FORMULA 1 - 2016

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MEXICAN GRAND PRIX: ANYTHING POSSIBLE

Fresh from his 50th Formula One win, triple world champion Lewis Hamilton remains convinced anything is possible in the title race even if he could lose his crown as early as Sunday.

Victory for the Briton’s Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg in Mexico will see the German become champion with two rounds to spare if Hamilton has another stroke of bad luck and finishes outside the top nine.

Rosberg, who has a 26 point lead, won at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez last year — qualifying on pole and setting the fastest race lap — immediately after Hamilton had wrapped up the title in Texas.

He could repeat the feat but, despite nine victories so far in 2016, Rosberg has yet to win this season without Hamilton finishing at least seventh and more usually on the podium.

Hamilton is also in a very different state of mind to this time last year and not about to settle for anything less than another win.

“The moment you give up is the moment you lose,” said the champion, who can join French great Alain Prost on 51 wins and equal second on the all-time list of grand prix winners behind Michael Schumacher (91).

“I’ve never been one to give up and I don’t plan on starting now. There are still plenty of points available and anything is possible.”

Hamilton finished runner-up in Mexico last year when the country returned to the calendar for the first time in 23 years.

The altitude and slippery surface made the race more challenging while one of the biggest crowds of the year produced a memorable atmosphere.

“Even though last year’s race was a bit frustrating for me, I actually had a lot of fun out there. I’m looking forward to giving it another go and hopefully going one better this time,” said the Briton.

Rosberg, still determinedly taking one race at a time, said he would be keeping it simple again.

“Standing on that podium last year was one of the best moments of my career, so I hope I can get back up there and experience it again,” said the driver, whose father Keke was champion in 1982.

Reliability is the big concern for both, despite Mercedes having already won the constructors’ title for the third year in a row with 16 wins in 18 races and all but one pole position.

Hamilton lost out on 25 points in Malaysia when his engine failed while he was leading comfortably and that trauma has not gone away.

The Mercedes pair also have to worry about resurgent Red Bull, with Australian Daniel Ricciardo third in Austin and Dutch teenager Max Verstappen pushing hard until he retired with a gearbox problem.

Mexican fans now have two home race drivers to cheer on, with Force India’s Sergio Perez joined by Esteban Gutierrez, still chasing his first points of the season, in the Haas.

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ARRIVABENE: HIGH-PERFORMANCE CIRCUITS GIVE US DATA FOR 2017 CAR

A Ferrari renaissance was expected in 2016, but a woeful car with huge downforce deficiency relative to the pace setters has resulted in the Italian team to use the current SF16-H as a test bed for their 2017 Formula 1 project.

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene told F1i, “If you start to focus your attention on solving this year’s problems, you are losing time for next year’s development. This is the reason why we have been very much concentrated on [our] high-performance circuits like Suzuka because they can give us data for next year’s car.”

Speaking to media after the United States Grand Prix, Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel attributed the ill handling he had mid-race to a piece of rubber wedged onto the rear wing of his car.

“It is quite surprising if you lose downforce very suddenly,” explained Vettel. “It’s not like someone is knocking one or two seconds before, and tells you you’re about to lose the car, so I was quite lucky in that instance to be able to save it.”

“It was quite a big snap. We were travelling at quite high speeds but I was able to save the car. I had a couple of moments in the race and after that, I slowed down a bit to take it easy as we didn’t have anywhere to go. We were 10 seconds behind Daniel [Ricciardo] and there was nothing going on behind,” added Vettel.

Despite the problem it was clear that Ferrari were over a second down on the pace of Mercedes and about half a second adrift of Red Bull in qualifying and race trim.

When asked about the gap, Arrivabene replied, “I don’t want to repeat all season where we have some issues. It’s clear now that circuits with high downforce do not suit us.”

“Austin is a high-downforce track and it’s not comparable to Suzuka where we made some steps and were happy about this. But the characteristics of COTA are completely different,” added the Ferrari team chief.

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MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX WILL HAPPEN FOR TWO MORE YEARS

Amid reports that the Malaysian government is seriously considering ditching the grand prix at Sepang, comes confirmation that the race will nevertheless happen for another two years, thus fulfilling contractual obligations.

GMM report that Sepang chief Razlan Razali has now acknowledged that a watertight contract exists until and including 2018, “It will involve legal issues if we breach the contract which was signed last year and runs through 2018.”

“[Sepang] will review the host’s job when the contract expires in 2018 but the race will certainly be held next year,” added Razali.

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Thirty years on - Alain Prost's finest drive? And not the one you think

It’s human nature that it’s the final showdown we remember. The big finish. The crescendo that remains ringing in our ears as we walk away.

But often – in F1 at least – it was the one before that contained the grander shift. Not only of the mathematics but also of the mood. But readily it gets forgotten about. Think of Kimi Raikkonen’s stunning late seizing of the title in 2007 in Interlagos; Lewis Hamilton’s mysterious delay and all. Yet it was actually the round before in China that did more for Kimi. As I said it’s human nature...

Perhaps reflecting the same thing when a few years back the sport made its most recent fatuous attempt to ‘ban’ team orders they seemed to conclude laterally that orders in the final round were actually OK, as if it had some kind of stand-alone status. Plenty mused that actually all rounds count towards your points total…

And so it is too with the astonishing title showdown of 1986 in Adelaide that we’re almost exactly 30 years on from. That in which three drivers had a chance, and after a gripping and corkscrew-plotted finale the least likely of them sneaked through to snatch the championship – Alain Prost so doing between the two warring Williams-Honda pilots of Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet.

Even now some say it’s the last time the F1 world crown was won in other than the best machinery. Whatever the achievement was magnificent, and likely even Prost’s greatest glory of all.

No doubt with the 30th anniversary there will be plenty of retrospectives, and indeed Motor Sport magazine just named this one as the finest F1 race ever. But in Nigel Roebuck’s article outlining what happened that day he reminded us of the round that preceded it too, the Mexican Grand Prix. It was at least as important, not least for the eventual champion Prost.

The TAG engine in the back of his McLaren did not provide close to the power of the Honda that the Williams drivers could count on. “He [Prost] remained in title contention” said legendary scribe Roebuck, “because he unfailingly got the maximum from his car, because his racecraft was without equal”.  And the penultimate round of the season in Mexico was, as Roebuck said, a “brilliant drive” from The Professor. One in which that famous racecraft was seen at its finest.

It also was more typical Alain than in Australia a fortnight later. In Adelaide Prost recovered with sheer abandon from a deflated tyre delay, and by his own admission he eschewed most of his usual cerebral ways, given it was win or bust. He even ignored his fuel gauge – and judging this was in normal circumstances Alain’s trump card – as had that been accurate his McLaren would have conked out before the end. He rolled the dice needing a six, and got it. In Mexico though – with an ethereal touch allied to brain power that outdid them all – the drive was pure Prost.

And as with most great drives Prost had plenty to overcome in this one. Entering it there seemed little doubt who would walk off with the title. The afore-mentioned Mansell had triumphed in crushing fashion in the previous round in Portugal, and that seemed that. Prost even, while not conceding his crown, accepted that clawing back 11 on Nigel with just 18 left available – and in effect the gap was even wider as then only your best 11 scores of 16 counted – wasn’t realistic. Alain in the race’s aftermath went so far as to congratulate Nigel on his championship.

With this he needed to get something back on Mansell in Mexico. He did, and moreover he did it having driven much of the race a cylinder down…

The ’11 best’ rule again confused matters but someone worked out that all Mansell needed was fourth place in Mexico to make the thing sure. Prost’s McLaren-TAG as outlined wasn’t in the class of the Williams-Honda at the best of times, and here at exasperating mile-and-a-half altitude these were conditions that would play to the strengths of the grunty Japanese unit. While in addition to Mansell’s pomp as underlined in Portugal his team mate Piquet was having a late year resurgence of his own, having won three from four prior to Portugal. Ayrton Senna too while now out of title contention was still expected to be in the mix for the race win and of course would relent not a bit.

Compounding the matter McLaren’s Porsche engineers had trouble getting the revised turbos brought for these peculiar Mexican conditions programmed into the car’s engine management system. The upshot for Prost was severe engine lag, less boost that he’d have liked and just sixth place on the starting grid.

As we were reminded 12 months ago a Mexican round parachuting onto the calendar was not at all like the usual new-fangled host. Not least because it has considerable F1 previous.

In 1986 the Mexico race, as was the case last season indeed, was returning after a spell away, and returning then as now to the track in Mexico City’s Magdalena Mixhuca parkland. Then as now too while the layout had been tweaked the resemblance to before was clear (though then unlike now the mighty and mighty treacherous Peraltada curve remained in all of its glory).

Like then too the main shift had been off the track. Many with longer memories returned in 1986 with some trepidation, as the previous round there in 1970 was run literally “lined with human guardrails”, as that year’s Autocourse put it. Some 200,000 turned up and most decided to get a better view by breaking down the safety fences and settling next to the edge of the track, with literally nothing between them and the cars. It was sheer merciful deliverance that unimaginable carnage and death among those watching on didn’t happen.

1970 GP - Human's as rails... go figure

It wasn’t repeated 16 years on though, in part down to the presence of double rows of high barbed wire-topped fences and guards with vicious-looking dogs patrolling between them. Also though part of the explanation was that the crowd was only around a quarter the size of before, with ticket prices set far beyond many local wallets.

F1 at this point in history was more generally though experiencing an awakening. The sport was beginning to really establish itself as a Bernie-inspired TV extravaganza with a mass following, and adding to it Mansell that season was – after six years in the sport – becoming an overnight sensation with his title run. As we were to find out the everyman ‘Our Nige’ established popularity in his homeland never touched before or since most probably.

And expecting a world title confirmation and with it the first British crown in ten years, as outlined in Maurice Hamilton’s book Chequered Conflict the British press decamped to Mexico in large numbers (albeit beaten likely by those witnessed routinely today). This step into the unknown perhaps explains why, in these days before a strict schedule of official pressers, the Mexican pre-weekend press gathering with Mansell was arranged to take place in, erm, an airport café. The other side of the passport and security checks…

Underlining just how things have changed too Autosport boasted of the “extensive coverage” the BBC would give the race on British TV, which amounted to showing the first ten minutes of the race as well as the final 30 minutes live. And, oh yeah, a short race report would be on Radio 2 that evening.

‘The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there’, as goes the opening line of The Go-Between.

Whatever, Alain hardly was mentioned while all this was going on. He still wasn’t when we discovered something else that would in time became numbingly familiar. That drama – and of the scarcely credible kind – seemed somehow to follow Mansell around. Nigel as many visitors do in Mexico picked up some ‘Montezuma’s Revenge’ prior to the race; apparently on the Friday evening from a dinner celebrating the birthday of long-serving commentator Murray Walker… But still it seemed even with his obvious discomfort it wouldn’t halt him where it mattered, particularly as he qualified a solid third behind habitual pole man Senna and Piquet alongside.

But the opening ten seconds of the race did a lot to halt Nigel. Or rather, not get him moving from the halt. When the green light was shown Mansell’s FW11 didn’t move and cars flashed by on all sides, before Nige eventually got up and running, 18th at the end of the first tour. Mansell said simply that first gear wouldn’t go in. Some suggested uncharitably that he'd simply neglected to remember to put it in.

All might not have been lost though as Mansell passed eight cars in 10 laps, but then we got a portent of the chief discriminator of the day. On the track’s abrasive surface and in intense heat Mansell’s charge had taken its toll on his tyres, and he came in for new wheels, losing him several of the places he’d gained. He only made one more halt after that, but it ensured that his goose was cooked.

It took a while for this to manifest at the front though. For a time the hardly-friendly Brazilian pair Piquet and Senna disputed the lead, with Prost and the apparently interloper presence of Gerhard Berger in his Benetton employing a watching brief. It stayed that way until nearly half distance when it was assumed all would make routine solitary tyre stops.

Prost, Piquet and Senna did peel in, but the shape of the day started to change. As Berger did not. He was on Pirelli rubber rather than the Goodyears the rest used, and the Italian product was noted for its durability and allowing non-stop runs (another case of the past being a foreign country you might say). That’s exactly what Gerhard was doing, and did. And any thoughts that he would wilt under the pressure of an impending freshman F1 victory both for him and his team were not at all borne out, as he proceeded as if on rails to win.

While any thoughts that those behind could chase him down on their newer rubber were dashed about as emphatically, as instead they then put on an extraordinary show of tyre abuse. Piquet needed two more changes indeed; Senna another one and could perhaps have done with another as his final set blistered badly. This clearly was a battle for survival.

And not least for Prost, but for different reasons. He didn’t stop again but in some part necessity was the mother of invention, as with his TAG unit lapsed onto five cylinders rather than the full six as mentioned he dared not pit again, lest his machine not fire up afterwards. But if there is any driver in F1 history you’d pick to drive to save your life, particularly in such circumstances, Alain would be near or at the top of your list. He continued to ghost along as it all kicked off around him, and got home second for six points, near enough half a minute before Senna.

Berger’s win was spoken of as a surprise, but it really shouldn’t have been. As Motor Sport magazine put it, “Anyone who has been watching the F1 scene closely will have been aware that the Benetton-BMW team and Gerhard Berger have been heading for victory…The Benetton team’s pole positions at Osterreichring and Monza had demonstrated there was not much wrong with the car, the engine and the Pirelli tyres as far as high speed circuits were concerned, and the fast Mexican track seemed to suit them.”

Indeed, a few rounds before, Berger was winning in Austria at a canter before a flat battery severely delayed him. The non-stopping tactic shouldn’t have surprised either as it was something tried and done by Pirelli runners frequently, and indeed Berger was well on course to do just that in the Austrian race. But perhaps the discussion served to take more attention away from what Prost had done in Mexico.

The Williams meanwhile, the class of the field, toured in an ignominious, and lapped, fourth and fifth with Piquet ahead. It might have been even worse but for late retirements in front of them. The title conclusion therefore went down under, which is where we came in.

As Jeff Hutchinson’s Autosport race report from Mexico concluded of the continuing title fight, “Mansell is still the firm favourite”. And Adelaide we know about, his exploding Goodyear, Piquet then pitting as a precaution, and Prost picking up the pieces for an unlikely race and championship triumph. But as outlined it wasn’t all about that. Something about us extraordinary had got us there in the first place.

But not everyone lost sight of the contribution of Prost’s drive two weeks prior. “In Mexico Alain drove a truly incredible race,” said his boss Ron Dennis. “We’ve always had a lot less power than the Williams-Hondas, but this time – to make it worse – he was on five cylinders for half the race and didn’t dare to make a second tyre stop, for fear of losing the engine. On a very abrasive track he had to make two sets last the whole race: Mansell needed three, and Piquet four. Alain finished ahead of both of them…”

And even amid the immediate post-race and championship hubbub in Adelaide the sage Jackie Stewart recognised the importance of what had happened in Mexico. “People will say Nigel lost it because of his tyre failure” he said, “but you could also say he lost it in Mexico, where he started in third gear, dropped to the back, then began blistering tyres and finished fifth. He could have clinched the title that day, but instead he dropped four points to Prost – and he lost the title by two. To my mind, there’s no one near Alain.

“These days, you don’t often see a guy win a GP in a slower car – but this guy’s won the championship in one!”

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Explaining an F1 pit stop with Red Bull Racing

Red Bull Racing takes us through the art of a Formula 1 pit stop, where a team of 18 change four tyres in under two seconds.

MIKA: Bonus, the worst Pit Stops in the history of Formula 1

 

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Toto Wolff expects challenge from rivals to 'intensify'

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff believes the challenge from the team’s rivals will “intensify” for the final three races of the 2016 season.

The team has dominated once again this year, winning 16 of the 18 races so far. However, in recent rounds Red Bull and Ferrari have looked closer to Mercedes.

As the fight for the championship hots up between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, Wolff is expecting the team’s closest rivals to put up more of a fight too.

“Nico was very strong in Singapore, Lewis in Malaysia, Nico again in Japan and then Lewis back on top in the USA,” he explained.

“It keeps bouncing between the two, so I'm really curious how it's going to go from here. Then, there is the challenge from our rivals, which will intensify in the final few races.

“We were fortunate with the safety car in Austin. We had the pace - but Daniel (Ricciardo) in particular was very quick, so there is always a threat.

“The longer you leave the rules alone the more teams will converge on performance. Nothing in particular has changed on the chassis side over the past couple of years, so Ferrari and Renault in particular on the engine side have done a good job to close up to us.

“The game for 2017 has also already started, so when you throw all these factors into the mix we are looking at an exciting end to this season and the title battle.”

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The story behind the photo: Alonso hits Massa in Austin

Fernando Alonso’s forceful pass on Felipe Massa in the closing laps of the US Grand Prix was given the thumbs down by Massa, but thumbs up by race stewards. Photographer Jose Mario Dias caught the controversial moment to perfection.

But how did those involved see it? Here is their views in their own words...

The driver: Felipe Massa

“If you look on the camera from the top, his overtaking looks amazing. But he was [coming from] far away, he just didn’t brake, I was doing the corner. If I am not there he just passes straight on.

“Even hitting me, he went off the track anyway. I didn’t even try to close the line, he was so far behind, he was not close. Definitely, I think he has very good friends in the stewards, to be honest.”

The other driver: Fernando Alonso

“To get past the Williams you needed to overtake them in different, crazy places – like tight, slow-speed corners, and quite forcefully, and it was tough but hopefully enjoyable for the fans.

“I think that I was side-by-side with him. It's not like I was coming from behind doing any crazy things. I was already side by side, and there was no space for him to turn in.

“I tried to go on the inside, very aggressive, and unfortunately we touched, but both cars continued.”

The team boss: Pat Symonds (Williams)

"The FIA determined it’s a racing incident, which I don’t agree with. You only talk about the incident rather than the consequence of it. So the consequence is not – shouldn’t be – part of the judgement.

“The driver and team managers state their opinions as to what they feel and it’s up to the stewards then to decide. They’ve decided it’s a racing incident.

“I think that Alonso braked so late. Even when he hit Felipe, he still left the track. So having used Felipe as a brake, he still left the track.” 

The shooter: Jose Mario Dias (@josemariodias)

“I was at Turn 14 shooting the back of the cars. I was concentrated on the details, so I was using a long lens (500mm Nikon), with a D4 camera (ISO 200, f7.1, 1/1000sec).

“It was the end of the race, so there were not many photographers around – they had all gone to the podium. I wanted to do some pics that I hadn’t had chance to earlier. When I saw Massa and Alonso getting close, I thought that was a good potential overtaking chance, but I didn’t imagine that they would touch each other.

“I was happy to capture that moment, but I was a bit concerned for Massa – I’m Brazilian myself, so I support him!

“I think in any sport you shoot, you have to understand it well. I shoot only motorsport, so I know how to wait for the moment. When I saw that the two cars were close, I was waiting the moment of the overtake. The fact that they touched was luck.

“I am a freelance photographer, and my base is in the USA. I work with Nelson Piquet Jr in Formula E, with the Action Express team in IMSA and also cover some events for the Brazilian magazine, CAR, which is why I was in Austin.

“I think photos like this one marks history. They tell the moment. In some years, when someone talks about this race, recalls the overtake by Alonso on Massa, this will be the picture that illustrates this story.”

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The Mexican GP with Kimi Raikkonen - Scuderia Ferrari 2016

However, from the cockpit it’s not that noticeable, as Kimi Raikkonen explains: “I don’t think we feel it very much. Obviously you see when you go into the stadium, but there are very tight corners there and you already know there are a lot of people. It was a nice race for the first year. What they did is very nice. Everything worked well. I think it will be interesting to go back there. The circuit was very slippery at the start, but it got better and better during the weekend".

 

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PROST: THE RED BULL F1 DRIVER PROGRAMME IS A TRAP

In the wake of Red Bull’s decision to retain Daniil Kvyat and with it marginalise Pierre Gasly, who was earmarked for a seat with Toro Rosso in 2017, Formula 1 legend Alain Prost accuses young driver programmes of trapping up and coming talent.

Prost told Canal+, “The extension of [Kvyat’s] contract, despite some below par results, can be seen as a way to thank him for his services. We all believed Pierre would get his seat for next season.”

“Some of the youth programmes are a trap, and especially the Red Bull programme, a driver can get stuck in it. He has a contract, so he can’t just do what he wants.”

“However this is in keeping with Red Bull logic and tactics, whereby they are their own masters and the way they operate not always easy to understand. But of course, everything can change in a couple of months. You can never be too sure with them,” added Prost.

The Frenchman was clearly referring to the fact that in May this year, from out the blue, Red Bull demoted Kvyat to Toro Rosso and promoted Max Verstappen to the senior team. At that point it even appeared that Kvyat would be ditched from the squad before the season ended.

While under contract to Red Bull, Gasly is unlikely to be in a Renault cockpit next season unless his paymasters deem so. It is known that the French manufacturer is keen to have a French driver alongside Nico Hulkenberg should they not be able to secure the services of Valtteri Bottas.

“In Formula 1 there are only 22 cars on the grid and it’s you have to be in the right place at the right time to take advantage of a good opportunity when it arises. It’s not always that easy,” added Prost.

Highly rated Gasly made it clear that he was surprised by Red Bull’s decision not to promote him to Toro Rosso and instead keep the faith with Kvyat.

Gasly was expected to replace the Russian in the Red Bull junior team in 2017, but the energy drinks decision makers decided otherwise.

Nevertheless the team’s driver consultant Helmut Marko revealed that Gasly will be Red Bull reserve next year and told Canal+, “Pierre will be reserve driver for Red Bull, do testing when required and continue his work in the simulator.”

“We will decide the championship that he will participate in next season. The choice depends on the result of the current GP2 series,” added Marko.

Gasly lies second in the 2016 GP2 Championship with two rounds remaining in Abu Dhabi late next month. His options would be another season in GP2 or a move to Red Bull’s DTM programme.

Drivers who have graduated through Toro Rosso to Red Bull through the Junior Team, since its formation in 2001, include: Vitantonio Liuzzi, Christian Klien, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Daniil Kvyat and Max Verstappen.

With Vettel obviously the most successful graduate, but interestingly his junior career was funded by BMW with Red Bull coming into the picture late in the German’s career.

Similarly, little credit can be given to Red Bull during Verstappen’s karting years. They became involved with the Dutch prodigy in August 2014, by then he was well into the FIA European Formula 3 Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing.

Red Bull drivers who made it into Formula 1, but were discarded include: Scott Speed, Jaime Alguersuari, Sébastien Buemi and Jean-Éric Vergne. Interestingly none of these were able to find an alternative race seat on the F1 grid.

The Red Bull programme is also littered with numerous young drivers who, like Gasly, thought they were heading to Formula 1 only to have their dream shattered.

Those that jump to mind are the likes of: António Félix da Costa, Brendon Hartley, Robert Wickens, Alex Lynn, Daniel Juncadella, Stefano Coletti, Mirko Bortolotti, Michael Ammermüller and Filipe Albuquerque.

And though these bright and promising youngsters were knocking on the door for a seat with Red Bull/ Toro Rosso, none made it into Formula 1.

MIKA:

 

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CAN FERRARI’S ANNUS HORRIBILIS GET EVEN MORE HORRIBILIS?

Ferrari expected much better than this in 2016, after ending last season with three wins and promises of pulling closer to Mercedes, Ferrari instead slid backward.

There have been no victories, just one podium finish in the last nine races and Ferrari is once again fending off questions about discord within Formula One’s most popular team.

Just look at last weekend’s race at the United States Grand Prix: After a disappointing qualifying in which both drivers started on the third row, Sebastian Vettel finished fourth and Kimi Raikkonen didn’t finish at all when he was forced to return to the garage after leaving a pit stop with an improperly attached wheel.

Judged by race officials as an unsafe release, Ferrari was hit with a fine. Seeing sparks fly as he pulled away, Raikkonen put the car in reverse for a humiliating return drive back downhill as Ferrari slipped further behind Red Bull for second place in the team championship, which it hasn’t won since 2008.

“Far from ideal” is how the deadpan Raikkonen summed it up.

The same could be said about Ferrari’s entire season as Formula One heads to the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend.

Ferrari landed in Mexico last season full of optimism. Vettel’s had scored the non-Mercedes wins all year. He was a regular on the podium and Ferrari was cruising toward a second-place finish in the constructor’s championship.

There’s been none of the same confidence this year. The Ferrari drivers — both former world champions — have made more noise with their mouths than their cars, with Vettel complaining about slow drivers and he and Raikkonen both criticizing the defensive tactics of Red Bull’s brash Dutch teenager Max Verstappen as dangerous.

Luca Baldisseri, Ferrari’s former chief engineer who left the team after last season, caused a stir around Formula One before the U.S. Grand Prix when he told Italian media that Ferrari leadership had created a “climate of fear.”

“They are no longer a team, but a group of frightened people,” Baldiserri said.

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene dismisses external criticism, “It’s an old story. Ferrari in Italy is like the Italian football national team.”

“I think pressure is normal, having tension is normal, having criticism is normal, so you have to live with that. Then, sometimes it’s going too far.”

“This is part of the job … if you work for a brand like Ferrari, you have to accept all of this, like it or not. The atmosphere inside the house is completely different to what people thought about, or what you are reading sometimes in the newspaper.”

To be fair, Ferrari is far from the panic that had set in in 2014 when Mercedes blew everyone away with their new V6 turbo hybrid engines. Ferrari had scrapped its way back to best-of-the-rest in 2015, making this season’s results so frustrating.

And Red Bull’s resurgence has some thinking that’s the team to knock off Mercedes in 2017. Red Bull teammates Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo have the only non-Mercedes win this year and those two are considered likely contenders for future world titles.

Ferrari hasn’t won a driver’s championship since Raikkonen in 2007 and the last time it was seriously in the hunt was 2012 with Fernando Alonso.

The pairing of Raikkonen with Vettel, who won four titles with Red Bull, gives Ferrari a powerful 1-2 punch behind the wheel if they can get competitive cars.

Vettel is under contract with Ferrari through next season and said he won’t think about starting negotiations until after this season is finished.

“I don’t think it’s important to look into details as such,” Vettel said. “My contract is all fine for next year.”

The Mexican Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was not a good experience for Ferrari in 2015, brimming with confidence from a good drive in Texas his team’s season-long surge, Vettel qualified third but was knocked back by a tire puncture on the first lap, then knocked out when aggressive driving led to a late crash.

Raikkonen also didn’t finish after breaking a real axle in a bump with Williams driver Valterri Bottas. It was the first time since 2006 that both Ferrari cars failed to finish a race.

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ROSBERG RECEIVES TOP GERMAN MOTORSPORT AWARD

The German motor racing association ADAC has awarded Nico Rosberg the accolade of ADAC Motorsports Man of the Year for 2016.

ADAC Sport President Hermann Tomczyk said, “Nico Rosberg has already enjoyed an impressive motorsport year to date. Nine Formula 1 victories in 18 races speak for themselves.”

“Nico has extremely combative this season against his team-mate and rivals this season, even through challenging periods.

“No matter whether he wins the 2016 Formula 1 world championship or not, he is now the ADAC Motorsports Man of the Year and he has earned it.”

Rosberg responded, “I am very honoured because this award has been given to many significant names of German motorsport.”

“This season I have stood at the top of the Formula 1 podium a number of times, but I am well aware that I owe this yo my team. Without the Silver Arrow it would not be possible to win races. My deserves this prize too.”

“Thanks to the ADAC for this honour which gives me special motivation for the rest of the season, in which I hope to win even more races” added Rosberg

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MANOR PREVIEW THE MEXICAN GRAND PRIX

Another weekend, another belter of a race track. This time, we’re 2,250 metres above sea level in Mexico City, at the fabled Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Not only one of the highest circuits in the world, it’s also one of the most exhilarating.

Super-fast, cars will reach speeds in the order of 360km/h along the 1.25km start-finish straight. Super-high, the altitude places unique demands on engines due to reduced air density. And Super-special, the atmosphere on race day is electric – the chanting from the vast sea of spectators enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.

Frankly, Manor Racers Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon can’t wait to race here. And Racing Director Dave Ryan is also excited to be back.

Pascal Wehrlein

Pascal, what have you been up to since the race in Austin last Sunday? And how do you like Mexico City?
“I had a day off on Monday, which I spent exploring Austin a little more. On Tuesday I travelled here to Mexico City and it was really interesting flying over the city before we landed – so many people living here! On Wednesday I played football with a few of the other drivers and some Mexican professional players. We played on a pitch on top of a shopping mall; I guess there isn’t much space on the ground! It was a lot of fun and a nice way to get pumped ready for the weekend.”

What are your on-track objectives?

“Austin went well overall but we didn’t achieve our objective of finishing ahead of Sauber. They remain our main competitor right now and we have to keep them behind us for the rest of the season – especially in the Constructors’ table. It’s too early to know how well this track will favour our car, but I’m looking forward to getting to know another new circuit and finding a good set-up so we can have a nice battle here.”

Esteban Ocon

Esteban, first time racing at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. What are you thinking?
“Two big stand-out features I think. The first, that it’s a really fast circuit with long straights and one of the highest top speeds of the season. Also, the atmosphere – I hear it’s amazing, especially on race day. I can’t wait to try both of those things for myself!”

And what do you think of the city so far?”
“It looks really cool, but I think there will be less opportunity to explore. Austin was great because downtown everything is condensed into a reasonably small area. Mexico City is definitely not a reasonably small area! I was expecting ‘big’, but it’s still really surprising to see. So, I think the racetrack will be where we’re spending most of our time this week and it looks pretty cool, so I’m happy for that. It also has a lot of rich history, so it’s been nice talking to Dave (Ryan) and Pat (Fry) over the past couple of days about some of their stories from the ‘old days’. My engineer Juan is also Mexican, so as well as him knowing the track really well, I get great tips on where to find the best Tacos!”

Dave Ryan

Dave, as you said in Austin, we did a good job of ‘managing our championship position’. Only three races remaining, but in many ways that feels like an eternity!
“Yes, only three races, but that’s still a lot of fighting left to do. We’ve done really well to maintain our position since Austria, but the shape of a Grand Prix can change in an instant. Although at the end of the race the Saubers finished 14th and 15th, for a time there they were running higher than that and that certainly focuses our attentions on the pit wall and also back at base, where we’re pushing hard to bring smaller developments to the car all the way to the end of the season. We need to optimise car and team performance at every step of the weekend and we’re very fortunate to have two drivers who understand that, right now, the best result for the team is the team result.”

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VETTEL AND RAIKKONEN MAKE A BIG NOISE

Banco Santander launched its third video in its “The Daily Race” collection showing people and companies in their daily lives, the latest featuring Ferrari’s F1 drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen.

The latest video is divided in two parts. In the first one released ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix, Vettel chats with Arturo, a renowned Mexican trumpeter, about the challenges they both face in their professional activities.

In the case of Arturo, his daily sacrifice with rehearsals, tours, nerves at concerts, which does not prevent him from enjoying tremendous personal satisfaction. In the second part, Arturo shows Vettel and Raikkonen how to play the trumpet, imitating the sound of a race car. They even compete to see who lasts longer. Who will win?

 

 

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Ecclestone wants walls and danger

Bernie Ecclestone is once again courting controversy as he has urged Formula 1 to take steps to make the sport more dangerous by surrounding the tracks with walls.

Although Formula 1 is always looking for ways to improve safety, resulting in bigger and bigger run-off areas, the F1 supremo it should actually go in the opposite direction.

"In those (the old) days, and it can't happen again, people would come to a race and think somebody could get killed," he told Reuters.

"Today they know they come to a race and nobody is going to get killed. Which is good.

"I've been criticised probably by everybody because I wanted to build 40cm walls around the corners. 

"They keep saying they mustn't go off the road, I promise they won't."

His suggestions, though, didn't stop there.

The 86-year-old supremo also feels Formula 1 should have surrounded Fernando Alonso with a curtain and whisked him away when he suffered massive accident in Australia, keeping fans in suspense as to his health.

He explained: "What Fernando had in Australia … you wouldn’t think he was going to walk away.

"What we ought to do immediately that happens is have big sheets all the way around, bring the ambulance in … and take him away. 

"He’s gone to the hospital and later on you announce that, thank God, he’s out. 

"A bit of showbiz. People like that."

MIKA: Wow, is Bernie in league with another guy that seems to like walls...?

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Gutierrez ‘considering strongly’ other options

Esteban Gutierrez hopes to have his future resolved within the “next two weeks” after revealing that Haas is not his only option for 2017.

The Mexican racer’s future is uncertain as he has yet to get off the mark in his second season of Formula 1 racing.

Although Gutierrez has achieved five P11s, that first point with the American outfit still eludes him.

This has raised questions about his future, however, the Mexican racer says things are “looking good” for next season.

“I think [owner] Gene [Haas] has been very clear in the media they want to wait a few races,” he said in Thursday’s FIA press conference.

“Fortunately we have other options which we are now considering strongly.

“I think it would be important to close something soon because we cannot risk to just wait a few more races to the end of the season, and risk falling between two chairs.

“Things are looking good for next season.”

The former Sauber driver added that he hoped to have his future resolved before the next race in Brazil.

“The deadline should be in the next two weeks,” he said.

[MIKA27]

Showers possible for Mexican GP weekend

Although Formula 1 is expecting a dry Mexican GP weekend, UBIMET reports that afternoon showers "could not be excluded."

Last season Formula 1 returned to the Hermanos Rodríguez circuit in what was a weekend for slick tyres.

This year, though, they may have to use the intermediates or even the wets as there is a small possibility of afternoon showers.

UBIMET reports: "Heading into the race weekend, dry weather is expected to continue for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

"This is normal for this time of year, as the end of October is the beginning of the dry season in Mexico City that continues all the way through the winter months. 

"Each day will bring light winds with skies varying between partly to mostly cloudy. 

"However, some showers could not be excluded during the afternoon and evening hours. 

"High temperatures will remain a few degrees below average, with highs between 16 and 19 degrees Celsius."

[MIKA27]

Haas to run new brake materials in Mexico

Haas will try new brake materials from Brembo at the Mexican Grand Prix as it bids to get on top of the failures that have dogged its season.

Brembo is continuing its investigation into what caused Esteban Gutierrez’s disc failure in Austin last weekend, which cost the Mexican a chance of fighting for the points.

While there is no firm answer yet as to what happened – and whether the causes are similar to the brake issues suffered by the team in Bahrain, Malaysia and Japan – it has been decided that a new action plan will be put in place this weekend.

Haas is to evaluate a new carbon material, and is planning some brake modifications too – as it hopes that the tweaks will be enough to allow it to get on top of things.

Team principal Gunther Steiner said: “We will do the best we can to keep it under control.

“We have some different parts coming, but we still need to see how it works. For sure we did something to do the utmost possible to make sure it doesn’t happen again, and we hope it get it working. So we will also be using a different material here – a different specification from Brembo.”

Steiner said that Haas was very reliant on Brembo for help in coming up with a solution – as it had to trust the Italian company’s expertise in brakes.

“We need to find out with Brembo,” he said. “So either Brembo come up with a solution so that we don’t have a problem, or if we do something wrong we are advised how to do it right.

“We have done how we have been told, so if there is somewhere in our process, or something wrong with it, we have to find out. We have given our process to Brembo to see if this is wrong.

“Brembo is sending some more people down this weekend to make sure that we are not having the problem any more.”

     

Late switch unlikely

Although Steiner said after the United States Grand Prix that his team was ready to consider a change of supplier, he thinks a switch before the end of the season would be too difficult.

“Brake material is very complex, therefore it isn’t easy,” he said. “That is why we don’t have to badmouth Brembo too much about it, because it is very difficult.

“If you change to another material, it takes a lot of lead time. Also next year the brake material will be different because of the wider tyres.

“It is very difficult to do anything different this year. I am confident we can find a solution to sort this out for the rest of the year.”

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Kvyat: F1 should focus on individual cases, not new rules

Daniil Kvyat says Formula 1 is taking a wrong approach by creating new rules in response to incidents instead of evaluating them individually.

Most recently, the FIA announced a clampdown on drivers moving under braking in defense, a measure taken largely in response to the defensive tactics of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and one that's garnered a positive reception from some of the sport's biggest names.

For Kvyat, however, such measures go against the goal of giving Formula 1 drivers more freedom to battle out on track.

"I feel like, I don't know, if they just do it for one driver, they should take the case a bit more individually and, if something happens, just penalise the driver if they think he moved too much in the braking," Kvyat said.

"To create another rule, give less freedom to drivers... This year we went from giving more room to racing to going more and more strict. It looks like they're forgetting what they said themselves.

"I don't have a strong opinion anyway, on this rule. I don't know, maybe the overtakes will become a little bit less sharp? I don't know. In my opinion, if something happens, then penalise it. If nothing happens, like it happened with some other drivers, don't penalise it.

"To just put a completely new rule... I don't know. I think it should be a bit more individual, rather than creating brand new rules."

     

Magnussen penalty too harsh

Kvyat had picked up a 10-second penalty for tapping Sergio Perez into a spin in the most recent race at COTA, and was then involved in another investigated incident, as Kevin Magnussen received a five-second time penalty - and two penalty points on his license - for overtaking the Russian off-track.

For Kvyat, the points allocated to Magnussen's license served as an example of a blanket policy making for an unnecessarily harsh penalty.

"I think two points on the license is a bit harsh, to be honest. Again, I think It should be taken a lot more individually, these points on the license.

"I expected a five-second penalty after the race, but... I didn't expect they would give him two points. I was like 'wow, why?'."

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Button "counting off" days until final F1 race

Jenson Button says he "can't wait" for the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, and the chance to explore life outside F1.

Button has just three races to go before he takes a sabbatical next year, moving into an advisor/ambassador role at McLaren.

"I can't wait!" he said when asked by Motorsport.com. "I am sort of counting them off. I wish they were back-to-back-to-back, basically."

Asked if the beach is calling, he said: "No, the beach isn't calling, lots of other stuff is though. I don't do beaches, unless it's running over them to get to the sea! It's very exciting, next year."

Button denied that anticipating his last race so strongly is a strange feeling.

"No, it's not, not strange at all. I love driving the car, that's fun. Not as fun as it used to be, that's not because I've been doing it so long, it's because of the way the sport is at the moment.

"But you still enjoy it, when you stand on the grid in Austin, facing the national anthem, the atmosphere is unbelievable.

"And it will be here as well, which is great. Actually it will be in the next few races, and then Abu Dhabi is the last one, it's very special, I'll have friends and family there as well. I'm actually looking forward to it."

Button insisted that his thoughts on a possible return in 2018 have not changed since it was announced in Monza that the door might still be open for him.

"No, because my aim is not to be racing next year. My aim is not to be racing again. But in six months I might want to go racing again. The idea of speaking to Ron in Spa, and he changed my mind to stay."

He insisted that the possible exit of Ron Dennis – with whom he agreed his exit – will not have any impact.

"It's all rumours, and whether there's any truth in it, we'll see. An exit deal is never done with one individual. The board has to say yes or no."

[MIKA27]

Verstappen to limit radio comms to avoid sounding "arrogant"

Max Verstappen says he will try to limit his radio communications during F1 races after admitting his messages sound "arrogant" out of context.

The Dutchman was in the spotlight once again during the United States Grand Prix following a radio exchange with his engineer, who asked him to take care of his tyres so they would last the whole stint.

Verstappen replied "I'm not here to finish fourth" as he fought for position with Mercedes' Nico Rosberg.

The Red Bull driver admitted his message sounded arrogant, but insisted he is aware that the team is just trying to help him.

"The thing is that all the time that I press my radio button it's broadcast, so sometimes it sounds a bit arrogant," said Verstappen.

"Especially that 'I'm not here to finish fourth', but that's what comes up in my mind. I'm not there to finish fourth at the end of the day, I'm there to win, as a racer.

"But on the radio it sounds arrogant and like I'm not listening to the team, but that's not my message to the team.

"They are always trying to help you, so I wouldn't say it's unnecessary. We'll try to do an even better job."

Verstappen jokingly said that he plans to get rid of the radio button.

     

"I think I'm gonna take my radio button off, so no radio for me anymore," he said. "As a driver I always want to go forward. I want to win, that's always the aim. I was trying to get past, that's how I did it with Kimi [Raikkonen] as well.

"That was like, I arrived and I got past, but with Nico it didn't really work out, but at the end of the day I did damage my left front a bit, but it was not that bad.

"I think it's better to just not say anything so there are no discussions. No long sentences for me anymore."

The Dutchman was also the protagonist of another incident during the Austin race when he pitted without warning, catching his mechanics unready.

Verstappen said the mistake occurred because he was on "auto-pilot", and insisted it will not happen again.

"You always have a bit of coded messages, of course. We spoke about some things, but for me after driving for an hour you get into your comfort zone and are on auto-pilot.

"I saw Daniel box the lap before so I thought I'll box the next lap for my last stint. And that's where it went wrong. So maybe I was thinking to myself a bit too much.

"I think it won't happen again."

[MIKA27]

Rosberg clears air with Ecclestone over title remarks

Nico Rosberg has revealed that he has spoken to Bernie Ecclestone to clarify remarks the Formula 1 supremo was reported to have made about the German not being good for the sport if he wins the title.

Ecclestone was said to have reiterated his long-standing belief that having Rosberg as champion would not be positive for Formula 1 because he does not have the box-office appeal of someone like Lewis Hamilton.

"If Nico won the title it would be good for him and good for Mercedes but it wouldn't necessarily help the sport because there is nothing to write about him," the media reported Ecclestone as having said. "Even in Germany it wouldn't help. You need someone like Lewis."

Speaking ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix, Rosberg said he has taken up the matter with Ecclestone, who replied that the comments he made were used in isolation of separate remarks where he praised the German.

Rosberg said: "I spoke to him personally and he said that it is not exactly how he said it. But it is not something that is important to me – I focus on my thing and that is it."

  

What he really said

A transcript of the Ecclestone interview shows that he actually believed Rosberg could deliver a boost to F1, as a new champion would add extra interest.

Asked about the benefits of another Hamilton championship, Ecclestone said: "He [Hamilton] won't do anything to enhance the championship (if he wins) because he's already a world champion. So what else can he do?

"So he's won it once more, which is good. I personally think he does a good job. Difference is if Nico wins, it will be a new champion and he will hopefully be doing good things because I think if Lewis wins again he won't do any different to what he's doing now, probably less."

     

Facing the critics

Rosberg said that he does not care too much about any criticisms he faces from either inside the paddock or from fans about his achievements, because his focus is simply on delivering his maiden F1 title.

"I am here to win races, not to please everyone out there," he said. "There will always be people who have opinions that go against me one way or another….that is the nature of the business. I like to focus on the people who support me, and that is it."

Rosberg also reiterated that the prospect of winning the championship this weekend would not alter his focus on chasing win than playing the long game.

"I am well aware of that [championship chance] – and it has been a great season so far which has put me in this position. It is exciting to be in this championship position at the end of the season.

"As I said before, my way of achieving the best performance is to focus on the things that are within my control – and that is here in Mexico trying to win the race. That is it."

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Canada promoter confident of keeping race via 2019 revamp compromise

Canadian Grand Prix organisers are confident that a compromise deal can be agreed in the next few weeks to keep the country’s race on the Formula 1 calendar next year.

The Montreal event, scheduled to take place on June 11, was only given provisional status in the draft 2017 F1 calendar that was published by the FIA in September.

It is understood its place was subject to the confirmation that track and infrastructure improvements promised as part of its contract would be completed in time.

Back in 2014 as part of a new deal, it was agreed that a revamp of facilities – including the paddock, control tower and medical centre – would be finished by next year.

But progress at the venue has not moved as fast as originally anticipated, and discussions are now taking place about delaying the completion of work until 2019 rather than next year.

Such a change may require an all-new contract to be drawn up.

Canadian Grand Prix promoter Francois Dumontier attended the United States Grand Prix last weekend for talks with Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Jean Todt to talk with them about the situation – and he said he was confident matters were heading in the right direction.

“It is now being discussed between the mayor’s office and Ecclestone,” Dumontier told Motorsport.com. “I’m pretty confident that they can reach an agreement that will remove the [to be confirmed] ‘asterix’ from our race.

“There is a proposal to delay the completion of the work until 2019, and if we get agreement on that then we should be fine.”

Canada realistically has until November 30 to sort out a deal with Ecclestone, because that is the date when the FIA is expected to finalise the 2017 calendar.

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'I think walls are pretty good' - Ricciardo backs Ecclestone on deterrents

Daniel Ricciardo believes Bernie Ecclestone is right to suggest F1 needs to be more of a challenge for drivers and thinks there should be deterrents when people make mistakes, rather than large run-off areas. 

His comments come after Ecclestone said the sport needs to increase the 'danger' element and should “build 40cm walls around the corners”. 

“It's tough because we always talk about safety but I think walls are actually pretty good,” Ricciardo said ahead of this weekend's Mexican Grand Prix. 

“Even like Monaco, if you slide into the wall it's just there and that's it. I like the idea of walls that they are a permanent thing. 

“It's like Lewis [Hamilton] in Monaco when he was defending me and cut through the chicane, if there was a wall there, happy days, I win the race. I'm not a fan of the real open stuff, at least have something there that is a deterrent.” 

Ricciardo also revealed that deterrents and large run-off areas are often chatted about in the driver briefings. 

“Yeah we always talk about it in driver briefings. Whether it's bringing some gravel back or these sort of speed bump kerb things are doing the job in some areas. So it's improving, but I think it's more when a driver can just run off wide and come back on track and not really pay a penalty. That's where it's a bit where you're like at least have some penalty to pay,” he continued. 

“At the end of the day if you go off wide, you lock a brake or whatever but you've missed the apex, you've made a mistake so you should lose some time for making a mistake. “I think that's the thing that frustrates me more, it allows too many of us to be less than perfect and it makes us look less good as well if we're always making mistakes and not paying any penalty for it.” 

Championship leader Nico Rosberg, however, is less taken with the idea of adding walls and stresses it would be wrong to “turn back time on safety”. 

“Well, my opinion is that there are ten other areas which we should look at before... if we want to make the sport even better than it is before we start looking at turning back time on safety. That would be my view on that,” confirmed the Mercedes pilot. 

Force India's Sergio Perez agrees, but adds some circuits do need to be more challenging: “I certainly agree with Nico. There are so many more areas where we can improve the sport before starting to put safety at risk. 

“[But] I think we can definitely make the circuits a bit more challenging for the drivers, not necessarily with walls but making the driver pay for mistakes if you go off, having a gravel trap and losing time, that kind of thing I think is good for the sport because that forces the drivers not to make any mistakes.” 

[MIKA27]

Alonso also suffered puncture in Massa clash

Fernando Alonso has revealed he too suffered a puncture when he collided with Felipe Massa in the closing stages of the United States Grand Prix but was able to get to the chequered flag without it hampering him. 

The Spaniard was making good headway in the closing stages of the Texas race when he came up on the battle for fifth between Carlos Sainz and Massa. Wasting no time in making his presence felt, Alonso caught Massa unawares into the turn 16 left-hander, prompting the pair to clash wheels. 

With Massa suffering a puncture that would force him to pit on the penultimate lap – albeit without the loss of position -, the Brazilian driver was later upset stewards decided it was a racing incident and handed out no punishment at the McLaren. 

Alonso, however, has revealed he also came close to disaster in the contact after breaking a tyre rim that was causing a slow puncture. Despite this, he did get the better of Sainz on the penultimate lap to finish fifth. 

“The movement and the commitment that you have to do is quite big because you know the risks that are on this manoeuvre. 

“But I braked very late on purpose just because of that, because I wanted to put the car alongside him or in front of him because if not then he can't see me. So I braked very late for that reason. Unfortunately we touched each other, he had a puncture, I had a slow puncture as well with a tyre rim broken, so very, very lucky.” 

Describing the incident as 'unfortunate', Alonso played down the reaction of his former Ferrari team-mate afterwards. 

“I think it's OK. Obviously we always fight on the track and unfortunately this time we touched two cars and one was with a puncture. I remember many incidents this year that both cars continued running and everything was OK but unfortunately one of the two had a puncture.” 

“It's a race incident and everyone has maybe similar opinions or at least the stewards have that opinion so there is not much to talk about.” 

[MIKA27]

Hamilton ‘hoping and praying’ car stays intact

Lewis Hamilton says he doesn't plan to take any undue risks over the remaining three races of the 2016 F1 season in his quest to retain his title, but admits there remains a fear reliability gremlins will not give him a fair shot at pressuring Nico Rosberg. 

Fresh from notching up his first win for three months in the United States Grand Prix, Hamilton still comes into the final three rounds knowing even a trio of victories won't be enough to surpass Rosberg if the German follows him in second. 

A legacy of his damaging engine blowout in Malaysia and third place finish in Japan after a bad start, Hamilton nonetheless comes to Round 19 and the Mexican Grand Prix feeling more relaxed in the knowledge that he could still lose his title even if he performs to his best in the concluding races. 

“I approach it the same as I've approached generally every race. Maybe slightly more relaxed than I have others maybe because I have accepted that there are things that are out of my powers, out of my control. 

“All I can do is control what is in the car and what I do. So as long as I focus and put all my energy towards that, hopefully I can get results like I did last weekend. 

“But if I don't, then you move forwards. I don't think I will be taking more risks than I usually do. I think I am a relatively risky driver, but I don't think I will be taking more than others. I will definitely be cautious of my surroundings, as I always am. 

“I am going for it, that is for sure. While my heart is still beating and I still have that drive to win, and there still is an opportunity even if it is only one percent I am going to be going for it.” 

Indeed, Hamilton has made persistent reference to his reliability issues in 2016 beyond dramatic Sepang DNF, a persistent fear that he says is unlikely to pass until the chequered flag drops in Abu Dhabi. 

“It will probably be a feeling I have more often because I'm on my eighth engine and I've experienced a lot more than any other has this year. 

“Now I'm confident everyone is doing what they can and the guys are working so hard to make sure nothing happens moving forward. But again, there are things that are just out of our hands and there have been things this year that are out of our control. 

“A couple of races ago in Malaysia I had a brand-new fresh engine and Paddy said 'You can use full power the whole race' so I had no concerns and the thing blew up! 

“I guess you just have to take everything with a pinch of salt, and I'm hoping and praying that my car stays intact and strong and solid for the remaining races. If it isn't, then so be it and we will try and bounce back on those next races as well. 

Furthermore, Hamilton maintains the story of this year's title battle would be different if he was on a leveller playing field with Rosberg. 

“I think if both our cars had been fully reliable all year long we would have had pretty much the same battle we've had all last year and the year before, so I don't see it being any different.”