Formula 1 - 2017

[MIKA27]

SAUBER: WE HAVE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES TO BE COMPETITIVE AGAIN

Sauber presented their new Formula One car on Monday, celebrating the Swiss-based team’s 25 years in the sport with golden lettering but little in the way of sponsorship branding on the blue and white machine.

“The anniversary car for a new era,” said Sauber, which was bought by Swiss investment firm Longbow Finance last year, alongside pictures of the C-36 car posted on the team’s website.

The words ’25 years in Formula One’ were written in gold on the side of the airbox and in front of the driver but the car shown was otherwise a blank canvas in terms of sponsorship.

The new livery is a change from last year’s blue and yellow, the corporate branding of now-departed backer Banco do Brasil.

Ferrari-powered Sauber finished 10th of the 11 teams last season, scoring their two crucial points only in the penultimate round in Brazil to overtake now-defunct Manor.

“Together with Longbow Finance S.A., we have great opportunities to be competitive again and to return to previous successes in Formula One,” said team principal Monisha Kaltenborn.

“We want to position ourselves with a new approach, and we have already taken the first steps in order to build a solid foundation for the future.”

Kaltenborn said Sauber had the resources to develop the car, which will use the reliable 2016 Ferrari power unit rather than the latest model, through the season and was aiming at a return to the team’s previous place among the midfield.

Sauber have only once won a race, in Canada in 2008 when BMW owned the team.

The team has retained Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson this season but Brazilian Felipe Nasr has been replaced by Germany’s Pascal Wehrlein.

The wider and lower car has no carry-over parts from last season, reflecting the new aerodynamic and technical rules that should see faster lap times.

“We put greater emphasis on aerodynamic stability as opposed to maximising downforce,” said technical director Joerg Zander, who returned to Sauber only last month after a previous stint at the Hinwil factory under BMW.

“Basically, big teams also have an advantage when it comes to major changes in the regulations. But when the cards are reshuffled new opportunities always present themselves as well.”

Testing starts in Barcelona next week, although Wehrlein is ruled out with a back problem. Sauber has yet to name a replacement.

Monday marked the start of a week of Formula One launches, with Renault next up in London on Tuesday.

MIKA: Brilliant!

[MIKA27]

RENAULT LAUNCH THEIR RS17 AND TARGET FIFTH PLACE

The Renault Formula One team unveiled their new-look 2017 car on Tuesday with a target of the top five in the championship, and possible podium finishes, after struggling among the back-markers last season.

The former world champions returned as full constructors in 2016, after taking over the failing Lotus team, and finished ninth out of 11 with drivers Kevin Magnussen of Denmark and Briton Jolyon Palmer.

Magnussen has since left for U.S-owned rivals Haas F1 and been replaced by experienced German Nico Hulkenberg from Force India.

Russian Sergey Sirotkin retains the role of development driver in a season that sees big changes in the regulations with bigger tyres, faster cornering speeds and cars that will be harder to handle.

Also announced at the London event was the appointment of four-time F1 world champion Alain Prost as a special advisor to the team.

The team, whose engine plant is in France and main factory in England, have invested heavily in adding headcount and infrastructure over the past year with the aim of returning to the top by 2020.

“We expect to be fifth in the championship,” Renault Sport Racing President Jerome Stoll told the audience in a central London hall before the black-and-yellow RS17 car was presented to pounding music and strobe lights. We are hungry for the podium, hungry for success.”

Renault Sport F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul, who has effectively been running the team since the abrupt departure of principal Frederic Vasseur in January, said the key word for the year ahead was ‘integration’.

But he was also looking for a significant step up, with Renault hoping to see the rewards of a more integrated operation and improved performance from a power unit that is also used by Red Bull.

“If this (fifth place) is the target it means it’s achievable,” he told Reuters. “Some people will say it’s not ambitious enough, some people will say that it’s not realistic. We try to target in the middle.

“The target is by 2020 to be able to fight for the championship.”

Last year’s car was effectively a hybrid, designed by cash-strapped Lotus with a Mercedes engine in mind and ultimately racing with a Renault unit in the back at short notice.

“Last year was a sort of marketing return in that we took a car that was already existing, we painted it yellow and called it Renault. We put a Renault engine in it and that was it, job done. Not very satisfying,” said Abiteboul. “We completely recognise this car as our first all-Renault product (since the return).”

The F1 season starts in Australia on 26 March.

Press Release:

Renault Sport Formula One Team today launched its 2017 challenger, the R.S.17, at a showcase event in front of international media and team partners, in London, England.

Highlighting new partners and sponsors including BP, Castrol and MAPFRE, the launch was also the first public revealing of the new Renault Sport brand identity, designed to provide a stronger link between Renault Sport Racing and Renault Sport Cars.

Powered by Renault Sport Racing’s R.E.17 power unit, the R.S.17 has no carry over parts from the R.S.16. The team has worked from a clean sheet of paper to respond to Formula 1’s latest regulations. It is the first Formula 1 car designed from the outset by Renault Sport Racing from its two locations in Enstone, England and Viry-Châtillon, France.

Present at the launch were Thierry Koskas, Groupe Renault Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Jérôme Stoll, President and Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director of Renault Sport Racing, as well as Renault Sport Formula One Team’s senior management and drivers, and Alain Prost as Renault Sport Racing Special Advisor.

The R.S.17 was unveiled by race drivers Nico Hülkenberg and Jolyon Palmer, whilst Third and Reserve Driver Sergey Sirotkin was also announced today.

The car was unveiled with the hashtag #RS17Launch.

The 2017 Renault Sport Academy line-up was also confirmed, with Jack Aitken, Max Fewtrell, Jarno Opmeer and Sun Yue Yang all being supported by Renault Sport Racing through their 2017 seasons. Jack will contest the GP3 Series, whilst Max, Jarno and Sun will contest the Formula Renault Eurocup in an historic-high 30-cars-grid.

Jérôme Stoll, President of Renault Sport Racing: The R.S.17 is the first car which Enstone and Viry have been able to plan and develop from the outset and we’re satisfied by the fruits of this interaction. It’s a beautiful car. As well as the excitement of the R.S.17 itself, we also have a highly important new partner in BP through their BP and Castrol brands. For 2017 our performance targets are clear. We want to take a definite, tangible step forward in performance and results. Fifth position in the Constructors’ Championship is our goal.”

 

Cyril Abiteboul, Renault Sport Racing Managing Director: “For 2017 we are perfectly placed to take the step forward we all desire. The R.S.17 is the result of many long working hours spent over our two integrated locations and the result is a car we can be proud of. We have a strong line-up of personnel at all levels of the team and we’re proud to see Nico and Sergey join Jolyon in 2017. We are joined by a strong group of partners with BP, Castrol, MAPFRE and SMP Racing representing the best pre-season sponsorship acquisition campaign in the paddock. We are the fastest growing F1 team and we now need to prove our performance on track. Our objective is to score points at every round.”

[MIKA27]

PROST: WE KNOW ITS MUCH TOO SOON TO BEAT THE TOP TEAMS

Alain Prost will once again be a regular figure in the Formula 1 pitlane and paddock as he takes on a role as special advisor for the French team, and started his tenure by confirming the team are targeting fifth in the constructors’ championship but playing down taking on the pace setters just yet.

Speaking at the launch of the Renault RS17, Prost told ESPN, “I think it’s a very important season because it’s the first year that all the team were able to build the car – Enstone on one side and Viry on the other – and think about the integration of the engine.”

“The engine is a completely new engine, its very promising but we need to see what it does on the track.”

“So it’s very important we go back to a normal performance, even if we know its much, much, much too soon to beat the top teams.”

“But the position of fifth in the championship is still ambitious but its realistic and I hope we can reach this objective.”

Regarding the new rules Prost admitted, “I’m excited as you can imagine. Looking at the size of the car, it’s like the old days with the big tyre.”

“I’m going to be in Barcelona on Monday and I’m going to be curious to hear what the drivers have to say after a few laps with the fast corners.”

“It is going to be a big challenge physically. But I think it is very positive for Formula 1 because it needed a new cycle.”

“I think it’s important we can have some impressive cars as we need to show people that F1 is something special, which it is, and maybe to bring new, maybe younger people who don’t follow F1 too much,” added Prost.

The four times F1 world champion drove for Renault from 1981 to 1983, winning eight races for them and finishing second in the championship in the final year with the team.

Ten years later Prost won the 1993 F1 World Championship in a Renault powered Williams. It was his final year in Formula 1.

[MIKA27]

MARKO: DRS IS NOT REAL OVERTAKING GET RID OF IT

Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko has come out in support of Ross Brawn’s desire to get rid of gimmicks – such as DRS – and make Formula 1 purer.

In January, Brawn told BBC, “We need to make sure there is no artificial solutions. The drag reduction system; everyone knows it’s artificial. We need to find purer solutions.

“We need to think through the solutions. I have ideas – I can’t share them all with you because I want to share them with the teams first,” added the sport’s newly appointed technical chief.

Marko backs the plan to rid F1 of DRS and told Auto Motor und Sport, “With DRS in a two-man battle the driver in front is helpless. He can do nothing, it is not real overtaking.”

“Extreme braking is one of the most crucial talents of top drivers. When you look back through the history of Formula 1 like Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, proper overtaking was invariably the moment that defined the race and the result,” added Marko.

MIKA: Not to mention late braking legend like Juan Pablo Montoya who I think was one of the best at this craft 

[MIKA27]

HORNER: WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THE YEAR AHEAD

Red Bull F1 team chief Chritian Horner is bullish about his team’s prospects ahead of the 2017 season, where a host of new rules should play in their favour while Renault ramp up their efforts on the engine front.

Horner said in a video interview released by the team, “It’s a brand new engine [TAG Heuer badged Renault] for this year… a change in philosophy.”

“[Renault] have had a big winter and we’re hoping for a step in performance. If that’s delivered then hopefully we can really be a challenger team this year and give the Mercedes and Ferraris a hard time.”

“Mercedes for sure they are the world champions – triple world champions – they are the team to beat. They have set the bar pretty high but that’s what we’re aspiring to.”

“Hopefully we can be a real challenger team. I think the driver line-up we have is fantastic, we’ve had great stability in the team and we’re excited about the year ahead.”

Red Bull will unveil the RB13 on 26 February, the eve of the first preseason test in Barcelona.

[MIKA27]

DI RESTA REMAINS WILLIAMS RESERVE DRIVER FOR 2017

Britain’s Paul Di Resta will continue as reserve driver for Williams this season, the Formula One team announced on Monday.

The 30-year-old Scot raced for Force India in 58 grands prix between 2011 and 2013, scoring 121 points, and became Williams’ reserve last year.

He will attend races in his role, ready to stand in if needed.

“His extensive Formula One knowledge will once again be invaluable, especially with new regulations in place for the 2017 season,” said deputy team principal Claire Williams in a statement.

Mercedes-powered Williams have 18-year-old Canadian rookie Lance Stroll as one of their race drivers, along with Brazilian veteran Felipe Massa.

Rule changes, with wider tyres and faster cornering speeds, are expected to make the cars harder to handle and more of a physical challenge for drivers.

Press Release:

Williams Martini Racing is pleased to announce Paul Di Resta will remain as its official Reserve Driver for the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship season.

Paul made his Formula One debut in 2009 as a test driver with the Force India Formula One Team, after winning the European Formula 3 Championship in 2006. Paul went on to secure the DTM title in 2010 before making his Formula One debut in 2011 with Force India where he spent three seasons with the team, scoring a total of 121 points.

Paul became Reserve Driver for Williams in 2016, and for the 2017 season he will once again spend extensive time with the team at races to ensure he is fully accustomed to the controls and procedures of the Williams Mercedes FW40, should he be required to step into the cockpit during the season.

Speaking about remaining at the team Paul said: “I am delighted to remain at Williams as Reserve Driver for the 2017 season. I’m looking forward to getting to grips with the controls and procedures of the FW40 and understanding the new regulations. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Claire and everyone at Williams for their continued support in being part of the team.”

Deputy Team Principal, Claire Williams added: “It’s great for us to retain someone with Paul’s experience in the team. His extensive Formula One knowledge will once again be invaluable, especially with new regulations in place for the 2017 season. Paul has been a great asset to the team over the past year and it is great that we will be able to continue working with him again in 2017.”

[MIKA27]

STEINER: THE MORE YOU DRIVE THE MORE YOU LEARN

Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner is hoping for long runs with few mechanical issues when his team takes to the track in Barcelona for the first 2017 Formula 1 test of the year, starting on 27 February.

Here is a Q&A with Steiner supplied by his team as a preview to action at Circuit de Catalunya.

Explain what happens during a test.
“In our first test of the season, you try to make sure everything works as you designed it. You just prove out whatever you did, and in the second part of the test, you try to get performance out of the car. Or, better said, you try to get performance as quickly as possible. First of all, make sure everything works. Everything is new on the car. The first test is quite important just from a reliability factor. You try to learn as much as possible about the car. You get the baseline on the car and you work off that baseline the rest of the year.”

What are your expectations for the test?
“The expectation is to run as much as possible, to understand the car and to make it reliable. Our second test last year was not very successful. We had a lot of mechanical problems. We hope we do better on that one, so when we get to Melbourne we are as prepared as we can be.”

How much of the test will be spent getting Magnussen up to speed with the team’s methodologies and him getting to know his crew?
“I don’t think that will be difficult. For sure it will take some time, but I don’t think we will spend a lot of time on that one. He’ll have been in the simulator by then, already twice, and he has worked with his race engineers. It looks like they’ve established a good way of communicating. He has done this before. It’s nothing new for him. It’s just a little bit of change for him from where he was before.”

Despite the team having a year’s worth of Formula One experience, will the new car regulations make this test feel like the first time all over again?
“Not completely. If you go out there the first time, as a new team, you’ve got a lot of things which are unknowns. Now a lot of things are known like pit equipment, processes and procedures. We’re a lot better on those ones than we were last year, but it’s still a new car and we need to learn more about it. It’s more about the engineers trying to get the best out of the car, and to try to understand the tires as quickly as possible.”

How do you manage personnel during a test, as it seems to be a 24-hour work day, everyday?
“At the test, there is no limit to how much we can work. We have a day and night shift. In the old days, which weren’t so long ago, it was the same people doing the day and night shifts. What is done now is you have people coming in around 6 p.m. and have dinner with the guys from the day shift, so they exchange what they learned and know what they have to do. The (night shift) guys take over and work until the sun comes up, then the day shift comes in again and you do the same thing. They have breakfast together and some go to sleep and the others go to work.”

How do you prevent personnel from burning out?
“What you do normally, because at the test you run only one car and have two mechanic crews, you swap them over on the second test. You still have to be careful because you will have some who don’t want to go home. They want to stay, so you have to tell them ‘No, your time is over.’ It is quite a challenge. We try to give them a Saturday or Sunday off before they go to Australia. These guys, when they come back to the workshop after the second test, have to rebuild the cars before they are shipped to Australia. You have to be careful so they aren’t burned out.”

Can you compare this year’s car build to last year, and what you learned from last year that you applied this year?
“Last year we went into this not knowing a lot of things because we hadn’t experienced them. Now, this year, we know a lot more and we can organize it a lot better because there are a lot less question marks. We started last summer to make improvements and to see where we were weak and where we had problems, and we addressed them with our suppliers and our partners. A lot of stuff seems to be working. It seems to be a lot slicker than last year. That’s how it should be.”

How has a year of experience helped Haas F1 Team’s relationship with its suppliers?
“It’s a lot easier. We started talking with all the partners and suppliers in the middle of summer. We had very good, constructive discussions about the areas we could improve. We found areas of potential where we could do better and everybody upped their game. Last year, they didn’t know us and they didn’t know what we could and could not do. So, everybody learned last year. It seems to be a much more fluent process. We know each other as people now and relationships have developed. It’s much easier to talk with people when you know each other on a personal level.”

What do you take from the test at Barcelona and apply to the season opener in Australia?
“You prove out your methodology, how you work, how your guys work. You have the time in between – 10 days to fix it. There is so much electronics in these cars, software programs. You try to prove out everything so there are no mistakes. When you get to Australia and your drivers notice the car’s behavior isn’t right, you will know what to do to get the behavior of the car right. It’s a mix of everything. The biggest thing is to run as much as possible at Barcelona and avoid any downtime with the car breaking or something. The more you drive, the more you learn and the better prepared you are for Australia.”

On the final day of the first test, staged wet weather running is scheduled. How valuable will that time be for when you do have to run these new tires in wet conditions?
“It’s more for the tire supplier, Pirelli, to see what the tire is doing in the wet but, for sure, it will help the driver if he drives on the wet surface when we have a wet race. I think the main effort is on developing the tire, or to see if it is acceptable. By having a wider tire this year – quite a bit wider – water is going to be a bigger issue than last year, and Pirelli just wants to gain as much experience as possible before we actually have a wet race.”

[MIKA27]

WILLIAMS: WE STOOD IN VALTTERI’S WAY WHEN FERRARI CAME ALONG

Williams team chief Claire Williams has admitted that her team blocked Valtteri Bottas’ move to Ferrari when they came calling on them to release him to replace fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen at Maranello in 2015.

In an interview Williams justified why they agreed to release Bottas to Mercedes this year, “We stood in Valtteri’s way once, when Ferrari came along. I made a promise to Valtteri I wouldn’t stand in his way again, I honour my promises.”

“He has an amazing opportunity and it will be interesting to see how Valtteri does this year,” she said alluding to his move to the dominant Mercedes team where he will be up against new teammate and triple F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton.

As for the role played by Bottas at Williams, she said, “Valtteri has been an important part of Williams, he’s got that fiery passion that you want in a driver because all he wants to do is be in the best car and win.”

“When you have a driver that you know that’s all they want, why force them to race your car? That’s not the right thing to do,” added Williams.

Bottas will drive a Silver Arrows for the first time at the forthcoming preseason test in Barcelona, starting on 27 February, while Felipe Massa has been convinced to stay another year in F1 to replace the Finn at Williams. He will partner 18 year old rookie Lance Stroll in the team.

Ferrari have kept faith in Raikkonen, who remains with the Italian team for at least another year alongside Sebastian Vettel.

[MIKA27]

LAUDA AND WOLFF BANKING BIG BUCKS UNTIL 2020

This week Mercedes announced that Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda have had their respective contracts extended until 2020.

Now a day later Bild has revealed that Niki Lauda could bank as much as €2-million per year which amounts to €8-million over the the four year period if all bonus targets are attained.

The F1 legend also owns 10% of the team which was part of the sign-on deal which Mercedes offered him in 2012.

Wolff, who has been Mercedes motorsport and Formula 1 chief since 2013 owns 30% of the team, is reportedly set to earn over

Wolff, who has been at the helm since 2013 and owns 30% of the team, will allegedly earn €3.5 million euros this year and will allegedly bank an extra €10-million during the next four years.

Although the Mercedes chiefs’ salaries are more than some drivers on the grid, their earnings are dwarfed by the €31-million Lewis Hamilton will earn in 2017 and a similar amount for his services in 2018.

Mercedes newcomer Valtteri Bottas has a one year deal with the Silver Arrows said to be worth around €8-million.

Interestingly, had Nico Rosberg not retired at the end of last season he would have cost Mercedes around €36 million over the next two years.

Mercedes are clearly delighted with the massive success they have enjoyed with Wolff and Lauda at the helm, Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman and CEO of Daimler AG, said of the extensions, “It’s great news that Toto and Niki have extended their agreements.”

“In 2013, we restructured the management of the team with the clear goal of improving our performance. Since then, however, the results have exceeded our expectations,” he added.

[MIKA27]

WILLIAMS FIRST F1 TEAM TO REVEAL THEIR 2017 CAR

Sorry this is late guys, I been away:

Williams have jumped the gun by giving a good glimpse of their 2017 challenger – the Williams FW40 – ahead of the official launch next week.

After previously denying that there would be launch event last week: “We have not made any launch date public, and don’t plan to do a launch event.”

The team have clearly had a change of heart and announced that the full reveal of their new car would be on 25 February.

[MIKA27]

Interesting to see how far Valtteri Bottas will go to win in Formula 1 - Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton says he is interested to see how far his new Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas will go to win in Formula 1 and how quickly he will adapt to handle the pressure of being in a race-winning team.

Bottas has replaced world champion Nico Rosberg at Mercedes, following the German's surprise decision to retire from the sport as world champion.

With the Brackley-based team favourites for the title once again, Hamilton is hoping Bottas will quickly blend into the team and start maximising the points available from the first race, to ensure Mercedes is in the best possible position to challenge for a fourth-straight constructors' title.

"It doesn’t matter who they are or where they come from, I know where I come from and I’m there to win," Hamilton said during a Q&A with sponsor UBS. "So my goal remains exactly the same and really with a new team-mate you hope they blend in, you hope they’re a positive guy for the team. 

"There’s over a thousand people in our team so it’s not just about me, it’s not just about him or her. For example I’ve had years where I’ve put in good results but my team-mate hasn’t and we should have won the [constructors'] championship, but all those guys [at the factory] didn’t win the world championship because the other wasn’t able to back me up."

The Briton is interested to see how fare Bottas is willing to go to win, but overall Hamilton is confident of a good relationship because Bottas is a "calm and very relaxed" Finn.

"It’s interesting to see how it’s going to go, how quick he’ll be, how quick he adapts, how he deals with pressure, all those little things," added Hamilton.

"I always say the most fascinating thing is the mind of my competitors. The limits they will go to to win. Some people would sell their mum to win a race (laughs), some would sell their soul and other things. It’s interesting to see where Valtteri will go.

"It’s going to be good, Finnish people are usually lovely, lovely people and very calm and very relaxed. He’s got lots of positives coming with him just being a Finn."

[MIKA27]

Vettel ‘still believes’ in title with Ferrari

Four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel is still confident he can add a fifth title with Ferrari and believes they “are on the right track”.

The German is getting ready to embark on a third campaign with Ferrari and will be hoping for a much better showing after a frustrating 2016 campaign where he finished fourth in the World Championship standings.

“I continue to pursue my dream of becoming world champion with Ferrari and I still believe it,” Vettel told SpeedWeek.

“[Whether it arrives in 2017] is always the question, to which no one has the answer.

“This year, we have very different regulations, especially with completely different aerodynamics and wider tyres. That means higher cornering speeds, lower lap times and a greater load on each driver.”

Vettel also said that there is a misconception surrounding Ferrari as they continue to get to grips with the new aerodynamic regulations.

“When I look back at the 2016 season, I am firmly convinced that Ferrari and I are on the right track,” he added.

“The team is now much more advanced for the start of the new season than many people believe. That is why I am convinced that we will achieve the goals that we want to set for ourselves.”

[MIKA27]

Meanwhile: Vergne no longer with Ferrari

Jean-Eric Vergne has revealed he will not be staying on in a reserve role at Ferrari for the 2017 season.

The Frenchman, who has previously raced for Toro Rosso, linked up with Ferrari as a test driver in 2015.

But GP2 runner-up Antonio Giovinazzi has now been installed as Ferrari's third driver.

"It was clear from the beginning [of the Ferrari role] that I would not continue as reserve anymore this season," said Vergne.

"I still have a lot of contact with Ferrari and good relationships there, but I'm not going to grands prix and filling the role I had."

Verge has now completely turned his attention to Formula E, where he took his first podium of the season last weekend in Buenos Aires.

[MIKA27]

Hulkenberg has no “appetite” for Le Mans return in 2017

Renault F1 signing Nico Hulkenberg has rubbished suggestions that he could return to the Le Mans 24 Hours this year, saying he’s totally committed to his new team.

Hulkenberg won Le Mans at his first attempt in 2015 for Porsche alongside Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber – both of whom have been elevated to full-time drives with Porsche’s LMP1 team in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The German was unable to defend his crown last year when the race clashed with the inaugural Grand Prix in Baku, but when asked if he had considered a comeback this year as there’s no conflicting dates, he replied: “No.”

Hulkenberg clarified that his decision had nothing to do with the injury sustained by Sauber’s Pascal Wehrlein during the Race Of Champions in Miami in January, but stated he was “committed” to Renault becoming successful in F1.

“Nothing to do with Pascal, or what happened to him, I didn’t quite have the appetite this year to do it,” he added.

“When you are committed to a manufacturer, then you’re committed – with Force India there was no manufacturer involved so it was easier anyway from the start.

“I think it’s good the way it is now. I’ve been there, done it, very fortunate to win it and lucky. So let’s leave it the way it is and I can return, perhaps, in the future.”

[skalls]

I like how the new cars look.  That williams livery is awesome

[MIKA27]

Max Verstappen reveals his new 2017 helmet

 

 

[MIKA27]

WHY F1 TEAM MATES HAVE TO SHARE DATA – MERCEDES AND LEWIS HAMILTON MOVE TO CLARIFY COMMENTS

Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton have clarified their positions on Formula 1 data sharing after the triple world champion threatened to kick off the new season and the relationship with his new team mate with a polemic, suggesting he would like to stop sharing data.

Following Hamilton’s appearance at a sponsor event where he said, amongst other lines, “I don’t feel it’s fair that he brings his A-game and I should be able to study his A-game on a computer,” Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff explained that the British driver’s remarks had been misinterpreted.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Wolff said: “I spoke with Lewis and [he] was misinterpreted. To a question about what he would do to improve the show, he replied that the ideal [situation] would be not to reveal the data of teammates. [In] modern F1 [this is] unenforceable because only in this way, by exchanging the information, can we develop the machines.”

Hamilton had already issued his own clarification about the remarks and explained that his point about data sharing was meant to be a comment on how he would improve F1 in general and was not an attempt to hurt the progress of his new teammate Valtteri Bottas, whom Mercedes signed to replace Nico Rosberg at the Brackley-based team for 2017.

Writing on Twitter, Hamilton said: “I wish to clarify, I have not hit out at my team at all. My point on data sharing is solely my feelings about the sport in general
“It has been my feeling since the day I started F1 and still is 10 years later. There is zero problems in my team, zero problems with Bottas.”

There have been occasional examples of teammates refusing to work together and share information in F1’s history – notably Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost at McLaren, and Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet at Williams in the late 1980s – but today with infinitely more data available and with it being far more central to how an F1 team operates, it is now de rigeur to share data across both sides of the garage.

It is a mistake to read too much into this episode, but it is arguably one of the small aftershocks from the end of last season and Hamilton’s unhappiness at being instructed to speed up in the final laps, which cost him any chance to change the destiny of the championship. He and Wolff have spoken, but with his friend-come-nemesis Nico Rosberg gone, Hamilton will expect to be very much the top dog in the Mercedes team.

Hamilton’s thoughts on data sharing also covered young drivers entering F1 and using existing data to get up to speed; a practice the 32-year-old says he does not agree with.

Here he has a slightly selective memory as when Hamilton graduated to F1 in 2007 with McLaren F1 team, he was able to benefit greatly from seeing data such as racing lines, braking points and steering inputs world champion team mate Fernando Alonso was collecting in the sister car.

But the impression from his statements was that he now feels drivers should explore the limits of the cars and keep the results to themselves.

He said: “They should be able to go out there on their own and find it all themselves, without you. You could take a young kid from Formula 3, have them just go on a simulator and drive every single day and try and get to my lines. And eventually they’d probably get to my lines.

“He should have to discover that himself. You’ve got to find the limit yourself, that’s the whole challenge of being a racing driver. When I get in this new car it’s seeing what the limit of it is. If I can’t do it on my own then I’m not good enough and I don’t deserve to be there. And there are some drivers that don’t.”

MIKA: Hamilton yet again causing ripples and the year hasn't even begun...

[MIKA27]

CHRISTIAN HORNER: RED BULL HAS “ABSOLUTELY THE MOST EXCITING DRIVER PAIRING ON THE 2017 F1 GRID”

Christian Horner has thrown down the gauntlet saying he believes Red Bull’s 2017 Formula 1 driver pairing of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen is the most exciting line-up on the grid heading into the new season.

It is certainly set to be the pairing under most scrutiny after signs last year that neither driver will give the other an inch as both pursue their first world championship.

Red Bull promoted Verstappen to a race seat in its senior team at the expense of Daniil Kvyat, who returned to Toro Rosso, shortly before last year’s Spanish Grand Prix, which the 19-year-old went on to win.

Ricciardo finished third in the 2016 drivers’ world championship and scored Red Bull’s second win of the season at the Malaysian Grand Prix – a result that came after a thrilling fight with Verstappen over second place, which became the lead when Lewis Hamilton’s engine expired a short while later.

Aside from their victories in 2016, both Ricciardo and Verstappen created headlines for their performances at other races, even if they did not cross the line in first place.

At Monaco, Ricciardo delivered a stunning lap in qualifying to claim his first ever F1 pole and then would probably have won the race had Red Bull not cost him time with a delayed pitstop.

Verstappen’s sensational drive in the wet at the Brazilian Grand Prix – where he went from 16th to third late in the race after making two extra stops for intermediate tyres – was praised by fans and all corners of the F1 paddock for the daring and decisive overtaking manoeuvres he pulled off.

Speaking in a video interview released by Red Bull ahead of the launch of its 2017 car – the RB13 that will be unveiled online on 26 February – Horner praised the performances his drivers put in last season and hailed their working relationship.

He said: We’ve probably got absolutely the most exciting driver pairing on the grid and it’s so exciting to see the development and the evolution of Max Verstappen just as he is growing in experience and confidence and age at the heady age of 19 this year.

“And Daniel Ricciardo, for me, was the driver of the year last year. He put in some phenomenal performances, [and was] right at the top of his game – his confidence is high.

“So I think the dynamic between the two drivers is great – they are going to push each other incredibly hard, which is great from a team perspective, and I couldn’t wish for two better, more motivated drivers in our cars.”

Horner also outlined the relationship between Ricciardo and Verstappen, which he described as brotherly, as he highlighted what he sees as their positive approach to F1 racing and overtaking.

He said: “They are both ferocious racers, their race craft on a Sunday afternoon I don’t think there’s any drivers out there that are better overtakers than our two guys. [They’re] tremendously dedicated [and are] enjoying what they do.

“They love what they do – you can see they really revel in being grand prix drivers and they’re having fun along the way. There’s sort of a big-brother-little-brother mentality going on [and] they live in the same apartment block. It’s a great pairing for us to have in our line-up.”

While Ricciardo and Verstappen may be getting on well for now, like any sibling-like relationship things can change for the worse very quickly.

If, thanks to the 2017 aerodynamic rule changes and having Adrian Newey head up its design process, Red Bull has produced a car than can regularly take the fight to Mercedes this year then its drivers will be pitched into a title fight, which is unknown territory for both, and if they are in a championship battle with Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas only one of them can end the year as world champion.

Renault has “had a big winter” on engine development

In the same interview, Horner discussed the progress Renault has been making with its F1 power unit over the off-season. Red Bull will use the latest specification of engine from the French manufacturer but will again rebrand it under the team’s sponsor Tag Heuer for 2017 and in 2018.

Horner explained that his team has been hoping for an engine performance boost in 2017 and he believes that if Renault delivers that step then Red Bull can be a consistent contender with Mercedes.

He said: “It’s a brand new engine for this year – a change in philosophy – they‘ve had a big winter. We’re hoping for a step in performance and if that is delivered then hopefully we can really be a challenger team this year and give the Mercedes and Ferraris a hard time.

“Mercedes are the world champions, triple world champions – they are the team to beat and they set the bar pretty high. But that’s what we’re aspiring too [and] hopefully we can be a real challenger team.”

[MIKA27]

FERRARI 312T3 FORMULA ONE CAR

The Ferrari 312T is remembered as the car that brought Ferrari back to its winning ways after a championship drought of over 10 years. Between its introduction in 1975 and its retirement from competition in 1980, the Ferrari 312T won 27 races, took 61 podiums, 19 poles, 25 fastest laps, 4 Constructors Championships, and 3 Driver’s Championships.

It’s clear to see why it’s still ranked by many Tifosi as their favourite Ferrari Formula One car of all time.

THE BEGINNING OF THE FERRARI 312T

As with all Ferrari F1 cars of the era, the 312T was designed by the legendary Mauro Forghieri. It was to be a replacement for the 312B3, a car that had suffered from persistent understeer and only managed 10 wins with no Championships in its 5 years of competition.

Development of the 312T had begun in 1974 when Mario and his team realised there was no way to salvage the 312B. They designed an entirely new tubular steel spaceframe with aluminium panels fastened to it, and a new transverse-mounted gearbox was fitted (this is what contributes the “T” to the model name).

Forghieri chose to keep developing the Flat-12 that had been used in the previous chassis, it had proven itself to be highly-reliable, and thanks to its architecture it had a low centre of gravity, and it allowed for a lower engine cover which in turn allowed more air to the rear wing.

The Flat-12 has a capacity of 2991.80cc, a compression ratio of 11.5:1, Lucas indirect fuel injection, twin overhead camshafts per bank with four valves per cylinder, and 510 hp at 12,200 rpm – that works out to a healthy 170 hp/l.

THE FERRARI 312T3

Over the course of its production the 312T went through 6 major iterations, and the car you see here is the 312T3 – the third iteration that would be raced by Gilles Villeneuve and Carlos Reutemann. The T3 was an evolution of the earlier T2, it now featured a new chassis with a new monocoque structure and revised suspension. The suspension changes had been made to suit the switch from cross-ply Goodyear tyres to the more modern Michelin radials, and the rear bodywork changes had largely been to flatten it out and allow more air to pass over the rear wing – further increasing down force.

Niki Lauda would go on to win 2 Formula One World Championships in the Ferrari 312T and the 312T2. He was driving the latter car when he suffered his now infamous accident at the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. He made his comeback in just 6 weeks and he lost the World Championship that year to James Hunt by just 1 point – 69 to 68.

Ferrari introduced the 312T3 for Villeneuve and Reutemann in time for the third race of the 1978 Formula One season. A huge amount of development work and track testing had gone into the new model, but the Ferrari engineers could never have known that 1978 would be the year that Lotus shocked the racing world with the introduction of the Lotus 79. This new car from the storied British manufacturer was an entirely new beast, using wind tunnels to take advantage of ground effect aerodynamics.

Despite the extreme speed and downforce produced by the Lotus 79, the plucky Italians still managed 5 wins over the course of the season – 4 for Reutemann, and 1 for the then-new F1 driver Villeneuve, and at his home Grand Prix in Canada no less. Ferrari would finish 2nd in the Constructors’ Championship for 1978, though in any normal season it very likely would have been an outright win.

THE 312T SHOWN HERE

The car you see here was pointed by Gilles Villeneuve in the 1978 South African Grand Prix, and it was driven to victory at the 1978 US Grand Prix West by Carlos Reutemann, who would later put the car on pole at the Monaco Grand Prix.

After being retired from competition, Ferrari sold chassis #032 to French collector Jacques Setton (who curated the Setton Collection). Since then it’s has passed through a very limited number of private collections, and it’s now being offered for sale privately through Fiskens. As both a race winner and a Monaco pole sitter, it will appeal to any significant Ferrari collector – and many other collectors besides.

If you’d like to read more about chassis #032 or register your interest with Fiskens you can click here to visit the official listing.

[MIKA27]

FIRST PHOTOS AND VIDEO OF SAUBER C36 ON TRACK

During the filming day for the Sauber F1 Team, the Sauber C36-Ferrari hit the race track for the first time at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, ahead of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship season, with Marcus Ericsson at the wheel.

[MIKA27]

FORCE INDIA REVEAL THE VJM10 AND TARGET TOP THREE

Force India set their sights on breaking into Formula One’s top three at the launch of their new car on Wednesday and hit back at suggestions that they lack the budget to match the manufacturers in a spending ‘arms race’.

“If we did not dream big, we would not have finished fourth in the world championship last year,” said co-owner and principal Vijay Mallya, the embattled former billionaire whose extradition is sought by India.

“We will always dream big,” added the liquor tycoon who was charged in absentia last month by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation with conspiracy and fraud over a loan to his defunct Kingfisher Airlines. He has dismissed the charges against him.

“We have never had conversations, even in private, that we cannot break into the top three. That is certainly going to be our objective. We are going to give it our best shot.”

Force India enjoyed their best ever season last year, finishing behind Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.

Force India’s annual budget is estimated at less than half that of the teams above them and also some of those below, such as McLaren.

Renault Sport F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul told reporters at the launch of his team’s car on Tuesday, when he set a target of fifth overall, that he doubted Force India had the resources to compete at the very top.

“I think this season will be an arms race, and I really feel for the teams who are under-resourced,” the Abiteboul had said. “I believe that most of the car build budget of a Force India will be gone by now, just to cope with the new regulations.”

Mallya laughed at the suggestion during a stage presentation, “Good luck to him. He might have to eat his words. It’s not the amount of arms you have, it’s the quality of your weaponry.”

Mallya said the team planned to develop the new Mercedes-powered VJM10 throughout the season but would not a target for podium finishes or points he wanted Mexican Sergio Perez and French newcomer Esteban Ocon to achieve.

“I’ve always said ‘under promise and over deliver’,” said Mallya of his approach to Formula One. “And I’m going to stick to that philosophy.

“As much as people may say there is this huge barrier to breaking into the top three, I see no reason why we can’t.”

Press Release:

Sahara Force India launched its 2017 season today offering fans and media their first look at the team’s new car, the VJM10. Silverstone circuit was the venue as Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon pulled back the covers to reveal the team’s dynamic new look including an updated livery and expanded partner portfolio.

The VJM10’s new aerodynamic package is guaranteed to get heads turning, while the silver and orange livery retains the team’s traditional colours with a fresh twist. Branding from Johnnie Walker appears on the rear wing and top of chassis marking the start of a partnership with the whisky brand.

Telecommunications brands Claro, Telcel and Infinitum continue their partnerships for a fourth season, while NEC branding remains on the engine cover.

Motor oil brand, Quaker State, continues its relationship with the team, as does long-time partner, Kingfisher, with its logo positioned on the engine cover. The VJM10 headrests carry eye-catching Hype Energy branding, while the team’s newest partner, FXTM, takes up a position on the rear of the sidepod. The team also welcomes eyewear brand, LDNR, with its logo on the front wing end plate.

Team Principal, Dr Vijay Mallya, was the first to praise the VJM10: “I can’t remember being more excited ahead of a new season. The VJM10 looks aggressive and purposeful, and is the result of a huge effort behind the scenes over the last twelve months. We have big hopes for this car, which looks stunning in its new livery.”

With a complete overhaul of technical regulations, the VJM10 represents a clean sheet of paper in terms of design.

“This year the cars are completely new and nothing can be carried over from previous years,” explained Chief Operating Officer, Otmar Szafnauer. “Although we have completely new aerodynamics on the VJM10, it’s fair to say that our aero philosophy is very similar to 2015 and 2016.”

Technical Director, Andrew Green, explained how the team has relished the challenge presented by the new rules and expects huge scope for in-season development: “It’s definitely a big overhaul; one that requires a change in mentality. It took a bit of time to adjust at first, but we are there now and I am confident we know where to look and where the performance is coming from with this car. The development slope is incredibly steep and we are going to see significant updates to the cars at regular intervals, right from the start; it’s going to be big updates and I don’t think development will start to taper off any time soon.”

Vijay Mallya remained cautious on setting a target for the season, preferring to reserve judgement until the racing begins: “Simply repeating our performance level of 2016 will be a big task in itself. I don’t want to set goals or targets other than to say that we intend to maintain the momentum we have built up in recent years and carry it into the new season. There are too many unknowns to say more than this.”

[MIKA27]

RAÍ CALDATO HELMET DESIGN CHOSEN BY HAMILTON

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton launched a helmet design competition on Instagram to get fans to submit entries from which he chose the design for his 2017 season… and the winner is Raí Caldato whose design can be seen above.

The triple Formula 1 World Champion announced on Instagram: “Here it is. The winning helmet design, a creation by Raí Caldato – @caldatodesign from Brazil. Raí evolves my layout by adding new stripe elements on the sides.”

“As a tribute to my hero, Ayrton Senna the helmet features the colours of Brazil – green, yellow and blue. These are accompanied with the 3 stars that represent my Championship wins. There’s yellow throughout that reminds me of my helmets in the past.”

“The candy apple red balances with the yellow very well. Raí, I look forward to meeting you in person to present you with your prize! Thank you all for entering this competition, I’m taken back by your creativity,” added Hamilton.

The prize for the winning design, handpicked by Hamilton, will collect a signed replica helmet from the champion on a yet to be determined occasion.

[MIKA27]

WEHRLEIN SHOWS OFF NEW HELMET DESIGN

Sauber driver Pascal Wehrlein has revealed a new design and colours for the helmet he will wear duing the 2017 Formula 1 season.

The helmet is a marked change from his old design which was darker than the latest edition which is white with gold, red and gray.

[MIKA27]

VANDOORNE REVEALS 2017 HELMET DESIGN

McLaren ‘new boy’ Stoffel Vandoorne has revealed the helmet design he will use during the 2017 season by posting a photo of it on Twitter.

Rookie Vandoorne replaces veteran Jenson Button alongside another veteran, Fernando Alonso, at McLaren.

However, the Belgian driver did make his grand prix debut when he substituted for injured (at the time) Alonso in Bahrain last year and scored a point for the team on the occasion.

 

[MIKA27]

Lewis Hamilton hopes Liberty Media 'do something new' to aid 'outdated' F1

Lewis Hamilton believes that Formula 1 has become "a bit outdated" and hopes that new owner Liberty Media can make changes to make the sport more entertaining.

Liberty completed its $8 billion takeover of F1 last month, with American executive Chase Carey taking over as CEO following Bernie Ecclestone's resignation.

Carey will run F1 alongside commercial chief Sean Bratches and sporting head Ross Brawn, forming a triumvirate that is expected to bring a great deal of change to the sport.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Hamilton said that he feels F1 hasn't been doing enough to focus on entertainment and connect with its fans in recent years, and hopes that Liberty can resolve this.

"I don't feel Formula 1 is winning, and it hasn't been for a long time. That is to do with rule changes and not engaging the fans enough," Hamilton said.

"There still is a great following in Formula 1 and I am excited for the new owners coming in and I hope they do something new.

"Formula 1 is a bit outdated. If you look at other sports, they are further ahead in the entertainment factor. Formula 1 is really catching up and they have a lot of catching up to do."

Liberty is yet to formally confirm its plans for F1, but a focus on stability in the regulations and an expansion of the sport in key markets such as the United States are expected to follow in the next few years.

Hamilton has long-pushed for greater fan engagement in F1, and recently held a competition inviting his supporters to design his helmet for the 2017 season.