Formula 1 - 2017

[MIKA27]

Fernando Alonso happy with 'sublime' weekend in Austin despite engine failure

McLaren's Fernando Alonso has highlighted the weekend of the United States Grand Prix as one of his best of 2017, despite failing to finish the race though an engine issue.

Alonso put in a strong performance all weekend despite his McLaren-Honda being down on power on the Circuit of the Americas track which has a high reliance on straight line speed with its one kilometer long straight in sector two. 

In qualifying, Alonso put his MCL32 into Q3 and qualified ninth, only to start in eighth place following a grid penalty for Max Verstappen. For much of the race, the Spaniard showed legitimate pace inside the top ten and looked set for a points finish before an engine failure once again let him down.

"I’m very happy with how the weekend went on a personal level," said Alonso, reflecting on his time in Texas.

"I think the level this weekend was sublime, both in qualifying and in the race. The championship standings don’t reflect that. It doesn’t change much for me to be 12th or 17th in the championship but on merit I think we should be a lot higher up."

Reflecting on his engine failure, a frustrated Alonso said: "The engine was losing power and failing and I couldn’t believe it. In Japan you start last, you are running 15th or 16th after the penalty and nothing happens, the engine works perfectly all race. Now you are running seventh and it starts to fail and you can’t believe it.”

Formula 1 has no break following the US Grand Prix and heads to Mexico next weekend to race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez circuit, and Alonso is predicting that McLaren will have to perform an engine change for the 18th round of the 2017 season. 

"I think the engine is broken and in Mexico there was a chance that we could try to change the engine there and be penalised in order to arrive in Brazil and Abu Dhabi with a fresher engine," he said.

"Now it’s basically certain we’ll change the engine in Mexico and therefore another weekend where you start last and it will be complicated to score again. 

"Obviously all attention is placed on next year and in these three races I’d like to score points to improve in the standings and to help the team as well. But from the three races remaining in one we’ll start last, so let’s see if we can score in the other two."

In 2017,McLaren has had one of its worst seasons on record,having taken only 23 points from 17 rounds of competition. This has left the Woking-based team in ninth place in the Constructors' Championship, 20 points behind Haas who currently lie in eighth position. 

[MIKA27]

Sebastian Vettel admits Mercedes were too quick in Austin

Sebastian Vettel admits Ferrari simply didn't have the pace to match Mercedes in Austin after finishing second to Lewis Hamilton.

Although Vettel claimed the lead off the line and held onto it for six laps, Hamilton stuck to the rear of the Ferrari like glue until he finally made his move and reclaimed the lead, where he remained until the chequered flag.

Vettel went on to finish second with a two-stop strategy, unlike Hamilton who only stopped once, but claimed their inability to win was nothing to do with their strategy decision.

"I think at the start it was looking good," said Vettel. "Obviously we got past Lewis, but fairly quickly we realised that we couldn't go at his pace today, so well done and congratulations to him.

"Then I think we were in a bit of no man's land. It was close after the first pit-stop again, but obviously [I was] stuck again and towards the end we decided to pit again for some fresh tyres.

"It was a bit more exciting, the last couple of laps especially, but overall, not the result that we wanted.

"There was no real secret other than they were quicker than us, so I think we have to admit that today in the race we couldn't go at their pace. I don't think it's down to the strategy."

Vettel now sits 66 points adrift of Hamilton with three races left, meaning all Hamilton needs to do is score 9 points more than his rival to win the title.

[MIKA27]

Hamilton "surprised" Vettel didn't defend harder

Lewis Hamilton says he was surprised Formula 1 title rival Sebastian Vettel didn’t fight him harder for the lead of the United States Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver moved closer to sealing the 2017 drivers’ championship with his ninth win of the season at Austin, but he had to pass Vettel to do it, after losing the lead to the Ferrari at the start.

“One of the most fun races I’ve had for a while,” said Hamilton, who passed Vettel early in the race with the help of DRS down the back straight.

“I didn’t get away to a great start, Seb got a great start but I was chilled about it as I know you can overtake here.

“It was great having that battle, trying to keep up, stay close, get within DRS. It was very reminiscent of 2012 here, seeing Seb up ahead and wanting to have that real battle. That is what I looked for and that is what I enjoyed the most.

"I was a bit surprised Seb didn’t defend more, but it was still fair.”

Vettel accepted that he could have made Hamilton’s life harder, but he felt the pass was inevitable given the Mercedes driver’s pace advantage.

“Lewis was able to easily close the gap and easily get DRS,” said Vettel.

“I tried to block – maybe I could have done a bit more but he was so much quicker it didn’t really matter.

“Disappointing to lose the lead when you have it but with the difference in pace they had on us today, it probably wasn’t our race to win.

“I wasn’t expecting to struggle that much. Towards the end it was a bit more normal, but by the end [the race] was lost.”

While Hamilton didn’t seal the drivers’ title with his win, his employer Mercedes has wrapped up the constructors' championship.

“I want to say a big congrats to everyone in the team and everyone back at the factory,” said Hamilton.

“There has been an incredible push for this kind of performance this year and we have really pulled together more than I have experienced and seen over the last five years to really get something quite special.

“Especially to go from one car [set of rules] to another, which has never been done, and I am proud to be a part of it.”

[MIKA27]

The US GP fan experience

Ever wondered what the fan experience was like at the US Grand Prix? 

Follow our journey through the Austin fan zone and beyond. 

[MIKA27]

United States Grand Prix - Behind the scenes

 

[MIKA27]

Texas longhorns Mascot Hook 'Em meets Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo play American Football, Austin, USA, 19/10/2017

 

 

[MIKA27]

Ricciardo knew his fate ‘after a few laps’

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that he knew pretty early on at the United States Grand Prix that he would be forced to retire from the race.

The Aussie's hope of extending his consecutive podium finishes to four races were dashed by lap 14 as he came to a grinding halt reporting a problem with the engine.

"I think we were losing oil pressure," Ricciardo said in the paddock. "So in the end it all just switched off."

"I could tell after a few laps that there was some mis-fires and a few things that the team kept telling me to change and I knew that it wasn't to make the car quicker.

"It was to try and stop something from going wrong but in the end it all just switched off."

Ricciardo provided much of the early entertainment with his ding-dong battle with Valtteri Bottas for P3 and was disappointed he was unable to carry that through the entirety of the race.

He added: "Up until then it was a pretty exciting race, I did all I could with Bottas. Obviously we don't have as much as Mercedes on the straights, but I had to try something.

"I was coming from a long way back and risked killing my tyres by locking up, but there was no other way around him.

"So a few battles out there, but obviously I would have loved to have finished the race."

[MIKA27]

Bottas: Tyres to blame for Austin fade away

Valtteri Bottas has said his long stint on the soft tyres left him vulnerable to late attacks at the United States Grand Prix as he slipped down a P5 finish.

The Finn missed a podium spot for a third consecutive race after Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen both found a way through in the latter stages at the Circuit of The Americas.

"I think all the way until maybe 20 laps to go, it was all OK. The pace seemed to be good," Bottas said.

"But the long stint with the soft tyre in the end, the last 10 laps, just the pace was dropping quite a bit. The guys who switched to a two-stop seemed to be having the edge at that point.

"I tried everything I could to defend, but it was too late. Then we had to stop in the end and unfortunately that's it, we couldn't react earlier than that.

"The problem was in the second stint, we had to manage a lot to make the tyres last. but there was Sebastian ahead of me and Kimi was putting pressure all the time, so I couldn't make enough tyre saving to make the tyres last."

 Bottas is now officially out of the running for the World Drivers' Championship, but the Finn has made a valuable contribution toward Mercedes retaining the World Constructors' title for a fourth straight year.

[MIKA27]

Sainz shines on Renault debut in Austin

Carlos Sainz wasted no time in adjusting to life at Renault after finishing an eye-catching P7 on debut for the Enstone team.

The Spaniard was able to make his first appearance for the team after Renault agreed a compensation package with the now-departed Jolyon Palmer.

And that decision to move the Brit on early brought a points finish for his replacement, who sealed P7 with a stunning overtake on Sergio Perez.

“It was a great debut for me with Renault and I really enjoyed myself out there," Sainz said.

"Right from the beginning, every lap I was feeling more confident with the car, so I was able to push harder.

"I was able to attack the Force Indias, which have been out of reach for the team for the past few races, so to overtake one and attack another was a great result.

"Everything has gone very smoothly the whole weekend; I knew I could be quick and I had confidence in myself. The whole team has really helped me out and that was key to adapt quickly.

"To have such a good qualifying and race makes me really happy and I have great thanks for every single member of the team."

[MIKA27]

Anxious wait for Kvyat, Hartley at STR

Daniil Kvyat hailed his "best race of the season" in P10 and debutant Brendon Hartley finished P14 in Austin – but one driver is set to be dropped for Mexico.

With Carlos Sainz moving on to Renault and Pierre Gasly having a wasted trip to Japan for the cancelled Super Formula finale, Kvyat returned to action in the US and Hartley was handed his debut by the Red Bull junior team.

However, Gasly is due to return for the next race in Mexico City, leaving Kvyat and Hartley uncertain about their futures.

"It was a great race. It was more than perfect, I must say,” Kvyat said.

“My best race of the season for sure. Fantastic. Got the maximum out of our car, very happy about the result.”

Kvyat was then asked whether he would stay, he said: "I don't know. I've done a perfect Friday, a perfect Saturday and an even more perfect Sunday, so I don't know what else I can do."

Hartley, though, seems resigned to the fact that he may be the one to lose out.

"I would like to [stay] but I guess I have to see now. I don't really know," he said.

"I think it's clear I would love to be here. Up to now I haven't been asking the questions, I haven't been pushing anyone on that.

"Even when I first had the call to come and have a test on the simulator, I didn't ask anything, I just did the job.

"I've tried to do the same this weekend. Let's see. I know there's another race coming up pretty quick, but I'm not holding my breath."

[MIKA27]

TORO ROSSO RETAIN HARTLEY FOR MEXICO AS KVYAT AXED AGAIN

Brendon Hartley will keep his seat at Toro Rosso for this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix while Pierre Gasly returns to the team, meaning that Daniil Kvyat is marginalised once again.

Hartley was drafted in for his Formula 1 debut at Sunday’s United States Grand Prix as Gasly took part in the season finale of the Japanese Super Formula, which ended up being a washout.

Kvyat, dropped after Singapore last month, was recalled to replace Carlos Sainz, who secured an early move to Renault.

Now Red Bull have decided to stick with Hartley, ditching the Russian once again.

The team announced in a brief statement: “Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Driver Line-Up for the upcoming 2017 Mexican Grand Prix will be formed by the following pairing: Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley.”

Red Bull are evaluating their driver options for Toro Rosso for 2018. Gasly is expected do a full season with them next year, but a second driver is also being sought as Kvyat appears to have run his course with the team.

Ironically, in Austin, Kvyat had a strong weekend finishing tenth and admitted afterwards that it was one of his best showings of the year. But clearly not enough to redeem himself.

Hartley made a solid, if unspectacular, debut for Toro Rosso. He qualified 0.8 of a second slower than Kvyat and finished 13th in the race.

Nevertheless he did enough to convince Toro Rosso that he is worthy of another outing, however it is not known if the New Zealander will drive in the two races after Mexico.

[MIKA27]

ANDRETTI: I FEEL SORRY FOR VERSTAPPEN HE GOT ROBBED

Max Verstappen accused Formula 1 stewards of killing the sport with their inconsistent decision making and suggested fans could stay away in protest after he was stripped of a podium place at the United States Grand Prix on Sunday.

With Red Bull boss Christian Horner and past champions joining in the outcry, the 20-year-old Dutch driver vented his feelings.

Mario Andretti, the 1978 world champion, also chimed in: “After watching videos could equally argue Kimi forced him there. Best overtake of #USGP. Feel sorry for @Max33Verstappen you got robbed,” he said.

Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda, himself a triple world champion, also agreed, even as his team celebrated their fourth successive constructors’ championship.

“This decision is the worst I’ve ever seen,” Lauda told reporters. “He [Verstappen] did nothing wrong. These are racing drivers, we’re not on a normal road and it’s ridiculous to destroy the sport with this kind of decision,”

“At the next strategy meeting we’ll bring it up the agenda and start all over again because we cannot do that, going too far and interfering. It was a normal overtaking,” added Lauda.

Verstappen had thrilled the crowd with a last lap overtaking move on Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen to take third place and was voted driver of the day by fans.

He was then demoted to fourth, while waiting with race winner Lewis Hamilton and second-placed Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel in the pre-podium room, for exceeding the track limits to gain an advantage.

“The engine penalty is what it is,” said Verstappen, who started 16th after receiving grid penalties for power unit changes. “We had a great race but with those stupid decisions you kill the sport. I hope the fans do not like this decision and next year they do not come.”

As the driver headed back down the stairs, team principal Horner let rip at what he saw as inconsistent behaviour by the stewards who had not punished others for similar offences during the race.

“It is an appalling decision. They have robbed all of the fans here. It was a great grand prix and they have screwed it up,” he said.

“We could pull out five or six different incidents today of cars going off track,” he said. “Where do you gain an advantage and not gain an advantage?”

It was the second time that Verstappen has been demoted from the podium by stewards post-race, with the youngster also missing out in Mexico last year for cutting a corner.

Verstappen’s father Jos was scathing of the decision on social media, with a series of comments on Twitter suggesting Ferrari favouritism.

“Shame on you FIA,” he said referring to the sport’s governing body. “Obviously F1 don’t know what racing is.”

MIKA: Charlie Whiting made the final call on this decision, I think this bloke needs to go. Seriously, its one thing to make a bad call during the race, but NOT when someone has entered the cool down room, celebrated a P3 and then remove him whilst the world is watching. Such a stupid decision. The FIA can't react quick enough to make up their minds.

In this instance, the rule wasn't broken, it was bent purely in order to avoid a collision with Kimi. 

[MIKA27]

HORNER: THEY DIDN’T EVEN LISTEN TO MAX’S ARGUMENT

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has launched an impassioned plea for consistent decision-making and a more careful choice of stewards after Max Verstappen’s controversial demotion to fourth at Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.

Horner avoided revealing names, but pointedly made it clear that one of the stewards involved in the widely-criticised decision taken at the Circuit of the Americas was involved in a similar episode at last year’s Mexican Grand Prix, which also involved Verstappen.

The young Dutchman, 20, who on Friday confirmed he had agreed a contract to stay at Red Bull until 2020, was given a five seconds penalty after a thrilling late passing move on Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari, saw him drive briefly off the track at the final corner of the last lap.

Horner said the penalty was “unbelievably harsh” and recalled that he had been told last year in Mexico that drivers would be given a right of reply in future if there was another similar incident.

He said that they were not allowed this in Austin and had no right of appeal, “They said that they’d listen, look at all the facts, listen to the drivers and then make a decision. What’s happened? They’ve made an instant decision and I think it’s a shocking decision.”

“They didn’t even listen to Max’s argument. In other instances, they would have had the drivers in and listened to both sides. Maybe they would have come to the same conclusion, but at least give them the right of reply.”

Horner also defended Verstappen for his post-race rant about the stewards in which he blamed one “idiot steward” and claimed such mistakes would kill the sport.

“He has the right to express himself and in any sport emotions run high – that’s what sport is about,” said Horner. “If he’d said he was happy with that decision I’d be amazed.”

Horner added: “Consistency of stewarding depends on the stewards you get on the day…. F1 is still immature in this country. It’s a big race and with the lack of consistency in the decisions I should think all the viewers and the fans watching didn’t understand.

“Even Kimi Raikkonen didn’t understand why he was on the podium and not Max. “Where do you gain an advantage and not gain an advantage? The race director was quite clear he had no issues with track limits.”

The stewards at Austin were Radovan Novak, Mika Salo and Garry Connelly, the latter also involved when Verstappen was demoted from third to fourth in Mexico last year.

[MIKA27]

MORNING AFTER: HAS THE SCUDERIA ANY FIGHT LEFT?

Amidst the pomp and circumstance of the United States Grand Prix pre-race introductions, NBC’s Will Buxton asked Sebastian Vettel if he had the car under him to challenge Lewis Hamilton – turns out he didn’t, and thus Hamilton’s inexorable march to the title continues.

If this race had taken place in April, or even June, Vettel jumping Hamilton at the start might have led to a race long duel. Unfortunately at this point in the season it didn’t matter how well Vettel started, Hamilton was up to the challenge, and in this Mercedes, that meant six laps of fighting, not fifty-six.

With that in mind it was only fitting Mercedes managed to seal their fourth-straight constructor’s title here in Austin – further salting Ferrari’s wounds by having their former employee James Allison accept the winner’s trophy. This decisive battle was the perfect window into their season, Ferrari’s early gains wiped out by a car and driver who were both too strong.

The championship lost, six races since their last victory, the only question now is if the Scuderia has any fight left – with three races left, they’re running out of time to show it.

Controversial call costs Verstappen a podium

Driver of the day for the 2017 US GP, something tells me Max Verstappen would rather have his podium back.

Unfortunately the Dutchman was deprived of sharing the stage with Bill Clinton and Usain Bolt (although let’s be honest, he’d probably be more interested in the cheerleaders), after being penalised for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage with his late pass on Kimi Raikkonen.

Having to slink out of the cool-down room as Raikkonen replaced him, Verstappen was predictably upset (like father, like son), but does he have a right to be? Well, yes… but he’s not exactly in the right either.

After all, there’s no denying Verstappen did indeed have all four wheels well off the track when he passed Raikkonen, which obviously gave him an advantage. Still, it’s far from the only case of corner-cutting we’ve seen this weekend, and to have the one time it’s enforced come at the death and cost him a podium is understandably going to sting.

Judging by the mixed reaction from fans and commentators afterwards, it seems more than anything a question of philosophy. Should drivers be penalised to the letter of the law? Or should precedent and circumstance earn them a little leeway? On another weekend with another steward who wasn’t Gary Connelly (who did the same to Verstappen in Mexico last year), he might have gotten away with it – but it wasn’t, and he didn’t. Such is the luck of the draw.

Quick Hits

• You think being an F1 driver is a great job? Michael Buffer probably got paid upwards of $1 million for that intro – and he does that dozens of times a year
• If there was one good thing to come from the Verstappen controversy, it was the contrast in personalities with Usain Bolt interviewing Kimi Raikkonen
• P8 yesterday, P7 today, Carlos Sainz’s debut could hardly have gone better – unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Brendon Hartley

 

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON: CIGAR TASTES DISGUSTING!

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton will have to wait another week for his fourth Formula 1 world championship but he has smoked a victory cigar already and he says it was disgusting.

It was always going to be a long shot for the Mercedes driver to wrap up the title in Texas but on Sunday night, after winning the United States Grand Prix, at the Circuit of the Americas, for the fifth time in six years, he was only a fingertip away.

With a 66-point advantage over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, and three races remaining, Hamilton looks sure to become Britain’s first four-times world champion in Mexico City next Sunday.

A visitor to Cuba earlier in the year, the 32-year-old puffed unconvincingly on a fat cigar as he spoke to reporters while the team celebrated a fourth successive constructors’ title.

“Tastes disgusting,” he grimaced. ”A guy came and gave me the cigars earlier. Every now and then some of the Cubans come along and give me some cigars. I took the box in there and handed them around to everyone. This is the first time for victory and I thought it was kind of neat.”

The tobacco may have proved bitter but everything else was looking sweet for the Briton as he considered the factors that had brought him to the brink of history.

A key one, he suggested, was his decision to give up meat and adopt a vegan diet around the time of last month’s Singapore Grand Prix.

“I feel the best I’ve ever felt, physically and mentally,” he said. “I think the best decision was moving to this team, second best decision is changing my diet.”

The retirement of former team mate Nico Rosberg, immediately after winning the 2016 title, and a kitchen conversation with team boss Toto Wolff last December has also transformed his demeanour.

“Going and seeing Toto at the end of last year was crucial,” he said. “Just put everything on the table and say what needed to be said. And then to build on creating a new stronger relationship which we have done.”

The arrival of Valtteri Bottas as Rosberg’s replacement tightened the team bonding and dispelled the frostiness that was evident before.

”Valtteri is an exceptional human being and you can see he gets it from his dad,“ said the Briton. ”His dad’s a lovely man, very polite, he comes over and says ‘hi’.

“Valtteri wants to win through merit, and hard work. There’s never a moment when he is hiding anything from me and in actual fact it’s an unusual dynamic where he will ask me something and I am actually just offering it.”

Could that have happened with Rosberg? Hamilton’s reply was blunt: “No”.

MIKA: So it seems Hamilton perhaps received that Cigar from Bill Clinton after all?  

[MIKA27]

MARCHIONNE: CHOOSING BETWEEN ARRIVABENE OR BINOTTO IS IDIOTIC

Reports suggesting that Ferrari F1 boss Maurizio Arrivabene will be replaced by the team’s technical chief Mattia Binotto are wide off the mark and would be an “idiotic” move according to the Italian team’s president Sergio Marchionne.

After watching Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen finish second and third at the United States Grand Prix, Marchionne was asked if Arrivabene would be axed, to which he replied, “No, both Mattia and Maurizio have been involved in this process. Picking one or the other is a bit idiotic.”

“They were both at the table when the operation was going on and technically I’m involved too, I was the chairman. But that’s not going to solve the issue.”

“I don’t think we need to overhaul the team. We need to win, that’s the more important thing. I don’t think it’s attributable to a single guy. Processes may have not helped and those things are being addressed.”

Ferrari and Vettel had the upper-hand until the summer break in August, but the team’s challenge imploded after Monza with a series of well documented incidents that handed the advantage to Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton, while the Reds have not recovered since then.

Marchionne acknowledges that the final Asian leg was the team’s downfall, “The things that have happened in the last three Asia races have really been a collection of the most unfortunate events.”

“With the exception of the technical failures we’ve had, which are quality driven, everything else was just a fluke and it happened. The likelihood of us repeating those errors is hopefully very small.

“We’ve made one change to the organisation by bringing in someone who’s got experience on the quality side to try and strengthen our skills. The rest of it I think is within the way in which we manage.

“I think we’ll be alright, I don’t think we need to overhaul the team, I don’t think we need to make changes. This team knows how to win and knows how to get it done, just give them the space.

“I have spoken to Arrivabene and Vettel here and they are focused and still believe in us. They need support, because the chance to recover from here is less than 50 per cent. But saying this, Ferrari cannot surrender,” added Marchionne.

Ferrari leave Austin knowing that Mercedes are Formula 1 constructors’ champions for a fourth year in a row and that Hamilton will most likely wrap up the drivers’ championship in Mexico on Sunday, with two rounds still remaining.

A season that promised so much fizzled into disappointment for the Maranello outfit, the positive is that they showed signs of brilliance and for the first time since the advent of the new turbo hybrid era they had Mercedes chasing them on occasions.

Nevertheless, the foundation for a strong 2018 has been laid and the team will look to capitalise an their strengths while working hard to exorcise the weaknesses that handed the titles to their rivals.

[MIKA27]

Formula 1 goes pink in Austin for breast cancer

For the first time ever, Formula 1 has come together as a whole to support a single charity at this weekend’s US Grand Prix, in Austin, Texas.

In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a worldwide initiative to raise both awareness and funds to fight the disease, Formula 1 has joined forces with Susan G. Komen, the world’s leading breast cancer organisation.

And, with the co-operation of every team in the pit-lane, the Austin race will paint Formula 1 pink – the colour used to denote support for breast cancer awareness – in a bid to highlight and showcase the important work being done to fight the disease.

[MIKA27]

Daniel Ricciardo set for Mexican GP engine penalty

Daniel Ricciardo says he is expecting to receive a substantial grid penalty for the Mexican Grand Prix, after an engine failure forced him out of proceedings in Austin.

Ricciardo spent the early stages of the race locked in a fierce battle over third with Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, and lunged at the Finn into Turn 1 in an attempt to wrestle away the position.

Ricciardo stopped earlier than his rivals in a bid to use the undercut but the impact of his strategy was never seen, for he pulled to the side of the track due to an engine failure.

“It’s obviously never nice to be out of the race early,” rued Ricciardo.

“There were a lot of elbows out and you could see a lot of contact, so I wouldn’t have suspected it would be due to a mechanical issue but of course it was disappointing to finish early.

“I think I tried to get the most out of it and the laps I raced were fun but also frustrating.

“I felt that, especially earlier on, we were quicker than Valtteri, but I always had to come from so far back that it was never going to be an easy move.

“I tried a lot of times to make it stick but could never quite manage it.

“I wasn’t going to drive behind him all weekend wondering what could have been, so I don’t have any regrets with the moves I tried.

“It’s just frustrating to not continue that battle. I did enjoy it out there though. Every time I tried to overtake Valtteri he would just slip back underneath me and I thought: alright let’s try again.

“I think we’ll probably have to take a penalty which means that I will start at the back in Mexico.

“I’ll do my best to try and charge through the field and you’ll hopefully see more of today in Mexico.”

[MIKA27]

Abiteboul hails "remarkable" Sainz on Renault debut

Carlos Sainz's Formula 1 debut for Renault at the United States Grand Prix was “remarkable”, according to managing director Cyril Abiteboul.

Sainz joined Renault for the final four races of the season, having originally been due to switch from Toro Rosso on loan from Red Bull over the winter.

He looked quick from the first practice session in Austin, qualifying eighth and finishing seventh as teammate Nico Hulkenberg retired with a technical problem.

“I think he did a remarkable job,” Abiteboul told Motorsport.com. “It’s not easy to change teams in the middle of a season.

“There have been previous circumstances when things have not happened that way in other teams in the history of F1.

“It’s a move that we were all looking forward to.

“There was lots of preparation put into that. it’s not easy with a busy weekend between Suzuka and this race.

“A lot has happened to get everything ready and that is to the credit of him first but also to the team that has done such a good job all together.”

Sainz’s six points helped Renault close to within five of his former team Toro Rosso in the constructors’ standings while opening up an advantage by the same margin over Haas in eighth.

  

Fuel limits prevent charge for sixth

The Spaniard looked to have a pace advantage over Esteban Ocon, but was told to back off the attack for sixth because he was on the limit for fuel.

“It was very close to perfect,” Sainz told Motorsport.com of his weekend.

“The first lap I wanted to take it easy to make sure I did the full race distance. I didn’t want to do any crazy stuff.

“From there, we just picked up pace and started attacking the Force Indias.

“I passed one of them and then started attacking Esteban the team told me to stop and bring it home because we were really tight on the fuel.

“It has been a great weekend. Thanks to the whole team for making me feel so at home right from the beginning. Let’s keep going like that.”

[MIKA27]

Alonso could get latest Honda engine for Mexico

Fernando Alonso could run Honda’s updated Formula 1 engine at the upcoming Mexican Grand Prix as a result of the failure he incurred during the race at Austin.

The double world champion was running inside the top 10 when he reported a loss of power - later diagnosed as an MGU-H problem - and was recalled to the pits to retire the car.

Honda had an updated engine ready for Austin, but only Stoffel Vandoorne ran it as he required an engine change because of high mileage on his previous unit and therefore would have had to take a penalty anyway.

In contrast, Honda had hoped Alonso could run his current power unit until the end of the season and therefore avoid grid penalties so decided against giving him the update.

But Honda F1 project leader Yusuke Hasegawa told Motorsport.com that Alonso could "possibly" get the update in Mexico now because a change of MGU-H would trigger a penalty anyway.

"Yes, I think [we will get a penalty] so it would be better to introduce a new engine in Mexico."

Honda suspects Alonso's MGU-H issue is similar to the one that hit Vandoorne and forced an engine change before Sunday's race.

It comes after a succession of races where Honda has endured good reliability.

However, the Japanese manufacturer has suffered a series of failures with this particular component this season.

"It's very disappointing that we faced more issues with our engine – particularly because the reliability has been relatively stable in recent races," said Hasegawa.

"We will immediately investigate the issue with the Sakura team and work towards a countermeasure for Mexico."

"It looks like we had a similar issue [to Vandoorne with Alonso] but we don't know exactly. It looks like a rotation issue.

"Stoffel's [MGU-H] has higher mileage, so we knew it would reach the end of its life at the end of this event. But we didn't expect a failure. Fernando's is very low mileage as we only introduced it in Suzuka."

Hasegawa felt Alonso and Vandoorne could have scored points at Austin had it not been for Alonso's failure and Vandoorne's substantial grid penalties.

"We had reasonably good performance," he said. "We had decent performance to aim for points.

"If we didn't have an issue, Alonso would have scored points. We could have finished sixth or seventh.

"If Stoffel had started 14th, he could have aimed to score points, too."

[MIKA27]

Wehrlein in the running for Williams seat

Despite reports claiming Williams have to sign a driver over the age of 25 to suit sponsors Martini, Paddy Lowe says age is not an objective and that Pascal Wehrlein is in the running.

Williams are looking for a replacement for Felipe Massa for next year’s championship with the Brazilian believed to be knocking on the door of a second retirement.

And while the team has tested Robert Kubica and Paul di Resta, both of whom are over the age of 25, technical chief Lowe says 23-year-old Wehrlein is also on the list of candidates.

“Somebody like Pascal, I don’t need to put him in a car, because he’s in a car every week,” Lowe told F1i.com.

“What’s most important for the team is to pick a driver line-up that gives us the best performance and the most exciting racing potential for 2018.

“There are some issues around advertising and Martini, but if it came to it I’m sure Martini will understand the importance, if that’s what we were to choose, to have the best line-up for racing rather than for advertising.

“We’ll cross that bridge if we need to. Age is not a factor in our primary objective, which is to pick the best line-up.”

Lowe also insisted that Massa’s retirement is not a done deal and that the Brazilian could yet remain with the team come 2018.

“Our consideration of drivers remains completely open, including Felipe [Massa], who is definitely very high in our consideration, among a range of drivers which is wider than any we’ve tested in cars as well.”

[MIKA27]

Renault unhappy about Merc’s contract dealings

Renault are unimpressed with Mercedes’ “unfair” contracts with their employees, saying the Brackley squad locks staff into unreasonably lengthy gardening leave.

Over the past year Renault have built up their staff, often signing personnel already in the sport.

However, anyone they’ve tried to bring over from Mercedes has been forced to take lengthy gardening leave before joining the French manufacturer.

“Red Bull is not too aggressive in the way they are keeping their people, but Mercedes are the most aggressive,” Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul said.

“We signed up a senior person from Mercedes last year, and he is not due to join before 2019 because of the contractual situation.

“The UK is very favourable to protect employees for the benefit of the employer, but that is giving us a bit of a hard time.

“We know it, so we simply have to deal with it.

“Red Bull are not stupid in the way they are protecting their staff. Mercedes have the right to do what they are doing, but I think it is a bit unfair.

“They already have the financial resources but now they are blocking the system by making sure no one can go anywhere.

“It is still a sport and we need to provide a good show and interesting show and that is not what is happening if you are doing that.”

[MIKA27]

Mexican GP preview with F1 Experiences

This Formula 1 season only has three races left to run, and Sebastian Vettel is fast running out of chances to deny rival Lewis Hamilton a fourth world championship title.

Vettel badly needed to taste victory in last Sunday's United States Grand Prix at Austin. After overtaking Hamilton's Mercedes at the start, it looked as though Vettel's Ferrari was well-placed to do just that.

But Vettel was ultimately well beaten by Hamilton, who trounced his chief rival to win for the ninth time this F1 season, and the fifth time in the last six races - extending his lead to 66 points with just 75 up for grabs over the remaining races.

Vettel looked thoroughly dejected in the aftermath, knowing the embers of his own championship fire are now all-but extinguished. But he will need to pick himself up quickly with the next race in Mexico arriving in only a few days' time.

He won’t give up of course, but Vettel stands almost no chance of defering Hamilton’s coronation until November’s Brazilian Grand Prix. Hamilton only needs to finish fifth in Mexico, regardless of Vettel’s result, and the championship is done and dusted.

How form will play out at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez – named after Mexican sibling 1960s Formula 1 drivers Pedro and Ricardo – is difficult to predict.

The basic layout of the re-profiled circuit, which re-opened to grand prix racing in 2015 after a 23-year absence, suggests it should be cast-iron Mercedes territory, featuring three significant straightline sections, two of which are linked by high-speed sweeps.

But the Mexican Grand Prix takes place at an altitude of more than 2000 metres, which substantially alters the dynamics of the cars.

The turbocharged engines must work much harder than normal, and the thin air also reduces the efficiency of the cars' aerodynamics, which means teams run Monaco levels of wing to produce Monza levels of downforce.

Mercedes has often struggled in high downforce configuration this season, and the W08 will not like the slower-speed chicanes and hairpin bends that link those straights. They are Ferrari and Red Bull territory.

Mercedes has shown iron-solid engine reliability so far this season, but Hamilton took on his final permitted new engine at August's Belgian GP, so will be much higher on mileage than Vettel, who received a new Ferrari V6 as recently as Malaysia, three races ago.

But there is no doubt Ferrari is in for a tough weekend in Mexico regardless, especially as Mercedes and Hamilton no longer require any big results to get their own job done.

Ferrari endured a poor weekend in Mexico last season, but will need to be inch-perfect this time around to avoid getting steamrollered yet again by Hamilton and the Mercedes juggernaut, which clinched its fourth consecutive constructors' championship at Austin.

If you want the opportunity to be in Mexico to see Hamilton potentially clinch the drivers' championship, as well as gain unprecedented access to Formula 1, the championship's official ticket and travel provider F1 Experiences can make that happen.

Privileged off-track access is on offer, including behind-the-scenes tours of the F1 paddock and pit lane, a driving tour of the Mexico City circuit, podium ceremony access, and a ticket to exclusive Paddock Club parties. You can also get your photo taken on the podium and engage in meet-and-greets with F1 drivers past and present.

F1 Experiences enjoyed its largest event to date at the US GP, where guests could meet four-time world champion Alain Prost and seven-time grand prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya. In Mexico, there will be a meet and greet opportunity with Williams driver Felipe Massa.

Previous driver appearances have also included Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Romain Grosjean, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, Esteban Ocon and Max Verstappen.

Verstappen was another driver making headlines at Austin, thanks to his controversial 'off-track' pass on Kimi Raikkonen on the last lap. The Red Bull driver angered Vettel to the point of expletive-laden explosion with his defensive driving in the closing stages of last year's Mexico race.

Vettel will need to remain absolutely ice-cool this time around, if he is to stand any chance of arresting Hamilton's thundering momentum in what remains of the 2017 title race.

The Ferrari man has very few chances left to turn this thing around before it really is too late.

[skalls]

Ugh.  Long long day here.  3 flights followed by a 4 hour drive home and 2 near crashes on the way home.  Love it when the idiots close down one lane of the interstate, back traffic way behind the lane notification so we can't see that it's 1 lane, crest a hill and then in 500 feet you've got to stop.  Good thing the truck stops quickly.  Stupid MNDoT.

Anyways, the trip was a ton of fun.  Rented an Audi A4 (fun car, but the Germans seem to design fixes to non-existent problems.  Also the electronic gear box is f'ing stupid) and drove that around Austin.  Road construction was bloody f'ing EVERYWHERE in Austin.  Which caused our GPS to freak out (and my brother to fly off into a funny rage for taking the wrong turns constantly).

I spent $52 for main grandstand tickets during FP1 and FP2.  Also got A-Lot parking pass which was fantastic since we could park less than a mile from our seats.  Same seats were crazy money for qualifying/race.  When we got to the circuit it was overcast and was drizzling rain.  Enough to be annoying but not much else.  Naturally the first thing my brother and I wanted was to get a couple beers.  $10 for a can of Stella, so typical pro sports costs.

There weren't any good cars in the parking lot either.  Holy crap, one part of the lot probably had $6m worth of cars in about 12 slots.  This rather pedestrian California T parked back where the other peasants (me) were parked.

The main straight going up hill to turn 1 is so cool to see.  I think during the race they said it goes up 135 feet.  The TV and the picture below doesn't do it justice how much of an elevation change there is there.  It is massively cool looking..

We were basically where 7th place lines up on the grid.  Haas, Renault, and Toro Rosso were right across from our seats.

For $30 you could go up to the top of this thing.  $45 and you get some cheap champagne at the top.  My brother hates heights so he saved me some money.  I got to call him some choice words at his expense.

Here's my ugly mug.  Rocking the Bison gear.  The folks down here know where Fargo is lol.  I remembered my hat this year.  The merch trailer is just ridiculous.  They wanted $110 for a polo.  $65 for a Tshirt.  $215 or something for those cheap looking pull overs.  Had the polos been $60-65 I probably would've gotten one, but for $110?  Sorry F1 you can do better. 

Here's some car shots.

After FP1 was wrapped up we went in search of some food.  So we went up to the turn 1 area.  Which meant walking up that bloody hill.  My calves were screaming at me.  It told me that I drink and eat too much and don't work out enough.  Ironically we were going up there to eat and drink.  I think my brain went "take that calves."  I had a brisket taco and a couple heinekens.  The Frito Lay Brisket thing i had last year was much better, but man I got a bunch of bark pieces in my taco which made it fantastic.

All in all it was pretty fun.  We bailed out after about 20 minutes of FP2.  We were getting tired and it was basically more of the same.  We also wanted to try and avoid the hellish traffic that Austin is known for.  So naturally when we got in the car instead of going to the rental house we end up at TopGolf lol.  There's my brother lining up a shot.

Trip also had some cigars that were enjoyed.  Had an El Morro (2012), Dip 2 (2014), Monte 2 (2014) and Hup 2 (2014) which were my first cigars I've had in some time, and man o man they were absolutely delightful.  Always fun to have a cigar with my brother when we're golfing.

And no trip to Austin is complete without going to a BBQ joint or two.  Our rental house was about a mile away from the Salt Lick.  So we had to go there.  Obligatory tourist picture and BBQ porn.

Awesome trip.  Long ass day today when the reality that my vacation was nearly over sunk in.  I definitely will come back again, but it may be a couple years.  Knocking around the idea of going to the Canadian Grand Prix either next year or the year after, but I've got a couple crazy golf trips (expensive, #yolo type trips) that my brother and I have planned which may impede on those plans.

[MIKA27]

Fantastic post @skalls good or bad weather, any GP is a good one.  Hell, here in Melbourne, I've sat through Wet races and dry, also half/half kind of days, but its so much fun just being there.

I definitely need and want to attend COTA sometime very soon.

The BBQ food looks amazing, merchandise for the F1 is crazy down this way too, I do hope some of this changes under the new management bud.