Formula 1 - 2017

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Just now, skalls said:

I don't get the love affair either, but there was a rumor that Palmer could be out for Hungary and Sainz move to Renault in 2 weeks.  Sounded like there was an 8m buyout clause.

I'm surprised that TR is thinking about keeping Kyvat.  He was much better but now he's just not got his head in the game.

Yeah I agree about Kvyat. He was such a good talent, but like I said, from what I seen, I think he has gone down hill since the Russian GP last year and just can't focus. Makes massive stupid mistakes. TR will no doubt be getting frustrated at this behaviour and perhaps the likes of Helmut Marko, Dietrich Mateschitz may also get involved?

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RAIKKONEN: I WAS VERY UNLUCKY BUT THEN IN A WAY LUCKY

Kimi Raikkonen looked set for second place at the British Grand Prix until a front left puncture late in the race relegated him to third place, but he believes that the dose of bad luck was followed by a helping of good luck.

The Ferrari driver summed up the final moments of an action packed race at Silverstone, “I don’t think I hit anything, everything felt normal before that moment. If I came back [to the pits] quite fast I would destroy the front wing after that because the tyre was flapping around but we managed to get into a decent position in fourth.”

The puncture came late in the race when the veteran Finn’s soft tyres were suffering, “I was very unlucky but then in a way lucky… but I didn’t want to see that the same happened to Seb a lap later. I think the same happened to him, but I don’t know, I don’t know what happened really.”

In the end Ferrari were dealt a significant blow in the Formula 1 constructors’ world championship standings, but at the same time it was clear that Mercedes had the upper-hand at the power friendly circuit.

Raikkonen acknowledged, “I felt quite comfortable all the time but unfortunately it was in second and not in first place. It was not the easiest feeling that we’ve had all weekend, there were a few places that were quite difficult for us and the race was similar to on Friday.”

“I tried to hang on to Lewis and tried to keep the gap but we just didn’t have enough speed,” conceded Raikkonen who leaves Silverstone fifth in the drivers championship standings.

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KVYAT AND SAINZ BLAME ONE ANOTHER FOR FIRST LAP COLLISION

Toro Rosso drivers Carlos Sainz and Daniil Kvyat did their team no favours when they collided on the first lap of the British Grand Prix, and although the Russian was deemed the culprit he is adamant that his Spanish teammate is as much to to blame.

The pair Kvyat and Sainz were slugging it out through Copse, but Kvyat lost control of the car going wide over the kerbs at Becketts and speared into the side of Sainz’s car who had been on the outside.

Ironically Kvyat managed to continue, serving a drive through penalty and also adding two penalty points to his super-licence, he continued to finish 15th.

Sainz, who retired on the spot, told Sky Sport, “It’s very clear ion the cameras what happened, we were both battling for position and giving each other space and then one car loses control and collides with another.”

“Not good for the team – but it’s a discussion and analysis that needs to stay between us. When there is situations out of control it’s not like I’m going to be tense about it, I’m relaxed. We need to keep our head up,” added the Spaniard.

Kvyat was defiant in the aftermath of the race, “I knew already that I wouldn’t be on the perfect line for Turn 12, where the collision happened, since Turn 10, because you’re committed to the corner very fast,” Kvyat said. “Second of all I didn’t leave the track. Me and the team both agreed on that, because the punishment was for leaving the track and rejoining the circuit.

“I’m narrowly within the track limits, and we believe the penalty was too harsh for what really happened … The racing driver knows when he sees what happens to me that you’re never going to be on the perfect line for Turn 12.”

“So when you put yourself there, you know the collision is 90 per cent unavoidable. I believe had the other car been anticipating it, it would have been trying to get me back on the next straight.”

“But it didn’t happen. You just put yourself there and say to your teammate: OK, you just crash into me. That’s what I believe happened, and I completely disagree with the penalty. Yes, of course the responsibility is on me also, but I think we both should be feeling responsible for what happened,” concluded Kvyat.

Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost did not mince his words in the team’s post race report, “It was a big disappointment for the team because the worst scenario that can ever happen is the collision between teammates on the first lap of the race. This should not have happened today. From a performance point of view, the car would’ve been able to finish within the top ten.”

It remains to be seen how the Red Bull management deal with the latest clash between their junior drivers….

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RICCIARDO: THE WHOLE RACE WAS A FIGHT

One of the big highlights of the British Grand Prix was the storming drive by Daniel Ricciardo from 19th on the grid to fifth place.

It was a superb performance by the Red Bull driver who was ruthless in traffic as he carved his way through the field in a manner that earned him the Driver of the Day accolade as voted by fans.

Sporting his trademark smile after the race at Silverstone, Ricciardo told reporters, “I hope they showed a lot of that on TV. I just felt like the whole race I was overtaking cars and I hope the fans enjoyed it.

“The whole race was a fight. I was coming through and then I made a really good re-start  – I got two cars by Turn 4 and then I was going for three.”

“I was probably a bit optimistic on the outside of [Romain] Grosjean and he didn’t give me much room. I probably shouldn’t have been there. It wasn’t the smartest place to put the car and I went off track and it probably damaged a bit of the floor. I fell back to pretty much last again but came back through.

“I caught Hulkenberg with a few laps to go and then Seb [Vettel] had his issue which handed me fifth, so ‘danke’ Sebastian,” added the Australian who saw his streak of five consecutive podium finishes end on the afternoon.

Nevertheless he added, “I’ve been really happy with how I’ve been putting my Sundays together for the last handful of races, it’s been strong and to get fifth from the back… I really couldn’t ask for more. Last week I was the hunted and this week the hunter, I love the fight of this sport and today I felt I could really enjoy that.”

“I would give this race ten out of ten in terms of fun. I think you could say that in the last six races the Honey Badger has certainly shown up on Sunday and it’s been great fun.”

The result means Ricciardo holds on to fourth position in the drivers’ standings, 37 points behind Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and 19 ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

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VETTEL: I’M SURE MAX WILL CALM DOWN

Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen had a cracking battle for third place before the first pit stops and, in the aftermath of a dramatic British Grand Prix, the Ferrari driver believes that the Red Bull teenager needs to calm down.

After the race Vettel, who finished seventh after a late puncture cost him a certain fourth place, spoke to reporters about the intense battle, “It’s not right to say I expected it, but we know he is a bit jumpy on that.”

“He was defending as hard as possible, but at some point you need to stick to your line. I am sure he will calm down, it’s not that many races he has done.”

With Vettel attacking relentlessly and Verstappen defending stubbornly, the pair rubbed wheels and each were forced wide and off-track by the other.

Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen had a cracking battle for third place before the first pit stops and, in the aftermath of a dramatic British Grand Prix, the Ferrari driver believes that the Red Bull teenager needs to calm down.

After the race Vettel, who finished seventh after a late puncture cost him a certain fourth place, spoke to reporters about the intense battle, “It’s not right to say I expected it, but we know he is a bit jumpy on that.”

“He was defending as hard as possible, but at some point you need to stick to your line. I am sure he will calm down, it’s not that many races he has done.”

With Vettel attacking relentlessly and Verstappen defending stubbornly, the pair rubbed wheels and each were forced wide and off-track by the other.

MIKA: Verstappen needs to calm down? No way! He drives like a champion, like a seasoned veteran IMO. The likes of Vettel can't handle it so they get ticked off.

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Pirelli: Vettel and Raikkonen tyre issues 'totally different'

Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli has confirmed that “totally different” tyre issues affected Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel during the closing stages of the British Grand Prix.

Räikkönen, running in second, slowed with a problematic front-tyre, and toured back to the pits, with his delay promoting Valtteri Bottas into second and Vettel third.

However, Vettel suffered a puncture one lap later and dropped down to seventh position, elevating Räikkönen back into third, and the German's title advantage over Lewis Hamilton was cut to one point as a result.

Both Räikkönen and Vettel were running on the Soft tyre during the closing laps, having both started on the Supersoft compound, but Pirelli says the issues were unrelated.
“Two totally different troubles, totally, totally different,” said a Pirelli spokesperson post-race.

“Sebastian got a fail, a puncture, he was very much in the end. From what? We don't know exactly.

“For sure, he flat-spotted when he was fighting with Bottas.

“Maybe he was fighting sometimes on the kerb, because he was defending a position and so on. But he was simply making his job.

“The difference with Kimi is that when he came to the pits, the tyre was totally inflated, he was not having a total failure to the tyre – it was worn out, of course.

“With Kimi, the tyre is inflated, and you see all the tread worn out, starting to show the cable.

“With Vettel, you see the tyre worn out, which was broken on the inside, because of a puncture.”

Pirelli will conduct a thorough investigation into the respective problems in the coming week.

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Valtteri Bottas admits he 'got lucky' to take second at Silverstone

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas has admitted he “got lucky” to take second place at the 2017 British Grand Prix.

The Finn started from ninth on the grid after a gearbox change penalty, but made a good start to move up several places.

He was involved in some intense battles throughout the race, making his way ahead of Sebastian Vettel later in the race and into third place.

Bottas was then promoted to second when Kimi Raikkonen suffered a puncture with just a few laps to go, giving Mercedes a 1-2 finish.

"For us as a team it was really a perfect weekend for the circumstances,” he said. “How we started today from ninth, it's just amazing what we've done today.

“The car was so good to drive, it was really quick, the team did perfect strategy for both of us, me and Lewis.

“I started the race with soft tyres, I had to run really long and we actually extended the first stint quite a bit because everything was still looking good.

“Towards the end on supersofts the pace was good with the fresh tyres. I got through on Sebastian, and was closing on Kimi, but I think realistically he was too far away for me to get P2, so I got lucky.

“On the other hand he got unlucky to lose his second place in the end, but a 1-2 is perfect.”

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Alonso: McLaren should make quick decision on engine

Fernando Alonso says he would like McLaren to make a decision on its engine supplier quickly so the team can start focusing on its 2018 package as soon as possible.

The Woking team is considering a split with current engine partner Honda following another disastrous season that has resulted in two points scored in the first 10 races.

Having a competitive engine in 2018 is seen as a key factor in McLaren's hopes of retaining Alonso, the Spaniard's contract ending this year.

The two-time champion says he would support whatever decision McLaren makes, but is hoping the team can decide sooner rather than later.

"It's up to them, but definitely the sooner you make a decision the better preparation you have for the following year so I guess they will try to make it an early decision," said Alonso after retiring from the British Grand Prix.

"Obviously I would support whatever decision they make.

"For me, for the team, it's Hungary in 15 days' time. A good opportunity, so that's reality. The other things are just dreams."

Alonso hinted McLaren had no doubt the weakest part of the package was the Honda power unit.

When asked if McLaren would be fighting at the front if it had a Mercedes or Ferrari engine, Alonso said: "Who knows. It's difficult to guess, to imagine different combinations of cars and engines, et cetera, but I think we identified very clearly what we are missing - so if we can improve that, we can be competitive.

"But this is definitely not in the near future so we need look at reality and reality is in 15 days Hungary is a good opportunity for us, so hopefully we can do better there."

Alonso had started the British Grand Prix from the bottom of the grid after taking engine penalties, but retired from the race with a suspected fuel pump issue on lap 32.

He admitted the retirement was less painful as he believes he was not in contention for a points finish.

"Tough time. Unfortunately we had another issue today. A fuel pump, I think, which hopefully didn't damage the engine and we can use the engine in the future. A difficult weekend, starting last, and following a group of cars it was a difficult race.

"We were not in the points, so today's DNF is a bit less painful because we were not able to take points."

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HAMILTON: I CAN´T SAY WHAT WILL HAPPEN SIX MONTHS FROM NOW

Lewis Hamilton has hinted he may walk away from Formula 1 at the end of the season, while also indicating it was highly unlikely because he feels he is at his peak.

The triple world champion, so often an enigma shrouded in contradiction, offered little certainty after winning the British Grand Prix for a record-equaling fifth time.

What came across strongly, however, was that the Mercedes driver felt in the form of his life and would always want to be a winner.

“Apart from being with my family, the happiest moment I ever have is when I’ve got the car on a knife-edge and that´s never really changed,” he told reporters after the race at Silverstone.

“In terms of contracts and stuff, I can´t really say what´s going to happen six months from now. But what I do know is I´m loving racing. I really, really do feel within myself that I´m driving better than I´ve ever driven.”

Hamilton has another year and a half to go on his Mercedes contract and is now just one point behind Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in the standings at the midpoint of the season.

While Hamilton has found the life balance that works for him, jetting across the Atlantic in-between races and taking a holiday in Greece just days before Silverstone, questions are regularly asked about his focus.

There has also been speculation that he could seek to see out his career at Ferrari.

Asked whether he was speaking in terms of not knowing whether he would still be in Formula One in six months’ time, Hamilton sought to clarify.

“No, I just think in life you don´t know what´s going to happen,” he said.

“Right now I love driving and then in six months I might… it´s very unlikely because I think I´m always going to like driving, I´m always going to like doing crazy stuff,” said the 32-year-old.

Earlier, in the post-race news conference, he had said he felt “no current reason to want to have to stop.

“I´m still enjoying it and I still have a contract with the team for at least a year so I plan to see that out at the moment,” he added.

Only Michael Schumacher, with 91 wins, is ahead of Hamilton on victories while only four drivers since the championship started in 1950 have won four titles or more.

“Even in getting another championship, it will never be: OK, now it´s time to hang up the gloves. I´ll always want to win more,” said Hamilton, whose previous team mate Nico Rosberg quit immediately after winning the 2016 title. “Even when I do stop, something inside me will say I still want to get more.”

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WOLFF: KEEPING BOTTAS IS ALMOST A NO-BRAINER

Keeping Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes next season looks an obvious decision but the Formula 1 champions need to consider their long term options, team boss Toto Wolff said after the Finn shone during the British Grand Prix.

When asked by reporters at Silverstone if Bottas’ had done enough to warrant a contract extension, Wolff replied, “It is almost a no-brainer.”

“I would just like to set the puzzle together and it’s not only about 2018. I think that is logical. I think it’s about looking forward and what happens in 2019 and 2020, the risk and opportunities.”

“That’s why after Budapest, hopefully a good race again, I’m going to contemplate on a beach about what’s right and wrong for the team.”

Triple F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton won the race, a record-equalling fifth victory in Britain and his fourth in a row at Silverstone, to slash Sebastian Vettel’s championship lead to a single point.

The Briton has also won five times in Hungary, the last race before the August break.

Bottas has proved an ideal replacement for retired 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg since he joined in January on a one-year deal and Hamilton, out of contract at the end of 2018, has emphasised how well they get on.

After Rosberg’s sudden decision to quit last December, Mercedes will want a clear indication of Hamilton’s intentions while also keeping themselves open to any top talent that might become available.

Ferrari’s Vettel is out of contract at the end of this year and there has been talk of Mercedes lining him up for 2019. There has also been speculation that Hamilton could seek to see out his career at Ferrari.

Wolff recognised that the Italian team was one every racer dreamed of driving for, but added that Hamilton had the fastest car at present, while the dynamic in the team was “the best”.

“So all of the talk outside has no relevance to me. Zero,” he said.

Bottas has triumphed in two races that Hamilton was in no position to win, denying Vettel important points and also proving a loyal team player.

On Sunday he started ninth thanks to a five-place penalty but fought back to anchor the team’s second one-two of the season and pass Vettel, who dropped to seventh after a late puncture.

While Ferrari have relied on Vettel, winner of three races, for the bulk of their points, the Mercedes drivers have been more equally matched. Bottas is third overall and 22 points behind Hamilton.

MIKA: Bottas is right there for the championship.

Considering Bottas stays consistent at each race and Hamilton and Vettel DNF only once or have a couple bad drives, Valterri can also take the WDC as its not even a race between them as far as points are concerned. Hell....Even Daniel Ricciardo can catch up dependant on circumstances between the top three drivers.

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HORNER: WE WOULD CONSIDER AN OFFER FOR SAINZ

Rumours spread by elements within the Spanish media claiming that Renault are wanting Carlos Sainz for the forthcoming Hungarian Grand Prix have been scoffed at by Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, but he has revealed that the Spaniard is available ‘for sale’ at the right price.

The 22-year-old was slapped down by Red Bull earlier this month when he suggested he would not be staying for a fourth year at the team owned by the Austrian energy drink manufacturer.

Horner had said that Sainz would be in a Toro Rosso again next year but there has been persistent speculation that the youngster is set to leave.

A media report last week suggested he could be in a Renault at the next Hungarian Grand Prix as a replacement for Jolyon Palmer, who has failed to score a point in 10 races so far this season.

Horner chose his words carefully in speaking to reporters after the British Grand Prix but did not categorically rule anything out.

“I don’t know where these rumours come from but I cannot believe that these rumours are out there for the Hungarian race,” he said.

Horner said there were no offers on the table at present and emphasised that any decision to let Sainz go would have to make financial sense.

“Carlos Sainz has a contract with Red Bull Racing,” he said. “There’s two years left on that contract. If somebody was prepared to make an offer, of course we’d consider it.

“But it would have to have a significant value attached to it because we’ve invested in Carlos significantly… you’re not just going to give an asset away.”

Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost was not immediately available for comment after a race that saw his drivers collide on the opening, with Sainz retiring on the spot and Russian Daniil Kvyat handed a drive-through penalty.

Toro Rosso has historically been a feeder team for Red Bull Racing but there are no vacancies there, with Australian Daniel Ricciardo and Dutch teenager Max Verstappen locked in contractually and not for sale at any price according to Helmut Marko.

MIKA: Not to be rude but IMO, I don't really think Sainz is all that great a driver. He's "Ok" for a mid field team, but nothing stands out about him.

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Silverstone retirement 'less painful' than others - Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso says his retirement from the British Grand Prix at Silverstone was “less painful” than others, because he does not think a top 10 result was possible.

Engine component changes left the Spaniard with a 30-place grid penalty, meaning the McLaren driver lined up last for the race.

He steadily made up ground through the early stages, but a fuel pressure problem on lap 35 cost him a race finish.

His team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne finished just outside the top 10, so Alonso believes nabbing a point or two was not possible at Silverstone.

“It was a difficult weekend for us, starting last with the penalties; then in the race, when I was following a group of cars, I had another issue,” he said.

“Hopefully, it hasn’t done any damage to the engine and we’ll be able to keep using it in the future.

“Stoffel was 11th, so I think we weren’t quick enough to be in the points and I think I could have ended up 13th or 14th, so the retirement is a little bit less painful than it would be if we’d lost a points finish.

“Now I’m looking ahead to Hungary, which should be a better weekend for us.”

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Renault adamant Jolyon Palmer/Carlos Sainz rumours aren't true

Renault has rubbished media speculation linking Carlos Sainz Jr. with a mid-season switch to replace Jolyon Palmer at the Enstone-based outfit.

Reports surfaced in French media publications claiming Sainz Jr. would step in for Palmer at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with the Spaniard's Toro Rosso seat consequently taken by Red Bull junior and reigning GP2 champion Pierre Gasly.

However Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul moved to dispel such rumours, telling Palmer directly on the Sunday morning of the British Grand Prix that his seat is safe, despite the Britain's recent struggles.

"I have completely dismissed speculation of him being replaced in Budapest," Abiteboul told Autosport.

"It's not good [such rumours], particularly on Sunday morning [before a race].

"When I found out, I made it clear to everyone that there was absolutely nothing true in that, and I told that to Jo directly.

"I wanted to clear that off his mind before the start."

Palmer has yet to score a single point this season while team-mate Nico Hulkenberg has 26 to his name, but much of Palmer's recent struggles have been down to poor reliability – he retired on the formation lap of his home race at the weekend with a hydraulic problem.

MIKA: I believe Ranult are telling the truth that they aren't replacing John with Sainz... They're probably actually replacing him with Kubica sometime this season

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Nico Hulkenberg admits sixth at Silverstone 'a big success' for Renault

Nico Hulkenberg says sixth place at the British Grand Prix is a “big success” for Renault, adding the team’s new upgrades are “working well”.

The German driver set quick times in the mixed conditions during qualifying, taking sixth on the grid – which then became fifth, due to Valtteri Bottas’ demotion for an unscheduled gearbox change.

He lost out to Bottas in the early laps but continued to pull away from the chasing pack, which included the Force India drivers.

A leak around the exhaust in the closing laps caused him to gradually lose power and this allowed Daniel Ricciardo to sneak ahead, but he then gained a spot with Sebastian Vettel’s late puncture.

“We are very happy with the race result,” he explained. “P6 is a big success for the team.

“We were able to get a good lap in qualifying and then to carry it through to the race. We had a strong race pace, and were able to keep ahead of both Force Indias, which is really positive.

“We lost some power at the end, especially down the straights, which made it easier for Daniel to pass me, but then we gained back a position from Seb [Vettel] when he had his problem.

“Overall this is a very positive result. The new upgrades worked really well, we were able to push the car and I’m really pleased for the team.”

His team-mate Jolyon Palmer failed to make the race start after a hydraulics issue on the formation lap.

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Franz Tost: British GP 'worst scenario' for Toro Rosso after clash

Toro Rosso Team Principal Franz Tost labelled the outcome of the British Grand Prix as the “worst scenario” for the team, after its drivers collided on the opening lap.

Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz Jr. battled for position, though Kvyat drifted wide through Becketts, and collected Sainz Jr. as the pair rounded the left-hander.

Sainz Jr. retired on the spot while Kvyat pitted for repairs and was penalised for re-joining the track in an unsafe manner, which triggered the collision.

Kvyat disputed his drive-through penalty and suggested Sainz Jr. should have been more aware, while the Spaniard declined to offer his opinion.

Tost, though, was circumspect, and believes the pair’s actions robbed Toro Rosso of a potential top 10 finish.

“It was a big disappointment for the team because the worst scenario that can ever happen is the collision between teammates on the first lap of the race,” he said.

“This should not have happened.

“From a performance point of view, the car would’ve been able to finish within the top 10 – Daniil’s lap times were quite competitive, although the floor was damaged, as well as other parts on the car.

“We had to call him in to change the front wing and in parallel to this, we also changed the tyres to the Soft compound. 

“We thought that he could maybe stay out longer, but then we had to do another pit-stop for the Supersoft.

“At the end we finished the race in P15, so with no points, but all we can do is forget about this race weekend and prepare ourselves in the best possible way for Hungary.”

Toro Rosso still holds sixth in the Constructors’ championship, albeit only four points clear of Haas, with Renault just a further three behind.  

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Vettel: Mercedes qualifying pace is a "gamechanger"

Sebastian Vettel believes Mercedes’ pace in qualifying sessions is a “game-changer” in the 2017 Formula 1 championship fight at the moment.

The Ferrari driver saw his lead over Lewis Hamilton cut from 20 points to one in the British Grand Prix, which Hamilton won comfortably from pole while Vettel slipped back to seventh due to a late tyre failure.

Mercedes has taken pole for eight of the 10 races so far this season, and Ferrari has not started from the front since the Monaco Grand Prix in May, which Vettel says is a key area of focus for the team.

“It’s probably true that the last couple of races Mercedes was a bit stronger, but I think the real game-changer is qualifying,” said Vettel.

“They are able to turn up the engine, they are gaining between three and six tenths to us on the straights. In Baku it was seven [tenths], in Austria it was half a second.

“That’s something we can’t do. We are working on it, but it doesn’t happen overnight. There is no reason to panic or worry, but we need to be aware.

“They are very quick, they have a couple of advantages that we need to work on, and then it could be a different picture.

“It’s a no-brainer, if you have the cars in front for the first lap, the first corner, the race looks different."

  

Ferrari step can't be forgotten

Vettel said he remains happy with Ferrari’s race pace, and that its step forward from 2016 to this year should not be forgotten.

“Last year we were far, far away, this year we’ve been matched [with Mercedes] for the majority of the year,” he said.

“We must not forget where we have come from – we have done the biggest step out of all the teams.

“Red Bull has been vocal in the winter how good they would be this year, so far they haven’t been there.

“Everybody is pushing hard, and we are trying to work hard on that advantage that [Mercedes] currently have in qualifying. We know where to tackle but it’s not that easy.

“The car is great, it has been fantastic again in the race here, arguably not quick enough, but still quicker than what we got in terms of result.”

Hamilton believes Mercedes’ race pace advantage over Ferrari at Silverstone was the more significant achievement.

“Qualifying pace is looking very strong and today our race pace was a lot higher than the Ferraris, probably for the first time this season,” he said.

“That’s really good to see, particularly as I think they came with an engine upgrade and we didn’t come here with any upgrades.

“There’s pros and cons between both teams in terms of performance, it’s been kind of level, but this weekend we’ve been able to exploit the full performance of our car, more so than any other race we’ve done this year.

“I don’t know what else to say except it’s been an exceptional performance this weekend from everyone.”

[skalls]

Just wait Mika, the 4 weeks of no races after Hungary are going to a bonanzo for rumors and innuendo lol.

Lets say Renault replace Palmer with Sainz (waste of money IMO).  If he gets the same garage as Sainz does, Sainz now inherits the same setup issues that have been plaguing Palmer all year. Applies to Kubica if he fills in for Palmer.

Now, I'm not one to wear a tin foil hat, but for those conspiracy theorists maybe Renault didn't want Palmer on their team anymore and his side of the garage is super clever and sabotaging his drive.  Gives Renault a solid excuse to bail on him and find someone else.

Ahhh the silly season.  Not even the NFL matches the craziness that we're seeing now.

I just don't understand Merc's reluctance to sign Bottas to a long term deal.  He's young, damn good driver, good face for the company.  That's as much a no-brainer as I've ever seen.  And I bet he meshes well with any other driver int he garage except Kimi.

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Williams' Nielsen joins Brawn's management team

Williams sporting manager Steve Nielsen is joining the team of specialists working under new F1 boss Ross Brawn.

Nielsen, who attended his last race in his current role at Silverstone, is understood to be taking the job title of Head of Sporting Matters at the F1 organisation.

Brawn has gradually been putting together a squad of former team personnel who have been tasked with helping to define the future direction of the sport, with a specific focus on 2021, when new engine regulations will be introduced.

In May F1 announced Jason Somerville as Head of Aerodynamics, Craig Wilson as Head of Vehicle Performance, and Nigel Kerr as Finance Director, Motorsports.

We said an emotional farewell to Sporting Manager, Steve Neilsen, who had his last race with the team today.

Nielsen will be tasked with providing input on the day-to-day running of F1 teams. Significantly he will also play a role in framing future rules, as he will represent the commercial rights holder in Sporting Regulations Meetings, alongside the FIA and representatives of the teams.

The highly respected Nielsen has been a familiar face in the paddock for over three decades, having worked for Team Lotus, Tyrrell, Benetton/Renault, Honda, Arrows and Caterham before he joined Williams.

He leaves the Grove outfit on July 31st, while Former McLaren man Dave Redding starts his new role as team manager on July 17th.

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3 minutes ago, skalls said:

Just wait Mika, the 4 weeks of no races after Hungary are going to a bonanzo for rumors and innuendo lol.

Lets say Renault replace Palmer with Sainz (waste of money IMO).  If he gets the same garage as Sainz does, Sainz now inherits the same setup issues that have been plaguing Palmer all year. Applies to Kubica if he fills in for Palmer.

Now, I'm not one to wear a tin foil hat, but for those conspiracy theorists maybe Renault didn't want Palmer on their team anymore and his side of the garage is super clever and sabotaging his drive.  Gives Renault a solid excuse to bail on him and find someone else.

Ahhh the silly season.  Not even the NFL matches the craziness that we're seeing now.

I just don't understand Merc's reluctance to sign Bottas to a long term deal.  He's young, damn good driver, good face for the company.  That's as much a no-brainer as I've ever seen.  And I bet he meshes well with any other driver int he garage except Kimi.

Agree completely on all points mate. 

Regarding Bottas - He really is a likeable guy, great racer, he is fast, but more importantly, he is a great role model and ambassador for the sport as a whole.

I have no idea about Kimi these days, he used to smile/laugh but these days win or lose, he's beyond lifeless. If his hearts not in the sport, I think it's about time to get the heave ho and move on. Plenty of others willing to step up.

[MIKA27]

COMEBACK KING DANIEL RICCIARDO SAYS BRITISH F1 GP WAS ’10 OUT OF 10 IN TERMS OF FUN’ BUT HOW DOES HE DO IT?

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo continued a season of comebacks with another rapid recovery in the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, which he called ‘ten out of ten in terms of fun.’

While Ricciardo has made a few comebacks this season, none of them been remotely predictable, nor have they diminished the joy he derives from swilling champagne out of his sweaty shoes.

The 28-year-old was on a five-race podium streak before the British GP, where he finished fifth even having received a five-place grid-penalty which started him 19th.

His qualifying effort was severely hampered after a turbo-failure eliminated him from Q1, and thus he was tasked another uphill climb.

“I hope they showed a lot of that on TV,” said Ricciardo post-race as he made 11 of 32 overtakes during the race.

“I just felt like the whole race I was overtaking cars and I hope the fans enjoyed it.

“The whole race was a fight. I was coming through and then I made a really good restart [after the early safety car] – I got two cars by Turn 4 and then I was going for three,” he said.

Ricciardo finished behind team-mate Max Verstappen, who himself was in the running for a podium as both Ferraris suffered tyre-failures in the closing stages of the race but Verstappen had to pit late on as a precaution and lost his chance to stand on the rostrum.

Sebastian Vettel’s late front-tyre damage gave Ricciardo fifth, however, a place that was seemingly out of reach, and the Red Bull driver was elated as a result.

“I was probably a bit optimistic on the outside of [Romain] Grosjean and he didn’t give me much room. I probably shouldn’t have been there,” he said having overtaken the Haas on lap three.

“It wasn’t the smartest place to put the car and I went off track and it probably damaged a bit of the floor. I fell back to pretty much last again but came back through.

“I caught Hulkenberg with a few laps to go and then Seb [Vettel] had his issue which handed me fifth, so danke Sebastian,” quipped Ricciardo.

“I would give this race ten out of ten in terms of fun. I think you could say that in the last six races the ‘honey badger’ has certainly shown up on Sunday and it’s been great fun.”

How has Ricciardo pulled off his recoveries?

There is no doubt that Ricciardo is quickly earning the moniker of ‘comeback king’ this season, having earned a win and four podium places from behind already – but how did he pull them off?

The Spanish GP was actually an underwhelming weekend for Ricciardo, who was in an upgraded RB13 but couldn’t quite muster the pace to challenge the frontrunners in qualifying.

However, his rearward grid position of sixth helped him avoid the clash between Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas and Verstappen at Turn 1 on the opening lap, which knocked the latter driver out; Bottas’ lap 38 engine failure gifted Ricciardo a podium. With only 16 overtakes overall that weekend, the Australian’s brief was solely to bring the Red Bull home.

A third place finish in Monaco continued the trend in another fortunate weekend, as Ricciardo was ejected in traffic for Q3 which nearly jeopardised his race on a circuit which is notoriously difficult to overtake on.

He found himself ahead of Bottas and Verstappen having overcut the two successfully with a pit-stop on lap 38, though Ricciardo got away with tap of the wall up the hill following Turn 1 on a late Safety Car restart.

Force India’s civil war and Verstappen’s lap 10 loss of power meant Ricciardo’s long run to the finish line on the slower soft tyre against his rivals on super-softs was excused in the Canadian GP to make it three podiums in a row.

Yet, Ricciardo’s season continued to astonish in Azerbaijan where he won from 10th, having been in the fortunate position to avoid Raikkonen’s Turn 1 clash with Bottas and more pivotally, the Safety Car chaos involving both Force Indias, where he tail-gated the Williams pair and ultimately overtook Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll to take the unlikeliest of victories.

Upgrades for Hungary

This season didn’t look to be an overtaking-laden saga, and it hasn’t been for most, with fewer overtakes than in 2016.

However, Ricciardo has benefited more than his rivals from starting behind them, avoiding the turbulent, punishing wake of faster cars and easily leapfrogging those without Red Bull’s strong chassis and gradually improving Renault power unit. Clashes with the longer, wider cars in front are working in his favour as well, and Ricciardo is clearly riding a wave.

“I’ve been really happy with how I’ve been putting my Sundays together for the last handful of races,” Ricciardo continued after the British GP.

“It’s been strong and to get fifth from the back today I really couldn’t ask for more. Last week I was the hunted and this week the hunter, I love the fight of this sport and today I felt I could really enjoy that.”

With a significant upgrade touted for the Red Bulls in Hungary, the team hopes to split the Ferraris and Mercedes in front.

“If we can keep building on Austria’s performance then we should hopefully be able to get cars between Ferrari and Mercedes or vice versa,” said Team Principal Christian Horner to Autosport.

“Our drivers are going to have little to lose, so we are just going to be going for the best results we can.

“We are not essentially in the drivers’ championship. Daniel is some way off but we are still looking to achieve some big results.”

The team’s reliability woes, while alleviated for the British GP, need to be addressed more than anything else and they are Red Bull’s biggest issue mid-season; if not, Ricciardo’s shoe-drinking antics could be left behind.

[MIKA27]

THE NEXT BIG THING? – EXCLUSIVE F1 INTERVIEW WITH FERRARI’S RISING STAR

Charles Leclerc is a name that you will be hearing a lot in the next few months.

He is dominating the FIA F2 championship this season (the re-branded GP2) and at Silverstone this weekend he took his fifth victory of his rookie season to open up an 87 point lead in the table.

In two weeks his attention will turn to F1 testing with Ferrari after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Leclerc will drive for the Scuderia on one of the two days of testing before the summer shutdown and it is likely that from there attention on him will grow as the market for F1 seats for 2018 begins in earnest.

The Ferrari Academy driver is a hot property, so JA on F1 took the opportunity – before the stampede – to visit the F2 paddock to get some exclusive time with the next big thing to find out more about the man behind the name.

Leclerc is from Monaco, his father used to race F3 cars not terribly succesfully, but he was mentored by Jules Bianchi, who passed away after a serious accident in the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

Leclerc has lost two people close to him recently, as his father died shortly before the Baku weekend. Leclerc went out and won that race, demonstrating a strong mentality.

Apart from his speed, what catches the eye about Leclerc in the car is his calmness and racing brain. He makes few mistakes and is capable of overtakes like a Hamilton and a Verstappen, but more driven by calculation than aggression. He is not the finished article, of course, but the raw materials are there for a different kind of driver.

So, let’s go back a little bit to the origins, how did you start racing?.
Yeah my dad used to race in F3 but his best friend was also the father of Jules. So every time we had free time we were going to the track so that’s how I actually started when we were going there. The first time I went there I was probably three-and-a-half and I didn’t want to go to school, so I told my dad I was sick and he brought me to Phillippe’s track and there Jules’ dad was driving, obviously, and I did my first lap behind Phillippe with a rope attaching his go-kart to my go-kart, to be sure that I knew the basis before. Then I did half a lap and he took off the rope and that’s how I started.

How come your family was in Monaco?
Well my father has always been there. My mum then married my father and became Monegasque also.

Your grandparents were as well?
Yeah. They had, well my grandfather had quite a big plastic industry and then my father had some little industries for himself but to be honest, he was more following me on the races than anything.

So is it a rich family?
No. My parents aren’t particularly rich, my grandparents were a little bit, so they were helping us pay for the hotels and all that but they never wanted to invest in anything in racing,

How far did your dad’s career go?
He went into Formula 3 then he tested in Formula 1 once or twice, but he never had the budget. It was like 10 years before I was born, so that’s why I don’t know much about it.

Was he always keen for you to race? Did he push you into it?

No I don’t think he was. Actually, on the way back after I did my first laps, which I asked for on the karting, I said to my father ‘I want to do that when I’m older’. And from then on we were going very, very often to Jules’ track, probably every weekend to drive because I was really asking for it, and obviously my father was more than happy that I was driving because it was his passion, but he has never pushed me. I mean I always wanted to go there so it wasn’t necessary for him to push me.

What were the turning points along the way? If you had to identify moments where things really turned.
Hm. Well obviously, my first race I did, Jules was my mechanic, so obviously there he taught me a lot from the beginning which helped me to work maybe a bit quicker than others. Then I would say 2011 when Nicolas [Todt, Leclerc’s manager] took me, obviously it was a big moment in my career because at the end of that year I would have stopped, because my sponsor couldn’t have afforded the other budgets.

Jules has helped me massively to make contact with Nicolas, explaining to him the situation of my career, that I will have stopped at the end of the year. And luckily Nicolas helped me, and since then he has helped me hugely. Then in 2014, when I went up to cars, that has been quite a big moment also and 2016 which was my first year as a Ferrari Academy driver.

And you won championships along the way, which has not been easy – some big fights. But you seem as you’ve gotten older you’ve gotten more – not dominant, too strong a word – much stronger as you progressed up the category?
Yeah well I believe, yeah. As I said I think, I had a really good godfather, that was Jules, and that helped me massively to grow up as a driver especially as I made my step up to cars. Well, his crash arrived quite early in my car career, but he has helped me hugely to get into this world and then my father – even though he hasn’t been to a very high motorsport level – his advice was always very good and I think circumstances I’ve been in in the last two years, losing two very close people, have made me a lot stronger as a person.

Obviously it was a big shock for all of us what happened with Jules, but did that hit you very hard? Did that take a while to get over? You were very young as well.
Yeah I mean; Jules, it was a bit like the family, my brother was his best friend. So, yeah it has been very hard at the beginning. It still is obviously but I need to do well for them up there. It has been a shock. Once I knew, I remember I was in Jerez for the last round of the championship and my father wouldn’t tell me what happened and I learned eventually and obviously it was quite hard.

What happened in the race? Do you remember what you were thinking? Or did you forget about it and drive the car?
Well I had to. Obviously it’s quite hard in these types of circumstances but that’s how – I’ve seen it the way that I had to do the best job I could in the car. Obviously in that moment I didn’t really know all about his real state because we didn’t have any news in Jerez, yet but I knew the accident was quite bad but I told myself that I knew that Jules – and my father, in Baku – would be happy for me to do well and not to think about it and not do a bad race. So that’s the only thing I was thinking about; trying to do the best I could for them.

In the Formula 1 paddock people were really impressed with that; impressed that you turned up for the next race and won in Baku. That really made an impression in the Formula 1 paddock And obviously the way you drive, I’ve worked with Senna and Schumacher, you have a calmness as a driver. I mean, when you need to get on with it you do and you make the passes, but you don’t make the passes in a very aggressive way, and it seems to me that you make them in a thoughtful way. Is that right?
Yes. I think I’ve definitely improved in this since I was younger. I was very very emotional when I was younger. I could get quite angry very quickly and I knew that was my weakness and I’ve worked on it quite a lot.

How?
With Formula Medicine [an organisation run by Dr Cecharelli], who are helping (mentally) the drivers to just stay as calm as possible. I have actually been doing that for nine years now; to mentally work on myself, which I think is very very important and now for two years I’m working with the mental trainers of Ferrari which are amazing also. And that’s helped me a lot to improve in this manner, to stay calm in these difficult times, that was quite difficult from me in the beginning.

And one of the things I’ve noticed working with champions over the years is that when they’ve had a big setback, they first seekto understand it, and then they throw it away like a piece of rubbish and move on and never think about it again otherwise it drags you down, doesn’t it?
Right, exactly. I think, in sport the last part of the season in F3 was hugely difficult and to come back from that in GP3 has been quite hard. And as I said I think until I was 11 years old I would have never thought the mental aspect of a driver is that important and once I started to actually work on it and see the improvements I actually think that a driver cannot be good if his mental aspect is not right.

The other thing I’m fascinated with is that we all see the talented guys coming through from the juniors, like you, Lewis or Verstappen. But now there is a real debate about how long it should take to arrive in F1. Verstappen went straight in from F3, Lewis took a few more steps. You’re doing it more like him, F3, GP3, F2, you’re not straight from F3 into F1. I can’t help but feel that these extra couple of steps are a good idea.
Yes. It depends on the driver; I think some people adapt very quickly, not not all of them.

It depends also on how you look at things. With my manager, Nicolas, we think that if one day I want to go into F1, I want to be 200% ready and that’s what we hare aiming for. That’s why we did so many steps in the junior categories. I did one year in more or less every category that was useful to arrive in F1. And looking back at it I think we did well. This year I feel more ready than I’ve ever been, a lot of experience. So yeah, looking back at things I wouldn’t change anything. I’m very happy with how we solved things and how we managed my career until now.

Last year you got a taste of F1, driving Friday FP1 for Haas at several races. But to get a taste of F1 before F2 is good because you know where you’re aiming for, where the next step looks like?
Definitely. But I also thought there’s a positive part and a negative part to that situation I was in. Doing an FP1 at the same weekend as a GP3 weekend for me wasn’t the best thing we could’ve done,b ecause F1 and GP3 are two completely different cars and to be honest to go from F1 to GP3 in the same weekend has been very, very hard to manage last year.

But working with an F1 team and working with people, drivers like Romain [Grosjean] who has huge experience has been very helpful for me. To see how they work, to see the little details that maybe you don’t put much importance on when you’re younger actually seeing the F1 drivers mentioning it and taking a long time to analyse it in the briefings helped me usually to check every little detail and to try to improve absolutely everything. That has helped me massively.

But the plus is that it must have made you more adaptable, whcih is a really important quality in F1. The top F1 drivers all need to be adaptable.
Right. I think it also made me a bit weaker in the middle part of the GP3 season when I did that because going from F1 to GP3 I struggled to come back from F1 to GP3. I think I could have done better.

That’s interesting; were you honest with yourself while it was going on and telling those around ‘I’m struggling with this transition?’
Oh yeah completely, I said to the team in GP3 that I wasn’t taking 100% of the car and I still believe that I didn’t, in this middle part, I didn’t show the best of myself and it’s a shame. But I think we have learned from it and yeah, this year if we have the possibility to do some FP1s at the middle of this year I wouldn’t take it. I’m very happy to be in this position I’m in now.

I bet you are. Just 100% focused on winning the championship.
Exactly, and I’m very happy about this to have managed to have a fully focused season middle of the season, for now here in F2 and don’t think about anything else apart from F2.

How would you describe this championship that you’re in? There’s some pretty good drivers around, there’s a few that have been here for a few years. Not that many rookies apart from you, how would you describe driving in this championship?
I think obviously the drivers in F2 are very talented I mean drivers like Oliver Rowland or Alex Albon are very talented and in F2, (formerly GP2) I think we are seeing many times that experienced drivers are taking a bit the upper hand off the talented drivers in this category because obviously with the tyres, it’s quite difficult to understand them.

Pirelli is quite a huge step compared to every Formula we’ve had before and yeah to a driver it’s quite hard to learn all of this very quickly. Luckily I have a great team this year who are helping me to learn the car very quickly and yeah, to be honest it wasn’t my weakest point of adapting to cars quickly. I’ve always been quite OK with [Adapting to the tyres].

In Bahrain I remember you’d learned a lot in the first race about how to manage the tyres as you had not quite got it right and since then you’ve really got it right pretty much every time
I’m still learning right now but the first two weeks I’ve learned a huge amount.

For the degradation, in Bahrain it was the worst track of the season for the tyre degradation, so to start for this one as the first race was very hard. But I think we managed quite well with the third place and then a nice strategy in the sprint race to win.

Obviously quite a few drivers have been in your position, won the final step of the ladder and not got further. You got on the radar with a lot of people in F1, the Ferrari driver academy and the right manager. Do you worry a little bit about whether the journey continues or do you feel like you do the best you do on the track and leave the rest of it to the people around you to make it happen?
I think I’m in a lucky place and I’m lucky enough to have very good surroundings that are taking care of my career. Ferrari obviously are amazing and are supporting me and trying to find solutions for me next year and I have an amazing manager that is Nicolas, helping me since 2011 and I’m giving my- I never know this word in English – confiance.

Faith.
Yes, exactly. I’m giving my total faith to them for them to find me a place, which is very good because I just have to focus on driving and I feel very lucky to be in this position because I believe not many drivers are in this position to be able to fully have faith in their surroundings.

Would you say from your experience, your journey, you’re looking at people coming up behind you that F2 is an important step. Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen have jumped it, quite a few people have, but is this an important step for you?
Yeah definitely, I think the F2 cars are definitely the closest to F1, the drivers are a lot more experienced as I said and you can always learn anyway but obviously I think in this category it’s one of the categories I’ve learned the most. Especially with the degradation of the tyre you don’t have anything similar before it and yeah I think the biggest aspect is the degradation of the tyre that is very helpful for the future because in F1 it is a big factor and to learn and to make experience with this car, this year, is very important.

Finally, I’ve noticed that you don’t make very many mistakes. I didn’t watch all of your races earlier on, is that something you’ve always had or something you’ve had to work on as you’ve gotten higher up in the category
I think that came a little bit with the mentality, to stay calm in the difficult situations, to avoid stupid errors in the difficult situations, that helped me to be a bit stronger and obviously during the last two years I became a lot more strong mentally and that helped me to avoid making stupid mistakes as I was doing before.

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SAINZ: I AM CONFIRMED FOR TORO ROSSO NEXT YEAR

Carlos Sainz has made a dramatic about turn with regards to his future with Toro Rosso, after a spot of tennis with Red Bull chiefs Christian Horner and Helmut Marko the Spaniard has confirmed that he is staying with the organisation’s junior team for another year.

Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix. Sainz told reporters that another year with Toro Rosso would be highly unlikely but since then it transpired that the Red Bull had extended their option on the 22 year old and as far as the team was concerned he would only be released for a substantial ‘transfer’ fee.

But after the weekend at Silverstone, Sainz updated his situation, “After Austria we cleared everything, clarified everything, what was said, what was not intended to be said and we explained everything to each other.”

“We were playing tennis together, had a barbeque, enjoying our time – me versus Christian Horner and Marko was the referee. So we had a good time, the air is clear, and I’m a Red Bull driver inside the Red Bull programme confirmed for Toro Rosso next year.”

“As a 22-year-old driver you learn from these kind of things and the air was cleared immediately once we started our conversation in Austria. At that point it was forgotten, I kept focusing on my job like I’ve done all season.”

It is well known that certain elements of the Spanish media are lobbying top teams on behalf of Sainz, spreading reports about Ferrari and most recently concocting a theory that he would replace Jolyon Palmer at Renault for the Hungarian Grand Prix. All have proven to be fake.

Sainz admitted there was confusion surrounding his future, “I think there was a bit and I’ve learned from it. I’m calm because I don’t have a reason to really be too stressed.”

Meanwhile the Toro Rosso driver is embroiled in a ‘civil war’ with his teammate Daniil Kvyat after the pair collided on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix, the latest in a series of spats between the two.

Sainz was eliminated on the spot with damage to his car preventing him from continuing the race.

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MCLAREN: MOST TEAMS LIKE US WHERE WE ARE

Amid the engine crisis that has engulfed McLaren and Honda there have been suggestions that Mercedes may provide a helping hand, but the Woking team chief Zak Brown explains why it is unlikely that assistance will come from their rivals.

Brown told Sky, “We’re a big team that knows how to win races and championships so I think most of the teams, while it’s a shame to see where we are, they like us where we are. They don’t want to get us too close to them which is understandable.”

“We’ve spoken with Honda about a variety of different scenarios. We ultimately think that Honda can get the job done, they have in the past. We need to make sure the development comes at a faster pace.”

“We’re starting to work on our 2018 car now and you can only go so far before you need to know the architecture of what you’re doing so I think around the summer time, which obviously isn’t far away, we need to finalise what we’re doing with Honda moving forward.”

McLaren are enduring the worst spell in their illustrious history, exacerbating the urgency is the fact that their star driver Fernando Alonso is beyond frustrated, while the Honda power unit appears to have taken a step backward relative to last year.

Brown is well aware of this, “We can’t continue to be uncompetitive – that’s not what McLaren race for. It’s been three years, so we need to see some drastic power adjustments or some different ways to get there.

“We, like Fernando [Alonso], want to be winning races and being on the podium and in the current state we can’t do that – so some things need to change,” added Brown.

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WOLFF: I DON’T KNOW WHO TALKED ABOUT FERRARI AND LEWIS

It is no secret that Formula 1 drivers itch to drive for Ferrari, and over the past few weeks Lewis Hamilton has been linked to the sport’s most successful despite being well ensconced with the most dominant team.

The talk obviously annoys Silver Arrows team chief who said of the prospect, “I don’t know who talked about Ferrari and Lewis. Certainly nobody in the team and not himself. What he said was that he’s a Ferrari fan like we all are and it’s a team every driver dreams to drive in. Full stop.

“He’s in a very good place, he drives the fastest car at the moment and that’s a Mercedes. He’s driving great but you need a car that’s capable of doing so as well.”

“We have a contract that goes for one-and-a-half more years and we have the best dynamic in the team, so all the talk outside has zero relevance for me.”

Indeed it was Hamilton himself who may have inadvertently stoked the rumours when he said last month, “I’ve made it no secret I’m a huge fan of the team, a big fan of Ferrari and what they’ve achieved in the history of motorsport and the normal world in terms of the cars that they make.”

“Who knows what the future holds, at the moment I can’t imagine myself being anywhere else but here. I’m really enjoying the fight we have with Ferrari and admiring them for the strong competition.”

The latest spate of Hamilton to Maranello talk comes at a time when the triple Formula 1 World Champion is being elusive about his future, although he has a contract until the end of 2018 he is not committing to anything beyond that at this point.

He said rather cryptically after his triumph at the British Grand Prix, “You could say [retirement] is very unlikely because I am always going to like driving and doing crazy stuff. The happiest I am, except when I am with my family, is when I have the car under me. That has never changed.”

Interestingly Hamilton has never raced any F1 car that has not been powered by Mercedes including his time at McLaren. He has won all his 57 grand prix races with engines badged with the three pointed star.

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HASEGAWA: I AM CONFIDENT THAT WE ARE CLOSING THE GAP

The Honda deficit to Mercedes during the British Grand Prix weekend was massive, apart from lacking top speed the power unit bolted on the back of the McLarens are also woefully lacking low down grunt, but Yusuke Hasegawa remains committed to the concept that his team have pioneered despite there being no end to the tunnel of their struggles.

In the wake of the British Grand Prix, where Vandoorne finished a lap behind the leaders, in 11th, and Fernando Alonso endured another DNF, the Honda chief said, “I get excited when we bring an update, because it can lead to increased expectations of scoring points or similar.”

“But still we need more from our other updates to catch up to the level of Mercedes and Ferrari. I am definitely confident that we are closing the gap to the leaders so, from that point of view, our speed of development is good. But at the same time it is natural for the follower because you have a target that you know is achievable.”

Truth is that stats do not quite show an improvement, because at the season opener Vandoorne was 15 kph down on the top speed that weekend. In Spain he was 12 kph down, in Canada and Azerbaijan 14 kph down, but at Silverstone they dropped to nearly 30 kph down on the top speed set during the race.

Much was expected of the Honda spec-three engine when it broke cover recently, but it did not deliver to expectations. The source of the problem appears to be the backward steps the Japanese manufacturer took ahead of the 2017 season, deciding to develop an alternative engine concept from scratch.

Hasegawa explained, “We introduced a new power unit concept this year, so I would almost call this Year One again. But our aim is to develop the 2017 concept into the 2018 season and hopefully 2019 as well. So the engine weight, centre of gravity and the combustion concept is all going in the same direction as the other three engine manufacturers.”

“It was good for us to do that. We can modify the specification of some of these parts to catch up with the other three engine manufacturers. Last year the engine concept was completely different, so with minor modifications we could not duplicate the same type of performance. That’s why we really needed to change the whole engine concept this year.”

“Roughly speaking, it takes almost a year to design a completely new engine. So that’s why we started 2017’s engine development last May. So this year’s power unit was built up at the end of last year. In parallel, we also conducted some mono-cylinder tests and some experimental tests on other engines.”

“However, when we fired up the complete engine for the first time, we could see it wasn’t delivering the durability or performance in accordance with our expectations. We also found many minor issues. So we needed to modify tiny bits.”

“After resolving these smaller elements, we started to test the full concept at the start of this year – call it Spec Zero as it was the initial one – and before the first winter test we confirmed that it ran on the dyno.”

“But of course at that moment we knew that the power was not delivering to our target. Then, at the Barcelona test, we found more issues on the car, such as the oil tank issue. It was a car-related issue. This is not a complete engine issue, but of course it is very important.”

An obvious question is: why these issues were not apparent before the engines were bolted on to the McLarens?

Hasegawa disclosed, “The answer lies in the difference between testing on the dyno and running in a brand new car on a track. Many items we could not test on the dyno, so it is normal that we need to check some functions in the car”

“The oil tank is one of the biggest items, so we have a rig for the oil tank but we cannot recreate the same types of G forces and conditions as in the car.”

“Of course, by design we have to consider the actual car situation in theory, but sometimes it is not always the same situation so that is why we had some issues with the oil tank first.”

“The second issue was down to the vibrations. On the dyno, the model is stiffer and heavier, so it doesn’t create any synchronised vibrations, but on the car – with the gearbox and the tyres – there is a much lower level of inertia.”

“Low inertia does not always create vibrations but it’s completely different from the dyno and that’s why we suffered a huge vibration on the car. Of course, we were aware some level of vibration would come in the car but it was much bigger than we expected.”

Although they have severely toned down their criticism of their engine partner, McLaren are searching for a solution to pry them out of the worst period in their history. And the news is not good from Honda as they admit that time is not on their side, in other words: there is no short term solution to this crisis.

“It depends on the items – something like the combustion system takes longer for testing and confirmation. So we cannot set a target just for two weeks later, normally such an upgrade takes something more like half a year,” confessed Hasegawa.

Despite what is clearly a dubious development path they have chosen, Honda are committed to the journey they are on, clearly believing that the concept they have pioneered is the best one for their ambitions in Formula 1.

Hasegawa said, “It’s good that we can use the same concept because this year’s development and improvement is directly connected to next year. So that means we don’t need to stop the current development, and from that point of view we have already started next year’s design.”