FORMULA 1

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The challenges facing the Dutch Grand Prix

It was almost inevitable that Max Verstappen's arrival in to Formula 1 was going to be followed by attempts to get the Dutch Grand Prix back on the calendar.
After years of speculation about possible street races or a move to Assen, it was the race's original home of Zandvoort that finally got a deal together earlier this year for a grand prix in 2020.

But despite the success of securing a spot on the calendar, confirmation of the plans was just the start of its challenge – with the track needing some safety tweaks, infrastructure changes and some top-level planning to ensure that when 100,000s of thousands of Verstappen's travelling army of fans descend, that the facility can cope.

The extent of the work prompted talk recently that Zandvoort may struggle to get everything done in time; especially with some local resistance to allowing major construction work to take place in the historic sand dunes.

But F1's recent history has been full of doubts when new grands prix get slotted in; but each and every time things have come together.

For now the Dutch GP appears set for the same end game, but here we analyse the key issues that need to be sorted before F1 hits town.

Nitrogen emissions

One of the biggest issues has to do with nitrogen emissions. This is all down to a verdict by the Council of State which, back in May, stated that a special Nitrogen Approach Programme (NAP) may no longer be used to grant advance permits for works.

The construction industry is particularly hit hard by this, with it understood that 18,000 current projects in the Netherlands are on hold right now. Zandvoort is no exception because of the scope of the works needing to be done at the track.

Before the May rule change, building permits could be granted on the basis of the NAP, with the nitrogen emitted being compensated for later.

The decision by the Council of State has made it impossible for this to happen any longer: the nitrogen emissions must be compensated for immediately during the actual construction work. This could prove to be a big headache for Zandvoort.

However, the Dutch government has already indicated that it wants to lend a helping hand as much as possible. According to Minister Bruno Bruins 'the whole of the Netherlands' is served by a successful Grand Prix on home soil

Dutch GP organisers are following the issue closely, but they do not worry about nitrogen emissions in advance.

"A special Committee will give its verdict, but we don't expect any exceeding of the nitrogen emission in our plans," said a statement from the track. "We build temporary stands (not permanent) and will adapt the circuit according to plans that the FIA and FOM have seen and approved.

"And because the Dutch Grand Prix event takes four weeks to build up and finish, there is also a direct and significant reduction in CO2 emissions as a result of fewer races on track during those weeks."

Dutch GP chief Jan Lammers added: "People are now working hard on permits and legal matters. I want to let them do their job quietly and leave it at that."

Environmental protests and permits

In addition to the building permits, there is resistance from cooperating environmental organisations, including Stichting Duinbehoud (Dune Conservation Zandvoort).

It has argued that for the well-being of animals and the environment, a stop be put to the grand prix's return.

The protesting groups fear 'irreparable damage' to the dunes and claim that the natural habitat of sand lizards will be severely damaged.

However Circuit Zandvoort has already taken the sting out of these complaints by cooperating in the relocation of sand lizards. In addition to this, the circuit has been in 'constructive talks' with most of the environmental organisations for a long time in order to find a solution.

This did not reassure all the environmental organisations, however. They then turned their attention towards some nature and environmental permits, which are still necessary to make Zandvoort completely ready for an F1 race in 2020. It has proved enough to potentially move the matter to court.

However, the required permits at the centre of the legal action have not yet been applied for nor issued, so no official objection can be made on this front yet. That is why the Court of Noord-Holland has, according to a statement of Stichting Duinbehoud that was obtained by Motorsport.com, asked the environment groups to withdraw their case for now.

The reason for this is a letter written by the province of Noord-Holland. In the letter it can be read that additional permits are required for the renovation buildings and Zandvoort has yet to apply for those.

Circuit Zandvoort sees no reason to panic as a result of this matter or the tight deadline. A statement said: "We are on schedule with the preparation and application of permits. We don't want to share the timing and content with third parties. But there is already an existing permit for organizing races on the circuit. That licence can be modified as well."

Financial support

In addition to permits, the organisation of each event has to deal with another decisive factor: money. For Zandvoort, the first setback came last year.

At that time, the national government indicated that it would not support the grand prix with public money. But the reality turned out to be slightly better for race organisers as last month the government said that it would still contribute 2.3 million euros to the renovation of railways in Zandvoort. So the government is indirectly investing in the F1 event nonetheless.

That is not enough for Zandvoort, however. The project still needs money from local authorities too. The grand prix can count on a contribution from the municipality of four million euros, but it needs more, and forthcoming budgets are likely to result in this figure going up.

The first cost estimate, for example did not take into account an expected contribution to the Zandvoort train station for example.

This draft budget does not yet describe how much extra money is needed from the municipality of Zandvoort but that should become clearer this month.

The budget has yet to be discussed in the municipal council either, but some of the coalition parties have expressed their disapproval already. They assumed that all the work - including the costs for railways and train station - would be covered by the initial four million.

With three key challenges to overcome then, Zandvoort is not going to have an easy time getting things ready for next spring, but Lammers is confident on all fronts.

"All the work that is happening right now is according to plan," he told Motorsport.com. "The fact that not everyone is as happy as we are is logical, and there is a little bit of resistance from obvious angles.

"But we have taken this into account in advance so all the things going on right now do not surprise us and do not put anything on the line. But a number of reports in the media [doubting the race] are, as far as I am concerned, simply nonsense."

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Honda will match Mercedes, Ferrari power in 2020 - Marko

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has faith that power gains from Honda this winter will put it on a par with Ferrari and Mercedes in 2020.
With Honda having made good progress this year to take its first wins since returning to F1 in 2015, Marko says the indications point to even better things to come next season.

"From the chassis side I think we will be much better prepared than this year," said Marko about 2020 hopes in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com.

"And the development which is going on at Honda makes us believe that we will be next year on the same power level like Mercedes and Ferrari, consistently."

Marko thinks Honda's true potential this year was held back slightly by mapping concerns, something which he thinks will not be an issue in 2020.

"I think they are doing a great job and we have to do it step by step," he said.

"We know in the past they had big reliability problems and they were worried, but so far we didn't have any engine problems at all this season.

"I think they are doing the right things and the right job. We believe next year we won't be third."

Marko's faith in the potential for next year comes against the backdrop of concerns from the Max Verstappen camp about Red Bull not being able to deliver what's needed to fight for the title.

But with Red Bull having long vowed to try to make Verstappen F1's youngest champion, Marko accepts the pressure is on.

Asked if he viewed 2020 as a crucial year, Marko said: "I wouldn't say it's crucial. It's the last year where we can make Max the youngest champion in Formula 1 and we have to deliver, yes.

"But we know that and it's part of our DNA We have to win, yes. It's not crucial, it's a must."

 

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F1 officials 'closely monitoring' typhoon amid potential disruption

Formula 1 says it will try and minimise disruption to its weekend schedule where possible at the Japanese Grand Prix, ahead of the impending arrival of Typhoon Hagibis.

Japan’s eastern coast is bracing for the arrival of the violent storm on Saturday, with relentless and intense heavy rain set to strike the country, along with extreme winds.

Suzuka is located in the Mie Prefecture, a couple of miles inland of the eastern coast, towards the Pacific Ocean.

The Rugby World Cup is also taking place in Japan and Saturday’s match between England and France in Yokohoma is set to be called off due to the typhoon.

The exact path of the storm remains unpredictable and more recent updates have suggested that the typhoon could swing further east, ensuring the eye misses the mainland.

On Thursday morning the FIA and Formula 1 issued a joint statement, confirming that in conjunction with the circuit and the Japanese Automobile Federation they are “closely monitoring Typhoon Hagibis and its potential impact on the 2019 FIA Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix.

“Every effort is being made to minimise disruption to the Formula 1 timetable, however the safety of the fans, competitors and everyone at the Suzuka Circuit remains the top priority.

“All parties will continue to monitor the situation and provide further updates in due course.”

No provision has yet been set in the event of the typhoon causing disruption on Saturday.

When Saturday running has been affected in the past qualifying has been moved to Sunday morning, with this most recently happening at the 2015 United States Grand Prix.

Saturday's current timetable has FP3 at 12:00 local time, qualifying at 15:00, with sunset at 17:23.

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Insight: Japanese Grand Prix form guide

Formula 1 has headed back to Asia for the Japanese Grand Prix at the universally-loved figure-of-eight Suzuka Circuit. Motorsport Week looks at who’s hot and who’s not in the land of the rising sun.

Wins
Only three drivers on the current grid have triumphed at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton has won on five occasions and in the hybrid era he and Mercedes have been the benchmark at Suzuka.

Hamilton won in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018, with Mercedes’ clean sweep in the hybrid generation of racing facilitated by Nico Rosberg’s 2016 triumph.

Hamilton’s first Japanese Grand Prix victory came at the rain-lashed 2007 race at Fuji Speedway, which briefly took over host duties of the event from Suzuka.

While Mercedes has controlled proceedings in the hybrid era, the end of the V8 period was a haven for Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel took four wins with Red Bull at Suzuka in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013, missing out only in 2011 when it took a conservative approach in order to seal the world title.

Kimi Raikkonen triumphed from 17th on the grid in the thrilling 2005 race, widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, as he took the lead from Giancarlo Fisichella at the start of the final lap.

Michael Schumacher remains the record-holder at the Japanese Grand Prix on six wins.

Poles
Hamilton and Vettel have taken four poles each at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Hamilton topped qualifying on both occasions when Formula 1 visited Fuji Speedway in the 2000s (2007, 2008) but Suzuka remained something of a bogey track across one-lap.

At the ninth attempt Hamilton topped qualifying in 2017 for Mercedes and then added another pole position to his resume last season.

That effort brought him level with Vettel, who took four poles in Japan on the bounce between 2009 and 2012.

Schumacher, once again, remains far out in front, having topped qualifying a remarkable eight times in the country during his distinguished career.

Podiums
Hamilton and Vettel have both taken seven Japanese Grand Prix podiums, with the Briton on the rostrum each year since 2014, to add to his 2007 and 2009 trophies.

Vettel was not off the podium between 2009 and 2015 at Suzuka but since then has been unable to mount the top three places, owing to reliability issues and mistakes.

Raikkonen has five podiums in Japan, the first coming in his maiden McLaren year in 2002, but he has not finished there since the last of his quintet at Fuji in 2008.

Max Verstappen has not finished off the podium in Japan since joining Red Bull in 2016, chasing Hamilton to the chequered flag in 2017, while four other current drivers have a trophy each.

Robert Kubica (Fuji, 2008), Romain Grosjean (2013), Daniel Ricciardo (2017) and Valtteri Bottas (2018) have all finished on the podium in Japan.

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Marginal gains vital in midfield scrap - Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo chief Frederic Vasseur has urged the team not to throw in the towel on its 2019 Formula 1 campaign, stressing that minor gains will assist its cause.

Alfa Romeo, and Kimi Raikkonen, were regularly towards the front of the midfield through the opening half of the campaign, but have regressed in recent rounds.

Raikkonen has not scored since Formula 1’s summer break, with Alfa Romeo’s tally boosted only by the three points amassed by team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi.

It has left Alfa Romeo eighth in the standings, now 17 points behind Racing Point, which has pulled clear in recent events.

“We head to Japan with the commitment and motivation to get back into the points immediately,” said Vasseur.

“We must not forget we have been scoring in two of the last three races, so putting both cars in the points is a realistic objective: but we still feel there is more we could have brought home from the last few races.

“The track layout in Suzuka is quite different from Sochi and Singapore, so hopefully it will suit the C38 better and put us back towards the front of the midfield.  

“Both trackside and at HQ, we need to keep working hard to extract the most out of our car: marginal gains is all there is to go from P12 to P7 in a race at this stage in the season.”

Raikkonen echoed Vasseur’s thoughts, stressing that he and the team needs to rediscover the groove that it enjoyed prior to the last couple of rounds.

“The last four races have been disappointing for me and the team, but we shouldn’t forget we looked strong in Belgium and Italy despite the issues that prevented me from scoring,” he said.

“The key is to recover the form we had before and immediately after the break: the gap from our rivals in the midfield is not big and hopefully a circuit like Suzuka can help us get the most out of our car.”

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Ferrari must be 'perfect' in Japanese GP fight - Mattia Binotto

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto says his squad must be “perfect” in every area of its work at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix if it is to maintain its recent form.

Ferrari has secured pole position at each event since Formula 1’s summer break courtesy of Charles Leclerc, and triumphed in Belgium, Italy and Singapore.

It ran 1-2 in Russia until Sebastian Vettel’s retirement prompted a Virtual Safety Car period that hindered Leclerc, with Lewis Hamilton going on to profit by taking victory.

Ferrari’s pure pace advantage has been most pronounced through full-throttle sections, having struggled in high downforce, but aerodynamic updates applied to the SF90 in recent grands prix have lifted the team’s prospects.

Ferrari has not won at Suzuka since 2004 – with rivals Mercedes unbeaten at the track in the hybrid era – and Binotto says the team needs to be faultless if it wants to continue its recent string of results.

“Our performance level was good in Sochi, which is how we managed to take our fourth straight pole position,” said Binotto.

“But we know that in order to be at the front in Japan, every aspect of our work must be perfect.

“That’s the way we are going to approach the race in Suzuka, trying to extract all the available performance from the car package.

“If we can do that, then we hope to be able to be as competitive as we have been in recent races.”

Leclerc added that Suzuka’s layout will act as another evaluation of Ferrari’s recent performance updates.

“The track itself is very technical and demanding,” he said.

“It is one of the best to drive on in terms of its layout. It features high speed straights mixed with various corner combinations and the hairpin, all of which make it the iconic circuit that it is. 

“It has different characteristics to the last few tracks we have raced on, so we will see how our recent developments will work there, especially in terms of the aerodynamics.”

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Leclerc: Ferrari interests "priority" over Vettel battle

Charles Leclerc says he will not allow the battle between himself and Sebastian Vettel hurt the interests of their Ferrari team.
With the fight for wins between the pair having caused some tensions over the last three grands prix, there have been concerns that the rivalry risks boiling over into trouble on track.

Last week, F1 managing director of motorsport Ross Brawn reckoned that Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto faced a "potentially explosive" situation between his two drivers.

But in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com during the Russian Grand Prix weekend, Leclerc has said that while the fight between him and Vettel is intense, they both know that their battle cannot boil over.

"I want to beat Seb and Seb wants to beat me, but the interests of the team as a whole have priority,” Leclerc said before the Russian GP team orders controversy. “It always takes a compromise."

Leclerc says he is fully aware when driving that he has a responsibility for every staff member who has helped create his car, so cannot justify doing anything that betrays them.

"When you find yourself battling with your team-mate you think about it, and you know that what you do depends on the result of the work of a thousand people,” he said. 

“If I fight with Seb, it is an aspect that I keep in mind, and you cannot take risks.”

However, he is well aware of the importance that comes from beating your teammate – which is why he is so eager to end the year ahead of Vettel in the standings.

“Your teammate is the only one that has your own car, and always will,” he said. “My goal, and I think it is for every driver, is to stand in front of my partner.”

Leclerc and Vettel have come off the back of some big tests of their relationship, following a clash over their qualifying tactics in Italy, Vettel’s undercut in Singapore and then the controversy in Russia.

Reflecting on the events of Singapore, where Leclerc spoke out over the team radio about the situation being unfair, he said his actions were fuelled not by politics but by his passion for winning.

"I was wrong and I'm not afraid to admit it," he said. "In Singapore we were first and second, but with adrenaline I exaggerated a bit. 

"In the morning when I get up, I think about winning. When I go to bed at night I think to win. And when I am in the car, I can only think about winning. With the adrenaline in Singapore I spoke when it was not necessary to do so. "

Leclerc believes that the major breakthrough that Ferrari made with its car after the summer break owed much to him and Vettel working together and being transparent with the sharing of car data.

"We were all surprised to see the great step forward that we made in recent races,” said Leclerc. “The team at Maranello has done an absolutely amazing job.

“At Monza we had the power unit [Spec 3] which confirmed a great job, and also the aerodynamic package brought to Singapore provided great results, even surpassing expectations.

“It is the result of the work done in the good environment that we have inside the team. With Seb, we share all the information, and this is an important element.”

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Haas hits out at rivals' "inconsistent" views on F1 rules

Haas Formula 1 team principal Gunther Steiner has hit out at rivals for being "inconsistent" in their views over the championship's rules.

The extent of Haas and Ferrari collaboration as F1's newest team took advantage of the 'non-listed parts' possibilities of the rulebook has caused controversy since Haas arrived on the grid - with some rivals expressing concerns that it opened the door to 'B team' arrangements that would stymie the chances of 'true' constructors making their whole cars themselves.

But amid the debates over the 2021 rules and the possibility of more use of standard parts to save costs - an option unpopular with many - there is a new push for an 'open source' approach where teams would publish certain elements of their designs online for others to potential copy.

Asked by Motorsport.com whether the enthusiasm in some quarters for this plan felt hypocritical to him, Steiner replied: "Yeah. I think there's a lot of inconsistency of what people think.

"It's like one day they think this; it's all done in the moment of what suits you, in my opinion.

"'We don't want you to buy parts, but if you put yours on and open source it, then maybe I copy it'. That confuses me.

"That's why I was always very relaxed about these things - it's like, 'Guys, we cannot just react to somebody performing better than somebody else and then try to hinder him and then open [it] up'.

"Because then if everybody uses the open-source parts and someone says, 'I cannot afford them so we should take open-source parts away' - at some stage we can make another 20 categories how to make these parts, and confuse everybody.

"I think we are confusing ourselves. We try to find a fix for it, but with each fix we create two more problems. And then we create two more fixes and have four more problems.

"At some stage, we don't know anymore what to check and what is what.

"Trying to explain this to people, how to do this, how this sport is done, it's getting quite difficult because sometimes I need to read all this abbreviations three or four times until I remember them."

He also pointed that out the open source idea could be limited because elements of one car's design could prove less effective would placed on an otherwise different design.

"We have to watch the consequences because all the parts which are on open source, they are holding onto something, they are connecting something," said Steiner.

"But I'm always for trying things - as long as we are prepared to try things and then to change them back where they are, it's good.

"We just don't need to be stubborn and say we try something and then we need to make sure what we did was right, to prove yourself right, because sometimes then you do the wrong thing."

Opponents of increased use of standard parts have claimed they could lead to a 'GP1' formula - a name inspired by one-make series such as GP2/3, now F2/F3 - in which cars are largely identical and development scope is severely limited.

"I always think we shouldn't go down the GP1 way because that is not in the DNA of Formula 1," Steiner added.

"Formula 1 lives off technology. At some stage, we go out of control - it's like everything. If you let too much freedom, it's just getting [to the point where] nobody can afford it anymore and there [is] where we are now.

"The budget cap should do a lot to help that one, but we cannot restrict it - that is not very constructive. We need to find middle ground."

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Japanese Grand Prix Saturday abandoned due to typhoon

Saturday’s scheduled action at Formula 1’s Japanese Grand Prix has been abandoned, due to the impending arrival of Typhoon Hagibis, with qualifying now set for Sunday morning.

Typhoon Hagibis is the largest and strongest of the 2019 season and is set to make landfall on Japan’s eastern coast on Saturday evening.

It developed rapidly through the early stages of last weekend, explosively intensifying in the space of just a few hours into a super typhoon.  

The violent storm is expected to bring intense and sustained rainfall to the affected regions, including Suzuka, through Saturday.

As much as 600mm of rainfall is anticipated in some areas of the country across a 24-hour period.

The storm will weaken as it makes landfall but heavy and prolonged winds, including potentially damaging gusts, are also forecast.

Sustained one-minute gusts of 150mph have been recorded as the storm continues its path across the Pacific Ocean towards Japan.

On Friday morning the four relevant bodies involved in the organisation of the event – the FIA, Formula 1, Suzuka promoter Mobilityland and the Japanese Automobile Federation – made the call to scrap Saturday’s action.

The circuit will be closed to spectators and media on Saturday.

Instead qualifying is now scheduled to take place at 10:00 local time on Sunday (01:00 GMT), ahead of the 53-lap grand prix at 14:10, with no third practice session held.

The fast-moving nature of the storm means largely fine and dry conditions are expected on Sunday.

Severe disruption is expected throughout the eastern side of the country on Saturday, with most domestic flights passing through Tokyo’s Haneda and Narita airports already cancelled.

The Shinkansen – bullet train – services operating between Tokyo and Osaka, which passes through the nearest major city to Suzuka, Nagoya, is likely to be suspended or heavily reduced in speed.

Two of the three planned Rugby World Cup fixtures on Saturday have also been cancelled, with England vs France, in Yokohama, and New Zealand vs Italy, in Nagoya, abandoned.

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Lewis Hamilton interested to see how Vettel–Leclerc relationship evolves

Lewis Hamilton says it will be interesting to watch how the relationship between Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc evolves over the next five races and into the 2020 season, where he expects they'll be fighting at the top with Mercedes.

The relationship between the two wasn't a major issue prior to the summer break as Ferrari weren't in a position to challenge for race wins, however following that break, the Italian outfit has very much been at the front of the field, winning three of the four races since – and ultimately should have scored a 1-2 in Russia had it not been for reliability.

Leclerc has also emerged as the team's number one driver, taking four pole positions in a row and being in contention for all four wins, whilst Vettel has struggled until he rediscovered his form in Singapore where he won for the first time in more than a year.

But their ability to challenge for wins has started to put a strain on their relationship, with Vettel ignoring team orders in Russia to let Leclerc through after the Monegasque driver stuck to a pre-race strategy to give the four-time champion a tow at the start of the grand prix.

Whilst both insist they trust one another, cracks are starting to form and although Hamilton wants Ferrari at their best next year, he's interested to see how the relationship evolves.

"I don't think we [Mercedes] need help," he said of the issues it might cause at Ferrari. "That's not the way that I look at things. We want them to be at their best so we can challenge them at their best and ultimately if we can beat them at their best then it just makes it feel better.

"I think there's been a lot of noise made over the last race. From the outside it looks a certain way.

"I think they are a formidable force and are doing an incredible job at the moment and they are going to be very hard to beat at the remaining races.

"Over these next five races, it will be interesting to see how that relationship evolves."

Asked if he thought it was an advantage or disadvantage of having two top drivers in a team, Hamilton added: "Over the course of history you've seen world champions in the same team and there's always going to be friction in a racing team because you've got this conflicting target.

"There's the team but it's also an individual target between the two drivers. So you are constantly trying to balance that confliction. It's all about trying to find the balance and how it's managed from the top down. It's just about respect and how it's managed.

"Communication is key and there are different philosophy's up and down the paddock. I think probably mostly just between these two teams in particular and over the following years we will see if it works or it doesn't.

"It hasn't worked for a long time over there [at Ferrari] and most likely won't work going forwards either, but that's not bad for us."

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Ferrari drivers 'clear' after Russia team orders saga

Ferrari’s drivers have stressed that “everything is clear” in the wake of the team orders saga that developed during Formula 1’s Russian Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel passed Charles Leclerc at the start though it quickly transpired that a pre-race arrangement had been discussed in order for such a tactic to unfold.

Vettel did not relinquish the lead to Leclerc, as the latter had been expected, though their positions swapped during the pit stop phase, shortly prior to Vettel’s retirement.

“Yeah obviously there was some misunderstanding from the car but I think we’ve had a discussion and everything is clear now,” said Leclerc.

“Obviously it felt like it was a huge deal from the outside, which it definitely wasn’t but now everything is fine. 

“I think it’s clear from the beginning of the season that we need to obey team orders, and what is clear is that the situation wasn’t clear for both of the drivers at the start of the race.

“That is the most important thing and we will make sure that this situation doesn’t happen again in the future. “

Vettel concurred with his team-mate’s summary of the situation.

“We spoke about it obviously, more than once,” said Vettel. “We speak with each other. Maybe different to what some people think. But I think it’s pretty clear. Obviously now it’s two weeks ago so we look forward.

“[In Russia at the start] we didn’t write anything in stone. I don’t think it’s necessary. Probably there’s certain things that we could’ve done better looking back. But in the end we look forward and look forward to this race and the next races. So not worried too much.”

Vettel also dismissed suggestions that Leclerc’s recent form – the youngster has been the quicker of the pair for the last nine qualifying sessions – influenced the manner in which the Russian GP unfolded.

“Obviously I’m not happy if I am slower, whether it’s practice, qualifying or race but that has been the same, not just this year but years before as well,” he said.

“There are certain things this year I’ve struggled with here and there with the car which didn’t allow me to extract my best, I don’t think it would have been any different if anyone else was in the car.

“Charles is doing a very good job, but I think it’s largely – and I genuinely believe it’s first a race against yourself and then the others.

“In that regard, I struggled to extract what I know I have in me. On other side, it also very quickly looks different on the outside than it does on the inside. There have been races where things didn’t fall into place and therefore things didn’t look great on the outside. But I think we were tackling the right things on the inside. So I’m not worried.”

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Nico Hulkenberg yet to give thought to non-F1 future

Nico Hulkenberg says he will take time off to get “clarity” over his future, should he be left without a Formula 1 seat for the 2020 season.

Hulkenberg has started over 150 grands prix for Williams, Sauber, Force India and Renault since 2010, but the French marque has opted to replace him with Esteban Ocon next season.

A potential avenue at Haas was closed when the team chose to retain Romain Grosjean, amid speculation that Hulkenberg's wage demands were too high, leaving only Williams and Alfa Romeo as potential options.

It is understood that Alfa Romeo team boss Frederic Vasseur is interested in signing Hulkenberg but that the situation is complicated by Ferrari’s involvement in one seat, which is occupied by its affiliated driver Antonio Giovinazzi.

Kimi Raikkonen is already under contract at the team for 2020.

“I guess there is that scenario [of not racing in 2020],” Hulkenberg said ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

“If it wasn’t to continue here [in Formula 1] after that, I haven’t given it much thought.

“I think also for me personally I would take some time to get clarity over what I want, find a new challenge.

“Of course I would be in a racing car in the future because it’s what I love doing, it’s my passion, I think only time will tell on that.”

Hulkenberg also confirmed that there was “no news” on his future as of today, adding “it’s a little bit more of a patient game, we’ll have to wait and see a bit longer.”

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Kimi Raikkonen: Nothing majorly wrong with Alfa Romeo

Kimi Raikkonen believes there is nothing majorly wrong with Alfa Romeo’s trajectory amid his and the team’s recent lack of results.

Raikkonen scored points in eight of the 12 races held prior to the summer break but has not added to his tally since, due to a sequence of mistakes, incidents and overall lack of pace.

Raikkonen has now slipped to 14th in the championship, while Alfa Romeo has fallen adrift of Racing Point in the Constructors’ battle.

“Obviously we had a new package a few races ago, so we’re trying to understand if that’s the reason [for the problems] or if there’s something else, like the track layouts or a combination of everything,” he said.

“Hopefully this weekend we can understand a bit more and move forward. Like I said, it’s not massive things we need, just some small things and you can move up in the midfield.

“Hopefully we’ll figure it out this weekend, to understand a bit more as there’s been a lot of work done in the factory since the last race.

“Until we’ll run the cars it’s impossible to say if we found the issues or not.

“But, as I said, I don’t think it’s anything major, night and day difference, but it’s so close in qualifying that any mistake or any issues put you out of position and makes it difficult to get anything on Sunday.”

Raikkonen has not endured five races without a point since his first year with McLaren in 2002.

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Steiner summoned by stewards for Russia outburst

Haas team principal Gunther Steiner has been summoned to see the stewards at the Japanese Grand Prix over his radio outburst after the last race in Russia.

Steiner spoke out over team radio after being left angry about a five-second time penalty that driver Kevin Magnussen was given for failing to observe track limits protocol at Turn 2 in Sochi.

Magnussen labelled the punishment ‘bullshit’, while Steiner blamed: “a stupid idiotic steward."

As Motorsport.com revealed, Steiner’s comments did not go down well at the FIA and there was the potential for him to face a disrepute change.

Under new rules introduced this season, stewards at grands prix are allowed to investigate events that have taken place at previous races – although in this case the matter has been handed to them by the Russian officials.

A statement issued by the FIA on Friday said: “The Stewards of the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix having received delegated authority from the Stewards of the 2019 Russian Grand Prix (as provided for under Article 11.9.3. t) under the FIA International Sporting Code), request Mr Gunther Steiner to report to the Stewards at 12:30 in relation to the incident below.

“Reason: Alleged breach of Articles 12.1.1 c) and f) FIA International Sporting Code by the Haas F1 Team at 15:49, through the means of radio communications immediately following the display of the chequered flag for the 2019 Russian Grand Prix.”

The articles referred to effectively ones relating to bringing the championship or the FIA into disrepute.

Article 12.1.1.c states a rules breach is any: “Any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally.

While Article 12.1.1.f says: “Any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers.”

Should Steiner be found guilty then a whole host of options could be open to the stewards as a sanction including a financial penalty, a potential loss of world championship points for Haas or even a paddock ban.

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Bottas expects "decent step" from Mercedes upgrades

Valtteri Bottas believes the upgrade the Mercedes Formula 1 team has bought to Suzuka should represent a "decent step" as it seeks to catch Ferrari in the Japanese Grand Prix.
Mercedes enjoyed a dominant run of form from the start of the season but has struggled to match the pace of the Ferrari since the F1 summer break.

The team has bought a small sidepod aero upgrade to the car for this weekend and Bottas is confident that it will improve the performance of the Mercedes in the final part of the season.

"We have a pretty solid update package this weekend. Obviously getting a tryout tomorrow, but in theory yes, it should give us more performance," said Bottas.

"How much [it works] is something we'll find out. We have some rough numbers about it, but should be a decent step, in terms of upgrade packages so far.

"It's been a pretty good car this year, but it is again a track with a mixture of different things.

"There are some decent straights where we definitely have a disadvantage compared to Ferrari, so they're going to be gaining time to us there.

"But there's some good sections full of corners, which we know we are good in, and hopefully with the upgrade package will be even better.

"We've already in the second half had tracks that we thought they should be quite good for us, and they've been able to beat us.

"For sure, if they perform better than us here, it means we need to work harder if we're going to be beating them next year."

Mercedes took its first win since the summer break last time out at the Russian Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton and Bottas scoring a 1-2 finish after benefitting from the team orders controversy at Ferrari.

When asked if the volatile situation between Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc at Ferrari could help Mercedes regain its advantage, Hamilton said: "No because I don't think we need help. That's not the way I look at things.

"We want them to be at their best so we can challenge them at their best and ultimately if we beat them it just makes it better.

"There's been a lot of noise made after the last race. But I saw Seb after the race and he looked like he was in a harmonious place.

"They are a formidable force, they are doing an incredible job at the moment and they are going to be very hard to beat in these remaining races and they've clicked this package.

"It's interesting to see how that evolves into next year's car.

"So I think hopefully we'll have an even closer season next year. These next five races will be interesting to see how that relationship evolves."

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Red Bull's fuel supplier to use new chemicals in Japan

Red Bull Honda's fuel partner ExxonMobil is introducing chemicals it has not used before in Formula 1 as part of a new more powerful fuel it has brought to the Japanese Grand Prix.
As part of an effort it has made for Honda's home race at Suzuka, ExxonMobil has made use of cutting edge molecular science to perfect the blend of fuel that has been specifically designed for the Japanese car manufacturer's Spec 4 engine.

And although the fuel company has drawn short of predicting the exact power gain that it expects from the new fuel, it is clear that it is one of the best steps it has made since it joined with Red Bull in 2017.

David Tsurusaki, ExxonMobil's Global Motorsport Technology Manager, said: "With Red Bull I think it is one of the biggest steps we have ever done. And with mature engine technology, it is harder and harder to make that adjustment.

"It [the upgrade] is something that we have been thinking about and working on for quite a long time. I think it is one of our better improvements.

"[But] I cannot comment on the performance gain. I know what it is, otherwise we wouldn't be introducing it, but it definitely is an improvement and wouldn't be introduced if it wasn't."

Tsurusaki said the development work on the new fuel can be traced back over several years, and has involved the sourcing of new 'raw materials' to help deliver a breakthrough.

Asked by Motorsport.com if this meant using chemicals that were new to F1, Tsurusaki said: "The FIA standard is pretty restrictive. It has to be chemicals that have been used and available in a consumer fuel in the past, so in a sense it is not brand new technology.

"But it is something that we have not used in a Formula 1 fuel, and I don't know if anyone else has done it.

"There are two or three key adjustments we have made that give us the performance enhancement we are looking for."

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Magnussen remains at odds with "trigger-happy" F1 stewards

Kevin Magnussen says he remains perplexed at the "trigger-happy" stewards who punished him at the Russian Grand Prix, because he is adamant he did nothing wrong.
The Dane was given a five-second penalty at Sochi for not passing to the left of two cones in the run off area for Turn 2, after he ran off the track during a battle with Racing Point’s Sergio Perez.

After the race he slammed the decision, which cost him one place, as "bullshit", while his team boss Gunther Steiner blamed a "stupid idiot steward" for what happened.

Although Magnussen has calmed down a little over the matter, he says he remains disappointed about what happened because he did not break the specific instructions about what drivers should or should not do when they run wide.

In event notes issues to drivers before the Russian GP, they were told that: “Any driver who fails to negotiate Turn 2 by using the track, and who passes completely to the left of the first orange kerb element prior to the apex, must re-join the track by driving to the left of the white blocks and remaining to the left of the orange block in the run off.”

However, Magnussen’s incident resulted in him missing the apex and running across the kerb – so the rules were not explicit about what he had to do.

“We were told one thing and I didn’t do what was said to be classified for a penalty,” explained Magnussen.

“They said that if you go completely to the left of the first element then you have to take the cones and if you don’t, you get a penalty. But I went across them [the kerbs].

“That is not written anywhere what to do then. So I tried to go there and take it, lost a lot of time. I think it was wrong and I think they know it was wrong.”

Magnussen said he tried to explain to the FIA over the radio that he did his best to try to get to the left of the cones, but the angle he was at meant it was impossible to get around the first one.

But he thinks that the stewards were too eager to hand down a punishment instead of carefully examining what the rules stated.

“I said I tried to make it but I couldn’t,” he said. “I think they made the rules so they should have looked at what they have told us... which is if you pass completely and specifically to the left of the first orange element then you have to take both. Which I didn’t.

“So how many do I need to take? I tried my best. It wasn’t like I just floored the throttle and didn’t lose any time. It felt like they just were trigger-happy.”

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First look: Mercedes' Japanese GP upgrades

Mercedes has made minor tweaks to its sidepod-mounted turning vanes ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in an effort to close back in on Formula 1 rival Ferrari.
Following the summer break and the introduction of its successful Singapore upgrade package, Ferrari has largely outclassed Mercedes, which has not brought any meaningful updates in recent rounds.

Aiming to draw level once more, Mercedes has brought a small update to Suzuka to put the pressure back on Ferrari.

Team principal Toto Wolff promised that Mercedes would test "little things that we are just interested to explore" in Suzuka, but stressed that the team has no plans for any larger upgrades this year.

The turning vanes have now transitioned into three distinct 'phases'. The front vertical piece (green arrow) remains, but the central horizontal elements marked with the red arrow have increased from four to five, and no longer extend below the sidepod-mounted element as the previous specification did.

While the sidepod-mounted piece (purple arrow) was formerly made of one piece, it has now been broken into two parts - presumably with the intention to generate tip vortices.

The image below details the difference between the old specification (left) and the new specification (right).

The element mounted to the top of the sidepod will induce a small amount of lift, but in doing so can direct a passage of air down the slope of the sidepods.

Breaking the two parts up allows the team to extend the vertical component further up.

Over the season, Mercedes has been conscientiously modifying its turning vane and bargeboard assembly to extract performance from the car.

At the beginning of the year, the launch car featured three vertical vanes, but the switch to a greater focus on the horizontal elements suggests a vastly modified approach to conditioning the tyre wake.

Using a mixture of horizontal and vertical parts gives Mercedes's aerodynamicists more options in breaking down the turbulence and turning it into something useable.

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Valtteri Bottas victorious in Japan as Mercedes clinches Constructors' crown

Valtteri Bottas ended a 12-race win-less streak as he controlled proceedings at a strategic Japanese Grand Prix, with Mercedes sealing a sixth straight Constructors’ title.

Bottas grabbed the initiative at the start and undertook a two-stop strategy to clinch his first victory since April’s fourth round of 2019 in Azerbaijan.

Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton switched from a planned sole stop to a two-stopper but recovered from a subdued first lap to finish third, after a late dice with Sebastian Vettel .

Mercedes’ result ensured it mathematically wrapped up the Constructors’ title for a sixth consecutive year, equalling Ferrari’s record.

The outcome of the grand prix means now either Hamilton or Bottas will be the Drivers’ World Champion in 2019.  

Ferrari began the day by locking out the front row of the grid but mustered only second and sixth, with Vettel on the podium and Charles Leclerc hindered by a first-lap clash.

On a frantic opening lap Bottas made an ideal getaway and launched from third to first, breezing around both Ferrari drivers long before the field made it Turn 1.

Vettel slotted into second while Leclerc and Max Verstappen contested third through Turn 1, with the pair making contact, resulting in Verstappen spinning.

Leclerc continued in third for a couple of laps with a damaged front wing endplate before pitting, releasing Hamilton – who had briefly dropped to fifth – into third spot.

Verstappen re-joined the action towards the rear of the pack but was retired after 14 laps, his second failure to finish in five grands prix.

Stewards, having decided initially that no action was necessary, reversed the call and will instead investigate the incident post-race.

Bottas extended his advantage through the first stint and Vettel was the first of the front-runners to come in on lap 16, bolting on Softs, therefore committing to a two-stop approach.

By that stage Vettel had already survived a potential penalty when he was cleared by stewards over an alleged false start.

TV replays showed he had crept forward prior to the lights going out, before halting and moving again, but no further action was taken.

Bottas came in one lap later, for Mediums, and was informed that he was two-stopping, with his engineer revealing that Hamilton – now in the lead – was planning to stop just once.

Bottas carved into Hamilton’s 11-second advantage and was within three seconds by the time the Briton came in on lap 21, exchanging Softs for Mediums.

But after just a few laps Hamilton was told a one-stop would be “a struggle” and his aim was to chase down Vettel.

Hamilton enquired as to why he was not equipped with the Hards and was informed that a relative lack of data played a factor.

“That’s just a f*** up man” came Hamilton’s reply a few laps later, before adding “so now I’ve got to close the gap?” – which at that stage he was already doing.

Hamilton had reduced the gap from 10 to three seconds by the time the Ferrari driver pitted for a second time on lap 31, emerging on a set of Mediums.

Bottas came in five laps later – his gap over Hamilton 13 seconds – and emerged in second spot, comfortably in front of Vettel, his Mercedes fitted with a set of Soft tyres.

“Tell me what I need to do to win this race,” came Hamilton’s cry as he inherited a nine-second lead, while Bottas was told “you have Lewis down the road. He still has to stop.”

Hamilton came in at the end of lap 42, dropping from first to third, with a five-second gap to Vettel, but quickly reeled in the Ferrari driver.

Vettel was forced into the defensive with three laps remaining as both drivers requested more power from their respective teams in their dispute of second.

Vettel ultimately stayed ahead by just four-tenths of a second to ensure he split the Mercedes drivers.

Alexander Albon endured a tardy getaway but eventually overhauled Carlos Sainz Jr. to take his best F1 result in fourth, with the McLaren driver an equally impressive fifth.

Leclerc, out of sequence, stopped three times and finished sixth.

Renault endured a scrappy qualifying session but both drivers made gains early on and surged through the midfield pack.

Daniel Ricciardo rose to seventh position while Nico Hulkenberg classified ninth, the duo split by Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly.

Lance Stroll provisionally inherited the final point after team-mate Sergio Perez crashed out through Turn 1 on the final lap while battling with Gasly.

However, thanks to a timing error the chequered flag panel was shown a lap early, meaning the results were backdated to lap 52.

Therefore Perez was reinstated into ninth, with Hulkenberg demoted to 10th, and Stroll losing his point.

The next round of the season, the Mexican Grand Prix, will take place from October 25 to 27

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Stewards explain why Sebastian Vettel escaped jump start sanction

The FIA has given its reasoning as to why Sebastian Vettel was not penalised for an apparent jump start at Formula 1’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Vettel crept forwards before the five red lights were extinguished, stopped, and then waited for the lights to go out, losing his pole advantage to Valtteri Bottas.

Stewards investigated Vettel’s apparent transgression but ultimately cleared him of any wrongdoing.

It came just one race after Kimi Raikkonen was handed an in-race penalty for a similar offence.

The panel of four stewards explained that they reviewed video evidence and “the jump-start report based on the information from the FIA approved and supplier transponder fitted to each car.

“Whilst the video shows some movement that movement was within the acceptable tolerance of the F1 jump start system which formerly defines a jump start per Article 36.13(a) of the Sporting Regulations.”

Vettel went on to finish the race in second position.

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Stewards clear Pierre Gasly and Sergio Perez over Suzuka collision

Pierre Gasly and Sergio Perez will face no further action over the collision that occurred while they contested eighth place at Formula 1’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Perez tried to overhaul Gasly around the outside of Turn 1 but the pair clashed, resulting in Perez spinning into barriers and retirement.

Gasly went on to classify eighth while, due to a glitch in the timing system, the results were taken at the end of the penultimate lap, meaning Perez eventually placed ninth.

Despite the clash technically not taking place during the race the panel of stewards opted to investigate the incident.

They “determined that Cars 11 [Perez] and 10 [Gasly] while transiting Turns 1 and 2 side by side, with Car 11 attempting an outside pass, made contact near the apex of Turn 2, causing Car 11 to leave the track. 

“Both drivers contributed to the contact as Car 11, who was slightly in front and on the outside of the track took a narrow line towards the apex of Turn 2, while Car 10 on the inside of the track, and likely not fully visible to car 11, did not take as tight a line as was possible through the apex prior to the contact. 

“No driver is judged wholly at fault.”

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Racing Point protest deemed valid, Renault gear impounded

The FIA has deemed Racing Point’s protest against Renault as admissible and has impounded gear from the French team for the next stages of its investigation.

It was revealed post-race in Japan that Racing Point had lodged a protest against Renault concerning “an alleged pre-set lap distance-dependent brake bias adjustment system” on both cars.

Post-race at Suzuka the stewards heard from representatives of both teams and a representative from the FIA’s Technical Department, where it was determined that the protest met the requirements of the FIA’s International Sporting Code.

Renault agreed with the decision of the stewards.

As a result the FIA’s Technical Department has sealed the standard Electronic Control Units and steering wheels from the cars of both Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg “in preparation for conducting a detailed analysis of those pieces.”

A detailed analysis of the hardware, software and data associated with the items will be carried out and, when completed, a written report will be provided to the stewards.

The FIA will consult both Renault and Racing Point if necessary, with the process expected to take until Wednesday, after which the evidence will be handed over to stewards.

After this point a meeting time can be arranged in order for the stewards to assess the claims made in the protest.

Renault issued a statement in response revealing that Racing Point had submitted a 12-page dossier against them and that it "intends to use this recess to prepare an equally detailed case to rigorously defend its position."

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Alfa Romeo closing in on 2020 driver decision

Alfa Romeo is honing in on confirming its 2020 Formula 1 driver line-up, with team boss Frederic Vasseur praising the recent job of incumbent Antonio Giovinazzi.

Giovinazzi stepped up to Formula 1 full-time this year, two years after a couple of outings as a stand-in, to partner Kimi Raikkonen, who moved across from Ferrari.

Giovinazzi has scored only four points to Raikkonen’s 31, but two of his top 10 finishes came in the last three events, while his one-lap pace has also improved.

Ferrari is understood to have a substantial input on the seat, currently occupied by Giovinazzi, aiding the Italian’s prospects of staying on for 2020.

The only other viable candidate for the seat is Nico Hulkenberg, who was recruited to Renault by Vassuer during the Frenchman’s brief 2016 stint as team boss, and who is out of a drive.

“We will take the decision quite soon,” confirmed Vasseur at the Japanese Grand Prix.

“But honestly, if you have a look at the last event I think that Antonio is doing a very strong job, that he was matching Kimi in the last six or seven qualifyings in a row. He was in front in Sochi.

“OK, the first lap was not a good one for us but he’s doing the job and he’s improving step-by-step [and] I’m very confident with Antonio.”

When asked on Thursday if he had any update on his future, Giovinazzi said: “Not yet, but I think already as I said many times if I continue with these results, the speed I’ve shown in the last few races, nobody can take my seat.

“I just need to keep pushing, stay focused on my target, which is to be here next year, and we’ll see.”

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Perplexed and frustrated Robert Kubica hints at Williams discord

Robert Kubica says he was left bemused at a “strange feeling” and asserted that decisions were taken without his knowledge prior to Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix action.

Kubica, who will leave Williams after 2019, was buoyed by his performance during Friday practice at Suzuka, but crashed out of qualifying as he began his hot lap on Sunday morning.

Williams mechanics repaired Kubica’s car in time for the race, turning the FW42 around in three hours, in which he finished 19th and last.

Kubica began his post-race media session by praising his mechanics for “doing an amazing job, not for the first time this year, as it’s really amazing what they are doing with what we have.

“I think in a difficult period we all try to do our best and it’s amazing how in such a difficult year they are still able to don’t give up, as we all try to do.”

Kubica went on, explaining, that “unfortunately I have mixed feelings about this weekend.

“We started this morning before getting into the car, so, after a disappointing Russia race there were. decisions taken before qualifying without even letting me know, and I think this is not the right way.”

When pressed on what those decisions were by Motorsport Week, Kubica simply replied: “Decisions.”

“Unfortunately [in qualifying] I did a mis-evaluation [and] I think it was lack of attention, enough attention, in exit of [the] last corner exiting the lap, but anyway… things were… a bit strange before getting me in the car, and I really didn’t like it.

“I was hoping after a disappointing Russia we would be here everyone to try and do our best and this is what we try and do on Friday, and actually Friday I end up with quite feelings but I think my feelings were probably too good.”

Kubica declined to provide further details but suggested that aspects were altered without his knowledge by those not present in Japan.

“Well conditions were different but [on] Friday something happened which gave me quite a lot of confidence and improved my feeling on the car,” he said.

“We agreed on something and then Sunday morning things they changed for whatever reason, I think it was not the decision of people who are here, so yep, I don’t want to go too much to the details.

“I think after Russia, where we were disappointing, and overall, when you have a driver who says for the first time I can drive for very long properly the car and actually I am exploring the car, this is what every team will look to have it, but for whatever reason…”

Motorsport Week understands that Kubica's angst was aimed at the situation regarding Williams' new front wing.

The new component, of which there was only one, was set to be trialled only on Friday, as part of Williams' work for the 2020 season.

Both Kubica and George Russell ran it during phases of FP1 before Kubica used it for the entirety of FP2, with the manner in which it assisted his progress leading to the decision that he would run it on Sunday.

However that decision was not carried through and Kubica was forced to revert to the older front wing.

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Verstappen hits out at "irresponsible" Leclerc

Max Verstappen has labelled Charles Leclerc's driving in the Japanese Grand Prix as "irresponsible", saying that "doesn't understand" the decision not to penalise the Ferrari driver.
Leclerc had started the race from second on the grid but got a poor getaway, while Verstappen was able to sweep his Red Bull past the fourth-starting Lewis Hamilton to gain an advantage heading into Turn 2.

But the Ferrari driver ran deep into the corner before going wide, then colliding with Verstappen and forcing him off the track.

The stewards initially deemed the collision a racing incident that did not require an investigation, before reopening the case some laps later to be looked into after the race.

Verstappen ultimately retired his Red Bull on lap 15.

"At T2, Charles just drove into the side of my car," said Verstappen in a post-race interview to Sky.

"From my side I don't think I could have done anything different there. We all know that you lose downforce behind a car so that is not an excuse, he's experienced enough to know that.

"For me, the weird thing is that initially they don't investigate it - the whole car was destroyed, there were just holes in the side of the car.

"Now they've started to investigate it but it's after the race, what more should he do to get a penalty? I like hard racing but this wasn't hard racing, just irresponsible driving.

"They had a bad start so he was trying to recover but there's only so much you can do in a very long race. It's a shame that it happened."

Leclerc did not attribute blame to Verstappen for the incident after the race and said it was a "tricky situation" that he would need to see a replay of.

"Obviously I understeered being behind Seb and Lewis, and then we touched, I don't know what happened from the full situation from the outside, and this I need to look at," said Leclerc.

"From the car it was just a tricky situation."

Sebastian Vettel was also briefly under investigation for a jumped start, but ultimately escaped a penalty - with Verstappen unhappy with the inconsistency from the FIA.

"Also, just watching the footage back from Seb's start, he moves, he stops - the rules say you cannot move," said Verstappen.

"It's fine because he didn't gain an advantage there, I really don't understand what's going on today with the rules."