FORMULA 1

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Robert Kubica insists there is no tension in Williams relationship

Robert Kubica has stressed that there is “no tension” in his relationship with Williams, despite the recent series of incidents he had encountered.

Kubica was parked from the Russian Grand Prix, over a lack of spare parts, while in Japan he cut a frustrated figure post-race amid accusations of decisions being taken without his knowledge.

When asked in Mexico about his comments, Kubica asserted “I never questioned the team”, before adding “I just questioned their way of deciding things.

“I think we are all on the same boat. I think I showed for many times, not only in this season, that I think I’m the guy who understands the sport pretty well, and not only from a driver point of view.

“I felt like some things could be handled differently with just talking instead of doing it in a different way.”

When it was suggested to Kubica that from an external perspective his relationship with Williams appeared problematic, he retorted: “I think there is no tension. The situation is not easy, and I have a good relationship with the team.

“For sure what happens is not affecting how is my relationship with the people I am working with.

“We are all in the same boat, and we are all understanding very well our situation, although we have probably sometimes different points of view.

“I think I have been in the sport long enough and in different situations that I understand also a team point of view.

“That’s why probably sometimes it would be easier just to talk instead of doing this differently.

“As I said, I don’t think our relationship is any different to what it was before, as I have big respect of the people who are working there to make it work.

“Of course sometimes we are limited with the tools we are having, but this is how it is, and probably I have even more respect because I know how is the situation, and that is why the people, they are not giving up and the guys are pushing really hard. They really are doing an amazing job for what we are having.”

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Robert Kubica edging closer to Haas 2020 simulator role

Robert Kubica is closing in on a role to become a test and simulator driver for Haas F1 in 2020, alongside a potential race deal in another category.

Kubica returned to Formula 1 with Williams this year after a prolonged absence but announced in Singapore that he would not be continuing at the team into 2020.

Kubica has remained coy on his future but is understood to be lining up a full-time drive in another category, while retaining a Formula 1 connection through Haas.

“We were speaking about a role in our team as a test and need to develop the simulator still,” said Haas boss Guenther Steiner.

“We are at a decent point but we need to make the next step as well. He is for sure one of the most qualified to do that. That’s what we’re discussing.”

Speaking about his own future, Kubica said: “I think I was pretty clear straightaway when I decided in Singapore and I answered the question ‘what is my goal’, my goal would be to race.

“And from what I know, Gunther is not in a position to offer me this, so of course there are some chances as you can imagine to get me involved in some other roles in the F1 paddock.

“But first of all, I would like to get on top of what is the most important for me, is to race, and then see once this is sorted out what would be possible for the future.

“As I said also, I hardly see myself just being closed in a dark room and doing laps in the simulator. I’m not excluding it, but it would have to be a combined thing with some other stuff.

“That’s why probably also it’s taking a bit more time, and all the parts, they have to fit together, which is not easy.”

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Renault has to 'brush off' Suzuka exclusion - Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo says Renault has to “brush off” its Suzuka exclusion and look forward, rather than dwell on its series of setbacks this season.

Renault has endured a problematic 2019 campaign as anticipated year-on-year progress failed to materialise, while a series of issues have also hampered its prospects.

Renault’s chances of securing P4 in the standings were dealt a blow on Wednesday when it was disqualified from the Japanese Grand Prix results for using a driver aid.

Renault hinted its unhappiness at the development but opted against an appeal.

“We have to brush it off and move forward,” insisted Ricciardo. “If we keep dwelling on the misfortunes or whatever circumstances we’ve had this year then we’ll probably always feel sorry for ourselves.

“But I do feel like this year it’s been tough for us to get momentum and coming in as a team with pretty high expectations to build on what they had last year, and it hasn’t really been that way so far.

“And when we do get something going something like this happens or my penalty in Singapore. It’s been hard for us to have momentum and have a real string of races. I feel like something always seems to be getting in the way.

“But again, if we just sit here and say poor us then we aren’t really going to move forwards. There’s nothing else to do.

“If there’s a mistake we’ve made to try and learn from then sure, otherwise let’s just… We’ve got a double-header and I think for everyone in the paddock this is probably the favourite double-header of the year so I think we just use that happiness and positivity to try and get some good results.”

Ricciardo added that “yes we’re angry and frustrated, but as a team we are like ‘screw this and let’s go get these points we lost’, so it’s motivation.

“You use the bad days as motivation I think that’s the best thing and the good days you appreciate them. I think it’s important to celebrate the good days.”

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FIA to use electronic track limit system in Mexico

The FIA has confirmed that it will use an electronic system to enforce track limits at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez's Turn 11 during this weekend's Mexican Grand Prix.

The FIA have previously used such a system at the Belgian GP to monitor the Raidillon corner, which alerts the stewards when a driver crosses the white line with all four wheels.

Mexico's Turn 11 is another high speed corner where running wide can provide a time advantage and the stewards are therefore keen to monitor the situation, warning drivers that their times will be deleted and they could face a penalty for repeated offences.

"A lap time achieved during any practice session or the race by a driver completely crossing the red and white kerb on the exit of Turn 11 with no part of the car remaining in contact with the red and white section of the kerb, will be invalidated by the stewards," explained FIA race director Michael Masi.

"On the third occasion of a driver completely crossing the red and white kerb on the exit of Turn 11 with no part of the car remaining in contact with the red and white section of the kerb during the race, he will be shown a black and white flag, any further cutting will then be reported to the stewards.

"Each time any car completely crosses the red and white kerb on the exit of Turn 11, teams will be informed via the official messaging system.

"The above requirements will not automatically apply to any driver who is judged to have been forced off the track, each such case will be judged individually."

Masi also made clear that a number of corners will have penalty bollards which must be navigated before a driver rejoins the track if they miss or cut the corner. These include Turns 1, 2, 3, 8 and 11.

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A taste of the Mexican Grand Prix paddock

 

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Leclerc: Engine queries aimed at "destabilising" Ferrari

Charles Leclerc thinks questions being asked about the legality of Ferrari's engines are an attempt to "destabilise" his team, as he insists the Italian outfit is not worried about the situation.

On the back of Ferrari's current power advantage in Formula 1, Motorsport.com revealed that a number of its rivals had written to the FIA seeking clarification about the legality of some of the concepts behind its power unit.

It is understood that these related to its oil intercooler and its energy recovery system, which rivals believe are key to the gains Ferrari has made this season.

But with no official protest having been lodged, Ferrari is comfortable with where things currently stand, and Leclerc is far from concerned.

"I think any time a team is in a good moment, obviously everyone is looking at the small things to try and destabilise the team," he said. "That's not happening.

"I think we are very confident inside the team that there is no problem with that, so it doesn't affect us."

Red Bull's Max Verstappen has labelled Ferrari's current power advantage "insane", and believes that edge will make the Italian team unbeatable in Mexico.

Despite having won in Mexico City for the past two years, Verstappen thinks his team will not be as strong as it was in the past – and won't be able to fight for victory even if it is comfortably fastest over a single lap.

"From the Ferrari side over the year they gained more and more power," he said. "I think it's very hard to beat that to be honest even if you have a car half a second faster it's still almost impossible to beat them in qualifying.

"As you can see with Mercedes, they have the best car compared to them and still in qualifying they are lacking compared to them. It's insane the speed difference they have."

Asked if he knew where that power leap had come from, Verstappen said: "No otherwise of course we would have implemented that in our engine. We keep pushing from our side to try and gain more power but the deficit is really big.

"I think when we look to Mercedes and Renault I think we are looking strong, we are not really lacking that much. Of course Mercedes normally run more downforce than us but we are close to them, so I guess that's already a good achievement."

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Racing Point's lack of progress hard to deal with, says Perez

Sergio Perez says the biggest disappointment of 2019 for him has been the lack of improvement that Racing Point has made throughout the season.
While the Mexican knew that the campaign would be a difficult one, as the team got back on its feet after the financial troubles of last year, he said he had hoped for a bigger uplift in improvement.

Speaking to Motorsport.com about his campaign, Perez said: "Not ideal, you know. I wish by now we had more points, we were fighting for better positions, and we've improved more.

"I think the disappointed bit comes with the lack of improvement throughout the year. I think that is something we can consider. But all the rest, I think, we kind of expected.

"We knew that this year it is a transition year. But it hurts, you know. It is a long year to have that transition.

"But we see the light out of the tunnel. I think there are plenty of reasons to be positive for the future. I still hope that we finish with the fourth fastest car on the grid."

Perez says the team is well aware of where it could have done better this season, and understands the tough situation it faced after the 2018 woes when the team went in to administration.

"As I say, the lack of improvement is there, we are cautious about it. It is not like we don't realise, that we haven't improved enough," he said.

"That's there, we cannot hide from it. But as I say, in a transition year, in a year when you start so far behind it is always going to be very difficult to catch up."

But while the current campaign has been hard, Perez remains bullish about the longer term future for his team – having recently committed to stay for the next three years.

He is especially encouraged about the potential that the 2021 F1 revamp can give for his team, as he hopes it will allow Racing Point to fight for podiums.

"Definitely podiums are a target, you know," he said. "Definitely to go to the next step. There is a massive rule change for 2021, there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes, so a lot of work going on. So I see no reason why we cannot be successful."

And he says that if he is able to deliver on that target then that will bring him enough of an incentive to commit longer term to F1. He has previously admitted to some frustration about being stuck in the midfield.

"I need a motivation," he said. "I want an encouragement to come here, and leave the weekend knowing that I've done the best, and the team has done their best.

"I've been the last three years best of the rest, fighting for it. So I have to keep that motivation, I have to have a project that motivates me to keep going on."

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Mexican GP: Best images from Mexico City on Thursday

Check out the best photos so far from Motorsport Images as the Formula 1 circus descends on Mexico City for the Mexican Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton could be crowned a six-time world champion this weekend.

 

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Can Verstappen secure a Mexican triple?

Max Verstappen has made Mexico’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez his backyard of late, clinching victory in each of the last two years as his Red Bull excelled in the high altitude conditions. But are he and Red Bull in the shape to make it a hat-trick?

The Mexican Grand Prix presents an unusual challenge for the teams, with its 4.304km circuit some 2,285m above sea level. At this altitude, the air is considerably thinner, which in turn reduces air pressures and encourages teams to pile on the downforce. This is why, in the past, Red Bull have excelled here as it plays to their strengths.

In the last two years, while the Renault engine hasn’t been the strongest, it has performed well in these conditions, where there’s less oxygen going into the power unit, which, in turn, puts greater stress on the units as well as presenting challenges with cooling.

Red Bull’s RB15 has plenty of downforce and good mechanical grip – another of the team’s traditional traits – but their development curve has not been as strong as this time last year, which means they arrive in Mexico off the back of Ferrari and Mercedes. Throw in the “insane” speed advantage Ferrari have with their power unit – Verstappen’s word of choice – and it’s no wonder Verstappen is cautious about his hopes of a third win in 2019.

“The car has always had good mechanical grip and actually, being very positive, I think the Renault engine was always quite decent here,” said Verstappen, whose Red Bull this year runs Honda power. “This year, from the Honda side, we don’t know how competitive it is going to be.

“This year will be a bit more difficult because I think in comparison to Mercedes and Ferrari we are not maybe that far ahead with the car. We brought updates, others did too and we didn’t make the performance step like we did last year compared to them.

“Ferrari is just super quick on the straights, so it’s hard to gain that time back in the corners, especially in qualifying. In the race, they don’t have that amount of power difference. Still there is a difference but not that big, so maybe in the race, we’ll have a few more chances.

“Also we need to see how the tyres are going to behave as last year there were big issues with the graining so you couldn’t really push flat out throughout the whole race. This year, the tyres are a bit harder, so hopefully that will help.”

Ferrari are favourites in Mexico, with Mercedes set for third-best

The general consensus in Mexico City is that Ferrari are overwhelming favourites for this weekend, courtesy of their power unit advantage and the gains they have made with their aerodynamic package. Sebastian Vettel, though, is not so sure.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Obviously people look at the track and they look at the straight line but I think that, yeah, we have obviously been strong on the straight lines in recent races but there are a couple of corners plus here it’s not one of the tracks where efficiency matters so much.

“We do have quite an efficient car but maybe we can’t use that to our advantage, so we’ll see how we manage around the 'cornery' sections, because some of these type of corners have been our weakness, so we’ll see.”

With Red Bull expected to offer the greatest threat, what of Mercedes – the constructors’ champions? Well, the Silver Arrows concede it’s going to be challenging.

“We’re going to go into this weekend knowing that Ferrari are massively quick, usually on the straights, and obviously straights are a powerful element of this circuit, so I don’t know when we’ll be getting another pole – unless it rains, which can change everything,” said Hamilton, who needs to finish 14 points clear of team mate Valtteri Bottas to clinch the 2019 title.

“But as you’ve seen in previous races it’s not necessarily all about qualifying nowadays. It’s about making sure you’ve got the car ready for the race, so we’ll still give it everything. This is a race that bodes well for the Red Bulls and the Ferraris in the past, but we’ve made a lot of improvements in our understanding of the car and how we use it, so maybe this weekend we’ll a better chance than we have in the past.”

Talking of the weather, the forecast could come to Mercedes’ rescue. Rain is a threat all day on Friday, with the wet stuff intensifying heading into second practice. Qualifying, as it stands, should escape the rain, but there is a threat from an hour before the race throughout to the late afternoon.

Rain is unlikely to bother Verstappen, though, given he triumphed in the wet German Grand Prix earlier this year. Maybe this is Red Bull’s time to shine once more…

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Lewis Hamilton on brink of sixth title after superb Mexico victory

Lewis Hamilton mastered his tyres to claim a surprise Mexican Grand Prix victory, which even the Mercedes driver doubted would happen throughout the race.

Hamilton's tenth win of the 2019 season wasn't enough to see him secure a sixth Drivers' Championship though, as team-mate and title rival Valtteri Bottas finished third, doing just enough to ensure the title battle remains alive for the next race in Austin next weekend.

It was a race of strategy as the top four all went down separate paths, with Hamilton pitting on Lap 24 for new hard tyres, which he was forced to manage for 47 laps, a feat even he thought would be impossible as he complained over team radio on numerous occasions.

However it proved possible, just, as he held off Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by just over a second as he crossed the finish line, with Bottas a further second adrift.

All four strategies converged in the final ten laps, but none of the top four were able to find a route past those ahead, meaning Vettel kept Bottas at bay, with the Finn keeping Leclerc behind, but it could have been a different story had Leclerc, who was the only one of the top four to go with a two-stop strategy, not been held up during his second stop.

The Monegasque racer had to wait for four seconds as a rear-tyre failed to attach properly, which dropped him down the order, costing him a potential victory, and at worst a podium finish.

Although Hamilton drove a great race, it didn't all go to plan as at the start he was forced onto the grass by Vettel, forcing him to back off, which allowed Max Verstappen to get alongside, only for the pair to tangle at Turn 2, forcing them both to run wide across the grass.

Hamilton dropped back to fifth as Red Bull's Alex Albon and McLaren's Carlos Sainz got ahead, whilst Verstappen dropped back to seventh. Verstappen though was able to pass Bottas with a brave move in the stadium, only to suffer a puncture as the paid briefly touched, which put the Dutchman to the back. 

He would recover to finish sixth behind team-mate Albon, followed by local hero Sergio Perez, Renault's Daniel Ricciardo and Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly.

Completing the top ten over the line was Daniil Kvyat, but the Russian was handed a ten-second time penalty after he collided with Nico Hulkenberg at the penultimate corner, forcing the German into the wall. Hulkenberg managed to crawl over the line to finish 11th, and was then promoted to tenth.

It was a race to forget for McLaren despite their strong start as Carlos Sainz's pace fell apart on the hard tyre, to finish 13th, whilst Lando Norris retired following a loose wheel following his stop.

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Sebastian Vettel: Mercedes had nothing to lose with 'huge risk'

Sebastian Vettel believes Mercedes had “nothing to lose” by taking a “huge risk” in making an earlier pit stop at Formula 1’s Mexican Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc led the early stages and committed to a two-stop strategy, while Vettel and Lewis Hamilton both employed a one-stop approach, as tyre degradation was lower than expected.

Hamilton came in on lap 24 of 71 while leader Vettel remained out until lap 37, with the Briton expressing doubt that he would be able to go to the end.

But once Leclerc made his second stop Hamilton inherited the lead and, despite drawing closer, Vettel was unable to get close enough to mount an attack, as he stayed second.

“Ultimately if you are fair, I think we didn’t have the speed to force the victory, despite the strategy,” said Vettel.

“With hindsight, you are always a bit smarter and obviously Lewis had nothing to lose so he might as well try and it worked for him.

“We expected the tyres to hit the cliff but for him it was fine, he had significantly more laps on it and I think seeing that Valtteri stayed out so long is confirmation for them that it was a huge risk.

“There are these days where it pays off but certainly it was not all knowledge.

“So I don’t think we got beaten on strategy terms, I think they won and got a bit lucky, second they had a bit more speed.”
Vettel added that “at that point of the race fitting the Hards without stopping again was a brave move.

“It could have been either way and speaking to them after the race quickly they had the two stops as their preferred strategy, so as I said if you are in that position you might as well try.”

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Lewis Hamilton: Sebastian Vettel risked 'big collision' at start

Lewis Hamilton said Sebastian Vettel risked a “big collision” at the start of Formula 1’s Mexican Grand Prix, as the pair scrapped for position.

Vettel started from second, with Hamilton third, but the Mercedes driver got a better initial launch and tried to draw alongside the Ferrari driver.

Vettel, though, edged across on his Mercedes rival, who backed off, with Hamilton labelling the manoeuvre as “dangerous”; race control opted not to take any further action.

“I actually got a really good start, so I was pulling up to Charles [Leclerc] and Seb is coming across, coming across, coming across,” said Hamilton.

“I’m thinking ‘I’m on the white line, I don’t have anywhere further to go’. And he just keeps coming.

“So I had to avoid crashing with him, going on the grass. Avoid his wheels as well, otherwise, I could have caused a big collision for him.”

On the near-hit, Vettel said: “I didn’t see him. He came after the race as well and asked, but no intention to push him or anything.

“Obviously, as soon as I saw, I obviously got off and I tried to get in Charles’ tow and I checked the mirrors on the right and the mirrors on the left and that’s when I saw Lewis.

“Then, you know, I tried to go right but before that point, I didn’t see him. We see quite well in the mirrors but there is still obviously an angle that you can’t see.”

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Christian Horner: Red Bull lost ‘straightforward win’ in Mexico

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes it allowed a “straightforward” victory to slip through its grasp at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen was set to start from pole position but a post-session penalty for ignoring yellow flags relegated him to fourth on the grid.

Verstappen dropped to eighth after a first-lap tangle with Lewis Hamilton and in passing Valtteri Bottas through the Foro Sol stadium section he sustained a right-rear puncture.

That dropped Verstappen to the rear of the field, from where he recovered to sixth, running a 66-lap stint on Hard tyres.

“It’s frustrating,” said Horner, who commented that Red Bull had the fastest car in race trim.

“Even with a penalty after pole, he [Verstappen] was racing hard with Lewis, they both got wide at Turn 2 and he had to take avoiding action so lost some ground but even then it was still game on.

“It was really the puncture with Valtteri that screwed his race.

“Having to do a whole lap with a puncture, you could see his pace – I think when he came out he was two seconds a lap quicker than the leaders at that early stage.

“So I think it would have been quite a straightforward race for him.”

Horner added that “even starting on the pole with the speed of the Ferraris it would have been very hard to be first into the first corner.

“So I think there was a feeling going into the race that ‘Do you know what? Being on the second row isn’t a bad thing here if you can pick up the tow’.

“We saw Daniel [Ricciardo] last year go from first to third by the time he got to the first corner.

“So it was frustrating to lose the pole position but it wasn’t the end of the world, we still had a car good enough to win the race and I think the thing that really screwed the race for us was ultimately the puncture.”

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Mattia Binotto: Mexico speed emphasises Ferrari’s ‘great improvement’

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto says the team’s display in Mexico underlines the improvements it has made since Formula 1’s summer break.

Ferrari locked out the front row of the grid – courtesy of its sixth successive pole position – and while it missed out on victory, Sebastian Vettel finished within two seconds of Lewis Hamilton.

Binotto pointed to Ferrari’s performance level as justification for its improvement since the summer break, which it entered off the back of a subdued display in Hungary, where it finished a minute down on Hamilton.

“I think now we can’t be happy for the result of [the race], but I think overall as a team we should be happy for the weekend,” said Binotto.

“We earned another pole, I think we got a good pace in the race, on a type of circuit like Mexico which is similar to Hungary where you need maximum performance.

“That has simply shown we’ve done improvements since then, great improvements.

“We were there to fight and battle for the win which was not the case in Hungary.

“Going to Austin that no doubt our objective is to win and we have all the opportunity and possibility to do it.

“Let’s try now at least to start on pole and win and not start on pole and not win, so I’m pretty sure that’s something we are hoping, and I’m pretty sure we can do it yes.”

Binotto accepted that Ferrari – as with other teams – was caught out by the durability of the Hard tyre in Mexico, with Mercedes correct to take a “gamble” by stopping early.

“When Charles stopped for us [on lap 16 of 71] it was still too early to gamble on the one-stop, it would have been too risky,” said Binotto.

“Certainly the gamble they [Mercedes] did was the right gamble, they took some risks to win and I think the risks went to their merit, that’s the way it is.

“Maybe we should have taken more risks – it’s difficult to judge, after the result it’s easy to say yes.”

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Sebastian Vettel critical of 'selfie guy and shitty trophies'

Sebastian Vettel renewed his push for ‘nicer trophies’ as he criticised the “boring” look of the current models, following his podium in Mexico.

Vettel, who has voiced similar opinions at past events, finished second in Mexico, and was part of a tweaked podium ceremony.

That involved the elevation of Lewis Hamilton’s victorious car to the front of the podium, as well as the appearance of ‘Mario Achi’, the figure who has promoted the event through 2019.

“I think it was cool,” said Vettel on the ceremony. “I didn’t like the selfie guy when he tried to push into the picture so I pushed him away.

“Not big into selfies anyways, but I think it was nice to elevate the car as well, it’s really cool, it’s a nice way to do it to involve the whole stadium and the crowd.

“I liked most of it except the selfie guy and the trophies.

“I think it’s a shame you have such a great race and they put such effort into the race and then you get these shitty trophies that look boring.

“I think for the future we should have something nice, maybe traditional Mexican. I think it’s a bit of a shame.

“There’s Heineken written everywhere, you don’t need to have the fricking star on the trophy as well.

“Get something nice like they had when Formula 1 used to race here before we came back.”

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McLaren’s Mexico malaise a ‘big surprise’ – Carlos Sainz Jr.

Carlos Sainz Jr. labelled McLaren’s Mexican Grand Prix slump “a big surprise” as he suffered his worst race since China, with the team failing to score.

Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris secured the fourth row of the grid and leapt up to fourth and sixth respectively on a scrappy opening lap.

But after switching to the Hard tyres Sainz Jr. struggled for performance and ultimately regressed, coming home 13th after a second stop for Mediums.

“It was a big surprise as we’ve been very strong all weekend and we have been very, very, very on it all the way,” he said.

“We had a chance [at the start] that we got to fight with the top guys, and we did it.

“We had good tyre management with the Softs, longer than anyone else, but on the Hards we had no grip, I hope it’s a one-off

“We were just sliding around on a Hard tyre being very slow, being overtaken, losing grip, and a snowball effect that meant we went backwards and had to pit again.”

McLaren’s lacklustre day was compounded by Norris dropping to the rear of the field due to a loose wheel at his first pit stop. He eventually retired.

“Going away from here, I think we can be lucky that we didn’t lose any more points in the constructors’ championship because the top six cars finished and points behind were well distributed between teams,” said team boss Andreas Seidl.

“A day like this is part of the process for our team to become a better team.

“We have lots of opportunities to learn from [the race] and it was a reminder that we still have a lot of work to do to become a better team.”

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Daniel Ricciardo: Renault character shows amid setbacks

Daniel Ricciardo says Renault warrants credit for the “character” it has displayed in the wake of recent troubles both on- and off-track.

Renault has endured a fraught season in Formula 1 and holds only fifth in the championship, with its goal of closing the gap to the leaders failing to materialise.

It arrived in Mexico shortly after news broke that it had been disqualified from the result of the Japanese Grand Prix.

On Friday it was confirmed that Renault’s F1 project will be assessed as part of the major review that is set to begin at the company, throwing its post-2020 participation in doubt.

Its on-track problems continued on Saturday as a cooling issue robbed it of running in practice, before Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg both dropped out in Q2.

Ricciardo started 13th but ran a Hard/Medium strategy – the only driver to do so – as he rose to eighth place, adding four points to his and Renault’s collection.

“I’m happy with how the team has kept their spirits high,” Ricciardo explained post-race to Motorsport Week.

“So many times this year circumstances have tried to knock us down and you can see it does creep in sometimes, and it creeps into me as well, [in qualifying] it showed.

“But we’ve regrouped quickly, I‘m proud of the team for that.

“Cyril’s [Abiteboul] been going through a lot, since Japan, and also at Renault, the company itself, there’s been some changes, he’s remained really strong this weekend.

“We’ll try and keep it up, backs against the wall, but it’s brought out some character in us.”

Ricciardo came within inches of taking seventh place from Sergio Perez but ran deep into Turn 1 and had to take to the grass.

“I saw seventh, obviously Perez, we had a few laps to get him, I thought he’d be easy money as we had the better tyre, but he was strong and had some straight-line speed,” he said.

“There was one lap I had to go and try. It was the closest I was. I knew it was going to be tough. I sent it deep…and the postman wasn’t there.”

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Analysis: How Lewis Hamilton won a Hard day's work

Lewis Hamilton put himself on the brink of a sixth world title with a masterful Mexico win as the Hard tyres proved far more durable than anyone expected. Motorsport Week takes a look at how the Mexican Grand Prix was won.

In the build-up to Formula 1’s Mexican Grand Prix Hamilton had repeatedly talked down Mercedes’ prospects of success at the event. After domination in 2015 and 2016 the regulation changes had transported Mexico City into one of Mercedes’ weakest circuits. In 2017 and 2018 Mercedes missed out on pole position, and despite Hamilton claiming the crown on both occasions it was a subdued race in the circumstances. In 2017 he was skewered by first-lap contact, coming ninth, while fourth was the best he could muster last season amid excessive tyre wear. Mercedes’ pace through Friday and Saturday confirmed its fears, with the team third-best, albeit closer to the ultimate performance level in qualifying that had perhaps been anticipated.

Prior to the race the general consensus was that a two-stop strategy was likely to be favoured. This was due to the level of graining encountered across Friday and Saturday, with degradation and wear accentuated by the nature of the circuit layout and its location. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has heavy braking zones, areas where strong traction is required, and a sequence of fast corners through which drivers slide more than usual due to the loss of downforce 2,200 metres above sea level. On the grid Pirelli chief Mario Isola reiterated a two-stop strategy was likely but pondered that the warmer temperatures on race day would reduce the graining risk, reckoning someone would gamble on a one-stopper. What he would not have predicted was all of the podium finishers stopping just once.

Hamilton took to the grass on the opening lap

The front-runners all shirked the Soft tyre, starting on the Mediums, but a conventional two-stop was deemed the wisest choice. Third-placed Alexander Albon triggered the pit stop phase on lap 15 of 71, exchanging Mediums for Mediums and thus committing to a two-stopper, while Ferrari responded a lap later by bringing in pole sitter and early leader Charles Leclerc, matching Albon’s strategy. But Sebastian Vettel, Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas all stayed out. Hamilton came in on lap 23 and switched to Hards, signalling that Mercedes reckoned it could run through to the chequered flag. It would mean a 47-lap stint on Hards. Was that possible? Hamilton voiced his doubts several times, despite reassurance from stand-in race engineer Marcus Dudley, and was so anguished that lead strategist James Vowles made a rare appearance over the airwaves to assert his view that Mercedes would win the race. Ferrari had responded to Hamilton’s stop by requesting Vettel to pit but as Hamilton’s out-lap developed realised that they would be undercut. Far better, they reasoned, to extend the stint as far as possible in order to give Vettel fresher tyres for an assault during the closing stages. It was a fine theory, with Vettel coming in on lap 37, responding to Bottas’ stop the previous lap. Of encouragement to Mercedes at this stage was that Daniel Ricciardo, who had started on Hards, had yet to come into the pits, with his pace still strong...

Vettel's sole stop gave the two-stopping Leclerc a brief spell in the lead but, condemned to needing to pit again, he eventually re-joined the action fourth, hurt further by a slow services. The stage was set for a thrilling denouement: Hamilton trying to nurse his tyres to the flag, chased by Vettel, who was being shadowed by Bottas, and who in turn was being reeled in rapidly by Leclerc. Only such was the durability of the Hard tyre that the expected differential never showed through. The quartet were all showing similar pace and while the gaps ebbed and flowed as they negotiated lapped cars, there was never a battle. Hamilton crossed the line 1.7s clear of Vettel, with Bottas and Leclerc following suit.

Hamilton points out the floor damage on his Mercedes

For Hamilton it was an unexpected triumph that proved the power of team work and a supreme talent behind the wheel. Hamilton had dropped to fifth after a messy opening first lap, in which he had to back off to avoid a “big collision” with Vettel, which left him exposed to Max Verstappen, with whom he clashed through Turn 2, sustaining floor damage in the process. But he kept his head down, fought back, and masterfully executed the strategy.

“The rear end was quite weak so I was particularly sliding around a lot in the high-speed, so I had to change my settings quite a lot and had to drive it a little bit differently because I couldn’t attack the same way on the entry of corners because the rear stability wasn’t the same,” said Hamilton, who also had a dig at Verstappen, commenting that “it’s very likely you’re going to come together with Max if you don’t give him extra space, so most of the time you do.”

Hamilton’s weekend had also been complicated by the absence of long-time race engineer Pete Bonnington, who has been the reassuring voice in his ear since moving to Mercedes in 2013. Hamilton had involved Bonnington in meetings and decisions through the weekend and was full of praise for the manner in which the restructured crew operated.

“Knowing Bono wasn’t coming, I’m thinking, Jeez, in this intense fight for this championship… you could look at it as a disadvantage but me and Bono pulled together – he did a huge amount of work as did Marcus and Dom [Riefstahl] who’ve both stepped up into new roles,” explained Hamilton.

“I’ve never worked so closely with Dom before and Marcus stepped into big shoes. It’s not easy to work alongside… I would say a World Champion in this sport, who generally demand quite a lot but because I have experienced him as my number two he kind of knew how it worked and he’s generally a very laid back individual. And then on top of that, Bono was on the radio, we were texting all weekend and I really just wanted to make him very proud this weekend. He’s devoted so much of his life to me for these seven years so yeah, I really wanted to do… I’m sure he’s happy with the race.”

Hamilton’s performance was backed up by team-mate Bottas, who rebounded excellently from his Q3 crash, which resulted in Mercedes making a magnitude of changes on his W10, the full details of which read like a weekly shopping list. It meant Mercedes captured a 1-3 finish from a 3-6 grid position, and for the third successive event it triumphed in spite of Ferrari locking out the front row of the grid.

In Russia Ferrari was the unintentional architect of its own downfall, in Japan its drivers erred on a crucial first lap, so what was the problem in Mexico? It was fairly simple. Not only was Mercedes much closer – or perhaps quicker – in race trim, but in being the hunter rather than the hunted the Silver Arrows could take a gamble, and it was one which ultimately paid off.

Vettel also went Medium/Hard but was undone by Mercedes' gamble

“Obviously, you know, we were one and two and the two-stop looked like the better strategy and faster strategy so we split the cars, and obviously if you go for the one-stop, you might as well go for the one stop properly and not, sort-of, half-hearted,” said Vettel.

“When Lewis pitted, I think it was borderline and probably a bit too early but, as he said, he made the tyres last well and had enough towards the end.

“You can argue maybe we could have taken more risk – but at that point you’re really driving into the unknown. I think what they tried to do is fit the Hard, see if it makes it. If it doesn’t make it, you might as well fit another set at the end and there’s your two stops. When you are sitting in P3 and then having the option to finish, maybe, first or fifth. I think you may as well try. I think we tried everything. You have to give it to Lewis, he drove well, he made the tyres last and I think Mercedes in the race was maybe just a little bit quicker than us.”

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto concurred that “we realised only very late” regarding the durability of the Hard tyres.

“When Charles stopped, for us it was still too early to gamble on the one stop, it would have been too risky, not only for tyre degradation but for tyre wear as well, you can look and analyse at the data.

“Certainly the gamble Mercedes did was the right gamble, they took some risks to win and I think the risks went to their merit, that’s the way it is. Maybe we should have taken more risks – it’s difficult to judge, after the result it’s easy to say yes.”

Leclerc led the first stint but dropped to fourth

Leclerc maturely stomached another race in which pole position has been squandered.

“Well I am disappointed, of course, every time you start first you always want to win and the two last times I started first I didn’t win so I’m not happy with that,” he reflected. “I think it’s pretty clear why and we will learn from this. But to be completely honest we wanted to cover from Albon, which we did, and then from then on I think it was very difficult to do better because with the two stop it was very difficult to stay behind the cars and to overtake at the end even with a very good pit stop.”

The outcome of the weekend left an unusual disparity between qualifying and race results regarding the leading two teams in 2019. Ferrari has nine poles to Mercedes’ eight, but come Sunday afternoon Mercedes has celebrated victory on 13 occasions compared to Ferrari’s paltry trio.

But for Ferrari there were still positives to be drawn from the weekend, with Binotto keen to highlight the team’s improvement since the summer break.

“I think overall as a team we should be happy for the weekend, we earned another pole, I think we got a good pace in the race, on a type of circuit like Mexico which is similar to Hungary where you need maximum performance,” he emphasised.

“That has simply shown we’ve done improvements since then, great improvements.

“We are there to fight and battle for the win which was not the case in Hungary.

“Going to Austin that no doubt our objective is to win and we have all the opportunity and possibility to do it. Let’s try now at least to start on pole and win and not start on pole and not win, so I’m pretty sure that’s something we are hoping, and I’m pretty sure we can do it yes.”

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Wolff blocked "wrong" reverse grid idea to protect F1

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has confirmed that Mercedes blocked the idea to experiment with reverse grid races next year in order to protect Formula 1's DNA.
F1 owner Liberty Media had been keen to trial three reverse grid qualifying races next year – in France, Belgium and Russia – to see if the format was something that worked and could be used longer term.

But following a team meeting in Paris last week, two of the current teams made clear they did not support the idea, so it has had to be shelved.

Wolff says Mercedes was one of the outfits against it, but is adamant it did it not to preserve its competitive advantage but because it felt it would have been a wrong move for the sport.

"I did it because we have a responsibility in F1 to preserve the DNA," said Wolff. "It felt wrong, not in order to preserve an advantage because maybe it would have been good for us as Ferrari would have been behind us when you look at the current qualifying pace.

"But I voted against it because when you're looking at the 100m final in the Olympics, you're not making Usain Bolt start five metres behind just to make it an exciting finish."

Despite the reverse grid idea being off the table for 2020, it remains possible that it could be resurrected for the following year if there is majority support.

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl said that once the basic 2021 regulations had been agreed by the end of next week, then perhaps the reverse grid idea could return.

"There were two teams against it and I think it is off the table, at the moment for 2020," he said. "The discussions are focused on getting the '21 regulations waved through in the next week, focus on that, and as soon as we have clarity on that, I think there is chance we restart the discussions again.

"[It's] not just for the possible qualifying race, but several other topics which have been discussed between the teams, FIA and FOM."

F1 managing director of motorsport Ross Brawn invested a lot of time and effort in trying to convince teams and drivers that the reverse grid experiment was worth doing for next year.

He said in Mexico last weekend that he felt teams' reluctant to embrace change because of fears it would help their own interests was something that had long held F1 back.

"I thought it was a fascinating contest," he told the official F1 website about the reverse grid idea. "And the drivers were a little bit nervous, which I can understand, but we were just asking for the opportunity for three races to try the format.

"If it doesn't work, we put our hands up; if it does work, great. If it's something in between, we can work with [that] just to help us develop the format of racing, and it's frustrating that we've not been able to do that but I think that's – unfortunately – the classic problem with Formula 1."

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Kvyat: Verdicts like Hulkenberg clash penalty "killing the sport"

Toro Rosso Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat was "very upset" about his penalty in the Mexican Grand Prix, as he hit out at FIA stewards for "killing the sport".
Kvyat nudged the Renault of Nico Hulkenberg into the barriers while trying to overtake the German for ninth place down the inside Turn 16 on the final lap of the race.

He took the chequered flag in ninth place, but was demoted to 11th by a swift post-race penalty, with teammate Pierre Gasly and Hulkenberg the beneficiaries.

Speaking to Motorsport.com after the race, Kvyat argued the verdict was in violation of the policy to let drivers race and cut down on penalties awarded as a result of wheel-to-wheel combat.

"I don't want to say too much, because I am still very upset about it, and I strongly as a racing driver disagree with it, because they told us we can race, we are allowed to race," Kvyat said.

"Obviously Nico was defending, I was attacking and there was a clash, but you know, these things happen, especially [at the] last corner of last lap.

"I think people like to see some racing, and if we get penalised for it... they just kill the sport like this, and yeah, I don't like what stewards do sometimes."

Kvyat has been an outspoken critic of stewarding in F1 in the past, labelling the process "a stupid circus" back in 2017.

When asked about the verdict over Kvyat's Mexican GP clash with Hulkenberg, race director Michael Masi said the stewards had indicated that the incident "could not have been more black and white".

Hulkenberg, who took the chequered flag with a damaged car and wound up salvaging a point, said he couldn't fault Kvyat for trying a move, but believed it was clear his rival was in the wrong.

"Whilst obviously he is guilty, I left him plenty of space, but he does give me a little push on the rear tyre and that’s all it takes to spin a car around," Hulkenberg said.

"It’s racing, as a racing driver he’s also obliged to try it – so I can’t really blame him, it’s just racing.

"But of course you need to try and do it cleaner without hitting each other and putting cars into the wall."

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Why investigating Verstappen took so long in Mexico

FIA race director Michael Masi has outlined the factors that contributed to what felt like a significant delay in Max Verstappen being penalised for his qualifying infraction at the Mexican Grand Prix.
The three-place grid penalty that cost Red Bull Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen pole position in Mexico was one of the big talking points of the weekend, not least because the FIA appeared to be a little tardy in announcing that the Dutchman was being called to see the stewards.

Indeed many assumed that the matter was only pursued after the FIA was alerted to controversial comments that he had made in the post-session press conference.

Under questioning by the media Verstappen had nonchalantly admitted that he hadn’t slowed despite seeing the crashed car of Valtteri Bottas, with the Dutchman expecting only to lose his fastest lap - which would've still kept him on pole.

FIA race director Michael Masi insists that the comments did not play a role, and various factors contributed to the way the timeline unfolded – including the fact that the crashing Mercedes of Bottas had put the marshalling system out of commission at that corner.

“All the traditional flags of single yellow, double yellow, green flag, white flag, slippery surface red and yellow are all operated by the marshal operator at that point,” Masi explains. “They each have a panel, they press a button, and bang, that activates it.

“The safety car, red flag, VSC, is all operated from race control. So effectively those that have to go out simultaneously to all points are operated by us in race control.

“Valtteri’s impact severed the cord from the guy pressing the button, so he could have pressed it as many times as he wanted.”

With the light panel not triggered yellows did not automatically appear on Verstappen’s dash or within the timing system, as should have been the case. And a specific side effect of that was his potential speeding offence was not automatically flagged up for investigation.

“If the yellow light panel would go on, it does flag it in the software for us, absolutely,” says Masi. “But if a car hits the wall and cuts the cable...”

The electronic system was out of action, but crucially a marshal did manually display a single yellow flag – there was no time for a double. And come what may, Verstappen was obliged to obey it.

“The marshal put out a yellow straight away,” says Masi. “It would have been a double yellow. I think in the time frame that they had, the fact that they actually got a flag out there, credit to them, with the speed that they did it.”

Masi insists that there was no time for race control to use a red flag. “If you have a look at the time gap from when the incident happened to when Max was past the incident, it wasn’t that long. The chequered flag had already been displayed.”

One of the key reasons why there was a time lag in the investigation was that Masi had his hands full dealing with the aftermath of the Bottas crash, and specifically overseeing the rebuilding of the TecPro barrier that he’d hit. F1 action may have been over for the day, but there was a Porsche Supercup race to be run.

“We were actually looking into it straight away. But with the sequence of what happened, the primary thing was Valtteri’s health, getting the medical car out there, making sure that he was OK.

“Second part, once that happened, was getting the car back to the team, the third element was repairing the circuit for the next activity, so it was part of my role as the safety delegate I went out there to make sure everything was back in position.

“I got back to the office and started working through the various bits of data that existed, and had a look at all three cars that were after Valtteri’s incident, which was Lewis, Sebastian and Max, and reviewed all three of them.

“Once I did that and had a look at all the video evidence, had a look then at the data, Lewis’s one was quite easy, there was no yellow flag.

“Even though the marshal did an amazing job at that point and showed the yellow flag relatively quickly, there was none for Lewis, but for Sebastian and Max there was. Sebastian lifted absolutely, Hamilton was not in a yellow flag sector.”

There was also a reason why there was no alert on the timing screens that the incident was being investigated. Shortly after the session the F1 timing page disappeared. “It was at the very end of the sessions. The screen clicks over to the next event, the next event being Porsche.”

One of the first things that was looked by Masi and the stewards at was the mini timing sectors – and at the point of the yellow flag Verstappen did not set his fastest sector of the session. That initially suggested that he had slowed, but on further investigation the throttle trace showed that he hadn’t lifted.

“Looking at all the picture, the mini sectors, looking at the data, looking at the vision, piecing that whole puzzle together. It’s not just one piece of information. You start digging like with anything. What he said was irrelevant to me, because I was already in motion.”

Masi is adamant that Verstappen’s comments to the media did not influence the decision to call him: “Hundred percent. By the time I’d referred it to the stewards, and told the stewards that the matter was to be looked at, it was after that that the comments came to light.”

An added complication was that the stewards were busy with another matter. Daniil Kvyat had been reported for an unsafe release in front of Daniel Ricciardo, and a hearing about that commenced 15 minutes after the end of qualifying. While the stewards were tied up they could not pursue the Verstappen case.

“The stewards were then in the middle of a hearing with Toro Rosso and Renault, about the alleged unsafe release, so they can’t issue a summons to attend a hearing, which is the formal notification.

“So as soon as that hearing concluded, they wrote up the summons. I effectively reported the incident to them at that point, once there was an incident to report.

“Anything that happens during qualifying we always summons them after the session without just handing penalties out. It’s just the custom and practice, the way we always have done it.”

Verstappen’s comment in the press conference made it clear that he expected any penalty to be deletion of his final laptime, which would have still have left him on pole with his first run. Some were surprised then he subsequently received a three-place grid penalty, but that is standard in the circumstances.

“The penalty in the stewards’ guidelines is three grid spots. And has been for a long time – for a single yellow," Masi explained. "And the penalty in the stewards’ guidelines for a double yellow is five grid spots.”

Asked if F1 has an antiquated system compared to other sports where decisions are taken quickly, Masi was adamant that getting the right verdicts is the priority.

“It’s also a complicated sport in comparison. You have to look at all the available information that you have to establish, had a driver breached the rules or not? And in this case it was determined that one of them had.

“It’s the nature of the sport that we are to have to look at everything in totality, and then compare that with the various texts in the regulations.

“I wouldn’t say that it’s antiquated, it’s giving everyone their fair day in hearing it as is required to be done. It was unfortunate that we had another hearing that was happening at the same time. But those things occasionally do happen.”

 

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Intra-team Williams battle leaves Russell frustrated

The Williams drivers delivered an entertaining battle for position in Mexico, but George Russell thinks he should have been racing different cars further up the field.

Russell had just emerged from a pit stop ahead of Robert Kubica when his team mate lunged ahead of him into Turn 6. Admitting it was “quite a hard overtake”, Russell was more concerned about whom he was fighting with earlier in the race as he felt he had the pace to hold off a number of other cars.

“It was pretty frustrating,” Russell said. “The first three corners, right place right time and gained a load of positions. The next three corners, wrong place wrong time and lost them all and an additional one to Robert. I spent all of my race stuck behind Robert who then I think had an issue towards the end and once I got into clear air the pace was really, really strong. I’m quite confident if I’d managed to maintain the positions at the start ahead of [Kevin] Magnussen and [Antonio] Giovinazzi I could have kept it.”

Despite feeling he had pace in hand, Russell says he was not expecting Williams to request the drivers swap positions.

“I mean, we need to discuss it after. If I was in that position I wouldn’t expect the team to swap us around, we’re there doing our own race. But ultimately we could have finished a lot higher if we had [swapped]. So there’s pros and cons for both and we just need to find a solution moving forward what is the best way and what keeps everybody happy.”

Russell did finish ahead of one Haas in the form of Romain Grosjean, with Kubica dropping behind the Frenchman due to a slow puncture. But the Pole was not too disheartened, having been pleased with his own first part of the race.

“I think I had a small issue on the start with the engine not having full power so for three-quarters of the main straight after the start I felt like I was lacking power and then suddenly in the last 2-300 metres it delivered everything,” Kubica said. “So I was not in a big rush because I didn’t gain anything at the start.

“Then I think I made good decisions in the opening lap and then the first stint was just taking care of the tyres. We had a long stop with I think a rear right or rear left issue so George managed to come out in front of me. I managed to kind of overtake him and then we had to stop because of a slow puncture.”

Kubica was comfortably adrift of Russell in qualifying, but after fighting with his team mate in the race he says there was a clear improvement in his car overnight.

“When you go out of the garage and in the first two corners the car balance and car feeling is completely different and is back to normal, it can’t be temperature. The temperature does not affect in the 300 metres of a straight line. We need to understand but it’s not the first time.

“I knew the rhythm would be much better because I have a better feeling and once you have more grip and a better feeling you drive better. I think also those kind of races where there’s a lot of management I’m able to mask a bit. When everybody’s taking care of the tyres I am able to stay closer to them but when you have to put 100% of performance in everything I just have no grip.”

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Raikkonen: Mexico answers needed if Alfa to bounce back in Austin

Alfa Romeo have not had the most consistent of runs since the summer break, but Kimi Raikkonen was still hoping for a better performance in Mexico.

From the Belgian Grand Prix onwards, Alfa Romeo have picked up just three points in six rounds, with Sunday’s race seeing Raikkonen retire and team mate Antonio Giovinazzi finish 14th after a poor pit stop.

Raikkonen was caught up in contact on the opening lap and admits that might have played a role in his struggles in Mexico, but he is still uncertain as to why his car has such fluctuating competitiveness.

“In the first two corners we got squeezed between two cars, we touched but we thought everything was fine, but there were some issues and I was looking after the car,” Raikkonen said. "In the end the temperatures went high and we had to stop, but I still don’t know why. But we had to stop, otherwise we would have damaged the car a lot more, so we need to find out what happened.

“For sure we were hoping to have a bit more speed and at some points we had a bit of speed, here and again, but when suddenly people in front would start to go faster we couldn’t answer them. Okay, we had some damage and that might explain something, but I was hoping for more.”

Known for using the minimum number of words where possible, Raikkonen can clearly identify what his car is lacking: “Grip!”

But the Finn says it is not a problem that has occurred because of a major aerodynamic upgrade introduced in the second half of the season.

“No, the upgrade worked. In the last race I tried the old package and we didn’t get much as the end result. Honestly, the balance is not a disaster, when the tyres are new we’re going OK, but when the tyres start to wear out we just start sliding a lot.

“Obviously it’s not the result we wanted but that’s how it goes, sometimes. The pace was not great and then we had the issue with the temperatures and we had to stop. I think the incident at the start destroyed the floor… With new tyres we gained some speed but as soon as they started to go, we were losing a lot of grip.”

His problem pit stop aside, Giovinazzi was also struggling at times and says it’s important Alfa Romeo understand their issues quickly to try and bounce back at next weekend's United States Grand Prix.

“The beginning of the race was not too bad,” Giovinazzi said. “I was behind the Renault and Racing Point, but after that for sure the pit stop compromised the race.

"I was by myself for most of the race so we just need to understand how the pace was. Austin is just next week so we need to understand better and try to improve and be back in Austin.”

 

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Brawn: Miami race would be spectacular

It was recently announced that Formula 1 has an agreement in principle to host a race in Miami from 2021, and, as he revealed more details about the project, F1 motorsport boss Ross Brawn said the event promises to be ‘spectacular’.

The proposed Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix would see F1 cars navigating a custom-built track around the Hard Rock Stadium – home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team – giving F1 its second race in the United States, alongside the US Grand Prix at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas.

As Brawn explained, the circuit would be a far cry from temporary circuits previously used in the United States in places like Dallas and Las Vegas.

“We’ve all got these memories of car park racing circuits – they were dreadful,” he said. “Our mantra is it has to be a great racing circuit to begin with. We’re not just going to cram races in to get them in a place because they don’t last. We’ve designed a 5.6 km racing circuit, average speed of about 230 km/h, good complex of corners.

"It will be semi-permanent – there will be a lot of things they’ll put up for the race and take down for when they’re using the stadium for its usual purpose. But actually I think a great solution for us to race in Miami.

“We hope the Miami fans and the Miami people get behind it because it would be a fantastic event for the area. But also the prestige of an international sporting event in that area, I think is a great asset, a great event. I think it would be spectacular.”

Should the race be given the green light in a vote by the Miami-Dade County at the end of October, it would see Formula 1 return to the state of Florida for the first time since the 1959 United States Grand Prix at Sebring.

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Formula 1 unveils what the cars will look like in 2021

Formula 1 has finally unveiled what its cars will look like in 2021, with unanimous agreement amongst all the teams and shareholders reached on the new technical regulations which govern how the cars will look.

F1 released some official concept renderings of the new car, which was followed up by some teams; McLaren, Renault and Williams, showing off what their cars might look like.