Formula 1 - 2017

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MARCHIONNE: WE DID NOT GET VERY FAR WITH LEWIS

Ferrari appear to be on track to confirm that Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen will remain at Maranello beyond 2017, but the Italian team’s big boss Sergio Marchionne hinted that there were discussions with Lewis Hamilton which until now have come to naught.

Speaking to reporters Marchionne revealed, “Ending his career with Ferrari would be a privilege, but up until now we did not get very far with Lewis. I will not talk about the future.”

Contractually Hamilton would only be free to move from Mercedes to Ferrari at the end of 2018. It is interesting to note that the three times World Champion has only driven Mercedes powered cars in Formula 1, but at the same time has admitted his fascination with the sport’s most famous marque.

Meanwhile Marchionne virtually confirmed that the current Ferrari driver line-up will remain unchanged for another year, “We have two great drivers in the house and do not want to talk about alternatives.”

“I think I have been public on the Sebastian issue, if he wants to stay he is more than welcome to stay. And in the case of Kimi, we are pretty well sure…we know he wants to stay. Hopefully we will bring them on soon.”

Raikkonen’s future is constantly debated in the media, when asked if the Finn would remain with the team for another year Marchionne replied, “Probably better than 50 percent chance. We will wait and see…”

In keeping with tradition, the 2018 Ferrari driver line-up is set to be announced at Monza in September.

When quizzed about this, Marchionne said, “That’s what I heard. I heard Maurizio [Arrivabene] was going to do that. I have no planned timing, it is early enough. This is the 11th race out of 20 so we have a lot of races to go.”

Ferrari have aggressively developed their young driver pool over the past few years and fruits of this programme are Antonio Giovinazzi and Charles Leclerc, while the likes of Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez and Romain Grosjean have been linked with the team.

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Hungaroring revamp work to begin in 2018

The long-anticipated rebuilding of the Hungaroring's ageing facilities will finally get underway next year after the venue secured the required state support.

Government ministers have signed off on 35 billion Forints of funding for the work – around £103m or $136m – with the payments spread out over three stages of 5bn, 10bn and 20bn.

Hungary's minister of foreign affairs and trade Peter Szijjarto was present at last weekend's Grand Prix – where he enjoyed a taste of the sport with a ride in the F1 two-seater – and confirmed that the agreement had been reached with the circuit, which has a deal to host the race until 2026.

The venue has gone virtually unchanged since the first Grand Prix was held in 1986, and it has been clear for some years that a revamp was essential.

The first job will be the rebuilding of the main grandstands and public areas, with the plan being to create a modern stadium section running around the final corner and along the pit straight.

That work will start in late 2018, in preparation for the following year's Grand Prix. Construction of a new race control and pitlane complex will follow in 2020. There are also plans for a visitors' centre and museum.

"We have a plan now," Hungaroring President and CEO Zsolt Gyulay told Motorsport.com. "The government has decided. The minister has said it's guaranteed, it's 100 per cent sure. It was delayed, because we wanted to start in January, but this is government!

"At the end of August we'll start making the architectural designs. My plan is that we can start the rebuild at the end of 2018 until 2019.

"The first step is the outside, the stands, and the second one is inside the circuit, the pits, in 2020. Everything will be new. We will have more seats, like a modern stadium."

Gyulay said that he has already formed a good relationship with F1 CEO Chase Carey and his Liberty colleagues: "I think Mr. Carey is an absolute gentleman.

"We have a long contract, and I feel it's a little bit easier to work with them. We have to thank Bernie [Ecclestone] for everything, of course, but we can work with them easily."

 

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How can the look of the halo be improved for 2018?

Formula 1 is committed to introducing the halo cockpit protection device in 2018, but its appearance is likely to undergo some changes before then.

So far, teams have been testing prototype designs of the device, usually unpainted, and it has proved unpopular with fans.

But with a new, narrower version already appearing in last week's post-Hungarian Grand Prix test, and talk of aerodynamic modifications being possible, how should we expect the halo to look when the 2018 season kicks off in Australia next March?

In this clip from Motorsport.tv's weekly programme The Flying Lap, Peter Windsor and Craig Scarborough take a closer look.

 

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Mercedes needs to 'back a horse' in F1 title race - Red Bull boss

Red Bull Formula 1 team boss Christian Horner believes Mercedes will soon have to decide to support one of its drivers over the other in the 2017 title race.

Valtteri Bottas's two grand prix wins over the first half of the season have kept him within striking distance of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton and world championship leader Sebastian Vettel.

But while Vettel's title bid appears to have the full support of Ferrari, with Kimi Raikkonen seemingly not in contention, Mercedes is supporting both of its drivers equally, evidenced by Hamilton letting Bottas through for third place in the Hungarian GP after the Finn had moved aside earlier to attack the Ferraris.

Horner believes that approach cannot last, and he expects Hamilton to be the driver that will take the fight to Vettel.

"The dilemma that Mercedes have got is that Hamilton is their lead driver and at some point you have to back a horse," said Horner.

"Ultimately it will probably come down to those two guys [Hamilton and Vettel], and Ferrari's position with Kimi was far clearer."

Horner added that he was impressed with Hamilton's commitment to giving the place back to Bottas, despite the fact the second Mercedes had fallen nearly eight seconds adrift by the start of the final lap.

Asked if he was surprised Mercedes swapped places at the end, Horner said: "On the one hand yes, but on the other hand, it would have been harsh on Valtteri, because you are effectively telling him you are out of the championship the moment you did that.

"I was impressed Lewis gave it back, because you are just giving away more points to your biggest rival.

"We did it in Monaco two years ago [with Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo] but it is slightly different when you haven't got a driver competing for the world championship."

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WOLFF: BOTTAS EXTENSION TO BE CONFIRMED IN SEPTEMBER

A constant story in the paddock for much of this season has been the future of Mercedes ‘new boy’ Valtteri Bottas, who signed a one year only deal to replace the team’s retiring Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg.

Since then Bottas has done everything asked of him by his team, while showing his title contention credentials with a couple of victories in the process. He has also slotted in well with Lewis Hamilton, the pair working effectively together, unlike the toxic relationship the Briton shared with Rosberg over the past three years.

Not much more could have been asked of the quiet spoken Finn, thus the only surprise has been the apparent lack of urgency by Mercedes to lengthen the deal, but both parties point to time constraints as a factor in the delay.

However Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff has hinted that the summer break “is a good time to talk and to think things through.”

“We had some good discussions with Valtteri before Hungary. I’d certainly like to go to Asia for the final races with a decision,” added Wolff.

Bottas is singing off the same hymn sheet as his boss, “There could be some progress to be made during the break because obviously the last month has been pretty hectic.”

“It’s been difficult to have proper meetings and discussions with so many races. For sure there is some time but there is no rush, we don’t need to get anything done before Spa,” insisted Bottas who lies third in the F1 World Championship standings.

Although Sebastian Vettel has been linked with the team, insiders say this was not an option but say that Mercedes chiefs allowed the story to run its course because ‘all news is good news’ and Wolff is not shy to stir things up through the media.

Thus many believe that Bottas and Mercedes extending is a foregone conclusion, as the Finn has impressed both Wolff and team chairman Niki Lauda.

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HORNER: WE JUST NEED THAT LITTLE BIT EXTRA FOR Q3

Red Bull chief Christian Horner believes he has the two fastest drivers on the grid in Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, but when it comes to qualifying they are compromised with lack of power to do the business and seriously challenge for pole position.

Since the beginning of the hybrid turbo era in Formula 1, Mercedes have always had some spare horse power to dial in when needed, and Q3 has always been a good time to unleash them. As a result Mercedes are well ahead in top spot and front row starts over the past three years.

This year Ferrari have also found that ‘magic switch’ which gives their drivers a handy boost in the final phase of qualifying.

But Red Bull, by Horner’s own admission, does not have the luxury of dialing-up the power in qualifying for their drivers, “The car is getting stronger and stronger in race conditions, and again was a very competitive grand prix for us in Hungary.

“If we can just find that little bit more performance. You saw in qualifying that Max was second in Q1 and Q2. But you get to the latter part of qualifying and we just need that little bit extra to go with our major competitors.”

“Hopefully we can be reasonable there. Austria, we were reasonably competitive there – I think particularly on Sunday. On Saturday we are going to struggle. I can imagine us being fifth and sixth on the grid on Saturday and quicker than that on Sunday. The thing I can say about Spa is that you have the ability to overtake there.”

Renault chief Cyril Abiteboul has made it clear that the engine development this year is happening on a race-by-race basis, with no major upgrade on the cards until next season.

Clearly a policy that appears not to sit well with Horner, “I think you need to speak to our engine supplier to understand what their thoughts are regarding engine introduction.”

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GASLY: TARGET IS TO BE ON THE GRID IN 2018 WITH TORO ROSSO

Pierre Gasly has been knocking on the door of Formula 1 for the past two years, the Frenchman has ticked all the boxes and promotion to the Toro Rosso team this year was expected, but it did not happen as nothing is guaranteed in the political cesspool that is Red Bull’s young driver programme.

Gasly, the 2016 GP2 Series (renamed now to F2) champion said ahead of the summer break, “My plan is of course to be with Toro Rosso on the grid, that’s the target, to be on the grid in 2018. So many things are going on at the moment, hopefully it can turn out well for me, of course we need to wait at the moment but definitely the plan is to be on the grid next year.”

He currently drives in the Japanese Super Formula, but he is simply biding his time as he waits for that career changing call from his paymasters.

“I don’t have any manager so I speak straight with him [Helmet Marko] and you know he’s really straight forward guy, so you know when something happens he basically just calls you and says OK that’s done. At the moment we are having a good relationship. It’s a bit too early as we are only at the beginning of August but definitely I think this month we will hopefully have more news,” explained Gasly.

Toro Rosso have Carlos Sainz and Daniil Kvyat earmarked for another season with the Red Bull junior team in 2018, but this is not cast in stone and would also go against the ethos of the energy drinks’ organisation of preparing thewir drivers to move up the ladder. Problem they have now is too many drivers for too few seats.

 
Sainz is almost certainly set for a fourth year with the team, which in itself in unique for Toro Rosso who normally give their drivers three years with the junior outfit before promoting them or dumping them.

But even stranger is the longevity of Kvyat’s tenure, considering the fact that he was drafted into the team in 2014, promoted to Red Bull in 2015, then demoted back to the junior team after four races in 2016 and has remained there to this date.

The Russian has simply not delivered compared to both Daniel Ricciardo (his teammate at Red Bull) and Sainz with whom he shares a garage this season. He has been inconsistent and accident prone, without showing any signs of improvement.

That he remains in Formula 1 is a mystery to most, but clearly his team have their reasons for giving him so many chances when others before him, arguably with more potential and talent, were ousted from the junior programme unceremoniously.

Meanwhile, some point to Gasly being a tad too ambitious last year, telling media he would replace Kvyat before the 2016 was over. Insiders report that this irked Marko who reacted by stunting the 21 year old Frenchman’s progress.

Sitting out this season was clearly not on Gasly’s agenda, “It’s difficult but after winning GP2 last year of course your target is to be in Formula One. Lewis has won GP2, Nico has won GP2, Stoffel as well – most of the drivers have been there. In football when you win the second league then after you aim for the first one and that’s the same for me.”

“That’s my only motivation. At the moment I do a year as reserve driver for Red Bull, which is also useful for me. I’m really focusing on my physical condition to be as ready as possible and hopefully when I will have my opportunity I will be at my best and be able to perform. At the moment we need to wait and see what’s going to happen,” added Gasly.

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Honda believes it can pass Renault with 'Spec 4' engine

Honda believes it can overtake Renault in terms of engine performance with its 'Spec 4' power unit, which is set to debut later this season.

The Japanese manufacturer and supplier to the McLaren team has endured a difficult campaign after it changed its engine concept at the beginning of the year, in the hope it would catch rivals Renault, Ferrari and Mercedes.

That failed to happen, with a lack of power and poor reliability plaguing McLaren's drivers Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne.

However their latest engine, 'Spec 3', was introduced in Azerbaijan and has shown steady improvement, particularly in terms of reliability as for the first race weekend neither Alonso or Vandoorne suffered any issues in Hungary, whilst both scored points with the Spaniard finishing sixth, behind only the cars of Ferrari, Mercedes and a sole Red Bull.

It's hoped 'Spec 4', which is expected to debut at the Japanese Grand Prix, will deliver another major boost, taking Honda past Renault, according to motorsport chief Yusuke Hasegawa.

"I think we can keep the same ratio of the increasing of the power but it is difficult to catch up Mercedes or Ferrari," Hasegawa told Motorsport.

"I really want to move ahead of Renault in terms of performance before the end of the season."

Asked if that was a realistic goal, given Honda's woes, Hasegawa hinted that data from their 'Spec 4' power unit showed positive gains.

"Yes," he replied. "I can see that on the data. I will not tell you the number, but we are closing the gap [to Renault]."

Meanwhile McLaren are expected to make a decision after the summer break as to whether or not they will continue with Honda, with sources suggesting they will stick it out for at least another season, given Honda's recent improvements.

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Lowe ‘very disappointed’ with Williams

Williams technical director Paddy Lowe has said both he and the entire team are "very disappointed" with how he 2017 season has gone so far.

Williams are fifth in the Constructors' Championship and, like last season, find themselves behind Force India as the 'best of the rest'.

Lance Stroll delievered a memorable podium spot for the team in Baku, but Lowe is not happy with the overall points haul.

"Definitely at the half-term report stage we’re not looking as good as we’d like. We’re very disappointed, the car is quicker than that points table would reflect," said Lowe.

"I think one of our biggest problems has been that we haven’t been scoring the points we should have done at the track with our speed of car. That’s for a number of different reasons.

"On top of that, we’ve seen a lot of variation from circuit to circuit. There are places that we significantly underperform and we really need to have a car that will perform more equally at different destinations, so that’s a big focus for next year."

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Massa: "No reason" to leave F1 after 2017

Williams driver Felipe Massa is keen to continue in Formula 1 next season, saying he sees "no reason" to end his grand prix racing career.

The 36-year-old had initially retired from F1 at the end of 2016, but agreed to a return to Williams after Valtteri Bottas was signed by Mercedes.

Massa, who made his debut in 2002 and has started 260 grands prix, believes he is still improving as a driver and will continue in F1 if he has the right opportunity.

Williams has yet to decide on who will partner Lance Stroll in 2018, with Massa among the contenders to stay on for a fifth season with the team.

When asked if him staying on was dependent on there being a good opportunity, Massa told Motorsport.com: "Sure, yes. I’m really in good shape, the way I’m driving, the way I understand the car and everything.

“I have no reason not to stay in F1, but we’ll see what’s going to happen.

Williams chief technical officer Paddy Lowe is impressed by Massa’s approach, and believes the Brazilian still has the ability to fight for the world championship given the right car.

“Felipe is world champion material, we saw that from the season he was briefly world champion [2008],” Lowe told Motorsport.com.

“He is clearly very talented and it’s a great pleasure to work with him and find out how he works.

“He’s a fantastic guy to work with: enthusiastic, friendly, very supportive of Lance and the learning that Lance needs to go through.

“He’s fun to work with and a very stable and dependable guy to have on the other side of the garage. I think if we could give Felipe the right car, he could go and get the job done.”

Massa believes that his short-lived retirement has allowed him to return to F1 in a more relaxed frame of mind.

He has taken two sixth-place finishes this year, in Australia and Bahrain, and was on course to finish on the podium – and might even have been able to fight for victory – in Azerbaijan before retiring with a broken damper.

“I’m racing in a much more relaxed way and I’m happy with what I do in the car,” said Massa. “Unfortunately, I was a little bit unlucky in a few races, but I’m enjoying it.

“Not thinking about some other things that are sometimes inside your job just makes you more relaxed, doing what I like to do, enjoying it and no pressure.”

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Haas sacrifice avoided second-season 'hole' in Formula 1

The Haas Formula 1 team says its 2017 results show its tactic of an early development switch has prevented it falling into a second-year "hole".

Haas scored points in three of its first four grands prix in 2016, placing it fifth in the constructors' championship initially.

It only scored twice more thereafter and fell to eighth in the standings, having taken an early decision to focus its resources on 2017 car preparations.

This year it entered the summer break seventh in the standings, one place and one point ahead of where it was at the same stage in 2016.

Team principal Gunther Steiner said that shows Haas has successfully avoided a trend of new F1 teams falling back in their second years because they struggle to design a car amid their first racing campaign.

"Part of my job is to prepare not to get in a hole," Steiner told Autosport.

"You can always end up in a hole but I had a terrible second season in one of my projects and I learned a lot out of it.

"Everybody was aware last year that we needed to be careful not to drop the ball.

"When last year we decided to switch over to develop the '17 car, because it wasn't going bad for us [at the time] it was like 'why are you not bringing updates, haven't you got any money?'

"No, no. We didn't want to, because we'd just confuse ourselves.

"First of all we'd confuse ourselves in '16 plus we'd fall behind in preparing for '17.

"I couldn't promise, but I always said 'we are of the second season [trend], it's pretty logical why it goes wrong, and having had it go wrong you do your best not to have it go wrong [again]'."

Steiner said last month that the final updates for the 2017 Haas would arrive at September's Singapore Grand Prix at the latest - "then there is no point [doing more] because we're working full time on the '18 car".

He also expects Ferrari to provide an engine upgrade at an undetermined race after the summer break.

Steiner added that Haas functions better this year simply because its personnel have more experience of working together.

"The team got better organised, not that we were badly organised, but you cannot be perfect in the first year," he said.

"The level is high here. The team stepped up, our focus is better.

"The people just naturally work better together, because they know each other, they know their strengths and weaknesses, they know who they can rely on, who they cannot, and it is just natural that you should get better.

"We didn't have a lot turnover of people. I wouldn't say I'm surprised, I'm proud of the people that we didn't get worse."

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Jackie Stewart: F1 halo critics are like 1960s safety backlash

Sir Jackie Stewart has criticised complaints about Formula 1 introducing the halo cockpit protection device for 2018.

The triple F1 world champion led a safety campaign in the 1960s that met a backlash at the time, and feels halo critics are comparable to his opponents back then.

Stewart, who was speaking ahead of the launch of the 'Great British Racing Drivers Season' on UKTV channel Yesterday, said the halo was a price worth paying if it kept drivers safe.

"My view is: if you can save a life... and if some of these people had been to as many funerals as I've been to and wept as much as I have and seen close friends die [they wouldn't object]," he told Autosport.

"That's all finished because we've got technology that's taken away that.

"I'm afraid I don't have a negative [view] of the halo.

"I read correspondents' columns that [say] 'this is the end of Formula 1 for me, I'm out of it, I can't stick with this.'

"Well that was like people saying 'Jackie Stewart's going to kill motorsport' because of track safety.

"I think that you have to have as much safety as you can find and to think that you are destroying motorsport and Formula 1... I mean, the full-face helmet was criticised because you couldn't see the driver's face so much."

Stewart argued it is better to adopt a pre-emptive position when it comes to driver safety.

"Preventive medicine is considerably more important than corrective medicine," he said.

"Corrective medicine is [also] considerably more expensive than preventive medicine.

"Henry Surtees got killed not by his wheel but by somebody else's. Well, that can happen any time.

"That was just bad luck - but why depend on luck?"

Stewart, who won 27 F1 races during his nine-year career in the category, added that safety advancements did not excuse drivers from acting in a dangerous manner.

"There's no point in me saying [previous eras were] 'just dangerous and then you had to be careful and cautious and when men were men...' - bullshit," he said.

"A racing driver hasn't changed from [Tazio] Nuvolari and [Rudolf] Caracciola and before them.

"However, if you start taking liberties because you can have huge accidents that you know the fellow is going to survive, you might be a little bit more liberal with your driving behaviours.

"You can't overdrive - you've got to drive in a manner which doesn't create a situation where life is going to be taken."

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HOW FORMULA 1 MIGHT LOOK IN 2025…

Architect and designer Antonio Paglia has presented his Formula 1 vision concept 2025 – how he imagines cars might look in the future.

He predicts a hybrid engine, larger wheels and lower car with a transparent roof covering the cockpit much like a fighter plane and extremely aerodynamic appendages.

He presents his personal vision of his favorite sport featuring iconic liveries of great cars of the past.

 

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HASEGAWA: I REALLY WANT TO MOVE AHEAD OF RENAULT

After their best weekend so far this season, at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Honda F1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa is bullish about the future and believes catching Renault is a realistic target, but admits Mercedes and Ferrari are out of reach for now.

Hasegawa said in an interview, “I really want to move ahead of Renault in terms of performance before the end of the season. I can see that on the data. I will not tell you the number, but we are closing the gap.”

“I think we can keep the same ratio of the increasing of the power but it is difficult to catch up Mercedes or Ferrari,” he admitted

The Honda man was speaking after McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne finished sixth and tenth respectively at the Hungaroring while Renault failed to score a point.

Hasegawa said, “I’m glad we were able to show some results,” said the engineer. We did not see any problems so it was the first time that I was not worried about finishing the race.”

Amid intense speculation that McLaren have actively been seeking an alternative engine partner, Honda are clearly keen to remain with the Woking outfit.

“There is no doubt that we would like to continue to cooperate with McLaren. I think that with better performance we will continue to work together,” predicted Hasegawa.

MIKA: The picture makes for a funny capture moment...

Yusuke to Alonso: "So what do you think, we can beat Renault"

Alonso: "Keep dreaming Hasegawa, by the way, I'm leaving!"

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Factory insider - Max Verstappen showcases Red Bull's HQ

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen showcases the team’s factory base at Milton Keynes, a place which once was frequented by his father Jos, when he was racing with Stewart Grand Prix. M1TG spoke to the Dutch teenager about the state of the art operation, which now features approximately 800 employees across a wide range of departments – technical and otherwise.

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McLaren deny Alonso will miss Singapore GP

McLaren boss Zak Brown has comprehensively denied that Fernando Alonso will miss another grand prix this year for another IndyCar adventure.

Alonso skipped the Monaco Grand Prix in order to tackle the Indianapolis 500 as part of his Triple Crown bid, but it ended in familiar style with his Honda engine breaking down.

There have since been reports that Alonso would take part in a second IndyCar race at the season finale at Sonoma, but Brown has refuted that claim and insisted that the Spaniard has not even asked to miss another grand prix weekend, in this case Singapore.

"It's completely crazy," Brown told Racer. "He would have to first make that request through us, which he has not, and that event conflicts with F1 in Singapore. It's fake news."

Alonso's future continues to be uncertain as he tries to launch a third World Championship bid, but he has repeatedly said that a full IndyCar season is not out of the question if his Formula 1 opportunities are limited.

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Tost urges Kvyat to ‘be more disciplined’

Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost has told Daniil Kvyat to become "more disciplined" after putting himself on the verge of a one-race ban.

'The Torpedo' has 10 penalty points on his superlicence, just two more away from a ban, and none of the points will expire before October.

Tost is happy with Kvyat's pace, but wants him to start taking more care and wait for opportunities rather than force them.

"Daniil is doing a good job, apart from sometimes after the start when he is too impatient, or when he risks too much," Tost told Autosport.

"If you look to his speed during the race, if he is just running by himself, his lap times are very, very competitive and very good.

"He wants to be successful, he wants to overtake people where maybe there is no possibility to overtake, and there he must become more disciplined.

"Whether it's frustration or whatever, being in the car, especially at the start, you have to have your emotions under your control, because if you start becoming emotional, you make mistakes, and then you crash.

"The rest is OK because he's giving good technical feedback, he's showing good speed and, driving by himself, he's doing a good job."

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Hulkenberg: Kubica "quite impressive" in Hungary test

Nico Hulkenberg says he was impressed by Robert Kubica completing over 140 laps behind the wheel of the Renault RS17 at the Hungaroring last week.

Having tested the 2012 Lotus E20 at Valencia and Paul Ricard earlier this year, Kubica drove Renault's 2017-spec F1 car on the second and final day of the in-season test in Hungary.

The 32-year-old Pole clocked up 142 laps with a best time of 1m18.572s, which left him fourth-fastest that day.

“To be honest, I don’t have much information. I wasn’t on-site. I had some information and I obviously saw the laptimes. I think, for him personally, obviously a great comeback”, Renault driver Hulkenberg told Motorsport.com at the Gamma Racing Day event in the Netherlands.

“After the severe accident and injuries he had to come back and drive a modern Formula 1 car and to do 140 laps, just like that, is quite impressive.

"Especially at a track like Budapest, which is very physical. So respect for that. And I think the performance also, it seemed alright.

“So I’m not sure what’s going to happen, what Renault wants to do, but the test was OK, I think.”

  

Fifth still possible for Renault

Hulkenberg says he is reasonably happy about how his first season with the Renault F1 team has unfolded so far, after having racked up 26 points in his first 11 races for the Enstone outfit.

“To be honest, I’m fairly satisfied. I think it went pretty much as per expectation, you know. What we thought in the winter where we would be, we really turned out to be there”, the German said.

“It’s possible to score points every now and then. Actually, we had a few hiccups in a couple of races, where we actually left some points on the road. But overall, not bad.

“Obviously, car performance, recently we made some really good improvements, a step forward, but there is still a lot of room for improvement in all the different areas.

"So we still have a long road ahead of us, but I feel the second half of the season should offer us some opportunities.”

Hulkenberg, who broke the unofficial track record of the Assen TT Circuit during his visit to the Gamma Racing Day by setting a 1m17.02s with the E20 demo car, reckons fifth place in the constructors’ championship is still feasible for Renault.

“I think it is achievable. It won’t be easy. We really have to get sweet race weekends, pretty much all of them, which is never easy. But I feel now the car has more potential than in the first half.

“This should allow us to go for better results. The top six is always the top three teams. If the top six cars make it, they are always in front of us. They are just too far ahead at the moment.

“But certainly I feel that we can score a good bunch of points in the second part of the season. And hopefully [we can achieve] even a bit more and set the odd highlight.”

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Young drivers like Leclerc "would make sense" for Sauber

Frederic Vasseur says running Charles Leclerc or other young drivers in the future "would make sense" for Sauber, amid news Ferrari is considering making the outfit its junior Formula 1 team.

Sauber cancelled plans to run Honda engines next year and instead will continue its long relationship with Ferrari, prompting talk the partnership could go beyond a customer supply.

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne is keen to find places for the team’s junior drivers Leclerc and Antonio Giovinazzi and said the prospect of Sauber becoming a junior team is “something we are working on”.

Vasseur, who started work last month after having taken over from Monisha Kaltenborn, has experience blooding young talent via his ART Grand Prix outfit he set up with Nicolas Todt.

“As a team, it would make sense to have someone like Leclerc or other young drivers,” Vasseur told Motorsport.com.

With Vasseur’s first task achieved, having sorted out the engine supply for next year, he is turning his attention to deciding on his drivers.

He insisted that taking a Ferrari driver was not part of the engine contract but he is open to discussing it during the summer break.

“It is a bit too early to speak about drivers, to be honest,” said Vasseur.

“We had to close the [engine] deal quite quickly. It would be a mistake to mix the drivers into the discussion. But we will have the discussion in the next few weeks.”

Regarding Ferrari’s plans, Marchionne said in Hungary: "We need space because we have a couple of young drivers that are exceptional.

"We need to find a place to lay the foundations for the Scuderia Ferrari of tomorrow."

Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein’s positions at the team are under threat if the Ferrari project comes to fruition.

Regarding a deadline for having his 2018 drivers tied up, Vasseur said: “I think it will be difficult to do it before September but that could be a good target.”

 

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Pascal Wehrlein: Mercedes needs new route for youngsters

Pascal Wehrlein says Mercedes will have to re-evaluate its approach regarding young drivers, following its decision to withdraw from DTM at the end of 2018.

Mercedes announced last month that it would bring down the curtain on its programme in the category at the conclusion of next year’s campaign, instead choosing to enter Formula E for 2019/20.

Mercedes has used DTM as a stepping stone for its youngsters, with Wehrlein the most prominent example, having claimed the 2015 crown, earning a role with Manor for 2016, before moving to Sauber this year.

Fellow Mercedes-affiliated drivers Paul di Resta and Esteban Ocon competed in DTM prior to making their F1 bows, and Wehrlein reckons Mercedes will have to adopt a new approach.

“Definitely with Mercedes you had the chance to still go in F1,” Wehrlein said of participating in DTM.

“DTM is not the normal way. You start in Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula 2, GP3, that’s the normal way.

“I can just tell you about my case, it was not possible for me to drive in GP2; I did not have the budget of one and a half millions so I had to decide what can I do after Formula 3.

“For me it was clear that there was an offer from Mercedes that I could drive DTM, I’m getting paid and don’t have to spend crazy amount of money for another year of Formula 3 or something like this.

“As I said, GP2 was not possible, so for me the only option was DTM and I was really happy about that chance.

“I always knew if I did a good job, winning and so on, there could still be a chance to arrive in F1, luckily I won DTM and now I’m in F1, but I think this is only possible with Mercedes.

“So now maybe without DTM they will put their drivers in Formula 3, GP3 and F2 and maybe they now don’t try any more to go the second way.”

Mercedes’ DTM title contender Lucas Auer recently tested for Force India in Formula 1, while the manufacturer’s rising protégé, Briton George Russell, currently leads the GP3 championship.

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Goal of 2021 engine is 'louder, cheaper, better' says F1 boss Chase Carey

Formula 1 boss Chase Carey says the future engine formula must be "louder, cheaper and better" than the current power unit, which in turn will improve the racing and profitability of teams.

Carey says the current power unit has created too large of a disparity between manufacturers, and although he commended Mercedes for leading the development charge, he believes overall it has been bad for the sport.

"Hats off to Mercedes, who mastered what we have now," he told Auto Bild. "But the difference in performance is too great.

"So we want to simplify things with the motto: louder, cheaper, better."

The 63-year-old says the current budgets aren't sustainable, nor good for competition and a cheaper engine will therefore go someway to reducing costs.

"There are teams that spend $500 million a year right now, while for others it's $100 million. This hinders and distorts the competition.

"The goal must be that the teams can earn money with the sport. Nowadays no team makes a profit. 

"Do not get me wrong: we don't want to slow the technology down. Formula 1 will remain a laboratory for manufacturers - but at the same time a sport."

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Magnussen stopped Grosjean getting "complacent" at Haas

Getting Kevin Magnussen as a teammate at Haas for the 2017 Formula 1 season stopped Romain Grosjean getting "complacent", says Haas team principal Gunther Steiner.

Grosjean dominated Esteban Gutierrez in Haas's first F1 campaign last year but the advantage has ebbed and flowed between Grosjean and ex-Renault driver Magnussen this season.

Asked how Grosjean reacted to Magnussen's arrival, Steiner told Motorsport.com: "He reacted well. I think he took it down as a challenge.

"Maybe at the beginning he was maybe out of his comfort zone but I think they get the best when they are just a little bit out of their comfort zone because when you are in the comfort zone you stagnate. 

"You get complacent. It’s very easy to get complacent if you’re not challenged. Especially in any business or sport where the performance level is high.

"You need always to get a little bit pushed because otherwise if you’re too comfortable it’s always too easy."

  

Grosjean says Magnussen underrated

Prior to joining Haas, Grosjean had partnered Fernando Alonso when brought into Renault mid-season as a rookie in 2009 then raced alongside first Kimi Raikkonen then Pastor Maldonado when he rejoined the team in its Lotus era.

Grosjean reckons Magnussen is underrated and praised their relationship as the best of his career with a teammate.

"I've got a really good relationship with him, it almost surprised me," Grosjean told Motorsport.com. "Teammates are always in a war but we've both grown up and we both respect each other a lot.

"I think he's underrated. He's super-fast. He can do very well when the car is not suiting him, he doesn't really mind.

"I'll say I learned more from Kimi in how to set-up a car and the way to approach a weekend but I think Kevin in the other aspect is the best.

"In the other categories, younger categories, every teammate I just wanted to kill them. I just wanted to be the best.

"Even when you are in Formula 1 you have Kimi and you are like 'I want to beat him because he is the benchmark'. But now I think we have two benchmarks and this is fine.

"If he's faster, great I need to improve, and if I'm faster, great, I have had a good day."

He agreed with Steiner's suggestion that Magnussen's pressure was healthy.

"I think it's very important for a team to get two very fast drivers," said Grosjean. "Whenever you've got one driver faster than the other one, the fast one gets slower and kind of has an easy life.

"Whereas when you've got two drivers pushing hard, as you can see at Mercedes with [Valtteri] Bottas pushing Lewis [Hamilton], it's great.

"For Lewis it gets hard sometimes because he's had to raise his game and in other teams that's just not the case."

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French GP organisers explain decision to add chicane to F1 layout

French Grand Prix organisers chose to place a chicane on Paul Ricard's Mistral Straight to stop Formula 1 engines running at full speed for 1.12 miles and boost overtaking opportunities.

F1 will return to France after a 10-year hiatus in 2018, with the June 24 race marking the first leg of the championship's first triple header that also comprises the Austrian and British Grands Prix.

Organisers have chosen the full 3.6-mile circuit configuration for the race but with a chicane to break-up the long Mistral Straight.

"The FIA did some research and the speed before the chicane will be 343km/h [213mph], so the chicane is useful," French GP managing director Gilles Dufeigneux told Autosport.

"The chicane has been added to prevent the engines from running at full speed on a straight uphill line of 1.8km.

"We also wanted to facilitate the creation of an additional overtaking area.

"It will provide three straight lines where the cars can go at full speed before two massive decelerations - Turn 1 and Turn 8 and a flat out turn - Signes.

"According to the FIA, cars will reach 344km/h before the chicane and 343km/h at the apex of Signes.

"The drivers have told us the chicane will probably be an opportunity for non-DRS overtakes during the race.

"We presented the new configuration of the circuit during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend to several drivers including Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.

"They liked it and said the 5.8km configuration was a nice option."

Paul Ricard, which has a five-year deal to run the event, last hosted the French Grand Prix in 1990 before Magny Cours took over until 2008.

The venue was closed for racing between 1999 and the mid-2000s.

Contemporary F1 cars have tested at the venue this year, while last year Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren took part in a wet-weather tyre test in January.

As Paul Ricard is mainly used for testing, the biggest investment required ahead of the race will be on the grandstands.

"With respect to the circuit itself, minor changes [will be made]," added Arnaud Pericard, who is part of the French GP organisation team.

"The FIA had an inspection visit a couple of months ago and it's just minor changes with respect to the kerbs, which we'll do this winter.

"The circuit is already F1 graded for a long time, so it's not massive change.

"The most important investment will be the stands, they are a big deal."

Organisers are working towards a "conservative" capacity of between 60,000-65,000 for race day.

That will be split between 40,000-45,0000 in grandstands and 20,000-25,000 in general admission.

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CAREY: INCREASE IN F1 VIEWERS, ATTENDANCE AND ENGAGEMENT

Liberty Media Corporation have released second quarter 2017 financial results, in which the Formula One Group has performed well in the wake of the company’s takeover of the sport less than a year ago.

 Chase Carey, Formula 1 Chairman and CEO reported, “We just passed the halfway point in the 2017 season, and attendance, viewership and engagement on digital platforms have increased.”

“We are in the process of developing our three to five year strategic plan while focusing on key priorities like improving and building fan engagement that will positively impact the business and build the foundation for long-term results,” added Carey.

Highlights attributed to Formula One Group include:

• Closed primary equity offering and used net proceeds of $388 million to partially repay Formula 1 (“F1”) second lien term loan
• Subsequent to quarter-end, completed refinancing of F1 debt to fully repay second lien term loan
• Hosted F1 Live event in London, which drew one hundred thousand fans and took over streets of central London

“The Formula 1 management team is invigorating the sport, and during the quarter we capitalized on this with successful debt and equity offerings and fully repaid the more expensive second lien term loan,” said Greg Maffei, Liberty Media President and CEO.

In the second quarter, the Formula One Group incurred approximately $9 million of corporate level selling, general and administrative expense (including stock-based compensation expense).

Liberty completed the acquisition of F1 on January 23, 2017. Liberty maintained an investment in F1 from September 7, 2016 until January 23, 2017, which was accounted for as a cost investment.

The purchase price allocation related to the F1 business combination and pro forma adjustments are preliminary and have been made available solely for the purpose of providing comparative pro forma condensed consolidated financial information. T

Primary F1 revenue represents the majority of F1’s revenue and is derived from:

1. race promotion fees,
2. broadcasting fees
3. advertising and sponsorship fees.

Broadcast revenue increased due to higher contractual rates and the impact of slightly higher proportionate recognition of season-based income during the quarter (7/20 races in the second quarter of 2017 compared to 7/21 races in the second quarter of 2016), which more than offset the adverse impact of weaker prevailing foreign currency exchange rates used to translate a small number of Pound and Euro-denominated contracts into US dollars.

Advertising and sponsorship revenue increased due to new sponsors and due to the impact of slightly higher proportionate recognition of season-based income. Other Formula 1 revenue increased modestly during the second quarter primarily due to higher TV production revenue.

These increases were partially offset by lower race promotion fees due to one contract amendment, which was partly offset by the impact of other contractual increases.

Operating income decreased primarily due to increased amortization related to intangible assets acquired in the F1 acquisition and stock-based compensation related to awards granted to members of F1 management.

Adjusted OIBDA decreased slightly in the second quarter, as revenue growth, described above, was offset by increased selling, general and administrative expense as a result of additional headcount, as well as an increase in other costs of Formula 1 revenue related to spend on increased fan engagement, filming in ultra-high-definition and higher freight costs. Additionally, these costs were partially offset by lower spend on the GP3 series.

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X-Factor for F1 engineers

The INFINITI Engineering Academy is something akin to an X-Factor talent contest for budding Formula 1 and automotive engineers. Young hopefuls from around the world compete in front of a panel of expert judges, hoping to prove they have what it takes to become engineering stars of the future and earn the job opportunity of a lifetime.

Now in its fourth successive year, the Academy provides a life-changing opportunity for seven engineering students to learn from veteran engineers and play an active role in INFINITI's technical partnership with the Renault Sport Formula One Team.

The winners have a personal mentor overseeing their career development as they progress through 12-month placements, working at INFINITI's European Technical Centre at Cranfield and the Renault Sport Formula One Team's base at Enstone, carrying their experiences across from one company to the other.

As they learn, the winners enjoy a competitive employment package and access to the latest INFINITI Q30 Sport road car - finishing touches that make the INFINITI Engineering Academy the ultimate student engineering programme.

The final countdown

The INFINITI Engineering Academy has grown rapidly, to the point where 12,000 people applied to join the 2017 edition, launched at January's Autosport International exhibition in Birmingham.

Such contests can be a great way of flushing out undiscovered talent just waiting for a big break, but the trouble with X-Factor is that it tends to produce one-hit wonders, or stars that fade away quickly and are forgotten. The INFINITI Engineering Academy is looking for talent that is built to last, and candidates who represent the multicultural nature of INFINITI's global operations.

"We really believe in diversity," says Tommaso Volpe, INFINITI's Global Motorsport Director, who sees the Academy as a way of reinforcing links between INFINITI and the Renault Sport Formula One Team, which collaborate to produce the French manufacturer's energy recovery systems in F1.

"We wanted to develop a project where we could bring diversity to the forefront of our organisation. We started with this idea of recruiting young engineering students everywhere in the world where we operate, selecting seven of the best in these areas - Mexico, US, Canada, Europe, Middle East, China and Asia Pacific.

"There is no other student placement for engineering students where they can have the opportunity to work in both automotive and Formula 1. It is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these guys."

What's in it for Renault?

The INFINITI Engineering Academy is no trumped-up work experience programme, or mere publicity stunt. The winning engineers are plugged straight into projects that have a tangible impact on INFINITI's road cars and the ongoing development of the Renault Sport Formula One team's grand prix machine. Last year's China regional winner, Xuezi Li, developed a rear wing element that raced on this year's RS17 Formula 1 car.

"It's a programme where people get involved in real racing projects, not made up training projects," explains Nick Chester, Chassis Technical Director for the Renault Sport Formula One Team. "We don't have time to do lots of training with nothing back; we need people who can contribute straight away. What's really impressive is, they do.

"Also, it gives us the opportunity to look at that talent to fill permanent roles later. We have a very low-key graduate programme, but it's not of the same quality as the INFINITI programme. We end up with such a good quality of engineers coming through that it's taking over how we look at graduates and young people coming into the team.

"It's a very valuable programme for Renault Sport Formula One."

Battling it out

Thousands of applications from each of the seven regions are whittled down to produce a group of 70 finalists - 10 for each region. The finalists undergo two days of intense competition to find seven individual regional winners.

The finalists compete in teams, but are judged individually on their ability to solve problems, work collaboratively and communicate with the media.

"When you go from 12,000 applications, to 70 candidates, to 10 finalists they are all technically very good," says Volpe. "But at this stage we want someone who is also a good ambassador for the company, which means public speaking and representing both brands in a good way."

The seven winners each receive that ultimate prize of a split 12-month placement with INFINITI and the Renault Sport Formula One Team.

The 2017 European regional winner was 23-year-old French engineering student Damien Turlay, who will begin his placement in October. If he does well, he could earn a permanent position within INFINITI or the Renault Sport Formula One Team, just as 2015 European winner Daniel Sanham did.

"I've had an incredible experience with the INFINITI Engineering Academy," says Sanham, who now works fulltime in the Renault Sport Formula One Team's electronics department.

"A month before my internship finished, Renault put a contract on my desk and I signed straight away. It's a dream come true for any engineer."