Formula 1 - 2017

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Retiring Williams F1 driver Felipe Massa in running for FIA role

Retiring Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa has been put forward by Brazil to be the country's representative on the World Motor Sport Council.

The Williams driver, a veteran of 268 grand prix starts, will leave F1 at the end of the season but expects to continue racing in other series.

Massa is also believed to have spoken to FIA president Jean Todt about using his expertise to assist the governing body.

Speaking to reporters in Abu Dhabi, Todt said he would be interested in working with Massa in the future and is considering how he can integrate the Brazilian.

"Brazil have applied to be a member of the World [Motor Sport] Council and their candidate is Felipe Massa," said Todt.

"So it will be up to the General Assembly [which meets next month].

"I may have some other ideas for him. I still have 10 days to see if he's interested.

"I take my hat off to Felipe. Incidentally, it was my son's birthday last week. Felipe is like my second son, he's a great boy.

"He's stepping away from F1. It's sad to step out.

"He's still very motivated to race so I'm sure he'll find some good way of still racing. If he can bring some contribution to motorsport, he would be a great asset."

It is understood one role that is being considered for Massa is a driver ambassador-type role, utilising his extensive and current experience in F1.

Massa told Autosport he is keen to discuss potential opportunities with Todt as he shapes his future plans beyond F1.

"I have some ideas of what I will do," he said.

"I will do some other stuff, maybe coming to a few races to do some different jobs and trying to use my experience.

"Maybe I can be getting a bit closer to the FIA. [An FIA role] would interest me.

"My experience definitely helps, not only by being a person who knows about motorsport, but also by being a driver who has raced for very long, from go-karts up to F1.

"We [he and the FIA] should have some meetings, some ideas and then we'll see what is going to happen."

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HASEGAWA: WE KEEP PROGRESSING AND HONDA NEVER GIVE UP

The 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marked a significant moment in Honda’s Formula 1 history as it brought to a close a challenging three years in partnership with McLaren and presents the promise of new opportunities in 2018 with Toro Rosso.

The last five decades chart a glorious Honda-powered past that boasts 72 F1 victories. From the first win as a works outfit at the 1965 Mexico Grand Prix, to two periods of dominance as an engine supplier. Williams-Honda first secured 23 wins in three years during the mid-1980s before McLaren-Honda then won 44 of 80 races from 1988-1992.

It is the latter period that stood out when Honda returned to race with McLaren in 2015. However, this recent partnership has failed to hit the same heights in terms of results.

Reflecting on the past three years, Head of F1 Project Yusuke Hasegawa is proud of the way both aspects of the team fought until the very end of the final lap in Abu Dhabi.

“It was of course very challenging,” Hasegawa-san says. “Honda started very late compared to the other manufacturers, so it was a big disadvantage. While I think we are doing a very good job from a development point of view, from a competitiveness point of view, we are behind.”

“I am still very proud of our job. We keep progressing, we never give up and we have never stopped our development. We have kept going at maximum speed for all three years. But this is a competition and from the outside, it is obvious we haven’t been getting results, which is of course disappointing.”

“We live with this, but during this situation, I really appreciate the McLaren guys, and have to give a special mention to those at the circuit. Everybody is always focusing on getting out the maximum performance from the car and the PU. They never give up. Even when we had an engine failure, the mechanics were always trying to recover the situation and focus on getting the car back on track. They are very professional and always had a great attitude.”

2017 saw a new power unit concept introduced in an attempt to give better development potential for the future. Despite a troubled first half to the season, the team has since scored points in five of the final seven races.

“It was a necessary challenge for us to take on. Although we showed some decent performance last year we knew it wasn’t good enough to break into the top three, so we needed to change the engine concept,” says Hasegawa-san. “There is no doubt that this was the right direction but we just couldn’t complete the package in time for the start of the 2017 season.”

“That meant we had to solve many issues at the Grands Prix instead. But unless we tried those modifications there was no chance of going forward in the longer term. So that’s why we decided to change. I have no regrets in taking that decision.”

“Of course we have been challenged from the outside by McLaren throughout, which is very good. We had so many experiences with them, so obviously from an organisation point of view – both technically and as people – we have all grown, there is no doubt.”

That growth will continue to be proven in F1, as a new partnership is forged with Toro Rosso from 2018 onwards. With the new driver line-up of Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley, it’s a fresh start for both the team and the Honda project – and one that Hasegawa believes was necessary to take.

“A new challenge and making new relationships with people is always exciting. From an experience point of view, for this era of Honda, it will be the first time we have changed team and we’ll get a better understanding of what a normal situation is.”

“We only know things as the McLaren-Honda way, but this will be another opportunity to expand our understanding and experience of a different way of working.”

“I think we needed the change. From a technical point of view, it’s good for us to know more about other things, like new cooling situations or how the top speed of a different car design is affected by drag. It is very important to understand what the standard is.”

“Toro Rosso is also a very good team and they are very open with us. Compared to their position – in terms of size and resources – they are actually very competitive. I don’t know how the rest of the Paddock looks at Toro Rosso but we’ve had many meetings with them and they are technically very professional.”

While initial work with Toro Rosso has been ongoing since the announcement of the new partnership, the winter will see the collaboration taking on the challenge of preparing a new car ahead of pre-season testing in February.

“The installation is the biggest job for us, to get the engine to fit the chassis. We need to make many modifications, which is a big job, especially in this limited amount of time. Honda and Toro Rosso – from both sides – are doing a very good job.”

“We’ve been the ones making the majority of requests so far, but it’s fair to say this will be a more equal partnership than it was with McLaren in terms of leadership. And that’s not just because of the size of the team. Obviously, Honda as a company is huge but we had little recent F1 experience – so from that point of view, McLaren was still leading us. That won’t be the same with Toro Rosso.”

“We are working quickly to swap teams. We have to prepare things before February, so it will be a very busy winter. Development is ongoing on the power unit. It will remain the same power unit concept from this year, so we are able to use the current one as the starting point.”

In terms of expectations, lessons have been learned from the McLaren-Honda partnership that suggests it takes time to set realistic goals. Toro Rosso-Honda will not rush into any predictions that are overly optimistic for a team used to prepare the next generation of F1 drivers and engineers.

Targets will be set in future, but for now, the hard work will continue, as everyone involved remains determined to return the Honda name to the front of the grid.

“That’s the biggest agenda we need to discuss. From a championship point of view, Franz Tost always said it is down to the drivers. So we have to provide Brendon and Pierre with the performance they need. Of course, they are very good drivers but they are also rookies in F1 so it’s too early to say what we can target from a Constructors’ Championship point of view.”

“People tell me we’ll have much less pressure at Toro Rosso but I don’t think that’s true. In my mind, we simply need to prepare the best engine and nothing is going to slow that down,” concluded Hasegawa.

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FIA WANT MULTI-PURPOSE F1 ENGINE FOR 2021

FIA president Jean Todt has revealed that his organisation is studying ways to create rules that will make for multi-purpose Formula 1 engines for 2021 and beyond, which could also be used in the World Endurance Championship.

In the early seventies, when Ferrari’s sportscar campaign was as important for Maranello as their Formula 1 programme, their Ferrari 312P and 312PB sportscars (pictured above) shared technology and development with the Ferrari 312B F1 car, including the engine.

Also during the golden era of sportscars, engine manufacturers such as Matra, Renault and Alfa Romeo would develop their engines at long distance races, as live testbeds, and then adapted these to power Formula 1 cars.

In Abu Dhabi, Todt suggested that a similar scenario may be the way to go, “We have ten teams, twenty cars, and four engine manufacturers [in Formula One]. That is fantastic. It is a great success. But what we have to think – and it is not so easy – is: could we use this engine in other categories of motorsport?”

“Each category of motorsport has its own single regulation. So probably we should try to see if we could have some synergies. I mentioned about other championships: we have the endurance championship (WEC) with LMP1. We have completely different engines.”

“Would it be sensible to anticipate a vision for the endurance championship using the same engine? Which, incidentally, is covering the same kind of mileage. If you take three [F1 engines for the year] it’s about 5000 kilometres; the longest race in sportscars is Le Mans, which is about 5000 kilometres.

“So it would make some sense. And, clearly, it would probably encourage some manufacturers to get involved by participating in other categories. We think Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, even Red Bull – why would they not think of eventually participating in sportscars? It is something which needs to be addressed.”

The WEC has enjoyed several years of success but is set to suffer from the withdrawal of Porsche this year, leaving only Toyota as a works team in the highest form of endurance racing.

Todt explained the situation with WEC from the FUA perspective, “We need to find a new vision. It’s just reflection, but when you see the amount of supercars we have at the moment – a supercar is a dream car – and they are not competing in racing.’

“I think we need to ask: what should LMP1 be in the future?. I think we can have some nice developments coming along. We have to be careful because of cost, because of the complexity of the regulations. I think sportscars has become too expensive, it has become too complex, and it’s something we need to address,” added Todt.

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TODT: F1 TEAMS VOTED UNANIMOUSLY FOR ENGINE PENALTIES

FIA president Jean Todt revealed that teams were unanimously responsible for introducing the universally unpopular engine penalty system, while insisting that the Formula 1 in the current era is far too expensive and aims to address the issue starting with three engines per driver limit in 2018.

Speaking to reporters in Abu Dhabi, Todt said of engine penalties, “I will say that it had been consensus – from everybody – that punishment would be through grid penalty. So that’s what it is.”

“You are talking about three engines for next year. Well, it is something that was decided. There were even people thinking: why don’t we have one engine for the whole championship?”

Next year rules will allow drivers only three power units, down from four up until this year, which has prompted criticism from certain elements within the paddock.

Some argue that three engines limit will in fact further increase costs, as manufacturers spend to create even more reliable engines.

Todt explained, “It’s not something which is new; it has been decided years ago that for 2018. We have had some meetings with all the teams, and the way the regulations are made, the way the governance is made, to decide we want to go back to four engines [for 2018], we need to get unanimous agreement. And we don’t have unanimous agreement, so we will have three engines.”

Todt admits he is not a fan of the system that penalises drivers for when changes to power units and certain components are made. The system only serves to confuse fans and create farcical situations.

The FIA president said, “We need to be clear – I am not so excited when I read that one team has had one hundred grid penalties during the year, and some others have had no grid penalties. Racing is a combination of things, and the secret of success is to optimise every single thing at every level. If you do so, you achieve.”

Todt suggested that the three engine limit is the first step in a cost cutting programme, “Clearly, Formula One is too expensive. There’s too big a discrepancy between the small teams and the big teams. It was decided for cost reasons to limit the number of engines, and also to make access to engine supply to private teams at a lower cost.”

Big Question: is rediucing engines availble to drivers over the course of an F1 season a good thing?

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F1 2017 Abu Dhabi GP - Post Race reaction - Part 1

F1 2017 Abu Dhabi GP - Post Race reaction - Part 2

F1 2017 Abu Dhabi GP - Post Race reaction - Part 3

 

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The takeaway thoughts from F1 2017’s finale

The Formula 1 World Championship season is over and all thoughts turn immediately to the 2018 championship and a clean slate for all the teams and drivers and for the sport as a whole.

There is so much going on in F1 at the moment and we will look in depth at all aspects of where the sport and teams are heading during the winter break, but here are three things which are top of mind as we leave Abu Dhabi for home.

Bottas puts on a classy show, Hamilton not at his best

I asked Lewis Hamilton after the race whether this was a case of ‘well done, Valtteri, enjoy the moment, but in Melbourne it will be business as usual from me’. He admitted in the press conference that he has been celebrating his fourth title and has let his focus slip a little as a result.

What's interesting about this is that he made it clear he didn't want a repeat of 2015 when he let Nico Rosberg get a grip in the final races of the season after Hamilton had wrapped up the title and then carried that momentum into 2018.

Bottas has rarely been the competitor for Hamilton that Rosberg was in 2016, but it was only his first season with the team. In general, Bottas has struggled through his F1 career for consistency.

It was consistency that won the title for Rosberg last year and for Hamilton this year and nothing less than perfect execution every week will do if Bottas is to step up next season to the next level.

I shall be fascinated to see whether he has another level in him. Likewise, with this Ferrari team; they stepped up from 2016 to this year better than anyone else, but can they find the inspiration to do it again into 2018?

It also shows that for a driver, if you are not 100% on you’re a-Game, even with a driver on Hamilton's level, then you lose.

F1 needs more competition at the front

The TV director focused largely on the battles in midfield today, understandably, because there was plenty of close racing, such as Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, Romain Grosjean and Lance Stroll as well as Kevin Magnussen and Pascal Wehrlein, being some examples.

It highlighted that F1 can produce good racing even on a track like Yas Marina, where overtaking is difficult, but the problem is that the gaps at the front are still too large and between the front three teams and the rest is a gulf.

The points table reflects it. Between Red Bull in third and Force India in fourth is 181 points – Red Bull has almost double Force India's tally. That is the focus of attention at Liberty Media with support from the FIA.

It will not be easy to achieve, but it is essential for the long term future of the sport because we have to get to the point where a team like Force India can aspire to win a race, just as a lowly Premier League football team can win against Chelsea or Manchester United. 

F1 is entering a delicate moment

F1's commercial boss Sean Bratches and Head of Marketing Ellie Norman revealed the new F1 logo today in a press conference before the race and it was rolled out to the world on the podium. It was a strong visual statement of change from the old regime to the new.

Officially, the reason given for the change was because the old logo doesn't work on digital content and on screens due to the dead space between the F and the 1.

Of course it is a very visual reminder that F1 is changing its culture away from the Bernie Ecclestone regime and that needs to extend well beyond things like logos to the way it makes decisions and the quality of the decisions it makes.

Liberty has had a busy year, making lots of small changes and only a handful of big ones, but despite the generally more relaxed and upbeat atmosphere around the F1 paddock, the mood music from the teams is that there is ‘concern’. Things like prize money reducing because Liberty have invested money in new staff, facilities and events like F1 Live, niggle the teams.

Teams don't feel that their share – which comes from a percentage of net profits – should be affected because of these things. More seriously, the plans unveiled for the new engines post 2020 were badly received by Ferrari and Mercedes in particular and they seem generally to be spoiling for a fight.

We are heading for a showdown and the key to it will be to present the changes which are unpalatable to Ferrari in such a way that they don't react emotionally.

Reading the tea leaves, I can imagine a set of circumstances in which Sergio Marchionne takes Ferrari out of F1. If it happens it will be like what happened in US open wheel racing in the 1990s when Tony George took the Indianapolis 500 out of Champ Car and both sides lost.

The series and the event have never recovered from the fall-out from that debacle. They are now incidental to the global motorsport story, where prior to the split they had the must-watch series with Mansell, Andretti, Fittipaldi, Unser, Villeneuve and the rest battling it out in high level, very close racing.

F1 would survive without the red cars, but would be diminished.

Time would tell what the effect on Ferrari would be, but they seem to be going more like Porsche and heading into larger volumes and a broader range of models, so they would probably back themselves to be able to maintain appeal to prospective and existing customers without F1.

Abu Dhabi first corner action

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WILLIAMS: KUBICA HAS TO TICK BOXES THAT WE’VE SET FOR HIM

Williams are hoping Robert Kubica ticks all the right boxes during testing at Yas Marina Circuit, in Abu Dhabi, this week as the Pole moves closer to an astonishing Formula 1 comeback with the former world champions.

With the season-ending in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, the attention turns to a tyre test at the Yas Marina circuit on Tuesday and Wednesday and the remaining seats to be filled on the 2018 starting grid.

Williams have the most coveted one, with Brazilian veteran Felipe Massa retiring. Kubica, who partially severed his right forearm in 2011 and has not raced in Formula 1 for seven years, looks the favourite.

The 32-year-old will drive for Williams on both days, with the test much more than just an evaluation of Pirelli’s 2018 compounds.

“The evaluation process is ongoing,” Williams head of performance engineering Rob Smedley told Sky Sports.

“We’re going to be doing more of that this week. There’s no reason for us to rush into it. We are the best remaining seat so we have that advantage in our armoury. We can wait and we can evaluate every little bit and do all the due diligence necessary.”

Smedley confirmed that Kubica, who also tested with Williams in October, would have to pass all the FIA medical tests to be granted a super-licence.

“That’s part and parcel of our evaluation with him,” he said. “It’s not about seeing ultimately what sort of lap times he can do in Abu Dhabi on a morning and unrepresentative track but really just going through all the ‘tick boxes’ that we’ve set for him. I hope we have a decision by Christmas.”

Rivals for the seat include Mercedes-backed Pascal Wehrlein, but Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff played that down at the weekend.

“I think it has been clearly said that Williams’s priority is Robert,” said the Austrian. “There is still a tiny possibility if Robert doesn’t do well, but none of us wishes him to not do well. All of us are actually cheering for him.”

Kubica’s last grand prix was with Renault in 2010 and his career appeared over when he crashed during a rally in northern Italy that he had entered for fun.

A steel guardrail penetrated both car and driver, leaving the Pole fighting for his life and then facing extensive surgery. His right arm remains atrophied.

“People are concentrating only on my arm because it is the biggest limitation. But the reality is I had fractures from my feet up to my shoulders on the right-hand side. I was lucky I was a sportsman and driving F1. That’s probably why my arm is still there,” Kubica told the BBC earlier this year.

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SANTANDER SET TO PART WAYS WITH FERRARI

After seven years and a whopping €280-million investment, Santander bank have declined to renew the contract as Ferrari’s primary Formula 1 sponsor and which will bring an end to a seven-year partnership between the two organisations.

Santander became Ferrari’s principal sponsor when Fernando Alonso joined the Italian team in 2010, a time when motorsport aficionado Emilio Botín was at the helm of the bank.

Alonso came close but never won the championship during his spell at Maranello and departed for McLaren at the end of 2014. Santander remained with the Italian team.

Ferrari has played second fiddle to Mercedes and Red Bull for several years and last won the F1 world title in 2007, a number of years before Santander became a sponsor. 

El Confidencial reports that Santander, now run by Botín’s daughter Ana after succeeding her father when he passed away, has rejected a new deal offered by Ferrari’s which would cost the bank €40-million per year. However, they may remain on board as a secondary sponsor.

Santander’s marketing and communication boss Juan Manuel Cendoyais adamant that the sponsorship investment with Ferrari has been money well spent, claiming the promotional return was higher than the money spent.

This year the Santander logo is emblazoned on the rear wing of the Ferrari and on the outside of the cockpit, it also features prominently on the overalls of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, while the company ‘flame’ features on the car’s front wing. The sponsorship contract ends on 31 December.

Santander has an annual marketing and sponsorship budget of €450-million, the majority going to Spanish football and Latin American Copa Libertadores.

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RICCIARDO: IT’S ABOUT HAVING THE BEST CAR FOR 2019

Daniel Ricciardo’s season ended with him trundling off the track, away from his broken Red Bull car, during Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, a hydraulic failure causing his third retirement in four races.

It was a frustrating finale to a topsy-turvy year that saw him finish fifth in the Formula 1 standings and included a purple patch of five straight podium finishes between May and July.

Away from the track, the 28-year-old Australian is considering his future at Red Bull.

His contract expires at the end of 2018. Team-mate Max Verstappen recently signed a new deal until the end of 2020, but Ricciardo has yet to commit even though the team wants him to stay.

“The peak years of my career are probably the next deal I’ll sign,” he said. “I want to make sure I maximize that with my driving ability.”

Ricciardo has won five races, all since joining Red Bull in 2014. That year, he won three races and finished a very impressive third overall.

He was considerably better than Sebastian Vettel, his teammate back then, who had clinched his fourth straight world title in 2013.

But now Verstappen is emerging as the team’s No 1, and widely considered F1’s next star.

Verstappen turned 20 in September, but has already won three F1 races – two in the last six races of this season. Ricciardo has 27 career podiums while Verstappen – the youngest winner of a race at 18 years old – already has 11.

Verstappen’s hefty new contract shows how valuable the Dutchman is, even though the team has not officially designated a No 1 driver. This puts Ricciardo is in a delicate position.

Ricciardo does not want to spend the next three years as – potentially – a No 2 behind Verstappen. It would possibly cause tension within the team and pressure a relationship that is harmonious enough, despite some flashpoints.

“I’m sure there will be a few discussions in the next week or two, especially with the team,’ Ricciardo said. ‘It’s not about the offer, it’s about who is going to have the best car for 2019.”

Ricciardo, who won the Azerbaijan GP in June, has given himself a loose timescale, “Once I get home and over Christmas, I want to switch off from racing. I would like to know something earlier.”

He has the luxury of being an established driver at Red Bull, so a move away comes with risk.

“I don’t want to be too clever and hope I have every option possible,” said Ricciardo, who expects his next deal to be ‘a multiple-year.’

One possibility could be waiting to see what happens at Ferrari and Mercedes.

Kimi Raikkonen will be 39 at the end of next season and unlikely to get another year with Ferrari. He was fourth in the standings but the Finnish driver was 100 points behind Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas and 112 points behind his own teammate Vettel, second overall.

Bottas has a one-year deal with Mercedes for next season, alongside world champion Lewis Hamilton. If Bottas fails to impress, there could be an opening in 2019.

On either team, Ricciardo would be up against four-time F1 champions in Hamilton and Vettel, and would not be the leading driver.

When he sat alongside them both at a pre-race news conference last Thursday, Ricciardo joked that the three of them shared eight F1 titles between them.

For now, perhaps challenging Verstappen is his best option.

“It would be a good problem to have, if we’re both fighting at the front and having some battles,’ Ricciardo said. “If it’s ultimately deciding a world title we would happily run with that challenge.”

But Red Bull’s marked increase in speed is a cause for optimism next year – providing Red Bull can iron out reliability issues that saw Ricciardo fail to finish six races and Verstappen seven.

“I believe next year we will close the gap. Is it enough to fight for a title?” Ricciardo said. “I think we can certainly get close.”

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TILKE: NO OVERTAKING IS BY NO MEANS THE FAULT OF THE TRACK

Herman Tilke, the man responsible for designing the Yas Marina Circuit, denies that the track layout can be blamed for delivering the dull season finale Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but admits he has an idea to bolster overtaking at the circuit.

Yas Marina Circuit is a spectacular venue, has all the mod-cons with facilities second to none on the Formula 1 calendar. But it is a venue that simply does not provide action-packed Formula 1 races, instead, fans are generally treated to dreary races as was the case at this year’s championship ending grand prix.

But Tilke, whose company designed the venue, said, “In this race, the fast cars were ahead of the slow ones so there was no overtaking. But that’s by no means the fault of the track.”

Lewis Hamilton, who finished second on the night, declared afterwards, “I just gave it everything, every single lap. It’s very, very hard to overtake here, so once you get to the last sector I struggled, but I gave it everything.”

And added, “I don’t know if it was an exciting race for you guys to watch in terms of overtaking but it’s one of the worst tracks in the sense that you need 1.4s advantage to pass the car in front, and so, we’ve got the same car, we’ve a couple of tenths between us – so I was never going to overtake unless he made a big mistake and went off – and even then they have massive run-off areas and you can still keep it on. So…”

Despite denying that the track does not offer opportunities for close racing, Tilke acknowledged, “We will certainly discuss this further. I already have a small idea of changing one corner that will probably have a big effect.”

MIKA: Of course Herman...your tracks are AMAZING! 

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VETTEL: MERCEDES WERE BETTER AND FASTER

This season Sebastian Vettel broke the Mercedes stranglehold on the top two places in the Formula 1 championship standings and looked forward to mounting a stronger challenge with Ferrari in 2018.

The four times world champion finished third at the year-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to end the championship as runner-up to Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and ahead of race winner Valtteri Bottas.

It was the first time since the complex V6 turbo hybrid engines were introduced in 2014, ushering in an era of Mercedes domination, that a non-Mercedes driver had ended the season in the top two.

Ferrari may have taken what Vettel called “a fair beating” under the Yas Marina floodlights but the German also saw plenty to feel proud and optimistic about as his thoughts turned towards the coming campaign.

“Not the most exciting race but I’m happy to get a last podium this year. I think it’s what the team deserves,” he said. “Now all eyes are on next year.

“I don’t think it’s a shame to come second in the fashion we did.”

Ferrari finished runners-up in the constructors’ standings by a hefty margin — with 522 points to Mercedes’ 668 — but Vettel still won five races to Hamilton’s nine after a barren 2016 season.

“We had very strong races, we won races, races that we shouldn’t have won, but here and there we missed some chances,” said the man who led the championship from the opener in Australia until the last round in Europe in September.

“Overall we had a very good run. I don’t think there was an awful lot more to grab. Certainly we had two or three races that were very costly but I think overall it’s been a strong performance.”

Vettel, whose title hopes were ended by mechnical failures and collisions in the latter part of the season, was also gracious to the winners.

“He deserves to win the championship this year, in the end,” he said of Hamilton, who wrapped up his triumph in Mexico last month with two races to spare.

“I hate to say it, he was the better man, so I’m sure we will do our bit over the winter and hopefully come back stronger.”

“Overall I think we had a good year. You have to be also fair; in the end, Mercedes was better, they were faster — look at the amount of pole positions, of race wins.”

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Renault: Stressful showdowns must not happen again

Renault must avoid putting itself in the situation in the future where so much is at stake in the final race of the season, claims its Formula 1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul.

The French car manufacturer was in celebratory mood after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Nico Hulkenberg's sixth-place finish was enough for it to secure sixth spot in the constructors' championship – and scoop a $6.5 million bonus.

Speaking after the race, Abiteboul was delighted to have pulled the result off, but thought the stress of such a last-gasp performance needed to be steered clear of in the future.

"It is okay now, but the message is that we must avoid putting ourselves in such a position again," Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.

"It can be a very stylish way to finish the season, but we need to have a programme that is allowing us to secure what needs to be secured before that."

  

Hulkenberg controversy

The foundations for Hulkenberg to deliver the points needed came on the opening lap, when he managed to get past Force India's Sergio Perez after running off the track.

Having not given the position back, Hulkenberg was handed a five-second time penalty, but with the benefit of track position he was able to build such a margin that the punishment did not hurt him.

Abiteboul defended Hulkenberg not giving the place back, suggesting that Renault had not instructed him to do so because it had not been able to see the incident on television.

"We didn't have access to the footage and actually the replay was late coming," he said. "When the replay came it was already too late to give back position, and I think it was already in the hands of the stewards – and that was five seconds.

"From that point onwards it was all about building the gap in order for the pit stops to happen and not lose track position, which we did – by changing what was scheduled.

"We cannot say it didn't have any impact on us: it had some impact. We had to take more risk and you know how much we have to balance risk and reliability, and that worked in the pitstops. For me, I don't see any problem with that."

Pushed on Hulkenberg gaining an unfair advantage because of keeping track position, Abiteboul said: "There are regulations. There are stewards. They made a decision. There was a penalty. We served the penalty. Full stop.

"What else can I do? I am not going to make it worse for our team, given how tight it was. So no further comment on that."

  

Alarms

Abiteboul also said that Renault had had to be quite 'extreme' in its settings this weekend to make sure that its points target was not wrecked by reliability problems.

"For the last 20 or 25 laps, it was all about tyres, fuel management energy and preserving engine," he said, when asked about radio messages suggesting alarms were going off in the car.

"When you do that, you start to enter into an operating envelope that is not very usual. We have been very extreme this weekend, we have been very extreme in the way we were preserving the engine and all of that, thanks to the huge team effort of Viry and Enstone."

[MIKA27]

Williams baffled by Stroll's struggles in Abu Dhabi

The Williams Formula 1 team was at a loss to explain Lance Stroll's mysterious lack of pace during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Stroll gained two places at the start to run 13th, but struggled with balance issues and tyres, forcing him to do three pitstops while most did just one.

He crossed the line 18th, while teammate Felipe Massa scored a point with 10th in his final race in F1.

"He just didn't seem to have the balance to make it work," said Williams technical director Paddy Lowe.

"We need to go and comfortably understand whether there was something wrong with the car and at least rule that in or out.

"Then we're onto tyres. It has been a tricky weekend for everyone with tyre temperatures. Yes [he has struggled all weekend]. Even Friday he didn't have the pace. We need to understand that."

Stroll was running an older spec engine, following the failure in Brazil, but Lowe dismissed that as a cause for the deficit.

"There's a small step with the engine but not one that one could use as an explanation in this context," he said.

Stroll had a good battle with Romain Grosjean for 13th in the first stint before the latter came out on top after multiple passes and re-passes.

But after that, he struggled with tyre temperature, leading to lock-ups that ultimately forced the extra pitstops.

"He locked up so it's an early stop and then onto the harder tyre, thinking well at least that's a new tyre, but that was worse," said Lowe.

"He couldn't get it to come in. Eventually, he gave up on the tyre and we didn't resist that because he wasn't showing the pace.

"Even he recognised at the end of the race, that he was quicker than Vandoorne at that point so if he had just hung in there, he would have finished ahead of Vandoorne, which is 12th.

"Lance recognises himself that some of that was his own inexperience, where no matter how bad it is, sometimes you just stick with it and make the most of it."

When asked if Stroll needs to make a big step next year, Lowe replied: "Yes, I think that will be more clear to Lance than anyone. But we've got things to work on."

MIKA: This may sound harsh, I'm only a fan of this sport, but the guy isn't good enough to be in F1 period. There's an explanation... 

[MIKA27]

F1 drivers get glimpse of 'space age' 2021 aero ideas

Formula 1 drivers were given a glimpse of concepts for the aerodynamic direction of the championship from 2021 onwards in a presentation in Abu Dhabi, Motorsport.com has learned.

Governing body the FIA and the commercial rights holder are keen to map out the long-term future of F1 and learn from past mistakes by spending more time formulating ideas before changing regulations.

Talks have been ongoing with regards the new engine formula, with a proposal for the 2021 tweaks revealed earlier this month. The aim is to have a final framework in place by the end of the year.

It has now emerged that a series of concepts and ideas of how the aerodynamic direction of F1 could evolve from 2021 onwards have been collated.

These were presented to drivers during the drivers' briefing on Friday as the FIA and commercial rights holder aims to gather plenty of feedback at an early stage.

It is believed the illustrations presented were focused on aerodynamic concepts, described by one driver as "futuristic" and another as "space age", rather than a complete car design.

Motorsport.com understands the concepts that focused on the cockpit area of the car featured the halo design, rather than a version of the shield or Aeroscreen that have previously been looked at.

[Baldy]

Totally agree @MIKA27, Stroll is not good enough to be in F1.  Only reason he is in F1 is because of Daddy's bankroll.  The way that Williams is bowing down to the Strolls, Williams should just rename their team to Stroll F1.

As I've said before, bad track design (aka Tilke's tracks) are a huge problem with F1.  Typical of Bernie's and Tilke's era of F1, all glamour, glitz while letting the racing and sport goes to shit.

[ErikB]

Mika thanks again for this season - enjoyed your posts !


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk

[MIKA27]

11 hours ago, Baldy said:

Totally agree @MIKA27, Stroll is not good enough to be in F1.  Only reason he is in F1 is because of Daddy's bankroll.  The way that Williams is bowing down to the Strolls, Williams should just rename their team to Stroll F1.

As I've said before, bad track design (aka Tilke's tracks) are a huge problem with F1.  Typical of Bernie's and Tilke's era of F1, all glamour, glitz while letting the racing and sport goes to shit.

Correct on every aspect mate!  

In regard to Williams, such pedigree in Formula 1, Champions, yet they wonder why they haven't won for such a long time?  They keep getting pay drivers that just simply aren't good enough, Stroll is but one example. They really need to de-clutter, and PAY for decent drivers to get back on top.

Herman Tilke tracks (Except COTA) are s**t! 

[MIKA27]

4 hours ago, ErikB said:

Mika thanks again for this season - enjoyed your posts !


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk

Thank you for the compliment @ErikB a pleasure, thank YOU for reading. 

[MIKA27]

KUBICA: IF NOTHING ELSE HAPPENS THERE WILL BE DISAPPOINTMENT

Robert Kubica has admitted he will be disappointed if he does not complete his Formula 1 comeback after taking part in another audition for Williams during Pirelli tyre testing in Abu Dhabi.

The 32-year-old Polish driver, who has not started a grand prix for more than seven years following a harrowing rally crash in 2011, managed 108 laps of the Yas Marina Circuit as the Williams assess their driver options for next year.

Kubica, now managed by former champion Nico Rosberg, will return to the car at the same venue on Wednesday and is the front-running candidate to replace Felipe Massa in 2018.

Tuesday’s test marked Kubica’s third outing for Williams – following trials at Silverstone and the Hungaroring – and his sixth of the year after he also tested for Renault.

The French team however, had reservations over Kubica’s fitness, particularly the right arm which he nearly had amputated following his life-threatening crash – and opted to sign Carlos Sainz instead.

But Kubica, a one-time grand prix winner and considered one of the finest performers of his generation, has claimed he is in better shape now than when he last competed at the 2010 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“It has not been easy, but I am in far better physical shape than when I was racing in 2010,” Kubica said. “The motivation is there and the body is reacting in a good way.

“I am starting from scratch because Formula One has changed so much over the past seven years, but the experience I gained while racing in F1 has helped me to get on top of the learning process.

“I have some limitations and I have to adapt, but one positive thing is how my body is reacting and how natural I feel every day when I am driving these cars, so that gives me a lot of confidence.

“What the future will bring, I do not know, but today was the kind of day that if nothing else happens there will be disappointment because I feel confident and comfortable.”

Russian Sergey Sirotkin is sharing the testing duties with Kubica in Abu Dhabi. Canadian teenager Lance Stroll is already confirmed for 2018 but Massa’s retirement leaves a vacancy at Williams.

Daniil Kvyat, Pascal Wehrlein, Britain’s Paul di Resta and Sirotkin are all potential candidates, but it is Kubica who leads the way to complete what would be considered as one of sport’s most remarkable comebacks.

“There are lot of people wishing to see me back because of the story, but there is no discount for the story,” Kubica added. “I have to make sure if I get the chance I am ready and prepared.

“If I do come back I am not here to make up the numbers. I have to make sure I can provide the best of Robert Kubica.”

At the end of the first day of testing he was ninth on the timing sheets, however, he ran soft tyres when he set his time while most of the other drivers ran the new Pirelli hypersofts on the day, the ‘fastest’ compound available.

Kubica is down for another stint in the FW40 cockpit on Wednsday afternoon when it is expected that he will be togged up with hypersofts and a more meaningful time should be on the cards.

Williams, who finished a distant fifth in this year’s constructors’ championship, are set to confirm their driver line-up for 2018 before the New Year.

[MIKA27]

VETTEL NEEDS TO HANDLE PRESSURE BETTER IN 2018

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel must handle pressure better than he did this season if he wants to reclaim the Formula 1 World Champion title back from Lewis Hamilton next year.

Vettel should be kicking himself after missing out on a fifth F1 title. He lost his way in September and never regained the momentum as Hamilton went on to earn his fourth title, and third in four seasons with Mercedes.

Hamilton’s winning margin of 46 points over Vettel does not reflect an often tense title battle, one in which Ferrari had a genuine chance of breaking Mercedes’ stranglehold until Vettel’s alarming dip.

“I’m very hungry for next year,” Vettel said on Sunday after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. “For the team it’s flat out from now.”

It’s back to the factories until the cars are rolled out again for preseason testing in late February. The season begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 25.

Vettel has been fair play in defeat and has detailed why he thinks Mercedes was the superior team.

“Look at the amount of pole positions, of race wins. Overall, we were not quick enough. Simple as that,” he said. “In the end you can break it down to a lot of details, this and that, but overall the package wasn’t good enough.”

It is a somewhat convenient argument, too, for statistics tell only part of the story.

Chasing its first drivers’ title since 2007, Ferrari was faster than Mercedes several times. The huge speed advantage Mercedes enjoyed since new engine changes came into play in 2014 was wiped out by Ferrari this year.

The uncomfortable conclusion is that Vettel self-destructed when poised to crank the pressure up on Hamilton.

For all of his experience – 47 wins from nearly 200 races – Vettel is still prone to emotional swings that undermine him. He showed glimpses of that when bickering with his former Red Bull teammate Mark Webber and with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen last year.

After the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June, Hamilton publicly spoke about Vettel’s vulnerability under pressure as something he could exploit.

Vettel played a very weak hand in Baku. Irritated by what he perceived to be Hamilton’s deliberately slow driving behind a safety car – known in F1 as backing up – he accelerated alongside the British driver and then inexplicably swerved into the left side of his Mercedes.

It was a clear error of judgment and Vettel subsequently apologized for dangerous driving. The two exchanged heated barbs afterward.

Vettel’s red mist that day was as bright as his gleaming Ferrari. He escaped with a time penalty when a one-race ban was spoken of. The penalty itself was damaging, however, since it prevented him from finishing higher than fourth and so valuable points were needlessly lost.

A second and momentous mistake from Vettel came at the Singapore Grand Pix. It perhaps defined the season itself.

Before the race, Vettel was only three points behind Hamilton in the championship with seven races remaining. He was inspired in qualifying and took pole position on the sinewy street circuit. Better still, Hamilton was starting from fifth on the grid.

It was the perfect scenario for Vettel to both regain the lead and pad it out at the next race in Malaysia – another track suited to Ferrari.

A few seconds later, jaws were dropping and eyes bulging in the Ferrari garage – but for all the wrong reasons.

Vettel went diagonally across the track to cut off Verstappen, starting from second. A four-car collision ensued that took them both out, along with Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso.

With 25 points beckoning, on a track where no F1 driver has more podiums than him, Vettel scored none. The nightmare scenario concluded with Hamilton profiting from the chaos to win.

It was a total gift, but somehow Vettel minimized the incident and the team spared him justifiable reproach.

F1 observers pointed to Vettel’s previous verbal spats with Verstappen. In theory, he simply could not accept losing ground to Verstappen even though the Dutchman was not a title threat.

While Hamilton strengthened his title bid Vettel went out of his way – literally – to undermine his own.

Vettel will need to think twice if the red mist starts descending next year.

[MIKA27]

ABU DHABI TEST: ALONSO CRASHES EARLY ON

Fernando Alonso’s last day in a Honda-powered Mclaren was marred when he crashed into the wall at Yas Marina Circuit, during the morning of the first day of Pirelli Tyre testing in Abu Dhabi.

An hour and a half into the morning stanza, Alonso hit the wall in Turn 13 – although not a big impact – it was enough to seriously damage the right front of the McLaren, including the front wing and suspension. The incident prompted a 20 minutes red flag stoppage.

No explanation for the accident was forthcoming, although team insiders suggest the Spaniard made a mistake. Alonso had completed 11 laps, with his best time of 1:41.995 putting him fifth on the timing screens at that point.

The team repaired the damaged car and the Spaniard was back in action three hours later.

McLaren, who scrapped a test scheduled for Interlagos after the Brazilian Grand Prix, are the only team running two cars at Yas Marina Circuit. Oliver Turvey is on duty in the other car.

[MIKA27]

ABU DHABI TEST DAY 1: RAIKKONEN FASTEST

Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen ended day one of the Pirelli test at Yas Marina Circuit, in Abu Dhabi, fastest of all using the all-new hypersoft compound tyres.

Although the test is run to allow teams to familiarise themselves with the 2018 Pirelli compounds, Williams used the opportunity to evaluate Robert Kubica with the view to having the Pole race for them next season. 

Raikkonen’s best lap time of 1:37.768 was enough for him to end top of the timing screens when the chequered flag waved to bring the day to an end.

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo was second fastest with a flurry of hot laps in the final hour of the day, racing up 109 laps in the process.

Lewis Hamilton did 136 laps, only bettered by one other driver, and with it bid farewell to the Mercedes W08 which took him to a fourth Formula 1 world title this season.

Haas driver Romain Grosjean was fourth fastest and recorded the most laps during the course of the first day.

Also on duty for Williams, getting into the cockpit with a couple of hours to go, was Lance Stroll who managed 29 laps, compared to Kubica who spent the bulk of the day in the FW40 and completed 100 laps in total. He was ninth fastest but only sampled the Pirelli soft tyres during his stints.

An early morning crash did not deter McLaren driver Fernando Alonso who returned to action a few hours later and ended the day with 115 laps to his credit. It was his last run with Honda power as the team switches to Renault for next year.

Nico Hulkenberg was next up in seventh for Renault, ahead of Russian youngster Nikita Mazepin, who did 90 laps in the Force India.

Sean Gelael was on duty for Toro Rosso, he survived a spin without any damage and went on to rack up 117 laps, finishing 10th fastest in the process.

Marcus Ericcson clocked 97 laps in the Sauber to finish 11th on the timing sheets, ahead of Oliver Turvey in the other McLaren.

Turvey was running on a totally separate program to the rest of the drivers, using unmarked Pirelli prototype tyres which was part of the programme that the team was going to run in a test after the Brazilian Grand Prix but was postponed due to security reasons.

[MIKA27]

ABU DHABI TEST DAY 1: FORCE INDIA REPORT

Force India report from day one of the post-season Pirelli tyre test at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Nikita Mazepin: “I am quite satisfied with the work we have done today. Testing the new Pirelli tyres for 2018 was interesting and it gave us the first idea of how the various compounds will work next year. I would have liked to improve my times a bit towards the end of the day, but I was blocked on my last new tyre run. At the end of the day, however, it’s a test and we can be happy with what we achieved. I built up my speed during the morning because it was my first time driving here, but in the afternoon I was pushing more and more. Compared to the last time I was in the car, in Budapest, the balance felt much more consistent in the medium to high-speed corners, so I could feel how much the car has improved over the last few months.”

Tom McCullough: “Nikita was back in the car today for the first time since the Budapest test last August. He did a very mature job and didn’t put a wheel out of place all day, which helped us complete an ambitious run plan. This was the first opportunity to try the 2018 Pirelli compounds and it’s very important that we maximise our understanding of them to help steer our direction during the winter. The red flags in the afternoon curtailed some of our long runs, but 90 laps represent a good day’s work. We will aim for more of the same tomorrow when Esteban and Sergio share driving duties with half a day each.”

[MIKA27]

ABU DHABI TEST DAY 1: MCLAREN REPORT

Today was a very productive day of running for the two McLaren Honda cars on day one of the final tyre test of the season in Abu Dhabi.

To compensate for the lack of test mileage following the cancellation of the scheduled tyre test in Brazil, McLaren Honda ran two cars on separate programmes.

Fernando Alonso conducted a McLaren tyre test in conjunction with Pirelli, to gather data on both 2017 and 2018 specification compounds. Fernando was scheduled to conduct a full day’s running, but made contact with the barrier at Turn 18-19 which curtailed his programme in the late morning.

Despite this, the team worked hard to get his car back out on track within two hours and he still managed to perform his full run plan, completing 115 laps.

Oliver Turvey ran a slightly shorter programme for Pirelli in a McLaren Honda chassis – the same closed test that would have been conducted in Brazil. He completed a comprehensive run plan with no issues, and clocked a total of 105 laps.

Fernando Alonso: “Today’s been a very positive day. It’s been very useful for us to have a read on the 2018 tyres. They felt good, I felt the performance was there and the degradation was under control, so generally I had a good feeling. I had a small kiss with the wall this morning and we lost some track time, but the mechanics did an amazing job to fix the car so we could go out again before lunch, which meant we could complete the full programme. Now the 2017 season is finally over for me, and from today the focus and preparation will be fully on next year. There is one more test day here and I wish Stoffel and Lando a productive day tomorrow – I’ll follow the results from home and I’ll be back in the factory soon for seat fit preparations and development work for 2018. There’s a lot going on and I’m very happy with the direction for next year.”

Oliver Turvey: “This opportunity came up quite last-minute, but it was a nice surprise to be able to come to Abu Dhabi for the test. I’ve been working with the team all season – it’s my eighth year with McLaren – and I’ve been doing a lot of work in the simulator developing the car over race weekends with the engineers back at the factory. It’s been good to have another opportunity to drive the MCL32 and work with Pirelli on tyre development, and to really get a good feeling for the car. Today has been very beneficial because I’ve driven on this track previously with McLaren, so it’s been useful to do long runs, get used to the car’s handling and find a rhythm. To do 105 laps is really positive. Braking in these cars that have more downforce than previous years is quite demanding, and after not driving a Formula 1 car for a while it’s pretty physical on the neck, but I’ve been well prepared. I can definitely feel the progress that’s been made with the car since I last drove it in Bahrain. Throughout the season we’ve been improving the chassis and I could feel that from the first lap this morning. It’s been really useful for me to get back in the car today, and now I can plug that information back into the simulator and be able to help the team continue with the development programme for next year’s car and move things in the right direction.”

[MIKA27]

ABU DHABI TEST DAY 1: MERCEDES REPORT

Lewis Hamilton got behind the wheel of the W08 EQ Power+ for one last time and completed a total of 136 laps in this year’s post-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit. Mercedes-Benz Power Units completed a total of 355 laps (1972km).

Lewis Hamilton: “I’m not really the biggest fan of testing, but it’s been a positive first day of running with these new tyres. We managed to complete plenty of laps and collected lots of data and feedback to ensure we head in the right direction over the winter. We’ve got a good early understanding of these 2018 Pirelli tyres. On early impression, the new HyperSoft is the best tyre that Pirelli have produced since returning to F1. I found that the other compounds are still a bit too hard for my liking but we’re moving in the right direction. It’s a nice way to wrap up the season, with one last day in the W08. I’m definitely ready to take a break now, though!”