FORMULA 1

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MORE FERRARI HORSEPOWER ON THE CARDS AFTER THE BREAK

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff is forecasting a “very strong” performance by Ferrari after the summer break as their star driver Sebastian Vettel seeks to end a year-long winless streak.

Marca newspaper reports that the Maranello team, which was outclassed by Mercedes and Red Bull-Honda in Hungary, will unveil its third-specification engine at Spa.

The Spanish publication said the new engine should deliver a 20 horsepower boost.

Even without considering the new engine, Mercedes boss Wolff said he already expected Ferrari to be strong at the high-speed circuits that await after the August break.

“In Hungary, it was clear that the Ferrari was not well adapted to the circuit,” Wolff said. “But they have a very powerful engine, so we should see a very strong Ferrari at Spa and Monza. We’ll have to work hard to be competitive.”

In Italy media are sceptical as the season lies in tatters for the Reds, more horsepower is hardly going to rectify the intrinsic downforce problems and the struggle to get the SF90 into the optimum tyre window when it matters.

Vettel told Sky after finishing third in Hungary, albeit over a minute behind race winner Lewis Hamilton and second-placed Max Verstappen, “It’s not so easy to come up with magic solutions. You always look for a silver bullet, but I’ve never come across a guy who’s actually found one in over 10 years. We’ll keep looking though.”

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Alexander Albon: Red Bull promotion in rookie season is 'surreal'

Alexander Albon has described his call-up to the Red Bull team "surreal", having only raced in Formula 1 since the beginning of the season.

Albon, who himself was originally dropped by Red Bull before he made it to F1, joined Toro Rosso after Pierre Gasly was promoted for the 2019 season and Red Bull had very few options for the second seat at STR alongside the returning Daniil Kvyat – another driver dropped and re-hired by Red Bull.

As if that wasn't surreal enough for Albon, who looked set to compete in Formula E rather than F1, just 12 races later he's been promoted to the top team alongside Max Verstappen and is understandably thankful for the opportunity.

"Surreal to have been given this massive opportunity [by] Red Bull Racing," he wrote on his social media.

"Can’t thank you enough for believing in me and making this possible. It’s a big jump into the deep end, but I’ve got my swimming shorts on!

"Thanks to all the guys at Toro Rosso, especially [team principal] Franz Tost for the massive opportunity in F1 and never-ending support throughout my first year! 

"Now to focus for my first race with the team in Spa."

Albon's promotion doesn't guarantee him a seat next year, with Red Bull insisting it will use the next nine races to evaluate his performance before making a decision on its 2020 driver line-up.

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Feature: Does Red Bull risk repeating the same mistake?

Red Bull is clearly not a fan of staying quiet during the summer break…

When the Belgian Grand Prix rolls around the #10 will have been peeled from one RB15 and replaced with the #23, signifying that it has lost short-term faith in Pierre Gasly and instead is taking the opportunity to evaluate Alexander Albon, a situation that appeared improbable given the public support it gave to the Frenchman prior to the shutdown.

It means that a driver once dropped by Red Bull is now racing for Red Bull, replacing a driver who will now team up at Toro Rosso alongside a driver previously demoted by Red Bull and once dropped entirely altogether. It is also the first case of a mid-season F1 replacement since… Gasly replaced Daniil Kvyat in late 2017. 

It is in a fortunate position in that it has four seats available across its two teams. Red Bull’s senior management has always made clear that its drivers are interchangeable between the respective squads. Red Bull is in a fight for second in the Constructors’ Championship, has won races, and is in sight of Ferrari. It cannot finish lower than the third it currently occupies. It also gives Red Bull time and chances to work out who will partner Max Verstappen in 2020. Ie, there is nothing to lose from a team perspective. 

But what about from the drivers’ view? While Red Bull can be praised for handing opportunities to drivers who otherwise may not have made Formula 1, that merry-go-round mentioned above is not an indicator of healthy career developments.  

Let’s take a short view into the past.

Kvyat was promoted to Red Bull after just one year, his trajectory accelerated by Sebastian Vettel’s unexpected departure to Ferrari, and his 2015 was solid but unspectacular. A woeful start to 2016, allied to Red Bull’s fear of losing Verstappen to a rival, and his fate was sealed. He spent the next year-and-a-half looking somewhere between angst-ridden and broken. A year out did serve him well, and this season he has cut a fresh and motivated figure, regularly delivering, but the general consensus is his early promotion (GP3 to Red Bull in 18 months) was misguided.

Gasly had to wait for his opportunity to make the Formula 1 step but impressed at Toro Rosso in 2018. He finished fourth in Bahrain. Seventh in Monaco. Sixth in Hungary. When Toro Rosso, then in the early months of its Honda partnership, was in the ballpark, Gasly was there to profit. He was, though, still expected to stay with Toro Rosso into 2019. Daniel Ricciardo’s shock Renault move prompted Red Bull into a decision it never appeared to want to make, with the only other viable choice – Carlos Sainz Jr. – out of favour and en route to McLaren. Gasly has had a horrible campaign, far below even the lowest of expectations, with Silverstone’s apparent breakthrough followed by a dismal clash with Albon in Germany and a display in Hungary in which he failed to beat the midfield. Perhaps the demotion will give him a chance to re-group. But ultimately Red Bull made the call in the first place. Gasly has culpability for not performing but it’s also on Red Bull that it has not worked out. The ‘tough love’ approach may work for some drivers (Verstappen) but not for others – and Gasly falls into the latter category. 

And so on to Albon. Kvyat had 19 races before his Red Bull move, Gasly 23, while Albon will climb into the senior team after just 12 races, having not tested Formula 1 machinery prior to February. 

It has been quite the rise.

Albon’s ability had been lauded by rivals for years. Charles Leclerc rated him as one of the best. Lando Norris even had a poster of Albon on his bedroom wall. But Albon lacked money, and in early 2018 was on a round-by-round deal with DAMS that eventually led to a cut-price full-season. That faith was rewarded with third spot and a factory deal with the DAMS-run Nissan Formula E squad. Ironically it was Ricciardo’s exit, Red Bull’s lack of viable options, and Albon’s own displays that prompted Helmut Marko to pick up the phone to the Anglo-Thai… And so on to 2019. Albon has impressed on occasion. He bounced back from a hefty FP3 shunt in China to score. He took a fine eighth in Monaco. He was outstanding in Germany – his first F1 experience in the rain – and was unfortunate not to classify higher than sixth. As well-received as Kvyat’s podium was, Albon was better on that particular race day. 

It's been quite the rise for young Alexander Albon!

A young driver impressing at Toro Rosso. For Kvyat in 2014, Gasly in 2018, read Albon in 2019 (and, perhaps, for 2020 that will be someone else – perchance current F3 front-runner Juri Vips?) The past lessons show there is a danger of history repeating itself. Everyone – on a purely human level – will be hoping that Gasly can re-find the confidence and faith in his own natural ability to return as a more formidable racer. And everyone will be hoping that the amiable Albon can profit from an opportunity that no-one could have foreseen 12 months ago. 

But if not, will anyone be surprised if in 12 months’ time another ‘New Driver Line-up for Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’ press release drops into the inbox?

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Mercedes will not intervene to keep German GP on calendar

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says that the Stuttgart manufacturer will not intervene to try to keep the German Grand Prix on the 2020 Formula 1 calendar, despite helping to ensure that this year’s race took place.

The German GP is set to be the only current event missing when next season’s schedule is confirmed, with Vietnam and the Netherlands bumping the total up to 22.

Hockenheim subsequently signed a one-year deal with an option on F1’s side for 2020, but that has not been taken up, with Liberty viewing the fee involved as insufficient.

“Last year’s deal came up pretty spontaneously,” said Wolff. “We had a meeting on Sunday morning with Chase and Sean, and they said would you be able to help us bridging the gap?

“And in half an hour we bartered out a deal in order to make the German GP happen. But this is not something which we are in a position to continue.

"Also because I believe that we shouldn’t really be interfering in the business of Liberty and F1 – it is up to them to decide which tracks are on or off.”

Wolff stressed that Mercedes didn’t want to get involved in pushing for its home Grand Prix, despite its obvious value to the company.

“First of all I believe it’s really encouraging that there is lots of interest in hosting a race," he said. "Liberty has the great problem of having more demand than supply, and that is good, and also good for the teams, because fundamentally we share a large part of the prize fund.

“And this is where I would like to leave it, because it’s Chase’s and his team’s call to decide where we go.

“For us the German GP is important, because Daimler is a German company, and there are lots of family and friends in Germany, but we can’t interfere in their business.

"We can encourage them to look at the German GP, but it’s Chase’s call to decide where we go.”

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F1 teams reviewing Pirelli target letter for 2020-21

The FIA has sent a new Pirelli tyre target letter to all the Formula 1 teams, and is now awaiting feedback before its contents are frozen and it's signed off.
The letter covers both next year and 2021, the first season with the new 18-inch tyres that are a major part of the future rules package.

Following months of discussions all parties have agreed on three main targets of a wider working range, less overheating, and low degradation.

Details such as the specific numbers for the latter could yet be modified, depending on the feedback of the teams.

"They have the target letter now," said Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola.

"And we are happy to receive their comments as soon as possible to see if we can address some of the requests. The process is ongoing. And obviously in this target letter we also cover 2021, so there's double work on that.

"We worked a lot on the target letter, together with the FIA and F1, because it's not easy to measure the targets and define the targets. Sometimes people believe that it's just a matter of writing a number on a piece of paper, but it's not like that.

"You need to understand the numbers, you have to understand how to measure the targets, otherwise it's useless, and we are working hard on that. And we probably need to review the target letter in the future to adapt it to the conditions that we will experience with 18ins tyres and so on.

"The idea is to go on a low degradation tyre, more resistant to overheating, so drivers can push the tyres and so on.

"Then we have to define exactly what we mean with that. If we say that we have three compounds at each race with zero degradation, it's useless because everybody's just using the quickest. When we say low degradation tyres we have to put numbers on that."

Isola said that the parameters for 2020 and 2021 are related, but not identical, given the massive change in the dimensions and construction of the 18-inch tyres.

"Yes, some of the targets are very similar, some of the targets are more for 2021, to have something that is comparable when we move to the new size, to understand the level of performance, to understand there are some parameters that they want to consider in order to make the design of the car that is in line with the tyres that you are developing, otherwise you are disconnected, and it's not good," he said.

Asked when the teams have to reply, Isola said: "We don't have deadlines. What is important now is to freeze the targets for 2020, because we are running out of time. And then we have a bit more time for 2021.

"We will start track testing in September, but it's the first real test with the 18 inch tyre, so we need to understand where we are in terms of product, so we have a bit of time to define the targets for 2021.

"But considering that the plan is to freeze the regulation in October, we should also freeze the target letter in October."

As previously noted, Pirelli has only one more 2020 track test – with Mercedes at Paul Ricard in September – before it has to finalise next tyres for a group test in Abu Dhabi in December.

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Refueling is too expensive....pfffftt!!! Glad to see Jean Todt put a damper on that statement. I bet they could cut $2.5m out of their yearly champagne budget alone.

I hope Albon has the goods for the big Red Bull. Max’s comments about himself come off pretty douchey.

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Oh and despite Toto’s comments about Bottas, I don’t think he will land softly. If he can’t beat Hamilton in a Mercedes, it sure isn’t gonna happen in anything else! Just look at Kimi. He is finishing mid field in a slower car.

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20 hours ago, avaldes said:

Oh and despite Toto’s comments about Bottas, I don’t think he will land softly. If he can’t beat Hamilton in a Mercedes, it sure isn’t gonna happen in anything else! Just look at Kimi. He is finishing mid field in a slower car.

Bottas and Kimi in Alfas would be great. 

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VERSTAPPEN: I DON’T CARE WHO MY TEAMMATE IS

As Formula 1 wafted into the much-needed summer break after the drama of Hungary, Helmut Marko led all to believe that Pierre Gasly would not lose his drive and that he would finish the season with Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen who has walloped his teammate.

But yesterday he delivered a bombshell, that will put his word in question forever, when it was announced that Gasly was going back to Toro Rosso and Alex Albon getting the nod to replace the driver of car #10.

Indeed, team boss, Christian Horner insisted around the same time that Gasly would not be dropped. But he was and the Frenchman’s reality did get some sympathy from Verstappen who told De Telegraaf, “Of course it is a pity for Pierre, but personally I don’t care who my teammate is.”

“The point is that we perform better with the other car and thereby gain more points for the team,” explained the Dutchman who was simply no match for Gasly in all facets.

Meanwhile, the fact that Daniil Kvyat did not get the nod is perhaps a surprise and the comments are buzzing with debate, but is it really a surprise?

The team know what they have in Kvyat and one would safely bet that if after a few races Albon is as woeful as Gasly was in the same car they will give Russian a second crack with the senior team because they simply have no other option other than the highly, highly unlikely scenario offering Fernando Alonso a ride alongside Verstappen in 2020.

Notably, Kvyat is the driver who was demoted from Red Bull to Toro Rosso to make way for Verstappen in 2016. That was at the Spanish Grand Prix and the rest, as they say, is history.

Fast forward three years and this time they are taking rookie Albon and flinging him into the deep end with Verstappen, told to swim, keep up with Max and also help fight for the team, something Gasly was unable to do. Nevertheless, a tall order for any driver right now let alone one with 12 grand prix starts on his CV.

Thus the stage is set for what should be a riveting episode or two for Netflix, amid a season that appears to have found some fire ahead of the summer break after a bland early-season spell of the monotony of Mercedes domination.

Red Bull spin doctors inadvertently, or not, timed the Gasly-Albon swap announcement at an impeccable time as the summer break tends to slow down most news we can extract from our world, and this is a welcome headline-grabbing wake-up call from the masters of marketing.

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JOS VERSTAPPEN: HAMILTON IS RATTLED BY MAX

Max Verstappen’s father Jos believes the on-form Red Bull driver has rattled reigning five-time Formula 1 World Champion and 2019 championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

“When you see what kind of races Max has been driving, I don’t think you can be surprised,” Jos Verstappen, himself a former F1 driver, said of his son and the pressure being put on the dominance of Mercedes.

Verstappen senior believes the World Champions are clearly coming under pressure by Max, “You can tell by the things Hamilton has been saying.

“Why would he respond to rumours? He says that the Honda engine is better than Mercedes now, but I don’t think that’s the case on the straights.”

At the same time, Jos says his 21-year-old son is remaining cool despite the goading, even after securing his first-ever pole position in Hungary, “Max never spoke to me about that. It never bothered him. He is totally unconcerned with things like that.”

Verstappen’s only focus, it seems, is on victories and the world championship. Jos said Max will “absolutely” be at Red Bull-Honda in 2020.

F1 driver Stefan Johansson predicts, “I think this is the beginning of a new era. As I said a year ago, Verstappen and Honda will dominate, probably for four or five years once they get it right, which they will.

“When Honda is committed they always get it right in the end, and once they do they are very hard to stop,” he added.

And when that happens, Jos thinks his son will be a “hero” in Japan, “What happened with Senna may now happen with Max. And that’s only good.”

For a start, Verstappen junior is fully supportive of Red Bull’s decision at the end of last year to dump Renault and switch to Honda, “The whole preparation is so much better than in previous years.”

“There is a real collaboration and exchange of ideas between Red Bull and Honda. We try to help them, they try to help us. The Honda people are real winners and so are we. The level of devotion is the same on both sides,” he added.

However, with the points gap to Hamilton standing at almost 70 points, team boss Christian Horner thinks a true championship challenge will need to wait for now.

“As we get better performance from the car, and as Honda moves forward, it will be a year of construction for 2020,” he is quoted by Auto Hebdo.

“Hopefully there are more exciting races to come this year, and Max can keep racing against Lewis and Ferrari. It’s promising for the future,” said Horner.

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NO SURPRISE ABOUT GASLY, BUT FEW SAW ALBON COMING

Out of favour Red Bull F1 driver Pierre Gasly is vowing to push on after being dumped by the senior team to make way for Toro Rosso rookie Alex Albon.

Despite repeatedly insisting that the struggling Frenchman would stay with Toro Rosso at least for the rest of 2019, Red Bull announced on Monday that he will in fact be replaced immediately after the summer break by Alex Albon.

“The team will use the next nine races to evaluate Alex’s performance in order to make an informed decision as to who will drive alongside Max (Verstappen) in 2020,” read a statement.

It is bitter news for 23-year-old Gasly, even though his F1 career is not over completely as he returns to Toro Rosso.

RMC Sport quoted Gasly’s manager as saying he will now “show his true value in a team he loves and with whom he has already proven himself”.

The brutality of Red Bull’s driver programme is well known, and the pressure will now be on British-born Thai rookie Albon to survive and thrive alongside the on-form Verstappen.

“It’s a big jump into the deep end, but I’ve got my swimming shorts on,” the quietly spoken 23-year-old said.

Former F1 driver and Dutch GP boss Jan Lammers told De Telegraaf newspaper that Red Bull’s decision is not surprising, “On the one hand it’s tough for Gasly, but on the other Red Bull has repeatedly and loudly stated that he should perform better.”

“All in all it’s understandable. If Red Bull wants to be world champion with Max next year, they need a driver comparable to Daniel Ricciardo,” Lammers added.

But another Dutch driver and pundit, Tom Coronel, thinks Red Bull is now risking the early career of the promising rookie Albon, “I would have taken Kvyat.”

“He’s like Nico Hulkenberg or Kevin Magnussen: good, fast, experienced. And with nothing to lose. But this puts so much pressure on Albon. Perhaps they have seen something in him that I haven’t.”

As for Gasly, he must now cling to his 38-grand prix old Formula 1 career back at Toro Rosso.

“I feel for Pierre,” said former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde. “But never give up mate, get your confidence back and the flow you were in last year and I’m sure you can prove everyone wrong.”

Adding to the challenges the rookie will face is the man in the #33 car who he will share a garage with. Verstappen is already well established among the top two or three drivers on the grid and his destruction of Gasly was clinical and relentless as if the Frenchman was not even in the team.

Albon will be aware of this and knows he will have to continue to raise his game as in the Red Bull there is simply nowhere to hide, he has to deliver during the next nine races or inevitably suffer a similar plight to Gasly.

MIKA: Brutality? I don't think it's that brutal.

Not performing in a team Gasly shouldn't have been in, in the first place is in part, RBR fault.

Gasly was never ready for RBR, I was surprised they chose him to begin with!

But....at least he doesn't lose a drive and moves back to Toro Rosso. Some people have been less fortunate.

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BINOTTO: VETTEL WILL BE WITH FERRARI IN 2020

Mattia Binotto says Ferrari will head into 2020 with an unchanged driver lineup putting an end to rampant speculation about the future of Sebastian Vettel, with one latest Silly Season theory being that he could return to Red Bull next year.

Indeed, Vettel gives himself just five out of ten for his first half of the season in which he has yet to win a race, “Five. Not happy with the first half.”

But for team boss Binotto repeated what he has said before, namely that there is every reason to honour Vettel’s 2020 contract.

“We have a couple of high-level drivers and I see no reason why we have to change anything,” he is quoted by Marca. “Both have a contract and there is no doubt that Vettel will be with us in 2020.”

Binotto also commented on Charles Leclerc, who had a strong start to his first Ferrari season but also made some mistakes, “Charles is in his first year with Ferrari and there is a lot of pressure.

“He has made some mistakes but he is all about learning and not repeating them,” added the Ferrari team chief.

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ZEHNDER: RAIKKONEN DRIVES WITHOUT INSTRUCTIONS

Alfa Romeo, formerly Sauber, is more than impressed with Kimi Raikkonen, the veteran Formula 1 driver who was dropped from Ferrari at the end of last season and found refuge with the Swiss team.

Raikkonen actually started his F1 career at Sauber as a controversially-inexperienced 21-year-old, with Beat Zehnder as the team manager.

Zehnder is still at Hinwil, and he told Auto Motor und Sport he is now even more impressed with Raikkonen after his 21 wins and the 2007 title.

“Kimi drives without instructions,” Zehnder enthused. Indeed, Raikkonen is famous for once telling his Lotus engineer over the radio: “Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing.”

Alfa Romeo is even somewhat of a one-driver team at present, as Antonio Giovinazzi has scored just 1 of the team’s 31 points so far in 2019.

“We let him down a bit at the beginning of the season,” Zehnder said of the Italian. “But now he is improving more and more.”

But 39-year-old Raikkonen, he says, is a different thing entirely, “Kimi does it all by himself. He understands everything.

“The engineers discuss with each other whether we need to change an engine setting, but at that very moment, Kimi changes it on his own. He knows exactly what he has to do and when,” added Zehnder.

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FORMULA 1 WORKING TO DEVELOP NON-FOSSIL FUELS

Formula 1 chief Chase Carey has vowed to push ahead with introducing non-fossil fuels at the highest level of motorsport as the sport seeks to remain sustainable and relevant to the auto industry going forward.

In June, we quoted Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul as saying one way the sport could rev up its green credentials would be to contemplate carbon-neutral fuels.

It appears that F1 CEO Carey agrees and although he is not a critic of the current ‘power unit’ era, even though many fans miss the brutal sounds of the V8s and V10s of the past.

“The hybrid engine was an incredible step forward in terms of fuel efficiency while retaining power,” Carey said. “We are now working aggressively with the oil industry on synthetic fuels, biofuels, hydrogen fuels.”

“I think between now and year-end, you will see the sustainability issue becoming a much more front and centre part of our story,” he added.

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Daniel Ricciardo sees Ferrari parallels with Red Bull 2014 situation

Daniel Ricciardo believes there are “a few similarities” in the situation at Ferrari to the one he experienced with Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull in 2014.

Four-time World Champion Vettel has been paired with Ferrari protégé Charles Leclerc, in his second season, at the team this year, and the pair have so far been similarly matched.

Leclerc has taken two pole positions to Vettel’s one, though neither have won a race, while Vettel holds a 24-point buffer over his team-mate, with six podiums to five.

In 2014 Ricciardo partnered Vettel at Red Bull, having stepped up from Toro Rosso, and finished comfortably ahead in the standings, with Vettel departing at the end of the year for Ferrari.

Both Ferrari drivers have 2020 contracts.

“There are a few similarities: the young guy coming up to give the older guy a hard time.” said Ricciardo.

“We have seen a little bit of this now with Charles. You probably have to ask Seb, but I am sure that there are some similarities there, and a bit of pressure from the young guy coming up.

“I still think Seb is strong enough to be able to overcome it if that is the case. It is really up to him.

“If he starts to gather some momentum you could see him start to find his form again.

“But also Charles is young and still will probably keep improving, so I think Charles will be at the front for many years.

“Up to Seb how he handles it. Probably up to Seb as well how long he wants to spend. If he keeps motivation and focus, he has the talent to stay for another few years. But that is up to him.”

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McLaren open to giving IndyCar drivers a shot at F1

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has not ruled out using the Woking-based outfit to test drivers from the NTT IndyCar Series for a potential shot at Formula 1.

Earlier this month McLaren announced it would be joining forces with the Arrow Schmidt Peterson outfit from 2020 to create McLaren Racing SP which will be powered by Chevrolet.

The move to a full-time effort with the Arrow SPM team came after a failed attempt to qualify for the 2019 Indianapolis 500 as a standalone outfit.

Currently, the McLaren SP IndyCar line-up is unknown, albeit James Hinchcliffe is under contract for 2020, however, a potential personal contract with Honda could pose an issue despite a social media post hinting he could remain with the team.

The FIA currently offers 40 points to the IndyCar champion, 30 for second, 20 for third and 10 for fourth, with further points on offer all the way to one point for finishing in 10th.

IndyCar drivers already require an International A racing licence, so there are no hurdles to cross regarding eligibility to get track time in F1 machinery.

When asked if there could be a collaboration between the F1 and IndyCar teams, Brown said: "We currently have a rookie driver [Sergio Sette Camara] who is under obligation of some rookie tests in Formula 1.

"Certainly if we feel that one of our IndyCar drivers has a credible chance in Formula 1, then for sure, we would look to put that driver in for some rookie testing.

"I think that's one of the exciting things about a combined Formula 1 and IndyCar effort is it will create opportunities for drivers, engineers, especially as we look into the budget cap and Formula One will start to change. There will be different ways to deploy our resources.

"But specifically on drivers, the answer is yes for the right one."

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Why Renault's billion-dollar F1 gamble is failing

Renault is currently behind its Formula 1 customer team McLaren, in a season that it started with such high hopes.
The French marque is sixth in the constructors’ standings despite heavy investment in recent years, and in a season where it promised to fight at the front of F1’s midfield and move towards the championship’s ‘big three’ leading manufacturers.

Off the back of F1 Racing’s ‘Renault: The $1billion gamble’ feature, the magazine’s editor Ben Anderson is joined by Edd Straw and Stuart Codling to investigate why the team has fallen short once again.

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Kvyat slams move to further limit F1 testing

Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat says he “100 percent disagrees” with Formula 1’s mooted pre-season testing reduction, believing the championship already has “too little testing”.
With the 2020 grand prix calendar set to expand to 22 races, F1 is believed to be heading towards a revamped testing schedule, with options such a single five-day test week or six days across two weeks proposed to replace the current eight-day arrangement.

Kvyat is convinced, however, that neither of these moves would be right for F1, as they would mean the balance between real on-track testing and simulator work for an F1 driver would shift further towards the latter.

“I disagree with that [idea] completely, to be honest, because we already have too little testing,” Kvyat said. “I mean, we should do more real driving, rather than simulator driving. I 100 percent disagree with that.

“What we are doing now is a minimum from a driver point of view. I am not too keen to drive in a simulator, I'd rather do a lot more test days and travel even [more].

“This is not the way Formula 1 should be. We should be driving. Sport should be about... this is the only sport where we practice so little outside the racing weekend.

“Maybe I am not saying [it needs to be] as much as it was in the past with free testing, but we shouldn't get less than now, I think.”

Kvyat believes that the ideal amount of official testing per year lies somewhere “between 16 and 20” days, as opposed to the current 12 days, including four days of in-season testing.

“But then also the amount of races will increase next year, so it goes a bit against it, but then maybe simulator should be reduced or something. I don't know.

“But me as a driver I would rather [prefer] so much more [to] drive the real car on a real track, than do this simulator job. No way!”

Kvyat’s now-former teammate Alex Albon has likewise argued against a reduction in testing, believing it would adversely affect newcomers to grand prix racing.

“I think it’s the wrong way, to be honest. I know we’ve got budget cuts and everything like that but you also have to respect rookies, I think,” Albon said.

“In the end it has to be for cost reasons, which I kind of understand, but the big teams, when they’re not testing, then they invest the money in software, et cetera, and they’ll always spend the money elsewhere to develop simulations to simulate testing.

“So I kind of understand the reason but I wouldn’t wish anyone to be a rookie and to only do that amount of testing.”

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Steiner: Haas's problems bigger than if it had slow car

Haas Formula 1 boss Gunther Steiner believes it would be easier to solve his team's problems if it had a slower car.
Despite being seen as favourite to lead the midfield pack at the start of the season, the American squad has endured a tough year so far as it has failed to get to grips with how the VF-19 uses its tyres.

Steiner, whose team has dropped to ninth in the constructors' championship, labelled the car the "strangest" he has ever worked with.

The Italian admits that, with the car showing flashes of impressive speed, finding solutions for its shortcomings has been harder than if the car was always uncompetitive.

"We've got a lot of work to do, and we know that for the rest of the season that we need to learn to manage the car and the tyres better," said Steiner.

"If you have a bad car you get a big problem, but if you think with the car which sometimes performs the problem is smaller, you know, it is even bigger.

"Because it is somewhere, and you just need to find it, and it is difficult."

Steiner acknowledges it is vital for the team to sort out its issues with the tyres in order to avoid "falling in this trap" with next year's car.

Asked what a realistic target was for the remainder of the season, Steiner said: "A battle. A realistic target result-wise, I have no idea.

"To get as much understanding as possible between the tyre and the car. I mean the car we have got influence, obviously, but the tyre... if that is ruling what your aero does you can't do a lot about it, you know, and to find that one out is difficult.

"So I don't really know. [The goal is] to get a good understanding, so we are not falling in this trap next year, but again the tyre will change next year."

While Steiner says the challenge of designing the 2020 car is made trickier by the situation with the current one, he admits the team has no choice but to start working for the future.

"It is well organised," he said of the 2020 car design. "You have to do it, because you cannot just live day by day. You need to see the bigger picture as well, and that is part of what you need to do.

"You cannot just get eaten up by it. You get eaten up on the weekend, and then you try to go back to a mission about what you want to do also in future.

"And there is a short term, and a long term which you have to have in your mind and just act accordingly, but never panicking to something, because that doesn't help as well."

[MIKA27]

RACING POINT. A SEASON OF TWO HALVES

After a tough 2018 season, which saw the team going into administration, 2019 would be a fresh start. The team started off with a 2018 chassis and added a few 2019 parts that were mandated by the new rules.

Since the car wasn’t a full 2019-spec car, the gathered data wouldn’t showcase the true potential but the signs were there to have a decent season.

Australia. On Saturday, it became clear that Perez had a better feeling with the car than Stroll did as the Mexican qualified in 10th while the Canadian got stuck in Q1 and had to start from 16th on the grid. After the finish flag dropped on Sunday, the tables were turned as Stroll finished in 8th position while Perez went backwards to come home in 13th

Bahrain. On Saturday, Perez proved once again that he was better during qualifying as he progressed to Q2 and got himself a 14th starting position. Stroll couldn’t get the lap together and had to settle with 18th position on the grid. On Sunday, Perez made the best of it and scored a point by finishing 10th while Stroll couldn’t manage to climb any higher than 14th.

China. Qualifying on Saturday was another win for Perez over Stroll as Perez stranded in Q2 with a 12th grid slot. Stroll, however, couldn’t get out of Q1 again and had to start in 16th. Sunday was a good day for Perez as he finished 8th while Stroll did his best but couldn’t make up enough ground and crossed the finish line in 12th.

Baku. The race with the long straight should help Racing Point as they have the strong Mercedes engine. Perez, once again, showed potential as he qualified on 5th position. Stroll, however, couldn’t get out of Q1, again, but would start in 14th, due to exclusions from Raikkonen and Gasly. Sunday proved to be different as Perez lost some ground to finish 6th but Stroll, who stood on the podium in Baku once before, showed he liked the track as he battled his way through the field to cross the finish line in 9th position.

Spain. The circuit which sees most teams bring all kinds of upgrades and updates but Racing Point only brought updates as they were still using the 2018 car with 2019 parts. During qualifying on Saturday, it showed many teams made progress as both drivers were losing ground with Perez ending up in 15th while Stroll got stuck in Q1 again, having to start from 17th. On Sunday, it went from bad to worse as Stroll got a DNF, due to a collision while Perez struggled to a 15th position.

Monaco. It was a tall order on Saturday as both drivers couldn’t get the car in the sweetspot and Perez had to settle with 17th while Stroll lined up behind Perez in 18th. The Sunday in Monaco could always bring a few surprises but not for Racing Point. Perez got up to 12th at the finish but Stroll even dropped behind the Williams and crossed the finish line in 16th.

6 races done and before we head over to Canada, a quick thought. The car isn’t performing at its best and both drivers struggle too much to get the car working like they want it to. Perez is still the faster one on Saturday but Stroll seems to have better races on Sunday. If both drivers could take something from one another, they could have a better continuation of the season in Canada. The wait is still on the full 2019 spec car but at least data has been gathered throughout the first 6 races.

Canada. Starting off with qualifying on Saturday, and the team was really hurt by the lack of upgrades as Perez and Stroll didn’t get out of Q1. Perez got to start from 16th while Stroll would line up directly behind Perez on the grid in 18th. Canada however, sometimes gives the strangest races and so both drivers did their best to fight their way up the field. This meant that Perez finished 12th, but the surprise of the day was Stroll, who scored points for the Silverstone based team as he finished in 9th position.

France. Back in Europe on a circuit that looks more like large parking-lot with paint all over it but the team was determined to make the best of it. Another disappointment as Stroll didn’t make it out of Q1 again and had to start 18th while Perez did a little better to start from 14th. Maybe Sunday would go a bit better but it was another pointless race as Perez finished 12th, 1 place in front of Stroll, who managed a 13th place finish.

Austria. On Saturday it was clear that the team was desperate for a large upgrade as both drivers couldn’t get out of Q1. Perez was slightly better in 16th than Stroll in 17th so it seemed they both took the maximum out of the car. Sunday proved to be a fun race for a lot of teams but Racing Point just missed out on the fun as Perez crossed the finish in 11th position while Stroll got stuck in 14th.

England. On Saturday, rumours started that Racing Point could have large upgrades from Germany onwards but the weekend on Silverstone, home of the Racing Point team, had to be conquered first. During qualifying, it didn’t look good as Stroll was out in Q1 again and had to start in 18th while Perez was slowest in Q2 so started in 15th position. It had to be done on Sunday. Friends and family of team members were invited and the spirits were high. It didn’t help because Stroll finished outside the points in 13th but Perez his day was even worse when he came in last, in 17th position.

Germany. A weekend with changing weather conditions could mix things up but before the weekend started, Racing Point announced a major upgrade. The chassis would still be the same but almost everything else would be new. The tide seemed to be turning as on Saturday, Perez qualified in 8th but more surprisingly, Stroll got out of Q1 and started the race in 15th position. Sunday started in wet and during the race dried up, mixed with a little drizzle. Although Perez dropped it on lap 1 and spun out of the race, Stroll finished an impressive 4th and scored some good points for the team.

Hungary. Another upgrade for the team as they brought a new suspension set-up. Both drivers had to get used to it as on Saturday, both didn’t get out of Q1 and Perez had to settle with 17th starting position while Stroll got 19th. Sunday became a race about “could’ve, should’ve, would’ve” but ended up with Perez in 11th and Stroll in 17th, 2 laps down.

Now it’s the summer break so what did we learn so far?

Racing Point is slowly dialling in the 2019 car. Perez is faster than Stroll on a Saturday but comes short on Sunday, looking at overall positions gained. They have a good engine so if they can get all thing lined up and get the car in the perfect operating window, both Perez and Stroll should be able to extract more out of the car.

I expect Perez to do so but personally, I still have my reservations with Stroll but with his dad owning the team, I don’t see Stroll out of F1 in 2020. Being 8th in the constructors’ championship, just 1 point behind Alfa Romeo and 8 points behind Renault, the Silverstone based team has all to play for in the second half of the season.

[MIKA27]

VILLENEUVE: OCON TOO RISKY, MERCEDES SHOULD KEEP BOTTAS

Jacques Villeneuve does not think Mercedes should drop Valtteri Bottas despite many pundits predicting it is likely that team boss Toto Wolff will replace the Finn for 2020 with Mercedes reserve driver Esteban Ocon.

Outspoken 1997 world champion Villeneuve thinks Mercedes should keep Bottas as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate.

“Why would you do that?” he said when considering the prospect of the Hamilton-Bottas partnership being broken up. Of course, they should continue with Bottas. How many times have they been first and second this season?

“If he was half a second slower at every race, like he was last year, then ok, you can replace him, but that is not the case.”

As for Ocon, Villeneuve commented: “Why would you take him? He is yet to prove himself. I don’t know exactly how good he is and would never take that risk.”

Meanwhile, during his summer break, Bottas, is testing an unbranded M-Sport world rally championship-spec Ford Fiesta in Germany.

“You always learn something when you drive,” Bild newspaper quotes Bottas as saying about the ‘secret’ test.

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff has made it clear that Bottas and Ocon are the only two candidates to be Lewis Hamilton’s teammate next year.

[MIKA27]

MARKO: WE HAD TO REACT AND GIVE ALBON THE CHANCE

Red Bull driver-maker-or-breaker Helmut Marko has shed light on his decision to demote Pierre Gasly from the senior team back to Toro Rosso and replacing him with rookie Alex Albon.

While Gasly’s fate came as no surprise, Albon’s promotion ahead of Daniil Kvyat is what rocked the F1 world since the announcement was made.

With data at his disposal, Marko, the main decision-maker when it comes to Red Bull’s drivers, told Auto Bild that Albon has had a “great debut season” so far and added “he has squeezed everything from his car.”

Gasly, on the other hand, “has problems in traffic because he loses places and doesn’t like to overtake” according to the Red Bull official.

He added, “We had to react and give Albon the chance until the end of the season. Gasly takes over at Toro Rosso and then we will see who is next to Max next year.”

RMC Sport claims Gasly was told about his dumping while on holiday mere hours before the news was made public. The source added that the Frenchman had a difficult relationship with his engineers.

Reacting to the news. Verstappen told De Telegraaf, “Of course it’s a pity for Pierre, but personally I don’t care who my teammate is. The point is that we perform better with the other car and gain more points for the team.”

And with the new Red Bull lineup, Marko said he is confident, “This year we built a car with less downforce as we underestimated Honda’s progress. We didn’t expect such a powerful engine.”

“But now we have fixed everything and are now close to Mercedes and definitely faster than Ferrari. I think we will be competitive everywhere in the second half of the season,” added the Austrian.

Clearly Red Bull are giving Albon a chance to show what he has got if given the keys to the RB15. They already know what Kvyat is capable of, so the next nine races will determine if the Thai driver has what it takes to slot in beside Verstappen.

[MIKA27]

WILLIAMS: FRANK NO LONGER LEADS THE TEAM

In his landmark 50th year as a Formula 1 team boss, celebrated at the recent British Grand Prix, Sir Frank Williams is no longer at the helm of the team he formed and led to greatness.

Claire Williams has admitted that her father, team founder Sir Frank, is no longer in charge at Grove, “Frank no longer leads the team.

“Of course, I keep him informed about everything that is happening and he understands our situation. He also went through difficult times with Williams.

“People think that my Dad would be furious about what is happening, but Frank is a realist who really understands the ups and downs of Formula 1,” Williams added.

Sir Frank’s Williams team made its debut at the 1977 Spanish Grand Prix and under his watch amassed nine F1 constructors’ titles, seven F1 drivers’ titles and scored 114 victories during this period.

MIKA: Based upon the steep decline at Williams F1, it was already evident Frank was no longer involved!

[MIKA27]

WILLIAMS: ROBERT IS DOING EVERYTHING I EXPECT FROM HIM

Robert Kubica’s major sponsor is continuing to support the Pole despite records showing that on his high-profile return to Formula 1, the 34-year-old has been consistently outperformed by his rookie teammate George Russell.

But team boss Claire Williams says she is happy with Kubica, “We needed a driver like Robert with his engineering and technical intelligence.

“It’s not an easy season for him, but neither Robert nor George is able to show all their skills in this car. But Robert is doing everything I expect from him.”

Also happy is Daniel Obajtek, the boss of Kubica and Williams’ major sponsor PKN Orlen, who told Polskie Radio, “Robert is fighting very well. He is a Pole and we want to support him.”

Exactly what is bugging Kubica is hard to fathom as he has reportedly driven Russell’s car but the pace remained the same. Prompting speculation that Williams somehow provide their rookie driver with a better package than what they give to the comeback veteran.

The team obviously deny such a scenario, but there will always be a school of thought that Kubica has not been given a fair shot at returning to the F1 grid.

[MIKA27]

LAUDA’S 1975 FERRARI COULD FETCH $8-MILLION THIS WEEKEND

Niki Lauda’s Ferrari 312T he used as part of his arsenal to capture the 1975 Formula 1 World Championship title is up for auction this weekend in Pebble Beach, where it is expected to fetch anything between $6-million to $8-million.

Lot 031 at the auction this weekend is the Ferrari 312T chassis 022, one of two main chassis’ used by Lauda during his title-winning season and in retirement, after being accurately restored by Marque Specialists, scooped Class Award Winner at 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

In the hands of legend Lauda, the car won the non-championship 1975 BRDC International Trophy F1 race and the French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard that year. It represents one of the more significant Ferrari F1 cars to go on sale in recent years.

Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F2001 sold for $7.5-million as couple of years ago which made it one of the most expensive post-seventies F1 cars ever sold, but Lauda’s 312T could fetch more than that.

But it is unlikely to match the $29-million forked out for Juan Manuel Fangio’s 1954 Mercedes W196 in 2013.

So if any of our readers have some spare cash, they would do well to hop the private jet and get a piece of proper F1 history.

Gooding & Company have released the following extensive CV of the car:

Winner of the 1975 French Grand Prix, Driven by Niki Lauda | An Outstanding Example of Ferrari’s Championship-Winning 312T

• Ferrari Ferrari’s 1975 Formula 1 Championship Winner Driven by Niki Lauda
• One of Five Examples Built and One of Just Two Main Chassis Used by Lauda for 1975
• Winner of the BRDC International Trophy and French Grand Prix
• Impeccably and Accurately Restored by Marque Specialists
• Class Award Winner at 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
• Among the Most Significant Formula 1 Cars Ever to Come to Public Sale

Ferraris have stood at the fore in the pantheon of important automobiles from the moment the company was started in 1947. Central to Ferrari’s goals was Grand Prix racing, with which Enzo Ferrari had much experience, having run Alfa Romeo’s successful racing efforts before WWII.

Born from Enzo’s ingrained belief that competition was the most important aspect of automotive culture, the eponymous brand always placed racing first, famously selling road cars only to fund Enzo’s fixation with winning on the track.

The creations of Ferrari’s racing department are some of the greatest expressions of technology and styling from their respective eras, and are true masterpieces wrought by genius and obsession. Legendary engineers such as Vittorio Jano, Gioachino Colombo, Aurelio Lampredi, Carlo Chiti, and Mauro Forghieri were the creative masters behind Ferrari’s successes on track, having developed models that pushed the boundaries of what was thought possible at the time.

In addition to an incredible record in sports car racing, Ferrari has won 15 Drivers’ Championships and 16 Constructors’ Championships in Formula 1, more than any other team, and is the only team to have run every season since the Formula 1 World Championship was started in 1950. Within this unparalleled portfolio of success, there are layers; and history shows that Ferrari, for all of its efforts, wasn’t always successful.

In both sports cars and single-seaters, competition drove incredible levels of innovation, and there are distinct periods when the cars from Maranello were clearly head and shoulders above their peers. The 1975 312T offered here is an embodiment of one of those moments.

For the 1970 season, Ferrari’s technical director Mauro Forghieri designed an all-new car, the 312B, and flat-12 engine, the tipo 001/1. This new engine, variants of which were destined to be in every Ferrari Formula 1 car for the next 10 seasons, featured four chain-driven camshafts and was renowned for its reliability.

Scuderia Ferrari driver Mario Andretti called the engine “really bulletproof,” stating, “The more you gave it, the more it asked for.” The 312B wasn’t the immediate success that Ferrari had hoped for, however, and after three disappointing seasons, the team decided to quit sports car racing entirely, and focus all its efforts on getting back to its winning ways in Formula 1.

A key development in this endeavor was the hiring of Austrian driver Andreas Nikolaus (Niki) Lauda. Lauda was born into a wealthy paper manufacturing family in 1949. He started his racing career despite his family’s disapproval, eventually taking out a bank loan secured by his life insurance policy to buy a seat with March in the Formula 2 series for 1971.

He was quickly promoted by March to Formula 1 and, by 1973, had moved into a seat with BRM. When Lauda’s teammate, Clay Regazzoni, left BRM at the end of 1973 to join Ferrari, he relayed to Enzo how good Lauda was, and Niki was promptly signed to Ferrari for the 1974 season.

Ferrari’s faith in Lauda was rewarded in the fourth race of 1974, when he captured his first F1 victory, and Ferrari’s first victory since 1972, at the Spanish Grand Prix. Lauda would win two races and six pole positions on his way to 4th in the 1974 World Championship in the 312B3.

The debut of Forghieri’s new 312T at the third race of the 1975 season in South Africa was a turning point for Ferrari. This new design continued to utilize the proven flat-12 engine, which became known as the tipo 015, which was then coupled to a transverse gearbox that was packaged between the engine and the car’s differential.

This layout reduced the car’s polar moment of inertia, creating a marked improvement in the Ferrari’s overall handling balance. Aerodynamic and suspension revisions were made as well, and Ferrari finally had the handling to fully exploit the power advantage they had enjoyed in recent years.

Ferrari’s new machine was as beautiful as it was effective, and the 312T was instantly quick, but an accident in practice and problems in the race relegated Lauda to a 5th Place finish in South Africa.

The next outing for the 312T, and the inaugural one for the chassis offered here, 022, was the non-championship BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone.

This race would be something of a beginning to one of the great rivalries the sport of F1 had ever seen – Niki Lauda versus James Hunt. Hunt qualified on pole in his Hesketh, but after laps of dicing with Lauda, would suffer an engine failure, and Lauda would take the first victory for the 312T in chassis 022.

The next race for Lauda and 022 would be at the Spanish Grand Prix at the daunting Montjuïc circuit outside of Barcelona. Lauda would take pole position in qualifying, as he did in every subsequent Grand Prix event while driving 022.

The start saw Lauda’s car being run into by Mario Andretti’s Parnelli, and the Ferrari was spun into the barriers, damaging the front wing and right front suspension, ending Lauda’s race. One month later, Clay Regazzoni would contest the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in 022, finishing 5th. Lauda was back in the car for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, where he placed 2nd.

The French Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard was next, and Lauda was again on pole in 022, having easily bested the competition in qualifying. On a hot and windy day, he would drive a dominating race, leading flag to flag, and claiming victory over James Hunt, who finished 2nd.

The German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring saw Lauda again dominate qualifying in 022, only to have a front tire puncture during the race while leading. He would limp the car to the pits and recover to finish in 3rd in a spirited drive.

The final outing for 022 for the 1975 season was in Lauda’s home country of Austria. He was again on pole, alongside Hunt, and the two led the race early on in awful, wet conditions, with Lauda going on to finish 6th.

The 1975 season had been an unbelievable success, and Ferrari had again become the champion of the world’s top form of motorsports. It was the Italian automaker’s first title since 1964, and Lauda’s first of three championships he would win in his storied career.

Lauda and Regazzoni had combined to win six of that year’s 14 races, and generally dominated their competition in the 312T. Chassis 022, having been such an integral part of the team’s 1975 title, would go on to be raced a single time by Regazzoni in South Africa in 1976, where it did not finish due to an engine problem.

According to a report by marque historian Marcel Massini, the 312T was subsequently stored by Ferrari until 1979, when the car was sold to Michael Vernon of the UK.

Noted French collector Jacques Setton would acquire 022 in 1986, at a point when he had already purchased 312T, chassis 023, Lauda’s other main car from 1975. Setton would own 022 until he sold it to John Bosch of the Netherlands in 2005.

The consignor, a prominent American collector, added 022 to his assemblage of significant racing and road cars in 2009, fulfilling a lifelong dream of owning a Niki Lauda Ferrari. He eventually set out to restore the long-dormant 312T to as close to as-new condition as possible, and assembled a team of well-qualified specialists to complete the task.

His in-house restoration expert, Tim Willard, oversaw the process and handled disassembly and assembly, and the renowned crew at Dennison International rebuilt the drivetrain. John Byers was tasked with restoring the bodywork to the exact factory Rosso Corsa (Racing Red) livery it wore in 1975. The Ferrari was found to be incredibly original and all numbers and components were thoroughly documented with photographs.

A replacement magnesium engine sump was sourced directly from Ferrari, replacing the original that had suffered from corrosion, and a new front wing was fabricated. The original components were retained and accompany the car.

The results of this exhaustive work are stunning, and a testament to the cost-no-object restoration that was truly a labor of love. Since completion, the car has been shown at the 2015 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, where it was honored with an Amelia Award, and the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, where it placed Third in Class, a rarity for a Formula 1 car.

Not merely intended as a show car, the 312T has also been exercised on the track, including a test session in June of this year, where it performed beautifully.

The attributes such as rarity and style that make a car collectible are often simple to identify, and in any measure this amazing Ferrari retains them all. But the qualities that truly separate a car can be more difficult to ascertain.

The men involved – Ferrari, Forghieri, Lauda – are legends who were operating at the top of their game on the world’s biggest stage. The tracks – Silverstone, Spa, Nürburgring – are iconic circuits where heroes were made.

The background of Grand Prix racing in the 1970s, with its incredible personalities, rivalries, and glamour, punctuated by its terrifying level of risk, is characterful enough to have been immortalized in Hollywood features. All of these elements meld together perfectly, and provide us with the context necessary to see the true significance of this amazing automobile.

Simply admired for its innate beauty, or utilized for its mind-blowing driving experience, this 1975 Ferrari 312T should be on the short list of cars for a very long list of collectors. As the first of this incredible breed to be offered at public sale, it is not an overstatement to say that this opportunity may be your only chance to acquire a 312T.

And since Niki Lauda only won races in four Ferrari chassis during his two world championships with the team, it may also be your only chance to own a Lauda-driven, race-winning Ferrari. Whether adding it to a collection of Formula 1 cars, or acquiring it as your only example of the ultimate form of racing machine, this Italian thoroughbred is guaranteed to delight its next steward.

Technical Specifications:

• 2,991 CC DOHC Flat 12-Cylinder Engine
• Lucas Mechanical Fuel Injection
• 500 BHP at 12,500 RPM
• 5-Speed Manual Transaxle
• 4-Wheel Ventilated Lockheed Disc Brakes, Inboard Rear

Provenance

• Scuderia Ferrari S.p.A.
• Michael Vernon, Stafford, UK (acquired from the above in 1979)
• Jacques Setton, France (acquired from the above in 1986)
• John Bosch, Zaandam, Netherlands (acquired from the above in 2005)
• Current Owner (acquired from the above in 2009)

Race Highlights

• BRDC International Trophy, Silverstone, UK, 1975, Lauda, No. 12 (1st)
• Spanish Grand Prix, Montjuïc, 1975, Lauda, No. 12 (DNF)
• Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps, 1975, Regazzoni, No. 11 (5th)
• Dutch Grand Prix, Zandvoort, 1975, Lauda, No. 12 (2nd)
• French Grand Prix, Paul Ricard, 1975, Lauda, No. 12 (1st)
• German Grand Prix, Nürburgring, 1975, Lauda, No. 12 (3rd)
• Austrian Grand Prix, Zeltweg, 1975, Lauda, No. 12 (6th)
• US Grand Prix, Watkins Glen, 1975, Lauda/Regazzoni, No. 12T (Practice Only)
• South African Grand Prix, Kyalami, 1976, Regazzoni, No. 2 (DNF)
• US Grand Prix, Long Beach, 1976, Lauda, No. 1T (Practice Only)