Formula 1 - 2017

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Podcast: How will F1 bring back noisy engines?

The recent decision for Formula 1 to adopt low-cost, high-noise engines in 2021 sets the stage for a debate about the need for volume in the latest Autosport Podcast.

Autosport Editor-in-Chief Edd Straw is joined by Anthony Rowlinson and Damien Smith to delve into exactly what form these new engines will take.

The crucial questions of how exactly you balance the need to keep costs down with maintaining road relevance for the engine manufacturers is a particular stumbling block in a conversation that will reveal just how difficult the task of writing the new power unit regulations will be.

There's also a look ahead to the Chinese Grand Prix and the crucial question of whether or not Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel will still have the advantage in race conditions.

And with the news from Sauber that Antonio Giovinazzi will continue to sub for Pascal Wehrlein, we also argue about the German's decision to sit out the Australian GP and at least one more race.

Subscribe now to The Autosport Podcast via iTunes and all other popular podcast suppliers.

 

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CAN FERRARI DELIVER A SHANGHAI SURPRISE?

Lewis Hamilton has raised his game but whether the Mercedes driver can deny Ferrari a second successive win of the season at the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend remains to be seen.

On paper, the triple Formula 1 world champion is still the man to beat – the most successful driver by far in Shanghai with four wins to date.

“He has become a pillar of this team and he proved that in Melbourne,” said team boss Toto Wolff after the Briton started on pole and finished second to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in the Australian season-opener.

But Vettel is leading the championship, the first time a non-Mercedes driver has done that since he took his fourth title with Red Bull in 2013, and once-dominant Mercedes have a fight on their hands.

Mercedes, who have taken both the drivers and constructors’ titles for the last three years, have won four of the last five races in China.

As Melbourne showed, however, past form may count for little in a season of sweeping rule change.

“If you think you are going to cruise to victory in the future, based on a track record of success, you’ll be proven wrong very quickly,” said Wolff. “Australia was a weekend full of lessons, now we go to China ready and excited for another battle.”

Ferrari have not started a season with consecutive wins since 2004 at the peak of the Michael Schumacher era, the Italian team taking 15 victories from 18 races that season.

Vettel’s win in Australia ended a victory drought for Ferrari stretching back to September 2015, and drew rare praise from company chairman Sergio Marchionne, but they must now prove they can be genuine contenders.

“You really have to go step by step,” said Vettel. “It’s good to know that we have a great car but it’s just the beginning: new regulations, new generations of cars so there will be a lot of progress.”

The cars this year are longer and wider, sporting fatter tyres and more swept-back bodywork as part of a rules shake-up aimed at making them faster, more spectacular to watch and harder to drive.

But overtaking has also become more difficult, with Australia raising concern about the lack of real moves.

The long straights and wide sweeps of the Shanghai circuit saw 128 passes last year, more than at any other track, and should provide a more definitive verdict.

Once-great McLaren can expect to be on the receiving end, with engine partners Honda under intense pressure after a slow start to the season.

“The characteristics of the Shanghai International Circuit are very different from Melbourne, and its long, fast straights will likely expose the weaknesses in our package more than Albert Park did,” said McLaren Racing Director Eric Boullier.

Italian rookie Antonio Giovinazzi makes his second start for Sauber as a replacement for Pascal Wehrlein, with the Swiss team concerned the German still needs time to get race fit.

Chinese Grand Prix Facts & Statistics by Reuters:

• Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit, Round of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship
• Lap distance: 5.451km. Total distance: 307.574km (58 laps)
• Race lap record: One minute 32.238 seconds. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari, 2004.
• 2016 pole: Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 1:35.402
• 2016 winner: Nico Rosberg
• Start time: 06:00 GMT/14:00 local.

Victories

• Sebastian Vettel’s victory for Ferrari in the Australian season-opener was the Italian team’s first since 2015.
• Champions Mercedes have won 51 of 60 races since the introduction of the 1.6 litre V6 turbo hybrid power units in 2014.
• Red Bull, with Australian Daniel Ricciardo and Dutch teenager Max Verstappen, were the only non-Mercedes winners last season.
• Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton has 53 career victories, putting him second in the all-time list behind Michael Schumacher (91). Vettel has 43, McLaren’s Fernando Alonso is on 32 and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen 20.
• Ferrari have won 225 races, McLaren 182, Williams 114, Mercedes 64 and Red Bull 52. McLaren and Williams have not won a race since 2012.

Ferrari

• Ferrari last won the opening race of the season in 2010, in Bahrain with Fernando Alonso, and last led the championship in 2012.
• The Italian team last won the first two races of a championship in 2004, with Michael Schumacher.

Pole Position

• Hamilton now has 62 career poles after taking the top slot in Australia. He is three short of the late Ayrton Senna’s career total and six behind Schumacher’s record 68.
• Mercedes have been on pole in 57 of the last 60 races.

Podium

• Hamilton’s second place in Melbourne was his 105th podium finish. One more and the Briton joins Alain Prost in second place on the all-time list. Schumacher has a record 155.
• The race made its debut on the calendar in 2004 and eight of the 13 Chinese Grands Prix have been won from pole.
• Hamilton is the most successful there with four wins (2008, 2011, 2014, 2015), and is the only driver to win two years in a row, while Alonso has two (2005, 2013). Vettel and team mate Kimi Raikkonen have both won once.
• Ferrari and Mercedes have won four times, McLaren three. Alonso is the only driver on the grid to have finished every race in China.
• The circuit saw Red Bull’s first F1 win in 2009.
• Last year’s race saw more overtaking than any other, according to Pirelli statistics, with 128 moves. Hamilton alone made 18 of them after starting at the back of the field.
• There were no retirements in last year’s race.

Milestone

• Mercedes are making their 150th start as a constructor. They can also take their 75th pole position.
• Vettel is the first non-Mercedes driver to lead the championship in the V6 turbo hybrid era (since 2014).

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TALKING POINTS AHEAD OF THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX

China will host the Chinese Grand Prix for the 14th time this weekend at the Shanghai International Circuit, the 5.4 kilometer circuit with its high-speed straights is known for its change of acceleration and deceleration within different turns. This obviously makes it demanding on both cars and drivers.

Can Ferrari make it two in a row?

Ferrari and Mercedes are the firm favourites after the season opener in Melbourne that saw the Maranello team earn a richly deserved win after 18 months in the doldrums.
Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari won this race in 2013 and would see them level with Mercedes with four wins each at the Shanghai circuit.

With a gruelling 56 laps ahead of them on Sunday, Ferrari must be confident that they can add to their tally of four wins, one pole position and 10 podiums at the Shanghai International circuit, although the last time they secured their one and only pole position was in 2004.

Testing times for McLaren and Honda

One of the main talking points of the season is how badly McLaren are doing. Sadly for this once great team pre-season testing in Barcelona was a complete disaster with the Honda powered engine breaking down numerous times and denying the team valuable running time.

And then there was the race in Australia, which could have been worse – far worse. But at least the team got a better understanding of the car and engine under this years new regulations which should keep them in good stead.

But the Shanghai circuit with its’ long back straight will set aside the men from the boys in terms of speed and McLaren will easily be left out to dry compared with the sheer power of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.

Although in Melbourne the engine was reliable, it had no performance. One honestly wonders how close the partnership is to breaking point. The car was three seconds off the pace at the Melbourne opener.

“Long straights will likely expose the weaknesses in our package,” says McLaren boss Eric Boullier. “Shanghai is known to be an unpredictable weekend for a number of reasons: it’s tough on cars, tyres and power units and the weather is often precarious, but I can predict that we won’t be as fortuitous with our pace, compared to our rivals, as we were in Australia.

“However, we will of course attack the race with our usual fighting spirit, and the most important thing will be to ensure reliability with both cars before focusing on performance.”

And it’s not just engine problems for the team. Will Fernando Alonso stay or leave? This seems to be another talking point in the paddock with many pundits believing the Spaniard will grow tired very quickly of a car that can’t bring him the results his talent richly deserves.

Chance for Giovinazzi to shine again

With Pascal Wehrlein still struggling with fitness, it’s time for Antonio Giovinazzi to shine again.

The Ferrari reserve driver will continue to drive for Sauber this weekend after being drafted in as a late replacement for Wehrlein at the season-opening Australian GP. The young Italian instantly impressed on his F1 debut, qualifying 16th and finishing 12th.

Wehrlein, who suffered a back injury after rolling his car at January’s Race of Champions feels unable to complete a full race distance. A brave and honest move by the young German driver.

It just goes to show how the 2017 crop of drivers have to be in absolutely top physical condition for the new cars this year that are over 4 seconds a lap quicker than their predecessors.

Weather is expected to be warm in the build-up to Sunday’s race, with temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius – although there is a threat of rain during the middle of the race, which could produce a chaotic reincarnation of last years race.

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ECCLESTONE CONSIDERS BUYING INTERLAGOS

The mayor of Sao Paulo plans to sell the ageing Interlagos Formula One track to guarantee the future of the Brazilian Grand Prix and expects the sport’s former commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone to put in a bid.

Ecclestone, speaking separately to Reuters in London, confirmed talks but said he made no decision either way and suggested Formula One’s new owners Liberty Media could also be interested.

Mayor Joao Doria said the city-owned circuit was included in a seven billion reais (£1.8 billion) package of privatisations sought by Sao Paulo as the metropolis cleans up its finances amid the country’s worst recession in more than a century.

Interlagos hosts the only South American race on the calendar. A sale would allow an upgrade to the facilities, with authorisation to build a hotel, luxury apartments and a museum named after Brazil’s three-time world champion Ayrton Senna, who died at Imola in Italy in 1994.

“The privatisation of the track is the guarantee of the continuity of Formula One,” Doria, a multi-millionaire media entrepreneur, told Reuters.

“I understand that Formula One is important but with private money, not public money. It’s perfectly possible for it to keep running with private money as a private track.”

Doria and Ecclestone both said they had discussed the sale at a recent meeting. The 86-year-old British billionaire is married to a Brazilian and owns a ranch in the country.

“He showed interest. He’s going to participate in the auction for the track,” Doria said. “I have the impression that international funds are going to take part as well. I have no doubt that we will sell the Interlagos track, and sell it well.”

Brazil, home of former champions Emerson Fittipaldi and Nelson Piquet as well as Senna, has hosted Formula One since 1973, with Interlagos home to the Brazilian race since 1990.

Ecclestone, who left his position as CEO of Formula One in January when it was acquired by Liberty Media, has criticised conditions at the track.

Organisers have carried out improvements to the cramped pit and paddock facilities but some changes sought by Ecclestone have not happened due to financial reasons. Fans remain exposed to the elements and the track runs close by slums on one side.

Ecclestone said he and Doria had “a proper get-together” to discuss plans for the track, “They want to sell. They’re not going to subsidise anything there. They’re not going to put any money into it. They want to get rid of it.”

“I haven’t made any ‘yes, I’m going to buy’ or ‘no, I ain’t going to buy’ [decision]. We’ll wait and see,” he added.

Ecclestone said he had already advised Liberty-appointed Formula One chairman and CEO Chase Carey to step in, “I think they are probably going to think about it.”

United States Grand Prix promoter Bobby Epstein said last week it would make sense for Formula One’s new owners to buy circuits as part of their strategic plans for the sport.

Doria did not have an estimate of how much he hoped to raise from Interlagos. He said the privatisation would include a public plan to relocate poor residents who had built their homes near the track, while new development at the site would allow a private owner to fund upgrades.

“We will probably have three buildings: one for mixed use, or entirely destined for a hotel, and two buildings for luxury apartments,” said Doria.

A planned museum would celebrate the achievements of Brazilian motorsports and be named after Senna, who is buried in the city’s Morumbi cemetery.

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Williams expects clearer pecking order to emerge in China

Williams Chief Technical Officer Paddy Lowe is expecting a clearer pecking order to emerge at the second race of the season in China this weekend, due to the nature of the Shanghai International Circuit.

Williams collected a haul of points in Australia courtesy of sixth place for Felipe Massa, though new team-mate Lance Stroll failed to finish amid brake failure, bringing his difficult weekend to a premature close.

Massa's result left Williams in fourth place in the standings, but Lowe is wary that performance at Shanghai will be more representative regarding potential form across the remainder of the campaign.

"The Shanghai International Circuit is the first track this season which will test the all-round performance of the car and so we will arguably see a truer measure of the relative performance of the cars within the new regulations," he commented.

"It is a great track with some demanding high-speed corners and a long back straight which is traditionally good for overtaking, but requires good set-up to ensure speed can be carried onto the straight.

"It is an important race for us understand where we are in the Championship to address the challenges for the season with our continued aim to improve and make progress."

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Williams announces increase in revenue and profits in 2016

Williams has revealed the financial results for its Formula 1 team and overall group for 2016, posting improved revenue and profits.

The results of the F1 team were boosted by Williams finishing third in the 2015 constructors’ championship for the second consecutive season.

Williams slipped to fifth in the standings in 2016, but commercial rights income is paid a year in arrears.

The F1 side of the group generated revenue of £116.7million, up from £101.5m in 2015. Its profit (EBITDA) increased from £0.2m to £12.4m.

The overall Williams group – which includes Advanced Engineering and Heritage – saw revenues go from £125.6m in 2015 to £167.4m in 2016.

The EBITDA of the group went from a loss of £3.3m to a profit of £15.5m last year, helped by the “significant growth” of the engineering side of the business.

“Our 2016 financial results represent continued improvement, with strong revenue growth across both Formula 1 and Advanced Engineering,” said group chief executive officer, Mike O’Driscoll.

“Following a complete restructuring of our business over the previous two years, both operationally and financially, we made further gains in 2016.

“Our F1 division continued to operate profitably, despite enormous levels of competitive spending in what is arguably sport’s toughest financial environment. Williams Advanced Engineering, although still a developing business, continues to make excellent progress.

“Our F1 team achieved fifth place in the constructors’ championship in 2016, following successive third place finishes the previous two years.

“Commercial rights income is paid a year in arrears, and these accounts reflect our third place in the 2015 constructors’ championship.

“We have recently made significant new appointments to our technical team, in our push to improve on-track performance and drive Williams to the front of the grid.”

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Honda thought 2017 engine would be ‘too easy’

Honda Formula 1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa has conceded that the manufacturer thought developing McLaren's 2017 engine would be "too easy".

McLaren have been plagued with reliability issues and are bracing themselves for another poor showing at the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend.

And it now appears that a lot of the blame can be proportioned to a huge amount of complacency shown by engine suppliers Honda, following Hasegawa’s admission.

"As a matter of fact we were thinking [it was] too easy, and it was too difficult to achieve the new technology – that was my mistake," Hasegawa told Motorsport.com.

"We did some good progress in the mono-cylinder on the dyno, but as soon as we complete the V6 engine we had many issues.

"What we achieved in mono-cylinder is at a very good level, but when we transfer exactly the same specification to the V6 engine it doesn't work. We are very disappointed. But it was too late that we noticed that – at Christmas.

"After we understand the issues this was the time we need to confirm the final specification – we needed to have some compromise."

Hasegawa has also confirmed McLaren-Honda have developed further issues since their disastrous Winter Testing programme.

"We have huge vibrations," added Hasegawa, who also admitted Honda's new engine currently produces "almost the same power" as the 2016 unit.

"The only thing I can tell is that on the dyno we didn't have such a big issue – when we have a gearbox, driveshaft and tyre it has some resonance. I'm not blaming the chassis; we have to realise the situation on the dyno as well."

Hasegawa concluded by pinpointing the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona as the absolute last race to introduce notable upgrades.

"If we find a good solution we need to change the engine for round five or six, so I really want to update our specification before then, or to that time," he added.

"We have already achieved some good level of performance with the mono-cylinder engine. The thing we have to do is transfer that technology to the V6.

"Although we still have to improve that, we have some confidence we can achieve that level."

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F1 needs to address "worrying" gap to midfield - Force India

Force India deputy principal Bob Fernley hopes F1's new owners Liberty Media will address the "worrying" gap between the top three teams and the midfield.

Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull were expected to be well clear of the chasing pack after pre-season testing in Barcelona, with Haas F1 team's Gunther Steiner estimating their advantage was between one and 1.5s.

Amid Red Bull's struggles to set up its car for Melbourne, Haas driver Romain Grosjean - the midfield's top driver in Q3 - was within half a second of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, although he did trail poleman Lewis Hamilton by 1.9s.

In the race itself, Williams' Felipe Massa was the only midfield finisher not to be lapped, the Brazilian taking the chequered flag almost a minute down on Verstappen.

Fernley, whose Force India team was a lap down with both cars, said the situation was down to the top three's "ridiculous" spending advantage.

Speaking about the gap between top three and midfield, he said: "I think it's going to probably get worse.

"That's the worrying part about it, and that's the bit that I think Liberty are seeing very much as a concern for the show. And rightly so. And I think hopefully that will get addressed in the coming months.

"At the moment it's just how much money you can spend. Whilst you've got that, the disparity is just ridiculous."

The Force India man reiterated his desire to see cost controls in F1, but admitted he did not expect any changes to come in time to affect the 2017 campaign.

"I don't think anything can be done this season but it can be brought in progressively. We are where we are, but the fact that, if there's a willingness to make those moves and they [Liberty] do make them - which I believe they're keen to do, then it can only benefit the sport going forward.

"And we've also got to be respectful of those teams. If they've got to cut back, we've got to do it in a way that allows them to do it in a dignified manner.

"It's not their fault that they're where they are – it's the process that's wrong."

  

BWT sponsorship makes Force India "more comfortable"

Fernley said that the sponsorship deal with water technology company BWT - one that has led to the Indian outfit running an all-new pink livery on its cars - would serve to make the team "more comfortable" financially, although he conceded it was unlikely to seriously affect its standing in the F1 2017 development race.

"The good thing is that we've got Vijay who's always behind the team, so within reasonable parameters we've never cut back on development, we've always been able to get there - and I think we proved that year in, year out," Fernley said.

"I don't think it [the sponsorship] is going to make any massive difference [to development], it just makes it more comfortable."

He also said: "I would go so far to say it's probably one of the biggest commercial deals that's been in Formula 1 for a while.

"What pleases me is that - A, it's a great deal; B, it's brought a very individual process to it in terms of colourization; and C, it's an industry that's never been covered in Formula 1 before so, again, it's a great move."

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Tech analysis: F1's engine options past 2020

A new dawn beckons for Formula 1, and this time the engine manufacturers agree that road relevance need not be the primary driver behind what powers the sport into the future.

For many, the talks held last week between the FIA, FOM and engine manufacturers about the direction of the sport following new commercial deals in 2021 will be seen as a positive.

But is Formula 1 about to put one foot into the past, rather than one into the future?

The V6 hybrid power units are considered too complex, expensive and even mundane compared to what is possible if the regulations are framed differently.

The question now comes down to how the sport wants to appear in the eyes of the world, given the headline numbers that have been achieved since 2014: 30 percent less fuel used per race, thermal efficiency around 50 percent and near on 1000bhp.

Nice but not worth the hassle?

The ERS is a fascinating piece of technology and responsible for a significant portion of the hybrid power unit's efficiency and performance. However, the manufacturers have cited the MGU-H as problematic in terms of cost and development.

The issues are not entirely direct either, they're also due to the way in which the MGU-K is reliant on the MGU-H for a direct supply of energy - missing out the energy storage, making for a complex energy scheme that goes unnoticed by the viewer but needs constant management by the driver and team in order to maintain overall efficiency and performance.

Irrespective of the MGU-H's current role in increasing efficiency, it seems the manufacturers are therefore happy to see the back of the motor generator, as these early talks suggest they'll scrap it as part of the 2021 overhaul.

Turbocharged future

The return to turbocharging as part of the scheme to downsize the internal combustion engine and increase hybridisation was a no-brainer for 2014 and has led the sport to a point where it is now happy to accept boost as a performance enhancement.

So much so in fact that plans for F1's next engine will likely see a turbo attached to either side of it, as the sport looks towards a much better power-to-weight ratio, in order that the cars once again need to be wrestled around the track.

And speaking of power-to-weight, one of the issues the sport has faced during the hybrid era is the increase in the car's overall weight - now up to a staggering 728kgs, nearly 100kg up on the V8 era.

The new engine must look to reverse this trend and bring the minimum weight down once more, meaning the headline power figure need not be so high.

Power struggle

Talk of much more powerful engines has already ensued in any case, with a 1200-1300bhp target already put in mind and a much larger onus placed on delivery from the MGU-K/KERS, which was previously doubled from the 60kw allowed alongside the V8s to 120kw for the current power unit.

It makes sense to scale that leap in the same way for the next engine, up to 240kw or roughly 320bhp, but that'll come down to whether it's viable and to whether the power dispensed is part of the overall energy scheme or whether it's to be used as a push-to-pass system, like KERS was.

You could make an argument for both: allow the delivery of 120kw (roughly 160bhp) in line with the power created by the engine, as we have now, and an optional boost of more electrical energy when available, giving the driver a tactical weapon to attack and defend.

One of the issues in increasing the role of the MGU-K without the MGU-H to support it is recovering the energy, especially if it needs to make even more and could result in a severe balance issue for the drivers, almost like applying the handbrake in every corner.

However, talk did turn to having a MGU-K across the front axle too, albeit only for recovery in order to maintain simplicity.

Delivering the juice

When the hybrid regulations were originally framed, they called for delivery of fuel via two methods: port injection and direct injection, but as plans matured only the latter survived and has since led to a development war in lean burn technology, such as the turbulent jet ignition introduced by Ferrari last season.

It'll be interesting to see if this changes, as the new regulations are framed - as it appears that a concerted effort will be made to create more noise with the next engine, too.

Of course, without the MGU-H the turbos will also make a little more noise in their own right but resolving the fuel flow model and the delivery system will allow the engine to rev out further too.

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How a kitchen meeting helped reset Hamilton/Mercedes relationship

Toto Wolff says a meeting in his kitchen last winter with Lewis Hamilton delivered a breakthrough in helping reset the former world champion's relationship with Mercedes.

Hamilton and Wolff went through some tough times in 2016 – which included frustrations from Hamilton's side about his engine failure in Malaysia and annoyance about a move by the team to shuffle mechanics between his side of the garage and teammate Nico Rosberg's.

But just weeks after there was further controversy in Abu Dhabi over the way Hamilton had tried to back Rosberg into the pack, the British driver met with Wolff at his Oxford home for a private chat.

Hamilton took to social media after the meeting to say how 'amazing' it had been to have a chat as they ran through the fallout of the campaign.

And, speaking at length for the first time about how things are now improved between Hamilton and Mercedes, Wolff said the chats were crucial for exposing issues that had simmered away under the surface.

"When it gets intense during a season between two drivers, sometimes things remain unspoken and not discussed," Wolff told Motorsport.com in an exclusive interview.

"I think at the end of the season is a good moment, where you can put everything on the table, some of the frustrations and undiscussed topics, and to reflect on them, and to analyse them and to agree or find out what actually happened.

"There's never an ultimate truth to say somebody is 100 percent right or 100 percent wrong, and so it was very important to find the cause."

Wolff has admitted that the chat highlighted things both he and Hamilton could have done differently over recent years, but says that such moments are to be expected when a team and driver are fighting for a world championship.

"It's a learning process," he said. "You cannot, on one side, expect to have the most ambitious driver in the car that will score the result that you are trying to achieve, and on the other side expect them to be corporate robots.

"Nico and Lewis, and it's the same for Valtteri [Bottas], understand the huge effort that's being made behind them to deliver those cars and they understand the responsibility towards the brand and all these people they represent.

"But sometimes the DNA of a racing driver is going to make him look after himself. Over four years, we had these very rare moments of a situation where there wasn't an alignment on interest.

"And in hindsight there are things that we could have done better. It's important to realise and develop as a personality."

Wolff is, however, proud of the way that Mercedes handled the Rosberg/Hamilton relationship throughout, with the rivalry never having ripped the team apart.

"Somehow it was part of the set-up of the team," he said. "We had these two personalities, demanding race drivers, and it was a really good situation for the team in them pushing each other and pushing us, and us pushing them.

"It feels that, even though we had these ups and downs and controversy up to a point that it got difficult, it was still a very good time. A very successful time and an enjoyable relationship."

   

New dynamic

Wolff says that the arrival of Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes as Rosberg's replacement has helped reset the situation at the team even further.

"It's a completely different dynamic," he said. "We've seen it already in testing and in the team briefings we have held.

"There is no baggage. There is no historic baggage between the two of them and I can see the rivalry taking place on track. Nothing else is to be expected. It's not happening in the briefing rooms and that's very good, because it is not causing us overhead."

When asked if he believed the relationship between Bottas and Hamilton would remain as strong when they start fighting each other properly on track, Wolff said: "I hope. Maybe it's naive, but I hope it can last.

"I'm under no illusion that there will be moments when it will be more difficult. A racing driver losing is not an individual that is particularly happy chappy."

  

Vettel rumours

Bottas is currently on a one-year deal and will need to keep impressing if he is to retain his seat for 2018.

However, despite recent stories suggesting that Mercedes was angling to lure Sebastian Vettel away from Ferrari, Wolff insists that remarks he made about the German were interpreted the wrong way by some.

"There was one quote that was blown completely out of context," he said. "What I said is that I like Sebastian as a personality. I get on with him very well. And for any team not considering Sebastian, if you were to have a vacant spot, would be silly. But there is no vacant spot to consider [at Mercedes].

"We have two drivers and we have committed to the drivers and we will give them every support that we need to give them.

"It's clear that Valtteri will need that support at the beginning coming new to a team, having the quickest Formula 1 driver of modern times as a teammate. I'm not thinking about 2018 and beyond. It's very far down my list of priorities."

Wolff said that the team was more than happy to wait to give Bottas every opportunity to show his potential before deciding if the Finn will be retained for 2018.

"I think we haven't set a time because we wait for five or six race weekends to see how it all settles down and then look at the situation. But it's so far down the line... Three months, it feels like ages."

 

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Chinese GP - Daniil Kvyat 360 hotlap - Scuderia Toro Rosso

After the opening round in Melbourne, it's time to head for Shanghai and the track that Hermann Tilke designed, taking the inspiration for some of it from the Chinese character "Shang," which means "high." Daniil Kvyat tackles a lap ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.

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Shanghai Hopes – Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo Previews The 2017 F1 Chinese GP

As the second round of the F1 World Championship heads to China, Mobil 1 The Grid caught up with Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo, who will be hoping for better fortunes after a disappointing result at his home GP saw him retire in the opening race, in Melbourne.

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VETTEL: MERCEDES STILL HAS TO BE THE FAVOURITE

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel has tipped Mercedes as favourites to win the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday even after his victory in Formula One’s season-opening round in Australia.

“I think Mercedes still has to be the favourite, obviously,” Vettel told reporters on a damp afternoon in Shanghai on Thursday.

“We know that we have a good package which puts us in a strong place but … we know there’s a lot of things that we need to do to keep up with them and keep the position that we are in now, to fight for good races.”

Vettel beat Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas by a comfortable margin in Melbourne two weeks ago.

Hamilton, who started from the pole position, appeared to have the edge over the German in qualifying but the Ferrari appeared genuinely faster in race trim.

Vettel’s win in Australia was Ferrari’s first since September 2015 and first in a season-opening race since Bahrain in 2010.

It raised hopes that the Italian squad could challenge Mercedes for the title this season and end the Brackley-based outfit’s run of dominance, one that has seen them sweep to a hat-trick of drivers and constructor’ titles and 51 wins from 59 races over the last three years.

“It’s the first race, so it doesn’t mean much,” Vettel said. “But for sure, as I said, it’s the best way to start off.”

Mercedes have a strong record around the 5.4-km (3.3-mile) long Shanghai track, winning four of the last five races at the circuit and starting each one on pole position. Hamilton, too, has won in China four times, more than any other driver by far.

He is also the only man to have enjoyed back-to-back success at the track, and Vettel could be right to be wary.

But he hasn’t ruled out the race throwing up some surprises, especially if the rain forecast for Sunday arrives.

“It’s always a Grand Prix full of surprises,” said the 29-year-old, who handed Red Bull their maiden Formula One triumph in a wet race in Shanghai in 2009. “You never know what happens around here.”

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON: WE’VE GOT A REAL FIGHT ON OUR HANDS

Three-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton finds himself in an unfamiliar position just one race into the new season – facing a stiff challenge from a driver other than former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.

With Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel earning a surprising and emotional victory at the Australian Grand Prix last month, Hamilton will now try to reassert his team’s long-held position at the top of the sport at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.

“It just fuels the fire even more,” Hamilton said Thursday. “We wanted to win (in Australia). We wanted to be the ones at the front. And we’ve got a real fight on our hands.”

The Australian Grand Prix gave racing fans a taste of what they’ve been yearning for during three straight years of Mercedes domination – the prospect of a true rival to the silver cars at the top. Mercedes won 19 of the 21 F1 races in 2016, with Red Bull capturing the other two.

Vettel’s win – his first since Singapore in late 2015 – came after F1 instituted new regulations designed to make this year’s cars faster and bring more excitement and wheel-to-wheel racing to a sport that had grown predictable in recent years.

Despite his loss in Melbourne, Hamilton is a fan of the new rules. Anything to bring more intensity and competition to F1 is a good thing as far as he’s concerned.

“My favorite form of racing is go-karting … because it’s wheel-to-wheel, all the way, from start to finish,” he said. “I’m dying for that day to come again. I hope that happens with me and Sebastian. He’s a four-time world champion, one of the best of our generation, so I think fans are sitting on the edge of their seats for that.”

It helps that Vettel is also feeling particularly confident at the moment. Since capturing the last of his four world titles with Red Bull in 2013, he had only won three races before triumphing in Melbourne in March.

His new Ferrari team hadn’t been at the top of the podium in Australia in 10 years.

“It’s the best way to obviously kick off the season,” Vettel said. “After one race, it’s easier to say this year is better than last year, but it’s only one race.”

With a track featuring two long straights, which has favored the faster Mercedes cars in recent years, the Chinese GP presents a different challenge, however.

Hamilton has finished at the top of the podium in Shanghai four times. The now-retired Rosberg won last year’s race.

“I think Mercedes has to be still the favorite,” Vettel said. “We know that we have a good package which puts us in a strong place, but we know that there’s a lot of things we need to do to keep up with them and keep the position that we are in now.”

The other teams were significantly off the pace set by Ferrari and Mercedes in Melbourne. Max Verstappen finished fifth for Red Bull, while teammate Daniel Ricciardo was forced to retire with a mechanical failure on the 28th lap.

“For sure, we have to improve, but that’s how it is at the moment,” Verstappen said. “It’s quite a big gap, but I’m quite confident we can definitely close it in the upcoming races.”

[MIKA27]

BAHRAIN ACTIVISTS CALL FOR F1 RACE TO BE CANCELLED

Human rights campaigners have urged Formula One management to cancel next week’s Bahrain Grand Prix, accusing the country’s rulers of using the race to “whitewash” abuses and improve their image abroad.

Bahrain’s biggest sporting event is watched by a worldwide audience of millions and has been held since 2004, with the exception of 2011 when violent civil unrest forced its cancellation.

“Concerted and visible action is now required from Formula One, consistent with its commitment to human rights,” the groups said in a letter to Formula One chairman Chase Carey and the two managing directors Sean Bratches and Ross Brawn.

“We call on you to suspend this year’s race in view of the alarming situation in the country.”

The letter, also addressed to the chief executive of F1 sponsor Heineken, was sent by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, Article 19 and Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain.

Activists recognised privately, after a media briefing, that they did not expect the call to be heeded.

Bahrain, a former British protectorate and the U.S. Navy’s main outpost in the Gulf region, has stepped up a crackdown on the opposition, banning the al-Wefaq party and arresting several prominent activists.

The Sunni Muslim-ruled kingdom accuses Iran, a Shi’ite Muslim theocracy across the Gulf, of radicalising and arming some members of its Shi’ite majority population. Three Shi’ite men were executed in January after being convicted of killing three policemen.

Formula One, criticised for holding races in countries accused of abuses against government opponents, published a commitment in 2015 to respect “internationally recognised human rights in its operations globally.”

Formula One is now owned by U.S.-based Liberty Media, which took over the sport in January and ousted Bernie Ecclestone as commercial supremo.

Ecclestone, 86, told Reuters he would be in Bahrain for the race, the first he has attended since he ceased to run the show.

The campaigners’ letter said Formula One would “become complicit” in human rights violations in Bahrain if the race was not cancelled.

Activist Zainab al-Khawaja, who lives in Denmark after being arrested and released several times in Bahrain, told reporters that the race raised the question, “Does the world care about what’s happening in Bahrain?

“It (Formula One) is a message sent to the people of Bahrain that the world does not care,” she said.

“The government uses this event to whitewash and give a different picture of what’s happening in the country. While people are suffering every day, they want people on the outside to be seeing this race…and not all the images of people who are dying and being tortured.”

A spokesman for Formula One Management was not immediately available for comment.

[MIKA27]

ALONSO: I PREFER TO BE HERE THAN IN A SUPERMARKET IN MY HOME TOWN

Amid the ongoing struggles of McLaren-Honda, speculation regarding the future of Fernando Alonso is almost constantly capturing Formula 1 headlines, but he claims that retirement is not on his radar at all.

Speaking to media in Shanghai, Alonso said, “I prefer to be here than in a supermarket in my home town.”

Recently Mark Webber, known to be close to the Spaniard, suggested that the Spaniard may walk out before the season ends, to which he replied, “If one ex-driver is interviewed, there is always one question about Alonso, on the situation, how difficult it is.”

“Everyone [think they are] close to me and it’s like I have a depression, and it’s not like that. In F1, I am delivering at my best, I am more prepared than ever. I perform at my best.”

McLaren’s woes are well documented, in a nutshell their engine partner Honda grossly underestimated the task of building the sophisticated power units. By their own admission this year they followed and developed an engine philosophy that has not paid off yet. Report here>>> 

Alonso acknowledges, “The team is not very competitive now. There’s nothing we can do from one day to another,” he said.

“At the same time, the team is expecting an extra result from me now, as we did in Australia, when the predictions say we are last.

“If in China they say we are last, hopefully Alonso will be in the points. It is a little bit difficult to understand how we have done a step backwards this year.”

“We are working very hard for the last couple of months to fight for podiums and victories and if we can’t do that we need to change the situation.”

“It is what we are asking for. We are here to win and we are not winning so we need to change something.”

Last month it emerged that McLaren had apparently sounded out Mercedes with regards to an engine supply deal should Honda fail to raise their game.

But Alonso was coy about the prospect, “I have nothing really to say. I know there is some media speculation about things. I read also the things. But as far as I am concerned there is no news.”

To speculation that Mercedes may consider him to partner Lewis Hamilton, should Valtteri Bottas not deliver to expectations, Alonso said, “It is a question for the future. Nothing is ruled out.”

“I respect [Hamilton] a lot. We like to compete and beat the best. Same with Michael [Schumacher]. It was fantastic to win titles when Michael was on the track as well, because if not they do not have the same value,” added Alonso who last stood on a F1 podium at the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix, his last victory at the Chinese Grand Prix earlier that year.

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BOTTAS: LEWIS AND I ARE ALLOWED TO RACE ONE ANOTHER

Valterri Bottas is adamant that there are no team orders at Mercedes where the ethos is to allow drivers to race one another, but at the same time the Finn acknowledges that he would a command from the pitwall to let his teammate pass if the need arose.

Speaking to MTV, Bottas said, “It has been made very clear from the beginning that Lewis and I are allowed to race in every situation.”

“Only if there are different are problems or a change in tactics, then the team will give orders if required. But in general we are allowed to race one another, as long as it is done honestly and without colliding with each other.”

“The philosophy in our team is that we are racing, and that is how it should be,” Bottas added.

“If there is an order [from the pitwall] that I have to let my teammate past I will do it. For sure it’s the worst thing a racing driver can hear, but there would always be a valid reason. We are also racing for the F1 manufacturers’ championship.”

“Personally, I also have a goal to establish a long-term future with Mercedes, and I have always been loyal to the teams that I drive for,” added Bottas who finished third in his first race for Mercedes in Australia, the season opener, last month.

[MIKA27]

MARKO: THANK YOU RON DENNIS

In 2016 Red Bull were in a crisis as their relationship with Renault was all but over and the energy drinks outfit was shopping for an alternative engine supplier, a supply of Honda engines was nearly a done deal until Ron Dennis vetoed the proposal, a move which Helmut Marko now applauds.

Marko said in an interview with Motorsport-Total, “I have to say for the first time: I am really grateful to Ron Dennis for having vetoed our Honda ambitions, otherwise we might have had Honda engines today!”

With McLaren struggling with major power unit issues, without a short-term solution in sight, the Red Bull consultant admits he is surprised that the Japanese manufacturer have struggled to recover, “The fact that Honda have made such wrong choices is surprising. I would have never believed it…”

Since then Red Bull and Renault have made peace and indeed a TAG Heuer badged version of the Renault engine now powers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.

But, after finishing second in the 2016 Formula 1 World Championship, the Red Bull team appeared out of sorts in Australia and were clearly third in the pecking order behind Ferrari and Mercedes.

Marko admits, “Unfortunately, we are currently number three in all areas, which makes it difficult. The Mercedes package is simply superior, and only in race mode is Ferrari close. Mercedes are half a second faster, even if [Niki} Lauda says there are only three tenths.”

“Mercedes can go into top performance mode in the race, you can see it when suddenly, it’s not possible to make an overtake because the Mercedes pulls away again, but they can only do it for five or six laps during the course of a race.”

Marko calculates that over a complete race distance, Mercedes will beat his team by 10 to 15 seconds thanks to the powertrain alone.

As for the reason for the gap, he points to the token system (in place during the first three years of the power unit era) which stunted progress and the Silver Arrows operation at Brixworth where Mercedes has the best equipment, the smartest engineers and the most money.

At the same time the outspoken Austrian cheekily suggests that that with the resources at the disposal for the Mercedes F1 project the gap should even be bigger.

Asked if the abolishing the token system is a curse or blessing for Red Bull, Marko responded, “It’s a blessing. Otherwise, Mercedes would never have been caught, but now Ferrari has succeeded.”

“If the token system had remained in place, Mercedes would always be ahead with its technical and financial resources,” added Marko.

[MIKA27]

Carlos Sainz trusts Renault's Canadian upgrade will cut top-speed deficit

Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz says he is pleased to be closer in terms of top speed to his rivals after a difficult 2016 season in which the team ran year-old Ferrari power units, and expects a further step forward when Renault delivers its next upgrade in Canada.

The Italian team made the switch to Renault this year from Ferrari and Sainz says they're now much closer to the current-spec Ferrari unit and the Mercedes engine, but there is still some ground to be made up.

"For me it feels great because last year was very painful," commented the Spaniard. "The second half of the season we were something like 15, 16 or 17 kph down on the straight compared to our direct competitors.

"To start the first race [in Melbourne] to see 7 to 8 or just 5 to 6 [kph] back was really good news and something I'm grateful to experience, but as you can see we’re still one step behind the best engines in that regard."

Sainz is hopeful that Renault will further reduce that gap when it delivers its next major upgrade in June at the Canadian Grand Prix.

"I have the trust that Renault are working hard on that upgrade package coming to Canada and that can give us the extra 5 kph that can put us back in a normal standard top speed deficit."

Overall Sainz was impressed with Toro Rosso's first race of 2017 in Melbourne, following a difficult pre-season, but is expecting China to present a tougher challenge.

"I think it was a really good weekend after a tough winter, [where we completed] more laps than [only] McLaren. It was an extremely tough winter for us, to turn up to the first race to put both cars in the points and Q3 was a success, it shows the car has a lot of potential and that we can only get better from here.

"Shanghai will be a bit tougher as it has a bit of a longer straight than Melbourne but we can be happy with the first race and start from there."

[MIKA27]

Sauber substitute Antonio Giovinazzi eyes smoother F1 race weekend in China

Antonio Giovinazzi reckons greater preparation will enable him to have a smoother weekend with Sauber in China, compared to his late call-up to race in Australia.

Giovinazzi, Ferrari’s reserve driver, was drafted in after Friday practice in Australia to replace Pascal Wehrlein, who deemed himself insufficiently fit, as a consequence of his Race of Champions crash.

Giovinazzi, who had previously sampled the C36-Ferrari during pre-season testing, had only the third practice session to get up to speed at Albert Park and subsequently qualified in 16th before going on to classify in 12th position in the race.

The Italian believes greater warning of his participation at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix will be of assistance.

“It was a fantastic experience, quite a late call on Saturday morning but I enjoyed everything I did from FP3 to qualifying to the race,” he said, reflecting on Melbourne.

“To be here now ready to start from FP1 [and] already with experience from Melbourne will make it a lot more easy.

“It’s a different race weekend, the weather looks difficult, maybe it will be wet, [so] to have also experience in the wet would be good.

“What I can do is my best and hopefully the result will be good like in Melbourne.”

Giovinazzi also confirmed that his presence with Sauber is unknown beyond the end of the current race weekend.

“I’m the third driver of Ferrari, now we just think race by race,” he said.

“I had a call early on Tuesday and I am here to race for Sauber, already from next week I will be back in red with Ferrari then we will see in the future.”

[MIKA27]

Resurfacing work removes Shanghai bump

Resurfacing work at the Shanghai International Circuit has removed a pronounced bump across the finish line, ahead of this year’s Chinese Grand Prix.

A bump had developed in recent years, most notably catching out Pascal Wehrlein in damp conditions during qualifying last season, pitching him into the barriers.

This has now been removed, with a section of the circuit between the exit of the final corner and the back of the grid resurfaced.

Other minor changes have been carried out to the venue since last year’s race, with Grass-Crete having replaced badly-worn grass between the asphalt and run-off around Turn 2.

Additional raised kerbs have also been installed behind the existing kerbs on the apexes of Turns 2, 3 and 12.

[MIKA27]

Perez: I would not leave my car to anyone

As Pascal Wehrlein sits out the second race in succession, Sergio Perez says he would rather suffer inside the car than hand it over to another driver.

Having sat out the Australian Grand Prix, citing a lack of fitness following the Race of Champions crash in January that left him with a back injury, Wehrlein will now miss the Chinese GP.

The German announced earlier this week that he would not climb into his Sauber, instead handing it over to rookie driver Antonio Giovinazzi.

And that, Perez says, is something he would never do.

“I respect Pascal’s decision,” the Force India driver told Auto Motor und Sport. “But I would not leave my car to anyone.

“Even if you’re suffering in the car, you try to get the best out of it.”

Perez knows what he is speaking about having been concussed in his massive crash at the 2011 Monaco GP, which resulted in him missing the Canadian GP after falling ill in free practice.

He said: “After my accident I had to suffer until the summer break, which was four or five races.”

Wehrlein’s decision to sit out the Chinese GP has raised questions as to what exactly is wrong with the German driver.

“I hope it really is just a fitness problem for Pascal and nothing worse,” Perez added.

“Hopefully, he will soon be fit again.”

 

[MIKA27]

Rain forecast for Chinese GP weekend

Formula 1 could be in wet Chinese Grand Prix weekend with rain forecast for Friday’s practices and Sunday’s 56-lap race.

Although one day of pre-season testing was set aside for wet running, not all the drivers have experienced this year’s machinery in the wet.

That could change this Friday.

Rain is forecast throughout Friday’s running at the Shanghai International circuit with a high of just 18’C.

It will dry out on Saturday before the rain returns to the track on Sunday morning.

With a high of only 15’C, showers are expected prior to the race but could abate before the formation lap gets underway.

However, with more rain forecast for the early evening, the Chinese Grand Prix could yet start or finish on a wet track.

[MIKA27]

Ford chief admits he “doesn’t see us going back to F1”

American car giant Ford has reiterated that it’s not interested in a Formula 1 return after playing no part in the FIA’s recent meeting for potential engine suppliers to discuss post-2020 regulations.

Ford was one of a number of big-hitting manufacturers that didn’t attend the FIA's Paris meeting, which did attract the likes of VW and Alfa Romeo.

Ford Performance director Dave Pericak told Motorsport.com that it has no interest in returning to the category in which its iconic DFV engine dominated from the late 60s, and was still winning championships with the powerplant as late as 1982.

It last won the F1 World Drivers’ title as an engine supplier for Michael Schumacher and Benetton in 1994, and its most recent race win came with Jordan in 2003. It is third in the all-time list of F1 Constructors' Champions as an engine supplier, with 10 titles to its name.

  

Ford also bought the Stewart Grand Prix team to run under its Jaguar brand from 2000, but the unsuccessful programme ended in 2004 when the team was offloaded for just one dollar to Red Bull.

“F1 is definitely not relevant to what we’re trying to do,” said Pericak. “It’s just too far out there.

“It’s exciting and it’s cool but it’s definitely not something we can apply directly, or very useably anyway, to what we’re doing on a day-to-day basis at Ford.

“I just don’t see us going back to F1.”

Watch the interview...

 

 

[MIKA27]

McLaren fits aggressive F1 T-wing design at Chinese GP

McLaren will run a more aggressive version of the Formula 1 T-wing concept at the Chinese Grand Prix, ahead of further updates coming to its car later in the weekend.

Although the Woking-based team is braced for a particularly tough weekend at Shanghai, with the circuit's long straight to set to expose Honda's horsepower deficit, the team is not holding back in trying to improve its chassis.

A new rear wing is set to be trialled by Fernando Alonso on Saturday, while the team's MCL32 was spotted with a version of its T-wing at the track on Thursday.

The design of McLaren's T-wing is a departure from the ones that have been run by other teams including Mercedes, Ferrari, Williams and Haas.

Rather than being straight, the concept features rounded edges, giving it a noticeably different shape.

GARY ANDERSON: McLaren's T-wing is slightly different design to the others that we have seen so far. It has a top element which is creating downforce in its own right and a lower element that is acting as a turning vane helping the airflow alignment onto the main rear wing.

When you have two elements close together doing different things the problem is how do you get the two different airflow regimes at the outer ends to work together without causing disturbance further downstream?

In McLaren's case it has taken the differing profiles around in a horizontal 'U' shape and as they do this the top profile will change into the lower profile meaning there is no step change which could set up a vortex or even just turbulence further downstream.

MIKA: Whats the bet RBR will question and complain about it...?