FORMULA 1 - 2016

[MIKA27]

‘Save fuel for later but it doesn’t last’

Jenson Button has revealed he had no warning, just a lot of “smoke and sparks” that forced him out of Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver was the first retirement from the 70-lap race as he parked his MP4-31 on the side of the track with flames coming from the rear.

“I radioed in to say I had a terminal problem, and I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw a lot of smoke and sparks,” he said of his retirement.

“I had no warning – the car just failed as I came out of the hairpin. The engine was still running, but I turned it off anyway.”

That put paid to Button’s goal of scoring points with the Brit confirming he had been playing the long game by saving fuel even in the opening laps.

“It’s a shame, since I was saving a lot of fuel at the time, and I had DRS on every lap too, so I could save even more fuel. That could have made a massive difference later in the race.

“It’s so often the way, though, isn’t it? You save a lot of fuel for later in the race, but it doesn’t last…”

[MIKA27]

Bottas delighted at his ninth podium

Claiming his ninth podium of his career, Williams driver Valtteri Bottas was in buoyant mood when he stood on the podium below Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton at the conclusion of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Bottas snuck into P3 unexpected as he and his teammate Felipe Massa were not lapping quick times compared to rivals Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari throughout the weekend.

In chat with movie star Michael Douglas after the race, the Finnish racer thanked his Williams team for all the hard work they put in the car this past week.

“I am really pleased with today. As a team it a really strong one for us, a really good strategy, really good pit stop, the timing, everything, was perfect," said the 26-year-old.

“The car felt really good today and I felt I was pretty on it today so it is great to be here.

“I really want to thank Williams, everyone did an amazing job. And thank you Montreal, you have been really good to me."

[MIKA27]

Ricciardo: Not my best Sunday

As the Canadian Grand Prix concluded, Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo finished the race in a disappointing P7.

Before the race, the Aussie driver was delighted that he qualified fourth on the grid but had contrasting emotions once the GP finished, feeling it was a missed opportunity.

His teammate Max Verstappen placed as high as P4 while Ricciardo admitted that he couldn’t match his pace.

He also added that the conditions of the race weren’t exactly ideal for their tyre strategy.

"Not a great Sunday. We've had good Saturdays but not great Sundays. We couldn't get a break, I'll say.

“Off the line we weren't too bad but then the Mercedes in front and Rosberg coming back on – I was on the inside and couldn't get momentum into Turn Two so we lost a place to Max.

"I had pretty good speed on the first stint on the ultrasoft, I thought we were using the tyres quite well. I said on the radio that I thought we could be quicker in clean air. Just always when we were behind someone we couldn't use the tyres anymore and even with the long DRS we couldn't get close enough to pass.

"Few scrappy parts from my side and I would say the team's side. Today was not a clean race from both of us. I locked a brake into Turn 13, then a few of the pitstops and calls were a bit average again. We've got to clean some things up for Sunday."

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HAMILTON: I WOULD NEVER HAVE PREDICTED THIS TURNAROUND

Lewis Hamilton would not have put money on his title fortunes turning around so quickly but the Mercedes driver could be back on top of the Formula One world championship as early as next weekend.

Victory in the Canadian Grand Prix, following the Briton’s victory in Monaco two weeks earlier, transformed his chances of ending the season with a fourth drivers’ crown.

From being 43 points behind German team mate Nico Rosberg two races ago, Hamilton heads for Azerbaijan and Sunday’s inaugural grand prix in Baku trailing by nine.

Rosberg won the opening four rounds of the season but his form has taken a dive since he and Hamilton collided in Barcelona last month.

Both Mercedes drivers retired from that race, while Rosberg was seventh in Monaco and fifth in Canada.

“If I’d wanted to have put money down, I would never have tried to predict that,” Hamilton told reporters when asked about the turnaround. I thought Monaco in terms of the difference in position might have been a one-off.”

“It doesn’t feel great when we don’t finish one-two. On the flip side, it is a positive in terms of the points but Nico is going to continue to push and I will continue to push.”

Hamilton made another poor start in Montreal, after an issue with the clutch, which allowed Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel to grab the lead at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve while the Mercedes drivers again banged wheels.

While Rosberg went off, Hamilton was able to recover and his one-stop strategy proved decisive.

“There are still things to pick up on such as the starts,” he said. “Hopefully if we get those then we will be back to where we always want to be. There has never been a doubt this year of my speed, what I can do in the car.”

Hamilton dismissed suggestions that Rosberg was feeling the pressure, responding: “What would lead you to think he has been rattled? I don’t get that sense. I think he is still pushing but we are starting to have cleaner weekends.”

Hamilton also sensed a growing belief among his mechanics, many of whom worked with Rosberg last year.

“The first five races you could tell they felt down and seeing them now they feel great,” he said. “This is what they work for. To have these wins is their life, it’s our life.”

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ARRIVABENE: THE GAP TO MERCEDES IS SHRINKING

Ferrari can look on the bright side despite missing out on victory in the Canadian Grand Prix.

That is the unified message of Sebastian Vettel as well as the Maranello team’s boss, even though Maurizio Arrivabene had initially been critical of a strategy mistake that arguably cost the German driver the Montreal win.

“We have responded to the problems of Spain and Monaco and understand the car better now,” said Arrivabene. “The gap to Mercedes is shrinking, but it’s still not enough.”

It has been a difficult last few races for Ferrari, with the highly-critical Italian media saying the team had even fallen behind Red Bull in the packing order.

“Sometimes it seems like the Italian press is our biggest opponent. So maybe you can write something nice now,” he told a reporter for the authoritative La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Vettel had refused to be critical of Sunday’s strategy error that left Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to cruise to victory, and boss Arrivabene agrees that Ferrari should be feeling upbeat.

“With humility, but also with confidence,” he said when asked how Ferrari will now move on to this weekend’s inaugural race in Azerbaijan.

Finally, amid swirling rumours about the identity of Vettel’s teammate for 2017, Arrivabene was asked about another particularly poor weekend for Kimi Raikkonen.

“Kimi had problems this weekend,” said the Italian, “which happens in racing. Sometimes the weekend goes perfectly, at other times not.”

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VASSEUR: SAINZ IS A VERY INTERESTING DRIVER FOR THE FUTURE

Renault team boss Frederic Vasseur has admitted that Carlos Sainz is a very interesting prospect for the future

Crucially, as the speculation reached all the way to the ear of Vasseur, the Frenchman did not take the opportunity to issue a denial.

“The first thing we would need to know is his contractual situation,” he told another Spanish daily, Marca. “But he is a very interesting driver for the future.”

The first sign of the French marque’s interest was comments made a few days ago by F1 legend Alain Prost, who is an ambassador and advisor to the works Renault team.

“I would like to see how he (Sainz) develops in a top team,” the quadruple world champion had told the French-language Minute-Auto.fr.

Amid the reports, Fernando Alonso’s manager Luis Garcia Abad agreed that 21-year-old Sainz is one of the rising stars of F1.

“I recently read an article on the performance of Sainz and Verstappen and it was very similar,” Garcia Abad told the Spanish sports daily AS in Montreal.

“The difference between the two was a phone call (from Red Bull),” he added, referring to Helmut Marko’s decision to promote Verstappen to the senior team.

“He (Sainz) has maturity, talent and a desire to take his chance, and he is going to get that chance,” Garcia Abad, whose charge Alonso is a close friend of Sainz’s, said.

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BUTTON: I WILL CHOOSE MY FUTURE

Formula 1 veteran Jenson Button insists he remains in the driving seat when it comes to deciding his future in Formula 1 beyond the 2016 season.

Paddock talk is that, after seven years with McLaren, the team intends to replace him for 2017 with reigning GP2 champion and reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne.

Button has, in turn, been linked with a move to Williams, where he began his F1 career some seventeen years ago as a teenager.

“Whatever I do it will be my decision,” the 35 year old told UOL in Montreal. “I will choose my future. I have to make sure I still love the sport. Who knows what will happen but I will make the decision – not now but in a few months.”

Interestingly, he suggested that part of that decision will be about whether it is McLaren or Williams that can provide him with the better car.

“I want to be competitive,” said Button. “After you win races, you win a championship, you want to keep fighting at the top. If I feel that I can be in a competitive position next year, I will stay in formula one.”

Asked if Williams will be a good move for 2017 just as the rules are changing significantly, Button answered: “It’s always very difficult to judge.

“The only team I have information about is McLaren, so I have no way of knowing how competitive the other teams will be.

“I’m not thinking about it right now, I’m just enjoying every weekend and trying to get the most out of the car. I don’t need to worry about anything else apart from that — I just want to enjoy my racing.”

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VETTEL: I’M NOT A BIG FAN OF BLAMING ANYONE

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel refused to blame his team for a wrong strategy call after the four times World Champion missed out on an elusive first win of the Formula One season in Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix.

The German made a lightning start to pass the Mercedes pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg into the first corner in Montreal.

Ferrari believed a one-stop race would not be possible, so Vettel pitted early on a two-stop strategy — a move that backfired when Hamilton’s tyres lasted longer than they had expected.

The Briton, a triple world champion, made only one stop and celebrated the 45th win of his Formula One career and fifth in Canada.

“I’m not a big fan of blaming anyone or anything,” said Vettel after finishing five seconds behind Hamilton at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. “I think it was a great weekend for Ferrari.

“We’ve had a difficult start to the season because we were never really able to show the true performance of the car and this was maybe the first clean weekend.”

Vettel revealed Ferrari had committed fairly early to a two-stop plan, adding: “It was probably the right thing to do in terms of getting to the chequered flag the quickest way.

“I was surprised how long the super-soft (tyre) lasted and then the soft lasted until the end — we could have kept going on it. (Tyre) degradation wasn’t as high as expected, maybe that is where we lost the race.”

Second place lifted Vettel to third in the World Championship standings with 78 points. Rosberg has 116 with Hamilton on 107 after seven of 21 races.

Ferrari are on 147 points in the Constructors’ championship having benefitted from an improved turbocharger in Canada. Mercedes still lead with 223 points.

Team principal Maurizio Arrivabene responded to criticism of Ferrari’s two-stop strategy, saying that “we overestimated the degradation of the tyres and this is the reason why we called him (Seb) in. And it was the wrong decision.”

Asked what needs to change regarding Ferrari’s pit-wall decisions, the Italian added: “Come on, we don’t have to make the story bigger than what it is.

“Today we made a mistake but in other races everybody makes mistakes. The big one is when you lose for this thing.”

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WOLFF SAYS F1 CHANGING RULES AT THE WRONG TIME

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff has indicated he believes that Formula 1 is changing the rules for 2017 at precisely the wrong moment.

After two easy title wins and almost unprecedented dominance for Mercedes in the ‘power unit’ era, the sport decided to turn a corner for 2017 with faster, wider cars and tyres.

But Mercedes team boss Wolff says that radical change is now looming despite the fact that rivals including Ferrari and Red Bull are looking increasingly close to the leading pace.

“We are slowly getting back to a more normal situation in formula one,” he said in Montreal.

“For two years we were in the fortunate position of being the dominant team,” added Wolff, “but now we see that the gap between the top three teams shrinks.

“All these years we were saying that if you leave the rules alone and don’t change them, the balance of power would equalise and the fight would be closer. And so it happened.

“From the racing excitement side everything is now ok, but next year we are changing the rules yet again,” Wolff said.

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ARRIVABENE SAYS ALLISON REPORTS ARE DISRESPECTFUL

Ferrari team chief Maurizio Arrivabene has slammed as a sign of disrespect the reports that have surfaced claiming Ferrari technical boss James Allison could soon leave the team.

Reports have suggested that after the sudden death from meningitis of his wife in March, Allison is now considering an offer to return to Britain to be with his three children full-time.

Until the death of his wife, Allison – who joined Ferrari from Enstone based Lotus in 2013 – was splitting his time between his family in the UK and his factory-based role in Italy.

“The only comment I make is that this is completely untrue,” Ferrari boss Arrivabene said in Montreal when asked about speculation linking Allison with a return to Renault.

“James recently suffered a very difficult loss, which I would not want to see anyone go through. We all support him, which is the most important.

“A couple of days ago I read what was written about him and, in my opinion, to me it is a matter of disrespect,” Arrivabene added.

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MAYOR KEEN TO SECURE MONTREAL’S F1 FUTURE

Montreal mayor Denis Coderre says the city will move to secure the future of the Canadian grand prix.

At the weekend, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone cast doubt on the future of the popular race by suggesting Montreal had failed to fulfil its pledge to update the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s ageing facilities.

“We’ll see,” the 85-year-old told reporters, when asked if Canada will therefore be left off the sport’s 2017 calendar.

Mayor Coderre has now responded, saying he has met up with Ecclestone to seek “clarification”.

“We are talking about an investment of several million in public funds and it was important to get it right,” he told the Quebec newspaper La Presse.

“I met with Mr Ecclestone several times recently and had a meeting yesterday with the president of the executive committee to settle the details,” he added.

However, Coderre said he was not sure if Montreal could complete the required work in time for the 2017 or even 2018 Canadian grands prix.

“This is a complex process,” he explained. “We have a date in mind, but I prefer not to talk for now. Mr Ecclestone is aware and does not compromise in any way the contract that we have with him.”

Coderre continued: “We know Mr Ecclestone. He has his way of negotiating, but everyone wants to keep the grand prix in Montreal.

“That is why we want to ensure that the replacement of the installations is done right.”

Coderre also did not want to comment on Ecclestone’s hints of conflict with the current promoter, Francois Dumontier.

“It is up to them to sort it out,” he insisted. “For me, Mr Dumontier is an outstanding organiser, but the management and promotion of the grand prix is not up to me.”

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Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes' poor starts 'a priority' for the team

Mercedes have launched a second investigation into why their drivers have suffered from such poor starts this season, particularly Lewis Hamilton, after Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was able to jump both Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in Canada.

Vettel, third on the grid, stormed to the front of the field, whilst Hamilton's poor start from pole position allowed Rosberg - who also got a slow getaway - to draw alongside from second place.

It certainly isn't the first time this season it's happened, with Mercedes previously investigating the problem after the Bahrain Grand Prix earlier in the year when Hamilton dropped back several positions.

Speaking after the most recent Canadian GP - which Hamilton won despite his slow start - the Briton insisted finding a solution is now Mercedes utmost priority.

"I don’t understand it," said Hamilton. "This time I really don’t understand because practices have been good, the formation lap was amazing, dropped the clutch and the thing pulled away perfectly.

"[Then] I stopped, did the normal procedure, let the clutch out and it just didn’t go anywhere.

"They're going to investigate and try to understand why," he added. "They don't quite understand it, so we're going to work on it.

"It's a priority for Nico as well, when we talk about priorities of things we can work on."

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Fernando Alonso: 'Can I stop now' radio message was for fresh tyres

Fernando Alonso has clarified that his radio message to the team, in which he asked if he could "stop now" wasn't an attempt to retire the car early, but a call to pit for fresh tyres.

The Spaniard was lapping in 12th - a lap down on the leaders - and was heard over his radio asking: "Can I stop now?" However, whilst many assumed Alonso was asking to end his race, after his engineer replied: "No, we want to get a point if anything happens", he was in fact requesting a stop for new tyres.

"I enquired about the possibility of fitting fresh tyres for the last few laps, but I guess it was a little too much of a risk: at that point we were 11th (he was actually 12th, but finished 11th) and stood to score a point or two at the end if something were to have happened ahead of us. 

"Still, I’d done more than 50 laps on those tyres – and the two-stoppers were a lot faster than me. I guess we were a bit unlucky – we really needed some rain or a Safety Car to put us back in the fight."

Although believing his strategy was the optimal way to go, Alonso admitted there simply wasn't enough pace in the car to secure a top ten finish.

"A tough race – we didn’t have the pace to be competitive today," he added. "Ultimately, I think our strategy was the right one – it was the quickest way home. 

"Anyway, we’ll now work hard to try to improve the pace for the next race."

[MIKA27]

Williams European Grand Prix preview

Designed by Hermann Tilke ,  the six kilometre, anticlockwise track in Azerbaijan’s capital city of Baku will feature 20 turns and is predicted to be the fastest street circuit in the world.

The European Grand Prix returns to the calendar after a four year absence, moving from its previous home in Valencia, Spain to an all new street circuit in Azerbaijan’s capital city of Baku. This 23rd European Grand Prix will be the first Formula One event to be held in Azerbaijan. Designed by Hermann Tilke, the six kilometre, anticlockwise track will feature 20 turns and is predicted to be the fastest street circuit in the world. This completely unique track will loop around the city’s historical centre and is anticipated to be a popular destination amongst drivers and fans watching both in the grandstands and at home.

For Baku, Pirelli have made available the supersoft, soft and medium tyres. The team has chosen to allocate each driver with different sets of tyres throughout the weekend. Valtteri will have seven sets of supersoft, four sets of soft, and two sets of medium tyres; whereas Felipe will have seven sets of supersoft, five sets of soft and one set of medium tyres available.

Pat Symonds: "Baku City Circuit looks to be an unusual track and so far simulations have had to be done using surveyor’s maps rather than detailed track scans. Perhaps the most notable feature of the 6km anticlockwise street circuit is the flat out section from turn 16, through the start-finish line and up to turn one, where we expect cars to be reaching speeds in excess of 320kph. The first sector consists of a number of 90-degree turns before the start of the second sector with a series of relatively sharp corners in quick succession from turns seven to 12. The circuit then opens up to finish sector two before another 90-degree left-hander leading on to a long straight.

It’s too far ahead for accurate weather forecasts, but normally in June maximum temperatures are in the mid-high 20s with the record highest average temperature for this month being 39°C. Statistically we expect dryer weather than we see in Bahrain in April, with a total of 8mm rain for the whole of the month of June and only two days of wet weather being the norm. In Formula One we always enjoy a challenge and even in these days of sophisticated simulations a new circuit such as Baku will always throw up some surprises. It’s our job to get on top of the unexpected and rapidly learn the nuances of this new track."

Valtteri Bottas: "I’ve never been to Azerbaijan, so it should be interesting. In general, it’s a bit of an unknown for me. The track, from what we have seen, looks nice and very quick. I like going to new places, discovering new cultures and seeing new cities. I’m looking forward to learning more about the country, the city and especially the race track."

Felipe Massa: "It will be my first time in Azerbaijan so I don’t know what to expect from the country. I’m really looking forward to discovering a nice country, good people, and also a race track which will be in the middle of the town. I don’t know yet if it will be more like Monaco, or maybe a mix between Monaco and Singapore. We will wait and see. I’ve heard the straights will be longer, so maybe there will be more overtaking on this track compared to the other street tracks that we race on. I hope we come away from Azerbaijan for the first time with a good result."

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Haas F1 Team: It’s all new in Baku

First-year Haas F1 Team heads to first-time Formula One venue.

Kannapolis, North Carolina – Despite the elevation changes the new Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan will provide Formula One teams this weekend as they prepare for Sunday’s European Grand Prix, the 6.003-kilometer (3.730-mile), 20-turn street course is the closest thing to a level playing field Haas F1 Team will encounter in 2016.

The newest venue to hold a spot in the FIA Formula One World Championship means that Formula One’s newest team has the same amount of real-world data from the Baku City Circuit as its competitors. Zero.

Haas F1 Team, which debuted in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 20 to become the first American team to compete in Formula One in 30 years, comes to Baku with only seven races worth of experience. Meanwhile, their counterparts in this globe-trotting series of automotive acumen have decades of experience. A new venue with a layout that is likely to be the world’s fastest city circuit can be a great equalizer.

But despite no team having turned a wheel in anger at Baku City Circuit, established teams and, specifically, larger teams with deep resources, have turned Baku City into Sim City.

Simulations of a lap around the dumbbell-shaped track have allowed drivers and their engineers to strengthen their mental muscles for when they hit Baku City Circuit for real. And the simulations go beyond a driver acclimating himself to the twists and turns of a track that rockets through Baku’s juxtaposition of old-world history and new-age design.

Aerodynamic flow, suspension travel, brake use – all can be simulated, with money the only boundary confining simulations and their infinite scenarios. Brain power and desire – two attributes that proliferate through the Formula One paddock – are part of an intellectual arms race, with simulations being the bulwark of a team’s battalion.

While new, Haas F1 Team has proven capable of holding its own among the sport’s establishment. It has scored 22 points coming into Round 8 on the 21-race Formula One schedule to sit eighth in the constructor standings, two points behind seventh-place McLaren and 16 points ahead of ninth-place Renault.

Those 22 points were scored in three races, the last of which came in Round 4 – the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi Autodrom. Haas F1 Team has been held pointless since, with the series’ rate of development closing the gap the American outfit established at the beginning of the season when they were fifth in the constructor standings.

After a handful of races where the weather has been unseasonably cool, Haas F1 Team drivers Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutiérrez look to heat up in Baku, not just with the warm weather forecasted, but on the track. The team’s best finishes have come when the weather is warm and the working ranges of their tires are quickly established and maintained. Baku portends both, and some winds of change in the aptly named City of Winds can send Haas F1 Team back into the points.

Guenther Steiner - Team Principal

How do you prepare for a venue you’ve never been to before?

“Logistically, we had our travel coordinator out there six months ago to check it out and look at the hotels. The track wasn’t ready by then, so we couldn’t have a look at it. I know a few other teams went out there to do an inspection of the garages, and our logistics manager has spoken with those people to get some information about it. Teams help each other in this respect because while there is competition, if everybody is informed, we’ll put on a better show. The technical guys take as much information as they can get from the FIA on the track layout and the surface of the track. Then, they make their best prediction of how to set the car up.”

The drivers have used simulator time to get acclimated to Baku City Circuit. While there’s no substitute for the real thing, how accurate is the simulator in providing feedback for what a driver can experience when he hits the circuit for real?

“It’s a simulation, so it’s not the real thing, but it’s the closest we can get to the real thing. It’s more for the drivers to learn the track’s layout. Normally, the first time you go out on a new venue, you’re pretty far off on grip level because the track is very green. It develops as more and more rubber gets put down.”

Haas F1 Team is new, so it doesn’t have any notes from last year. But at Baku, no one has any notes from last year. Do you feel that Baku is perhaps the most level playing field because it’s new for everyone?

“The big teams have more information because they go and get more information. Normally, they are better off because they’ve got more people to get prepared. They will always have an advantage, but at a new venue like Baku, sometimes you can get lucky.”

Baku is projected to be the fastest street circuit in Formula One, and its layout is amid a historic section of the city. Is there a current venue you can compare it to? If so, can any of your notes from another venue translate to Baku?

“You take the corners and the grip level and you just pick pieces of other circuits, but there isn’t one specific area where you could say, ‘We can do the same thing here that we do there.’ Baku will be a learning experience for everyone.”

We’re now a third of the way through Haas F1 Team’s debut season. How would you assess the season thus far?

“We are still learning. We’ve gotten a lot more stable. I think we can always be in a position to score points. We always try to improve, to get better, especially in qualifying. I think our race performance is better than our qualifying performance. Again, it’s a learning phase. We are pretty happy with the whole team, how they developed over the past three months, especially from where we came from. We’ve only had seven races. I keep forgetting myself. Baku is only our eighth race, while we compete with people who have been here for years. All in all, we just keep trying to do a better job at each race while preparing for the new car coming next year.”

Romain Grosjean

How do you prepare for a venue you’ve never been to before?

“We had a session on the simulator, and that’s about everything you can do.”

How does the simulator compare to actually being in a racecar, at speed, at a circuit?

“The simulators are getting better year after year, but it’s still not a real racecar.”

Is the simulator most used for understanding a circuit’s layout and braking points, or is it more involved than that?

“It’s more involved than that. There’s a lot you can do with a simulator, which is great, but nothing is as good as being in the car out on track. On the simulator, you can try a few different setup ideas for direction. You can also try different philosophies and updates you’d like to try on the car later in the year and before you prepare them for actual racing.”

Haas F1 Team is new, so it doesn’t have any notes from last year. But at Baku, no one has any notes from last year. Do you feel that Baku is perhaps the most level playing field because it’s new for everyone?

“In some respects yes and in others, no. The more experience you have as a team, the better prepared you are for new tracks and different layouts. On the other hand, no one knows what to expect from Baku, so that’s going to be interesting for us.”

Baku is projected to be the fastest street circuit in Formula One, and its layout is amid a historic section of the city. Is there a current venue you can compare it to?

“It’s going to be very interesting to go to Baku. It’s certainly a circuit that’s very different from everything we’ve been used to. We’ll have to see how it goes in real life.”

Despite having only seen Baku City Circuit on a simulator, do you have a favorite part, or a part you’re most curious to see in person?

“I think the old part, alongside the castle, will be quite interesting.”

Describe a lap around Baku City Circuit.

“There are very long, straight lines and a lot of 90 degree corners with low curves. There’s a very high section up to the castle and down again to the last corner, which will be quite interesting.”

Esteban Gutiérrez

How do you prepare for a venue you’ve never been to before?

“The simulator has been very important. It’s been quite an experience. Baku is a very challenging track and I really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to getting there in person.”

How does the simulator compare to actually being in a racecar, at speed, at a circuit?

“It’s completely different. The feeling is not exactly the same, but it’s useful to learn the track – the corners and its angles. It gives you a little bit of an idea of how the curbs will be and a bit of the philosophy behind the car’s setup.”

Is the simulator most used for understanding a circuit’s layout and braking points, or is it more involved than that?

“It’s a bit more than that. Mainly, it’s the circuit layout and some knowledge of the car’s setup, which is crucial to get all the systems working properly. It gives us an idea on the approach we should have.”

Haas F1 Team is new, so it doesn’t have any notes from last year. But at Baku, no one has any notes from last year. Do you feel that Baku is perhaps the most level playing field because it’s new for everyone?

“I feel that it will be a bit more level, but that doesn’t clear the fact that as a team we have a bit less experience overall. That makes it complicated to predict things, because when you have more information and more experience, you can make better predictions. It will be interesting to get to know Baku and its characteristics and see where we stand. No matter what, we’ll approach it in a positive way and try to extract the maximum amount from our car at this new circuit.”

Baku is projected to be the fastest street circuit in Formula One, and its layout is amid a historic section of the city. Is there a current venue you can compare it to?

“I cannot compare it to anything. From what I saw on the simulator, it’s a completely different racetrack. It’s really going to be quite a challenge, and I think that’s going to make things interesting for everybody. I liked it in the simulator, so I hope it’s going to be like that in reality.”

Despite having only seen Baku City Circuit on a simulator, do you have a favorite part, or a part you’re most curious to see in person?

“I didn’t know anything of Azerbaijan before the race was announced, but then I did a little bit of research to try and learn about the country and Baku. I’m looking forward to seeing it and enjoying the area.”

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Sahara Force India on Baku

Sergio Perez: "I’ve never been to Azerbaijan, so it feels like an adventure."

Q&A with Vijay Mallya

Team Principal, Dr Vijay Mallya, looks ahead to the latest addition to the Formula One calendar.

VJM: “The race in Canada was another strong indication of the good steps forward we have been taking since the start of the season. We showed good pace all weekend and delivered a solid performance in the race. This result increased our advantage over our direct rivals in the constructors’ championship and consolidates our fifth position. We now have a very quick turnaround to get ready for Baku – a big challenge, especially as it’s a new addition to the calendar.

“Formula One’s arrival to a new country is always a positive sign: it shows there is a lot of appetite for our sport in new markets, which is not something we should underestimate. Some of the recent additions to the calendar, like Austin, Mexico and Russia, have proved to be very successful and there is no reason why Azerbaijan shouldn’t follow this trend. Hopefully, we will have a very interesting race to mark the start of this new venue’s history.

“The track is a mix of long straights and sharp corners and reminds me of the layout in Singapore. It has the characteristics of a street circuit, but it looks like there are some wide corners that offer overtaking opportunities. The way our car and the tyres will behave is still an open question as nobody has any data about the track, but it’s a challenge to which we look forward. We come to Azerbaijan in high spirits and we look forward to another race where I’m sure we can be competitive.”

Sergio on Baku

Sergio Perez aims to continue his points-scoring run with another strong showing in Azerbaijan.

Sergio: “The last weekend in Canada was not one of the easiest for me, so to come away from it with a point was a good result. I have now been in the points for the last four races on a range of very different tracks: this builds our confidence and makes us believe we can challenge for a place in the top ten in every race.

“To prepare for Baku I have watched the onboard video that was circulated and the first impression is that the track is going to be really challenging. There are a lot of tight sections, as you would expect from a street track, but it looks more high-speed than Monaco: it’s the kind of circuit I enjoy driving and it should make for a good show.

“I’ve never been to Azerbaijan, so it feels like an adventure. It’s always interesting to explore a new place for the first time and take in the sights of a new city. It’s great that our sport keeps going to new countries and reaching out to new fans. Once we get to the track, though, it’s business as usual. It’s important to learn the circuit quickly, so the track walk with the engineers and the first practice session are crucial. You need to get up to speed within a handful of laps.”

Nico on Baku

Nico Hülkenberg is getting ready for a new racing experience in Baku.

Nico: “Canada was a positive race as we were able to get the most out of a relatively straightforward weekend. To finish eighth in a race with such low attrition was a very good result and it showed we can fight for points everywhere. There is every reason to believe we can continue this run as we approach the summer break, and this obviously spurs us on.

“I’m massively excited about the race in Baku, actually! New venues are cool; everything is fresh and everyone welcomes you. I have to admit I don’t know a lot about Azerbaijan, so it will be exciting to get to know this new place. I like to arrive in a place and get out to discover it: it’s one of the perks of our job, being able to see so much of the world.

“Learning the track is crucial. I haven’t had a chance to try it in the simulator yet but I saw the video on YouTube earlier last week. In any case, it really is all about getting there, getting into the car and finding out about the track in those first few laps. The layout looks fast, especially for a street circuit: there is a massive straight, with just a few flat-out kinks, and some more twisty sections which will require a compromise in terms of set-up. I am a big fan of street circuits: they provide you with unique thrills, you drive close to the walls and it’s much more of a challenge to push your car and yourself to the limit.”

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Nico Rosberg previews Baku circuit

Baku – the capital of Azerbaijan – forms an impressive background for the second city centre street circuit of the season. It`s the very first time Formula 1 is racing on this brand new circuit. And that`s the challenge: Finding the best car set-up and race strategy without any data and experience. MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team driver Nico Rosberg and Chief Strategist James Vowles discuss how to overcome these obstacles.

 

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Nico Hulkenberg on Baku circuit

 

 

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Baku Grand Prix 2016

It cost them a huge effort and lots of passion. Now the movers and shakers of the European Grand Prix in Baku have got there. Also the fans in Baku and millions of people behind the screen can't wait to see the F1 cars run on the spectacular new Baku City Circuit for the first time.

 

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Why Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso should go to Euro 2016

With the UEFA European Championship having started, here is a reminder that F1 can beat some of the best in the world, after a team captained by Fernando Alonso defeated an All-Stars XI managed by Premier League winner Claudio Ranieri. 

In a build-up event to the Monaco Grand Prix Alonso's team - including Max Verstappen, Felipe Massa, Carlos Sainz, Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto - romped to a 3-1 victory over an All-Stars XI managed by Leicester City boss Ranieri at Monaco's Stade Louis II. 

Alonso scored a spectacular free-kick to prove he has the skills not just behind the wheel but also on the football pitch as he outshone a squad full of former professionals including ex-internationals Emmanuel Petit and William Gallas. 

The friendly football match has become a traditional precursor to the Monaco Grand Prix weekend for two decades and this year's event demonstrated the F1 drivers could show the pros a thing or two. 

If England's hopes in the Euros are uncertain manager Roy Hodgson could always call up reigning F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton. 

The Mercedes driver demonstrated his skills last year in a Sky Sports five-a-side special alongside Thierry Henry, Robert Pies, Jamie Redknapp and Sol Campbell. 

F1 heads west for the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend (10-12 June) while the 2016 European Championship in France kicks off this Friday.

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VETTEL: THE ITALIAN PRESS IS OUR BIGGEST OPPONENT

After a weekend in Canada where Ferrari turned victory into defeat, Sebastian Vettel has gone to great lengths to not blame anyone within the team but instead has accused Italian media of being the Maranello team’s Achilles’ heal.

Speaking in the aftermath of the Canadian Grand Prix, Vettel said, “We were closer than ever. I think sometimes it’s a bit surreal. We are an Italian team. I think Ferrari stands for great passion and a lot of values in Italy and sometimes it seems like the Italian press is our biggest opponent.”

During the post race press conference he urged an Italian journalist to “write something nice, which would be a nice message for all the people in Maranello that are really working their arse off day in, day out to make a strong Ferrari car.”

The comment by the four times world champion can be interpreted as a call to Italian media to ease up on Ferrari. Daily reports and headlines about the team are frequent in Italy and of late there has been a great deal of negativity surrounding the Italian team, not helped by their below par start to the season relative to Mercedes.

Kimi Raikkonen is constantly in the firing line regarding his future with the team. Some questionable performances, with Canada being a case in point, make him an easy and frequent target.

Speculation about the future of current team principal Maurizio Arrivabene is also a regular topic of late, while destabilising reports of James Allison leaving Ferrari emerged this weekend in the Montreal paddock.

The Allison speculation prompted Arrivabene to comment, “A couple of days ago I read what was written about [James] and, in my opinion, to me it is a matter of disrespect.”

After the race in Montreal there were more negative headlines as the team botched their race strategy, which in the end probably cost them their first victory of the season.

In the race Vettel led early on after a great start from the second row on the grid which catapulted him ahead of the Mercedes duo, before Turn 1, and put him in control of proceedings.

However a virtual safety car period less than a dozen laps into the race prompted a call from the Ferrari pit wall for Vettel to come in for a tyre change, upon which he relinquished the lead and in retrospect, at that point, lost the race due to another dubious strategy call by his team.

Immediately afterwards Arrivabene admitted, “We overestimated the degradation of the tyres. That’s the reason we brought [Vettel] in and it’s the wrong decision.”

Despite the disappointment and opportunity lost, Vettel was not pointing fingers and rallied behind his team, “The degradation wasn’t maybe as high as we expected. That’s maybe where we lost the race. But I want to make one thing clear: I’m not a big fan of blaming anyone or anything.”

“I think it was a great weekend for Ferrari. We’ve had a difficult start to the season because we were never really able to show the true performance of the car and this was maybe the first clean weekend if you look at Saturday and Sunday. And actually I enjoyed the race a lot.”

“Didn’t get the result I was hoping for, especially after the start, but I was enjoying it a lot. The last 30 laps I was just flat out – maybe pushing a little bit too hard at times. It just felt great. That’s what racing should be about.”

“I ask you to be a bit patient, a bit more patient. The team is on a great path, things are improving and I think we’re seeing results quicker than anyone else so far in the history of F1.”

“I think we’re on the right track, it’s a great team and I’m enjoying it a lot,” added Vettel – sending a clear message to the Italian press: lay off and let the team get on with it.

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HEINEKEN F1 DEAL TRIGGERS NEW CALL FOR ALCOHOL BAN 

Dutch brewer Heineken’s sponsorship deal with Formula One, announced last week, has led to renewed calls from European campaigners for a ban on alcohol sponsorship in the sport.

European Alcohol Policy Alliance network Eurocare, which groups public health and non-governmental organisations, said on Tuesday it wanted stronger legislation from the European Commission and member states.

France, a country without a Formula One grand prix, already bans alcohol sponsorship of sporting events.

“F1 should ask themselves if they want to be a motorsport or an alcohol brand event,” said Eurocare general secretary Mariann Skar in a statement that estimated the Heineken deal to be worth $150 million to F1 over five years.

“If both the sport and the drinks producers want to be seen as responsible industries, they should stop this deal and move away from alcohol sponsorship in F1.”

Eurocare also published a letter sent to Jean Todt, the president of Formula One’s governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA).

Todt, a Frenchman and former Ferrari principal, has made reducing the number of motoring fatalities a cornerstone of his presidency and is a United Nations special envoy for road safety.

“We would like to remind you that drink driving is one of the key killers on the road. It is therefore worrying that F1 is now bringing the link between alcohol brands and motor sport even closer together,” the letter said.

“We would like to request that you take this issue seriously and consider moving away from these sponsorship agreements, as you did with tobacco sponsorship.”

Tobacco companies were big backers of Formula One until the sport kicked the habit in 2008, although the Philip Morris brand Marlboro remains a Ferrari partner without on-car branding.

A report published by Eurocare last year analysed the 2014 showcase Monaco Grand Prix, one of the most-watched races of the season, for alcohol brand exposure and found viewers received an average of 11 references per minute over two hours.

Ferrari, Williams, McLaren and Force India all have alcohol branding while Diageo’s Johnnie Walker has been Formula One’s official whisky since 2014 with considerable trackside advertising.

Heineken branding was prominent at Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.

Formula One, with most other motorsport series, also has a podium ceremony that involves the spraying of Champagne or sparkling wine — with the exception of races in the Islamic world.

Heineken have said the F1 partnership will promote the brewer’s “If You Drive, Never Drink”

[Orion21]

The above is such a load of crap. Those that drink are going to drink no matter if F1 has a sponsorship with a beer company or not.  

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HAMILTON VERSUS ROSBERG GETS SERIOUS IN BAKU

Formula 1 takes a step into the unknown this weekend with its first grand prix in Azerbaijan, however one very real factor to look forward to is the Nico Rosberg versus Lewis Hamilton title battle which has been re-ignited – a mere nine points now separate the two contenders.

A win in Baku would not only complete a hat-trick of victories for the Briton but could also see him overtake Mercedes teammate Rosberg at the top of the standings for the first time this year.

After winning the last two races in Monaco and Montreal, while championship leader Rosberg finished off the podium, Hamilton slashed the gap between them from 43 points to nine.

If Hamilton makes it three in a row by winning a race billed as the ‘European Grand Prix’, Rosberg must finish second to avoid falling behind his rival, who has beaten him to the championship for the last two years.

“We need to try to keep on a roll if possible,” Hamilton said after winning in Canada on Sunday for the fifth time. “Onwards and upwards, hopefully.”

Rosberg, winner of the first four races of the season as well as the last three of 2015, needs to hit back in Baku.

He won last season’s ‘new’ race, the Mexican Grand Prix that was returning for the first time since 1992, but Hamilton had just won his third title and taken his foot off the gas.

“Canada unfortunately didn’t work out as planned. But that’s how things go when you’re pushing the limits and I’m not going to change my approach or start backing down,” said the German after making a quick getaway from Montreal. “I’m in this championship battle to win it, not to settle for second best.”

While the spotlight remains on the fierce duel between the two Mercedes drivers, who have clashed on the opening lap twice in the last three races, the champions are no longer in a battle of their own.

Ferrari and Red Bull have closed the performance gap and could be a real threat in Baku with its long straight and tight turns around the old city, a UNESCO world heritage site.

“The speed of both the Ferrari and Red Bull is pretty much where we are now,” commented Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff after Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel made a lightning start in Canada and finished second.

“We are seeing the convergence of performance between teams that naturally comes with stable regulations, and that has made the competition tougher than ever.”

Formula One teams began setting up on Tuesday for a race that, despite campaigners calling for the sport to take a stance on human rights issues, has created a buzz throughout the paddock.

“It looks spectacular when you see what they have built up in downtown Baku, going through the old city,” said Ferrari’s track operations head Jock Clear.

“It looks a very exciting circuit. The stuff we’ve done on simulators and the photographs we’ve seen, it looks like it’s going to be a great place to race. I think both drivers are really up for that kind of street circuit.”

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EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX (BAKU) PREVIEW STATISTICS

Reuters compiled statistics for the European Grand Prix, Round 8 of the 2016 Formula 1 world championship, and the first to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

• No previous race in Baku
• Baku City Circuit: length 6.001km. 20 corners (12 left, eight right). Total distance: 306.51 km (51 laps)
• Start time: 1300 GMT (1700 local)
• Champions Mercedes have won 38 of the last 45 races and six of this season’s seven.
• After Canada, triple world champion Lewis Hamilton has 45 career victories. The Briton is third in the all-time lists and three wins ahead of Ferrari’s four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel.
• Seven-times champion Michael Schumacher holds the record of 91, with Alain Prost on 51.
• McLaren’s Fernando Alonso has 32 wins, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen 20, Nico Rosberg 18 and McLaren’s Jenson Button 15.
• Championship leader Rosberg, winner of the first four races of the season, has more victories than any other non-champion in the history of the sport.
• Ferrari have won 224 races in total, McLaren 182, Williams 114, while Red Bull and Mercedes are level on 51. McLaren last won in 2012 (Brazil).
• Mercedes have been on pole in 42 of the last 45 races and all but one of this season’s grands prix.
• Daniel Ricciardo’s pole for Red Bull in Monaco was the first of his F1 career.
• Hamilton has 53 career poles, Vettel 46.
• The Sauber and Manor teams have yet to score in 2016. Renault’s Jolyon Palmer and Haas’s Esteban Gutierrez have also yet to open their accounts.
• Baku is the newest venue on the calendar but the floating ‘European Grand Prix’ designation has been used 22 times before.
• The first was at Brands Hatch in 1983, to distinguish that race from the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
• In 1984, it was given to the race at the Nuerburgring in Germany.
• Britain’s Donington Park hosted a famous 1993 European Grand Prix, with the late Brazilian triple champion Ayrton Senna dominating in the wet in one of his finest drives.
• Jerez hosted it in 1994 and 1997 while Valencia, also in Spain, was the home of the European GP between 2008-12.
• The circuit is the first anti-clockwise layout of the season and second longest after Spa.
• The 2.1 km straight down to turn one is the longest on the calendar and cars will reach a top speed of 340 km per hour, the fastest Formula One has ever gone on a street circuit.
• Turn Eight provides a notable feature, the slowest corner running close to the city’s medieval wall and with the track narrowing to the width of two cars.
• “I’ve already driven the track on the simulator and there’s certainly a lot that makes it unique — medieval walls close to the edge of the newly-laid asphalt, anti-clockwise corners, minimal run-off,” says McLaren’s Fernando Alonso.
• “It seems to have all of the ingredients to give us a bit of drama and the prospect of exciting racing.”
• Hamilton has now led 88 grands prix, more than anyone but Schumacher (142).
• The Briton has also now led 2,526 laps during his F1 career.