FORMULA 1 - 2015

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Ricciardo set for Mexico demo run

Daniel Ricciardo will kick-start the build-up to the first Mexican Grand Prix in 23 years with a demonstration run in Mexico City later this month.

The Red Bull driver will drive an RB7 around an inner-city demonstration track, including the historic Zocalo square, on June 27. He will be joined by Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz Junior.

“I’m really looking forward to this very special trip to Mexico,” said Ricciardo.

“The demo runs in the city centre should be amazing and everyone is up for putting on a really big show. The square looks massive so I think I should be able to really give the car a good workout. “

Mexico City’s huge and I know that Mexican people are really into F1, so I’m looking forward to seeing just how big a crowd we can bring out on the day!”

This November, Formula 1 racing will return to Mexico for the first time in more than two decades when the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez holds the Mexican Grand Prix.

“Mexico City is a very interesting place to visit and what I do know is that it’s always special to drive a Formula 1 car through city streets,” added Sainz Junior.

“It’s a great way for people to get an idea what F1 is about before we return for the first Grand Prix to be held in Mexico in a very long time.”

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SYMONDS: I DO BELIEVE THAT TODAY’S CARS ARE EASIER TO DRIVE

Williams technical boss Pat Symonds, one of the most experienced engineers in Formula 1, has admitted the cars of today are easier to drive.

The Briton’s career has spanned decades, as he has worked with great champions across the eras including Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso.

And now he sees Williams’ Valtteri Bottas as a potential champion of the future, although he admits the challenge is different today.

“I do believe that today’s cars are easier to drive,” he told UOL, “and that is due to a number of reasons.”

Comparing the ground-effect cars with today’s machines, for instance, is impossible, because the cars of the 80s were “animals”, Symonds explained.

“I also worked in the turbo era where the power came in like you were pushing a button,” he said. “You pushed the throttle and nothing happened until the power came on all at once.

“Those cars were difficult,” explained Symonds, “and Ayrton Senna certainly knew how to tame them.”

Symonds thinks the challenge of driving has also been made easier due to the evolution of the engineer’s role in F1.

“What happens is that, as the engineers get better and we manage to make more and more efficient cars, the cars become easier to drive.

“For instance, how many times in the past did a driver have to retire because he selected the wrong gear? That doesn’t happen anymore,” he said.

Not only that, Symonds said the drivers are even less involved in the actual development of the car.

“Definitely,” said the 62-ytear-old. “The driver is less involved in development now simply because engineering has become a lot more sophisticated.

“We can control most things,” added Symonds, “but there is still an area that we cannot enter, which is that final interaction between man and machine — and that’s where you have the driver.

“On many occasions, the drivers will tell us he prefers a configuration that makes no sense to us (engineers),” he said, “and you have to respect that.”

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HONDA: OUR PROBLEM IS THE ENERGY RECOVERY SYSTEMS

McLaren and Honda are working hard to improve their relationship as the once-great collaboration struggles at the start of a new era, amid a multitude of problems with the Japanese manufacturer’s F1 power unit.

After Canada, reports suggested frustrations were beginning to show in the McLaren camp, but a source for the British team told Brazil’s Globo the relationship with Honda remains “good” and “healthy”.

The insider, however, admitted there are concerns about the methods that are currently in place as Honda grapples with the huge challenges of the current engine regulations.

“Our biggest problem is that when one area begins to function well, suddenly another, completely separate problem emerges,” McLaren technical boss Matt Morris said.

Honda’s F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai acknowledged the huge learning curve as the Japanese carmaker returns to the sport for the first time since 2008, when the former V8 engine rules were in place.

“Our greatest difficulty now,” he said, “is not in the internal combustion engine, but the energy recovery systems.”

Gary Anderson, a former F1 designer turned broadcaster, agrees that the current rules are “extremely complex” for manufacturers.

Another former F1 figure, Joan Villadelprat, explained: “It is much harder for engine manufacturers to be successful in F1 today than in my time at McLaren and Ferrari.

“The precision needed to integrate all the systems is an engineering challenge, I believe, that is beyond what we have ever seen in the history of F1.

“It’s why companies even with the structures of Renault and Honda have yet to master it,” he said.

McLaren team boss Eric Boullier has admitted the huge pressure on both sides of the collaboration to speed up the learning process, including by unleashing more resources.

But Morris said: “We are learning to deal with the situation, and improving the way we are working, but there are situations where there is no way to do it faster.”

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MCLAREN AND HONDA PLAY DOWN MANOR REPORTS

McLaren and Honda have played down speculation linking Manor with a supply of Japanese power beyond the 2015 season.

Honda, returning to F1 this year, decided to focus exclusively on McLaren, but boss Yasuhisa Arai has said repeatedly he is open to adding a customer in the future.

Reports have linked backmarker Manor with such a move. Currently, the team is powered by year-old Ferrari engines in the wake of the Marussia collapse and resurrection.

But Manor appears to have now stopped treading water, hiring the highly experienced Bob Bell as advisor and said to be focusing its efforts on an all-new car for 2016.

“You’re right,” said president Graeme Lowdon recently, “we’re in a position where we’re rebuilding the team really.

“The start of this season for us has obviously been very unusual, and we’re now having to rebuild things whilst also looking at the bigger picture and the bigger strategy,” he added.

Rumours of a link between McLaren-Honda and Manor are not new, although Woking has denied it wants to set up a ‘B’ team.

But it should be noted that McLaren is still owed money from the Marussia collapse, with documents late last year showing a debt of $11 million.

McLaren is also looking to advance the burgeoning careers of its junior drivers Kevin Magnussen, the 2015 reserve, and current GP2 series leader Stoffel Vandoorne.

A team spokesman told us the Manor link is “just a rumour”.

And, separately, a spokesperson for Honda also said claims Manor is lining up as the marque’s first engine customer is “just a rumour”.

“It is news for us as well. The Manor bankruptcy and seats for 2016, this is not for Honda to answer,” the Honda official added.

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CHESTER BELIEVES AN F1 CAR COULD WIN LE MANS

Lotus’ technical boss Nick Chester thinks a Formula 1 car could win the Le Mans 24 hour race.

The fabled 24 hour sports car race is in the headlines at present, after full-time Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg won on Sunday for Porsche.

Not only that, former grand prix winner Mark Webber has switched full-time to the ever-burgeoning world endurance championship and thinks it may have taken over from F1 as the most challenging category.

“I mainly think about the drivers,” Webber told the Telegraph. “If they’re happy, and on the edge, and it’s risky, pushing the boundaries, then the fans love it. At the moment it’s not like that.”

On the other hand, the former Red Bull driver said, the top Le Mans cars today are “extremely futuristic, sexy – beasts to be tamed”.

But Nick Chester, the technical boss at Lotus, thinks the regulations shift in F1 in recent years means he can now imagine a grand prix car winning at Le Mans.

“The current engine regulations mean we have an engine and gearbox which could cover the race distance and that certainly wasn’t the case in the past,” he said.

“The current F1 car could go in an endurance race such is the performance life of so many of the parts these days. In the past with the V8s and older gearboxes, you wouldn’t have the durability.

“Maybe it’s something we should talk to the ACO about,” added Chester, referring to the Le Mans governing body. It would be a lot of fun and I’d love the challenge of engineering an F1 car for a 24 hour race.”

Respected F1 correspondent Kevin Eason thinks that, given formula one’s current problems, Chester’s idea could be an ideal opportunity for the sport.

“Instead of a driver (Hulkenberg) getting a day off to compete at Le Mans, give a team the funds and the time to develop a formula one car to compete at Le Mans,” he wrote in the Times. “Prove that F1 is still the greatest of them all.”

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TEAMS TWEAK RULE BENDING FRONT WINGS

Four teams made modifications to their potentially rule bending front wing designs ahead of the recent Canadian Grand Prix.

In the days after Monaco, we reported that the FIA was clamping down once again on the well-trodden area of so-called ‘flexi wings’ in formula one.

Spain’s El Confidencial reported that a new 50 Newton-metre load test would be applied for front wing flexibility by FIA scrutineers in Canada.

Auto Motor und Sport now reports that the new test was actually to the tune of 60 Newton-metres, on suspicion that some teams were getting as much as 10 centimetres of aero-efficient flexibility from their front wings.

From Canada, only 3 millimetres of flex would be tolerated during the new load test.

Red Bull, Mercedes, Lotus and Toro Rosso all took new designs to Canada, with the main modification being small ‘supports’ between wing elements.

Correspondent Michael Schmidt said all four teams passed the scrutineering tests.

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Massa eager to up ante on Ferrari

Felipe Massa believes this weekend's Austrian GP represents a good opportunity for Williams to put some pressure on Ferrari.

Williams have played second fiddle to Ferrari in the battle for the second fastest team behind Mercedes in the first six races of the season, but the Grove squad hit back in Canada last time out with Valtteri Bottas claiming the team's first podium of the campaign.

Although the team are still 76 points behind their Italian counterparts, Massa is hopeful they can move closer at the Red Bull Ring as the FW37 is due for some major upgrades ahead of the race.

"Looking at the upgrades on the [Ferrari] engine the difference [to Mercedes] is still similar and I think it shows that we can still fight at the front," said Massa.

"I think the team is going in a good line. It's an important moment for us: we have a good track for us in Austria with some upgrades.

"So I think it's an important moment for us to put some pressure on Ferrari.

"I don't know when Mercedes will put some upgrades on the engine maybe when they do we can get stronger in that area."

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Michelin confirms bid to become F1 tyre supplier in 2017

Michelin has confirmed that it has submitted a bid to become Formula 1's sole tyre supplier from 2017, potentially replacing current supplier Pirelli.

The French manufacturer last competed in the sport in 2006 when it was engaged in a tyre war with Bridgestone, but exited, leaving the sport with a sole supplier since.

Michelin hinted that it would apply after the FIA announced a tender process to find a new supplier, but looked likely to back down when it became clear that its proposal was some way off what the FIA wants.

The company however confirmed on Tuesday that it has submitted a bid, with a proposal to switch to 18-inch rims over the current 13-inch rims and it's believed they support the idea of more durable tyres.

Therefore it seems unlikely that their bid will succeed.

At present, only Pirelli and Michelin have confirmed their bids, whilst Goodyear recently confirmed that it was looking at the idea, but hasn't yet committed.

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Red Bull 'bashing' not helping Renault confidence

Renault have urged Red Bull to stop 'publicly bashing' their efforts as it's doing more harm than good, according to Renault Sport F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul.

Renault is struggling to adapt to the new engine regulations and has only just got on top of its reliability struggles, but remains down on power compared to Ferrari and Mercedes.

'Factory team' Red Bull and customer team Toro Rosso have both been vocal in their complaints, the former more so, and that has hurt Renault's confidence which Abiteboul believes is key to turning their fortunes around.

"What I think was needed more than anything was to again build confidence in ourselves," he told Autosport.

"I compare the situation to 2005 when we designed and built one engine which allowed us to win the championship.

"I look at the confidence we had back then to do that sort of thing, to shortcut all the processes in terms of validation.

"Now, each time we try and speed things up we immediately get sacked on track because of various issues. There's a vicious circle we need to invert."

He says Red Bull must stop publicly criticising them so much and that's something he is working on changing.

"That is one of the difficulties we have with our relationship with Red Bull.

"When you are not one single team it is more difficult to again build up the confidence in a group than when you are completely integrated," he added.

"That's one of the things we are working on. We are trying to get Red Bull to support us rather than bash us publicly."

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Ferrari: Soft tyres key to pressuring Mercedes in Austria

Ferrari believes that its long run pace on supersoft tyres will be key to its hopes of beating Mercedes in this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.

The Maranello outfit will bring fresh updates to its car for the race at the Red Bull Ring, but thinks that its focus must be on maximising its ability to push on the softest compound tyres, especially if it can get near the front of the grid.

Sebastian Vettel's race engineer Riccardo Adami made it clear in a team preview ahead of the weekend that making life uncomfortable for Mercedes was a priority.

"It is very important to put pressure on Mercedes," said Adami, whose outfit was not able to exploit brake and fuel concerns for its rivals at the Canadian Grand Prix.

"We will try to have a very good reading of the tyres on Friday and try to prepare a good strategy for Sunday.

"[but] having said that, we need to focus on qualifying more than the race, to start at the front and then move with the super soft from there."

Updates to address weaknesses

Ferrari has pushed hard in recent races to bring improvements to its car in a bid to close the gap to Mercedes.

In Spain it introduced an overhaul of its aerodynamic package, while the team also used some of its engine development tokens for a power unit upgrade in Canada.

Adami confirmed that further work was being focused on addressing areas where drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen felt the chassis was lacking.

"Development is going on at all the races," he said. "At every race we have new parts we bring to the track.

"We are trying to address the main weakness of the car according to the drivers, and to address it with aero development and chassis development.

"So we are looking forward to see in the next few races if this development will pay off."

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Austrian GP - Back to Europe

Formula 1 returns to Europe after its trip to Canada and Riccardo Adami, Sebastian Vettel’s race engineer, analyses aspects of the Austrian race.

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Haas: No second thoughts over Formula 1 entry

Haas Formula 1 chiefs insist that there have been no second thoughts about its move into the category next year, despite widespread concerns about the sport's precarious financial state.

The collapse of Caterham and failure to impose meaningful cost caps has left the bigger outfits plotting a franchise car plan in case other outfits are also forced out.

But despite ongoing negativity surrounding budgets, Haas team principal Gunther Steiner said that his boss Gene Haas was committed to the F1 project, although was keeping a watching brief on developments.

"I think it [the financial situation] will keep on changing and being discussed – and to make everyone happy will be difficult," Steiner told Motorsport.com. "

"We are not actively involved as we have no voting rights or anything, but we are following absolutely what is going on. Gene absolutely keeps an eye on it.

"But we made a decision to go into this adventure. We knew what it was going to be, so it is not a surprise and there is not a big change.

"We will keep an eye on it and see what happens, but these discussions will never finish. And once we have a voice, we will have our own opinion as well. At the moment we are spectators."

Chassis design ready by summer

Haas is currently ramping up its F1 programme, with more staff being recruited to its British base in Banbury.

Steiner said the car was on schedule, and it was hoped that the chassis design could be completed by September so that the team was ready to join the first pre-season test next year.

"We are buying all the parts we can, the non-listed parts, from Ferrari," he said. "It is a long list, but the main things that we are making are the bodywork and the chassis.

"We plan to sign the chassis off for production in August/September. The bodywork will be later."

He added: "You cannot afford to miss any tests. The test calendar is not official yet, so we have to be careful not to jump to any conclusions as it could change, but we want to be at the first test."

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Pirelli hopes for varied strategies in Austria

Pirelli is confident Austria will "open up a number of possibilities" when it comes to race strategies after the Canadian Grand Prix was dominated by one stops.

The soft and supersoft tyres - the chosen compounds for Austria - showed minimal degradation in Montreal, making the one-stop strategy the choice for everyone bar the out-of-position Ferraris. Pirelli is hoping not to see a repeat in Austria as F1 heads to Spielberg for its second grand prix since returning to the calendar last year.

"We're only expecting a small time gap between the two compounds in Austria, so this opens up a number of different possibilities as to how to run the race strategy," said Paul Hembery, Pirelli's motorsport director. "This year, the drivers head to the Red Bull Ring with real data about the track for the first time, which will help them find the most efficient way to use the tyres.

"Obviously our aim is always to have between two and three stops at every race, so this is something that we will monitor carefully in future when it comes to nominations: we do have the possibility to make some minor changes if required."

As ever, Hembery says the conditions on race day will play a part in determining the optimum strategy.

"Austria ends the run of soft and supersoft nominations that we see towards the middle of the season, on quite a diverse variety of tracks. The tyre strategy will depend on some extent to the weather: if it is warm we are more likely to see two stops, whereas if it's cool the balance might shift towards a one-stopper. Rain is also a distinct possibility in Styria at this time of year, as we saw during free practice last season, so the teams will basically have to be prepared for everything."

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Verstappen ready for 'old school' Austria

Max Verstappen says he can't wait to get going at the Red Bull Ring, calling it an 'old school track', and wants to put in a strong performance to please his Red Bull bosses.

The young Dutch driver suffered a difficult Grand Prix last time out in Canada but is heading to a circuit he and Toro Rosso team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr have experience at from their Formula 3 days.

The 17-year-old grabbed two top five finishes in the three races at Spielberg while competing for Van Amersfoort Racing in the FIA European Formula 3 championship in 2014. Verstappen says he enjoys visiting the Red Bull Ring and will be hunting his second points finish of the year.

“I have always enjoyed driving at this track, especially in the Formula 3 car, which I tested and raced here so I know it quite well,” Verstappen said. “It's a bit of an old-school track, which is the type of circuit I like, so I'm looking forward to going there.

“It's a very nice track in a beautiful location, even if the long straights might not suit us that well. There are some tight corners at the end of the fast sections, which means it can be hard on the brakes.

“Everyone in the team will be keen to get the best result possible at what is the home track for Red Bull.”

The Toro Rosso driver will be hoping he can also put the disappointment of the past couple of races behind him. After coming under heavy scrutiny for a collision in Monaco with Lotus driver Romain Grosjean, his Renault-powered STR10 was left trailing the Mercedes and Ferrari machines at the high speed Canadian track, where he finished a lowly 15th.

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Fernando Alonso: McLaren-Honda should focus on 2016 Formula 1 car

Fernando Alonso has suggested it is time for McLaren-Honda to concentrate on next year's Formula 1 car following the problems it has encountered so far this season.

Alonso and team-mate Jenson Button head into this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix on the brink of taking heavy penalties as their cars have each used four internal combustion engines after issues at the last race in Canada.

Button is currently on his fifth MGU-H and turbocharger as both were replaced in Montreal, resulting in a drivethrough penalty early in a race he started at the back of the grid, after being unable to take part in qualifying due to an ERS-related failure.

While Alonso acknowledges improvements have been made by McLaren-Honda this season, the double world champion feels the focus should now turn to 2016.

"With the position we are in and the performance we have, I think concentrating on next year is the clever option for us now," he said.

"I don't have any problem starting every single race from the pit lane if we keep improving the car.

"That's the main priority now, to concentrate on next year's performance, so let's see what the team can offer.

"I do think the progress has been quite amazing until now, so the second part of the season is a question mark for us, but we are all very optimistic."

Button, meanwhile, believes it would be a step too far if McLaren-Honda opted to abandon the season completely and turn all resources on to the 2016 challenger.

"You can't write off this year - there are no regulation changes," said Button.

"We're here to develop, to make the car quicker and do the best job we can in the races.

"So of course next year is obviously going to be a more exciting year, and hopefully we can challenge from the front.

"But to do the development you need to push it and see what you can do every race, so the development's been going in the right direction.

"Obviously we've had more issues than we'd like. Hopefully we can resolve them, because otherwise the pace has been reasonably good."

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Toro Rosso's Sainz eyeing weak tracks for F1 power unit penalities

Carlos Sainz Jr is hopeful that any looming Formula 1 grid penalties will coincide with Toro Rosso's least-favoured circuits, to limit their impact.

Due to the difficulties Renault has faced this year, team-mate Max Verstappen became the first driver to be hit with a grid penalty for taking the fifth replacement of a power-unit element ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Verstappen's car required a fifth internal combustion engine (ICE), resulting in a 10-place grid drop, which was in addition to the five-position penalty handed to the 17-year-old for causing a collision during the previous race in Monaco.

With Sainz currently on his third ICE going into this weekend's race in Austria, the young Spaniard knows he will follow in Verstappen's footsteps at some stage.

"It's better not to think about it," he said, when asked by AUTOSPORT about the possibility of potential grid penalties.

"With Max, it was great because Canada was a less favourable track for us, so to take a grid penalty there was a logical thing.

"I just hope when I have to take them at some stage they will be on tracks not beneficial for us.

"I'm guessing somewhere like Russia would be good to take a penalty, with so many long straights. At power-limited tracks we should take a penalty."

Around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Sainz discovered another weakness of the Renault system regarding fuel consumption.

"I tried to save a lot of fuel at the beginning of the race to have some fun at the end," Sainz assessed.

"I penalised myself by doing that, but towards the end I could push a bit.

"But in saving fuel it meant I was lifting off 150 metres from the braking zones.

"In turn the brakes cooled down, and because of that the front tyres grained because you could not put temperature into them.

"It was a snowball effect that created a lot more problems."

Although Spielberg is another power circuit, there are differences to Montreal, leaving Sainz to hope for a much better result.

"I finished P12 in Canada, which was not a bad result given the tools we had," he said.

"In Austria, it will again be a difficult one. We should come back because we will recover a bit in the corners, the two left handers and the two final turns, what we lose on the straights."

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THE REAL MEANING OF ‘LIFT AND COAST’ ACCORDING TO MERCEDES

In the aftermath of the recent Canadian Grand Prix ‘lift and coast’ became the buzzwords in the Formula 1 paddock.

From their pit gantry Mercedes gave the order to Lewis Hamilton while he led reasonably comfortably from teammate Nico Rosberg.

Since Montreal there has been much debate regarding the phrase and some have charged that it epitomises all that is fundamentally wrong about F1 at the moment.

Mercedes, thanks to their utter dominance are currently incarcerated in a damned if they do and damned if they don’t scenario, have felt the need to explain, perhaps even justify the call. So here goes:

What is lift and coast?

“Lift and coast” is the most effective technique for driving flat out but doing so in an efficient manner that enables fuel consumption targets to be hit. This technique achieves a faster overall race time than would be possible by carrying additional fuel and driving “flat out” from start to finish. Just as important is what lift and coast is not, i.e. coasting into a corner a long way below the theoretical limit of performance.

How does it work?

Once a car has accelerated up to full speed, it will run at a fuel flow rate of 100kg/hr – the maximum allowed under the regulations – meaning that the engine is producing as maximum power for that period. The driver will then lift off the throttle and go straight into the braking zone, through the corner apex, and accelerate out again. This is how to produce the fastest theoretical lap time. In terms of fuel consumption, however, the most effective way to use less fuel on a straight is to get down it as quickly as possible and then lift off. At this point, fuel consumption falls to practically zero. With lift and coast, what the driver is actually doing is coming off throttle towards the end of the straight, slightly before the natural braking point. During this period between full power and braking, the car is then decelerating purely from aerodynamic and tyre drag – and pretty quickly, too. When a car is travelling at 300km/h there’s an awful lot of drag force on the car – a deceleration of 0.9g, similar to an emergency stop in any normal road car. Once the coasting distance has been covered, the driver then picks up the original braking profile. This is far more than simply coasting into a corner as might be perceived…

What is the effect on lap time?

When a driver deploys lift and coast for a distance of an additional 50m, for example, the car is completely off throttle for that period. So, as opposed to covering the last 50m at 100kg/hr, it’s doing so at 0kg/hr. In terms of the time taken to cover 50m at 300km/h as opposed to 280km/h, we’re talking about a difference of mere hundredths of a second. But the fuel saving is significant – a few grams each time. Then, when the driver picks up the normal braking profile once more, they are rejoining the same curve that they would normally follow. Overall, the effect when doing small amounts is practically zero. It’s only when deploying higher levels of lift and coast, like we saw at the end of the Canadian Grand Prix, that it really becomes noticeable. Even in the most extreme cases, such as Montreal, the maximum you would expect to lose is around three tenths of a second per lap – still a relatively small number – and, generally, when a driver is asked to do lift and coast they’ll be losing in the region of half a tenth to a tenth. It’s a linear process – so doubling the lift and coast gives double the fuel saving.

Is this really the fastest way to run a race?

The reality is that, even at a circuit which is not fuel limited, it is often quicker over the course of a race distance to use lift and coast. The basic principle is this: running less fuel saves weight – and a lighter car is a faster car. If you’ve got 100kg of fuel to complete a race but can run half the distance with lift and coast, you might be able to use 3kg less. If starting that race 3kg lighter enables a driver to go a tenth of a second per lap quicker without any lift and coast, by the time they’re 30 laps into the race they might be three seconds further up the road. This could buy a position at the pit stops, gaining vital track position, and the driver can then save fuel later to compensate. So, teams use lift and coast strategically to produce the most effective race strategy.

What are the alternatives and what makes this the most viable?

There is no more efficient way to save fuel in the current formula than lift and coast. Any other method of dropping consumption costs more lap time. Attempting to save fuel by applying the throttle more gently, like many people will do in a road car to keep their MPG down, means the car takes much longer to get up to speed. Similarly, reducing the fuel flow rate of the engine will mean the car takes longer to get down the straight. In Formula One we’re concerned not just with the amount of fuel saved but the time lost in doing so – and a huge amount of time would be lost by using either of those techniques.

Are there other benefits?

Another reason lift and coast featured prominently in Montreal is that it is very good for saving brakes. When travelling at high speed, energy increases as a square of the speed – so, as you double your speed, you produce four times the energy. When a driver lifts off rather than hitting the brakes, they’re letting the air absorb some of that energy as drag on the car and the tyre – without putting any energy into the brakes. That initial phase of braking, when the car is travelling at the highest speed, is where energy levels are at their highest. So, lift and coast is also incredibly effective at managing brake temperatures.

Lap time aside, what are the drawbacks?

In terms of additional effects – a small amount of energy harvesting) on the MGU-K (the process by which the battery is charged when the motor works as a generator) will be lost because for a period of the potential maximum braking zone the car is coasting. Lifting off rather than braking does mean that some charge is lost – but again, the net energy benefits are always going to be positive. The MGU-K has a certain power capacity and harvests as a function of how long that power is generated under braking. There aren’t many circuits where a driver will struggle to harvest the full 2MJ/lap energy allocation from the MGU-K.

Does it not leave the driver prone to attack from behind?

In normal circumstances this is a fairly minimal risk. Any lift a driver does will only cost a few hundredths of a second and, at the end of a straight, the car will be covering eight metres in 0.1 seconds. So, generally speaking this represents a couple of metres. Apex speed will be exactly the same and the latter part of the braking curve will be exactly the same, so there is no further loss. In any case, unless a race has been badly planned or a driver runs into issues, they won’t be performing lift and coast in the heat of a battle with a competitor breathing right down their neck at the end of a race. The team and drivers discuss where lift and coast can be used sensibly at each circuit. Generally, the zones where it is most efficient are also those where they would choose to overtake. But, if they have somebody right on their tail, it is possible to do more of it in the infield, for example.

Is lift and coast a new phenomenon? If not, why are we hearing so much about it today?

Fuel saving has always been a factor in racing but, in terms of lift and coast specifically, the technique has been common in Formula One for the past five years. It was sometimes used during the early days of the V8 era but became more prominent at fuel limited races following the ban on in-race re-fuelling from 2011. That’s when teams started carrying a fuel load for the entire race – and carrying less means the car will be faster from the outset. It is now more common because, under the 100kg race fuel allowance, we would never fuel a car to go flat out every lap – that’s just not the quickest way to run a race. A team will always plan to start the car light, go flat out and then save fuel later on once the race order settles down after the pit stops. This was less of a factor when in-race refueling existed because we weren’t carrying such a large amount of fuel for such an extended period of time. But now that we have races where we might carry six kilos less fuel on the start line than we could potentially consume, and certainly a few lighter than we would choose to run without having to consider strategic factors, each team is forced to do it.

For the drivers, how tough is perfecting lift and coast as a technique?

It’s not an easy thing to do and drivers spend a lot of time practicing to get it right. They spend their early careers in junior formulae going flat out until the point at which they decide to brake – jumping from throttle to brake instantaneously. When you start asking them to lift and coast, what they tend to do is get their braking points wrong. By coming off the throttle earlier, they reach the first phase of the braking zone at a reduced speed and have to adjust their markers accordingly. For lift and coast to be efficient, it’s vital that the driver gets back on to the original braking trace at the correct point. The ones that can do it well are those who can make a significant fuel saving for a very small amount of lap time loss. It’s become a real skill and is certainly more difficult than driving flat out. All drivers now want to know how efficient they are being, as fuel saving has become an element of competition – particularly between team-mates. Whoever can do the most efficient fuel saving and start with the lightest car will gain an advantage in the early phases and / or have more in reserve to attack at the end of the race.

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RED BULL CONSIDERING SWITCH TO FERRARI POWER

Red Bull is considering a shock switch to Ferrari power, according to a media report published on Wednesday.

Sport Bild claims that, fed up with works partner Renault’s poor reliability and performance in the new ‘power unit’ era, Red Bull has been in talks with its arch-rival Ferrari.

While a switch to Ferrari would be sensational, Red Bull has actually been powered by Maranello-built engines before, in 2006 (below). A year later, junior team Toro Rosso also began to use customer Ferrari power.

At the end of last year, Red Bull’s quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel moved to Ferrari, but he said recently he retains a good relationship with the energy drink company.

In its latest edition, Sport Bild claims that Ferrari is indeed willing to facilitate Red Bull and Toro Rosso’s return to Italian power for 2016.

However, the Red Bull-owned teams would reportedly have clear ‘B’ status, including a specification of engine 20-30 horse power behind the works Ferrari team.

But Red Bull’s Helmut Marko said: “Even a B-version of the Ferrari would be better than the A-version of the Renault.”

Currently, both Red Bull teams are under contract to Renault for 2016, but it is believed a split could be facilitated by the French marque’s desire to return to full works team status, for instance by buying Lotus.

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RED BULL NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO WEEKEND HOME COMING

However good the party turns out to be, Red Bull are feeling far from bullish as Formula 1 descends on their home Austrian circuit in search of excitement this weekend.

Last season, when Austria’s scenic Spielberg circuit returned to the calendar after an 11-year absence, the hosts revved up the fans by winning in Canada with Australian Daniel Ricciardo.

This time, with both their drivers sure to collect penalties in the next few races for exceeding the engine allocation, there will be a lot more criticism than optimism wafting around in the mountain air.

Neither Ricciardo, whose permanent smile has been tested to the full, nor Russian team mate Daniil Kvyat have come close to winning and former champions Red Bull, now fourth overall, have not been shy in blaming engine partners Renault.

Mercedes have won six of seven races and qualified on pole in all of them, with double world champion Lewis Hamilton and title rival team mate Nico Rosberg — last year’s race winner — again clear favourites.

“Unfortunately, the Red Bull Ring is a real power track so we won’t be with the front-runners,” Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko told the official Formula1.com website.

“But even if our drivers will hardly see the podium this year, the fans will get entertainment at its best,” added the Austrian.

The sport could do with that, after the most recent race in Montreal proved a rare letdown and last weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours drew a record crowd of 263,500 spectators to watch an endurance series that is fast gaining in popularity.

Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, who won Le Mans with Porsche team mates Earl Bamber of New Zealand and Britain’s Nick Tandy, can expect plenty of attention as he returns to the regular job.

While his car has a Mercedes engine, and team mate Sergio Perez set the fastest race lap last year, Force India are treading water until an upgraded chassis debuts in Silverstone next month.

Mercedes, with Hamilton 17 points clear of Rosberg and aiming for his fifth win of the season, can expect to set the pace.

“I feel good, the race was strong for me in Austria last year and my qualifying is better this year so I plan to take that there and try to rectify the loss I had last year,” said Hamilton, who needs one more pole to equal his 2014 tally.

Williams, who swept the front row in Austria last year with Brazilian Felipe Massa on pole alongside Valtteri Bottas, can hope to be challenging Ferrari for a podium place.

“The atmosphere is going to be great again I’m sure,” said Bottas, third in Montreal, of a rural circuit situated against a backdrop of Alpine pastures and distant peaks.

“With the upgrades we are bringing here, we are expecting another strong weekend.”

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VETTEL: MY CHANGE TO FERRARI HAS BEEN POSITIVE FOR F1

Quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel thinks his move to Ferrari this year has been good for Formula 1.

Recently, although earlier a friend and supporter of the quadruple world champion, Bernie Ecclestone slammed Germans Vettel and Nico Rosberg for being “not so good for my business”.

“As the cancellation of the German grand prix indicates, Germany is a terrible market for formula one,” the F1 supremo told the sport’s official website. “Sebastian is also not doing much for F1. People hardly recognise him on the street.”

Vettel, however, has a completely different view, arguing that his move from Red Bull to Ferrari has benefitted the sport.

“I think my change has been positive for formula one as a whole,” he told Auto Bild Motorsport. “In Germany, the comparison with when Michael (Schumacher) drove for Ferrari is obvious. The euphoria was huge, but even now I still feel a little of that.”

Vettel said Ferrari occupies “quite a special place in formula one”.

“The fascination for this brand is quite special and something very unique. For some reason, fans seem to identify more with Ferrari than with the others. The passion is simply bigger,” he explained.

“I have heard that Ferrari drivers give autographs rather than receive speeding tickets,” Vettel grinned. “Michael and Felipe (Massa) told me a little about this, but I think today that is no longer true.”

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HAMILTON: I’M FASTER THIS YEAR

Reigning Formula 1 world champion and 2015 world championship leader Lewis Hamilton is heading into the Austrian Grand Prix as the overwhelming favourite to win, and brimming with confidence.

The world champion and 2015 title leader bounced back from the Monaco strategy blunder, and back-to-back wins by his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, to dominate the recent Canadian grand prix.

“Nico was quick,” said Hamilton, “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, so it (the pressure from Rosberg) was never too serious.”

The signs for Austria, therefore, are ominous. But last year at the Red Bull Ring, it was Rosberg who won, following a qualifying spin for Hamilton.

In Canada, where his run of wins ended, the German joked that he was missing his ‘lucky charm’ — his heavily pregnant wife Vivian, who skipped Montreal but had been trackside for the breakthrough triumphs in Barcelona and Monaco.

Bild newspaper has this week spotted the Rosbergs holidaying at their second home in Ibiza, where Nico may have been trying to convince his wife to make the trip to Austria.

“We will have to see if it is possible,” he smiled, referring to Vivian’s now-looming due date for the birth of their daughter.

Hamilton, however, insists he is on a run of form that is better even than in 2014, when he ultimately beat Rosberg to the title.

“I am even happier in this car than I was in last year’s,” he is quoted by the Austrian news agency APA. “I don’t know why, it just feels better. I’m faster this year, which is a good thing.”

Hamilton has won four times this season to Rosberg’s two victories. The Briton leads the points standings 151 to 134, while both have featured on the podium in all seven races of the season so far.

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FORMULA 1 ENGINE CUSTOMER TEAMS CAN WIN BELIEVES SYMONDS

Williams technical boss Pat Symonds has denied suggestions Formula 1 teams cannot win grands prix if they are engine customers.

Since deciding to leave the Mercedes camp and switch to Honda, McLaren supremo Ron Dennis has frequently said success in formula one is only possible today in works collaboration with a manufacturer or “OEM”.

In 2014 and again this year, independent British outfit Williams has been Mercedes’ most competitive customer of its field-leading turbo V6 ‘power unit’.

But Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa have not won a race in that period for the Grove team, and technical boss Symonds admits the works Mercedes outfit as well as Ferrari are clearly in the lead this season.

“Are we in that position (to win races)?” he said recently. “No, we are not.”

But Symonds rejects Dennis’ notion that winning as an engine customer in the new era of F1 is impossible.

“I don’t think being an engine customer is the end of the world,” the veteran engineer, who has won titles at Renault but also worked at the back of the grid with Marussia, told UOL Esporte.

“Everybody started to talk about it because of what Ron Dennis said. But when people like me talk to people like you (journalists), we do it for a reason.

“It is not to entertain ourselves, it is because we want to give some exposure to our team or because we want to give our opinion.

“And I think Ron wanted to clarify his point of view, or explain why he had chosen to be with Honda — to convince his sponsors that this is the only way to win,” said Symonds.

Symonds, however, said Dennis’ logic is flawed.

“He forgets that in 2009, McLaren was the main Mercedes team and they were beaten by Brawn, who were the customer. So it’s something that can be done — and why can’t we do the same?” he insisted.

Symonds says Williams’ contract with Mercedes ensures technical parity, and hailed the customer service provided by the German marque.

“They work with us all of the time,” he said, “during the race weekends, in our performance meetings and doing things like video conferencing when necessary.

“They are contracted to work for Williams, so it is in their interest not only that Mercedes wins, but that Williams-Mercedes can win as well,” added Symonds.

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Wolff: The battle is far from over

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has warned his team that "there is more to come from our competitors" ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

The Brackley squad have a healthy 105-point lead over Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship on the back of their fourth 1-2 finish of the season in Montreal a fortnight ago.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg also occupy the top two spots in the Drivers' standings, but everyone will be keeping a close eye on Ferrari after the team's engine upgrade not too long ago.

"Coming away with another top result in Canada, it would be easy to sit back and think we've got everything under control," Wolff said.

"But in reality, this is never the case. Not only did that race require a careful balancing act from the pit wall and from the drivers, but we also saw that there is more to come from our competitors - even if maybe it wasn't clear from the result. There must be more to come from ourselves if we are to continue this good form."

Mercedes were given a run for their money at last year's Austrian GP with Felipe Massa taking pole position ahead of his Williams team-mate Valtteri Bottas and Nico Rosberg starting P3 with Lewis Hamilton down in ninth.

However, Rosberg went on to win the race with Hamilton finishing second.

Wolff added: "Austria will provide a tough test. We had a challenging weekend there last year and fully expect another close competition this time around. The battle is far from over."

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Kimi and Massa off to Goodwood

Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa will be two of the big names from the Formula 1 world who will be in action at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The event takes place from June 25-28 and Raikkonen is set for his second appearance having made his debut last year.

The 2007 World Champion drove the F2007 in 2014 with 1964 Formula One World Champion John Surtees taking the Ferrari 158 for a spin as the Prancing Horse celebrated its long-standing partnership with fuel company Shell.

Ferrari are yet to confirm which car Raikkonen, who will be in action on the Friday, will drive this year.

Williams, meanwhile, have announced that Massa will be in the cockpit of the Williams FW13B, which was driven by Riccardo Patrese and Thierry Boutsen during the 1990 F1 season, on the Saturday.

Development driver Alex Lynn will also get a taste of the action and he will drive the FW13B on the Sunday.

McLaren will also be in action and they have revealed that the MP4/5-5 (1989) and MP4/6-10 (1991) will be running while the MP4-5B (1990) and MP4/7 (1992) will also be there.

It is still unclear who will be driving the cars as the team have added that "official McLaren members" will be there.

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Kaltenborn content with ‘step-by-step’ Sauber strategy

Monisha Kaltenborn insists that she is pleased with the way in which the Sauber team is rebounding from its nightmare 2014 F1 season, even if she admits it won't suddenly be appearing at the front of the field.

The Swiss team went scoreless through last season, leaving it sandwiched between Marussia and Caterham in the final constructors' standings and ended the campaign surrounded by stories of financial woe and suggestions that it was on the brink of collapse. Having survived, and boosted by having a more potent Ferrari engine behind it, Sauber is now staging something of a recovery, with rookie Felipe Nasr and second year driver Marcus Ericsson contenders for points at most rounds, despite the team not being able to throw bucketloads of money at the development of the C34.

Team principal Kaltenborn, however, says she wouldn't have it any other way, with the future of the team her main concern.

“It's getting better step-by-step but, as I said last year, these things take time because you want to do it in a way where you can sustain your level,” she explained, “I'm not sure that it is really right to say that it is 'frustrating' because I feel that, if you are a business, you need to run in a prudent way. You are not there to waste money, particularly when you think you don't have enough to do all that maybe you want to do - you simply become wise about what you spend it on and whether it is worthwhile.

“I don't think one has to follow the policy of 'just because you can do it, you do it', irrespective of what you gain. If you are in the situation that probably smaller teams more or less all are, you just think about the ratio of what you invest and what you gain out of it.”

With a firm hand on the purse strings therefore, Kaltenborn is a natural opponent of plans to 'spice up' the sport through means such the return of refuelling. Her frustration, if anything, comes from the intransigent nature of bigger rivals and those holding power over F1, who appear willing to risk the smaller teams in order to further their own aims or swell their own coffers.

“I don't see the rationale behind bringing refuelling back,” she maintained, “We decided to get rid of it at a time when there were many teams and manufacturers around who could have afforded to live with those costs.

“I do see movement [on financial arrangements], but probably in the wrong direction. If the way ahead is customer cars or franchise cars, then I have my views on that which you already know, but all of these ideas coming up, to me, are going in the wrong direction.

“You have to look at the redistribution of income – and there is a lot of income in this sport, so we can't complain about not having enough – and then you have to look at the rules. If the people doing the rules have their own very vested interests, you have to cater to all their interests to come to some agreement and that is where it becomes so complicated.”