FORMULA 1 - 2015

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Bottas anticipates Williams rostrum challenge

Valtteri Bottas is expecting a jump in performance with his Williams FW37 at the circuit where he recorded his maiden Formula 1 podium.

Williams enjoyed a successful Austrian Grand Prix last season, notching up its only 1-2 qualifying of the year, while Bottas went on to secure his first rostrum finish of his F1 career by finishing third behind the Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

Bottas says he is a huge fan of the Red Bull ring, which made its highly anticipated return to the F1 calendar last year, and feels his Williams team has a strong package to challenge at the front this weekend after collecting its first podium of 2015 in Montreal last time out.

“It's great to be going back to Austria,” Bottas said. “Last year, as a team we had strong qualifying with a front-row lockout, and in the race I achieved my first Formula One podium. The track, with its long straights and a mixture of slow and high speed corners requires good straight line speed and strong aero efficiency from the car.

Williams is set to bring a series of upgrades on its FW37 which Bottas believes will enable him to make significant progress and close the gap on Ferrari.

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

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RAIKKONEN: BULLSH*T NONSENSE YOU GUYS COME UP WITH ALL THE TIME

Kimi Raikkonen went on the offensive during an interview session with media ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, slamming reporters for inventing stories.

When asked about a possible retainer reduction clause in his contract for 2016, the Finn became incensed, “I heard something about that and I would be interested to know who wrote it.”

“You have no idea what my contract says and you never have. It’s bullshit nonsense you guys come up with all the time. It’s fine with me,” fumed the 2007 F1 world champion.

“Have you seen my contract? So you just come up with bullshit? Yes or no? You don’t know the contract but you write stuff that’s not true.”

“Maybe you should start writing some things that make sense,”ranted Raikkonen. “Write what you want, I don’t really care.”

Earlier the veteran Finn was asked about the spin he suffered during the Canadian Grand Prix which cost Ferrari a podium and immediately after the race incurred the wrath of his boss Maurizio Arrivabene.

“It was a freak accident.That is part of the game and I’m sure we can avoid it,” explained Raikkonen. “There are some rules when you do starts and after the pitstops. There’s an FIA lockout that lasts a certain time.”

“It doesn’t matter when you switch off it still takes 90 seconds… It’s normal on a race weekend. You cannot change that, but we have settings we can work on. Now knowing what can happen we can try avoid it.”

“We know what caused it and we will do the best we to minimise that risk. The rules limit what you can do, but we know certain corners, at certain circuits, there might be a chance [of it happening again], so now we know to do it differently.”

“It has not happened at all this year. Never in testing or practice. The first time it happened was in the race. Unfortunately on that circuit [Montreal] in those conditions, I spun because of it,” concluded Raikkonen who on Sunday, in Austria, will start his 220th grand prix.

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BUTTON WON’T MIND IF ALONSO MAKES HIM LOOK SLOW

No Formula 1 driver wants to be beaten by his team mate but McLaren’s Jenson Button is prepared to make an exception to the rule at the |Austrian Grand Prix this weekend.

The 2009 world champion hopes Fernando Alonso makes him look slow because that will mean an aerodynamic upgrade that only the Spaniard has on his car is working and will ultimately benefit both men.

“In theory, yes.” the Briton grinned when asked on Thursday whether he effectively wanted Alonso to ‘blow him away’ on the track. “Yes. Strange to say but yes.”

Alonso, who has yet to score a point since he switched from Ferrari at the end of last year, can still expect to start at the back due to a strategic engine change and McLaren’s performance deficit.

By sacrificing position in Austria, where he will be trying out a shortened nose, new floor and revised wings, the double champion should be in a better position for McLaren’s home race at Silverstone next month.

Without a win since 2012, and only four points to their credit in seven races, the sport’s second most successful team of all time are languishing in ninth place overall in the first year of a new partnership with Honda.

“Every race we are bringing something and that’s why there are not two of everything because when you are in our position you have to just keep fighting and bringing stuff to every race,” said Button.

“If we were at the front now this package wouldn’t be on the car because it’s only on one side of the garage. It would always be fair and on both sides. But because of the way it is we need to bring everything we can.

“It has to be this way for us and it’s been like that all the way…we’ve shared it out very well and it will continue like that for the next few races.”

Button said he too could have a new engine, and penalty, depending on what the team decided on Friday but the race would be more than just a test.

“It’s going to be a tough weekend whatever happens,” he said. “I’d love to get a result this weekend but that is not going to be the case.

“I don’t want to say it’s a test weekend because I…want to come here and race. So we’ll do what we can to compete.”

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VETTEL: YOU USED TO NEED BIGGER BALLS TO DRIVE F1

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel has joined those who think a bigger serving of danger and risk would be better for Formula 1.

Niki Lauda, and also Vettel’s Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen, have been quoted this past week as saying the sport would benefit from an injection of danger.

Instead, the trend over the past decade has been for slower cars and safer circuits, but Vettel says what drew him to formula one as a boy was the noise and the danger.

“I can still remember standing with my dad on one of the long forest straights at Hockenheim and listening to the scream of the engines from afar,” he told Sport Bild.

Now, as one of the sport’s top stars, he admits that the fences are now obviously less-densely populated by excited boys with their dads.

Vettel, as a director of the F1 drivers’ union GPDA, says that is why the body commissioned a global fan survey, whose results will now be fed back to the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone.

The 27-year-old, however, knows what excites him as a F1 fan, “When I first got to drive a Formula 1 car. I was – and I have to be honest – scared. Please don’t misunderstand me — it’s still difficult to drive a formula one car. But you used to need bigger balls.”

Meanwhile, as Ecclestone heaps praise on the celebrity-showman Lewis Hamilton and criticises the fiercely private Vettel, the German has defended his approach to public life.

Indeed, while Hamilton’s daily exploits are chronicled in tabloid magazines, Vettel is yet to even confirm that his partner Hanna is pregnant with their second child.

Vettel explained: “Personally, I don’t care what car Roger Federer drives or what his girlfriend looks like. I am only interested in what he achieves as a sportsman.”

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SAINZ: I’M SMILING BUT I WISH I HAD A BETTER ENGINE

Toro Rosso rookie Carlos Sainz has admitted he is having to suffer with an under-powered engine during his first season in Formula 1, but at the same time cannot help smiling at the fact that he has made it into Formula 1.

The young Spaniard is one of four drivers on the 2015 grid struggling with the unreliable and uncompetitive Renault ‘power unit’.

Asked if he ‘likes’ the French-made V6 in his Toro Rosso, Sainz admitted to the Spanish broadcaster Antena 3: “No, I don’t like it.

“I am always thinking ‘I wish I had a better engine’. But who knows, maybe by the end of the year it will be much better.

“On the other hand, I have been fortunate to have been given a very good car by Toro Rosso, and what I really wanted in the world was to get into formula one.

“It makes no sense to criticise anyone, as I am living a dream. This year I have to suffer with this engine, but with a smile on my face,” he added.

Indeed, 20-year-old Sainz says he can still starkly remember the day much less than a year ago when Helmut Marko rang to tell him the vacant seat at Toro Rosso would not be his in 2015.

“I felt very bad,” he admitted. “Before the season, they had told me ‘Carlos, this year is your last chance, the last year of your contract and you have to win’.”

Sainz said he was holidaying with his family in the summer, happy that he was on the road to F1 by utterly dominating the Formula Renault 3.5 series.

“Suddenly they called me to say the seat was for Max Verstappen. They saw an unique opportunity to have this sort of new Ayrton Senna and they couldn’t let it go, they were sorry, I was doing everything perfectly but they had to take him,” he explained.

Ultimately, the second seat at Toro Rosso also opened up, pairing Sainz with the very high profile teenager Verstappen.

Sainz has admitted Verstappen’s profile has him in the shade in 2015, but “I think that in terms of talent we are evenly matched”.

“I have not noticed that he has more talent and I have not noticed that I have a lot more. But that is the way in F1 — if you put all the drivers in the same car, there would only be half a second from first to last place.

“Who would be first? In my opinion, Hamilton or Fernando, and it would be very close,” Sainz concluded.

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HULKENBERG: MAY AND JUNE WERE HARDCORE BUT WORTH IT

As he bounces back to earth and his Formula 1 day-job, Nico Hulkenberg has admitted the last two months have been hardcore.

And he is referring not only to the euphoria of becoming the first driver since Johnny Herbert in 1991 to combine F1 with a winning Le Mans foray.

He is also talking about his bursting personal calendar, which in the past few weeks has meant living out of a suitcase as he hopped between his Porsche and Force India cockpits.

“But it was worth it,” the German told Sport Bild. “It was twice as much fun, but also twice as much work. The months of May and June were hardcore.

“But the opportunity to work with a brand like Porsche does not come along every day; I’ve always been a fan and both sides were interested, so why not?”

It means he is now a Le Mans winner and still a F1 driver, but it was not all glamour, “I bought a big suitcase so I could fit both the clean and the dirty clothes inside and had to cope with that for three months.”

Le Mans winner Hulkenberg, 27, will draw an unusually large crowd of reporters when he enters the paddock of the Red Bull Ring on Thursday, but that is not because he has a chance of winning the Austrian grand prix.

“With the Porsche I had a car that I could fight with at the front, but in formula one it’s difficult to think about the podium,” he admits.

That, indeed, is how he will spend his weekend in Austria.

“We have not met our expectations” in 2015, said Hulkenberg, referring to Force India. “We did not work efficiently and well enough with the car. There is no downforce so we are too slow.”

However, Austria will be Hulkenberg and teammate Sergio Perez’s last outing in the current Force India before the long-awaited ‘B’ version arrives for Silverstone.

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MATESCHITZ: THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE TO RENAULT

Red Bull’s billionaire owner Dietrich Mateschitz has dismissed reports his two Formula 1 teams may soon be powered by Ferrari.

“There is nothing to it (the rumours),” the Austrian billionaire said this week, as the world of formula one congregates at his ‘Red Bull Ring’ for the Austrian grand prix.

The speculation of a switch to Ferrari was powered by his right-hand man Helmut Marko, who told Sport Bild that “Even a B-version of the Ferrari would be better than the A-version of the Renault”.

Red Bull and Toro Rosso team owner Mateschitz, however, said that until the end of the 2016 contracts, “There is no alternative to Renault”.

As for what happens beyond 2016, he insisted to Speed Week: “The chickens will cluck until the egg is laid. I cannot guess what will happen in two or three years in formula one, or even what goes on now. It is better not to make predictions in formula one.”

He doubts, however, that moving from works status with Renault to ‘customer’ status with Ferrari is the right answer.

“You could get an engine good enough to take points from your direct competitor,” said Mateschitz, “but it would never be good enough to beat the team that gives you that engine.

“With a customer engine,” he added, “you will never again be world champion. And if we see that we have no chances anymore, because we are also restricted in aerodynamics, we will simply lose interest.”

Until that happens, Renault is trying to improve its currently uncompetitive turbo V6 ‘power unit’, he said, “We still hope. Hope dies last.”

What is clear, however, is that Red Bull will never be content with the sort of situation it is in at present.

But building a ‘Red Bull’ engine is not a real alternative, Mateschitz insisted.

“We are not an engine manufacturer,” he said. “Of course, one day we could build our own engine, if there was no reasonable alternative. But this would be contrary to common sense. Just because you find a horseshoe in the forest, it does not mean I will turn it into a horse.”

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ALONSO SET FOR BACK OF THE GRID START IN AUSTRIA

Before an engine has even been fired up at Red Bull Ring, Fernando Alonso is set to start the Austrian Grand Prix from the back of the grid.

He will be demoted when McLaren-Honda make a strategic call to take an engine penalty in Austria.

On the bright side for Alonso he will be running the new short nose version of the MP4-30 which passed the mandatory FIA crash test ahead of this weekend, as well as the latest specification Honda power unit bolted to the back of his car.

Jenson Button’s car will be fitted with the older engine and longer nose version of the chassis.

Earlier this year in China, Alonso and Button’s roles were reversed earlier in the season when the Briton was given first use of the upgrades taken to Shanghai by the team.

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HONDA BOSS VOWS TO IMPROVE POWER UNIT OUTPUT

Honda has vowed to improve the performance of its woefully under-performing Formula 1 power unit.

The progress made so far in 2015 seemed to stall in Canada, as McLaren-Honda’s Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button struggled for outright power on the long straights.

And the Woking based team, despite unveiling a new ‘short nose’ aerodynamic concept for Austria, is acknowledging that the start-stop nature of the Red Bull Ring this weekend will also not suit its Japanese-made power unit.

Amid growing pressure, therefore, Honda’s F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai said the marque is pushing ahead with much-needed performance improvements.

“From the point of view of power,” he is quoted by Tuttosport, “we will see improvements in the near future.

“We are working hard as a team, not only on the engine but also on aerodynamics and the chassis.

“We have seen good progress in these two areas between Australia and Canada, and perhaps in the second half of the season we will be able to achieve high performance and compete with the best teams,” the Japanese added.

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MERCEDES FASTEST PIT CREW SO FAR IN 2015

Mercedes may have the best car and a pair of handy drivers, but they are well complimented by the Silver Arrows pit crew which is the fastest in Formula 1’s.

Auto Motor und Sport has analysed the pitstops over the course of the seven races so far in 2015 and found that Mercedes’ average time is the shortest.

It is a laudable achievement by the Brackley based outfit, as its position of dominance could justify a more leisurely approach to changing Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s tyres in a few rapid blinks of an eye.

Indeed, Auto Motor und Sport said team manager Ron Meadows took that approach last year, when a half-second safety margin was built into Mercedes’ stops.

But in 2015, the time spent from pit entry to pit exit by Hamilton and Rosberg so far has been just 23.6 seconds — three tenths clear of Ferrari’s respective average time.

Third was Williams, ahead of Force India, Red Bull, Lotus and McLaren, with Toro Rosso, Sauber and Manor bringing up the rear.

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ALONSO KNEW HE WOULD STRUGGLE IN 2015 REVEALS SAINZ

Fernando Alonso expected to struggle when he made the switch from Ferrari to McLaren-Honda for 2015 according to fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz, the world rally legend and father of 2015 Toro Rosso rookie Carlos Sainz jr.

Whilst recovering from an Achilles heel injury suffered whilst playing football, 53-year-old Sainz was asked by the Spanish daily Marca about Alonso’s current situation.

In Canada, Alonso’s frustrations appeared to show for the first time when he declared on the radio that McLaren-Honda is making him appear “amateur” in 2015.

Sainz, however, said: “It is obvious that Fernando is thinking more long-term. He knew that, this year, he would probably have to go through something like this.”

Among his Spanish supporters in particular, however, many believe the 33-year-old clearly made a mistake in choosing to leave the now-resurgent Ferrari.

“Choosing the best option is never easy,” Sainz admitted, “because nobody has a crystal ball.

“But I think Fernando needed another challenge. Another motivation. When you’ve achieved what he has, it’s also important to be with a team where you feel truly at ease, happy.

“I think he is comfortable now at McLaren,” Sainz added.

He admitted, however, that Alonso’s ‘comfort’ may be tested if McLaren-Honda does not make a big step forward for 2016, “Fernando has said that this year he suffers and next year he expects to have a winning car.”

“So I think if in 2016 he does not have a car to fight for the championship, it will be a difficult situation to accept. But for now, what is happening this year I think falls under the predictions that he had himself,” he added.

If Alonso is wrong, however, the lure of yet another challenge might prove too strong, after McLaren-Honda reportedly blocked the Spaniard’s desire to combine F1 with Le Mans in 2015.

Sainz commented: “I believe that Fernando is a great driver and will be for all his life. And with the winning personality that he has, he likes challenges. But I do not think that leaving formula one is on his mind.”

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MICHELIN WANTS TO IMPROVE DISAPPOINTING F1 TYRE SITUATION

Michelin has revealed it wants to improve Formula 1’s tyre situation.

While the sport’s current supplier Pirelli appears to retain the backing of Bernie Ecclestone and most teams, many drivers and spectators look back fondly on the days when it was possible to push throughout a race rather than ‘save tyres’.

Michelin, last in F1 a decade ago in competition with Bridgestone, admits it is also in that camp.

“We are disappointed where it (F1) is today, tyre-wise,” admitted the French marque’s motor sport director Pascal Couasnon (pictured above).

Michelin this week confirmed it has lodged its application by the June 17 deadline to be considered for F1’s 2017-2019 contract as sole supplier.

But it wants the sport to move from its current 13-inch to 18-inch wheel rims, and also adopt a “drive to the max” rather than show-oriented and tyre-saving philosophy.

Cousanon said: “We want to be coherent with our proposals and offer the opportunity to the teams and the drivers to have a tyre that enables everyone to express themselves and drive to the max.”

Most insiders agree that F1 is likely to stick with the Pirelli philosophies beyond 2016, but Couasnon explained: “If you want to be credible and consistent then you cannot complain or comment if you don’t bring solutions.

“So it has made sense for me to say if we have ideas, then let’s go and propose these ideas and we’ll see if people are interested or not,” he is quoted by the Daily Mail.

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Major Sauber updates in August

Sauber will in all likelihood wait until the Belgian Grand Prix in August before running an updated Ferrari engine in the C-34.

Team principal, Monisha Kaltenborn, believes although this is only in five races time, it does mean that Ferrari would have improved their engine even further.

"We have been told Ferrari is still doing development, so from that perspective, we expect a bigger upgrade in the engine after the summer break."

Sauber themselves are are looking to have a number of updates ready at the same period and Kaltenborn believes that this, coupled with the engine update, will be extremely beneficial around the Spa circuit. For the time being, she is confident that the current engine will stand the team in good stead for upcoming races.

"If it happens like this, it will come at a time when we hope to introduce a big update package for our car. Spa is a race where the engine update will really matter. The next ones coming we are alright," she said.

Kaltenborn said that Ferrari has mentioned that the engine upgrade package could be given sooner, but that Sauber had their own strategy in place for the season. She denied that finances were forcing the team to hold back on the upgrade.

"It did not have anything to do with finances."

"But you have to look at your own strategy and see what you are most comfortable with. We are on our second engine [of four] and they [Ferrari] are getting in the third engine so obviously they have a different strategy."

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Rosberg hoping for success in Austria

Nico Rosberg is looking forward to the 2015 Austrian Grand Prix and is hoping to come away victorious, just like he did in 2014.

Despite only qualifying in third after Williams locked out the front-row, he managed to claim victory, 1.9 seconds ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Rosberg will have to improve his qualifying form which he feels severely dented his chances of victory in Canada.

"Canada was really lost for me on the Saturday. Not getting everything together in qualifying hurt my chances big time," he said.

The German knows that much like last year, Williams will be a major threat at Red Bull Ring. Ferrari too, will want to show that their recent upgrades have improved the SF15-T.

"I'm sure we'll have some tough competition here once again with Williams and probably some others too."

Rosberg is a big fan of both the Red Bull Ring and the Austrian spectators that come to enjoy the race.

"It's a circuit I really enjoy driving and the crowds are unbelievable, so I'm looking forward to getting back out there and having a good battle."

Come race-time on Sunday afternoon, Rosberg will have a battle on his hands but he will be determined to cut into Hamilton's 17 point lead at the top of the drivers standings.

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Red Bull pair to take 10-place grid drops in Austria

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat will both start the Austrian Grand Prix ten places lower than they qualify after electing to change engines.

Ricciardo and Kvyat were both on their fourth and final engine permitted under the rules, thanks to a spate of Renault failures, meaning they have to take a penalty for each new unit used from now until the end of the year.

With each getting a fifth power unit installed this evening ahead of Friday practice, they will both be demoted ten places.

Speaking in the paddock ahead of the final decision, Ricciardo hinted that a change would likely happen here because the race is one of their weakest due to the demands on the engine.

"It's likely, we're definitely looking into it," he explained. "If it is not here, it's in the next few races. We have to look at chances in Silverstone and Budapest. I wouldn't be surprised if we had it here."

Meanwhile the Australian will get a new chassis which he hopes will provide a boost after a disappointing Canadian GP - the scene of his first Formula 1 win in 2014.

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Grosjean apologises to Stevens for Canada clash

Romain Grosjean has apologised to fellow Formula 1 driver Will Stevens after the pair were involved in a collision during the Canadian Grand Prix a fortnight ago.

Grosjean, who was held accountable by the stewards and penalised, was lapping Stevens but in doing so clipped the Manor driver's front-wing with his rear-tyre.

Both sustained damage and were forced to pit, causing delays to both their races as a result, whilst Grosjean was also given a five-second penalty and two penalty points.

The Frenchman later blamed Stevens, who hit back claiming he "had nowhere to go," and said he expected an apology from Grosjean.

That's now happened, with the Lotus driver taking the time in the Austrian paddock on Thursday to speak to Stevens and apologise after reviewing the incident.

"I went to apologise because I messed up," he admitted. "I killed a big part of my race, but I broke his front wing as well.

"Even though they are fighting at the back, they are still trying to do their best so it wasn't very nice of me to turn into him.

"It was just a failure of concentration; when you lap a car, it's fairly easy to forget it.

"That corner is a tricky one and I was just focusing on the apex; I didn't even realise I was turning left.

"Then I saw the reply and thought 'oh, that was bad'. It's something you learn from and try not to do again."

Following the apology, Stevens said he "respected" Grosjean for doing so and insisted they could now "move on and forget about it."

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Will upgraded Williams and Ferrari’s soft-tyre pace narrow the gap to Mercedes?

Formula One’s return to Austria last year was a major break with convention.

A new (or at least, revived) round of the championship was held not in some far-flung corner of the globe, but within easy reach of the teams’ headquarters. Instead of empty grandstands, locals flocked to the race in huge numbers.

There were surprises for the competitors as well. The Red Bull Ring may have been the first F1 venue to get the Hermann Tilke treatment back in 1997, but it retains a whisper of the character of the old Osterreichring. Drivers reacted with surprise to the rare pleasure of racing on a circuit where most of the corners are mid-to-high speed.

This should all set the scene for an exciting contest, but as recent rounds have shown Formula One is struggling to provide that at the moment.

What’s to blame? The small field, DRS, too much team radio, fuel-saving, over-conservative Pirelli tyres, domination by Mercedes…

Or, perhaps, none of those things. Yes, Formula 1 has its problems, but that’s not to say it can’t serve up a good race when the stars align. We all know that – that’s why we all keep tuning in and turning up.

Last year’s Austrian Grand Prix weekend showed that even in hyper-professional Formula One, mistakes can be made – several slip-ups by Lewis Hamilton in qualifying compromised his and Nico Rosberg’s run in Q3 and opened the door for Williams to lock out the front row of the grid. That set up an intriguing race as the Mercedes drivers set about prising the lead from the hands of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas.

Twelve months on, no one has beaten Mercedes to a pole position since. But Williams and Ferrari could be a more competitive proposition this weekend, and the Red Bull Ring’s compact layout often serves to lessen the performance gap between cars.

Austrian Grand Prix team-by-team preview

Mercedes

Having bounced back from his Monaco setback, Lewis Hamilton heads to Austria looking to add a victory at one of few tracks on the calender where he hasn’t won before.

Nico Rosberg won this race last year but while he remains firmly in contention for the championship there’s been a lack of conviction about his title bid so far. As he demonstrated last year, if he can line up in front of his team mate on the grid he should be able to count on getting to the chequered flag first.

Williams

Williams may have locked out the front row of the grid last year but that owed more to problems at Mercedes’ end. However hopes are high for the team as they plan to bring a significant upgrade package to this weekend’s race.

Valtteri Bottas has taken Ferrari scalps on more than one occasion already this year, and will be looking to repeat the form with which delivered his first podium finish in this race last year.

Red Bull

Red Bull’s round of the world championship ironically takes place on a circuit which is profoundly ill-suited to its cars. Last year Christian Horner jokingly suggested they insert a few chicanes to break up the long straights on which their Renault power unit is outgunned.

It’s hard to see the team managing much better than the sole eighth place they mustered last year. It could turn out to be an even tougher weekend, as the threat of grid penalties looms overs their two drivers should they need a replacement engine.

Ferrari

We may be yet to see the true combined effect of the aerodynamic upgrades Ferrari introduced in Spain, but did not immediately master, and the power unit revisions which came in Canada, the gains from which were disguised by Sebastian Vettel’s qualifying problems and Kimi Raikkonen’s mid-race spin.

That, plus Pirelli’s choice of the softest tyre mix for a circuit which includes several quick corners, may give Ferrari cause for optimism that they will have Mercedes within range this weekend.

McLaren

The 2015 season is placing far higher demands on McLaren’s media spin-masters than it is their drivers. Both MP4-30s conked out as per routine in Canada, leaving the PR department to once again devise a fresh positive angle on an excruciating situation.

Force India

Nico Hulkenberg arrives fresh from winning one of the world’s greatest races but it was Sergio Perez who surprisingly led 11 laps of this race last year.

Don’t expect a repeat performance from Force India this time out, but they intend to have their B-spec car ready for the post-race test, which they hope will deliver front-end aero gains.

Toro Rosso

Round eight of the championship is the first track which Max Verstappen has raced on before, although he did end up in a row with the stewards on that occasion as well.

“It’s a bit of an old-school track,” said Verstappen, “which is the type of circuit I like.” He has some good memories from the circuit too: it was after testing a Formula Renault 3.5 car here last year that Red Bull took the surprising decision to promote him straight to F1.

Lotus

Canada was by far the most impressive showing from Lotus so far, and but for Romain Grosjean’s needless collision with Will Stevens would have resulted in a strong double points finish.

“There’s nothing to say we can’t perform as we did in Montreal,” reckons technical director Nick Chester. However he admitted their usual pattern of being stronger in the races than in qualifying was inverted last time out. “Generally our drivers report an understeery car in qualifying but a more balanced car in the race, whereas this time the feedback was more of a well-balanced car in qualifying but some oversteer in the race.”

Sauber

That season-opening fifth place in Melbourne now seems a distant memory. The C34 appears little-changed since then, which goes some way towards explaining why the team has only added seven points to the fifteen it scored in Australia.

Manor

Things are looking up for Roberto Merhi – he was on terms with team mate Will Stevens for the first time this year in Canada and he gave his Pons Formula Renault 3.5 team their first podium finish in four years at the Hungaroring last weekend.

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Formula 1 Austria 2015 - Spielberg: Interview with Mark Webber

Formula One interview with Mark Webber. Ahead if the Austrian Grand Prix, he discusses the 2015 FIA Formula One season and his thoughts about the track in Spielberg.

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Nasr struggling after Sauber changes brake disc supplier

Felipe Nasr says he has been struggling to adapt after Sauber switched brake disc suppliers for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Since the Swiss team moved from Brembo to Carbon Industrie discs, his teammate Marcus Ericsson has been a lot more comfortable with the resulting change of feel.

But Nasr, who was also handicapped by overheating problems from early in the Canadian GP, is hoping that adjustments for this weekend will pay off.

Meanwhile, a return to Brembo is the back-up plan.

"The thing is I've been running with another material from the beginning of the year," said Nasr. "And the last two rounds we've done with a different material, a different supplier of brakes, from Monaco and Canada.

"I'm finding it difficult, because I was so used to the other material. Because Canada and here are quite high energy on the brakes, that's why we had to change the material for those. But it hasn't suited my driving at all.

"We've made some modifications to the brakes here, which I'll be trying Friday to see how they come. If not we already have another solution to try. Basically that's it, if I cannot stop the car properly on the beginning of the corner, then you compromise all the rest of the corner.

"This was the case in Canada, and you had so many braking areas, and it was compromising all the exits, basically. I was never happy there, never happy confident with the car.

"If we don't have the modifications right we have the solution, which is to go back to the other material. I'm going to work tomorrow to see if these modifications work, if not, I know what's good for me."

Regarding Ericsson, he said: "He's quite happy with the other material, but of course every driver has a different feeling, and it's very personal. If you look at the other cars you're going to find different drivers saying different things on brakes. But it's definitely what I found out in Canada.

"I like to feel the pedal bite stiff, and I like to feel the bite straight away.

"Some drivers prefer a longer pedal, so they can modulate the pedal a bit better. But I like to feel on the first hit that the car is really gripping up, which I'm not feeling at all with the new material we've been running."

[davidsan]

How's ol mate Kimi in the press conference just ripping that reporter a new one. Classic.

[MIKA27]

How's ol mate Kimi in the press conference just ripping that reporter a new one. Classic.

He's got every right, maybe more drivers should do so and then this way we don't get all the rubbish news and speculations.

The ICE MAN is a legend

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON: AS A KID ZELTWEG WAS MY FAVOURITE TRACK ON THE COMPUTER

Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is hoping to win Austria for real on Sunday after only previously mastering it as a video game.

The revamped Red Bull Ring returned to the calendar only last season after an 11 year absence and Hamilton, who made his Formula 1 debut in 2007, finished second to Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.

The track is one of just three current ones that he has yet to conquer – the others being Brazil and Mexico, which returns this year for the first time since 1992.

“Definitely it’s a big challenge for me and something I’m excited about,” the Briton told reporters on Thursday. “I grew up playing computer games with this track and then I never got to really drive it.

“It was always one of my favourite ones on the computer game and then I remember watching the days of Michael (Schumacher) and Rubens (Barrichello) here and ones even further back than that,” added the 30-year-old.

“So I was excited to come here last year. What I didn’t know is how beautiful the place was.”

Hamilton said Austria, homeland of Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff and the team’s non-executive chairman Niki Lauda, made a refreshing change from other races.

“I had a really good time here last year because I had my two dogs with me and where I stayed there was a nice park area,” he continued.

“It’s just beautiful to be in the countryside, away from the city, no noise,” he said. “The last race (in Canada) it was so noisy outside… so many fans outside, busy, loud, so much traffic and that kind of stuff. My family live in the countryside so I like the countryside, and that is what we have got here.”

Hamilton, a Monaco resident who spends much of his time in America, will be chasing his 38th career win on Sunday.

If he leads for at least one lap, he will also equal retired triple champion and compatriot Jackie Stewart’s record of leading 17 successive grands prix.

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON: I’VE NEVER SEEN LE MANS AND I’M NOT INTERESTED

Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton bucked a new trend in the paddock by expressing no interest in competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours race.

While rivals made no secret of their desire to emulate Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, who won the race on Sunday with Porsche team mates Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy, Hamilton remained unmoved.

“I didn’t watch it, I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen Le Mans,” the Mercedes driver told reporters at the Austrian Grand Prix.

“It’s not something I’ve ever been particularly interested in. I naturally love cars but it’s not been something I ever wanted to do so I don’t plan to.”

The view elsewhere was very different, with Hulkenberg congratulated on his triumph and hailed as a trailblazer in becoming the first active F1 driver to win Le Mans since 1991.

Brazilian Felipe Massa, a race winner with Ferrari and on pole in Austria for Williams last year, said it was something he would like to do one day.

“To race there? Yeah, I think so,” he said. “The best car after Formula 1 is what they are using there…I think it’s amazing. Maybe I think about going there because of the car and some interesting races they have.”

McLaren’s Fernando Alonso said Le Mans was in his plans, “I considered to race in Le Mans. In the future, and when in the future I don’t know, I just said it was very close this year, so maybe next year. I don’t know.”

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo said he had watched most of the race and was a fan, “Racing is what we do, it’s fun, it’s nice to have a weekend off but when I was watching it I was obviously thinking it would be nice to be racing as well, on this weekend off.”

“Fortunately Nico’s made us all look good and I think he’s made it all seem possible for us now. So, maybe we’ll get the praise from our teams to venture into these things for the future.”

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel agreed with Ricciardo, “It was great to see the guys were actually flat out from the first lap. For all of the race, basically. So, I think as racing drivers that’s what we’re after. To push every single lap and for a long time, obviously that means more fun.”

[MIKA27]

Alonso: Another tough weekend ahead

Fernando Alonso is under no illusion that McLaren will suddenly produce the results this weekend despite running updates at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Ahead of this weekend's event at the Red Bull Ring, it emerged that Alonso's MP4-30 would bear McLaren's updates.

The Spaniard will trial a new shorter nose, which only last week passed the FIA crash tests, as well as changes to the wings and other aerodynamic parts.

Those revisions, though, will be tempered by an expected engine change that will likely see Alonso start from the back of the grid.

"Another weekend that will be tough," he said during Thursday's FIA press conference for the Austrian GP.

"The results will not look good – especially as there are some penalties to pay.

"it's going to be a test weekend for us. There are updates on the car so hopefully we will go out of the weekend with some answers.

"I am optimistic with what's coming to the car but in terms of results it will not change much this weekend. It will probably be worse."

With McLaren scoring just four points to date this season, Alonso concedes McLaren-Honda should write off this season and spend the remaining races testing for 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.

"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."

[Orion21]

Ferrari looked fantastic during practice. I'm very excited for this race!