Formula 1 - 2017

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HORNER: BAD ENGINE RELIABILITY COST US 160 POINTS

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has pointed to bad reliability as the biggest enemy of the team in 2017 and cost them what might have been second place in this year’s constructors’ world championship, his observations could also be interpreted as an early warning to Renault ahead of the 2018 season.

The energy drinks team run TAG Heuer badged Renault power units which contributed to the bulk of the team’s 13 DNF’s and countless grid penalties for their drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo this season.

Horner pointed out during an interview with Sky Sports, “If you look at the number of points we have given away through unreliability, it’s close to 160. Engine reliability has hit us really hard. At the beginning of the year we undelivered on the chassis, we didn’t hit the ground running. We understood those problems quickly and moved to address them quickly.”

“We have DNFed in far too many races. The RB13 has DNFed in 13 races and has had 13 podiums! We need desperately the engine to concertina in performance. Mercedes were in a class of their own. Hats off, they are doing a great job but engine performance is a key differentiator.”

Red Bull scored three victories in 2017 and finished third in the constructors’ championship, but ended the season a massive 300 points adrift of world champions Mercedes and 150 points down on Ferrari.

Horner added, “We will take all the lessons from this year into next year and we have a lot to be optimistic about. We are hopeful that the engine situation will improve and we are getting a lot of promises that will be the case.

“But what’s been really encouraging is the last 25 percent of the season. We have had one of, if not the, strongest cars. If we can take that on RB14, we can give Merc and Ferrari a closer fight.”

Next year the engine quota for drivers will be reduced from four to three power units and related elements for the duration of the season.

Horner is adamant that the engine limitations are a mistake, “Going to three engines for 21 races is nuts. Contrary to whatever Toto says, his non-executive chairman [Niki Lauda] was arguing for four engines earlier in the year because it is a false economy.”

“I would hate to see the championship decided on grid penalties,” concluded Horner.

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Bottas rates season as ‘7.5 out of 10’

Valtteri Bottas would rate his 2017 season as “7.5 out of 10” after vowing to produce a title challenge next year.

Bottas enjoyed a decent opening campaign in the Mercedes after finishing third in the drivers standings, 19 points behind team-mate and world champion Lewis Hamilton.

The Finn ended an 11-race drought by winning at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and hopes that is a sign of things to come in 2018.

“Overall, if I had to rate my season out of 10 I would maybe say 7.5,” said Bottas, at an event for Mercedes sponsor PETRONAS in Malaysia.

“I think there’s a lot of things I can do better next year.

“There were many races where I did struggle, and I didn’t perform at the level I wanted and the level I had to be at if I was going to fight for the title.

“But from those tricky races, I’ve learned massively. I think Abu Dhabi, and qualifying [on pole] in Sao Paulo before that, was confirmation that I had learned a lot from those tricky races.”

Bottas knows he needs to improve next season, as he expects the competition from Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren to become much fiercer.

He added: “I had some really good periods where I was performing well and being consistent, but I also had periods where I wasn’t performing as well as I should have.

“I need to attack those issues. I need to learn every single thing I can from 2017, which I’m sure I will by working hard over the winter with the team, and then I want to be a better, more complete, driver. Whatever that brings next year, we’ll find out.”

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RICCIARDO: LEWIS MAINTAINED A COOLER HEAD THAN SEB THIS YEAR

Daniel Ricciardo respects Lewis Hamilton for the way he went about winning the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship. but also wishes that the difference in car performance was not so great so that drivers, like himself, are within at a better chance of contending for victories and ultimately the title.

Speaking to reporters during a media event in Baku, Ricciardo said, “Looking at Lewis’ season, I respect that. For sure he had a good car but I think Seb’s car was also as good and Lewis maintained a cooler head and a better level of consistency and composure. You have to respect that. In the heat of battle, he was always very calm and he drove a very good season.”

Asked who was the best driver in Formula 1, Ricciardo said with a smile, “I think I would take myself out of this because I am for sure the best!”

And added, “Lewis, even with the best material, he still had pressure and expectations and he’s had that since he started F1 ten years ago.”

“I think he’s always been on a very high level and he’s also got a lot of other distractions in his life and can still perform when it counts. I respect him and take my hat off to him — as a driver he is very competitive.”

“Obviously there’s also Fernando [Alonso], but it’s hard to say with Fernando the last few years because he hasn’t had a top car to know. But I think everyone still believes he is one of the top drivers on the grid.”

“These are the two names that will always get called up in this current group of drivers. My teammate Max is very strong as well, so there’s more than two, but these are the established ones who are very well respected.”

Ricciardo clearly laments the fact that without a strong car drivers can not show their full potential in terms of results, “Lewis has won three of the last four championships, but if he was in a midfield team he wouldn’t have three of the last four championships.”

“The car is a big part of it, but you need to be a good driver to get the equipment to the top. You need both. It’s still a bit more dominant with the car than the driver, I’d say maybe 75 percent to 25 percent.”

“If we make it a bit more equal by bringing the driver in a bit more and taking the equipment out then that would be better. A 50/50 would be something more realistic in the near future and hopefully, that’s the case.”

“Even from Lewis to the guy that’s coming last, maybe the lap time says three seconds but the driver is maximum one second.”

“We are all a lot closer than that and it would be great if we could all stay within one second with the equipment because then the racing would be pretty fun,” concluded Ricciardo who finished fifth in the 2017 championship.

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VASSEUR: MIRACLES DON’T HAPPEN BY SNAPPING YOUR FINGERS

Frederic Vasseur has been a busy man since he was appointed team principal at Sauber, first, he put an end to a Honda engine deal before it even began and then installed a programme aimed at making Sauber a relevant team in Formula 1 once again which spawned the recently announced Alfa Romeo deal.

Shortly before being ousted from the helm of the Swiss team in June, Monisha Kaltenborn had engineered a deal for the team to be powered by Honda in 2018.

A priority on Vasseur’s list of things to do, when he replaced her, was to terminate the deal. This he did and since then strengthened the bond with their engine supplier Ferrari, as a result the team will now carry Alfa Romeo branding in 2018 and beyond.

In an interview with the official F1 website, Vasseur explained the significance of the new deal, “I am proud of the team. Life is not easy when you are at the back. The new project started very late, so I am super happy to see that the whole team kept its strong motivation.”

“We are improving. We are on a good way. We’ve made some good steps on the car in the factory. So there is real progress visible. Small step by small step – but moving steadily forward. Miracles don’t happen by snapping your fingers.”

“Success is always the addition of small things, so if motivation is there the rest should follow. I definitely do believe that – especially when you have the chance to team up with such an iconic partner as Alfa Romeo.”

When he took over the team it was in disarray, morale was low and light at the end of the tunnel was distant.

Asked what was the biggest weakness he encountered when he took up his position as team chief, “Not one weak point but the addition of the fact that the team struggled massively in 2016.”

“The 2017 car was ready very late – it was a new project and if you are six months late that adds to a difficult situation, as it is not possible to catch up easily.”

“The decision to run the 2016 Ferrari engine this year also didn’t help the situation, but I knew all these facts before I joined. There is the saying that hope dies last – and in the end, I consider it a good challenge!”

“You cannot try and split that and point the finger at one factor. When you are at the back you have to pay attention to every single area and details.”

“It’s the same as when you are at the front, only the direction is different: when you are at the top you have to look out not to be relegated – when you are at the back your only direction is up!”

This year Sauber had the services of highly rated Pascal Wehrlein and journeyman Marcus Ericsson. The German impressed with what he had, but as a Mercedes backed driver, his drive with the team is over. While the Swede may still be in the frame, but only because of his close contacts with the team’s new owners.

With the advent of the Alfa Romeo deal, Sauber has edged closer to being a Ferrari B-team (much like Toro Rosso is for Red Bull) therefore it is understandable that the powers that be at Maranello will want their up-and-coming drivers to be accommodated by their partner.

Thus the question of drivers is a hot topic because Sauber has two seats available for 2018. Smart money is on Charles Leclerc will get the nod for his first season in Formula 1, while there is a strong lobby within Ferrari to have Antonio Giovinazzi also in the team for next season.

Vasseur would not confirm the driver line-up but did reveal that there would be talks with Ferrari to determine who will pilot the team’s cars next year.

He added, “We have to be realistic: even if we move a good step forward next season we will not fight for wins.”

“It took Red Bull Racing seven years before winning the championship – or five before winning a race – and the same goes pretty much also for Mercedes – and they even took over a team that were world champions!”

“You can’t be faster than this – good things need time. Having said that, we need drivers that will fit our plans. The worst-case scenario for us would be having someone who dreams of being world champion next year!”

In closing, Vasseur summed up the immediate future, “We will have a completely new project. Sauber started very late last year, but are on time with the 2018 project. But, of course, the first Barcelona test at the end of February will tell us where we are.”

“Everybody is full of expectations – I think we have made some strong choices. First on the engine: to have the 2018 [Ferrari] engine, that will mean a significant step forward for us – and we have started with a new car philosophy,” concluded Vasseur.

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BRATCHES VISITS MIAMI AS F1 RAMPS UP SEARCH FOR USA VENUES

Formula 1 has actively scouted downtown Miami as a potential site for a grand prix venue, while Liberty Media has registered six trademarks for races in New York, Miami and Las Vegas.

A Formula 1 entourage led by commercial chief Sean Bratches met with Miami’s new mayor and the city’s events director Vicente Betancourt last month to discuss potential circuit layouts and logistics with the hope of bringing a grand prix to the city by 2020.

Since acquiring Formula 1 Liberty Media have made no secret that they are looking to expand its United States footprint. An event in Miami, or possibly Las Vegas or New York, has been publicly discussed.

Now this has taken a step forward as, on 7 November 2017, Liberty Media have filed new trademark applications with the US Patent and Trademark Office for the Formula 1 Grand Prix of New York, the New York Grand Prix, Grand Prix of Miami, the Miami Grand Prix, Grand Prix of Las Vegas, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Miami Herald reports that Betancourt, who began talking to F1 organisers in May, pointed out that Bratches and his team departed Miami with much still unsettled, including the circuit layout.

Betancourt said, “They had their track engineers come down and look at the streets. We’ve got to see if it works and what it would cost them to actually bring it out. I think the ball is pretty much in their court.”

Miami has hosted street races since 1983 over some of the same streets being looked at by Formula 1. Two years ago, the city hosted the Miami ePrix for Formula E that ended up being a one-time event.

Opponents of the project have already emerged with the Better Florida Alliance placing adverts in the Miami Herald warning of “months of construction,” “street closures” and “big-time noise pollution.”

The adverts stated that “elected officials and their corporate fat cat friends want to turn our taxpayer-funded streets into a race track,” a clear attack on the substantial costs that grand prix host cities or countries are required to pay for the privilege.

Regarding funding for a Formula 1 race, Betancourt stated, “I was very blunt with [Formula 1] and said we’d love to entertain it but we have no money.”

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Formula 1 set to return to two-stop grands prix in 2018

Pirelli is confident that Formula 1 will return to two-stop races next year, following positive early testing of its 2018 tyres in Abu Dhabi this week.

F1's tyre supplier is expanding its range of compounds, as well as making them softer, in a bid to try to introduce more strategic variance next season.

This year, because of uncertainty about the speed leap of F1's faster 2017 cars, Pirelli went too conservative - and it meant 15 of the 20 races were in effect one-stop races.

One of Pirelli's targets is for there to be an average of two tyre changes per race.

It believes that in light of some encouraging findings from the testing this week, it is now on course to deliver that next season.

Pirelli's F1 racing manager Mario Isola said: "Considering all the range is one step softer, plus we have the hyper-soft, we now have the option to go soft enough to target two stops.

"I believe that three stops is a bit too much because we know it can be a bit confusing to have too many stops.

"We will try to make the selection of having two stops or one of the fastest strategies a two-stop.

"There is another advantage - with more compounds and a softer step, you give the teams the possibility to design the car that is more gentle on the tyres, so you can push the tyre towards the softer side.

"This is an additional variable that is up to the teams, and we give to everybody the same opportunity."

The Abu Dhabi test was the first time that drivers tried the new hyper-soft compound, with world champion Lewis Hamilton claiming it was the best tyre that Pirelli had produced since it returned to F1.

Sebastian Vettel was equally complimentary about the tyre, saying he was surprised by how much of a step forward it was.

"It's always nice to go fast, and the hyper-soft is quite a step forward," said the Ferrari driver.

"It's faster, so obviously now we need to see. Fairly soon Pirelli will have to decide where we'll be able to bring it and where we are not."

Isola explained that the hyper-soft had proven to be one-second per lap quicker than the ultra-soft, which in itself was 0.4s faster than the super-soft.

Pirelli is on schedule to decide the tyre compounds it will take to the Australian Grand Prix by December 7.

It is possible that it could pick three varied compounds, as it does not have to take three that are consecutive in its range.

"We are allowed to jump one step - so we are not obliged to go with the soft, super-soft and ultra-soft for example," added Isola.

"We will tune the compounds' choice and selection to make sure we can generate different strategies.

"The average number of pitstops should be two. This is the target. We want alternative strategies."

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Ex-Ferrari engine chief Joerg Ross working on Aston F1 concept

Aston Martin has ramped up plans to enter Formula 1 as an engine supplier from 2021 by recruiting ex-Ferrari F1 engine chief Joerg Ross and starting work on its concept.

The British manufacturer, which will become Red Bull's title sponsor next season, is interested in F1's next engine rules cycle but wants costs to be reduced significantly.

Aston Martin president and CEO Andy Palmer said he was "encouraged" by the direction of the 2021 engine plans that were presented by F1 bosses last month.

Ross, who worked for Ferrari as head of engine mechanics and then head of base engine between 2004 and '07, joined Aston Martin in August but has since been moved to focus on the car maker's F1 concept.

He will team up with Luca Marmorini (pictured below during his time with Toyota).

Marmorini, who held the same role as Ross at Ferrari during the mid to late 1990s, was previously taken on by Aston Martin as a consultant. That role has now been made permanent.

"I've engaged Luca full-time now to help us with developing the concept engine," Palmer told Autosport.

"I've got Joerg Ross, he's already working for me on our internal engine development and is ex-Ferrari Formula 1. He will work on the F1 project.

"So I've got two good people now to start thinking about our concept."

Palmer said Marmorini has already started working on Aston's F1 concept and hoped his experience in the championship will help Aston in the long term.

"Luca started his concept thoughts just last week so it's fairly early days," he said.

"But he's a good guy to have onboard and lucid about who he thinks we should work with, who we could work with, from his experience what didn't work so that will save us time."

While the independent manufacturers were in favour of the 2021 engine proposal, F1's existing manufacturers were less so.

Mercedes and Renault suggested the new rules could lead to an arms race while Ferrari was so unhappy, it threatened to quit.

"I'm surprised they have been as vociferous as they have been because I think it was pretty well signalled within those meetings," said Palmer.

"I don't know whether they feign surprise. I don't think it was a huge surprise.

"In those meetings, you had the incumbents and you had the challengers. The challengers are aligned and the incumbents are aligned.

"But everyone around the room accepted that the sport is broken. And we need to bring back the entertainment.

"The entertainment is about drivers racing, its not about the heat recovery on an engine."

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Todt, Carey add to excitement of Alfa Romeo F1 launch

The return of the Alfa Romeo name to F1 as title sponsor of Sauber is set to be given the backing of the sport's top chiefs, with chairman Chase Carey and FIA president Jean Todt due to attend the official launch.

Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne will hold a press conference at Alfa Romeo's Storico museum near Milan tomorrow to explain the reasoning behind bringing the famous Italian marque back to F1 at this moment.

The significance of the Alfa Romeo brand push in F1 has become clear though, with Carey and Todt both due to attend the event where Sauber's 2018 driver line-up may finally get confirmed.

Carey and Todt's presence is especially intriguing because it comes against the backdrop of Marchionne having threatened last month to quit F1 after 2020 amid unhappiness about plans for new engine rules.

  

The Alfa Romeo deal with Sauber not only includes sponsorship and a likely full rebranding of the car in the company's red and white corporate colours.

There will also be strategic, commercial and technological co-operation in development areas, which will include the sharing of Alfa Romeo's engineers and technical personnel.

Joining Marchionne at the press conference will be Sauber chairman Pascal Picci, who has been weighing up over recent weeks which driver to put in alongside Charles Leclerc.

Marcus Ericsson has emerged as favourite to retain his seat there, having the backing of the team's Swedish financiers, while other candidate Antonio Giovinazzi could be handed a reserve or third driver role if he does not get a race seat.

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Massa finished F1 career "absolutely on a high" - Williams

Williams head of vehicle performance Rob Smedley says Felipe Massa could not have ended his Formula 1 career any better than with his two strong races into the points in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

Massa enjoyed tussles with his former Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso in both events, earning seventh and 10 and taking his points tally for the season to 43.

Smedley, who has worked with Massa for over a decade at Ferrari and subsequently Williams, insists that the Brazilian was at the top of his game until the very end.

"Look how he's finished, he's finished absolutely on a high," Smedley told Motorsport.com.

"He's had 16 years in this paddock, either being extremely competitive at the level where he was going to win a world championship, or being as competitive as he could be in the car that was given to him.

"To go out at the top of your game, still delivering for the team, still giving them points, still having that extra special lap in qualifying, there's no better way to go out.

"He's such a popular guy, and that's a measure of him."

Smedley is adamant that Massa should have scored many more points in 2017, with his retirement in Baku, and issues elsewhere such as punctures in Spain and Russia, proving very expensive.

  

"I think it's a key point if you look at his season. Every man and his dog can claim they could have won that Baku race.

"We were winning that race, that race was his to win, and what a special moment that would be in his last season in F1.

"He was pitch perfect throughout that race, but there were reliability problems. We've probably lost about half the points on that car that we should have had."

Smedley admits that he expects to miss Massa on race weekends, although the pair remain close.

"I'm going to miss him at work, but he's my mate. Our wives our friends, out kids are friends, he's like a little brother. He's part of my family and he's part of my family, that will continue, it's not going to change anything.

"But not having him at work, it's a strange feeling right now, just having someone to sit down and have a cup of tea with and talk about stuff going on back at home just to clear your head of the intensity of a Grand Prix weekend, I think that's the bit I'm going to miss."

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SAUBER CONFIRM LECLERC AND ERICSSON FOR 2018

Formula 2 champion Charles Leclerc will move up to Formula 1 with Alfa Romeo-backed Sauber next season while Marcus Ericcson stays in the lineup despite the Swede failing to score a point in 2017.

The announcement was made by Fiat Chrysler (FCA) chief executive Sergio Marchionne on Saturday at a presentation of Alfa Romeo’s new partnership with the Swiss team at the Italian marque’s museum near Milan.

That deal, marking the return of the historic Alfa Romeo name to Formula 1 after a more than 30-year absence, was announced earlier in the week.

Saturday’s event showed off a new red and white livery, with Alfa Romeo branding prominent on the engine cover, and a redesigned logo.

The lineup leaves Pascal Wehrlein, Ericsson’s team mate, facing an uncertain future with former champions Williams the only remaining team with a vacancy but Robert Kubica favourite to fill it.

Ferrari-backed 20 year old Leclerc, from Monaco, had been expected to get the Sauber drive after a dominant season in the official feeder series.

Ericsson’s future had been in doubt, with Ferrari-backed Antonio Giovinazzi also a candidate under the new partnership.

Giovinazzi will be the reserve driver instead, taking part in Friday practice sessions.

Marchionne, who is also chairman of Sauber’s engine suppliers Ferrari, has made the title sponsorship of Sauber part of his reshaping of the FCA-owned Alfa Romeo brand.

Fiat Chrysler have invested billions of euros since 2014 to develop new Alfa Romeo models that would stand up against German premium rivals and shed a reputation for poor quality and service that has hit sales in the past decade.

“Formula 1 is the natural reference point for a marque like this,” he said.

Marchionne added that the partnership would also strengthen his hand in talks with Formula One about the sport’s future and warned that the deal could end in 2021 if Ferrari decided to walk away as they have threatened.

“Now there is the additional benefit that when we sit down at the table to discuss the future of Formula One, we’re playing two marques,” he told reporters. “I think the guns are loaded in a different way.”

Formula 1 chairman Chase Carey and former Ferrari boss Jean Todt, president of the governing FIA, both attended the presentation.

In a speech, Marchionne also thanked Sauber Holding chairman Pascal Picci and Swedish billionaire Finn Rausing for their support in reaching a deal that should boost a team that finished last overall this year.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for me but also for the team,” said Ericsson, whose financial support has long been linked to Rausing and the Tetra Laval packaging group.

“I think obviously we’re starting from quite far behind because we had a difficult season, but I think we have the potential to take a good step forward.”

Alfa Romeo have a strong heritage in Formula 1 with the first two world championships in 1950 and 1951 won by Italian Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina and Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio in their cars.

Ferrari’s late founder Enzo also started out racing and managing a team for Alfa Romeo, before setting up on his own in the late 1930s.

Alfa Romeo supplied engines in the 1960s and 1970s and returned as a constructor in 1979 before again withdrawing at the end of 1985.

MIKA: I am so ticked off that Sauber decide to dump Pascal who achieved ALL THEIR POINTS the past couple seasons and keep the guy, Ericsson, who achieved Zero... This is F1 people! This is why it sucks more, year in, year out.

What eludes me is HOW do the sponsors keep sponsoring a guy that doesn't achieve anything? Isn't that what sponsorship is about? Advertising your brand with a sportsman or woman who best reflects your product? So... How does Marcus keep having sponsorship when he scores absolute zero for the past couple seasons? It's beyond me!

I'm sure Marcus is a nice guy, but people want a driver in F1 who achieves results. Leclerc will do the same as Pascal, score the points whilst Marcus lags behind P16...

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MARCHIONNE: THE THREAT OF FERRARI LEAVING FORMULA 1 IS SERIOUS

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne says the threat that the Italian team could leave Formula 1 is a “serious” one and it’s not the first time he has fired a warning shot at the sport’s new owners seek to plot a vision for the future.

Marchionne is unhappy with the sport’s proposed 2021 engine rules, which were revealed at the end of October, and has said that Ferrari could leave F1.

He reiterated that message on Saturday at a news conference to launch the new partnership between Alfa Romeo and Sauber.

“The dialogue has started and will continue to evolve,” Marchionne said. “We have time until 2020 to find a solution which benefits Ferrari. The threat of Ferrari leaving Formula 1 is serious. The agreement with Sauber expires in 2020-2021, right when Ferrari could leave.”

“We have to find a solution which is good for the sport but we also have to be clear on the things we can’t back down on.”

Ferrari is the only team to have competed in every F1 season since its inauguration in 1950. It is also the most successful team, with 16 constructors’ championships and 15 drivers’ titles.

However, the storied Scuderia is now approaching a decade without a trophy, having last won the constructors’ title in 2008, while its last F1 world champion was Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.

Ferrari were the first to signal their dissatisfaction with regards to the direction the sport might take in the wake of Liberty Media purchasing Formula 1 and taking over it’s running in January.

A first proposal was made under the direction of F1’s motorsport chief Ross Brawn, but this did not go down well with Ferrari, while Mercedes has also complained about the proposed changes, which will make teams more equal in terms of engine power.

Clearly, the game of poker between teams and the new owners has begun, and it will run its course until an agreement is reached that will pacify all parties, but the road will be long and packed with obstacles as the future of the sport is mapped out.

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Sauber unveils concept 2018 Alfa Romeo livery

Sauber has unveiled its concept livery for the 2018 Formula 1 season, in the wake of its collaboration with FCA brand Alfa Romeo.

Alfa Romeo will return to the sport after an absence of 30 years as Sauber's title sponsor, with the Swiss team strengthening its Ferrari ties, having cancelled its planned Honda partnership.

Sauber will field Ferrari-backed Formula 2 champion Charles Leclerc alongside incumbent Marcus Ericsson, with the Scuderia's reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi set to take up a third driver role.

During a press conference held at Alfa Romeo's museum on Saturday, Leclerc and Ericsson took the wraps off the squad's proposed 2018 livery, which was presented on one of the team's showcars.

The white-and-red scheme, reflecting Alfa Romeo's colours, marks a move away from the predominantly blue livery which Sauber has run since 2015.

MIKA: I'd love to see more of the same red on the top leading toward the nose and front wing.

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Leclerc out to prove his ‘value’ to Sauber

Handed a Sauber race-seat for next year’s championship, Charles Leclerc says his goals for 2018 are to gain experience and prove his worth.

On Saturday Sauber confirmed that the 20-year-old will race alongside Marcus Ericsson in 2018.

Leclerc’s promotion comes on the back of a dominant campaign in Formula 2 during which he claimed seven race wins.

His performances saw the Ferrari protege linked to a Sauber race-seat while the Swiss team’s new link up with Alfa Romeo cemented his place at the team.

“First and foremost, I would like to thank Ferrari for their support,” said Leclerc.

“I would also like to thank Sauber for their trust and confidence in me as a driver, and look forward to joining the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team for the upcoming season.

“It was a great experience to drive a few FP1 sessions and tyre tests for the Sauber F1 Team in 2017, during which the team welcomed me straight away.

“It is a great working environment, and I already feel confident and comfortable here.

“In 2018, my aim will be to gain more experience in Formula One, and to bring as much value to the team as possible in return.”

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Ricciardo: Kvyat just needs a reboot

Daniel Ricciardo reckons Daniil Kvyat could benefit from a year out of Formula 1 as it looks as if the Russian racer won’t be on next year’s grid.

Kvyat was dropped by Toro Rosso after his point-scoring United States Grand Prix, bringing to an end four tumultuous years with the Red Bull family.

Kvyat made his debut with Toro Rosso in 2014 before being promoted to Red Bull a year later.

However, a wretched start to 2016 saw him drop back down to Toro Rosso before losing his seat following this year’s United States GP.

And although he has been linked to Williams’ one vacant seat, it looks as if Kvyat will lose out on that leaving him without a drive for 2018.

“I think if Daniil misses a season, it could even do him good,” F1i.com quotes Ricciardo as having told Tass.

“He just needs a reboot.

“I am confident that leaving Red Bull will even do him good.

“He is naturally very talented, which I recognised well when we were teammates. He was often very fast,” the Australian added.

“He’s also still very young and I think still has a chance to prove himself in Formula One.”

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Autosport Awards: Hamilton gets International Racing Driver prize

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton received a 2017 Autosport Awards double in claiming the International Racing and British Competition Driver accolades.

Mercedes driver Hamilton was first presented with the International Racing driver prize in 2007 and his '17 success marks the fifth time he has been recognised with the honour.

After he was beaten to the title last year by Nico Rosberg, Hamilton emerged from a tussle with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel in the 2017 drivers' championship to claim his fourth crown.

A ruthless second half of the season, which included five wins from six races after the summer break, allowed Hamilton to seal the title with two rounds to spare.

He ended the campaign with nine victories, and also broke the record during the season for the most pole positions in F1 history.

Hamilton was not available to collect the awards in person, but sent a video message to acknowledge his awards.

"I wanted to send a message to thank Autosport and thank the fans for voting for me," he said.

"I want to congratulate all the nominees and all the other winners this evening. It's great to see England producing such great talents still."

Vettel was among the other nominees for the International Racing Driver award, alongside fellow F1 drivers Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso - who also contested the Indianapolis 500 in May.

Formula E and IndyCar champions Lucas di Grassi and Josef Newgarden were also shortlisted.

Hamilton beat respective GP3 and European F3 champions George Russell and Lando Norris, F2 frontrunner Oliver Rowland and Ferrari WEC drivers Sam Bird and James Calado to the British Competition Driver prize, which he also received for a fifth time.

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KUBICA: THE LAST STEP IS THE MOST DIFFICULT ONE

With Williams hesitant to move hastily on a decision regarding who will partner Lance Stroll in the team next year, Robert Kubica admits that nothing is ever 100 percent certain in life while revealing that the final phase he finds himself in his quest to return to the Formula 1 grid is proving to be the toughest.

In the wake of his recent test with Williams during the Abu Dhabi post-season test Kubica spoke out for the first time, “I cannot be 100% sure because I think no-one is 100% sure. But I can have confidence and what I was looking for was to get a feeling and belief I can do it and that’s the most important.”

“I have done a lot. I have proved myself a lot and there are a lot of things which give me a lot of confidence and give me positive answers but the decision is not on my side.”

Questions that surround his comeback revolve around his capacity to perform at the highest level, on a constant basis, with the limited use he has in his right arm. His injury has healed some time back, but normal mobility and strength have been curtailed as a result of the freak rally accident in 2011.

Kubica explained, “The situation is not easy with my limitations but I think honestly there were a lot of questions of mine about my limitations and fitness and we should agree in the end – because I have shown – although I have limitations, fitness-wise I am ready and in fact I have never been in such a good shape as I am now.”

“Of course I have to work harder and I have to prepare better and in a different way my body and mental strength, but that is part of my life. When you feel there’s a good chance to be in a position to do properly the job it’s a difficult period.”

“The last step is the most difficult one. I’ve done many of them to arrive where I am and to achieve what I have achieved this year, but the last one is the toughest one. Let’s wait and see. It is a challenging way of coming back for me, but the progress I have done in all the tests is giving me good confidence that I will be able to do it.”

“Whatever the outcome will be, of course when you are next to it it would be nice but you never know, I want to live day by day. I still keep training, I still keep preparing as [if] I would have a chance.”

“There are things which require time because the last time I drove an F1 car was more than six years ago and F1 has changed a lot and you have to get knowledge about things to extract maximum from the car and I have learned a lot from my side and my confidence has gone up.”

Williams have the only seat left on the 2018 grid and have several drivers they are considering with Kubica one of them, thus they feel no pressure to make a decision anytime soon.

The Grove team’s technical boss Paddy Lowe reiterated to Sky Sports, “We are not placing any particular timescale to it. I know it’s getting a lot of attention and Robert is certainly well in there but, as we’ve said all along, we’re open and there are lots of drivers under consideration and we’re not giving out any clues at the moment.”

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RICCIARDO: WE NEED TO START THE SEASON STRONGER

Red Bull were caught on the back foot at the start of this season which in the end compromised their challenge for the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship title, for 2018 Daniel Ricciardo has warned that his team need to up the ante and hit the ground running sooner.

Statistics will show that before the Australian’s victory at Round 9 in Baku, the team had only been on the podium four times and had five DNFs on their scorecard. Fingers were pointed at wind tunnel calibration problems.

Looking back on the season, Ricciardo said, “What we need to do for next year to have a chance is that we need to start the season stronger. That’s where we lost a lot of our momentum this year. At the beginning of the season, we were too far behind Mercedes and Ferrari.”

Ricciardo’s contract with Red Bull lasts until the end of 2018, and the Aussie has admitted that he will wait until at least after the first pre-season tests before he commits to an extension with the energy drinks outfit.

Ricciardo added, “Unfortunately Mercedes has been really strong for the last four years. They have been the team to beat. We thought this year would be a chance for us to really challenge them. We challenged them some races but not enough to fight for the title.”

“In the end, myself and Max [Verstappen] were fifth and sixth in the championship. We didn’t come near to what we wanted,” lamented Ricciardo who scored nine podiums, one of which was the victory in Baku, during the course of the season.

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HORNER: FORMULA 1 NEEDS FERRARI AND FERRARI NEEDS FORMULA 1

Alfa Romeo’s return to Formula 1 shows the value of the sport and suggests Ferrari will not follow through on threats to leave, according to Red Bull principal Christian Horner who says the sport and the legendary Italian team need to remain together.

Alfa Romeo is part of the Fiat Chrysler group whose chief executive Sergio Marchionne is also the head of sportscar maker Ferrari, who are Formula 1’s most successful and glamorous team.

The Swiss Sauber team announced last week that the Italian marque was returning to the sport as their title sponsor after a 30-year absence, with the team to be known as Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 from next season.

“They [Alfa] come under the same management as Sergio so I can’t believe he’d have brought Alfa Romeo in for Ferrari to be leaving in a couple of years,” Horner told Reuters.

“I think it demonstrates that Formula One is obviously working and creating the recognition, otherwise the group wouldn’t have brought the Alfa brand into Formula One,” he added.

Alfa has a long history in motor racing, from pre-World War Two days to the winning the first two Formula 1 drivers’ championships in 1950 and 1951. Enzo Ferrari worked for them before building his first car in 1947.

Marchionne warned in November that Ferrari, who were spun off from Fiat Chrysler at the start of last year, could walk away if the sport took a direction contrary to the company’s interests.

Horner, who was speaking at the launch of the Aston Martin R-Motorsport sportscar team in London on Thursday, has previously dismissed Marchionne’s comments as ‘bluster’.

“Formula One needs Ferrari and Ferrari needs Formula One. It’s a marriage of convenience in many respects but both entities ultimately need each other. And we certainly want Ferrari in Formula One,” he said. “A Formula One with Ferrari in, it’s one of the biggest brands in the world and they are a great team to compete against.”

Sauber will use Ferrari engines next year, along with the U.S.-owned Haas team and Ferrari’s works outfit.

Red Bull are one of three using Renault power units but the future is clouded by uncertainty, with the engine regulations set for a change in 2021.

Aston Martin will be Red Bull’s title sponsors next season and chief executive Andy Palmer has spoken of the possibility of the British sportscar company eventually building an engine if the rules provide for a much cheaper and simpler unit.

“Liberty (the Formula 1 owners) are very keen to reduce costs to simplify the engine and to attract new brands into Formula One,” said Horner.

“Aston are extremely keen to have an increased presence and I think we’re all in a little bit of a holding pattern at the moment waiting to see what are those regulations going to be.”

“You’d have to partner with a specialist, and research and development cost resource restrictions would have to be in place in order for there to be a playing field that they could compete on,” added the Red Bull F1 chief.

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Steiner: Haas hampered by cost cap uncertainty

Guenther Steiner would like clarity on Liberty Media’s plans to introduce a cost cap sooner rather than later.

As Formula 1’s newest team, Haas are still growing, both in terms of experience and staff numbers.

And while Steiner would like to increase the latter, he concedes that wouldn’t be a good idea at present as the introduction of a budget cap in the coming years would mean then having to let go some of those staff members.

“We’ve already started this process at about mid-season when we discussed we were still up and down and needed to settle,” the Haas team boss explained.

“At the moment we want to stop because we want to see what Liberty Media comes up with for the cost cap. Why would we grow a team for one or two years then to dismantle it again?

“That is never good, so you’d rather try to work with a smaller amount of people and when the cost cap is here if there are no negatives then we can grow and have growing pains rather than the pain of letting people go.

“We have to manage better the people we have at the moment. After next year we will know more about the new direction of the sport ahead of 2020-2021.

“With the cost cap coming in we don’t really know where to go and at the moment I don’t want to grow any bigger after our next step.

“Once we know where the sport is going then we can react but there is no point to react now and then counter-react a year later.”

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Force India sceptics can "eat their words" - Mallya

Vijay Mallya says those who questioned Force India's ability to compete at a high level in Formula 1 can "eat their words" after it finished fourth in the constructors' championship.

The outfit boasts one of the smallest budget of the 10 teams in F1 and there was doubt it could repeat its finish of 2016 given the sweeping changes to the technical regulations.

But through impressive in-season development and a strong performance from its drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, it comfortably achieved the feat.

"We set out to achieve third but landed up with fourth for the second year running," Force India boss Mallya said at the Autosport Awards.

"I had many sceptics who I advise to eat their own words and I hope it tastes good.

"I'm very proud that with our limited resource we've been able to punch well above our weight.

"Thanks to Otmar [Szafnauer, chief operating officer] and his leadership, [technical director] Andy Green, [chief engineer] Tom [McCullogh], [sporting director] Andy Stevenson.

"I have a great team of racers, with racing in their blood and who know how to make the most of what we have. We never give up.

"The targets for 2018 will be set high again and we're ready for our competition."

Deputy team principal Bob Fernley praised the efforts of the team, particularly as it managed to outscore Renault, Williams and McLaren combined.

"Coming in to this season, we were concerned about Renault, Williams and McLaren," he told Motorsport.com.

"The underlying strength of the result is demonstrated in that we have outscored all three of them put together, which is remarkable.

"Credit to everybody. It's not just what we do here, it's also what is going on at the factory. It's a team effort. That's the difference between where we are and where others are sometimes.

"We're a racing team. Reliability is the key. I think we have the second most reliable record behind Mercedes.

"It's not just to do with the power unit. Its a contributor but it's also about the chassis and how the race team is working."

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Motorsport Jobs: What is it like to work in Formula 1?

Formula 1 is extremely competitive off-track as well as on it, so trying to find a job in such a challenging and demanding industry will always be a struggle.

It may look out of reach for the vast majority, but with hard work, passion and a slice of luck anybody can achieve the ultimate goal of a Formula 1 job.

But what is it actually like to work in F1? We spoke to an aerodynamicist about life away from the race track.

How did you get into Formula 1?

During my PhD, I contacted a friend of mine who was working for a team back then, asking whether they did any kind of internships for students. She asked for my CV and she forwarded it to the head of aerodynamics.

Then I had an interview with him and a few months later I started my non-paid summer internship in the aero department. Entering F1 is the most difficult step. After that things can get a bit easier especially if you know the right people.

What has been your biggest challenge whilst working in F1?

The job itself is a big challenge, but if I would need to choose one, it would be the everyday challenge to find performance. Each of us is responsible for an area of the car and we have targets to meet at short periods of time.

This is the beauty of the sport too though. You push yourself every day to improve and bring more performance. It's not rare to be lying down in bed and still thinking 'how I can improve my design?', analysing stuff in my mind and taking decisions on how to move forward.

What advice would you give hopeful prospects about working in F1?

Learn the fundamentals first, then keep working hard, gain experience and never give up. Entering F1 is not easy, so one should always look around for opportunities in other industries too. You can gain very good experience in automotive or aerospace and, if you keep pushing, the opportunity will come at some point.

It is also very important to network and know the right people as these are the ones who could really help in the end. Nowadays, LinkedIn is very useful for job opportunities. Keep in mind though, that F1 is not a nine-to-five job and needs a lot of sacrifices to succeed.

What is the best thing about working in F1?

The best thing is that you can see your design from computer to the track in a few weeks.

Is career progression possible in modern Formula 1?

Career progression is possible but as in most of the jobs depends on performance/experience, timing and of course politics sometimes. F1 is a competitive environment and all of us want to go higher, but this can't happen for everyone within a team. This is why people tend to look around (other teams).

This is one of the most usual ways to progress in case this is not happening in your own team. I have to mention though that you need to be patient and work hard.

What does the future hold for you, working in such an industry like motorsport?

I want to stay in F1 and see what I can achieve. I am still learning every day and need to get more experience. Of course, getting more and more responsibility is the usual progression, but my target is to become a good team leader in the long-term.

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INSIGHT: HOW F1’S ENGINEERS HAVE RISEN TO THE HALO DESIGN CHALLENGE

With the introduction of the Halo cockpit protection concept for 2018, Formula 1’s leading engineers have had a brand new design problem to solve, seeking to integrate the Halo into the car’s monocoque with the minimum of compromise.

Formally introduced in July, the Halo was approved by the FIA for mandatory use next season, despite opposition from nine of the ten teams on the current F1 grid. This has resulted in a number of teams having to make wholesale changes to their monocoque designs, just as many were reaching completion.

The reason for this is thanks to the different loading patterns on the chassis that the Halo will bring. After being tested by the FIA, teams were belatedly provided with expected figures and targets which the Halo design is expected to meet.

Although the Halo itself is provided by an external supplier to all teams, the monocoque and roll structure must sustain peak loads of up to 88kN during crash testing.

This means that teams will have to replicate the tests in their simulations before attempting the real thing. To understand the loading and stress distributions in their chassis designs, engineers use “finite element analysis” tools to assess and develop the ideal loading patterns on the car, without compromising on performance.

As the real Halo will be built into the structure of the car, rather than simply attached to the car as has been seen in test runs, it meant that some teams had to backtrack on their design programs to accommodate the variation in point loads.

The 15kg added by the Halo’s inclusion will also produce an effect on balance, magnified by the FIA’s decision to raise the minimum weight limit by just 6kg – providing a disadvantage to the heavier drivers on the grid.

Furthermore, the Halo itself must be able to keep its structural integrity should any of the rest of the survival cell become damaged. It’s all a very fine balancing act.

“[The Halo] knocks on big time to the chassis definition,” Nick Chester told Autosport in July.

“It’s a little bit painful, as we’re right into that process of trying to finalise our chassis schemes and the loadings from it are quite big, so it affects all the structure in the chassis.

“It has quite a big impact; outside the chassis it won’t have much of an effect on car performance, so it’s just the actual design of the chassis to take the loads which is difficult.”

Force India’s chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer even speculated that the late introduction of the Halo may even delay some teams’ appearance in next year’s winter testing, owing to a delay in construction.

“It may delay next year’s car,” said Szafnauer to Motorsport.com in August.

“There’s a finite amount of time to design and build a monocoque, and there is a finite amount of time that it takes to design and make a monocoque. If we don’t get definition in that timeframe, all it does is it delays when it’s produced.

“Right now, it looks like we may not be able to produce it in time for testing.”

In addition to the structural considerations, F1’s aerodynamicists have also been hard at work trying to mitigate the effect of the halo’s inclusion. Situated just in front of the cockpit, the halo creates wake which interferes with the flow into the air intake downstream.

The FIA has granted teams the opportunity to append non-structural fairings to the halo, as long as it complies with the defining regulations and does not impede driver egress, of which the minimum mandated time is expected to rise from five seconds. Performing an extraction test with Valtteri Bottas in Abu Dhabi, the FIA found he had taken twice as long to get out of the car.

These fairings will help teams to minimise the wake produced by the Halo, removing any hindrance on cooling.

As seen from the image above, McLaren ran in the post-Abu Dhabi Grand Prix test with its own interpretation of an aerodynamic fairing on the Halo, doused in flow-viz paint to allow the trackside engineers to assess the resultant flow structures.

The shape of the fairing helps to pick up laminar flow passing over the top of the Halo and directs it downwards, helping to feed the intake and manage the wake created by the structure. Toro Rosso also trialled an aerodynamic fairing, electing to run a single element to produce the same effect.

The top-down view displays the intricacies in the fairing design. The outboard structure of the fairing are shaped to manage the resultant vortices emanating from the tips, and McLaren has monitored this with an array of Pitot tubes to assess the changes in pressure produced by the changes in flow.

McLaren and Toro Rosso became the first of the teams to assess the aerodynamic changes created by the Halo, and it’ll be interesting to see what other teams come up with over the winter as they seek to extract the tiniest of advantages.

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A TIME WHEN FERRARI NEARLY PULLED THE PLUG ON F1

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne threatening to pull the legendary team from Formula 1 has captured miles of headlines, with many believing that the ploy is part of the power play that is simmering in the upper echelons of the sport, the saga prompted memories of a time in the seventies that none other than Enzo Ferrari lost interest and nearly pulled his team out of F1.

In the context of Ferrari having racing in its DNA, it should always be remembered that Enzo started producing road-going cars to generate income to support his racing ambitions, namely Formula 1 and sportscar racing.

This worked fine in the early days of the company, but as demand for the road cars grew and the racing programme developed the strain was felt by all at Maranello.

It was a case of too many pots on the stove, as the team’s 1964 World Champion John Surtees explained, “At Ferrari in those days you started with a handicap. Until Le Mans was over you couldn’t really do the work you wanted to do – and needed to do – in Formula One.”

By the end of the sixties Ferrari faced massive financial pressure as demand for their cars soared, but they simply did not have the tools to cater for the burgeoning demand, while maintaining a vast and ambitious racing programme in Formula 1 and endurance racing.

Enter Gianni Agnelli, patriarch of the Agnelli empire that founded and owned FIAT, who negotiated a 50% stake in Ferrari. The deal kept Enzo in charge while pumping the company with much-needed funding to expand their road car production capabilities.

It was not lost on the powers that be at FIAT that the Ferrari brand was intrinsically entwined with their racing escapades. The maths was pretty simple: success on track meant sales of Ferrari sportscars.

Thus focus shone on the racing programme and in the early seventies, the team were in reasonable form, although a Formula 1 world title had eluded them since Surtees bagged one in 1964. Success was overdue in F1 but, at the same time, Ferrari did have a very strong World Sportscar Championship programme on the go to supposedly compensate.

In 1972 they had rolled out the Ferrari 312PB, powered by their legendary 3.0 Flat-12, which was a Formula 1 car clothed in sportscar bits. That season they dominated the World Sportscar Championship season winning ten of the eleven races in the process, only missing out on victory at Le Mans because Enzo did not think his cars would finish the race and did not enter his team.

Despite the sportscar success, FIAT marketeers realised that the future of the sport was going to be Formula 1 and pressure was on Ferrari to ramp up their programme and take the battle to the British constructors – Lotus and Tyrrell – who had emerged as engineering powers that dominated in the early seventies.

The pressure mounted on Enzo to raise his game in Formula 1, but he pointed to his sportscar success and continued to focus on endurance racing element of the sport.

But in 1973 the sportscar programme, still potent, came up against Matra-Simca and their glorious MS670. It was a tight contest but the French outfit prevailed.

At the same time on the Formula 1 front Ferrari floundered. For 1973 designer Mauro Forghieri produced the awkward looking 312B3 which soon after breaking cover was dubbed “spazzaneve” or the snowplough in reference to the massive front wing. Apart from being ugly, it was also not particularly impressive in testing.

In a hotbed of politics and power games that prevailed in within the walls of Maranello, Forghieri was dropped from the F1 programme, replaced by Sandro Colombo who was tasked to redevelop the 312B3 while they fielded updated 312B2s – cars that were raced by the Reds during 1970 and 1971. It proved to be a recipe for disaster.

Jacky Ickx and Arturo Merzario spearheaded Ferrari’s 1973 campaign and got off to a reasonable start with three fourth places and a fifth place between them in the first three rounds. But thereafter it was downhill fast as the team was simply no match for the pacesetters: Lotus, Tyrell, McLaren and their formidable Cosworth DFV engines.

Colombo’s evolution of the 312B3 was a failure. Ferrari lost heart and on some occasions would only turn up with one car and even skipped two races that year – the Dutch Grand Prix and the German Grand Prix – in truth their season never really got going. They were sixth in the constructors’ standings when the year ended.

Meanwhile, FIAT were adamant that Formula 1 was the way to go for the company, but were alarmed by the on-track performance which tarnished the image of their substantial investment. They exerted pressure and in the end, Enzo had to make the choice to terminate his beloved sportscar programme for 1974 or focus the racing division solely on F1.

These were torrid days at Maranello as the two factions (F1 versus sportscars) fought for survival. In the end Formula 1 prevailed but it was a decidedly close call, with Enzo eventually swayed in the direction of Formula 1 for the future of his racing team. However insiders at the time tell stories of how the decision swayed one way or another on a daily basis until the final call was made.

It took the arrival of a charismatic young man – an Agnelli protege – by the name of Luca di Montezemolo, ‘convinced’ by Enzo to oversee the F1 operation and to energise the programme which was teetering on oblivion at the time.

Watching the first half of the 1973 season unfold from the sidelines, young Montezemolo knew what was required. Enzo made the 26-year-old direttore sportivo in June that year, at which point Colombo was replaced by Forghieri. Montezemolo was convinced that the latter was indeed on to a good thing with his version of the 312B3, while the former’s version was possibly the Scuderia’s worst F1 car ever built.

For 1974 the team rolled-out the Forghieri penned 312B3-74, which despite being unreliable, returned Ferrari to the top step of the F1 podium that year with Niki Lauda winning twice and Clay Regazzoni also claiming a victory as the team finished second in the constructors’ championship.

In 1975 the 312B3-74 evolved into the 312T in which Lauda won the team’s first F1 title in a decade. The rest, as they say, is history…

In closing, it is fitting to rewind to that key period in 1973 with Enzo having to decide which plug to pull: Formula 1 or sportcars. By all accounts, he was convinced at the time that sportscars were the way to go and expectations within the factory, especially after the disaster that was unfolding in the F1 World Championship for his team, was that sportscar racing would get the nod.

But FIAT knew better and were adamant that Formula 1 was the platform to promote the Ferrari brand. Years later it emerged that Montezemolo, an impressive chap even in his mid-twenties, was sent to spend time at Maranello by none less than Gianni Agnelli.

The objective was to convince Enzo that his sportscar programme, which at the time was on a high, needed to be shut down in favour of Formula 1 where they were at times (that season) the laughing stock of the paddock. Formula 1 certainly did not depend on Ferrari at the time as it supposedly needs to do so now

Not only did Montezemolo sway the ‘old man’ he did enough to convince Enzo to make him team chief at a very tender age – indeed many ridiculed the appointment. But for FIAT it was a case of killing two birds with one stone – they had convinced Ferrari to prioritise Formula 1 and at the same had their man in charge of the programme!

Fast forward 44 years and Montezemolo has now been replaced by the bellicose Marchionne, and although the world a vastly different place than in 1973 there are nevertheless two common denominators: Ferrari considers quitting the sport at the highest level and, for now, Formula 1 still is the best place for Ferrari to promote their brand.

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RICCIARDO OVERTAKING MASTER IN A SEASON OF LESS OVERTAKES

Daniel Ricciardo replaced Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen as Formula 1’s overtaking master in 2017, but the season saw half the number of overtaking moves following the introduction of faster and wider cars.

According to figures released by tyre supplier Pirelli on Tuesday, there were a total of 435 overtakes over the 20 races. In 2016, when there were 21 rounds, the sport racked up 866 moves. That worked out at an average of 21.8 per race in 2017, compared to 41.2 last year.

Azerbaijan Grand Prix winner Ricciardo made 43 overtakes, including 13 at Silverstone where he went from 19th on the British GP starting grid to finish fifth.

Verstappen, who topped last year’s Pirelli statistics with 78 passes in a season that also brought him a first victory, managed only 22 this time around.

On the plus side, the 20-year-old Dutch driver tied with Mercedes’ four times world champion Lewis Hamilton as the drivers who were overtaken least (twice in total).

The likely lack of overtaking had been flagged up before the season as a consequence of Formula One’s new-look cars which were faster through corners but harder to get past on slower circuits like Monaco.

The worst race for passing was the Russian Grand Prix, with just one overtake registered, while the liveliest was Azerbaijan’s chaotic race with 42.

Red Bull were the team with the most overtakes and, along with championship runners-up Ferrari, the ones who were passed the least.

An overtaking manoeuvre was deemed to be one that occurred during a complete fast lap, but not the first of any race. Any position changes due to major mechanical problems or drivers being lapped were not included.

Pirelli said pole position in 2017 was on average 2.450 seconds faster than in 2016, and the fastest race lap was on average 2.968 seconds quicker. The highest speed recorded was 362.4 kph by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in Mexico.

Next season will see an even faster tyre introduced, with softer compounds expected across the board.

Pirelli stats from the 2017 season:

 

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FIA INDUCTS 33 F1 WORLD CHAMPIONS TO HALL OF FAME

Formula 1 stars of past and present attended the FIA Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Automobile Club De France, in Paris on Monday night.

On the night the FIA’s president Jean Todt inducted 33 motor racing legends into the organisation’s newly created Hall of Fame, with the launch event attracting a host of stars to celebrate the occasion.

Todt said, “The FIA Hall of Fame has been created to highlight the values that run through motor sport and the champions who have been and who still are the exemplars of the FIA’s values of commitment, integrity, respect and sportsmanship.”

“This is the first stage of an ambitious project: the FIA Hall of Fame will soon expand to the FIA headquarters in Geneva, and other champions and other disciplines will be in the spotlight in the coming years.”

“In this way, we will celebrate all the FIA champions who have made, and who still make the history of motorsport so incredibly rich and inspiring,” added the FIA president.

The 2016 Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg was in attendance, as were multiple F1 world champions and current drivers Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.

The German commented, Vettel said: “It’s been incredible to see all these names, all these faces. Obviously a lot of them I only know from what I have read, what I have seen, but I think it’s a great idea.”

“There’s so much history in the sports, it’s still so alive, and thanks to events like tonight’s, we’ll keep it like that. I love racing but as you get older you change your way of thinking and I think your appreciation for things and definitely for things like tonight grows,” added Vettel.

“An emotional night,” Alonso wrote on Twitter. “Great honour to be part of the Hall of Fame of the FIA. Share space with the great drivers of the history of the sport that I love.”

Also in attendance at the inaugural ceremony were Mario Andretti, Sir Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell, Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill.

Mansell said, “I’d like to thank the FIA for making this evening possible for all of us. It’s such a special evening. I’d also like to congratulate all the other drivers here, truly they are all tremendous.”

Hill, who in 1996 followed in the footsteps of his double title-winning father Graham, added, “It was always very difficult to get it through my head that I’d become a world champion at all, so the thrill continues, and it just an amazing honour to be included.”

“You see the people who are here and the names mentioned – Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Sir Jackie Stewart and it’s hard to believe I’m in the same gang. So, congratulations to the FIA for instigating the Hall of Fame and thank your for including me,” added Hill.

Finally, the sport’s most successful competitor, seven-star driver Michael Schumacher, was inducted, with long-time manager Sabine Kehm on hand to accept his award.

“We all know Michael should be here and I am totally sure he would love to be here,” she said. “He always had the highest respect for everyone in this room and he would be very honoured. What made Michael so special, what made him so successful was, as with everybody in this room, a love and passion for this sport.”

The FIA have awarded the Hall of Fame accolade to every drivers’ F1 World Champion since the first championship in 1950 which was won by Giuseppe Farina.

One notable absentee at the function was Lewis Hamilton who missed the Paris ceremony to attend the 2017 Fashion Awards at London’s Royal Albert Hall on the same night.

F1 World Champions inducted into the Hall of Fame on the inaugural night are: Giuseppe Farina, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari, Mike Hawthorn, Jack Brabham, Phil Hill, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, John Surtees, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, Jochen Rindt, Emmerson Fittipaldi, Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Mario Andretti, Jody Scheckter, Alan Jones, Nelson Piquet, Keke Rosberg, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg.