Formula 1 - 2017

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2017 Hungarian Grand Prix Strategy Analysis

Before the team signs out for the F1 summer break, there's just time to reflect on an eventful Hungarian GP.

We examine how a radio failure may have impacted the race and hear how the team dealt with the much debated switchback between Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton.

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Podcast: Will Mercedes regret its act of fair play with Lewis Hamilton?

Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton's decision to hand back third place to Valtteri Bottas in Formula 1's Hungarian Grand Prix is the focus of the latest edition of The Autosport Podcast.

Stuart Codling and Ben Anderson join Edd Straw to discuss the significance of what happened at the Hungaroring and the contrasting way that Ferrari played its race in terms of team tactics.

Max Verstappen's collision with team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, and the post-race row between Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen are also examined - as well as the clash between the two Force India drivers.

There's also a look at 2004 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner Paul di Resta's surprise F1 comeback and the prospects of further F1 outings in the future.

Off-track matters are also delved into, with the dissolution of the Sauber-Honda supply deal and its switch to up-to-date Ferrari powerplants for 2018 opening up an interesting possibility in the driver market.

The ever-controversial issue of the introduction to the halo is also discussed.

The Autosport Podcast is available to subscribe to free via iTunes and all other major podcast distributors.

 

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WELCOME TO THE BIG TIME LANDO NORRIS!

Anyone following Formula 3 for the past year will know the name Lando Norris… for those who have not they will no doubt know his name now because the 17 year old starred on the final day of the Hungaroring Formula 1 test.

The youngest driver in action during the two days of in-season testing, ended the final day second fastest and only bettered by Hungarian Grand Prix winner Sebastian Vettel.

The teenager, who McLaren chief Zak Brown is already tipping as a future F1 World Champion, was faster than both Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne had been during the race weekend in Budapest, albeit on the ultra-soft tyres which were not available to drivers during the race weekend.

Nevertheless it was an impressive performance by young Norris, on a day when Robert Kubica was glowing in the limelight, the teenager also shone and announced his arrival on the F1 scene in no uncertain terms.

Norris said after his first F1 test, “Today has been a very exciting day for me, and something I’ve looked forward to for quite some time. It’s been a really good day – and a very productive one for all of us.”

“I managed to get through all the tests that the team asked me to complete, and everything went well. Getting used to the car was a bit of a challenge at first, but by the end of the day I felt very comfortable. I got a lot of laps under my belt and I really enjoyed the experience.

“Finally, I want to say a big thanks to the team for giving me this opportunity. Hopefully it will be the first of many!” he added.

Team chief Eric Boullier was impressed, “I’m pleased to say that today was another very productive and useful day, for both McLaren Honda and Lando Norris. We’ve completed a good number of laps with no major issues, and we’ve made great progress with our test programme.”

“Lando has impressed us all with his maturity, professionalism and speed, and has got to grips very quickly with the car in only his first outing in the MCL32. His feedback with the engineers has been valuable and accurate, and he’s certainly an asset to our test driver line-up – not to mention a potential star of the future,” added Boullier.

Norris lies second in the European F3 Championship, where he has won five times this year, racing in the Carlin team with McLaren backing.

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KUBICA: HAPPY BUT NOT 100 PERCENT HAPPY

Robert Kubica did two grand prix distances on his return to official Formula 1 duty on day two of the Hungaroring in-season test, and said he felt fit enough to do a repeat the following day.

The Polish driver was in the cockpit of the Renault RS17 for the first time, managing 142 laps in what is one of the toughest and physically demanding race tracks on the F1 calendar.

Kubica told reporters at the end of the day, “Hungary we know it’s a difficult track, it’s one of the most physical tracks. Coming here, Nico Hulkenberg said the same, that if I will be able to drive here, probably I’ll be able to drive everywhere.”

“It has been hard work but I think most of the drivers had hard time today behind the wheel. You can predict it wasn’t easy, which I’m not hiding, but it was good. In the end, we have done over 140 laps. I could drive I think tomorrow easily so fitness level is good, which is a good sign.”

“There are sides which need to be improved or need to get better but it’s always like this. If someone would tell me three months ago that I would be here and cover 140 laps, I would have signed straight away but once you are here, you want to do better and more. But I have to say we have to be happy and I’m happy.”

Kubica’s best time was fourth fastest on the day and on par with the best times set by Jolyon Palmer during qualifying for the race.

When asked if he was satisfied with his performance on the day, Kubica said, “Yes, but not 100 percent happy. There was a turning point of today actually, first time I jumped out of the car was lunch break, I got in the car before 9 o’c lock and I drove until 1 o’lock and dint have time to think about what’s going on, to reshuffle everything, to give priority to things, I was just collecting information and picking up feelings but I didn’t have the time to sort them out.”

“Once I jumped out of the car I have big break and I jump back at 2 o clock and I felt like a different driver, car felt much more familiar, it’s a good sign as it means that, you know, a lot of people think you improve only by driving but you can improve also by thinking, and thinking where you can improve.”

“This is what happened and for sure if I was driving tomorrow I’d have some idea where I can improve, and for sure I can feel more familiar with the car and everything will come easier and more natural which is the target,” explained Kubica.

Meanwhile, speculation suggesting that Kubica may find himself racing at the Belgian Grand Prix is apparently off the mark according to Renault chief Cyril Abiteboul who told reporters during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend that this was not an option.

However Abiteboul was also adamant that Kubica would not be testing in Hungary, but indeed he did. Clearly anything can happen between now and the race at Spa-Francorchamps, when the season resumes, at the end of the month.

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HUNGARORING TEST DAY 2: VETTEL TOPS AS KUBICA IMPRESSES

The final day of testing in Budapest was a tale of a remarkable return and an impressive arrival, as Robert Kubica returned to F1 testing for the first time in six years to set the day’s fourth fastest time, while 17-year-old Lando Norris finished in second place, just two tenths of a second behind pacesetter Sebastian Vettel.

Driving for Renault, Kubica, who had not driven a contemporary F1 car since suffering serious arm injuries in a 2011 rallying accident, set a best time of 1m18.572s to finish fourth on the timesheet, 1.448s adrift of Vettel. Kubica’s quickest lap was set on ultrasoft tyres towards the end of the day’s running.

Kubica is targeting a competitive return to F1 and his performance at today’s test – on a circuit where there tight and twisting layout would have provided a stern test of his fitness – is be an important indicator of his capabilities. IN such cicrumstances the Polish driver’s total of 142 laps across the day was impressive.

“It was a fantastic feeling for me to be here today in the RS17 and also it was amazing to see so many fans come to see me out on track, so thank you to all of them,” said Kubica. “It has been an incredible journey to this point, where I have answered many questions to myself. After today, it’s too early to say what the next step might be. For now, I owe a big thanks to everyone at Renault Sport Formula One Team for making this test happen.”

Kubica’s starring role today somewhat overshadowed another standout performance – that of F1 debutant Lando Norris.

The Briton, who at the age of 14 became the youngest ever world karting champion and who last year won the Formula Renault Eurocup and NEC 2.0 titles, was testing a Formula One car for the first time as reward for winning the 2016 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.

And the current FIA Formula 3 European Champion delivered a hugely impressive performance at the wheel of McLaren’s MCL32 car to finish just 0.261s behind the day’s fastest man, Sebastian Vettel.

Norris’ quickest lap was set on ultrasoft tyes, a step softer in Pirelli’s range than the supersofts utilised by Vettel for his fastest time, but even taking the performance difference of the tyres into account, ther 17-year-old’s F1 debut was eye-catching as he posted 91 laps.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was third quickest ahead of Kubica, with Carlos Sainz fifth for Toro Rosso. The Spaniard’s team-mate Daniil Kvyat, who took over driving duties in the afternoon, finished the day in sixth place.

Force India’s Lucas Auer ended up seventh at the end of running, though all the DTM racer’s work had been done in the morning before handing over to Nikita Mazepin for the afternoon. The Russian finished in ninth behind Mercedes’ George Russell, who tested the Halo head protection device during the day.

Red Bull Racing test and reserve driver Pierre Gasly finished tenth as the team scrapped any performance runnin in favour of catching up on its programme following a shortened programme yesterday. Gasly, currently racing in the Japanese Super Formula series, managed 107 laps and finished ahead of Williams’ Luca Ghiotto. Haas’ Santino Ferrucci and Sauber’s Nobuharu Matsushita.

 

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Hungarian Grand Prix - Seb’s words to the fans after the win

 

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Toro Rosso-Honda 2018 talks progressing

Talks between Toro Rosso and Honda about a possible F1 engine supply deal are progressing following a meeting between Red Bull's Helmut Marko and Honda chief Masashi Yamamoto on Tuesday.

Honda is keen to take on a second team, following the cancellation of its deal with Sauber, as it feels that extra data gathered would help its development rate with McLaren.

Toro Rosso has emerged as the leading candidate, even though the Italian team has a deal with Renault in place for next year.

Motorsport.com understands Tuesday was the latest in a series of meetings between Red Bull motorsport advisor Marko and Yamamoto, who is responsible for Honda's motorsport budget and reports directly to the board, in recent weeks.

Sources with good knowledge of the situation say talks have focused around Toro Rosso taking a Honda supply from 2018, with Marko interested in the senior team Red Bull switching in the future if Honda improves its performance sufficiently.

In 2015, Red Bull wanted to pull out of its deal with Renault and spoke to Honda, as well as Mercedes and Ferrari, about an engine supply - but it ultimately stuck with the French manufacturer.

With Red Bull keen to have a works supply, tying up with Honda in the future would be a solution if McLaren extricates itself from its deal with Honda and finds an alternative.

Should Toro Rosso and Honda come to an arrangement for next year, the team would also need to source a gearbox contract.

Motorsport.com understands McLaren could potentially be in position to supply Honda with a gearbox that the Japanese manufacturer could then offer as a package with its engine to Toro Rosso.

As any Toro Rosso deal will effectively replace the Sauber customer deal that fell through, it is believed McLaren would not stand in the way.

But it is understood the outfit would not be keen for rival Red Bull to get the engine and would consider vetoing such an arrangement.

McLaren’s deal with Honda continues into next year but it is still evaluating its options following poor performance - even though Ferrari and Mercedes have made it clear they will not supply engines to the team.

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FIA to 'see how much we can push' F1's halo device design

The thickness of Formula 1's halo cockpit protection device could be reduced as the FIA plans to "see how much we can push" the controversial design.

It will be mandatory for teams to run the halo from 2018, after the FIA picked that device over the shield that was tested on-track at Silverstone last month.

The criticism of the halo is mainly for aesthetic reasons, although race director Charlie Whiting said he expected the visual appeal to improve when the design was finalised.

In addition to teams being able to apply aerodynamic fairings, the FIA is testing a revised version of the halo with a narrower central pillar, with the aim of improving forward vision.

The likelihood is that it will ask teams to try it on track later in the season.

"The central strut is currently 20mm," explained FIA safety director Laurent Mekies. "We feel that we have scope to reduce that thickness for the benefit of the drivers' forward vision.

"So we will be testing before next year, going as low as 16mm, and see how much we can push it."

The halo returned to the track in Hungary on Wednesday for the first time since its 2018 implementation was announced, with Mercedes test driver George Russell sampling the device.

Teams are keen to gain more experience with it as they study the impact on aerodynamics, especially the flow into the airbox.

The FIA has given permission for teams to conduct further track tests before the end of the season, including on race weekends.

"We've told some teams that have asked that they can use them during FP1 and FP2," said Whiting. "And during in-season tests.

"Not [Pirelli] tyre tests, but for example the two-day test here [in Hungary] - we said they could use them at this test, the test after Abu Dhabi, and in free practice sessions on the first day at any event, as most of them did last year."

[skalls]

God that halo looks ugly as all hell.

Curious about Honda going to Toro Rosso.  I know their a #2 team, but I wonder if them going to Honda is a subtle (like a bus full of 6 years about to go into a candy shop, without parental oversight) hint to Renault to speed up their engine design or we're out of here.  Of course this is presuming Honda gets their stuff together.  I thought they were coming together last year and then the first half of the season was generally a god awful disaster.  

So the silly season isn't going to be batshit insane this year, if the rumors are to be true.  Seb will be resigned and wants Kimi resigned, which appears to be a done deal.  Bottas likely got an extra year at Mercedes.  Red Bull isn't changing their line up next year.  Haas has stated their line up is clear.  McLaren likely will retain VanDoorne and Alonso (who is driving out of his bloody mind this year).  Force India's guys aren't gonna go anywhere.

So what seats are open next year?

Does Massa re-retire?  Most likely.  I think if their car was better this year he may have wanted to keep on going, but the bad luck he's had may just be enough for him to move on.  So who most likely gets that seat?  My money is on Pascal, Mercedes likes him and they may be able to work out a deal to get him that seat.  Merc is high on him and sees him long term to fill Ham's seat down the road.  I see more upside with Pascal than I do Sainz.  Would they go after Palmer?  I don't think so.  They may want a Brit in one of their seats but I don't think Palmer has done anything to deserve that seat.  

Sauber likely jetitisons both their drivers for Ferrari junior drivers.  Also not sure who the top Ferrari junior drivers are here.  Maybe Haas's reserve driver and the guy leading F2?

Renault is going to boot Palmer, who mostly through no fault of his own, has had a season that is probably worse than either the McLaren drivers.  I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if Kubica gets signed this year to finish the season out.  Does well and keeps the seat for next year.  This is the one that I think we could see a curveball and maybe they go after Sainz.

So that leaves us TR who if the crazy season does go crazy they lose Sainz and decide to jettison Kyvat (no loss there imo, he appears aloof and lost at this point).  But they have a junion program too so doubt they'd go after anyone on the market and just promote from within.

My money is on a boring silly season and no more than 4 seats open up.

 

 

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1 hour ago, skalls said:

God that halo looks ugly as all hell.

Curious about Honda going to Toro Rosso.  I know their a #2 team, but I wonder if them going to Honda is a subtle (like a bus full of 6 years about to go into a candy shop, without parental oversight) hint to Renault to speed up their engine design or we're out of here.  Of course this is presuming Honda gets their stuff together.  I thought they were coming together last year and then the first half of the season was generally a god awful disaster.  

So the silly season isn't going to be batshit insane this year, if the rumors are to be true.  Seb will be resigned and wants Kimi resigned, which appears to be a done deal.  Bottas likely got an extra year at Mercedes.  Red Bull isn't changing their line up next year.  Haas has stated their line up is clear.  McLaren likely will retain VanDoorne and Alonso (who is driving out of his bloody mind this year).  Force India's guys aren't gonna go anywhere.

So what seats are open next year?

Does Massa re-retire?  Most likely.  I think if their car was better this year he may have wanted to keep on going, but the bad luck he's had may just be enough for him to move on.  So who most likely gets that seat?  My money is on Pascal, Mercedes likes him and they may be able to work out a deal to get him that seat.  Merc is high on him and sees him long term to fill Ham's seat down the road.  I see more upside with Pascal than I do Sainz.  Would they go after Palmer?  I don't think so.  They may want a Brit in one of their seats but I don't think Palmer has done anything to deserve that seat.  

Sauber likely jetitisons both their drivers for Ferrari junior drivers.  Also not sure who the top Ferrari junior drivers are here.  Maybe Haas's reserve driver and the guy leading F2?

Renault is going to boot Palmer, who mostly through no fault of his own, has had a season that is probably worse than either the McLaren drivers.  I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if Kubica gets signed this year to finish the season out.  Does well and keeps the seat for next year.  This is the one that I think we could see a curveball and maybe they go after Sainz.

So that leaves us TR who if the crazy season does go crazy they lose Sainz and decide to jettison Kyvat (no loss there imo, he appears aloof and lost at this point).  But they have a junion program too so doubt they'd go after anyone on the market and just promote from within.

My money is on a boring silly season and no more than 4 seats open up.

 

 

Great write up bud.

I personally don't believe Sainz is heading anywhere and staying at TR.

Palmer as I've said before, will be out before the end of this season and why not take the risk and have Kubica drive throughout the rest?

There's still word on a new team coming in possibly for 2018 backed by a Chinese firm so there's at least 1 seat come later in the season as I'm sure seat #1 will be taken by a Chinese driver? 

Mercedes, RBR, McLaren, Ferrari driver line up will remain, possibly even Williams if Massa stays and I feel he will. 

Who knows? Perhaps "Some drivers" will even leave completely this formula seeing it no longer really will be fully open wheeled with that god awful halo...?

[Lotusguy]

I've never been a fan of the Hungarian GP, I often wonder why it's survived this long on the calendar. 

This snoozefest should have been dropped LONG ago. Frigging boring as hell.

[Lotusguy]

I've never been a fan of the Hungarian GP, I often wonder why it's survived this long on the calendar. 

This snoozefest should have been dropped LONG ago. Frigging boring as hell.

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ALFA ROMEO SET TO POWER HAAS AND SAUBER

For some time now CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Sergio Marchionne has hinted that the group’s Alfa Romeo brand could find it’s way back into Formula 1 – now it is looking increasingly likely that the brand will return in earnest as soon as next year.

In the wake of the Hungarian Grand Prix, which Marchionne attended and got to see Ferrari take a one-two at the Hungaroring, it has emerged that he is looking to expand the group’s motorsport portfolio – brands under the FCA umbrella include the likes of: Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Maserati, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia and Abarth to name some.

In Hungary Marchionne was asked by Sky if Ferrari would follow Mercedes and Porsche with a Formula E project, to which he replied, “In the wider sense of what we do with cars between Maserati, Alfa and Ferrari, we are looking at this with interest. Maybe with one of the others, not Fiat, but Alfa or Maserati.”

Earlier Marchionne had said, “I think we’re now in a position to acknowledge at least one of our brands and in particular Maserati will, when it completes the development of its next two models effectively switch all of its portfolio to electrification.”

This Formula E is a logical environment for Maserati to bolster it’s image as a premium electric car manufacturer. 

Meanwhile sources within Alfa Romeo have revealed that a bespoke Formula 1 project will not happen any time soon, but at the same acknowledged that it is highly likely that the Alfa Romeo badged Ferrari F1 engines will find their way onto the back of their customer teams – Haas and Sauber – as soon as 2018.

From a marketing perspective, with Ferrari being the flagship sportscar brand in the FCA portfolio, winning in Formula 1 is important and something the Maranello outfit are doing on a regular basis once again.

But at the same time Ferrari powered Saubers are languishing at the back of the field m – no matter that the engines used are a year old – to the consumer it is still a Ferrari powered car on the wrong end of the grid. Clearly not ideal for the overall image.

Thus Alfa Romeo as the ‘junior’ brand would be an ideal alternative, Marchionne needs little convincing, “I find it astonishing how the Alfa Romeo brand is still in the hearts of people. We’re thinking about how we could bring Alfa Romeo back to Formula 1.”

This is hardly a surprise to long time F1 fans as Enzo Ferrari ran an Alfa Romeo customer team in the thirties under the Scuderia Ferrari name before he embarked on building his own cars.

Furthermore Alfa Romeo won the first two Formula 1 World Championships with Giuseppe Farina in 1950 and a year later with Juan Manuel Fangio.

Alfa Romeo was also involved in F1 as an engine supplier between 1961 and 1979, before returning as a fully fledged works team from 1979 to 1985 with little success. Nevertheless the marque is part of the sport’s history and has an undeniable racing pedigree.

Already the Alfa Romeo four leaf clover can be seen on the engine cover of the current Ferrari SF70H. Now another more intensive return to the pinnacle of the sport is on the cards with Sauber who ditched a Honda supply deal, set to play the role of Ferrari junior team powered by Alfa Romeo (badged Ferrari) engines.

Haas is also likely to be shipped Alfa Romeo badged power units for the 2018 season and beyond.

Marchionne, who holds that view that Alfa Romeo should be the spring-board for young Italian drivers, said of the renewed Sauber deal, “It’s a very positive thing for us. It’s our chance to have a junior team. We have a pair of exceptional drivers we need to run.”

These drivers being current Ferrari reserve Antonio Giovinazzi and Charles Leclerc (although he is Monegasque…) Both are ready to step up, and with the Sauber deal sealed there is at least one berth available with the Swiss team come 2018.

Further into the future, beyond the current engine formula, Marchionne is keen to see the F1 grid expand and told reporters, “We are looking to add to the number of customers for our engines, agreeing with Liberty and the FIA to help new teams to come into Formula 1. The more [teams] we have the better.”

These teams would be supplied Alfa Romeo badged F1 engines.

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MID-SEASON RECAP: ALL CHANGE AT SAUBER

With five points through the first eleven races, it’s been tough sledding for Sauber so far this season.

Owners of the smallest budget on the grid, the team was forced to settle for a 2016-spec Ferrari engine supply, while updates to their 2017 chassis – the C36 – have been few and far between.

The two highlights of their season were a P8 and P10 in Barcelona and Baku respectively, but mostly the team has made headlines for what it has done off-track.

First there was the somewhat-controversial withdrawal of Pascal Wehrlein from the opening two races, then the announcement of a Honda engine supply for 2018, followed by team principal Monisha Kaltenborn’s departure and Frederic Vasseur’s subsequent hiring, and finally their doing a U-Turn on the Honda deal to renew with Ferrari.

Certainly, a busy seven months for the Swiss outfit.

Driver Rating

Marcus Ericsson

If this was the year Ericsson proved to be anything more than a stereotypical pay driver, he’s fast running out of time to prove it. With no points to his name, the only thing of value he’s brought to the team is considerable financial backing, although to be fair he hasn’t been a complete embarrassment, out-duelling his more highly regarded teammate on a few occasions. Regardless, the internal politicking seems to have handed him the keys to the kingdom, and maybe with an increased budget he’ll be able to get on the scoreboard.  

Rating: 5/10

Pascal Wehrlein

An inconsistent year for the German, in more ways than one. At different times struggling with both form and fitness, he hasn’t exactly distinguished himself as the heir-apparent to the Mercedes programme that funds him, but he’s still shown enough to keep the faith a while longer. Without him, Sauber would have no championship points, and his eighth in Spain was a particularly brilliant drive – if only we could see him up against a more capable teammate.

Rating: 6/10

Team Rating

The best thing you can say about Sauber’s season so far is it has met expectations. They were always up against it using year-old engines and a shoestring budget, and while there haven’t been any standout moments on-track, there haven’t been any real embarrassing ones either. The real action has definitely been in the boardroom, and with the move from Monisha Kaltenborn/Honda to Frederic Vasseur/Ferrari, the rest of their 2017 will be interesting if only to see what moves they make for the future.

Rating: 5/10

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BOTTAS: I CAN BEAT LEWIS AND SEBASTIAN

Valtteri Bottas has been one of the revelations of the 2017 Formula 1 season, catapulted into the best team in the sport alongside one of the best drivers of the current era and he has delivered to the point that he is convinced he can win the title this year.

Eight podiums, including two wins, has kept him in touch with title contenders with quadruple F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel and three times F1 World Champion Hamilton.

With the season on a month long break, Bottas told Sportbild, “I can become World Champion. There are still nine races to go. I believe that I can beat Lewis and Sebastian. I have already beaten both of them this year. And it should also be possible to do so in future races. I am getting better and better. There is no limit for me.”

Bottas was drafted into the all conquering Mercedes team and was expected to perform from the outset. Although team orders is not part of the Silver Arrows culture, the quiet Finn had to establish himself alongside Hamilton to prove he is more than a number two.

Bottas explained, “The team made it clear right from the beginning that we would both be treated and respected equally. We get the same equipment, there is no number one and number two driver in the team. I trust that.”

“I am fighting for the World Championship, and this is also about my own career. That’s why I do not want to be in the shadow of Lewis,” added the 27 year old.

Hamilton rates Bottas as his best teammate, and the respect is mutual as shown during a tense Hungarian Grand Prix where Bottas was told to allow Hamilton past to attack the leading Ferrari duo.

The Finn did as ordered with the proviso that Hamilton would cede the position should he not be able to overtake the red cars ahead. When it transpired that he could not, Hamilton returned the favour to Bottas, as agreed, allowing him through on the final lap to take third position back from him.

Bottas is encouraged by the way the scenario panned out, “Not every team colleague would have done that if he had a chance to be on the podium. Respect! This shows how well we work as a team. On the other hand, I would have been pissed if Lewis had reneged on the deal.”

Bottas lies third in the 2017 world championship standings with 169 points, trailing leader Vettel by 33 points and adrift of second placed Hamilton by 19 points with nine races remaining.

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PIRELLI REVEAL TYRE CHOICES FOR BELGIAN GRAND PRIX

Red Bull have signaled their intention to attack when they return from the summer break at the Belgian Grand Prix with both their drivers opting for aggressive tyre choices.

Both Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo have each opted for nine sets of the purple band Pirelli ultrasofts, three sets of the supersofts and only one set of the softs for the three days at the daunting Spa-Francorchamps.

Only McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne has opted for a similar combination, although teammate Fernando Alonso will also have nine sets of the ultrasofts at his disposal, but he has chosen two sets of softs and two sets of supersofts.

Mercedes have gone conservative with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas going for six sets of ultrasofts, with Hamilton choosing four sets of softs and three sets of supersofts. Bottas will have three sets of softs and four sets of supersofts in his arsenal.

Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen will each have seven ultrasoft sets, and three sets of softs and three sets of softs during the weekend in the Ardeennes.

Here are the drivers’ tyre choices for the Belgian Grand Prix on 25-27 August:

[MIKA27]

New F1 2017 game trailer showcases expanded career mode

Codemasters has released a new gameplay trailer for the up-coming F1 2017 game, which is set to be released later this month.

The trailer focuses on the expanded career mode in F1 2017, which includes more detailed and in-depth research and development, new paddock locations and a new character.

It also showcases some of the invitational events that players will be able to complete in the game’s 12 classic cars, as well as shortened race track layouts in Britain, Bahrain USA and Japan.

Meanwhile, F1 2017 will enable gamers to compete in single and multi-class (C1 and C2) races in the classic cars, which is revealed in the trailer – alongside another glimpse of Monaco at night.

F1 2017 is set to be released on August 25 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

MIKA: Already ordered! My PSN name is R1Z1NG3R76 if anyone is interested in a race sometime

[MIKA27]

George Russell says Halo gave 'much better view' than he imagined it would

Mercedes' George Russell says he was surprised by the visibility offered by the Halo head protection device, which is to be introduced next season in Formula 1.

Russell drove the W08 across both days of the in-season test at Hungary this week and completed a number of laps with the Halo fitted.

Some drivers complained that it blocked their view a little and could cause a problem on uphill sections, such as Eau Rouge and Turn 1 at the Circuit of the Americas, but Russell said his initial impressions were positive and it even improved his view at certain times.

"The Halo was more surprising than I expected," said the Mercedes junior. "I had a much better view than I ever imagined.

"One very funny positive was that at the end of the day, when the sun was coming down, the Halo actually blocked the sun from my eyes, so I saw more than I would usually see.

"To be honest, from a driver's perspective, when you're doing a qualifying lap, or whatever, the visibility is completely fine."

Russell admitted it could cause some problems, but they would be easy to overcome.

"The only hindrance could be potentially the start lights at the start of a race, but I was extremely surprised by it and how much I could actually see."

On getting in and out of the car, he added: "I think it just takes a bit of experience to find the right techniques. I struggled initially, but towards the end, after a few trial runs, I was fine getting in and out."

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Kubica staying "very realistic" about F1 return chances

Robert Kubica says he must be realistic about his chances of returning to Formula 1 despite impressing when he drove a contemporary F1 car for the first time since 2011.

The 32-year-old Pole, whose F1 career was interrupted following a rallying crash, finished fourth fastest and completed 142 laps on day two of the post-Hungarian Grand Prix test.

Renault had given Kubica two tests in 2012-spec machinery earlier this year - at Valencia and Paul Ricard - and then decided to run him in the official F1 test to better understand if he is capable of a return in 2018.

One-time F1 race winner Kubica admitted he was "not 100 percent happy" with his return but felt good physically after the eight-hour test, held in hot and humid conditions, and did not feel any pain.

"I would like to have other opportunities but the reality is that I don't know and we'll have to wait and see." said Kubica.

"If we see where I was four months ago compared to where I am now, it is a big change and it happened very quickly.

"So I think if in three months I did improve a lot and moved forward quite a lot, everything can happen in the future. But we have to be realistic, nothing will be easy.

"My target is to get this kind of role in F1 if I can and if I will have a chance but I don't know. One thing is sure, if it doesn't happen, I will not be disappointed because I am looking at this situation very realistically."

  

Kubica completed 20 stints during the test, including a handful of ultrasoft tyre runs, as he worked down to a best lap of 1.448s adrift of Ferrari pace-setter Sebastian Vettel.

The Pole feels he needs more time in the car to feel comfortable.

"If I get the chance to jump again in the car I will find it much easier, more familiar and it will come more naturally," he said. "For a driver the best feeling you can have is everything comes so easily you don't think about it.

"But when everything if new you have to think about it and concentrate on things, keep analysing why you are driving. Once I jumped out of the car [after four hours of running], I had a big break and I jump back at 2pm and I felt like a different driver.

"The car felt much more familiar and it's a good sign. A lot of people think you improve only by driving but you can improve also by thinking and thinking where you can 
improve.

"This is what happened and if I was driving again the next day I would have some idea where I can improve and everything will come easier and more natural which is the target."

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The taxi driver who raced against Senna

You might not have heard the name of Ronnie Grant, but his remarkable story is told in a short film made by his grandson Jamie, and narrated by son George.

The 92-year-old garage owner and former London taxi driver was already in his 40s when he took up motor racing.

He was pretty good too: he beat future F1 driver Brian Henton to win the final round of the 1970 British Formula Vee championship.

Grant has a unique distinction in that in the early seventies he raced a SuperVee Taurus designed by John Barnard, with engines tuned by Patrick Head – and he is thus the only racing driver who ever had both legendary F1 technical directors working in his pit together.

Transporting the car on the back of a VW pick-up, he competed against the likes of Keke Rosberg.

Later, into his late 50s and early 60s, he moved in the British F3 series.

Racing purely for fun, he was on the starting grids with Ayrton Senna, Martin Brundle, Johnny Dumfries, Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert, Eddie Irvine, JJ Lehto and all the other big names who emerged in the 1980s.

His racing history aside, this short documentary captures the spirit and personality of a remarkable man, and colourful character.

"What a wonderful film," Hill said on Twitter. "Superb tribute to an amazing man. I had the honour and total privilege of racing with Ronnie. God bless you Ronnie!"

 

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Pirelli may add another compound to its F1 tyre range for 2018

Pirelli could increase its range of Formula 1 tyre compounds to six in 2018, but will not make a decision until the end of this year.

A test with Ferrari in Barcelona this week is Pirelli's last chance to do any track running before freezing the construction of its 2018 range of F1 tyres.

Ferrari is continuing the two-day test in Spain on Thursday, with Antonio Giovinazzi driving, after Pirelli used Valtteri Bottas and Mercedes to evaluate next year's tyres in Hungary on Tuesday.

These are Pirelli's final track tests before it needs to submit details of the architecture of next year's tyres to the FIA before the September 1 deadline, but the Italian company can wait until December 1 before nominating its range of compound choices.

During that time it will have further tests at Paul Ricard with Mercedes on September 7-8, in Mexico City with Sauber and Force India on October 31 and November 1, and at Interlagos with McLaren on November 14-15.

A final validation test, open to all teams, takes place in Abu Dhabi after the final race on November 28-29.

F1 teams currently have five compounds of slick tyre to choose from: hard, medium, soft, super-soft and ultra-soft.

Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola says the number of compounds it commits to for 2018 will be decided by the post-September 1 tests.

"Depending on the results, we will decide the number of compounds," he explained.

"My opinion is to go up to six, which is possible.

"If I look at the regulations the number of compounds is our proposal to the FIA, and usually the FIA accepts, because there is no reason to refuse.

"In fact this year we homologated 10 compounds - we had the five base compounds, and five back-up compounds.

"We don't need the agreement of the teams.

"In Abu Dhabi after the race we have two days of testing with all the cars, and all the teams, which is supposed to be for validation of the new product, to give the teams the opportunity to test it in advance.

"So end of November we need to be ready with the final version of our 2018 tyres."

The challenge Pirelli faces is it has to predict the future levels of aerodynamic development by the teams, and hence the forces generated on the tyres, and create a product that will still work at the final race of the 2018 season.

One of the problems for the 2017 tyres is that they were designed with information extrapolated from last year's mule car testing, which was not as accurate as it could have been.

"Now we have much better data coming from each weekend, so we are already developing a new construction, a new profile, new ideas," said Isola.

"It will not be a revolution compared to this year, because we think we have a good product."

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MID-SEASON RECAP: DOOM AND DESPAIR AT MCLAREN

Currently second-to-last in the constructor’s championship, 2017 has been another trying year for McLaren-Honda.

Despite possessing one of the largest budgets on the grid, the team has been able to garner only eleven points, with their competitiveness hamstrung mostly by the ongoing struggles of Honda’s engine development.

That said, their dearth of F1 results has done little to keep them out of the headlines, with stories such as Fernando Alonso’s Indy adventure, Jenson Button’s one-off return, endless speculation about the Honda partnership and Ron Dennis’ exit keeping them in the press.

Where they go in the second half of the season is anyone’s guess, but if the first half was any indication, they’ll be sure to bring the drama.

Stoffel Vandoorne

For all that has been made of Fernando Alonso’s mental state amidst McLaren’s struggles, the truth is it’s been Vandoorne that has been more adversely affected.

It can’t be forgotten that off the back of his 2015 GP2 championship and points in his 2016 one-off appearance, Vandoorne was arguably the most can’t-miss prospect of the decade. Instead, he’s struggled for both pace and consistency – albeit with a particularly high benchmark – and just seems to be going through the motions.

Scoring his first points of 2017 right before the break in Hungary, the hope is he’ll come back looking like the Vandoorne we expected.
Rating: 4/10

Fernando Alonso

Having celebrated his 36th birthday a week ago, it’s safe to say this was not how the Spaniard wanted to spend his F1 golden years.

Of course being Alonso there’s still been occasions where his brilliance has shone through – his P6 in Hungary being the most-recent example – but that matters little to the man who has been waiting ten years for his third championship, and 2017 is already another lost cause.

Still, there is no denying Alonso remains among the sport’s elite, and that’s particularly impressive considering the chaos that surrounds him.

Rating: 8/10

Team Rating

You know it’s a bad year when a team’s highlight comes in an entirely different open-wheel category, but as far as McLaren’s 2017 F1 season has gone, it’s been an unqualified disaster.

Three years into their partnership with Honda, the expectation was they’d be competing for championships, instead they’ve topped-out at ninth in the standings, with a good weekend being one where they make it to Q3, or sustain just a single engine failure.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that recent results have indicated some progress has been made, but whether it’s enough to quell the tandem brewing storms over the future of both Fernando Alonso and Honda with the team remains unlikely.

Rating: 2/10

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VETTEL: A LOT OF RACES TO COME AND A LOT CAN HAPPEN

Sebastian Vettel goes into the summer break leading the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship, with Ferrari fresh from a one-two in Hungary, which the German credits to hard work but insists that where they finish at the end of the year is more important than where they are right now.

Speaking in the wake of his victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Vettel told Sky, “It’s been rewarding for the team. It’s a fact to say in the last couple of years we didn’t have the best car and a fact to say in the last few years we weren’t the strongest as developing the car, but I think if you look at the progression this year is a different story and we keep progressing.”

“It’s more important to lead the championship after the last race, but I think it’s the best position to be in, you don’t want to be on the back foot. Equally the season is long, there’s a lot of races to come and a lot of things that can happen.”

Although Ferrari trail Mercedes by 39 points in the constructors’ championship after 11 rounds with nine to go, Vettel leads the drivers’ standings by 14 points.

The four times World Champion attributes that to a better working environment at Maranello, “The team is a much better shape this year. I think we have all the ingredients to stay there and have a good second half of the season. If you have the right results coming your way you start to pick up a bit of momentum so it’s up to us to keep it going.

“I’m quite confident we have the right people, we know how to build a good car, we’ve also improved the engine massively, so everything is going in the right direction. We will see in terms of time whether we will be ahead of behind but I’m confident we will be there and fight for hopefully a lot of big points.”

“We have seen a lot of bits from other people copying us, but that’s a good sign and a testimony of hard and good work and the achievement that has gone into this car and this project. We will keep pushing flat out. I think we’ve been competitive everywhere we went. It’s true also to say [in some places] Mercedes has been more competitive and we’ve been a bit behind.

“It’s normal that from track to track there’s a bit of a difference. We want to be quickest at every place we go which is currently not the case, but we’re working on it. We have quite a good understanding of what the car needs and now we have some time to look into a couple of things with peace and calm. What’s important is that we know what we need,” added Vettel.

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NEALE: WE WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO KEEP ALONSO

Fernando Alonso set a deadline of September to have a winning car at his disposal, if not a McLaren then anything else and the Woking outfit are more than keen to keep the Spaniard on their books despite the fact that they cannot fulfill his conditions.

McLaren CEO Jonathan Neale makes no secret of who he wants racing in orange next year, “I’d love to have Fernando in this team. I know we will do everything we can to keep him in this team but I recognise he will have choices – nothing is a given. I think he’s a great guy, he’s one of the best drivers I have ever worked with and I’d love to have him for longer.”

In Hungary, Alonso was in full swing in a no holds barred battle with Toro Rosso’ Carlos Sainz, after which he went on to end the race in sixth – his best finish of the season and lifting McLaren off the bottom of the constructors’ championship table.

Neale recalled, “If you look at how hard it is to overtake around in Hungary generally and then look at the move he made on Sainz – that was great. He tried a move the first time, he didn’t quite make it stick but he got it the next time round. To do that safely and cleanly as he did is a great demonstration of his skill and fighting spirit.”

From Alonso’s perspective, every weekend he puts in a massive effort for little reward and almost certain disappointment. McLaren may have a strong chassis but the engine is woefully under-powered and lacking reliability. He also makes it clear on a regular basis that he wants to be racing for victory, not picking up single digit points.

Adding to Alonso’s predicament is the uncertainty that prevails in the McLaren garage. Will they ditch Honda? Will they become a Renault customer? Why don’t Mercedes and Ferrari want to supply the team with engines?

Despite the team’s worst season in their illustrious history, Neale remains optimistic, “I’m encouraged about McLaren’s future. A lot has happened over the last 12 months. We’re ready to take that next step for McLaren. Our thoughts are starting to turn to next year’s car and what that is going to look like.”

“Of course the engine stuff is in that mix. We need to land all of that in and before the September timescale so our drivers know who we are going to be and what their plans are going to be.”

“No firm decisions have been made. We’re in lots of dialogue with Honda. We’re keeping the FIA and FOM close to what is going on. We are trying to do the right thing for F1 but also try to do the right thing for McLaren.”

“McLaren is a team we have a duty to put back at the front. The sport wants us back at the front. We want Fernando back at the front in the mix,” declared Neale.

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LOWE: WE ARE VERY OPEN MINDED ABOUT NEXT YEAR

Super-sub Paul di Resta impressed so much during his last minute stand-in for Felipe Massa at the Hungarian Grand Prix, that he has made a great case for himself to return to Formula 1 and be signed on as a full time driver next year.

Williams technical boss Paddy Lowe said after Di Resta’s return, “I think he’s done his reputation no end of good this weekend. I think in the circumstances, Paul did an absolutely terrific job, as I think everyone recognised.”

“For him to get a very reasonable lap time out of the car from only four timed laps from these cars which are the fastest cars in the history of the sport at a very technical track.”

“He did a great job in qualifying, and he continued that form in the race with the procedures like race starts and tyre warm up procedures and so on. He did a respectable job, stayed out of trouble, drove consistently and gave good feedback at the end of the race.”

“The real shame is that we didn’t give him a car capable of getting to the end, something we’re still trying to diagnose,” explained Lowe.

So impressive was Di Resta’s performance that talk about drafting in the Scot full-time for 2018 has inevitably arisen and Lowe acknowledged, “We’re very open-minded about what we’re going to do for next year anyway. Being open-minded, we’ll consider all options.”

For 2018 Lance Stroll is virtually certain to stay with the Grove outfit, while Felipe Massa has made no secret that he would like to continue with the team for at least another year.

Thus, in the end, despite the feel good nature of the Di Resta comeback story, the opportunity could well be one of those that promised much but delivered little.

Lowe points to the crowded driver market as the biggest obstacle facing Di Resta’s return, “We’ve got a bit of a problem on the horizon with a lack of destinations for drivers that don’t quite make it into Formula 1.”

“We have unfortunately got the prospect of less destinations for accomplished drivers in the future with the position of LMP1 and DTM, which are really two of the next tier motorsports for conscious Formula 1 drivers.”

Should an F1 team not come calling next year, Di Resta has one more year with DTM before his Mercedes team pull the plug on their DTM programme and focus on a Formula E campaign, in which case Di Resta is sure to be a candidate for a race seat.

Di Resta made his Formula 1 debut at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix and since then started 59 races in which he scored 121 points for Force India. His last race in F1, before the Williams call-up, was at the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix.