FORMULA 1 - 2016

[MIKA27]

LAUDA: NICO IS NOT THINKING ABOUT A NEW CONTRACT

Championship leader Nico Rosberg and Mercedes have played down rising speculation about the German driver’s expiring contract.

Reports have suggested Rosberg is on pole position for a new deal beyond 2016, given his six straight wins.

But Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda told Bild newspaper in Berlin: “Nico is not thinking about a new contract.

“He is currently so strong that while the topic interests the media, for a driver it is nothing,” he said.

Rosberg agreed: “This is currently not an issue for me. But I do want to continue for many years here (at Mercedes), that’s clear.”

Some reports have said Mercedes will want to quickly secure a deal with the on-form 30-year-old, but former F1 driver Marc Surer is not so sure.

“Mercedes is still in the best bargaining position,” he said, “because all other options for Nico are worse. And without a new contract in his pocket, a driver goes hungry.”

[MIKA27]

PALMER BAD CHINA PERFORMANCE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Jolyon Palmer’s bad performance in China last weekend was embarrassing according to Jason Watt.

The former F3000 driver turned pundit who scoffed at Briton Palmer finishing dead last in his Renault in Shanghai.

“Kevin (Magnussen) really got the upper hand” in China, Watt, a Dane like Magnussen, told Ekstra Bladet newspaper.

“You have to say that Renault generally had a hard time (in China), but I think it is bordering on embarrassing when Palmer is behind the Manor when there is nothing actually wrong with the car,” he added.

“If he (Palmer) continues like this, then even the money he brings to the team will not secure his seat,” said Watt.

The Danish newspaper quoted Magnussen as saying after the race: “I was much faster than him (Palmer), but I don’t know if there was something wrong with his car.”

Renault is expecting to improve in the coming weeks, mainly by introducing a major upgrade for its engine in Canada.

“Mercedes has done a great job and is far ahead of us, but at the same time I think their learning curve is levelling off, making it easier for us to catch up,” Renault’s Cyril Abiteboul told BT newspaper.

“In fact, we believe we have already reduced the gap to them with the improvements we made during the winter.

“The development will continue, otherwise I’ll be fired,” he laughed.

[MIKA27]

ERICSSON WILLING TO SWAP CARS WITH NASR

Marcus Ericsson says he is willing to swap chassis with struggling teammate Felipe Nasr ahead of the forthcoming Russian grand prix.

Amid Sauber’s obvious financial troubles, Brazilian Nasr claims his personal performance struggle so far in 2016 is due to a problem with his chassis.

“I am 100 per cent sure the car is not right,” he is quoted by UOL after China. “I’m struggling all the time but he (Ericsson)’s happy with the car from the start. I drove that (Ericsson’s) car in Barcelona and I was happy too.”

Swede Ericsson told UOL he would be happy to swap cars at Sochi in order to confirm or rule out Nasr’s suspicions.

“Why not? I’m willing,” he said. “I wouldn’t mind. I will make this proposal and see what he says.”

Ericsson suspects that he is simply out-performing Nasr on merit.

“I was already stronger at the end of last year,” he said. “I have worked very hard in the preseason to be even stronger this year and I have confidence in the team and the car.

“I think I have clearly shown who is the strongest driver,” Ericsson added.

[MIKA27]

HARYANTO RAISING F1 FUNDING BY SMS MESSAGE

A novel campaign in Indonesia to keep Rio Haryanto on the 2016 Formula 1 grid has been launched.

CNN Indonesia reports that the government has organised five telecommunications companies – Telkomsel, Indosat, Smartfren, XL Axiata and Tri – to help the rookie compile the last EUR 4.2 million he owes to Manor.

Fans can text the word ‘Rio’ to a mobile number, costing them a small amount that will go into Haryanto’s sponsorship pot.

The report said 12.4 million text messages are needed by mid-July.

“Let’s support this. Make it like taking medicine, three times a day,” said communications minister Ridiantara.

With over 250 million people, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world.

“The number of mobile phone users in Indonesia is high, so if everyone does this, we’ll have enough for the donation,” the minister added.

[MIKA27]

Hamilton: 'I probably promote the sport more than any other driver'

Lewis Hamilton doesn't believe he owes Formula 1 anything, adding that he has probably done more to promote the sport than any other driver.

Bernie Ecclestone recently claimed that Hamilton is "the best champion we have had in a long, long time" because of the way he promotes himself and therefore promotes F1.

The Briton has never shied away from the spotlight, often seen partying with A-list celebrities, sharing his life on social media and has even had minor roles in Hollywood films including Zoolander 2 and Pixar's Cars.

Despite everything the sport has given Hamilton, he insists he owes it nothing.

"I've been here for 10 years - given my blood, sweat and tears for the sport. So, I don't feel like I owe it anything," he told CNN.

"I actually probably promote the sport more than any other driver ever has. I'm at more events talking about Formula 1 more than any driver ever has - probably all the other drivers put together and more.

"I don't feel like I have any more of a responsibility. I've got some incredible fans and I give as much time as I can to motivate them and energise those who do follow me. So I don't know what else I have to give."

Meanwhile the Mercedes driver, who has fallen 36 points adrift of team-mate Nico Rosberg in the championship standings, has warned the German to enjoy his run of victories while it lasts.

"He's done a great job. I've not been there to really be in the fight with him," he added. "He's had pretty much a breeze for the last three races. Good for him.

"But he should enjoy it whilst it lasts, because you never know how long it's going to last..."

[MIKA27]

Niki Lauda receives Laureus lifetime achievement award

Niki Lauda was honoured with a lifetime achievement award at Monday night’s Laureus World Sports Awards in Berlin.

The three-time F1 world champion was recognised for his contribution to the series, having won the world title in 1975, 1977 and 1984.

He is also currently enjoying more F1 success with Mercedes, as the team’s non-executive chairman. The Brackley-based outfit has won the drivers’ and constructors’ championships for the last two years.

"I've seen a lot of people here winning and losing, so I'd like to dedicate this award to the losers," Lauda said on receiving the lifetime achievement award.

"Because from my own experience, winning is one thing, but out of losing, I always learned more for the future, so I felt stronger from losing."

Lewis Hamilton was up for the World Sportsman of the Year award but lost out to Tennis star Novak Djokovic.

Mercedes was beaten to the Team of the Year award by the All Blacks Rugby squad, while Max Verstappen was nominated for Breakthrough of the Year, but it went to golfer Jordan Spieth.

[MIKA27]

Magnussen: Renault not panicking after tough start to 2016

Kevin Magnussen says Renault is not panicking after a difficult start to the 2016 Formula 1 season, with no points scored after three races.

The Enstone-based outfit struggled in China, with Magnussen finishing 17th and team-mate Jolyon Palmer taking the chequered flag in 22nd place.

"It was a pretty steady race for me really," Magnussen said. "I had a decent start and then I didn’t actually have much action; just passing people on strategy so no one was really fighting hard.

"This isn’t a weekend that we will be very happy about but it’s definitely one that we can learn from.

"There’s a lot we still don’t really understand so once we do, we’ll be a stronger team. We knew it was going to be a tough start, we’re not panicking.”

Commenting on his Chinese Grand Prix, Palmer added: "The start was good, as was the first lap – we made up a lot of positions. From then on though, it was a tough day.

"The balance of the car was all over the place, tyre degradation was bigger than usual and the pace wasn’t as good as previous races. We need to look in the data really, and I’m definitely happy to move on to the next race."

[MIKA27]

Tyre choices for Russia GP announced

Pirelli have released the tyre choices for the Russia Grand Prix, with Mercedes opting for two extra sets of supersoft compound tyres compared to Ferrari.

Rather than choosing two extra sets of supersofts, Mercedes closest rival Ferrari have selected an extra pair of soft tyres while Red Bull Racing and Haas have chosen 10 sets of supersofts.

All of the teams on the grid have only chosen one pair of mediums for the Grand Prix in Sochi, with only Manor Racing opting for two pairs.

Red Bull and Haas have gone for the most eye-catching tyre selections for the Russian Grand Prix, with 10 sets of super-soft tyres per driver.

Under the new regulations for 2016, teams get to select 10 of the 13 sets available to them. The other three are determined by Pirelli, which sets aside one of each compound, in this case the medium, soft and super-soft.

Red Bull and Haas have both given its drivers 10 sets of super-softs, leaving them with two sets of softs and one set of mediums for the rest of the weekend. Once again, the new rules have led to a big variation in quantities across the grid, with Ferrari the only team to choose six softs and six super-softs.

By contrast, Mercedes has opted for four soft tyres and eight sets of super-softs. Manor is the only team to opt for more than one set of medium tyres, with Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto also getting five sets of softs and six sets of super-softs.

Of the sets put aside by Pirelli, the super-soft must be used in qualifying, while the set of softs and mediums are allocated as race tyres -- at least one of which must be used during the grand prix.

Pirelli's new tyre rules have been praised for widening the amount of strategies available during a race weekend. Previously the tyre supplier brought just two compounds to a race weekend, but adding another has provided some thrilling racing in the three races of 2016 so far.

[MIKA27]

Steiner: China was a reality check

For the first time this season newly formed American team Haas failed to score points at a Grand Prix after Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez finished outside the top 10 at the Chinese Grand Prix.

In the opening two races of the season, Grosjean placed in an unexpected P6 at the Australian Grand Prix and followed up with an even better result in Bahrain, where he finished fifth.

However, Haas Racing Technical Director Gunther Steiner said that their disappointing showing at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday afternoon was a reality check for them.

Grosjean was involved in an incident early in the race with Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson, resulting in him changing his front wing and crossing the chequered flag in 19th place, while his teammate Gutierrez finished above him in 14th.

"It's a reality check but I think quite a good one," said Steiner told autosport.com. "We know where we are now.

"It's like we always said, we will be in that area, around 10th because without the problem on Romain's car he would have been up there with the McLarens.

"It's reality but it was good for us because we finished with two cars, and it's not to finish with two cars but to run two cars because before we had the luxury of having a whole team for one car.

"Now we need to get used to running two cars and that was quite challenging with a lot of tyre changes, we didn't make mistakes in the pit stops.

"On Sunday, we came down to earth but Formula 1 is a complicated world and there are a lot of things going on.

"Since Friday morning I was not happy with my car at all. We need to analyse why. We've tried a few things and obviously we never got it completely right.

"It will be interesting to understand what's the difference from Bahrain, why we're down."

Despite a disappointing Sunday in Shanghai, it was the first time this season that Haas managed to get both their cars over the finish line in the same race.

[MIKA27]

Ecclestone wants six USA races on 25-race F1 calendar

Bernie Ecclestone wishes to expand the F1 calendar by adding five more races in the USA.

The F1 boss said the sport is “trying” to arrange a new street race in Las Vegas in addition to the existing round at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas. “We’re encouraging a lot more street races,” he said.

Asked how many races F1 needs in America, Ecclestone said “really and truly we need at least six.” However he indicated a proposed race in New Jersey, which was first planned for 2013, will not go ahead.

Ecclestone was speaking to businessman Sir Martin Sorrell, who is a non-executive director of Formula One Group holding company Alpha Topco, in a wide-ranging interview at the Advertising Week Europe 2016 conference.

This year’s record 21-race calendar could continue to expand in the future, Ecclestone indicated. “I suppose in the end we could have 25 races,” he said. “The problem what restricts it is the teams because at the moment the staff’s all on the limit. So we have to be careful.”

Along with an increase in American rounds of the championship, Ecclestone also wants to see F1 return to South Africa. “They’re rebuilding Kyalami so we’re going to have a look at it again,” he said.

Ecclestone also reiterated his view that Formula One does not need to retain races in Europe including the German Grand Prix, which was missing from last year’s calendar.

“I was told there couldn’t be Formula One without the French Grand Prix,” he said. “Still going, no French Grand Prix.”

“I wish we had a French Grand Prix and I hope we continue having a German Grand Prix,” Ecclestone added.

[MIKA27]

Ferrari engine compromise helping us, says Mercedes

Mercedes believes its form at the Chinese Grand Prix was flattered by Ferrari having to detune its engine because of fears over reliability.

Ferrari was knocked off the front-row by Red Bull at Shanghai and then a first corner clash between Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen effectively ended its hopes of taking the fight to Nico Rosberg.

But despite Rosberg's dominance as he took his third straight victory of the season, Mercedes is taking nothing for granted – as it feels Ferrari's true potential was not seen.

Motorsport boss Toto Wolff said: “What we have seen from Ferrari is that they were a little bit conservative with the engine this weekend, more conservative than in Bahrain. And it is just a matter of time before they are back to their form on engine performance.

“They tripped over each other at the start, which heavily compromised their race. Vettel's wing was damaged twice throughout the race, and I think his front wing endplate fell off.

“So if you consider where they were after lap one, and that they ended two or four, that must be a satisfying result for them. We see them as a strong competitor and a threat.”

Not favourites

Although Mercedes has grabbed three poles and three wins this year, Wolff is well aware that the long season means the situation can change dramatically.

When asked if he felt Mercedes was now firm favourite, he said: “No. Because even if you try to tackle it scientifically and you count probability, it is better not to go there.

“It is three out of 21 so statistically there is so much more to come that you cannot speak about any favourite.”

Wolff also thinks that with the season being so long, even the situation between Rosberg and team-mate Lewis Hamilton is far from fixed.

“At this stage of the season it is about collecting points without looking at the championship. The gap is substantial, but it is very early days for the championship.

“There are three races done, 18 races to go, and he [Hamilton] is mentally very strong. So I have no doubt that it will be close in the end.”

[MIKA27]

Raikkonen: Ferrari can still challenge for F1 title

Kimi Raikkonen says that nothing is lost in Ferrari's hope of winning the Formula 1 championship this year, but admits that his team needs to start doing a better job.

Although the Maranello outfit has shown huge potential in the first three races of the year, it has yet to beat Mercedes to the chequered flag.

Raikkonen, who saw his hopes of a challenge evaporate after a first-corner collision with Sebastian Vettel in China, knows that things have not been ideal so far this year.

But despite Nico Rosberg opening up a healthy lead in the title stakes, Raikkonen thinks everything is still to play for – especially if Ferrari can raise its game.

"It is only three races old the season," he said. "Obviously a lot can happen and a lot will happen for sure.

"We just have to make the best points that we can and not have any issues in any race, and try to put ourselves in front of him.

"I think speed wise we are not too bad obviously – as in qualifying [in China] we have the speed to be always very close to him without any mistakes.

"At least here we seemed to be closer, at least for me. But if you don't put clean races and they are putting them in, that is not the way to beat them."

Clean up

Raikkonen expects that form will fluctuate over the campaign, and believes that key to a Ferrari surge is in it tidying up its operations over a race weekend

"There will be circuits where we will be stronger than here and sometimes they will probably be stronger, but the main thing is to improve the car and the whole package.

"Then we can have strong races and win races and fight with them.

"But we need to clean things up. If you have issues it will not help in the championship. He has won three, it is not ideal, ideal for him, not for others, but he deserves it and we just have to do a better job."

[MIKA27]

Horner still ‘shocked’ by Red Bull pace, teases upgrade 'mischief'

Christian Horner says Red Bull is already 'snapping at the ankles' of Ferrari in terms of pace as he admitted to being shocked by his team's turn of form during the Chinese Grand Prix.

The four-time title winning team secured its first podium of the season following a charging drive by Daniil Kvyat to third position, while Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth despite losing time with a puncture whilst leading initially.

A performance that exceeded the expectations of Red Bull team principal Horner around a Shanghai International Circuit he didn't expect the Renault (TAG Heuer) engined car to star, he was thrilled with the result and the pace relative to Ferrari.

“I'm still in shock from Saturday [Ricciardo qualifying on front row],” he said. "This circuit, we compromise our set up to find pace in sector three where we know we're weak and so we're running light on downforce compared to cars around us but the car, particularly in the race seems very good and I think that Ricciardo just nailed the perfect lap.

“Mercedes - make no mistake - they're still a step ahead. But we're snapping at the ankles of Ferrari. Both our cars beat one of them today. Sebastian wasn't so far up the road and I think a clean race from Ricciardo would've been seriously competitive. So it's been a really positive weekend for the whole team.

“To come away from China only giving one point away to Ferrari, I didn't expect that coming into the weekend. So a lot of positives. And we know hopefully with what's in the pipeline, it should put us that bit closer.”

Indeed, Horner has played up the potential of a significant upgrade coming in time for round seven in Canada, one that he says could allow Red Bull to create 'mischief'.

“The guys both in Viry and in Milton Keynes are doing a great job and you can genuinely see the progress that's being made. Hopefully [from Canada] we can really start to cause a bit of mischief ahead of us.”

[MIKA27]

Marussia and Manor in trademark dispute over 2015 Formula 1 car

An application for summary judgement brought by Marussia against Manor Grand Prix Racing for trademark infringement by using its name during the 2015 Formula 1 season has been rejected.

In legal documents seen by Autosport, the claim stated Marussia licensed the trademark to Manor to use as its Formula 1 team and chassis name, but that the licence came to an end on 31 December 2014.

It added Manor continued to use "Marussia" as the name of its Formula 1 team and chassis for 2015 after the outfit was saved from administration.

If Manor changed its chassis name from Marussia without consent from F1's commercial rights holder, it would lose entitlement to prize money based on previous seasons.

Manor has defended the claim on five grounds, firstly suggesting Marussia "impliedly consented" to the use of the trademark.

It added Marussia estopped, in other words "is barred", from asserting its rights as owner of the trademark.

Thirdly, it said the use of the trademark did not give rise to any "likelihood of confusion" on the part of the relevant public for the purpose of Article 9.1 ( of the Community Trade Mark Regulation.

Manor added the trademark does not have "a reputation in the community" for the purpose of Article 9.1 © of the aforementioned regulation.

In the fifth and final defence, it said its use of the trademark constituted use of its own name "in accordance with honest practices" for the purpose of Article 12 of the regulation.

In conclusion, Mr Justice Males said Manor has "no real prospect" of proving that its use of the claimant's trademark was with the claimant's consent.

He concluded the estoppel defence is not available to Manor, and that it is "improbable" the trademark defences under Article 9 and Article 12 would succeed.

Males added there is power to make a conditional order requiring the defendant to provide security if it wishes to pursue those defences.

If Manor follows the path, security of £1.75million must be provided.

Manor must now decide whether it wants to pursue defences three, four and five.

It may also decide to appeal the summary judgement on defences one and two.

The team has described Marussia's claims as "speculative" in a statement.

"Marussia put the company [the F1 team] into administration in 2014," a spokesperson told Autosport.

"We made an offer to acquire the team, including the chassis, which they readily accepted, perhaps assuming we would not be able to get the team up and running again.

"Now that we have, they have launched these speculative claims."

The document also stated the claimant has brought a claim of 'passing off' but that is not the subject of this summary judgement.

It also stated the defendant has a pending application to plead a counterclaim for declining to pay some £520,000 for sponsorship rights.

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WERE FERRARI FASTER THAN MERCEDES IN CHINA?

Sebastian Vettel was furious after the Chinese Grand Prix, but he actually has reason to smile according to former F1 driver Franck Montagny, even though the first turn incident Shanghai meant Vettel had to settle for second place.

But Montagny told Le Point magazine: “I think Ferrari were the fastest cars in the weekend. They did no better than second and fifth but they suffered many misadventures in the race.

“Vettel was aware he could have won and so the clash with his teammate made him crazy!” the Frenchman added, referring to the post-race argument with Daniil Kvyat.

Another former F1 driver, Robert Doornbos, agrees that Vettel’s anger with Kvyat was unjustified.

“I liked Kvyat’s reaction,” the Dutchman told Ziggo Sport Totaal. “To say ‘This is racing’ is the only answer he could give. Vettel should stop whining and just go racing.”

According to the Italian press, the German and his resurgent teammate Kimi Raikkonen should be able to do that in the coming races, thanks to the strong 2016 Ferrari.

“Ferrari finally instils fear in its rivals,” Corriere dello Sport declared after China. “Even with a damaged car, and although (Nico) Rosberg’s win was easy, Vettel was fast and reliable.”

Unlucky once again, but what a season this is turning out to be! Team is moving in the right direction, and I'm certain the weeks ahead will bring more excitement.

Hoping to catch a bit of luck at some point this season as I don't know how much more I can take!

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MARCHIONNE: WE ARE A BIT EMBARRASSED

The pressure on Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene by president Sergio Marchionne began even before the season started when big boss declared that the team had to deliver from the opening race of the season.

But now three races into the championship they have yet to win a race, and to add insult to injury Marchionne watched in China as his two drivers nearly took one another out of the race in a first corner incident.

“Obviously it’s unfortunate, but the drivers were exceptional in recovering what they had lost and this shows that the car is there. Now we have to move on,” said Marchionne on RAI TV after the race in Shanghai.

The Ferrari president added, “Even Maurizio thinks like me. On the one hand we are a bit embarrassed, but at the same time happy for the performance. We are growing and we are trying to tame our car. We hope not to repeat this at future races.

“Unfortunately those were the circumstances we landed in, but his recovery was outstanding,” added Marchionne who was making a rare trip to a grand prix no doubt expecting his team to at least battle for the win, which in the end they did not and instead finished a distant second to race winner Nico Rosberg in his Mercedes.

Later Vettel was contrite despite earlier casting Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat as the villain and scolding the young Russian before the podium ceremony

“What happened at the first lap, in the end, is a racing incident. From my side I didn’t really know where to go, I was sandwiched between Kimi and Daniil,” explained.

“Obviously I am terribly sorry for what has happened, I mean touching the car with the same colors is not right. It was a shame, because it destroyed both of our races, Kimi’s and mine. At the end of the day we’ve been lucky because we were still able to continue,” added the German.

Marchionne acknowledged the apology, “I would have done the same thing and also apologised if I was in his place. He made an innocent mistake and was caught out by a much more inexperienced driver.”

Somewhat embarrassing when you have teammates taking each other out, but I don't believe this was the case in this race.

Both Kimi & Sebatian did an amazing job coming back from the incident. Circumstances have been a hurdle to getting Ferrari's first win which is much better than the car not being competitive.

[skalls]

Kyvat was aggressive but not reckless. Magnusson taking out grosjean was him pushing too much. Kinda agreed with grosjean being pissed after the race. I get why Vettel was angry but didn't think he was in the right.

Re: Red Bull not getting Merc or Ferrari engines, i think they've had the best car aero wise the last couple years. They'd be on the podium every race with a top tier engine. But Renault and Honda have both come a long ways from last year.

I'm not sure I like how much crashing there is though. It makes for interesting races for sure, but it seems like all the drivers are just being hyper aggressive this year.

[mgravito]

Re: Red Bull not getting Merc or Ferrari engines, i think they've had the best car aero wise the last couple years. They'd be on the podium every race with a top tier engine. But Renault and Honda have both come a long ways from last year.

Can you imagine all the fun if RBR, Ferrari, Merc and McLaren all have race winning quality cars? One can dream.....

Oh and if Illien gets the Renault right....

[MIKA27]

Can you imagine all the fun if RBR, Ferrari, Merc and McLaren all have race winning quality cars? One can dream.....

Oh and if Illien gets the Renault right....

Ferrari and Mercedes are already there IMO, RBR also getting there, come mid season, WILL BE THERE. McLaren, not so much, I think this season will still be tough even to get midfield is a huge ask. One can hope though.

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Kyvat was aggressive but not reckless. Magnusson taking out grosjean was him pushing too much. Kinda agreed with grosjean being pissed after the race. I get why Vettel was angry but didn't think he was in the right.

Re: Red Bull not getting Merc or Ferrari engines, i think they've had the best car aero wise the last couple years. They'd be on the podium every race with a top tier engine. But Renault and Honda have both come a long ways from last year.

I'm not sure I like how much crashing there is though. It makes for interesting races for sure, but it seems like all the drivers are just being hyper aggressive this year.

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Kyvat was aggressive but not reckless. Magnusson taking out grosjean was him pushing too much. Kinda agreed with grosjean being pissed after the race. I get why Vettel was angry but didn't think he was in the right.

Re: Red Bull not getting Merc or Ferrari engines, i think they've had the best car aero wise the last couple years. They'd be on the podium every race with a top tier engine. But Renault and Honda have both come a long ways from last year.

I'm not sure I like how much crashing there is though. It makes for interesting races for sure, but it seems like all the drivers are just being hyper aggressive this year.

I agree the drivers appear to be taking many more risks/aggressive than in the past, BUT the rate of attraction for the cars has diminished quite a bit as well. Taking the attrition rate into consideration, a driver almost has everything to gain relative than the loss. Risk reward ratio works.

However, one mustn't confuse risk/aggressive driving with being reckless. I almost need to watch the races (US coverage) without commentary as the drama they wish to create is too much. The race itself is exciting enough without inane storylines told...

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I agree the drivers appear to be taking many more risks/aggressive than in the past, BUT the rate of attraction for the cars has diminished quite a bit as well. Taking the attrition rate into consideration, a driver almost has everything to gain relative than the loss. Risk reward ratio works.

However, one mustn't confuse risk/aggressive driving with being reckless. I almost need to watch the races (US coverage) without commentary as the drama they wish to create is too much. The race itself is exciting enough without inane storylines told...

Rate of "attrition"...

[MIKA27]

KALTENBORN: ALFA ROMEO WOULD BE A GOOD PARTNER FOR ANY TEAM

Monisha Kaltenborn has joined Sergio Marchionne in not dismissing speculation Sauber might be snapped up by Alfa Romeo.

Sauber’s team boss and co-owner Kaltenborn was absent in Bahrain, reportedly amid intense negotiations with potential investors about rescuing the embattled Swiss outfit.

So when asked in China about the latest rumours, she told the Swiss newspaper Blick: “Alfa Romeo would be a good partner for any team.”

Marchionne, the Fiat Chrysler and Ferrari president, has said multiple times recently that Alfa Romeo might rekindle its historic F1 foray in the not-too-distant future.

The financially struggling Sauber team has been linked with those rumours, so when asked if an acquisition is on the cards, Marchionne said in China: “If someone will assume all the debts…”

Marchionne repeated during his visit to the Chinese Grand Prix that Alfa Romeo could revive its historic place on the Formula 1 grid.

“Formula 1 is the maximum technological expression of the automotive world and so considering the objectives of Alfa Romeo, I think the option should be considered.”

“The Alfa myth was born with racing and F1, and somehow we have to get back there,” Marchionne added. “When will it happen? I don’t know.”

[skalls]

Last year at the Australian GP weren't there something like 10 retirements? I like how this year only a couple cars at most are retired. Just wish the drivers would dial back the aggression just a tiny bit during the first lap.

Having said that, the first 3 races have been way more entertaining than the best races last year.

[MIKA27]

CHINESE GRAND PRIX STRATEGY REPORT

It’s becoming a trend, isn’t it? FINALLY Being treated to these exciting, action-packed 2016 F1 races.

The Chinese Grand Prix was full of drama and talking points, with the new tyre regulations for the season continuing to produce plenty of strategy.

We saw plenty of incidents, a wide range of strategy choices and a mixed up order for the majority of the Chinese GP. It was another great race, won by Nico Rosberg, who joins a rather exclusive club after winning his sixth consecutive race – something only Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Alberto Ascari have also done. Here are the main strategy stories from round three of the 2016 season:

Rosberg does something different

The race winner went for a very different strategy, which was all set up during qualifying. Rosberg was third fastest on the soft Pirelli tyre in Q2, easily making it through to the top 10 shoot-out. With drivers in Q3 starting on the tyres they completed their fastest lap on in the second segment, Rosberg lined up on the grid on the yellow-marked soft compound.

The Mercedes had ran well on the soft tyre in practice and high tyre degradation meant the mid-range tyre from the nominations was far stronger than the super-soft, with good speed and durability. That meant Rosberg was able to pit just twice, staying out during the safety car, before taking another set of softs and ending the race on the mediums.

It worked well and his controlled drive meant he was able to finish almost 40 seconds clear of his nearest challenger, which certainly took the pressure off Mercedes and meant Rosberg was able to keep his tyres in good shape.

Medium frequently used

The medium Pirelli tyre was widely used during the Chinese GP, thanks to its durability at the Shanghai International Circuit. Teams suffered high tyre degradation during practice and that meant the super-soft compound was ill-suited to the track and conditions.

The soft and medium tyres were used far more frequently. The former was expected to be the most popular and that proved to be the case, with a lot of shorter stints, but the white-marked medium got a fair amount of use as some drivers went for long final parts of the race on the hardest compound. A few drivers, like Marcus Ericsson and Fernando Alonso, even used it for two stints.

Three-stop the way to go

In total, 15 drivers completed three pit stops during the Chinese GP. It was the most frequently used strategy due to the high tyre degradation at the Shanghai track and this opened up a lot of options for compound use. The most common were starting on the super-softs, then completing two soft-tyre stints and then ending the race on the medium compound.

But there were a lot of different variations. Rosberg was able to go a different route and stop twice due to starting on the softs and staying out during the safety car. Most of the field actually pitted during the brief pause for the first lap incidents, causing a very busy pitlane, but the few that did stay out managed to make it on only two stops.

Early chaos prompts more stops

Several drivers had to stop more times than they anticipated due to early incidents and problems. Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen collided and the Finnish driver spun into Daniil Kvyat’s Red Bull, causing him to lose his nose. The Ferrari pitted at the end of lap one, as did Romain Grosjean and Felipe Nasr, who also picked up damage.

Lewis Hamilton started from the back after an ERS issue in qualifying and he was hit by Nasr at Turn 1, causing him to also follow them in. He also stopped twice under the safety car to get the super-soft compound out of the way. Nico Hulkenberg had to drive through the pits after a penalty which complicated his strategy.

The new Pirelli rules with three tyre compounds nominated has produced some great racing. Drivers battle while out of position and on different Pirelli tyres. Most of them have all three compounds available for the race which sparks plenty of strategy options. It’s great for us, but some teams get things wrong. McLaren tried a two-stop with Jenson Button but he couldn’t make two final stints on the medium compound work and had to pit again for the super-softs.

Recovery drives, how’d they do it?

We saw some amazing recovery performances during the Chinese GP after incidents and problems. Vettel dropped to eighth after the opening lap chaos but the Ferrari’s pace and a strong three-stop strategy with two stints on the super-soft helped him move up to second place.

Daniel Ricciardo picked up a puncture while leading on lap three. His second place in qualifying proved the RB12 had pace and he was able to move rapidly up the field with a three-stop race, with two stints on the soft tyre. It was an aggressive drive but he did well to rise up to fourth by the flag.

Raikkonen stopped on lap one for repairs and went onto the soft compound. A long stint on the hard tyre helped him displace slower cars while still being on the most durable compound and helped him to stop just three times, unlike Hamilton.

The two ran together for a while after their early woes. Hamilton stopped five times in total, twice under the safety car, and completed several short stints on the soft compound. He went onto the medium tyre for the final part of the race but the long stint caused his recovery to lose spark late on. He finished seventh, two spots behind Raikkonen.

Longest Stints

Medium: Perez (28 laps)

Soft: Vettel (21 laps)

Supersoft: Vettel (13 laps)

Most Stops

Grojean, Hulkenberg (4 – including drive-throughs)

All the Data

Thanks to Pirelli Motorsport for the detailed infographics