Formula 1 - 2017

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FIA needs to let hard racing go - Wolff

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff thinks the FIA should not be so harsh in punishing "hard racing" moves, in the wake of Max Verstappen's United States Grand Prix penalty.

Verstappen lost a podium finish in Austin when he was given a five-second time penalty for cutting a corner when overtaking Kimi Raikkonen for third place on the final lap of the race.

The decision to sanction him caused huge controversy, with many people upset that there was a lack of consistency from the stewards in how it dealt with abuse of track limits.

Last year's F1 Strategy Group agreed a push for the FIA to be more liberal with dealing with track limits, and only sanction moves that caused accidents or risked putting another competitor in danger.

Wolff thinks that such an approach is what is needed right now, and that moves like Verstappen should not be pounced upon so quickly by the FIA.

  

"My opinion is we should let the guys race, but if someone is unfair and is using the track in a way he shouldn't to his advantage, then penalise him," he said.

"If it is just hard racing and you are just trying to make your way through, then we shouldn't penalise too quickly."

Fellow Mercedes chief Niki Lauda wants the issue of track limits to be discussed at next month's Strategy Group meeting, after claiming the Verstappen decision was the "worst" he had seen in F1.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner backs that idea up of taking the matter further, but says that the issue was already supposed to have been sorted.

"We have discussed it before," he said. "We have said let the drivers race, let them get on with it, and then decisions like this get made. I just think it was a bad judgement by the stewards."

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Teams defend US GP presentations amid "bad copy" criticism

Team bosses say Formula 1 should not be afraid to try new ideas like the glitzy driver presentations ahead of the United States Grand Prix, even though the event divided opinion among fans.

F1 organisers drafted in famous boxing announcer Michael Buffer to announce the drivers to fans at Austin, with the pre-race build-up being extended by an extra 15 minutes.

While it was welcome by fans at the track, there was widespread criticism that it had gone too far from many at home, with Fernando Alonso suggesting the effort was a "bad copy" of what happens in the Indianapolis 500.

But although not everyone felt the idea was a success, team chiefs think that F1 needs to be braver in trying new concepts out at a time when it is trying to engage fans more.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said: "I think it's easy to criticise new things. We need to embrace change also. We have a great show and a great product and we need to try things.

"What they did in Austin was really great and fitted really well. There were so many great celebrities at the race, enjoying F1, with Michael Buffer, and the bands and everything. I think it was a success.

"Whether it is good at every race, probably not. We just need to identify what works in each of the country and add that little bit."

Red Bull boss Christian Horner concurred that while such intros may have been right for the US audience, it was not something that should be rolled out everywhere.

 

"It is America, isn't it?" he said. "We are under new ownership now and we have to be prepared to try new things. If that engages the American public then why not? It didn't detract from the race, and seemed to get the crowd excited prior to the GP.

"But I don't think it would be everybody's cup of tea. I cannot see that working well at Silverstone, for example. But it was an interesting introduction for this grand prix."

Race winner Lewis Hamilton said he enjoyed the moment of being called out, and felt that it had been one of the most enjoyable build-ups to a race he had been part of.

"That is the best start to a grand prix that I think I have seen," he said. "And if we can bring that more into F1 culture, I think it will be more exciting.

"It was neat coming out. I was waiting in the hallway and it was getting to be a bit long, because every driver was going out. But it was kind of cool coming out with the smoke and everything and I didn't know where I was going.

"There were hot ladies on the walkway, so that was exciting, and there was a mixture of sports excitement, sex appeal there. That is what has been missing for a long time really.

"It was cool to have Michael Buffer, and hear him call your name. It was so cool man. It was like going to a boxing fight before and wondering what it would sound like saying 'Lewis Hamilton'."

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Mexico Grand Prix preview - Scuderia Ferrari 2017

 

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VETTEL: ABSOLUTELY ARRIVABENE IS THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB

Sebastian Vettel has backed his Ferrari F1 boss Maurizio Arrivabene, saying that he is the absolute right man for the job and pointing out how the Italian has galvanised the team since 2014.

The Maranello outfit were on a roll in the first half of the season with Vettel leading the championship and looking likely to grab his fifth title and the team’s first since 2007, but after the summer break they have been plagued by several high profile issues that scuppered their title ambitions.

Being in the Ferrari hot seat, Arrivabene came under-fire from certain quarters of the Italian media and invariably his ability to lead the most sport’s most successful into the future was questioned. Reports emerged suggesting that Mattia Binotto would be promoted to take over the team principal role.

But recently Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne affirmed his faith in the man he put in charge of the Reds, with Vettel now echoing the sentiments.

During the drivers’ media conference, ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix weekend, Vettel was asked if Arrivabene was the right man for the job, to which the German replied, “Absolutely. What is his strength? Look at the results, look at where Ferrari was after 2014, how competitive Ferrari was in 2014 and how in unreasonable shape it was.”

“The spirit was down. He is the key person responsible for bringing that back, to open things up and change things that were done for 20 years before that.

“He has an innovative and creative way of thinking, he is the right man, he is a good leader, he is well respected by all the people – no matter what level of the company. Absolutely I am a fan.

“If you look at the results, they are coming. This year we would have liked it to be a bit different, but these things happen – we’re still growing the team, growing the culture, we are still on that journey.

“The expectation is always high. We have made massive steps in the last three years and we have to continue to make those steps.

“Where we have gone 2015-16, through 2016, and for 2017, things are heading in the right way, and he is a key person for that.”

With three races remaining in the championship, Vettel’s title hopes are all but over as his rival Lewis Hamilton needs only to finish fifth on Sunday, in Mexico, to secure his fourth title. Mercedes wrapped up the constructors’ championship in Austin four days ago.

“The pity was there were a couple of races where we were just not there to fight,” lamented Vettel. “I would have loved to even be on three wheels in those races, but they obviously got away from us and we were just sitting on the sidelines.”

“That was bitter. In the end it made a big difference, [but] we are now where we are – we still have a chance, we want to win the last three races and I think we can.”

“We have proven probably everybody wrong – there was a lot of talk in the winter about Mercedes, who were favourites, a lot of talk about Red Bull, but not so much about Ferrari.”

“Overall the team has been incredible to be where we are now. No one expected us to be that strong, so there were a lot of positives,” added Vettel who has not won a race since the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.

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SALO: I HAVE RECEIVED DEATH THREATS

Former race Formula 1 driver turned steward has revealed that he has received death threats in the aftermath of the United States Grand Prix, in which Max Verstappen received a five seconds penalty which relegated him from third to fourth.

Much has been written about the incident after which the inconsistency of the decision caused an uproar, while Salo – a steward on the day – explained the decision process and since then has copped the wrath of what appears to be Verstappen fans.

Salo told SuomiF1: “I have received death threats, mainly from Holland. The change in the Wikipedia article was a fun joke, but threats to me and other members of the jury should not be tolerated.”

Since the race in Austin Salo’s Wikipedia page was tampered with, F1i reports that the following line was added to Salo’s profile: “As a steward of the FIA he helped Ferrari by giving Max Verstappen unreasonable penalties, which hurt the feelings of Dutch fans and made them cry to like children.”

The changes also included the following line: “Lately he’s being paid by Ferrari as an independent steward to make sure Ferrari will be world champion again.”

Salo added, “It was a punishment, but the rules are rules. They clearly state that if the driver gets the benefit of rectification, he will be followed by a penalty. Max was ahead of Kimi Raikkonen behind, but after the curve, thanks to the correction ahead of Ferrari. The situation is clear.”

MIKA: What the F**k is wrong with people!?

Sure, Verstappens punishment was stupid because the stewards are inconsistent to lay the same rules for everyone, but it doesn't warrant death threats and or personal harm.

Not to Mika anyway...  

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Lewis Hamilton would relish Daniel Ricciardo as team-mate

Lewis Hamilton has said it would be a "privilege" to race alongside Daniel Ricciardo in the same team, following comments from the Red Bull driver in which he named Hamilton or Fernando Alonso as his dream team-mate.

When asked for his thoughts on Ricciardo's comments, Hamilton replied: "Daniel is a fantastic driver, it would be a privilege to race against him," he told Motorsport.

“He’s a great character, he always brings a lot of positivity within his team," he added. "I think it’s interesting, I think it’s cool. I take the compliment."

The Briton says he understands why drivers might want to go up against him in the same team, but said Ricciardo needs to prove he can beat Max Verstappen before thinking about beating another driver.

"I don’t truly necessarily believe that people want to be up alongside me because that is not always necessarily the best thing for an individual. But in some cases, it could be a really good thing because it can help you grow.

“You look at Daniel, he’s got a great driver in his team-mate [Verstappen] and to be honest, he has got to really work to outperform him first.

“You’ve always got to beat the person you’re with first before you can look at competing against someone else and beating them."

Both Hamilton and Ricciardo are out of contract at the end of 2018.

MIKA: Putting aside Max Vertsappens DNF, I think Dan is doing a tremendous job and is a brilliant talent. He would put up a good fight against Hamilton with equal machinery and if Rosberg can beat Hamilton, Daniel can also. He might smile alot and act goofy, but this guy has the skills when the visor is down.

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Brendon Hartley to use 28 as personal number in Formula 1

Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley has selected 28 as his permanent number in Formula 1.

Hartley made his debut in the United States in place of Pierre Gasly, with the Frenchman competing in Super Formula, and ran with 39, one of Toro Rosso’s reserve numbers.

Hartley has been retained for this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, and is set to complete the remainder of the campaign, with Daniil Kvyat dropped from Red Bull.

Hartley will take up use of 28, last run by former Manor Marussia racer in the 2015 campaign.

“I'm so excited to head to Mexico for my second Formula 1 Grand Prix,” said Hartley.

“It was a steep learning curve in Austin last week, so I'm looking forward to putting some of the lessons learnt into practice this weekend here in Mexico.

“It's a tricky venue for the engineers, as the high altitude plays havoc on downforce and cooling, but from a driving point of view it's a great track and one I really enjoy.”

Hartley finished his Grand Prix debut in 13th position at the Circuit of the Americas.

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FIA outlines track limits regulations for Mexican GP

Formula 1 Race Director Charlie Whiting has outlined tightened regulations over corner cutting at the Mexican Grand Prix, in the wake of incidents during last year’s race.

Lewis Hamilton locked up and ran wide at the start, cutting through the grass and bypassing Turn 2, but retained the lead, after he was judged not to have gained an advantage, having backed off.

During the closing laps, Max Verstappen committed a similar offense but was penalised, after stewards deemed that he had gained an advantage over the pursuing Sebastian Vettel.

In order to avoid a repeat, orange speed bumps and bollards have been installed at the complex, with the rules outlined by Whiting on Thursday.

“For safety reasons, any driver who either passes to the left of or runs over the orange kerb sections on the driver’s left between Turns 1 and 2, or who passes to the left of the bollard on the apex of Turn 2, must re-join the track by driving around the end of the orange kerb sections on the driver’s left between Turns 2 and 3,” read Whiting’s pre-event notes.

Similar instructions have also been outlined to drivers in the event that they run wide at Turns 4, 8 or 11.

“If a driver overshoots the corner at Turn 4 there is a small road to the left of the asphalt area which leads back on to the track before Turn 6, please ensure that your drivers use this when necessary," read Whiting's notes.

“For safety reasons, any driver whose car passes completely behind the kerb on the apex of Turn 8 must re-join the track by keeping wholly to the right of the orange kerb parallel to the track on the exit of the corner.

“For safety reasons, any driver whose car passes completely behind the kerb on the apex of Turn 11 must re-join the track by keeping wholly to the left of the orange kerb parallel to the track on the exit of the corner.”

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Renault exiting Formula E to focus on 'aggressive' Formula 1 goals

Renault has confirmed the reason for its decision to pull out of Formula E, with it wanting to focus on Formula 1 to ensure it can meet the "aggressive goals" it has set itself and its customer teams.

Nissan, which is part of the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, announced it would takeover Renault's entry from season five of the championship , which begins at the end of 2018.

With Renault having won the manufacturer title in each of the three seasons it's competed in, the French manufacturer will now focus its efforts on achieving similar success in F1.

"We had an incredible championship run during our first three years in Formula E and look forward to a competitive fourth season with the benefit of a very stable environment at Renault e.dams,” said Thierry Koskas, Groupe Renault executive vice president of sales and marketing.

“As a pioneer in EV, we have learned a tremendous amount about high-performance electric vehicles and energy management that directly benefits our EV customers.

“After season four [2017/18] we will focus resources on our aggressive goals for Formula 1 and we look forward to continuing to gain benefits from motorsport racing across the Alliance with Nissan.”

Renault is in its second full F1 season since returning and aims to taste title success in 2020 as part of a long-term plan.

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Briatore: ‘Ferrari can’t beat Merc with Kimi’

Ex-Formula 1 team principal Flavio Briatore has said Ferrari will not be able to beat Mercedes to world titles with Kimi Raikkonen still in a seat.

The 2007 World Champion, who recently turned 38, signed a new one-year deal with the Scuderia for the 2018 season, but has only claimed five podium finishes this campaign and has not won a race since 2013.

And Briatore believes Ferrari are being held back by the 'Ice Man'.

"Certainly it is very difficult to win the constructors' title with Raikkonen," the Italian said to Spanish daily Marca.

"To win, you must have two drivers who are competitive and then you identify who should win the drivers' championship."

Not only does Briatore think Mercedes have the better driver line-up, but is also of the opinion that the Silver Arrows won the development race as well.

"You win and lose races, but a championship is more like the Giro d'Italia," he added.

"Lewis and Mercedes have been the strongest, even if Ferrari did very well at the beginning.

"But I think Mercedes did the better job in development."

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Inconsistent stewarding claims "without foundation" - Whiting

Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting says suggestions that the FIA stewards are inconsistent in dealing with track limits are "without foundation".

While Max Verstappen remains angry about being given a penalty for cutting the track when he overtook Kimi Raikkonen on the final lap of the United States Grand Prix, Whiting says the issue is an open and shut case.

"We have to try to take a practical approach to this – there is an element of wanting to let the drivers race," he said ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix. "It is only when it is absolutely clear that the stewards need to get involved.

"All in all, I think the accusations of inconsistency are pretty much without foundation – the only time that it was absolutely clear that the driver gained an advantage [in Austin], the driver was duly penalised and that is really where we are coming from, I believe."

While drivers have pointed out that some rivals ran wide in Austin without sanction, Whiting has explained that live data broadcast to the stewards gives a definitive answer on whether or not a driver has gained the 'lasting' advantage that is defined in the regulations.

None of the other incidents of drivers running wide were deemed to have given the competitor involved a 'lasting' advantage.

"We can look at a particular laptime, look across, look at that mini sector time and then you can see whether or not the driver gained an advantage," said Whiting about the stewards' system.

"We do that whenever we see any of those excursions off the track, particularly at Turn 19. We did that during qualifying and we saw nothing that gave us any cause for concern. We can do that during a race as well.

He added: "Leaving the track is not an offence in itself but if a driver does so he must rejoin the track safety and without gaining any lasting advantage. Those words are really important in this case.

"There were a number of occasions when drivers left the track during race and practice that were not formally looked at by stewards purely because no lasting advantage was gained.

"The point here really is that the stewards felt he had gained an advantage. He had shortened the track and clearly he was off track and he passed another driver at the same time.

"So for them the decision was quite simple technically but emotionally it was not so easy because the decision had to be made quite quickly."

  

New approach

Whiting said he would be more than happy to have a system that did not require judgement calls from stewards when a driver ran wide, but at the moment nothing suitable had come to light.

"It would be far better if we could come up with something, a system, a procedure, or features on that circuit that were absolutely unambiguous about whether it was faster, or not.

"The way to do that is to use very big kerbs, but of course they are unacceptable really. We have gone away from gravel now for years now, which has given rise to the kerbs that 
we have now.

"There is also the complexity of a track trying to cater for all types or cars and bikes and things like that. In COTA they go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the two can coexist."

Whiting was adamant, however, that taking a more hard-line approach to track limits and punishing any driver who ran wide would cause even more problems.

"My personal belief is that if you take what is a zero tolerance approach then you will be forever reporting drivers, because they will do it multiple times during the race and you have to monitor every corner on every lap for every driver to a very high precision.

"With great respect to other formulae, we don't need that in F1. We would be confronted by various videos after the race that people have taken or acquired from somewhere that showed he didn't go off – it was still on white line.

"We would have all these discussions and there would be a line outside the stewards office waiting to discuss whether or not they should be penalised. I don't think F1 needs that.

"If that is what the Strategy Group really want, and they want to develop rules to say that, then so be it. We will police it. But we don't have that rule at the moment."

MIKA: Well for starters, STOP having Herman Tilke design these tracks with such massive run-offs! 

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Lauda: Mercedes must make car "easier" for Bottas

Niki Lauda says Mercedes must make its Formula 1 car easier for Valtteri Bottas to drive, following the Finn’s slump in form since the August summer break.

Bottas won two grands prix during the first part of the F1 season, but hasn’t out-qualified teammate Lewis Hamilton since July’s Hungarian GP, and endured another difficult time at last weekend’s US Grand Prix – qualifying nearly half a second adrift before finishing a distant fifth.

Bottas has delivered flashes of pace and some strong stints in races since August, but has struggled for consistency compared to Hamilton, and Mercedes non-executive chairman Lauda said it was up to the team to make its car easier to drive on the limit.

“It’s difficult for him, because the car is very difficult to drive,” Lauda said. “Lewis can handle it better, and Valtteri has difficulties.

“If you give him an easy car to drive, and the way he likes the car, then he will be right there again.

“It’s against his driving style the way our car, at the moment performs - even Lewis sometimes complains about how difficult it is to drive. Nevertheless, he can still win, thank God.

“The pressure is on us to make it easier.”

Lauda reckons Hamilton is also the best driver on the grid, which compounds the difficulties for Bottas.

“He’s the best, very simple,” Lauda added. “He’s always been good, and now it’s even better.

“I think he’s the quickest guy anyway today. If you compare him with all the others, he’s one, two tenths quicker than everybody else.”

  

Bottas: Car and driver need work

Bottas showed strong pace at times during the Austin race, but struggled with tyre management amid some frenetic battling with Ferrari and Red Bull.

He thinks he needs to further adapt his driving style to get the most from the car, as well as refining its set-up.

“Honestly I think it’s both,” he said. “Always as a driver you need to adapt to the car you are driving, but there’s also been a couple of weekends this year that Lewis has been struggling with similar issues and dropping out of the [performance] window.

“I feel there is definite progress - I feel from every struggle I will always learn something.

“The set-up is still not as I want - we can change the set-up of the car to be better balanced and nicer to drive, but then it’s slower.

“We need to make a compromise and that’s something I’ve found more difficult this year.

“We know, as a team, the issues we have - the car is not so easy to drive and it’s difficult to set up, and also, from the team side, there’s things we can do better for the new car.”

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Analysis: Why 4WD is on Formula 1's agenda

A move to 4WD cars in Formula 1 is one of the options set to be discussed by teams and the sport's chiefs when talks to frame future engine rules move forward at a crunch meeting next week.

Motor racing's governing body and F1's commercial right holders have invited teams to a meeting in Paris on October 31 to outline the vision for new engine and car rules that will be at the core of grand prix racing from 2021 onwards.

On the engine front, a move to a more simplified version of the current turbo hybrid V6 engines is a favoured route, with their set to be more standard parts  - including the MGU-K - to help bring costs down and make things more competitive.

However, there remains divided opinion about whether or not the hugely complicated MGU-H – which recycles energy from turbo heat - should remain at the heart of an F1 engine.

While Mercedes is in favour of keeping it, others are not so convinced. One route being considered to replace the energy that would be lost through ditching the MGU-H would be for a front-axle KERS.

It is similar technology to that employed by Porsche in WEC, where energy recovered under braking at the front axle is stored in batteries for deployment later - turning the car into 4WD.

While there are clear advantages to the system – including the fact a front-axle KERS would help improve mechanical grip in corners which would allow cars to follow each other more closely – the technology would be expensive and introducing it would add further weight to F1 cars that are already very heavy.

Big manufacturers like Mercedes say F1 needs to be open-minded about the technological aspect.

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff said: "If there is an emphasis on maybe not having the MGU-H any more, the heat recovery any more, how do we compensate for 60 per cent of electric energy that is being lost?

"There are various possibilities and front motors is one possibility. It's not that we are absolutely stuck on implementing front motors but we have to discuss all possible technologies that can compensate for the lack of power."

Beyond the added cost of a front-axle KERS, there is also the risk that one manufacturer could deliver something that is much better than all its rivals – which would lead to single-team domination.

Gene Haas said: "It's the same trap F1 got itself into when it selected this engine. It seemed like a simple idea but when you started doing the engineering it became very, very complex. Caveat to Mercedes, they got it right. The other teams struggled for a long time.

"So, I think we have to be very careful before we say "let's just throw a four-wheel drive car out there," because it could be another one of those ones where one team will probably hit a home-run and the rest of us will be struggling with trying to catch up with that. I think simple's better."

  

Upsetting people

The difficulty that Liberty faces though is that whatever route is picked, there is unlikely to be a solution that will appease all parties involved in F1.

A high-tech expensive engine that requires new designs may please current manufacturers, but it will not help smaller teams nor encourage new independent suppliers in.

Renault F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul said "Liberty will have to take a position and to accept maybe to make some people unhappy.

"It is going to be extremely difficult to make fans, independent engine manufacturers like Cosworth, teams that do not have a technology message like Red Bull happy, but at the same time keep the manufacturers, the petroleum companies and maybe bring new manufacturers."

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne last week suggested that his company would not accept a simple engine that was introduced to cut costs and help smaller teams.

"The knowledge and technology of the Ferrari tradition can not be undone by the objective to reduce costs," he said.

"I am the first to acknowledge that we are spending too much, but we can not take action by removing what is the DNA of Ferrari and Formula 1."

For Red Bull boss Christian Horner, though, he believes the time has come for the FIA and Liberty to stand firm and do what is right for F1.

And he has urged them to go hardline - and take the approach that if the manufacturers do not like it then they can go and take their technology elsewhere.

Asked by Motorsport.com if he felt Liberty was going to have to accept upsetting some teams, Horner said: "Yes. Inevitably. But I think it will be a question of that [the new engine rule] is what it is. Here is the entry form. Sign up or go and do Formula E."

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Building a Formula 1 garage | Behind the scenes

Building and dismantling an F1 garage over 20 times a year has its challenges. 

Find out how McLaren and the team take on this construction and logistics challenge every Formula 1 season. 

MIKA: The last few seasons, I'd have imagined McLarens unpacking and packing would have been easier compared to the other teams seeing they had more time to do so....

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HAMILTON: I AM NOT BETTER THAN SENNA BECAUSE I HAVE MORE WINS

Lewis Hamilton says winning a fourth Formula 1 world championship title would not make him better than his boyhood hero Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian whose death as a triple champion in 1994 rocked the sport.

The Briton has already exceeded Senna’s career tally of race wins, podiums and pole positions and success in Mexico on Sunday would make him only the fifth driver to claim four championships.

“Ayrton’s life was cut short and I think had he the opportunity to continue and race in safe conditions he would have continued to win more championships,” the Briton told reporters on Thursday.

Senna was 34 when he died in the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.

“I don’t look upon him and think that I am better because I have more wins and championships and poles, but I feel very proud for my name to be mentioned alongside his name and that’s all.”

Hamilton, who grew up idolising Senna, will become the first Briton to win four championships and is also by far the most successful in terms of race wins.

He has already taken seven times world champion Michael Schumacher’s records for most pole positions and front row starts and is now 29 wins away from equalling the German’s all-time record of 91 victories.

Some believe he could one day match Schumacher’s championships.

Unlike former team mate Nico Rosberg, who won last year’s title and promptly retired, Hamilton could be around for some time yet.

“I can easily imagine myself without Formula 1, but it is not about that right now,” he said. “There are some really cool things coming along that are going to complement where I am in Formula 1.”

He would not give any further details about that, but said he had been in meetings in Los Angeles earlier this week to discuss “some creations” he had been working on.

“I definitely won’t be here at 40. I don’t think that is going to happen. It changes all the time,” added the 32-year-old.

“There have been times where I thought I am happy to move on but you can’t come back. I can’t tell you how long I will be here for, but eventually I will figure it out and know when the time comes. I anticipate a couple more years at least.”

Hamilton said he had come a long way since his first title with McLaren nine years ago.

“In 2008 I was a kid, I had all the natural talent I have today but I didn’t have the knowledge experience,“ he said. ”I’m much better equipped than I was in 2008.

“It’s actually been more enjoyable this year being in the position I am. A lot more comfortable in my own skin.”

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TORO ROSSO PREVIEW THE MEXICAN GRAND PRIX

Toro Rosso drivers and team preview the Mexican Grand Prix, Round 18 of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship, at Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez.

Pierre Gasly: “I’m really excited about the Mexican GP race weekend! It’s going to be my third race weekend as a Formula 1 driver, this time on a completely new track for me – I’ve never raced there, so it will be exciting to learn a new one. I’ve been there as a reserve driver with Red Bull for the last two years and I think it’s a unique event. The atmosphere there is very special, the fans are great and very passionate. The part of the stadium in the last sector is also amazing, always full of spectators cheering the drivers on. It’s great to see all the grandstands completely full! It’s a special city and we always visit it during Halloween or the ‘Day of the Dead’, and the whole city gets crazy about it – you see people dressed up and with painted faces invading the streets and enjoying the big ‘fiesta’! It’s really cool to see. Hopefully we can have a great race weekend there. I’ll keep pushing together with the team, I’ll try to do my best, keep gaining experience and I really hope we achieve a positive result!”

Brendon Hartley: “I’m so excited to head to Mexico for my second Formula 1 Grand Prix! It was a steep learning curve in Austin last week, so I’m looking forward to putting some of the lessons learnt into practice this weekend here in Mexico. It’s a tricky venue for the engineers, as the high altitude plays havoc on downforce and cooling, but from a driving point of view it’s a great track and one I really enjoy!”

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HAAS PREVIEW THE MEXICAN GRAND PRIX

After racing on home soil last weekend in the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, Haas F1 Team heads south of the border for the Mexican Grand Prix Sunday at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.

The 4.304-kilometer (2.674-mile), 17-turn circuit has hosted Formula One since 1963, but in preparation for Formula One’s return in 2015 after a 22-year hiatus, it was completely revamped. Noted track designer Hermann Tilke penned the new layout, which followed the general outline of the original course. The entire track was resurfaced, with new pit, paddock and spectator stands constructed. The most notable changes from the old layout to the current version were an added sequence of corners comprising turns one, two and three, along with a revised set of corners through the Foro Sol baseball stadium, which was built inside the famed and feared Perlatada corner, which serves as the track’s final turn.

The new asphalt made for a slippery surface in 2015 and despite a year of weathering, it remained slick in 2016. Even as the refurbished track readies for its third year of Formula One action, drivers and teams alike expect grip to be elusive.

The smooth pavement is one factor, but Mexico City’s notoriously thin air is another significant contributor.

Sitting 2,200 meters (7,218 feet) above sea level, Mexico City’s high altitude means there is less downforce on the cars. To compensate for this, teams run more downforce than they would at similarly fast tracks like Italy’s Autodromo Nazionale Monza and Azerbaijan’s Baku City Circuit. But with top speeds expected to surpass the high mark of 372 kph (231 mph) earned last year, teams have to compromise between straight-line speed and the downforce necessary to push through the track’s corners.

Cooling is another issue facing teams in the Mexican Grand Prix. The thinner air means the turbo has to spin at a higher rate to inject more oxygen into the engine, and with the brakes being used for approximately 25 percent of the race’s 71-lap duration, keeping those brakes cool adds another degree of difficulty.

Haas F1 Team is up for the challenge, with drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen eager to get back on track and vie for points in the hyper-competitive midfield. The American squad is eighth in the constructors standings with 43 points, five points behind seventh-place Renault and 10 points behind sixth-place Toro Rosso with a 20-point cushion over ninth-place McLaren.

With only three races remaining in the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship, the midfield battle is as tight as it’s been all season. Points are highly coveted by all, but with the super teams of Mercedes, Scuderia Ferrari and Red Bull typically consuming six of the top-10 point-paying positions, the seven other teams on the grid scrape and claw for the remaining four spots and the valuable points that come with them.

Shut out of the points at COTA after scoring a double-points finish in the preceding Japanese Grand Prix, Haas F1 Team seeks an elevated position in the constructors standings with a high-end performance in the elevation of Mexico City.

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal

While Mexico City is next up on the Formula One calendar, the team enjoyed a very warm reception at its home race last weekend at COTA. Talk about all the attention Haas F1 Team received from fans and media alike.
GS: “For me, personally, it was the busiest weekend of the year. Obviously, a lot of people wanted to talk with us. I was amazed going out to Haas Hill how many fans were there and how passionate they were. It’s nice to see people with merchandise, wearing hats from Haas. We know they support us. They gave us a very warm welcome. It was a lot more than last year as people are getting used to us. We are still an underdog, but we’re kicking left, right and center. I think we’ve earned our space here. I hope the American fans will support us even more in the future.”

It was a busy weekend at COTA. How did you balance it all?
GS: “I don’t mind busy. That is what we’re here to do. We’ve got good people working at Haas F1 Team and I trust them fully. I can do more of the public stuff, for the fans and for the media. My job changes depending on where we are. I don’t mind busy.”

We saw Renault step up its game last weekend at COTA. While Mercedes has all but settled the championship battle, this midfield battle will be a fight to the finish. Does it seem that in these last three races there’s more parity than ever in the midfield?
GS: “It doesn’t get any easier, especially for us, because the bigger teams like Renault have stepped up more than we did in the last few races. It’s up and down, and it’s unpredictable what is happening. Who would’ve thought that’d we’d finish eighth and ninth in Japan? Nobody would’ve given us that credit to work to those positions on merit. Anything can happen in this midfield, and I hope we’re able to make the best out of it.”

How much does Mexico City’s altitude affect the car, from engine performance, to brake performance to aero performance?
GS: “A lot. It’s very different to anything else. You need your highest downforce level – whatever you can you put on there because of the air being so thin. Cooling – you never have enough up at that altitude. It is different, but we know we have to adapt to it.”

Grip was in short supply at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in 2015 and it remained that way last year. What did you have to do to compensate for the lack of grip?
GS: “You always try to get as much downforce as possible. It hasn’t been a favorable circuit for us. We’re not afraid of it, but it will be a challenge.”

Finding grip means getting the tires into their proper working window. With 17 races having been run this season, have you discovered any tricks to the trade in getting a particular tire compound into its appropriate working range, and if so, how do you keep it there?
GS: “It is a moving target. You never know, there are so many factors coming in from the track that affect how your tires work. We’re surprised every weekend what it does.”

Explain what you do in qualifying to get the tires into their proper working range so you can extract the maximum amount of performance out of them for a fast lap.
GS: “What you try to do is get the tire to the temperature you want to have it for when you cross the start-finish line. At the beginning of the lap, at turn one, you’re already in the temperature window, then you’re not running too hot when you come out of the last turn. Every track is different and every day is different because of the temperature. It’s a very difficult task, and it’s very difficult to do it mathematically. It also involves a lot of driver feeling – what is best to do. Then with the traffic coming into play, sometimes you want to achieve a target, but you cannot because you’re on your out-lap in traffic and you cannot achieve the temperatures. It’s a very difficult task, but it’s the same for everybody. It’s a lot of planning and there’s a lot of management involved in it.”

When the Mexican Grand Prix returned in 2015, Haas F1 Team wasn’t on the grid yet, but you were in attendance. What was the atmosphere like?
GS: “It was fantastic. There were a lot of people and everything was sold out. They had to build more grandstands to meet the demand for tickets. It’s a very nice event and this is what’s fantastic about F1. You still get tens of thousands of people coming to an event, and we expect the same this year.”

Romain Grosjean

How much does Mexico City’s altitude affect the car, from engine performance, to brake performance to aero performance?
RG: “Brake cooling is an issue because of the air density. From there, we also have very little downforce because we’re at altitude. I guess the biggest thing for us to feel is the downforce loss. The biggest challenge for the car is the cooling.”

How much does Mexico City’s altitude affect you physically, especially during the race?
RG: “It’s been fine in previous years, but with these new cars, and if the track has rubbered up a little bit, it could be harder.”

Grip was in short supply at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in 2015 and it remained that way last year. What did you have to do to compensate for the lack of grip?
RG: “Find the right setup and find the right way to get the tires to work at their best in those conditions, which is always a challenge.”

With the higher levels of downforce these current-generation cars achieve, do you expect grip to be less of a factor in this year’s race?
RG: “No, I think it’s always going to be the same, because that’s the key to perform. The more grip you have, the better you are. I think even with more downforce, we’re still going to lose the same amount as we did last year in terms of percentage, compared to a normal track. It’s going to be slippery.”

Finding grip means getting the tires into their proper working window. With 17 races having been run this season, have you discovered any tricks to the trade in getting a particular tire compound into its appropriate working range, and if so, how do you keep it there?
RG: “I guess that’s still our Achilles’ heel. We’re still struggling a bit with getting our tires right. That comes with time and experience. We are getting better. We’re all working hard to find the right answers. Sometimes though, we still don’t have them. We do on some occasions, which is great, but on others we don’t. We just have to come to a racetrack and see, then we try to do our best from there.”

Explain what you do in qualifying to get the tires into their proper working range so you can extract the maximum amount of performance out of them for a fast lap.
RG: “It depends a lot on the circuit. Some circuits you need a slow out-lap not to heat the tires too hard. Other circuits you really need to push hard on the out-lap to generate the temperature and the grip. It really does change circuit to circuit. We just have to go and see.”

After a 22-year absence, Formula One returned to Mexico in 2015. You competed in that race. What was the atmosphere like?
RG: “It was a great atmosphere. During the driver parade, I don’t think I’d ever seen such a big crowd than in the last part of the circuit at the stadium section. It was an awesome race with a lot of fans.”

The stadium section seems to be the most talked about portion of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez because of its sheer scope. What is it like to go through that area with all the fans in attendance during the driver’s parade, and what is it like to drive through there at speed during the race?
RG: “During the race, unfortunately, we don’t get the chance to see the fans. But on the finish lap, after the checkered flag, you really get a chance to see everyone. The podium being there makes for a great image. It looks awesome from the outside.”

What is your favorite part about Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez?
RG: “I like the first three corners. They’re pretty good.”

Describe a lap around Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
RG: “Long straight line going into turn one with big braking, 90 degrees right-hand side, followed by a small chicane. It’s very important to get the second part right because you’ve got another long straight line. Then you’ve got another 90-degree left corner, and then a 90-degree right corner. That’s followed by a very weird double right-hander. It’s very difficult to find a line. Then you go to the middle section which is flowing, with mid- to high-speed left and right corners. Next it’s the entry to the stadium – big braking here, very tricky with the wall facing you. Then it’s a very slow hairpin in the stadium, as slow as Monaco. Finally, it’s the double right-hand corner with very important traction going into the old part of the oval to finish the lap.”

Kevin Magnussen

How much does Mexico City’s altitude affect the car, from engine performance, to brake performance to aero performance?
KM: “It has a big effect on all those things. It’s one of the tricky races that you have to compromise a lot of things in order to cool the car and find downforce.”

How much does Mexico City’s altitude affect you physically, especially during the race?
KM: “You don’t really notice it so much. You can feel that the air is thinner, that you have to breathe a bit more, but you get used to it.”

Grip was in short supply at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in 2015 and it remained that way last year. What did you have to do to compensate for the lack of grip?
KM: “You need a lot of downforce there. As the air is thin, you lose downforce. It’s pretty tricky. You can see the effect it has on top speeds. Because the air is so thin, you don’t have a lot of drag from the air down the straight. Our maximum speeds go very high.”

With the higher levels of downforce these current-generation cars achieve, do you expect grip to be less of a factor in this year’s race?
KM: “We will have more grip and we’ll have more downforce, but it’ll still be a low-grip race.”

After a 22-year absence, Formula One returned to Mexico in 2015. While you didn’t compete in that first race, you competed in last year’s Mexican Grand Prix. What was the atmosphere like for that race?
KM: “The atmosphere is awesome. You have the infield part – the stadium part – and it’s always packed. The Mexican people are really into it. It’s a great atmosphere.”

The stadium section seems to be the most talked about portion of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez because of its sheer scope. What is it like to go through that area with all the fans in attendance during the driver’s parade, and what is it like to drive through there at speed during the race?
KM: “You notice it on the driver’s parade, for sure. The fans are very passionate.”

What is your favorite part about Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez?
KM: “I would say the stadium section.”

Describe a lap around Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
KM: “Fast, low-grip and difficult.”

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WILLIAMS PREVIEW THE MEXICAN GRAND PRIX

We embark on our fifth and final back-to-back race of the season as we visit Mexico City for Round 18 of the 2017 Formula One World Championship.

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is popular for many things, not least its fans and stadium section at turns 13 and 14.

The circuit, which last hosted a Formula One race in 1991 before its return to the calendar in 2015, is known for its founders, the late Rodriguez brothers, Ricardo and Pedro, who started the project in 1962 before hosting the country’s first official Formula One race in 1963.

Mexico provides fond memories for Williams with a one-two finish in 1987 (Mansell and Piquet) and a further race victory in 1991 (Patrese). Both Williams cars qualified and finished in the top 10 in 2015 and ’16, with Valtteri Bottas bringing home a third-place podium on his debut at the circuit.

For Mexico, Pirelli has made available the soft, supersoft and ultrasoft tyres.

Paddy Lowe: “This is our third year returning to Mexico after a long break since the 1990s. Our first thoughts are for everyone affected by the recent earthquake, and we hope that we can bring some brightness to the city after that tragedy. In actual fact, the Mexican fans are never lacking in enthusiasm, as this is arguably the most passionate crowd of the entire Formula One season. This makes it a real pleasure to race at this event for both teams and drivers. The circuit itself has some interesting challenges. Due to the altitude there is about 80% normal atmospheric pressure. The effect of this is that we run the most extreme downforce bodywork that we have available, but it only delivers the level of downforce that we would typically run at Monza, which is a very high-speed circuit. Therefore, the cars are very light on downforce which makes it particularly challenging for the drivers and we often see a lot of mistakes, leading to some interesting races. The particular highlight of the circuit is the stadium section and the podium in front of all the fans, so we look forward to putting on another great event.”

Felipe Massa: “First of all, it’s a shame to see what’s happened, it’s so sad to see the people losing their lives and also their homes from the earthquake so that’s really, really sad. I think we need to help them and get as much support for them. We need to pass the message to people around the world. That is the most important thing. Secondly, they are really in love with Formula One and they go crazy for the race. When you see the people in the grandstand and around the roads, they are proper Formula One fans and I think it’s fantastic to race there. I always enjoy it, I go with some friends, my father and we always enjoy the atmosphere there. It looks very similar to São Paolo so you also feel at home. I really hope we can have an important race for them in this difficult moment.”

Lance Stroll: “This will be the first time I have visited Mexico and all the stories I have heard about the country and the circuit mean I am really looking forward to it. I am particularly looking forward to the stadium section where all the fans are and get really excited. I know there will be a great atmosphere and I can’t wait to get out on the circuit to experience it for myself. Another aspect of Mexico I am looking forward to is the food, as I am a huge fan of Mexican food and I love my spices. It will also be a bit of a special weekend for me as on race day I shall be celebrating my 19th birthday.”

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MCLAREN PREVIEW THE MEXICAN GRAND PRIX

Mexico’s passion for Formula 1 began with the Rodriguez brothers in the early sixties. Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez both raced in F1 and generated a huge following back home, which led to the inaugural World Championship Mexican Grand Prix in 1963.

The race at the Magdalena Sports City circuit stayed on the calendar until 1979, before returning in ’86 for seven years at the re-named Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The race then reappeared on the F1 calendar in 2015.

Fernando Alonso: “It’s very important that we head to Mexico with everybody in our thoughts that has been affected by the recent earthquake, and show them as much support as we possibly can at this really difficult time.

“The welcome we receive in Mexico City is among the best in the world – you can really feel the warmth of the fans all around the circuit, especially in the arena section, and the support is unbelievable. For me, it’s nice to be able to arrive in a country, travel to the hotel and check in using my own language! But seriously, I love Mexico and the Mexican people, and I hope we can put on the show they deserve.

“It will surely be a challenging weekend for us as I’m expecting to start from the back of the grid due to the engine issue we had in Austin. It’s also a track where we often struggle with traffic, which makes overtaking difficult. But, on the positive side, we tested a lot of new components on Friday in the USA which we were very happy with, and we hope to take those forward to use in Mexico.”

Stoffel Vandoorne: “We head to Mexico City very aware of the current situation there and we send all of our support and best wishes to the people of Mexico after such a terrible disaster.

“For McLaren Honda, Mexico will likely be a very tricky race for us because of the long straight and the high altitude, two characteristics which will make things more difficult for us all weekend. As I had to change my PU on race day in Austin, we’re hoping that we won’t have to take penalties on my car in Mexico, but at the moment we’re looking into everything and will wait until Friday to confirm if anything is necessary.

“I last went to Mexico City two years ago and loved the whole experience. We stay downtown and the city is really cool. I remember the awesome atmosphere around the whole track and I’m looking forward to going back there. The fans are amazing and the coolest part of the circuit is the stadium because there are so just many people there. I’ve been preparing to race on this circuit for a while with my engineers in the simulator, and I’m excited to get out on track there for the first time on Friday.”

Eric Boullier, McLaren Honda Racing Director: “Firstly, on behalf of both myself and the whole team, I’d like to send our condolences to the hundreds of people that have been affected by the terrible earthquake in Mexico in September. Mexico City is a place we’ve quickly grown to love visiting, and we hope this coming weekend we can show our solidarity and support for the victims and shine a spotlight on the incredible resilience they’ve shown, as well as recognise the generous hospitality we receive from our Mexican friends every year we visit.

“While I can’t promise victory, we will of course fight for everything we can despite difficult circumstances, as we did in Austin. It’s likely that Fernando will have to take penalties due to the PU issue he faced last weekend, so he is already preparing himself for what will undoubtedly be a spirited fight from the back of the grid. We don’t yet know how the weekend will pan out for Stoffel, but will try to give him the best chance we can at what will be a second new track for him in as many weeks.

“The conditions, too, make it tough for all the teams – it’s often hot and humid in Mexico City, and coupled with the altitude it makes cooling and outright engine performance even more of a challenge than normal. We’ve learned a lot about these characteristics from the past two years we’ve raced there and I hope we can put this to good use next weekend. We aren’t expecting to make a significant dent on the points table this weekend, but we never ever give up, and will give it our all to make the best we can out of this challenging double-header as possible.”

Yusuke Hasegawa, Honda R&D Co. Ltd Head of F1 Project & Executive Chief Engineer: “After a very disappointing weekend in the United States, we’re now crossing the border to Mexico.

“First of all, we would like to express our condolences to the people who lost their lives in the disaster and offer our heartfelt sympathy to all those affected.

“This will be the third year of the Mexican Grand Prix since its return to the Formula 1 calendar. We always enjoy racing in the cheerful Latin atmosphere in front of the fanatic Mexican fans. I also appreciate the warm support from our Honda de Mexico colleagues.

“The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is unique in terms of its location with a very high altitude of 2,300m. Due to the thin air, it’s necessary for us to have a totally different approach to extract the power out of the PU compared to other circuits. In addition, the long straight means we’re expecting to face a tough challenge.

“However, the tricky conditions are the same for all the other teams, and we will use the data collected over the past two years to make the best race strategy possible.

“It is obviously a race under very difficult circumstances for the people of Mexico, and we hope to put on a good show for them all.”

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FORCE INDIA PREVIEW THE MEXICAN GRAND PRIX

Force India team and drivers preview the Mexican Grand Prix, Round 18 of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship, at Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez.

Vijay Mallya: “Our season continues to go from strength to strength with another double points finish in the United States last week. We’ve had the fourth quickest car for the last three events and picked up significant points with both cars. It means we’ve edged even closer to securing fourth place in the championship with an opportunity to mathematically secure this result in Mexico this week.

“The Mexican Grand Prix is always a hugely important weekend for everybody in the team, but especially for Sergio. We receive huge support from the fans and with so many guests and partners joining us at the track we have extra motivation of put on a strong show. We have more updates coming for the VJM10 as we continue to push hard with development late into the season, which should give us an extra performance step this weekend.”

Sergio Perez: “Racing at home means a lot for me. It’s always a busy week, both for me and the team, but being at home makes all the hard work we put in for our fans and our partners worthwhile. It’s definitely the most enjoyable weekend of the year for me. It’s a great race for everyone involved in Formula One. There’s so much passion and the whole week is a big celebration. Everyone in Mexico City is looking forward to the race.

“The track is quite fun to drive and being on those long straights is special. Because of the altitude, even though you’re running high wings, you still achieve very high speeds and it’s really hard to stop the car under braking – in that sense it feels like a bit like Monza.

“I am lucky I get to race in my country in front of my fans. Their support means so much to me and it’s inspiring to see fans waving the Mexican flag in every grandstand. I really want to give them a special result to celebrate.”

Esteban Ocon: “Racing in Mexico is good fun. I am expecting the atmosphere to be fantastic: I had a taste of it last year and the final sector, going through the stadium, is impressive. Motorsport and Formula One are very important for the Mexican fans and to hear them cheering every lap feels very special.

“The track is great. You can find a very good rhythm and you can overtake. The stadium section is very slow and it bunches up the cars just before the very long straight. There are some special corners as well and it’s just a cool track. Turns one and four are good opportunities for overtaking so I am expecting some action through that part of the lap.

“I have a Mexican teammate so this is a special race for the team. Sergio is very popular in Mexico, but I hope there will be a very warm welcome for me as well – similar to what I had last year. Sergio and I had a few difficulties earlier in the year, but we’re good now and there’s a lot of respect between us. We work together for the team to get the best performance possible and I hope all fans will respect that.”

Sahara Force India’s Chief Race Engineer, Tom McCullough, looks ahead to the challenge of the Mexican Grand Prix: “The characteristics of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez are dominated by the high altitude of the track, at 2250m above sea level. At 780mbar, the air density is very low, resulting in reduced downforce, drag and cooling capacity. It’s a standout challenge for the engine and brake system cooling, especially since it is a high brake energy track. Low-speed corners dominate the layout, so it is crucial to develop a set-up that gives you performance in those sections. At the same time, you need to make the most of the very long straight which provides a very good opportunity for overtaking.”

All-Mexican line-up for FP1

Sahara Force India test driver, Alfonso Celis Jr., will take part in the first practice session for the Mexican Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Friday, 27 October.

His participation in the session, taking over Esteban Ocon’s car, will ensure an all-Mexican line-up for the team as both Alfonso and Sergio Perez will savour the warm welcome of the Mexico City fans.

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RENAULT PREVIEW THE MEXICAN GRAND PRIX

Renault team and drivers preview the Mexican Grand Prix, Round 18 of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship, at Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez.

Foreword from Renault Sport Racing Managing Director, Cyril Abiteboul: “After the tremendous spectacle of the United States Grand Prix in Austin it’s no rest for the team as we head to another race which promises much for fans; the Mexican Grand Prix.

“When Formula 1 returned to Mexico in 2015 we didn’t know quite what to expect. What we found was a superb event which was well run and organised, and supported by enthusiastic and knowledgeable fans.

“Mexico City has been through a lot with the recent earthquake but the strength and the spirit of the city is strong, and Formula 1 is determined to put on a good show.

“Talking of a good show, the initiatives on Formula 1 to further showcase the sport in Austin were exciting and it was great to see such a strong build-up on the grid. We’re looking forward to many further initiatives as the sport develops under its new ownership.

“As we look to the future, we are bringing Renault’s own vision of a future Formula 1 to Mexico with the R.S. 2027 Vision, as debuted earlier this year at the Shanghai Motor Show. We will show this car to the Mexican media and look forward to as positive a response to its ideas as we’ve received in other markets.

“On the sporting side, in Austin, Carlos Sainz made a tremendous debut for the team, delivering beyond his expectations and in line with our aspirations. We all worked very hard to make his transition to a new team mid-season as fruitful as possible and this hard work was well rewarded.

“On the other side of the garage, we let down Nico Hülkenberg through an engine issue. Nico is certain to have been able to get the car into the points in Austin and both cars scoring has been our year-long goal. America demonstrates we have everything we need to fight for points and to climb back in the Constructors’ Championship, which is most certainly the target in Mexico.

“We have moved up to seventh in the standings and fifth is still an ambitious but realistic goal for the team. We sit five points behind Toro Rosso and 20 adrift of Williams – it’s about heading into these final three races with the determination to reach our objective.

“Mexico is an important market for Renault and for the team’s fuel partner, BP, we will see a strong promotion to accompany our visit. It’s been rewarding working with BP and Castrol for our first season together and this combination promises much for the future.

“There are just three races left for the season, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi, so we are pushing very hard to score the maximum. We do have one eye on next season, which is why we have pushed forward with using some PU elements. As Remi Taffin explains, it can be a tightrope to walk between performance and reliability, but we are determined to get to the top step of the podium in the future.”

The Final Push

With three races left in the 2017 season, much attention is already focused on 2018, notwithstanding the relentless quest for points, power and performance for the final countdown as Engine Technical Director Remi Taffin explains.

What are the challenges of the Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez track?
RT: It’s an interesting venue. There are high speeds through the long straights with the thinner air at high altitude giving less resistance. The thinner air means the turbo has to spin at a higher rate to input enough oxygen into the ICE, it actually spins around 8% more in Mexico than in Abu Dhabi. Equally, fuel consumption over one lap is quite low so energy recovery is less critical in Mexico than at other circuits.

What can the team do to maximise the points-scoring opportunities for the remainder of the season?
RT: The challenge is still the same; you want maximum performance with maximum reliability! This is the age-old goal in motorsport, and something we all expend tremendous energy and resource to achieve. Over the course of the season we have made good strides in performance and seen our Power Units on the podium. However, we have suffered from too many reliability issues and it is an area where our attention is strongly focused as we try to continually increase performance on other parameters too.

How much are you looking to 2018?
RT: Back at Viry, of course, we are well into our 2018 programme as so much work is done ahead of the Power Unit getting to the track. On track too, we have brought certain elements which are relevant to our 2018 PU as we look to take another step forward. We have a busy four months before we see the 2018 cars unveiled, as we do every year.

What does it mean working with a new partner team for next season?
RT: It’s always interesting working with a new technical partner as everyone has potential to bring something different to the table. McLaren, like Red Bull, have a tremendous history in the sport as well as amazing facilities to work with. We will learn how to work with McLaren while we keep optimising our collaboration with Red Bull.

Comeback Kid: Nico Hulkenberg

A loss of oil pressure forced Nico Hülkenberg to retire in Austin, but he is ready to brush the disappointment aside as he gears up for the heights of Mexico City.

What do you like about Mexico City?
NH: Mexico City is a massive place, maybe one of the biggest I’ve ever visited. I’ve been fortunate to fly over it in a helicopter and it’s really mind blowing!

How is the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to drive?
NH: The track itself is challenging. We are at high altitude, so we lose a lot of downforce because of the air density. It makes the car light and easy to slide. It has a lot of tricky corner combinations which look simple but are extremely technical. It’s certainly not an easy lap. The standout is the final two corners and driving through the stadium. That’s really cool, it’s always loud and a real goosebumps moment.

How do you reflect on Austin?
NH: It’s obviously a hugely disappointing weekend in the end and we were on the back foot from the start with the grid penalty. I actually made a decent start in the race, keeping it clean into turn one and moved up a couple of places. But we lost oil pressure on lap four and that forced us to retire. I will be aiming to turn things around this week in Mexico.

On a High: Carlos Sainz

A seventh-place finish in Austin gave Carlos Sainz a dream start to life at Renault. And the flying Spaniard is looking forward to getting back out in the R.S.17 this weekend in Mexico.

How is the circuit to drive?
CS: It’s one of my favourite race weekends and a lot of us drivers really enjoy it. We really feel the heat of the crowd there; it’s very special and feels different to any other race. The track is not easy to drive as the effective downforce is pretty low, which makes the car feel quite light. There are long straights – so high speeds – then twisty corners which are challenging to get right. My qualifying there hasn’t been too bad, I made Q3 last season.

What do you make of the Mexican atmosphere?
CS: You get a good feeling for the atmosphere on the track parade, especially when you say hi to more than 200,000 people, which is pretty special. You really see the passion of the fans and their love for Formula 1; it’s really cool and a great race on the calendar. As a driver, we love seeing this passion and you know it will be special weekend. The stadium is really cool, but even away from that section the grandstands are always packed!

Are you a fan of the Mexican culture?
CS: Trying the Mexican cuisine is a must, even though I’m not a fan of spicy food. I usually go for the quesadillas which aren’t too spicy and are very tasty. It’s strange that my friends nickname me Chilli, even though I don’t like spicy food, that doesn’t work very well! Mexico City is extremely busy so you need a good chauffer who knows some tricks on how to get to places quickly.

What are your thoughts on your debut with the team?
CS: It felt great, I took it easy at the start to ease in and I was getting more and more confident as the weekend progressed. We really had good fun, especially in the race. I made a cautious start, but we just started to pick up pace and attacked the Force Indias. I was chasing Esteban [Ocon] which was a good battle whilst it lasted. I enjoyed it a lot and the whole weekend was great. To bring home six points is really good and it was a complete race weekend from first practice until the last lap of the race. The team did a brilliant job of easing me into things – our first weekend was close to perfect and we need to keep going like that.

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MEXICAN GRAND PRIX TECHNICAL PREVIEW

The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez – venue of the Mexican Grand Prix, Round 18 of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship – is one of the most unique challenges on the calendar.

At first glance, the track appears fairly simple, with multiple straights and slow speed corners making up the majority of the track. However, this provides a false reading on the weekend – the major factor is the altitude of the circuit which, being 2250 metres, results in an approximate reduction in air density of 20%.

Downforce vs Drag

• As a result of the thinner air, downforce and drag are reduced by the same percentage, as are their respective coefficients.
• Teams have an Aerodynamic efficiency parameter, lift over drag, which is dependent on the circuit layout.
• In order to attempt to obtain this with the thinner air, maximum downforce is run – even with this, the optimum value for Aero efficiency is not achieved.

Car Strengths Needed

• A chassis with a high level of maximum downforce should perform well.
• Good change of direction is required, both in the first three corners, as well as through the S-section in the middle sector.
• A reliable turbo is needed – it spins 8% faster than at other races, in order to compress the thinner air more than normal, to produce the same engine power.
• Finally, an efficient cooling package will necessitate a smaller bodywork compromise in order to deal with the less dense air.

Key Corners

• Turns 4/5 – the entry requires heavy braking, before drivers judge how much to compromise Turn 4 mid-corner speed for the benefit of Turn 5, and consequently, the exit from this chicane.
• Turn 7 – this bend starts the S-section and must be taken with care; a poor line through here ruins the following sequence of corners.
• Turn 12 – cars brake from eight gear down to fourth here, carrying in as much speed as possible, but there is a high exit curb plus a wall awaiting those who are too aggressive.

Tyres

• Pirelli will continue its trend of brining softer tyre compounds compared to last year, meaning the three quickest tyres have been selected for Mexico.
• A one-stop should be the favoured strategy (US-SS), but the track surface is still relatively new, having been laid down for 2015, so there is the risk of increased abrasiveness.
• Renault and Toro Rosso have only taken the one mandatory set of Soft tyres to Mexico, and will not run them except for installation laps, so if the race does turn into one of higher degradation, the opportunity to continue on a one-stop, but using the Soft, would be lost.

Overtaking/DRS

• Mexico is an average track for overtaking – on the plus side, the slow final sector precedes a long straight with DRS assistance, followed by a slow speed chicane, before another DRS-assisted full throttle zone.
• However, with the thinner air, the slipstream effect is reduced, negating the positive track layout.

Weather

• Dry, mild conditions are expected on all three days, which should provide teams with consistent tyre data ahead of qualifying and the race.
• One of the problems in Mexico is switching the tyres on for a qualifying lap, with a short track and a slow speed final sector, something which the temperature will not help significantly.

Form Guide

• There is no particular favourite given the uniqueness of the track – the high downforce levels should swing the pendulum into the favour of Ferrari and Red Bull, but at the same time, there is a very long main straight which suits Mercedes’ power and energy deployment.
• The balance between these two facets of the race will similarly influence the midfield battle – Force India, Williams, Renault, and McLaren should be fighting for best of the rest behind the top three teams. The former will be bolstered by another chassis update package.

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LEWIS HAMILTON 2017 FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPION

Lewis Hamilton won his fourth Formula 1 World Championship with a ninth-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix in a race won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Hamilton had to overcome first-lap chaos when his Mercedes was bumped by title rival Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari. Hamilton got a tire puncture and Vettel had wing damage. Both had to stop immediately for repairs.

That left both in a furious bid to catch up as Verstappen sped away to victory. Vettel finished fourth but had to win or finish second to push the title chase to the last two races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

Minutes after the race Hamilton, clearly emotional and understandably dazed, said, “It was a horrible way to do it to be honest, but what could I do?”

“I told you I wasn’t going to easy at Turn 1. I don’t think I was too aggressive. I put my car in the perfect position and I left a lot of space for the car behind. “Still I rise. I kept going and kept coming back.”

“I need to say a big thank you to all the guys back at Bricksworth and Brackley, thank you so much for all your hard work. Winning the constructors’ championship this year was already a huge feat but helping me achieve this incredible accomplishment, I’m just so grateful.

“I try to not leave any stone unturned. It’s the philosophy the whole team has had. As a driver you try and raise the bar and today was the most unsual…being 40 seconds behind is horrible like being in no man’s land.

“I just had to keep thinking forwards. I had no idea what was going to happen to the championship, I was just thinking about getting further up and catching and getting involved in the race. Trying to get past people was a disaster.

“I feel you should take things one day at a time. I’m really happy with this fourth. I’m going to have to take some time to really think about it but I’m proud of the flag and everyone who represents it. I hope those that are watching are happy with this year’s result and I’ll continue to rise it as high as I can.”

“I remember growing up in Stevenage and one day dreaming of being in Formula 1. Here we are 25 years later and four-time world champion.”

“A big thank you to all the fans, thank you for all your continued support, your messages. You guys inspire me just as much as you say I inspire you. Keep pushing whatever you are going through in your life. Don’t ever give up.”

“I hope I stand as a testament to that because there has been so much thrown at me in my life but I keep going and that’s thanks to you guys. Thank you very much Team LH, we win and we lose together,” added Hamilton.

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VETTEL: CONGRATULATIONS TO LEWIS TODAY IS HIS DAY

Sebastian Vettel gave it all he could after his race was compromised when he collided into Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes on the opening lap of the Mexican Grand Prix, and with it his slim championship hope disappeared.

He recovered well, but in the end it was a ‘bridge too far’ for the Ferrari driver, whose fourth place was simply not enough to prevent Hamilton claiming his fourth Formula 1 World Championship title.

With only two rounds remaining the score is 333 to Hamilton and 277 for Vettel.

Speaking to reporters after the race, a disconsolate Vettel conceded, “It’s disappointing. It’s not that important what we have done today, it’s more important what Lewis has done and he’s done a superb job all year round and deserves to win the title.”

“But congratulations to Lewis. It’s not about anybody else today. It’s about him. It’s his day.”

Asked if Hamilton was now on a par with him after equaling his four titles, Vettel replied, “He’s on a par [with me] if you can count.”

“I don’t fear him, I like racing with him but I would have liked a little bit more of that this year. Overall they were just the better bunch.”

It was a touching moment in the media pen when Vettel and Hamilton shared a hug and handshake as well as congratulatory words.

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Verstappen admits Renault failures had him "worried"

Mexican Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen says he was worried about finishing the race when he saw other Renault-powered cars retiring while he was leading comfortably.

The Red Bull driver took a commanding win after grabbing the lead from Sebastian Vettel at the start, before the German collided with Lewis Hamilton, dropping both title rivals out of victory contention.

Verstappen then pulled away from the second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas to win, but retirements for four of the six Renault-powered cars made for a nervy race as Red Bull turned the engine down and asked the Dutchman to back off to protect his car.

“I could see a lot of cars blowing up and retiring so I was definitely a bit worried,” said Verstappen, who claimed the third F1 win of his career.

“We looked after our engine and everything seemed to work pretty well. I saw on the TV screen [teammate Daniel Ricciardo] had retired and I saw a Toro Rosso on fire.

“I thought ‘oh God, don’t make this happen to me’ – we turned the engine down. I have a new engine so maybe that helped, but Daniel had a new one too.

“I had my bad luck at the beginning of the year so I am very happy that this time nothing happened to me.”

Verstappen said he was keen to bounce back from the disappointment and controversy of his United States Grand Prix penalty a week ago, and he praised the performance of his Red Bull RB13.

“I knew the car was good but I didn’t know it was going to be this good,” he said, adding that he felt a “light brush” with Vettel at the start.

“After last week I was fired up and motivated to do well, and after yesterday I was giving it everything.

“I missed out on pole but I was determined to win this race, I gave it my all at the start and Turn 1.

“I had a great slipstream and was able to get alongside [Vettel] on the outside, we had a little touch, but from then onwards I could do my own race.”