Formula 1 - 2017

[OZCUBAN]

3 hours ago, MIKA27 said:

Female racers 'disheartened' by Jorda FIA Commission appointment

Leading female racing drivers have called the appointment of former Lotus Formula 1 development driver Carmen Jorda to the FIA's Women in Motorsport Commission "incredibly disheartening" and "a backwards step".

Jorda had recently attracted controversy with comments to the effect that women should compete in their own Formula 1-style championship because, in her opinion, they are unable to compete equally with men.

The appointment of Jorda - who in three seasons of GP3 Series competition never managed to qualify in the top 20 - comes amid reports that a London-based company is preparing to launch a six-race women-only championship, to begin in 2019.

IndyCar racer Pippa Mann, 2015 British GT4 champion Jamie Chadwick and GP3 racer Tatiana Calderon all expressed concern at the implications of the Jorda decision.

Mann drew attention to Christina Nielsen winning the IMSA SportsCar GTD title, Katherine Legge also taking IMSA GTD wins, Calderon scoring a World Series Formula V8 3.5 podium, and her own landmark 230mph lap of Indianapolis - the first for a female, in her only single-seater race of 2017.

"Against this backdrop of current and rising female racing talent, it is extremely disappointing to learn that a racer with no notable results in any of the categories in which she has competed, and who believes and is quoted as saying that she does not believe we as female racers can compete, has been appointed to the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission," Mann told Autosport.

"To me personally, the appointment of someone with these core beliefs, to a committee meant to further the cause of women in racing, is incredibly disheartening, and represents a true step backwards from the FIA."

Calderon (pictured below in GP3 this season) believes the Jorda news will "unite" other female racers who want equal opportunities.

"It was a bit of a surprise for everybody, especially because most of the females that are racing in big series at the moment disagree with her point of view," Calderon told Autosport.

"We definitely can compete at the highest level and there is absolutely no need for a female championship.

"What we need is what Dare to be Different [D2BD] has been doing and also the FIA Women in Motorsport with Michele Mouton, which is to promote female participation in all areas of motorsport, starting in karting, because we need more girls starting karting to be able to have more chances for one to go to the top.

"It's quite difficult, regardless of your gender, but when there are 90 boys and 10 girls the chances are very slim.

"I disagree with her view and what she wants to defend, but this [announcement] just unites the rest of the community of female drivers and engineers. We're going to fight to be the best of the best, not just of the females."

Mann also said that she is concerned Jorda's position on the commission, of which former World Rally Championship star Michele Mouton is president, could reflect the views of the FIA towards women.

"Most worrying of all, one wonders whether this appointment is in any way truly representative of the FIA's beliefs towards female athletes competing in motorsport in general," said Mann.

"I have the utmost respect for Michele Mouton, both in terms of her rally achievements and for her overall vision.

"I cannot begin to imagine the type of undue pressure and influence that must have been exerted upon Michele for her to allow this appointment to go ahead."

When contacted by Autosport, Mouton declined to comment directly on Jorda's appointment but said the FIA commission remained committed to "full participation" of women in motorsport.

"The goals and the values of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission have not changed since its creation in 2009 and we are strongly continuing to encourage, support and promote the full participation of women in all aspects of motorsport," said the 1982 WRC runner-up.

"The richness of the commission comes from its 30 members who bring their experience and share their points of view.

"From 2018, our strong European Young Women Programme will make a link with D2BD, so will be well promoted by Susie [Wolff] who is one of our commission ambassadors.

"We are also working towards an FIA Women Drivers' Academy, so we will have a good range of projects covering girls and women from eight to 20 years old, and the FIA shows that it is fully supporting women in motorsport."

Wolff: Women can compete on equal terms

Former Williams F1 test driver and Dare to be Different pioneer Susie Wolff emphasised motorsport as an activity in which women have equal chance.

"Motorsport, alongside equestrianism and sailing, is one of the three sports in which women and men compete together," Wolff told Autosport.

"In each, a large piece of equipment or animal is involved - it doesn't just come down to sheer strength or muscle mass.

"If you want to see more successful women in motorsport it's simply about increasing the talent pool - inspire more girls and women to enter the sport and offer support so that the best to rise to the top.

"Dare to be Different works closely together with the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission; Michele and I share the same goals and are committed to helping create change in the long term - in the right way."

Chadwick, who this year switched to single-seaters in BRDC British Formula 3, said she had "nothing against" Jorda but that "it would be a shame" if she promoted single-gender competition in her FIA role.

"I think it will just lower the standard, I know on my best day I can compete equally with men," Chadwick told Autosport.

"If the right woman came along with money and talent they could make it to Formula 1."

MIKA: Yeah...Carmen Jorda.... Seriously don't understand this one!

Sponsored by the Weinstein group ?

[MIKA27]

35 minutes ago, OZCUBAN said:

Sponsored by the Weinstein group ?

Well....well....well....look who's decided to grace us with his presence on the thread...

 

[MIKA27]

NORRIS UNLIKELY TO GET FP1 RUNS IN 2018

McLaren have concocted a busy programme for next season as they groom their rising star Lando Norris, but it is unlikely that the eighteen-year-old will be given FP1 sessions in 2018 as team chief Eric Boullier is not keen on such an arrangement.

Such is the high regard that McLaren have for the teenager that they have handed him reserve duties for the team in F1 next year, replacing veteran Jenson Button in the role. They have also secured a full Formula 2 campaign for Norris with Carlin in 2018.

Boullier said of their young driver’s schedule, “I hope that he will one day drive for McLaren – that’s why we took him on board. But first is Formula 2 – a good sporting challenge for him.”

With limited testing in Formula 1 these days, FP1 sessions have become the logical way for up-and-coming drivers to gain experience during grand prix weekends.

However, this would mean the team forcing either Fernando Alonso or Stoffel Vandoorne to sit out the first Friday practice session on select weekends. It is highly unlikely that Alonso will accept such a scenario, thus it would be Vandoorne who would sacrifice his car and valuable track time for Norris.

Needless to say, the youngster is keen and reportedly requested FP1 sessions be slotted into his busy schedule for next season.

But Boullier is against the idea, “[Lando] will spend a lot of time in the simulator and he will have the opportunity to test. He was also pushing to get some FP1 outings, but I am not a fan of this. But he will still have a busy life!”

[MIKA27]

WOLFF: OUR TARGET IS TO IDENTIFY THE NEXT LEWIS HAMILTON

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff laments the fact that Pascal Wehrlein is unlikely to be on the Formula 1 grid in 2018 despite having a solid year with backmarkers Sauber while revealing that the quest to find the next Lewis Hamilton is an ongoing but tough task.

Reigning F1 World Champion Hamilton is more often than not vague about his future, but it is expected that he will ink a record-breaking (financial) contract with Mercedes to keep in Formula 1 at least until 2021.

Meanwhile, the Silver Arrows are intent on finding a driver who can step up when required to fill the big shoes of the team’ superstar driver.

Wolf said of Mercedes protege Wehrlein, “Pascal is in a difficult position because there is not really an open spot for next year if Williams door closes.”

Reading between the lines there is a hint that Wehrlein still has a slight chance of bagging the final seat on the grid with Williams, who are a Mercedes customer team, although it appears that well funded Sergey Sirotkin is now the front-runner for the drive. 

But Wolff insists, “Pascal deserves to be in Formula 1, he is a very good driver. On track his performance was exceptional, and for many other reasons that go much beyond the driving the doors haven’t opened like we would have hoped. But I think he has the potential of being a successful Formula 1 driver.”

Mercedes have groomed several drivers through their junior programme with the goal of finding that special one to eventually take the step into a Silver Arrows cockpit.

Wolff makes no secret of the mission, “Our target is to identify the next Lewis Hamilton and that is not an easy task because he’s just on an incredible level.”

“The decision that we have taken is that we want very fast and experienced drivers in the car, being at Mercedes is not the place where you learn, you need to be pretty complete when you join us.”

“I mean so far I am happy with the programme, how it is going and who knows maybe in two or three years we will have the next junior driver in a Mercedes who has made his way up from Formula 4, Formula Renault like George [Russell] or Esteban [Ocon] did.”

“Esteban has a seat in Force India and is somebody that is a hot asset in F1 as many teams have expressed interest.”

“George is just at the beginning of his F1 journey, he has achieved our joint goal which is to win the GP3 championship.”

“Now let’s see how he goes in Formula 2 next year. His testing [with Force India] was very good but it is very early as he needs to earn the right to be in a Formula 1 car and this is when the serious business starts,” added Wolff.

[MIKA27]

ARRIVABENE: FOR MERCEDES WINNING IS A HABIT

Ferrari F1 chief Maurizio Arrivabene admires the manner in which Mercedes have turned winning grand prix races into a habit while admitting that he envies the way the German team is organised and points this out as the strength he wants for the Reds.

Speaking to Speedweek, Arrivabene said, “For Mercedes, winning is not an event it is a habit. That’s how it has to be for Ferrari in the future.”

Statistics show that Ferrari won five times in 2017, but Mercedes were better with 12 wins and as a result, dominated the F1 constructors’ championship.

Arrivabene was brutally honest looking back on a season that promised so much for the Italian team but in the end, they ran out of firepower after the mid-season break after which Mercedes raised the bar.

Nevertheless, by the end of the season, Ferrari found some handy pace and with it won the penultimate race in Brazil.

“We can look forward to the uptrend,” said Arrivabene. “But the fact remains that we were not good enough to win the world championship and we missed both titles. So we have to work harder. We know what we need to do in the future.”

His admiration for Mercedes is obvious, “If you do not respect a team that has won four consecutive world titles, who will? For me, their greatest strength lies in the organisation of the team.”

“Maybe it’s the habit of winning that makes the difference. Sometimes you get a pole position and that becomes a big deal, but pole positions should become a habit. To be in front, in the final practice as well as in the race, that should be the natural result of our work.”

“I see the past season like a glass of water. By the middle of the season, the glass was half full of success. Unfortunately, at the end of the season, we used the remaining water to dissolve the headache tablets!”

“We worked well. We never gave up. These are positive aspects for me, but circumstances did not favour our team. Mercedes deserved to win,” added Arrivabene.

[MIKA27]

BOULLIER: I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT THE DANGER OF HONEYMOONS!

Eric Boullier will experience his second ‘honeymoon’ in less than four years as McLaren enter an engine partnership with Renault in an effort to catapult the team up the grid after a period of desperation and underwhelming results in Formula 1.

Christian Horner the F1 chief of Red Bull, a Renault customer team, has predicted a honeymoon period between McLaren and Renault before the reality of the partnership checks in.

In an interview with the official F1 website, Boullier said of the suggestion, “I had one with Honda and I’ve learned from it. I have learned about the danger of honeymoons! But yes, at the start of any relationship you would be foolish to bounce the table before knowing your partner.

“We are now in a ‘get to know each other better’ phase. We are building relationships. And I will make sure that the honeymoon lasts longer than the last one!”

McLaren had few options to choose from when it came to a power unit supplier, with Renault emerging as their option in the wake of complicated negotiations which resulted in Toro Rosso taking on Honda power.

The deal was confirmed in mid-September, which was a bit late as teams at this point were already working on their 2018 programmes.

In the light of this Boullier was asked if his team will be late in delivering the Renault powered MCL33 ahead of testing which begins on 6 March in Spain.

The Frenchman replied, “It is too early to say that now. You push the boundaries to the limit all the time and if you have that constant development in performance – in the wind tunnel, in CFD, whatever – you want to push the limit to the last minute before you start the manufacturing process.”

“You simply want to wait as long as possible to make sure that you’ve derived each and every bit of information and data when you start manufacturing. And I can say: so far so good!”

Honda and McLaren insist that although the partnership failed, the split was cordial and without animosity.

Boullier echoed the sentiment, “First of all, I wish them well. I want them to be successful – as long as they stay behind us! (Laughs) We have tried hard the last three years, but the maturity and the timing was wrong for us. That’s a fact.”

“They will go on developing – and they can be successful in the future, of course. With a different timing. Formula 1 is changing so fast. Sometimes the speed of change in Formula 1 doesn’t fit corporate speed!”

As for the split, Boullier explained, “Any big decisions are always difficult to take. The concept of McLaren winning with Honda was a dream for everybody, yes – it was a beautiful story.”

“Today we have huge respect for them and we definitely don’t divorce with fights and screams and finger-pointing. We are all very professional – and in the end, it was a business decision, which they understand. There is a sadness that it didn’t work out like we wanted.”

“McLaren-Honda in terms of brands was a good fit – in terms of results it didn’t work. That’s what it is in the end. Now we have to see that we get back to competitiveness – back to the top!” added Boullier.

[MIKA27]

Use of 'grid girls' in Formula 1 is under review - Ross Brawn

The use of 'grid girls' in Formula 1 is to be reviewed according to managing director of motorsports, Ross Brawn.

The use of female models, dubbed 'grid girls', as a promotional tool has been a part of F1 and many other motorsport series for decades. Each grid position is assigned a grid girl who holds a sign with the driver's name and number and they often wear a tight fitting outfit adorned with sponsor logos.

Brawn admits some may view this as outdated in today's society, whilst others see it as a tradition, but admitted their use would be reviewed as part of plans to modernise the sport.

"We're trying to respect all parties," Brawn told BBC Radio 5 live. "There's a lot of people that respect the tradition of the grid girls and there's people who feel that it has become a bit dated, so we're addressing that."

The sport has moved to shake things up a little, with the use of 'grid boys' at a few races, whilst children have also been used, similar to big football matches where the players are walked out by young fans.

F1 boss Chase Carey admitted it's one of the lower priority decisions, but added that it was important to ensure the right decision is made.

"On the list of things I have been dealing with, grid girls wasn't really up there on top, with all respect," added Carey.

"I don't think it will be a personal decision for me. I may have a point of view but, when you have a sport, you are dealing with teams and a large eco-system and a large fanbase that is very passionate. There is never going to be a consensus, but a set of views."

[MIKA27]

Daniel Ricciardo says emphasis on car over driver needs to change

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo thinks it’s time that Formula 1 levels the playing field as he thinks that the current F1 machinery is far too focused on the car, rather than an even combination of the two.

Surprisingly he felt that Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton may not have won as many championships as he might have, had he been driving another car.

"Lewis [Hamilton] has won three of the last four championships, but if he was in a midfield team, he wouldn't have three of the last four championships," Ricciardo said.

"The car is a big part of it, but you need to be a good driver to get the equipment to the top. You need both. It's still a bit more dominant with the car than the driver – I'd say maybe 75 per cent to 25 per cent.”

Clearly miffed about the long term dominance that the Brackley squad has enjoyed over the rest of the field since the introduction of the new 1.6 litre V6 turbo engine regulations four years ago, Ricciardo feels more should be done to show the drivers’ talents as well as those of the engineers building the cars.

"If we make it a bit more equal by bringing the driver in a bit more and taking the equipment out, then that would be better. A 50/50 would be something more realistic in the near future, and hopefully that's the case.”

He also feels that with the current machinery, the dichotomy between the front of the grid and the back, does little to show how closely matched the current driver roster actually is.

"Even from Lewis to the guy that's coming last, maybe the lap time says three seconds, but [between] the driver's it's maximum a second. We are all a lot closer than that, and it would be great if we could all stay within one second with the equipment because then the racing would be pretty fun.”

But notwithstanding his obvious advantage in driving for the current dominant F1 team, the Aussie was still keen heap the praise on Hamilton despite his string of championships over the past four years.

"Lewis, even if with the best material, he still had pressure and expectation, and he's had that since he started F1 ten years ago," Ricciardo said. "I think he's always been on a very high level, and he's also got a lot of other distractions in his life, and can still perform when it counts. I respect him and take my hat off to him – as a driver, he is very competitive."

[MIKA27]

Newey: Halo is a ‘clumsy and ugly’ solution

Red Bull's chief technical officer Adrian Newey is still caught in two minds over the implementation of the Halo, praising the safety element but critical of the design.

The Halo will be fitted to all cars from the 2018 season onwards, much to the annoyance of many drivers, teams and fans alike.

The aesthetics of the Halo is the main gripe, but teams have been up against time trying to develop the cockpit safety device as part of their design plans for their 2018 challengers.

And while Newey believes driver safety does need to be improved, he is not convinced that the Halo is the way to do it.

"I have to admit I do have mixed feelings on the Halo," Newey told Sky Sports F1.

"On the one hand, I do feel that anything you can do to make a car safer is a good thing.

"When somebody gets' really seriously injured or dies that it is horrific. I attended Justin Wilson's funeral three years ago, and to see the grief on the family's faces was terrible.

"So if it helps to make the car safer, that has to be applauded.

"The engineer in me says that it just seems to be such a clumsy and ugly solution, it just feels as if we ought to be able to do something better than that."

Newey feels more time and development should have gone into the whole process in order to come up with a decent solution that can be implemented all levels.

"I think there needs to be more research," he added.

"Probably a canopy would be visually more attractive, but then it's closed-cockpit racing.

"What is important is whatever Formula 1 does has to be affordable for the lower formulae, because the bottom line is why should a Formula Ford driver's life be valued less than an F1 drivers' life?

"We have to find a solution that can be carried across, but there's no escaping it's ugly. The aesthetic artist in me finds that offensive."

[MIKA27]

Michelin not keen on Formula 1 return

Michelin's motor racing Pascal Couasnon has said the tyre manufacturer do not currently have any plans to return to Formula 1 in 2021.

Michelin provide tyres for the likes of Le Mans, Formula E and MotoGP, but have not been involved in Formula 1 since the 2006 season.

The blueprint for the future in Formula 1 has been designed to try attract new suppliers and teams to the sport, akthough Couasnon has yet to see anything to suggest the new rules will look beyond the engine-making process.

"It is not an option as long as there is no change in the regulations," Couasnon told AS newspaper.

"For us, it does not make sense to manufacture 13 inch tyres when these are not seen on street cars.

"It would be different with 18 inch wheels, but it seems to me that the 2021 changes are focused on the engine and the budget.

"The most important thing for us is the technological challenge and to have something to learn from. Otherwise we will not invest."

[MIKA27]

Renderings of new pit building for Montreal F1 track revealed

The Société du parc Jean‑Drapeau of Montréal has released the first renders of what will be the new paddock building of the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, home of the Canadian Grand Prix.
As part of the renewal of the agreement to stage Canada's Formula 1 race from 2015 to 2029, the Société du parc Jean‑Drapeau (SPJD) made the commitment to renovate and expand the infrastructures.

The new building will meet the standards required by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Formula One World Championship (FOWC), while increasing the capacity of the hospitality boxes above the garages to 5,000 people – up from the current capacity of 1,800.

The building will be equipped, among other things, with a freight elevator, which can be used to bring cars or heavy furniture to each of the levels of the building. It will also have a glassed-in elevator for the clientele.

The new paddocks will be set up on three storeys, divided in the following manner:

  

1st story: F1 team garages, control tower and offices for the staff
2nd story: Hospitality boxes, control tower, podium and media areas
3rd story: Hospitality boxes and terrace

The project will require an investment of $48 million, $30 million of which will come from the City of Montreal and $18 million from the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Occupation du territoire (MAMOT).

Here are the main deadlines to be met:

December 14, 2017: Start of the call for tender process
March 2018: Awarding the contract
June 2018: Canadian F1 Grand Prix
July 2018: Start of the construction work
April 2019: End of the construction work
June 2019: Canadian F1 Grand Prix

[MIKA27]

Williams "denied" Massa victory at Baku - Lowe

Felipe Massa would have won Formula 1's Azerbaijan Grand Prix if a failure on the damper system had not locked the rear suspension solid, according to Paddy Lowe.
Massa was running third, having started ninth, when the race was red-flagged.

When it resumed, Massa suffered the issue and was passed by eventual race winner Daniel Ricciardo before rapidly falling down the order and retiring.

Several drivers claimed they could have won the race without issues but, following analysis, Williams chief technical officer Lowe believes Massa would have done it.

It would have been his 12th victory and first since the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, where he lost the championship to Lewis Hamilton.

"After Baku, which was a pretty eventful race, there were a lot of people that came up to me afterwards and said we could've won that race if only," Lowe told Motorsport.com.

"I analysed it and I don't actually agree with most, but I definitely agreed with the Felipe scenario. If only we hadn't let him down with a car failure, he absolutely would've won that race.

"It's such a shame that in his final year, we denied him that victory. Everybody's gutted about that, but that's the story of motorsport sometimes."

Lowe said Massa was a "fantastic" driver to work and has been a "tremendous support" to Stroll.

"I've obviously seen him from a distance for many many years and admired his driving, particularly in 2008 when he was a great competitor to Lewis [Hamilton].

"I was with McLaren at that time, and as we know he was briefly world champion, so he is a world champion class driver and it's been great to work with him for this year, and get to know him as a person as well.

"He's a fantastic guy. There's nobody in the paddock that isn't a friend of Felipe and he's great fun to work with because he's always happy and that's not actually the case with all drivers.

"He's a really solid driver and dependable - that's absolutely what we needed in particular with a rookie in the other side of the garage.

"He's been a tremendous support to Lance, and giving him a lot of guidance along the way, which is to really be admired and respected. That's the kind of driver he is."

[MIKA27]

Renault F1 team 'must avoid' final round showdowns in future

Renault must avoid putting itself in situations where so much is at stake in the final race of the season in future, claims its Formula 1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul.

The French manufacturer moved ahead of Toro Rosso to claim sixth in the constructors' championship in the Abu Dhabi season finale, earning it a $6.5million bonus.

Abiteboul says the stress of such a last-gasp performance needed to be steered clear of in the future.

"The message is that we must avoid putting ourselves in such a position again," Abiteboul told Autosport.

"It can be a very stylish way to finish the season, but we need to have a programme that is allowing us to secure what needs to be secured before that."

Abiteboul said Renault had been quite "extreme" in its settings during the final weekend of the campaign to make sure that its points target was not wrecked by reliability problems.

"For the last 20 or 25 laps, it was all about tyres, fuel management energy and preserving engine," he said.

"When you do that, you start to enter into an operating envelope that is not very usual.

"We have been very extreme [in Abu Dhabi], in the way we were preserving the engine and all of that, thanks to the huge team effort of Viry and Enstone."

Abiteboul said the tight nature of the championship battle meant Renault could not afford to be overly cautious in how it handled Nico Hulkenberg's controversial off-track pass of Force India's Sergio Perez on the opening lap of the Yas Marina race.

With Hulkenberg only getting a five-second penalty for the incident, which he could serve at his pitstop, he was able to take the punishment without losing a position, which upset Force India.

Abiteboul said: "There are regulations. There are stewards. They made a decision.

"There was a penalty. We served the penalty. Full stop.

"What else can I do? I am not going to make it worse for our team, given how tight it was. So no further comment on that."

[MIKA27]

HONDA AND TORO ROSSO RING THE CHANGES AHEAD OF NEW F1 PARTNERSHIP

Ahead of their new partnership for 2018, Honda and Toro Rosso have both made changes to their team structures as they seek to build a successful relationship in Formula 1.

Honda recently announced that Yusuke Hasegawa will no longer head up the company’s Formula 1 operations, conducting a management reshuffle, while Toro Rosso has needed to make changes to its 2018 car having originally begun the design process around a Renault engine package.

Honda has divided Hasegawa’s former Head of F1 Project position into two distinct roles, breaking the trackside operations away from the role in charge of development at Honda’s Sakura headquarters.

Toyoharu Tanabe is the incoming Honda F1 technical director, and will oversee the Japanese company’s operations at races and tests – working closely in conjunction with Toro Rosso’s management and engineering staff.

With plenty of prior experience in Formula 1, Tanabe had worked as a race engineer for Gerhard Berger during Honda’s first stint with McLaren, and later worked as an engineer with Jenson Button at BAR and Honda’s former works team, before most recently working in America with Honda Performance Development.

The development role in Sakura is to be taken by Yasuaki Asaki, a senior engineer at Honda also with prior F1 experience, before becoming the project lead for Honda’s N-One and N-Box ranges of “kei” cars.

After taking over from Yasuhisa Arai in 2016, Hasegawa will now return to Honda’s automotive operations as executive chief engineer, heading up the company’s research and development across its manufacturing concerns.

Hasegawa’s time overseeing the Honda F1 project was of limited success and, although McLaren showed steady improvement over the 2016 season after a fraught opening year of McLaren and Honda’s renewed partnership, 2017 was a period of struggle.

Electing to pursue a new engine concept having felt that the McLaren-enforced “size zero” power unit design had reached the end of its development potential, Honda struggled for reliability all year, forcing the two parties to cut ties.

Tanabe’s first job will be to ensure that Honda’s relationship with Toro Rosso begins strongly, knowing that Red Bull Racing will be assessing Honda’s progress with its junior team.

Using Toro Rosso as something of a sacrificial lamb presents a low-risk solution for Red Bull, and the Italian team receives works support for the first time after handing its customer Renault package over to McLaren.

With Honda’s variation in power unit architecture compared to Renault, Toro Rosso technical director James Key has conceded that accommodating a new power unit has provided something of a challenge to the team’s engineers.

Talking to Autosport, Key said: “They are completely different. It’s a very nicely packaged engine, but the whole power unit is a different architecture.

“It doesn’t drop into the same space. There’s quite a bit of car layout work that has to be done to adapt to it.”

“We’ve adapted the car under the skin as best we can, and that’s led to quite a different approach to the chassis design, to the way the gearbox works, and so on.

Toro Rosso driver Pierre Gasly was optimistic about Toro Rosso’s partnership with Honda, suggesting that the marque’s single-team approach will result in “no compromise”.

“Honda’s goal is to prove to everyone that they can make fast engines”, said Gasly.

“We are the only one to have their engines so we’re sure they’ll give everything they can to give us the best treatment and there will be no compromise.

“I think this is really positive and they’ll have an extra three or four months to improve before the beginning of the year.

“At the moment they are definitely improving. When you look at the McLarens, they are much better now than six months ago. If they manage to keep this momentum I think it will be a good move and surprise everyone in a nice way. Let’s hope it can happen.”

[MIKA27]

McLaren: No doubts over Renault parity

McLaren Racing Director Eric Boullier has emphasised that the team has no doubts that it will have engine parity with Renault’s factory team in Formula 1 next season.

McLaren, following two decades with Mercedes, reunited with Honda in 2015, but the partnership was dogged by a lack of reliability and performance, accentuated by the marque’s move to a revised concept in 2017.

McLaren’s patience ran out and the company opted to split with Honda, instead signing a three-year deal to be supplied by Renault, in a straight swap with Toro Rosso.

Renault will consequently supply its own team, which finished sixth in the 2017 standings, Red Bull and McLaren, but Boullier insists he has no worries over one operation being favoured.

“I think it’s quite clear in our contract with them,” Boullier said when the notion of engine parity was raised.

“We have to do a better job than any Renault engine team.

“The parity is the same for everybody and it’s very clear in our contract with Renault.

“I don’t think Renault has any interest to have no parity in the parts.”

Boullier also underlined that McLaren was able to improve through 2017, despite finishing only ninth in the standings, amassing a mere 30 points in the process.

“You have the visible part of the iceberg which is the track performance, where actually we have improved in the year,” he said.

“Behind the scenes it has been a good year in terms of car development, in terms of strengthening the organisation, let’s call it the new McLaren – even though it’s three years old – the organisation is getting stronger.

“We have started as well to put some focus on some areas a bit left aside in the past as the performance was the priority, like pit stops for example.

“We spent time this year to improve equipment, change the training method, so that starts to pay off.

“So we are finishing fine-tuning the organisation and to see the car performing at some tracks [shows] the chassis is competitive, is the best for the team.”

[MIKA27]

Sergio Perez: Pressure will be on Esteban Ocon in 2018

Sergio Pérez says the focus and pressure will be on Force India team-mate Esteban Ocon in 2018, the Frenchman’s second full season in the sport, in the wake of his impressive 2017 campaign.

Mercedes-backed Ocon graduated to Formula 1 with Manor mid-2016, following previous tests with Renault/Lotus, and captured a move to Force India for 2017, amid Nico Hülkenberg’s departure.

Ocon emerged as a close match for Pérez through 2017, with the pair scoring the same amount of points from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards, despite a spate of mid-season clashes and tension.

“I certainly rate Esteban, I think he has a lot of talent, a lot of experience, he came to Formula 1 very well prepared,” said Pérez.

“Since the first test he did with the team [in 2015] he was already quite mature, with a lot of knowledge behind him, he was straight away on the pace.

“He definitely did a really good job, there’s no secret that he’s a very good driver, and one of the drivers for the future, so I think it was a good challenge during the year.

“I think the pressure will be on him now as it’s a second year for him, everyone will expect big things from him, it will be again very close I think.”

When Pérez’s comments were put to Ocon, the 21-year-old played down such suggestions.

“I feel alright, if everyone is watching me for that it means people are expecting me to do well next year so that’s always positive,” Ocon said.

“But no, I don’t have more pressure, I will work the same way with the team, I’m very dedicated to it, will train the same way, not going to change much except that I’m for sure a different driver now than I was at the beginning of the year.

“I’ve been learning so much more, that will help me at the beginning of the year, also I know the tracks, I know Australia, China, Monaco, that will help me as well.”

[MIKA27]

Video: On the sofa with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen

Max and Daniel get comfy on the sofa to review the season that was, 2017.

[MIKA27]

Helmut Marko has 'no idea' what happened to Daniil Kvyat's speed

Red Bull's Helmut Marko says he has "no idea" what happened to Daniil Kvyat and why the Russian driver lost his natural speed, resulting in him being dropped by the Red Bull brand altogether.

Kvyat was promoted from Toro Rosso to Red Bull in 2015 where he outscored Daniel Ricciardo in his debut season with the team, but the following year he was demoted back to the junior outfit as a result of several first-lap incidents, with Max Verstappen taking up his Red Bull seat.

Kvyat continued to struggle and ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix he was dropped from Toro Rosso, only making a one-off return in Austin to stand-in for Pierre Gasly, who had other commitments. Following that race, Kvyat was dumped by the Red Bull driver programme.

Marko believes the problems experienced by Kvyat were psychological but has no explanation as to why it happened or why they couldn't be overcome.

"Unfortunately he just showed it [natural speed] in his first year with Toro Rosso and in his first year with Red Bull Racing. After that his performance drastically went down.

"In short, something happened to him mentally. He lost his speed. We don't know [why]," explained the Austrian. "We tried many things, but his speed just wouldn't come back. Unfortunately we have no idea what happened.

"There were also too many accidents at the start of a race, and he didn't react too well to it either. He retreated into his shell and didn't want anybody to tell him what to do."

Kvyat's former boss Franz Tost believes a short break from racing will serve him well and rejuvinate the 23-year-old, allowing him to make a comeback.

"I hope for him that he gets another chance, as I think he deserves to be in F1. Maybe a short break – to get organised again – and probably we will see Daniil back at his usual performance level with another team."

[MIKA27]

ALLISON: HAMILTON’S HUNGER TO WIN IS ASTONISHING

During his career with the Formula 1’s top teams, James Allison has worked with some of the sport’s finest drivers, now as part of the Mercedes juggernaut he has entered the world of Lewis Hamilton and the highly rated engineer is clearly impressed by the way the four times World Champion goes about his business.

In a recent interview, Allison revealed, “He’s got far more in common with the other great champions than things that are different. His hunger to win, even after being on the right end of nearly all the records in the sport, is just astonishing.”

“The most remarkable thing about him is just his raw, raw speed. You don’t get all those pole positions without being a pretty special controller of the car. I think I’m very lucky to work with a whole bunch of very good people, but his ability on a Saturday is second to none. And he rarely drops the ball on race day having put it on pole on Saturday.”

Allison, who has worked with the likes of Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, joined Mercedes in February this year.

Earlier this year admitted that he did know what to expect of Hamilton, but soon after was massively impressed by the driver as a man.

Since then Allison’s admiration has grown, “His disappointment in himself when he makes very rare, normally quite small, errors is also very admirable. I’ve worked with drivers who tend to lash out when they screw up; Lewis doesn’t do that. That’s a pleasurable aspect of working with him.”

“When we screw up, and we have done on a number of occasions this year – most notably the headrest incident in Baku – he’s been completely and utterly calm and reasonable about it, even though the points swing created by an event like that is big.”

“Similarly, when we were forced to ask him to take a gearbox penalty in Austria, same deal – it just didn’t faze his approach to the weekend. Those are nice things when a driver’s like that.”

“Earlier in the year, I’d spoken about the fact that he was impressive as a man. I imagine there’ll be people hearing that who see the Instagram Lewis and the fashion Lewis, who’d be thinking: Really? You’ve got to look at his career as a whole.”

“Every great champion we’ve seen in recent years, in some way or another they’ve done something really ugly on the track that we’d all love to excuse somehow or another because we like our heroes, but you just look at it and go: No, that’s just plain ugly. He’s not.”

“He just goes out and races with his huge gifts, and when actually he’s called to do something that is the right thing to do, he steps up and does it – even when it is very, very difficult to do it and the whole world is watching. That’s the sort of thing I mean when I say he’s impressive as a man,” added Allison.

[MIKA27]

MARCHIONNE: I EXPECT MUCH MORE FROM THIS TEAM IN 2018

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has lashed out at both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen while demanding that the Reds raise their game in 2018 as he described the latter half of their 2017 season as embarrassing and unpleasant.

Speaking on the occasion of Ferrari’s Gestione Sportiva Christmas lunch with members of the media, at Maranello, Marchionne was clearly not in a festive mood as he lambasted both drivers, took a swipe at the management and issued a warning to his team ahead of 2018.

Taking stock of the season past, the team president started by saying, “Considering where we started in 2016, we have made great strides, but the second part of the season has been embarrassing and unpleasant, the Asian races were an ordeal. Excluding those, Vettel would have won the title.”

“Finishing second is not a nice result. I expect much more from this racing team in 2018,” declared Marchionne.

First of the drivers in the firing line was Vettel and his temperament, “In certain situations, Vettel seems to me like a southerner [quick tempered and emotional] it is a question of his character. But he’s also a boy who thinks a lot, studies himself and I think he has learned something.”

“In 2018 we will no longer see the southerner in him. If we give him a competitive car the responsibility will lie on his shoulders to deliver. You don’t win four championships if you are not a champion.”

The Ferrari big boss added, “Raikkonen? Sometimes it is a pleasure to watch him at work but on other occasions, I do not recognise him, it seems as if he is switched off.”

“We have to find the right ‘screw’ so we can turn him on so he can be his complete best and can deliver performances like the pole at Monaco. It would be a shame if his career ended in the coming year without him showing anything.”

“He is a great driver, the talent is still there but if he does not show that it is then there will be a younger driver who will replace him. There are great talents out there like [Charles] Leclerc, [Max] Verstappen and [Antonio] Giovinazzi.”

Marchionne also revealed his frustration with Mercedes’ second-half of the season renaissance, “Until the middle of the season, they were almost naive, then, after the summer break, they became as infallible as in the past. It was a nuisance, but we can settle accounts in 2018.”

The team’s senior management was not spared, “I totally believed that these guys, with Maurizio Arrivabene as team principal and Mattia Binotto heading up the technical side, would be capable of doing something amazing. We really believed we could do much more, but in 2017 we were unable to reach our objectives.”

On another note, Marchionne had for some time talked of his desire to see Alfa Romeo back in Formula 1. True to his word in late November this became reality as a title sponsorship deal with Sauber was announced.

At the Xmas dinner he suggested that the partnership could evolve even further, “At the moment we are starting out with Alfa Romeo, but it is possible that we will also provide technical assistance in the future. The company is competent enough.”

He also confirmed, “In my mind, I also think of Maserati’s involvement in Formula 1, but not just yet. The Fiat-Chrysler group will also be present in some form in Formula E in the future.”

As for his own future, Marchionne revealed, “My mandate in FCA ends with the 2018 plan. It’s been too many years, I am tired. But I will continue at Ferrari where I see great prospects for the future.”

It was also confirmed that the 2018 Ferrari F1 challenger will be revealed on 22 February 2018.

[MIKA27]

Ferrari warns F1 quit sceptics they are "playing with fire"

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has warned people who think he is "bluffing" about potentially pulling the Italian marque out of Formula 1 that they are "playing with fire".
Marchionne has made it clear that he is prepared to withdraw Ferrari from Formula 1 if the championship's future regulations are not set out in a direction he agrees with.

With Ferrari having occasionally made similar threats throughout the history of F1, that has led some people to believe that the Maranello team would never leave, but Marchionne says the recent threats remain serious.

"Some people say that our threat about the 2020/2021 regulations is a bluff, but they're playing with fire," Marchionne said at Ferrari's traditional pre-Christmas media dinner on Monday.

"The situation has changed since 2015. Starting from that moment, everyone knows that if we threaten to do something, we do it.

"One of the greatest advantages is that the current Concorde Agreement [between teams and F1] is very different from previous ones and ensures a greater contractual freedom, even during the agreement with Liberty Media.

"The previous contract made it impossible for the team to evaluate an alternative outside of the circus. Now we can analyse the possibility to create something similar to Formula 1 in terms of a show."

Marchionne believes creating an alternative series to F1 is a feasible option if the teams get together to make it happen.

"There is the possibility to create an alternative championship from 2020/2021," he said. "We can't ignore this possibility, but I prefer avoid it if we can.

"I would like to continue with Formula 1, but we have to find compromises that don't leave Ferrari without the possibility of showing its DNA in every race.

"If we can't find that, then Ferrari has to go away. If Ferrari can pull out other teams, we have to see it from an economical point of view, but I think that we are able to do it."

Marchionne said he remains "bothered" by F1's new owners trying to simplify the technical side of the cars for the future.

"The main thing that bothers me is that inside Liberty Media there is a person with great experience in F1, which is Ross Brawn, who is trying to give a direction that is not in the DNA of the sport," he added.

"We have been part of F1's history, so we understand bullshit and we understand F1. We have a race department that works only on F1, so we know F1 well.

"We have to try to balance [Liberty's] interests with ours, but I think that we can arrive to that in time to avoid Ferrari's exit from Formula 1."

 

[MIKA27]

Aston Martin feels the "disruptor" in F1 2021 talks

Aston Martin believes it is in the position of "disruptor" in the debate over Formula 1's future engine regulations for the 2021 season.
The British manufacturer was "encouraged" by the direction of the 2021 engine plans that were unveiled by F1 in October.

However, there has been a backlash from F1's established manufacturers, with Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari all raising doubts about the intended new direction.

While Aston Martin can understand that approach, it has also made clear that it would go about an F1 programme differently to the current marques involved.

"We are acutely conscious that the current incumbents will try to bring the sport towards whatever they have right now," Aston Martin president and CEO Andy Palmer told Motorsport.com.

"I would if I was in their shoes too. We stick out there as the disruptor, which I like. If we do an engine, we won't do it by ourselves. We'll start now to look for partners.

"That's a partnership from a technical point of view and from a manufacturing point of view. We are starting that study now in parallel to the machination of the regulations."

Key to Aston committing to F1 is a promise from F1 that the costs of producing and subsequently developing the engine are brought down - and Palmer feels there is still some way to go.

"We put a letter together which we submitted to the FIA and Liberty saying 'this is what we think' from a potential independent manufacturer's point of view," he said.

"The main point of our position was to try and standardise the bottom end so an independent manufacturer can buy from other people.

"There's no competition around that bottom end. Let's get rid of the heat recovery on the turbocharger. That's got hundreds of people working on something that is not so relevant.

"On the other side of our submission was to limit the development cost, which is mainly around limiting dyno hours in the same way we do on the chassis [development].

"That hasn't been addressed yet. What has come out is a good reflection on what we asked for so that's encouraging.

"It means we're still interested in pursuing it. We're not a huge company. We have to spend our money carefully, which means that limitation of dyno areas is going to be a key next step.

"We've got a year as I understand it to mature the regulations."

While Palmer has stabilised Aston's financial position in recent years, searching for additional investment is on his agenda.

"We're not the company we were three years ago so we're not cash-strapped but it's not limitless," he said.

"I see a way of funding it if it falls into the criteria that we have set down as being acceptable. I still have to take my board through it.

"We understand what we're getting into. I'm a powertrain engineer originally and we have two highly professional F1 engineers, we have Red Bull behind us."

[MIKA27]

Mercedes "close" to breaking 1000bhp barrier with F1 engine

Mercedes is close to to producing a Formula 1 engine that can deliver a power output of 1000bhp, according to its engine boss Andy Cowell.
Mercedes has dominated the V6 turbo hybrid era, clinching four successive double world championships.

Power unit development has been such that last year, Cowell said Mercedes had exceeded 900bhp and now says it is on course to break the 1000bhp barrier.

"We're close," Cowell told Motorsport.com. "I'm sure that'll happen at some point."

This year, its engine hit a landmark achievement on the dyno when it broke the 50 percent thermal efficiency barrier for the first time.

The manufacturer's progress is thought to have made its M08 EQ Power+ the most efficient racing engine ever.

Thermal efficiency, which is calculated on the amount of useful energy that can be produced from a given amount of heat input, has become a key focus for modern engine builders.

In F1, it is particularly important because of the strict fuel-flow limit rate of 100kg/hour.

When asked how long it will take until 50 percent thermal efficiency is transferred from the dyno to the track, Cowell said: "It's an answer for the early part of the next year.

"We need to see how the power unit development goes through the winter and our prove-out goes through the winter, and it's a balance with the car as well. There are engines running on the dyno - that's one thing.

"When you go to total car lap time, that's the bit where there's work being done to improve the technology on the car to enhance both aerodynamic and power unit performance.

"Let's see how it all works out."

Mercedes' first turbo-hybrid engine, introduced in 2014, had an efficiency rate of 44 percent.

[MIKA27]

MARKO: A VISIT TO HONDA CONVINCED VERSTAPPEN TO SIGN

One of the big news items of the year gone was Max Verstappen committing to Red Bull until the end of 2020, an unexpected development as he is a very hot property in Formula 1 and a Mercedes or Ferrari deal might have been an alternative but a visit to Honda convinced the young Dutchman to stick it out with the energy drinks outfit.

In an interview with Speedweek, Red Bull’s Helmut Marko revealed, “We simply explained to [Max] what our plans for the future are. We have guaranteed him that we will have the top people all under contract.

“And that we have an alternative option with regards to our engine. We flew to Honda’s HQ in Sakura where they have an incredible factory and all this convinced him.”

This all but confirms that Red Bull are hedging their bets by securing Honda power for Toro Rosso, their junior team while biding time by sticking to Renault power for their senior team.

No doubt the hope is that Honda will get their power unit to a competitive level, which would then allow Red Bull to ditch their customer Renault deal to become a works outfit when and if the Japanese manufacturer can deliver the required horsepower and reliability to challenge Mercedes and Ferrari.

Time will tell if this happens, either way, Red Bull have been smart in creating an interesting option out of what was previously a no-win situation. After all, neither Mercedes or Ferrari are interested in supplying engines to the team.

Whatever Verstappen saw was enough to convince him to ink a deal is said to be worth around $20-million per year over the course of the next three years, this could become a lot more if performance-related bonuses kick in.

Marko explained, “Max also took advantage of the situation and negotiated a salary increase. Even if he is far from being in the league of Hamilton and Vettel in terms of salary. If he wins F1 world championships, then he can rise to those salary levels.”

“We negotiated a relatively low basic salary, but a strong bonus system, per point, per win, per world championship title, if he meets those then the cash register will start ringing,” added Marko.

[MIKA27]

MARKO: FOR THE FIRST TIME WE SAW MERCEDES ARE VULNERABLE

Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko is never short of an opinion or two and when summing up his team’s 2017 season he acknowledged their failings but at the same time pointed out that Mercedes were vulnerable for the first time since the dawning of the new turbo era back in 2014.

Although in the end, Mercedes dominated the season, there were times when they stumbled. Max Verstappen’s victory in Mexico, for instance, was dominant in a style that the Silver Arrows have become accustomed to.

In an interview with Speedweek, Marko reflected, “We have had a similar run to what Mercedes enjoys now, four titles in a row. Then came the new engine regulations, for which Mercedes have done an incredible job.”

“They were in a class of their own during the first turbo year in 2014 and remain superior thanks to their engine performance. In 2017, for the first time in this new turbo era, we saw they are vulnerable.”

Much was expected from Red Bull at the start of the season, but wind-tunnel calibration issues impacted negatively on the team’s RB13 and it took several races before the clever guys at energy drinks outfit got on top of the problems.

Marko acknowledged, “We were weak in the season past, our car was not actually ready for Barcelona testing. We have recovered well from the data problems and in the last six races of the season Max Verstappen scored the most points of all the drivers.”

“Unfortunately, from Bahrain to Singapore he also had a phase with seven failures in twelve races. The lack of power unit reliability was our biggest weakness. Max made two unnecessary mistakes, at Monza and in Budapest.”

The season was one of two halves with Ferrari having the edge throughout the first half  but, although their car was still good for the sharp end of proceedings in the second half, they imploded and Mercedes seized the advantage from Monza onward, with Lewis Hamilton raising his game to great heights to claim the title with three races remaining.

Marko recalled, “Ferrari certainly had the best car over the whole season, but they made too many mistakes, both tactically and technically. Previously, when Sebastian Vettel drove for Red Bull, his greatest strength was his form after the summer break.”

“He used to return with an uncanny mental strength and what inevitably followed was a winning streak. But this year, already with the start collision in Singapore I thought: That will not happen this year,” he added.