to the back of their car until 2016 while the Japanese company offered their “development” unit to a smaller team to iron out the kinks. It would have saved McLaren more than a few awkward teething problems.

McLaren has definitely made progress, taken huge steps even, since the opening round of the season. Where they were four seconds a lap off the ultimate pace in qualifying its Honda powered car is now less than two seconds off in quali trim. Here’s hoping that their upward trend continues in Barcelona.

Formula 1 has never been an easy sport topredict. It doesn’t solely depend on a driver’s form or ability but a piece of highly engineered, but fallible, machinery. Given this, Mercedes should, and does, start the weekend as favourites for the Spanish GP win. After all, they have the quickest car with the most in-form driver behind the wheel.

But with an aggressive strategy, a few new upgrades to play with, and higher temperatures Ferrari will be a good deal stronger than they have been at any point in the season. Given the volatility of the sport why not flirt with the forecast of a Ferrari victory?

The three week gap has made for a long wait but the first European round of the season at Spain’s circuit de Catalunya, and all it involves, automatically doubles the keenness to see Formula 1 back in action.

May 6, 2015