Formula 1 - 2017

[MIKA27]

Toto Wolff: Teams shouldn't dismiss Liberty's Formula 1 share offer easily

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff believes that Formula 1 teams should not easily dismiss the idea of buying shares in the series following the offering from new owner Liberty Media.

Liberty completed its takeover of F1 last month ahead of schedule, with chairman Chase Carey becoming the sport's new CEO following Bernie Ecclestone's resignation.

As part of its plans for acquiring F1, Liberty said it would be reserving $400 million worth shares for the teams to buy should they wish, with a deadline set of July 23 - six months from the date that the takeover was completed - for a final decision to be made.

Speaking to Austrian magazine Trend, Wolff said he expected talks regarding the shares to go on for many months, but that teams should not snub the idea without giving it proper thought.

"This is an idea which one shouldn't dismiss easily," Wolff said, as translated by Reuters .

"But in any case, one must know more about the business case and our role in the whole [F1 project]. Talks about this have only just begun and will probably last for the coming months."

Wolff's comments follow those of Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne, who stressed on Friday that teams required clarity from Liberty on its plans for F1 before they could consider buying a stake.

"The issue is not just the question of the financial investment. This is something that we do for a living in a very serious way," Marchionne said.

"The Concorde Agreement expires in 2020. So, becoming a non-voting shareholder in an entity, which effectively keeps us trapped in without knowledge of what 2021 and the later world will look like, it is something I consider unwise."

[MIKA27]

Rosberg: I’d prefer Alonso to have replaced me at Mercedes

Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg says he’d have preferred Fernando Alonso to replace him as Lewis Hamilton’s 2017 teammate at Mercedes, but admitted that the move “wouldn’t work”.

Speaking to Spanish newspaper Marca, the retired Rosberg says choosing two-time champion Alonso instead of Valtteri Bottas would have been his ideal choice now he’s a “fan” rather than a racing driver.

“OK, because I'm now a fan, and on that side of the fence, it's very easy to respond,” Rosberg said when asked who he’d have preferred to replace him.

“Everyone says Alonso and I say it too, because there would be fireworks with Hamilton [he laughs].

“As a fan, it would be nice, but for the team, it wouldn't work. They've found a great solution.

“Bottas is fast and though Hamilton will be at a very, very high level and it will be difficult to beat him, I have proved that he can.”

Speaking of Bottas, Rosberg quipped: “I have him on pole in the first race in Australia!” 

     

No issues with Lauda

Rosberg also revealed that his former team boss Niki Lauda’s unhappiness, widely reported in the press, at the short notice of his decision to retire has never been relayed to him in person.

When asked if Mercedes was angry, he replied: “Angry? No, they have a lot of respect for me and I appreciate it.

“With Lauda it has been more complicated and though he seems angry in the press, with me he isn't.

“He told me in person that he took off his hat to me. He’s been very supportive after three very good years working together.”

[MIKA27]

Webber tips Ricciardo to beat Verstappen in 2017

Former Red Bull Racing star Mark Webber believes Daniel Ricciardo will hold the upper hand over Formula 1 teammate Max Verstappen in 2017.

Speaking at the Bathurst 12 Hours on Saturday, Webber thinks Ricciardo’s extra experience over Verstappen will stand him in good stead with the new, more aggressive rules this year.

Ricciardo, who finished third in last year’s drivers’ championship, has 109 F1 starts to his name, while Verstappen – who only switched to Red Bull’s top team in May last year – has 40 grands prix under his belt.

When asked how he saw the intra-team fight at Red Bull in 2017, Webber said: “It will be tight, as it was at the end of last year.

“I think Daniel still has more composure. Obviously that experience will be very useful for him, particularly in the early part of the championship.

“When you’ve seen more regulation [changes], like he has done, driven different types of cars [including V8-era Toro Rosso and HRT machinery], that’s an advantage for him.

“It’s going to be a good battle there. But the composure side is a big plus for Daniel. He’s got plenty of fire too, and it’s all about putting the weekends together.

“Max is still learning, with that unbelievable talent.”

  

Red Bull can take on Mercedes

Webber believes that Red Bull has a serious opportunity to contend for the title in 2017, after three years of Mercedes dominance in the hybrid-turbo era.

“I think Red Bull have had a quiet winter and they’re going to be quite strong,” said Webber.

“It really depends on who unlocks these new regulations. Traditionally, Adrian [Newey, Red Bull’s chief technical officer] has been very good at that.

“Mercedes have had the luxury of closing out the constructors’ championship very early last year, so that gives you a big chance to put your resources into the next year’s programme earlier than anyone else potentially.

"They have a very good engine, we know that’s their main strength.

“Operationally, Red Bull were the best team last year. With reliability they were the best team, Mercedes had a few technical challenges.

"So if it’s nip and tuck when down to the fine points – Red Bull are very good at that.”

[MIKA27]

Vandoorne hopes 2017 rules bring back "normal" F1

McLaren recruit Stoffel Vandoorne hopes F1's 2017 ruleset brings back the real sensation of driving a Formula 1 car, admitting the previous year's machine didn't feel right compared to Super Formula.

Vandoorne raced in the Japanese Super Formula championship full-time in 2016 while also performing reserve and test driver duties for McLaren F1.

He stood in for Fernando Alonso behind the wheel of the McLaren MP4-31 in Bahrain and also tested the car during in-season test days at Barcelona and Silverstone.

Having been promoted to a McLaren race seat for 2017 - the year for which the new rules are to make cars faster and harder to drive - Vandoorne admits going from Super Formula to 2016-spec F1 made the latter feel not "normal".

"I remember actually coming from Super Formula and then jumping into an F1 car was quite strange for me," Vandoorne said in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com. "I almost had to under-drive because I was pushing too much in the beginning."

"That is not what it should be like. You should be coming to F1 and being way under the limit – that should be normal.

"I hope we get a bit of that sensation back this year."

However, the Belgian was reluctant to make predictions on the quality of racing under the 2017 ruleset.

"[The new cars] feel very different to last year’s cars in the simulators. Every week I am coming in, there are some updates and it feels different every week, so I think until testing we won’t know exactly what it is going to feel like.

"I think, in terms of performance, it is going to be nice for the drivers. It looks a chunk faster.

"But if it will make the racing any better, is difficult to say for me."

He also reckoned the new rules wouldn't be a huge change for drivers in terms of competitiveness.

"I don’t think it will change very much because drivers, generally, once you get in a new car, they are usually pretty good at adapting pretty quickly in taking a car to its limits. So I don’t think it is a huge change.

"I still think experience will always benefit you a little bit, but I don’t think it is something bad that the regulations have changed now - for me it is an opportunity as well, and for McLaren-Honda to close the gap."

[MIKA27]

Formula 1 teams warned against 'preloaded' start trick

The FIA has told Formula 1 teams that a trick idea for a 'preloaded' start procedure – which could have delivered the benefits of launch control – will not be allowed on safety grounds.

The move comes after Ferrari outed the concept in correspondence with the FIA – with all teams now having been notified on the matter.

Motor racing's governing body has got stricter over the past 18 months in putting starts back in the control of drivers, teams have been looking at ways of improving the situation for their men.

The value of making good starts under the tighter restrictions that came into force in 2016 became clear throughout last season as Lewis Hamilton failed to capitalise on his pole position several times as teammate Nico Rosberg got away from the grid better.

Disastrous getaways in Australia, Bahrain, Italy and Japan in particular ultimately proved costly, as Rosberg grabbed the title in the final race.

On the flip side, Sebastian Vettel was able to snatch the lead in both the Australian and Canadian Grands Prix thanks to sensational getaways from the second row of the grid.

In light of the clear benefits that could come from having a start advantage, teams have been working hard on fine-tuning their systems to try to make things as consistent as possible for drivers.

Motorsport.com has learned that F1 race director Charlie Whiting recently rejected a proposal put to it by Ferrari for a 'preloaded' start system.

It is unclear, however, whether Ferrari was working on the concept for its own benefit in 2017, or wanted the idea out in the public domain, so that any rivals that had been either using it or developing it were no longer allowed to do so.

Ferrari's involvement comes on the back of its querying pre-loaded suspension systems late last year in a bid to ensure rivals were not employing trick technology.  

     

Preloaded starts

Under F1's tight start regulations, teams are forbidden from giving drivers any help with finding clutch-biting points at the start.

The F1 Technical Regulations state clearly that designs that help adjust clutch engagement, or even notify drivers of the best position to hold the paddle in, are outlawed.

The 'preloaded' start procedure aimed to get around the situation by drivers effectively holding the car on the brakes once the driver had found a good balance with the clutch and throttle.

This is how the procedure could work:

• The driver would fully engage the clutch shortly before the start procedure commenced.
• Then, the driver would select first gear.
• The driver would then push the throttle until engine revs reached a pre-agreed point that would deliver the best getaway
• The driver would then hit the brake pedal to commence the 'preload' phase.
• Moments before the final red light came on, the driver would start to release the clutch paddle to find a position where he felt the torque was best – and then hold it.
• As soon as the red lights went out, the driver would then just need to release the brake pedal to make the perfect getaway.

Clarification

As well as ensuring a good consistent getaway each time, the procedure would help minimise wheelspin too because in the final phase before the brake is released, the engine revs would drop by a managed amount.

Ferrari wanted clarification on whether the 'preloaded' start complied with two of F1's 2017 regulations.

They were 9.2.2 that: "Designs which allow specific points along the travel range of the clutch operating device to be identified by the driver or assist him to hold a position are not permitted."

Plus Article 9.2.7: "Any device or system which notifies the driver of the amount of clutch slip or engagement is not permitted."

Stall danger

It is understood, however, that objections to the preloaded start procedure were lodged not because of the rules but because of potential dangers of such a system.

Whiting argued that having drivers pulling the engine revs down too much in the preload phase, or if throttle failsafe thresholds were exceeded, would run the risk of anti-stall kicking in – which could leave cars stranded on the grid at the start.

It was felt also that giving the green light to the preload idea would open up huge development wars – either through negating the throttle failsafe limits or in aggressive clutch development.

Although Whiting's view would appear to rule out anyone from using the procedure, teams have long known that as head of the F1 Technical Department he can only offer opinions on items.

It remains up to the race stewards at each F1 race to offer a definitive verdict on the legality of items and procedures, but it is unclear if a team would risk pushing ahead with his system in light of Whiting's views.

[MIKA27]

Renault F1 team wants iconic driver-team association with Hulkenberg

Renault wants to forge an iconic driver-team link with Nico Hulkenberg, similar to that which Lewis Hamilton has with Mercedes and Sebastian Vettel had with Red Bull in Formula 1.

Hulkenberg has joined the French manufacturer from Force India for the 2017 season, as the outfit bids to make progress following a difficult return as a works team in 2016.

The German is yet to achieve a podium finish in Formula 1, but Renault's managing director Cyril Abiteboul insisted Hulkenberg has the speed and potential to become a central part of his company's future F1 programme.

"It is extremely exciting because he is exactly the type of character that we wanted to have," Abiteboul told Autosport's sister brand Motorsport.com. 

"We have the opportunity of having someone who is very experienced - who along with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton has been at that level in the junior series - but is not associated to another car manufacturer, or another big team.

"People say he has a low profile, but to us it is a great opportunity because a driver is not just a driver.

"We think we have a great driver in Nico, but he also has the capacity because it is a long-term project; to make him a great ambassador for Renault and to have a very strong association, just like you have a strong association with Lewis and Mercedes.

"Even today I believe a lot of people continue to associate Sebastian Vettel with Red Bull.

"I hope in a couple of years down the road, if we are successful together, that people will associate Nico and Renault.

"But first thing comes first, we have to do the job."

NO DRIVERS TURNED RENAULT DOWN

Abiteboul added that while the team held informal talks with a host of other drivers including Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz, none of those turned down the chance to race for Renault.

Instead, they were unable to make a move due to existing contractual commitments.

"There is something that has been misrepresented in my opinion, and it is that some drivers have turned away offers made by Renault," added Abiteboul.

"I guarantee you that no one has turned down any of our offers. I would say it is quite the opposite.

"Some people made representations that they were free to contract with us, when it was not the case.

"I want to be clear about that, because people say that the Renault project is not attractive enough, that the ambition is not there, or that the financial resources are not there. It is not true.

"Frankly, we have had a lot of interest and Nico was among the top choices, so we are very happy that he is joining us."

[MIKA27]

VERSTAPPEN TO HAVE SPECIAL GRANDSTAND FOR HIS FANS AT SPA

Max Verstappen will have special grandstand for his fans at Spa-Francorchamps, similar to the one in his honour at last year’s Austrian Grand Prix at Red Bull Ring.

Sportstadion.nl, which specialises in organising sports tours and special trips, will act as Verstappen’s exclusive travel partner. Through this cooperation Verstappen fans will be offered unique experiences at several Grands Prix.

Both parties will work together to put a number of special packages on the market, including a dedicated ‘Max Verstappen grandstand’ at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium in August this year.

Sportstadion founder Jeroen Huisintveld said, “The collaboration between Max Verstappen and Sportstadion has existed for many years. After the success of the Verstappen grandstand at the Red Bull Ring in Austria in 2016, we looked at expanding our cooperation. The goal of this partnership is to provide unique Grand Prix experiences to all Verstappen fans.”

“The Verstappen grandstand in Austria saw 1,000 orange-clad fans cheer and shout for him. The atmosphere in the stands was indescribable. It was really great! Now we want to go abroad more often with Verstappen and his team.”

“In 2017 there will be a 5,000-strong Verstappen grandstand in Austria, while sales for the Verstappen grandstand at Spa-Francorchamps will soon begin,” added Huisintveld.

Verstappen commented, “In Austria last year Sportstadion proved that we can offer fans something special and experience a Formula 1 race together. It was amazing! I look forward to a successful collaboration.”

[MIKA27]

Reports claiming Pascal Wehrlein will miss testing are 'speculation' - Sauber

Sauber have branded reports that Pascal Wehrlein will miss pre-season testing due to a neck injury "speculation", though admit medical examinations are ongoing following the German's crash at the Race of Champions in January.

Wehrlein, who joins Sauber from Manor for the 2017 season after missing out on a promotion to Mercedes, was involved in a crash at the annual RoC event in Miami a fortnight ago.

The 22-year-old hit a barrier as he crossed the finish line in his Polaris Slingshot SLR, then made contact with rival Felipe Massa before rolling over.

Wehrlein and his passenger both exited the vehicle and looked to be fine, though Wehrlein took no further part in the contest on advice from doctors.

Speaking afterwards, he said he had nothing more than "mild discomfort" in his neck, but added that his "real priority" was feeling fit for the F1 season.

Reports in Germany claimed that Wehrlein could miss the opening test due to the injury and potentially also miss the second, meaning his first taste of Sauber's 2017 car would come at the opening race in Australia.

However Sauber have moved to deny those claims, adding that more information would be released after further examination next week.

"Current rumors about Pascal Wehrlein in the media: The medical examinations are still ongoing," read a tweet by the team.

"Therefore, the reports are pure speculations. We will provide information in due time."

Pre-season testing will begin at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 27 February.

[MIKA27]

Grosjean reveals 2017 helmet design

After a bit of teasing online, Romain Grosjean has now revealed that design of his 2017 Formula 1 race helmet.

The Frenchman, who will remain with Haas for a second season, unveiled a predominantly blue livery with flashes of orange and yellow.

The lid is similar to last year’s, more blue than orange, with Grosjean opting for a touch of continuity.

Here we go!! After some teasing days, here is the design of my 2017 helmet. #R8G #F1 #newhelmet @adripaviot @BsDesignsHelmet #newseason

[MIKA27]

Hamilton reveals over 8,000 entries in F1 helmet design competition

Three-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has revealed that the competition to design his helmet for the 2017 season has received over 8,000 entries.

Hamilton announced the competition just under a fortnight ago.

He said via his Instagram account that he was overwhelmed by the interest and that he would need some time to decide on a winner.

“Wow, over 8,000...Thanks for all the helmet designs and putting in so much effort #TeamLH !!” wrote Hamilton.

“Some really great entries in there. As the competition’s now closed I’m going to be looking through to see the design that I’d like to pick.

“There's quite a few entries to go through, so this might take some time but hoping to announce the winner in the next few days. More soon...”

As well as Hamilton using the fan design during the next F1 season, the winner will also pick up a full-sized replica that has been signed by the Mercedes driver.

F1's regulations mean that once Hamilton starts the season with the helmet design he must keep it for the entire campaign, although is allowed to run a one-off special at a race of his choosing.

[MIKA27]

Zanardi: "A bit too boring" F1 needs to let up on penalties

Alex Zanardi says Formula One today is “a bit too boring” and has blamed draconian penalties for spoiling the show. 

The Italian, who raced in F1 with Jordan, Minardi, Lotus and Williams during a sporadic F1 career, had both of his legs amputated following a horrific accident whilst racing in the CART series at Germany's Lausitzring in September 2001, but since then has gone on to win multiple Paralympic medals. 

“Formula One today? A bit too boring,” he said this week in an interview with La Gazetta dello Sport. “Today the stars are the stewards.” 

“People all remember me for the on-the-limit pass I made at the corkscrew in Laguna Seca in 1996 [while in CART]. Today such a manoeuvre would be impossible [in F1],” he lamented. “It would be immediately punished by the race director. 

“The rules have changed and so have the cars. In the 1990s, the tyres and the power put on display the drivers' abilities. The drivers of my generation were artists behind the wheel. 

“There are many talented drivers now, but they are so severely punished for any overtaking or moves that are vaguely risky that they are afraid of the penalties. They have lost the will to take risks. 

“The show suffers as a result.” 

 

[MIKA27]

Sauber already thinking about F1 2018

The 2017 Formula 1 season hasn't begun yet but Sauber technical director Jorg Zander has revealed plans for 2018 will be getting underway soon as the privateer team attempts to realign itself with the sport's midfield competitors. 

Having come perilously close to folding last season as debts mounted, Sauber is confident its future has been assured following a buyout by the Longbow Finance company, a deal that has already signalled notable change in luring a number of key figures, including Zander, Ruth Buscombe and Xevi Pujolar. 

Nevertheless, Sauber heads into 2017 with a view towards a firmer foundation for the future, eschewing the opportunity to use a new specification Ferrari power unit in favour of a year-old engine in an effort to get a head-start on design for the C36 by using familiar components. 

Even so, Zander reveals Sauber has the long-term in sight and will already begin switching focus to the 2018 model amidst rumours it will change engine supplier after this year. 

“Together with my technical team, I will start with the 2018 concept soon,” he said. “This won't happen too early, as we want to conduct a fundamental analysis of where we stand at the beginning of the 2017 season. 

“I want to have a good organized team with satisfied and motivated employees, which becomes a name in Formula One that can spring surprises once in a while. I also want to look after confidence and long-term stability. From what I have seen so far, I am very optimistic that we can achieve that.” 

Though Zander – who formerly worked with Audi on its Le Mans and WEC programmes - is keeping expectations for Sauber relatively modest for 2017, he nonetheless wants to see a 'clear improvement' on 2016 as Sauber attempts to re-establish itself as a mid-field runner. 

“I want to see a clear improvement compared to last year. All of us in Hinwil want that. Our objective is to establish ourselves in the mid-field. In comparison to last year, we will implement our development plan for the whole season, but we have to be realistic as our reference is at a lower level than the ones of our competitors. 

“We are on plan with the C36 and we are optimistic that our current development is heading in the right direction. At the moment it is impossible to make any predictions compared to our competitors due to the new regulations. Overall, 2017 will be an important year for us. The structure and process optimizations have to be defined and implemented. 

“These are not procedures that can be implemented through literature or instructions – these are individual adjustments in which human attributes and culture play an important role. The team has to accept those changes and get comfortable with the new circumstances. That takes time.” 

Sauber will feature a revised driver line-up of Marcus Ericsson and newcomer Pascal Wehrlein, who joins from Manor. 

As a Mercedes junior, Wehrlein's presence has raised speculation Sauber could become a Mercedes customer beyond 2017 after the demise of Manor, though it has also been linked to becoming a Honda satellite outfit. 

[MIKA27]

One-year Mercedes F1 deal 'difficult' for Bottas, Salo believes

Ex-Formula 1 driver Mika Salo says Mercedes has put Valtteri Bottas in a "very difficult situation" by only giving him a one-year deal alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Bottas was signed from Williams to replace retiring world champion Nico Rosberg, but his contract only covers the 2017 F1 season, with options to extend it beyond that.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has explained that the team wants to keep its options open for 2018, when the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso could be available, which Salo feels makes life tough for his fellow Finn.

"It's just surprising, to make a one-year contract in Formula 1 nowadays," he told Autosport's sister title Motorsport.com.

"Everybody wants to make long-term contracts.

"I just don't know what the reason is behind it.

"[Mercedes keeping its options open for 2018 is] the only reason I can imagine, because Valtteri is good enough to sign for longer term.

"So, we'll see. I guess they just want to see how he performs and then see after that.

"They put Valtteri in a very difficult situation, against Lewis, on a one-year contract. It's not easy."

However, Salo believes Bottas is strong enough to overcome the added pressure of his contract situation.

"It will be plenty [of time], it's no problem," he added.

"He's a professional guy, he has four years in Formula 1 already, so it's not a big deal.

"It's just that when you have peace of mind that you will continue, you can perform better."

If Mercedes remains F1's benchmark, Salo believes a reasonable target for Bottas would be to run Hamilton close, and even beat him from time to time.

"[It] depends on the Mercedes quite a lot, what kind of car they can make," said Salo.

"I would imagine that it's still the best, but then what Valtteri has to do is finish second behind Lewis all the time and even beat him sometimes.

"I rate Lewis very highly, he's very good in qualifying.

"I'd like to think that Valtteri is maybe even a little bit better in the race.

"He's kind to the car, kind to the tyres, so he might have a good chance in the races."

[MIKA27]

ANTHONY HAMILTON: GOING UP AGAINST LEWIS COULD END A DRIVER’S CAREER

Anthony Hamilton, father of triple F1 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton believes that his son is getting stronger each year and warns that going up against him could end a driver’s career.

Hamilton senior told Sky Sports, “Anybody who goes up against Lewis needs to have planned their career correctly because it could be a career-ending move when you go up against Lewis.”

Hamilton will have a new teammate at Mercedes this year with Valtteri Bottas stepping up to the sport’s dominant team to replace retired reigning World Champion Nico Rosberg.

The Finn has been offered a one year contract to prove himself and is expected by team chiefs to challenge for the title, doing so would inevitably mean that he will have to go head-to-head and beating Hamilton.

But Anthony predicts that Lewis will rise to the occasion as he continues to peak, “I personally think, while he’s getting older and more mature, he’s still actually heading towards the prime of his career. So Lewis is going to be a force to be reckoned with this year.”

“Lewis only ever thinks about winning. He’s happy for Nico, like we all are to be quite honest. We’ve known him a long time and Nico has really worked hard.”

“You need a little bit luck along the way, and he’s had that, but I think Lewis is just looking forward now to winning the championship back on his own merit,” added Anthony who managed his son throughout his junior career and during his first world title triumph in 2008 with McLaren.

MIKA: I don't agree with such comments that "Bottas" career could end going up against Hamilton...What a joke.

Bottas on his own merit and without even being a world champion is highly regarded as a driver in the F1 world both amongst fans and his peers. He may have a 1 year contract, but who is to say he doesn't bring it to Lewis, kick his butt and get an extension? If it ain't broke, what's to fix? 

[Baldy]

I'm a Hamilton fan but Anthony Hamilton should just shut the F-up and let the boys race.  I think Bottas will give Lewis a run for his money.  IMO, who wins depends on who's luckiest with regards to crashes and mechanical reliability.  2016 Rosberg was luckier, 2015 Hamilton was luckier.  In the end it balances out.

 

[MIKA27]

TEXAS BLOCKS RELEASE OF F1’S US GRAND PRIX PAYMENT DETAILS

The Texas attorney general’s office will keep secret how much money Formula One receives from organizers of the U.S. Grand Prix to run the annual race.

The Associated Press had requested financial information related to the 2015 and 2016 races from the governor’s office under state public records law. Race host Circuit of the Americas receives more than $20 million in taxpayer funds to help pay for the event.

Formula One requested that details of total payments, rights fees and negotiations with the circuit remain secret. F1 attorneys said releasing those details would have harm negotiations for other races.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office agreed in a ruling dated 2 February. It cites a 2015 state Supreme Court decision that allows government agencies and contractors to keep some contract payment details secret.

The Texas Legislature is considering a bill that would close that exemption.

[MIKA27]

28 minutes ago, Baldy said:

I'm a Hamilton fan but Anthony Hamilton should just shut the F-up and let the boys race.  I think Bottas will give Lewis a run for his money.  IMO, who wins depends on who's luckiest with regards to crashes and mechanical reliability.  2016 Rosberg was luckier, 2015 Hamilton was luckier.  In the end it balances out.

 

And as most drivers will always say... "That's racing"

[MIKA27]

Mosley urges new owners to axe Ferrari bonus

Max Mosley has urged Liberty Media to cut Ferrari’s automatic $100 million bonus “immediately” as it is “very unfair” to the rest of the teams.

Having control of the sport earlier this year, Liberty chief executive Greg Maffei warned Ferrari, Formula 1’s oldest team, that they could lose the $100 million that they are paid annually just for turning up.

“If you’re Ferrari, you have enormous sponsorship revenue that goes directly to you,” Maffei told Forbes. “That’s going to be impacted more positively by great races.

“So thinking about balancing the team payments, so they’re a little more balanced and creates more fairness, has to be weighed, in Ferrari’s mind, I would expect, by the fact that creating a great platform helps our sponsorship revenue, too, so there’s give-and-take.”

This is a sentiment that former FIA president Mosley agrees with.

The Brit, a staunch advocate for budget caps, likened Ferrari’s heritage bonus to the Scuderia being permitted to run a bigger engine than the rest of the field.

Mosley told Sky Sports F1 of the threat to cut Ferrari’s bonus payment: “If it would me, I’d do it immediately.

“The thing is Ferrari are always going to get more sponsorship than the other teams, so to give them the same money from the money you have control of, which is the FOM [Formula One Management] money, it’s completely fair and then they get extra money because they are famous and because they have sponsorship.

“But the fundamental problem is if you’ve got three times as much money as me you may as well have a bigger engine, you’ve got a huge advantage. That plays out in inequality between the cars and the drivers.

“So I’d rather see something where everybody had the same money to spend and the cleverest engineer would make the best car and the best driver would drive better than the other drivers.

“But you’re never going to make it work where you’ve got two or three teams with far more money than the rest. Apart from anything else, it’s very unfair.”

[MIKA27]

McLaren team manager quits for new role at Williams

Longtime McLaren team manager Dave Redding is to leave the Woking outfit for a new job at rival Formula 1 squad Williams.

Redding's old job title will be taken by erstwhile chief mechanic Paul James, although the role will change as responsibilities such as dealing with the FIA will be handed to Andrea Stella, the head of race operations.

“We can confirm that David Redding is leaving McLaren Racing,” a spokesman told Motorsport.com.

“He will be replaced by Paul James, who will become Team Manager, with a focus on the operational and managerial nature of the role.

“Our Head of Race Operations, Andrea Stella, will assume some of the role’s sporting responsibilities and engagement with the FIA.

“Kari Lammenranta will replace Paul as our new Chief Race Mechanic.”

[Baldy]

2 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

Mosley urges new owners to axe Ferrari bonus

 

 

100% agree with this and hope the new owners do it.  Level the playing field a bit.  Maybe then the smaller teams have a chance of staying in the sport vs living on handouts.  I'm sure Ferrari will ho and hum with threats to quite the sport.

[MIKA27]

Ayrton Senna and the final F1 wins for Lotus

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the last Grand Prix victories for Colin Chapman’s hallowed marque. David Malsher talks to Lotus designer Martin Ogilvie, and pays tribute to a stunning year-long performance by Ayrton Senna.

I’m not a fan of racing’s raw statistics without context, but while bored in that quiet gap between Christmas and New Year, I was checking out F1’s updated records and a couple of figures caught my eye. I was gratified to note that Jimmy Clark’s remarkable tally of 33 pole positions in 72 grands prix – accumulated over just seven years, and at a time when there were only around 10 GPs per season – keeps him fifth among the all-time polesitters, a place he jointly holds with Alain Prost.

The other stat that astonished me is to do with the team that Clark drove to its first F1 titles. Despite being defunct for well over 20 years, Team Lotus – the original – remains fourth in terms of all-time wins. Yup, despite the skull-drilling fun of the last three years of Mercedes-Benz dominance, Colin Chapman’s marque (with five wins contributed by Rob Walker’s privateer squad) remains 15 victories clear of today’s silver overlords. Admittedly, that’s fewer than a season’s worth of wins, at M-B’s current rate…

Still, it’s sobering to realize that this year will mark 30 years since Ayrton Senna’s Lotus 99T-Honda, complete with the active suspension system, crossed the line first at both Monaco and Detroit to score Team Lotus’s final grand prix victories. It’s always struck me as tragic that Chapman didn’t live to see his team running the fastest driver of his era in the most complex F1 car of the period. We can be certain he’d have approved.

  

By 1987, Senna had already completed two seasons at Lotus, his second and third in F1, and he had made the marque truly prominent for the first time since the Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson days. The Brazilian star’s 15 pole positions had led to just four wins (each of them outstanding in different ways) and two fourth places in the championship, but the fact that success arrived in only modest quantities was rarely because of his flaws nor those of the Lotus 97 and 98, which were eminently tunable chassis-wise. The team’s weak link was the relative unreliability and fuel inefficiency of the Renault engines compared with McLaren’s TAG-Porsche units in ’85 and the Williams team’s Hondas in ’86.

That problem cured itself when financially struggling Renault, under the direction of George Besses, pulled its homegrown team out of F1 at the end of 1985 and informed Lotus, Ligier and Tyrrell that their engine supplies would cease at the end of the ’86 season. Lotus therefore signed a deal with Honda for ’87, agreeing to run underqualified 34-year-old Japanese rookie Satoru Nakajima as Senna’s teammate, and conceding also that the team would be one engine spec behind Williams. That second point was not so bad; Honda’s RA166E had powered Williams to the 1986 constructors’ championship and near misses for Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet in the drivers’ title race. .

The retaliatory weapon in the Lotus arsenal would be active suspension, designed to keep the car at optimal ride-height for aerodynamic flow by eliminating pitch and roll – basically, counteracting the forces of physics – and therefore providing increased cornering speeds by ensuring the tires’ contact patches with the asphalt were as large as possible. Would cornering prowess and one of the most outrageously gifted drivers of all time be enough to defeat the reigning champion team with its formidable driver lineup and Honda's cutting-edge RA167E?

Martin Ogilvie, whose first Lotus was the rough-but-rapidly-improved 77 of 1976, tells Motorsport.com that he and the late Gerard Ducarouge had little problem in developing the 98T into the 99T, despite the different engines. The more challenging adaptation from 1986 to ’87 was the switch in manufacturer methodologies.

He recalls: “Honda arrived with these big charts and pictures which they put all around the walls of the office we gave them, and half a dozen of the guys would be working away in there. When we needed something, they’d contact their base in Japan, before saying to us, ‘Yes, we can have 20 of these parts in three months’ time.’ Renault had worked more off-the-cuff, like us as a race team, designing things as we went along. They would redesign a problematic part in a week and produce just one… but then the following week we’d need a different one again!”

     

When the 99T emerged, its most striking characteristic was its mustard yellow livery, as the Lotus team’s John Player Special sponsorship had been replaced by Camel. The second obvious visual was that the car, while retaining Ducarouge/Ogilvie family characteristics, appeared bulkier than both its predecessor and the Williams FW11 which had carried the same engine the previous year. Whereas Patrick Head and Frank Dernie had actually stretched the FW11’s wheelbase from 110 to 112 inches for the ’87 B model, Lotus had retained the 98T’s 107-inch wheelbase despite needing also to fit in the active suspension’s ancillary equipment. To put it simplistically, was too much being squeezed into too short a space?

“Well the wheelbase difference was because we were always looking to make the smallest car,” says Ogilvie. “Chapman was always keen on a low polar moment of inertia, and the longer a car is, the lazier its responses. Long wheelbases are for wimps!

“Regarding the active suspension system, in those days F1 cars weren’t as tightly packaged as they are now, so we were more intent on getting a very clean teardrop shape. The bulky look, as you put it, was a result of our chassis which was folded up out of sheet carbon-fibre, which meant we were limited to a convex shape rather than convex and concave, so the chassis was bigger than ideal. It was only when we went to the 100T in ’88 that we gained some special tooling to make the chassis smaller.”

There was not, however, much that could be done about the weight of the active suspension system, rumored at the time to be around 50lbs.

“I’d be surprised if it was that much,” says Ogilvie, “but it was substantial, because we had to include a lot of fluid and tanks and servos, things that weren’t really designed for Formula 1. Remember, at that time a race team couldn’t create electro-mechanical and electro-hydraulic systems in-house; you had to take what was available off the shelf, even if it was from the aircraft industry."

The active system supposedly drained five percent of engine power, too. Ogilvie says, “That was probably true at times, when the system was working hard, but it wasn’t a generic figure."

Despite these apparent drawbacks, Senna was fully behind Lotus adopting active suspension, after trying active and passive cars in back-to-back tests. And Ogilvie, like all at Lotus, was prepared to believe Senna’s judgment on technical matters.

“Ayrton was amazing!” he says. “I was usually back in the drawing office and I went to the circuits for only one year while I was at Lotus. But I distinctly remember being in a driver debrief at Silverstone when Senna spent 15 minutes talking about just one corner on one particular lap! That impressed me so much. He was able to analyze exactly what the car was doing at entry, apex, exit, and also what it wasn’t doing that he needed it to do.

“So when he said, and the stopwatch showed, that the active car was faster over a race distance, we were all optimistic. But looking back, the amount of variables that active suspension offered – something like 60, as I recall – was almost too much. It wasn’t like pulling into the pits and asking for a stiffer anti-roll bar or a bit more toe-in. And I remember endless debates over whether we wanted the rear or the front to be stiffer.”

  

If an active Lotus was faster than a passive Lotus, it was still not as fast as a passive Williams. Nowhere near, in fact. Mansell was superfast and never off the front row in 1987, until his season-ending shunt at Suzuka, but even his most rabid fans would agree he should not have been outqualifying Senna by over 2sec in Brazil, Hungary or Austria. Nor should Mansell and Piquet have been able to lap Senna at Paul Ricard, Silverstone and the Osterreichring.

It would be easy to sit here 30 years on and conclude that Senna made a huge error of judgement over the active-suspension 99T’s potential. Did he assume that the car’s relative gentle treatment of tires would enable him to run races non-stop at similar pace to his rivals’ pitstop-interrupted races? Did he think the FIA’s 4-bar turbo boost restrictions for ’87 would negate the advantage of Honda’s RA167E delivered exclusively to Williams? Did he assume Nakajima would be more of a help in developing the system? (Satoru was four seconds slower than Ayrton in some qualifying sessions that year) Was he merely intrigued at being on the cutting edge of a new technology that might eventually become de rigeur in F1? 

Whatever the reasons, and whatever the Lotus 99T’s drawbacks, I do believe they brought out the best in one of the best drivers of all time. Several fans point to Senna’s 1993 underdog role in the HB V8 Ford-powered McLaren MP4/8 as his greatest season. Others say his triumphs over Alain Prost’s better-handling but less-powerful Ferrari (1990), or Mansell’s faster but less reliable Williams (’91 and ’92), saw Senna at his zenith. But I honestly believe Ayrton’s performance over the course of 1987, despite just two wins and one pole, ranks alongside any of his other seasons. Think Clark in ’66, Gilles Villeneuve in ’81, Michael Schumacher in ’96 or Fernando Alonso in 2012. With the deck stacked against him, Senna produced displays of brilliance which meant he was there to take opportunistic victories.

At Monaco that year, Senna benefited from Mansell’s dominant Williams suffering a broken exhaust while leading, but three weeks later the Detroit victory – Lotus’s last – was utterly legit. Senna did just enough to vaguely stay in touch with leader Mansell while also nursing his brakes. Then, by not stopping for tires – because the active suspension was helping keep his original set intact – Senna found himself at the front and easily able to deal with his opposition.

Elsewhere, similar no-pitstop policies didn’t quite pay off. He made a misjudgment while lapping a backmarker under braking for Parabolica at the Italian GP, running wide and allowing Piquet back into the lead. Then at Jerez, while holding down a distant second place behind Mansell and holding up a chain of faster cars, he was outfumbled by Piquet and sank to fifth by the checkered flag.

But in each case, he was on worn tires on tracks where active suspension conferred little advantage, and running non-stop was his only chance of a win. Six top-three finishes (in addition to his two wins) resulted in third in the championship. A seventh podium, for finishing second in the season finale, was deleted after Lotus was found to be running outsized brake ducts. Had the result been allowed to stand, Senna would have beaten the injured and absent Mansell to second in the points standings.

Ogilvie adds further perspective to Senna’s gutsy performances that season. Much of Ayrton’s skill was rooted in interpretation of, and reaction to, a racecar's "messages" when on the ragged edge. In the Lotus 99T, he had a car that was numb, forcing him to operate largely from visual cues and instinct.

“Although the active suspension was amazing at what it could do, one of its severe side-effects was that it took away a lot of driver ‘feel’,” says Ogilvie. “In fast corners, drivers rely on what they feel through their backsides and their hands. So when a car behaves in a way they’re not used to and is not necessarily logical [lack of dive under braking, for instance], it’s very difficult for them to get that last one or two percent and feel the limit of adhesion at either end of the car.

“[The 99T] didn’t pitch, didn’t roll and the steering wasn’t sensitive. So although the 99’s cornering limits were actually higher than in a conventional car, Ayrton wouldn’t feel a progressive build-up to the limit.

“To me, that loss of driver feel was the real downside to active suspension – more than power loss or extra weight.”

At Monza, it was revealed to the world that Senna would be leaving Lotus to join McLaren, who would also gain Honda engines at the Williams team's expense. (Apparently 18 wins and three championships in two seasons had not been enough to convince Honda to fulfill the last year of its contract with Frank Williams’ squad.) Lotus would, however, retain the Japanese units and soon-to-be three-time World Champion Nelson Piquet would replace Senna.

It wasn’t the same… and it certainly wasn't enough. For ’88, Gordon Murray and Steve Nichols came up with the astounding McLaren MP4/4, Honda produced the supremely efficient RA168E unit for the latest 2.5-bar turbo boost regs, while Senna and Alain Prost were motivated enough to truly go for each other’s throat (only in racing terms, for now). Piquet, meanwhile, had the same spec engines as the McLaren drivers, but in the back of the pretty but pretty ordinary 100T, and seemed motivated only to the extent of outperforming Nakajima. The champion had championed Williams’ active suspension system in 1987 and had won on its race debut at Monza. Now he didn’t even have that to spark his interest, because Lotus had elected to revert to conventional suspension….

Recalls Ogilvie: “It was a time when [Lotus team manager] Peter Warr, the race team and the engineering team didn’t see eye-to-eye, and the cost and difficulty in progressing active suspension development was considered too much. Switching from John Player Special to Camel had seen our budgets get smaller anyway, and by 1988, Ducarouge and myself felt that decisions weren’t being made for engineering reasons but rather for financial reasons. And so we both left – as I recall, soon after we completed the 100T.

“Although it wasn’t a successful car – and I still didn’t like the color! – as an engineering exercise I was very proud of the packaging on the 100. It was a lot smaller than the 99, which is what we’d aimed for. But neither Ducarouge nor I were convinced Piquet was the right way to go, driver-wise. Warr and Honda wanted the World Champion, a big name, but Gerard and I felt Nelson was in it for his pension money and didn’t put enough effort in.”

Lotus’ winning era was at an end, and the three third place finishes Piquet scored in ’88 would prove to be the final podium results for a team that had first entered Formula 1 30 years earlier, and which had amassed drivers' and constructors' World Championships with legendary names such as Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Ronnie Peterson and Mario Andretti. The Hethel, Norfolk-based squad would struggle on, despite losing Honda at the end of that season, and Camel two years later. Mika Hakkinen, Johnny Herbert and Alex Zanardi gave the team some positive vibes, as did the neat Gustav Brunner-influenced/Chris Murphy-designed cars of the 1990s, but there was never enough money left to test and develop once the team had paid for some fairly ordinary engines. Over the winter of 1994/95, the team was shut down.

It would be wrong to say that active suspension had been a blind alley: Mansell in ’92 and Prost in ’93 would win titles in Williams cars with active suspension. But I do believe that for Lotus in 1987 it was a misstep that may have had far-reaching consequences.

Honda engines, even one step behind those supplied to Williams, were always going to be a major step forward from the powerful but fuel-thirsty and fractious Renaults of previous years. So imagine if Ogilvie and Ducarouge had been able to develop the 99T from the superquick 98T without having to package the active suspension systems, but merely install a different engine. Imagine if Senna had been given a car that was effectively just a more reliable and vastly more efficient version of what he’d had in ’86. We can safely assume he’d have given Mansell and Piquet a far harder time at all but the most power-dependent tracks, would probably have racked up five or six wins and at least taken the ’87 title fight down to the wire… That might have convinced him that staying at Lotus was his best option. And had he remained, so surely would have Ogilvie, Ducarouge and Honda, beyond 1988…

OK, maybe McLaren’s Ron Dennis would still have wooed Honda, and maybe Senna would have found that combination, and the chance to directly compare himself with the acknowledged best driver, Prost, irresistible.

But only maybe. 

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Chinese authorities hint at plan for new F1 deal

The Shanghai government has dropped a firm hint that this year's Chinese Grand Prix will not be the last one.

The 2017 race, which is scheduled to take place on April 9, is the final event under the terms of China's current contract.

Although race organisers Juss Event Management have previously declared their confidence in sorting out a new deal, it is understood that there has been no rush to finalise matters.

Furthermore, the change in the running of F1 – with Liberty Media taking over control of the sport – has not acted as a spur for matters to get sorted out either.

However, in documents published by the Shanghai government, it has been made clear that the F1 race remains an integral part of the local authority's plans to drive growth in the region.

In what was called the 'Shanghai Sports Industry Development Program 2016-2020', the local government said it wanted showpiece events like F1.

"By 2020 [Shanghai] commits to keeping the momentum of holding an iconic event in each month," the government publication said.

"Firstly, to improve the operation and effectiveness of the eight exiting big events, such as the F1 Chinese Grand Prix…Thirdly, to grow the appeal of Shanghai to international top commercial sport events…and add 1-2 big events by 2020."

According to the plan, Shanghai will be obliged to "increase the spillover effect of exiting renowned sport events including tennis, track and field, marathon, equestrianism, motor racing, snooker, cycling, etc." in order to expand business interests.

Chase Carey, who replaces Bernie Ecclestone as the new F1 CEO, said recently that he believed Asia was an important market for the sport.

"I definitely would agree that the US is an area of opportunity for the sport in the longer term," he told the official F1 website. "But so is the Americas and Asia - and we certainly believe that all these are important areas of growth."

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Baku F1 organisers say push to avoid Le Mans clash paying off

Baku Grand Prix organisers say that their push to avoid a Le Mans clash this year is paying off, with ticket sales and interest in their race up 2017.

The inaugural event last year took place on the same weekend as the Le Mans 24 Hours, and had an impact on fan attendance and media coverage.

In a bid to make the most of a newly-titled Azerbaijan Grand Prix, race chiefs asked the FIA to shift its date for this year, so it now takes place the week after Le Mans.

Azerbaijan race promoter Arif Rahimov said that the change has been positive, with fan interest increasing ahead of the 2017 event.

"Obviously it is good to have more media and spectators in Azerbaijan for the race," said Arif Rahimov during a visit to London.

"Last year, a lot of people got the chance to see what the race looks like and it attracted a lot of international spectators, and we are happy that those spectators won't have to choose between the two races.

"On the press side, Le Mans is a big event and a lot of media had to choose between the races and they won't have to do that this year.

"Another positive thing is that our race isn't back-to-back with any other race, so we have more time to prepare ourselves, together with F1 management and their technical teams, to make sure that the track is right.

"Last year was quite a bit of a logistical nightmare to organise everything in such a short period of time."

     

Ticket sales

While the Baku Grand Prix failed to sell out last year, Rahimov says he is encouraged with interest this year, as he thinks locals are now more engaged with the event after watching it on television.

When asked by Motorsport.com about how ticket sales were going, Rahimov said: "They are definitely up – from the trend that we see right now, in the same period of time it was last year, we have sold five times as many tickets as were sold in the same period last year.

"So we see a big change – which was probably influenced by the fact we had the television viewers last year, which persuaded people to go and buy a ticket.

"A lot of the locals got educated on what the race is, so they know what they are buying now and they just want to go and get there. They want to see the race, and they want to be part of the excitement."

While there will be no major track changes for this year, Rahimov said he is still working on the idea of opening up the circuit in the evenings to ticket holders.

  

Better race

One of the disappointments of the 2016 event was the spectacle of the race itself, as F1's drivers took it easy because they believed that the challenging track would result in a high attrition rate as had been observed in GP2.

Rahimov believes that things will be different next time time around, and he cites the way that Sochi's first race in 2014 was much less exciting than its incident-filled 2016 affair.

"The first year in Sochi was boring," he said. "There were no accidents, nothing there. I'm not saying the track was boring, it's a great track, but the first race was steady, the same as us. The next year, it was a great show.

"I think it's more to do with the confidence of the drivers as opposed to the regulation changes, with the engines and chassis etc.

"Once the confidence of the drivers has risen after the first race last year, it's going to be more interesting. You can see that in practice and qualifying in F1.

"The track is very unforgiving. You cannot make mistakes on this track. It's narrow and not forgiving. It's not only wider cars, but also the run-off areas and the corners which you have to get just right.

"You have to clip the kerb at the right point not to hit the wall, like Lewis [Hamilton] did last year for example. There is huge potential to put on a great show."

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12 minutes ago, Baldy said:

100% agree with this and hope the new owners do it.  Level the playing field a bit.  Maybe then the smaller teams have a chance of staying in the sport vs living on handouts.  I'm sure Ferrari will ho and hum with threats to quite the sport.

Well Marchionne is already making claims Ferrari could pull out of the sport and I agree with yourself, they will threaten to quit should FOM remove the bonus. Honestly, as much as I like Ferrari in F1, who cares. Teams come and go. Where will they go? Formula E..!? 

[MIKA27]

Webber: F1 2017 will produce laptimes "like 10 years ago"

Mark Webber believes that the new Formula 1 rules for 2017 will produce laptimes similar to a decade ago, taking the sport “a good step forward” in terms of spectacle.

Speaking at the Bathurst 12 Hours at the weekend, Webber told reporters that the more aggressive, faster F1 cars will be more spectacular to watch – and that engine power would be more important than ever due to the increased drag.

“The sporting side should be a good step forward, the cars are going to be quicker than they’ve been for a long time,” said Webber.

“The drivers will be earning their money again, and they’ll be sweating on the podium again, which will be great.

“They’ll be going back to laptimes like we used to do 10 years ago. I think that will be a good visual to watch.

“The cars are going to have a lot more downforce, but it’s going to be more power sensitive than ever. You’ll need a bigger engine more than you ever have done, because of wider tyres and more drag.

“The cars are getting quite heavy, with the wider tyres, which is a bit unfortunate – because it will slow them down.”

One negative Webber did suggest that hasn’t been addressed is F1’s continued use of small-profile tyres.

“The cars will look alright, apart from the rubbish-profile tyre,” he added. “We need a bigger profile tyre.

“They’re still quite small in that regard, but the rest of it looks pretty good.”

     

Speed comparison

Formula 1's rule changes for this year were prompted by a belief that cars had become too slow in the V6 turbo hybrid era.

Historical data from the Spanish Grand Prix highlights just how much things have changed - and shows why F1 chiefs wanted to turn the situation around.

For although pole positions times have not fallen away so much - thanks to increased downforce and engine power - it is race pace where the biggest difference is seen.

This drop in pace is down to heavier cars at the start, thanks to a refuelling ban, and high degradation tyres.

In a comparison of race pace between the 2007 and 2016, the fastest opening stint to the Spanish GP came in 2008 when Kimi Raikkonen led early on for Ferrari.

The Finn delivered a blistering sequence of laps when racing began properly following an early safety car restart: 1m23.035s, 1m22.934s, 1m22.703s, 1m22.947s.

Last year, race leader Daniel Ricciardo’s opening laps for Red Bull after the safety car restart were: 1m30.042s, 1m30.264, 1m30.506s, 1m30.577s

Have those two cars racing on the same track at the same time, and Raikkonen would have been nearly 30 seconds clear after four laps.