FORMULA 1

[MIKA27]

HAAS PREVIEW THE GERMAN GRAND PRIX

Haas F1 Team aims to ring up another round of points at the series’ next stop – the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring, Round 11 of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship.

The 4.574-kilometer (2.842-mile), 17-turn track in Baden-Württemberg has hosted Formula One since 1970, with this year’s event serving as the venue’s 36th grand prix.

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal

After three straight races, how did the team, in terms of personnel, hold up?
GS: “We can’t forget that our team also had an additional test after Silverstone, so they’ve had three-and-a-half weekends of racing. They just finished on Wednesday with the Pirelli test at Silverstone. I’m sure everyone was tired, but the good thing is we scored good points over the three events. That makes the pain of having three events a lot easier. It’s something I personally feel is tiring. You cannot breathe between races because you have to keep on going and going. When you do try to relax, you know that you’ve been working three weeks in a row, and the same goes for the team. I hope they can recover and be fresh again for Hockenheim.”

In just its third year, Haas F1 Team is consistently fighting for best-of-rest status behind Scuderia Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull. Considering the history and resources available to other midfield teams, what does this achievement say about Haas F1 Team and its potential?
GS: “I think we proved that it is possible to start a team from new and be competitive in the midfield. Obviously, we are very conscious that we cannot compete with the big three, but I think it’s testimony to a good plan and good people.”

If you were told back at preseason testing in Barcelona that Haas F1 Team would enter the halfway mark of the season fifth in the constructors’ standings, what would’ve been your reaction?
GS: “After testing, we were cautiously optimistic that could be achieved, but it’s still a difficult task as all the other teams in Formula One are very good teams – there is nobody who is uncompetitive. There is not really a midfield anymore. It’s just the rest. There’s the top-three and then the rest. Everybody from fourth to 10th can be competing for points this year, as we’ve all seen. Now, being fifth, it’s nice to be there. After testing it was realistic to think we could be there, but we were very conscious that it would be hard work, and it is hard work, actually.”

Now that Haas F1 Team is fifth in the constructors’ standings, what is possible for the second half of this season?
GS: “I think with the potential of the car we have shown over the last three races, it is possible to aim for fourth. If we achieve it or not, that’s a different question. I don’t want to be arrogant and say we will finish fourth, because by no means is it a given. We are competing with three very strong teams for this position. We will try, we will give it our best and, hopefully, we end up fourth.”

Much was made about the unprecedented run of three straight races, but it was a stretch of races that worked pretty well for the team with a haul of 32 points across the French, Austrian and British Grands Prix? How satisfying was that run of three straight point-paying finishes?
GS: “I would say it is satisfying, but it isn’t. We could have had a lot more points, and we missed out on them. We need to make sure that we are not keeping on missing points, because these are the points we will miss at the end to finish fourth.”

Can the pace and performance you had in France, Austria and England continue in Germany, or will the Hockenheimring’s array of tight corners prove slightly troublesome?
GS: “We are a little bit worried about the tight sector of Hockenheim, as it’s very slow. Then again, we will work on it to do our best. For sure, the car is more competitive on high-speed corners. It’s actually very competitive on high-speed corners. We’ve had some issues on the slow-speed tracks. Let’s see what we can do on Friday to set the car up to get over our deficiencies on the low-speed portions. Maybe we’ll find a little bit of speed there and still be competitive.”

Haas F1 Team introduced significant upgrades to the Haas VF-18 in Canada, and while you felt there was promise after competing in the Canadian Grand Prix, it wasn’t really seen until we got to the power circuits of Paul Ricard, the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone. What makes the Haas VF-18 better at those tracks compared to tracks that are more compact with tight corners?
GS: “It’s just the aero specification we’re running. The majority of the racetracks are not low speed, so our aero people didn’t focus too much on that one, but more on the tracks where the majority of the races are held. Aerodynamically, the car is better on high-speed corners.”

The Hockenheimring is a track where fuel consumption is high. Is there anything you have to do during the race to ensure your drivers have enough fuel to finish the race?
GS: “Yes, we have to do some lift-and-coast, but everyone is in the same boat. Now, that’s something you sometimes have to do anyway to save a little bit with your tires. But on these high-power circuits, we do have to do some lift-and-coast. All four engine manufacturers are very similar in this regard, so it’s nothing special, but it’s still something we need to look after.”

Fuel levels are set to increase in 2019, from the current allotment of 105 kilograms (27.3 gallons) to 110 kilograms (28.6 gallons) in order for drivers to use the full power of their car’s engine at all times. What can a driver do with those five extra kilograms (1.3 gallons) of fuel? Does it give them the freedom to push as hard as they want, whenever they want?
GS: “On a lot of the circuits, yes, the drivers can push as hard as they want because they have more than enough fuel to go the distance. But on some other circuits there is still some lift-and-coast, and lift-and-coast is sometimes done for other reasons, not only for fuel consumption. Sometimes, it’s to save your brakes or to save your tires. But in theory, most of the tracks with a 110-kilogram limit allow you to be wide open for the whole race. It does add some strategy to the race, as you can either go wide open or save tires, and whatever suits you or your car better, then that’s the choice you make.”

You’ve competed at the Hockenheimring and the Nurburgring in your Formula One career. Do you like one over the other, or do they both have characteristics you enjoy?
GS: “I think they’re both very nice. Nurburgring is normally very particular because they’ve got a good fan base there, a very loyal motorsport fan base. Of course, Hockenheim, in the old days, in the Schumacher days, it was a very big event. It’s always a great event.”

Romain Grosjean

In just its third year, Haas F1 Team is consistently fighting for best-of-rest status behind Scuderia Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull. Considering the history and resources available to other midfield teams, what does this achievement say about Haas F1 Team and its potential?
RG: “The potential of the team is big. That’s what I’ve been saying for a long time. This year, we’ve shown that we’re capable of being fast at most of the tracks, and it’s been really promising. It’s good news and it’s been a good effort from everyone on the team. Barcelona, Paul Ricard, Red Bull Ring, Silverstone – they’re all places where we’ve been really strong at different types of circuits. The team has made a lot of progress. The potential has been there since day one. We’re ready for more.”

If you were told back at preseason testing in Barcelona that Haas F1 Team would enter the halfway mark of the season fifth in the constructors’ standings, what would’ve been your reaction?
RG: “After the first day in the car, I knew that was possible.”

Now that Haas F1 Team is fifth in the constructors’ standings, what is possible for the second half of this season?
RG: “We can do even better. We can still improve. If you look at the standings, I don’t have many points at the moment, but we will work even harder to make sure we don’t have any more issues. I think we can aim for the fourth position.”

Can the pace and performance you had in France, Austria and England continue in Germany, or will the Hockenheimring’s array of tight corners prove slightly troublesome?
RG: “We’ll see. I think we’ve made some good progress understanding the car at low speed. I’m hopeful we’re going to be alright.”

Haas F1 Team introduced significant upgrades to the Haas VF-18 in Canada, and while you felt there was promise after competing in the Canadian Grand Prix, it wasn’t really seen until we got to the power circuits of Paul Ricard, the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone. What makes the Haas VF-18 better at those tracks compared to tracks that are more compact with tight corners?
RG: “We’ve been good everywhere, except Monaco, to be fair. The latest upgrade we had is a really good step forward. It makes the car better in low speed, as well. I think high speed we’ve got a really good balance. It’s a really consistent car with good downforce. In low speed, we know we can improve a little bit more, we know where, but the car is not bad either. I think we could actually be alright in Germany and in Hungary.”

You’re at full throttle for a little more than half of every lap at the Hockenheimring. How do you go about managing fuel without sacrificing track position?
RG: “To be fair, I haven’t looked at the numbers. I don’t know if we need to do fuel saving or not with the downforce we’ll be running. We’ll find out on Friday.”

You’ve competed at the Hockenheimring and the Nurburgring. Do you like one over the other, or do they both have characteristics you enjoy?
RG: “I actually like both. I’ve got some good memories from Hockenheim and the Nurburgring. I probably prefer the Nurburgring as a track, but I became European F3 champion at Hockenheim back in 2007, so naturally I like the place as well.”

How has the Hockenheimring changed since your junior career, and are those memories rekindled when you return for Formula One?
RG: “It actually hasn’t changed at all since those days. It’s always great to visit somewhere with good memories. I won at the circuit in Formula 3, and in Formula Renault 1.6. I won there in the GP2 Series until a post-race penalty dropped me to second. Every year is different, though. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. The important thing is to make it count now.”

What is your favorite part of the Hockenheimring?
RG: “The entry into the stadium section is definitely my favorite part of the Hockenheimring. It’s amazing. You’re coming in from really fast corners, then you just turn into a very narrow section of the track. It’s fun.”

Describe a lap around the Hockenheimring.
RG: “After the start-finish line, the first corner is the most exciting one. It’s a very high-speed, right-hand side corner. Normally you brake just a little bit, just one gear downshift, and then you’re on a straight line. Turn two with tricky braking and certainly very tricky throttle application. You’re turning from right to left to go on the main straight. You really want to go on the power as early as you can to get a good straight line. Big braking for the hairpin next. Coming back to the Mercedes corner, a right-hand side corner flat out, then braking to the 110 degree left-hand side corner. Again, there’s a challenging throttle application there as you’re turning right straight after, just about flat. Then entering the stadium, there’s a bit of braking to the right-hand side, very high-speed corner. The Sachskurve is a very high-banked corner, left hairpin. It’s quite open, though, with a few lines through it. Then you go to the last couple of corners – they’re quite famous. You try to carry as much speed as you can to the first one, and go as flat as you can for the second one to get a good lap time.”

Kevin Magnussen

In just its third year, Haas F1 Team is consistently fighting for best-of-rest status behind Scuderia Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull. Considering the history and resources available to other midfield teams, what does this achievement say about Haas F1 Team and its potential?
KM: “It’s a great achievement. The first three years of Haas F1 Team have been massively impressive. Everyone on the team can be proud of what’s been achieved already. Of course, we’re going to try and do better every year, but we’re already at a level that is hard to maintain.”

If you were told back at preseason testing in Barcelona that Haas F1 Team would enter the halfway mark of the season fifth in the constructors’ standings, what would’ve been your reaction?
KM: “I think in Barcelona (at testing) we realized that our car was pretty handy. Our expectations then were already quite high. I’m not surprised by this point to be fifth in constructors’ championship. We’ve got the potential in the car to be even higher than this. We should aim to keep this position, or even target one more position. I think Renault is very consistent, but we can beat them at times, and we have done many times this year. Most of the time we’re level with them on pace, so it should be possible to keep fighting for this position all the way to the end.”

Much was made about the unprecedented run of three straight races, but it was a stretch of races that worked pretty well for you with a haul of 20 points across the French, Austrian and British Grands Prix. How satisfying was that run of three straight point-paying finishes?
KM: “Those three races were good – scoring points in all of them. I was quite happy with that.”

Can the pace and performance you had in France, Austria and England continue in Germany, or will the Hockenheimring’s array of tight corners prove slightly troublesome?
KM: “Germany has a mix of corners with high, medium and low-speed turns. It’s a good, all-around track. I think it will be possible to overtake there as well. Let’s see. I think it’s probably not a track we’re looking forward to the most in the season, but we can still score points, I’m pretty certain.”

Haas F1 Team introduced significant upgrades to the Haas VF-18 in Canada, and while you felt there was promise after competing in the Canadian Grand Prix, it wasn’t really seen until we got to the power circuits of Paul Ricard, the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone. What makes the Haas VF-18 better at those tracks compared to tracks that are more compact with tight corners?
KM: “Our car is good at high-speed corners. It performs really well in those. That’s why those tracks were good, with a blend of high-speed and medium-speed corners. We’re a little bit less strong in the low-speed stuff, and on bumpy tracks it can be challenging. So, let’s see if we can improve those weaknesses.”

You’re at full throttle for a little more than half of every lap at the Hockenheimring. How do you go about managing fuel without sacrificing track position?
KM: “I don’t know yet if the Hockenheimring is a higher fuel-consumption track. We’ll see about that. If it is, it’ll be the same for everyone, so managing track position is not really an issue.”

Do you have any milestones or moments from your junior career that you enjoyed at the Hockenheimring?
KM: “I’ve raced there many times and I’ve won races there in junior categories. I remember in my first year with McLaren I had a good qualifying, getting P4.”

What is your favourite part of the Hockenheimring?
KM: “Turn one is challenging – really sharp apex at really high speed. It’s difficult to get right. You’ve got this big hump on the inside of the apex that you’re trying to get as close to as possible. If you hit it though, it can cost you lap time. It’s a difficult corner. Then the entrance to the stadium is pretty cool as well, then the corner after that with lots of banking. It’s pretty cool as well.”

Describe a lap around the Hockenheimring.
KM: “There’s a good flow of mixed corners, big braking zones, good medium-speed corners with banking, high-speed corners, and overtaking is possible. It’ll be an exciting race.”

[MIKA27]

Lamborghini Just Restored Its Terrible Formula One Car

Apropos of nothing, Lamborghini has returned Minardi M191B chassis #003 to vintage racing duties after a lengthy seven-month restoration by the company's Polo Storico division. Many of the original 1990s Lamborghini and Minardi staff were involved in the restoration. Polo Storico is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of Lamborghini's history, and its short-lived Formula One efforts are certainly under that umbrella.

From 1989 to 1993, Lamborghini served as an engine supplier to such teams as Larrousse F1, Team Lotus, Equipe Ligier, and Minardi, as well as chassis constructor for Modena Team SpA. The 3.5-litre V12 engine provided motivation for a whopping 109 retirements and a single podium for Aguri Suzuki. It's safe to say this engine was not destined for great things.

This particular Minardi variety was pressed into service for the first four races of the 1992 season. Largely a carry-over chassis from Minardi's Ferrari-powered 1991 car, the 191B was adapted to the new Chyrsler-Lamborghini V12 and raced until the 192 chassis was ready. Driven by Christian Fittipaldi and Gianni Morbidelli, the team saw six retirements in those first four races. Morbidelli finished seventh in the third round Brazilian Grand Prix, and Fittipaldi managed an 11th place finish in the fourth round Spanish Grand Prix. Because F1 points only paid out to the top six finishers, neither effort was good for any FIA points.

Giancarlo Minardi was on hand for the car's unveiling, and as the founder of the Faenza, Italy team (which lives on as Scuderia Toro Ross today) he was quite emotional at the sight of one of his former team cars being perfectly restored. Lamborghini driver Mirko Bortolotti put the car through its paces, giving the 700-horsepower open-wheeler a 20-lap shakedown. Without any electronic aids, and using a manually-shifted gearbox, the Minardi-Lamborghini was likely a bit different to what Mirko usually drives.

It may not have been successful in F1, breaking down more than it finished, but it's a shape that brings back memories and a sound that remains inspirational today. Sure, it's been more than a couple decades since this chassis last raced in anger, but it looks and sounds better than the cars currently in use today, if you ask me.

If the FIA wants to make F1 interesting again, they will just have each current team on the grid restore a car from 25 years ago to race. That sounds more fun than whatever engine rules they're going to institute in 2021.

 

 

[MIKA27]

HULKENBERG: I’M GERMAN, I’M A MACHINE, I JUST DO MY JOB!

Nico Hulkenberg’s career to date has been something of an enigma, highly rated and respected among his peers yet he has never stood on a Formula 1 podium thus far in his career but that could change soon as he sees Renault as a force for the future.

In an interview ahead of the German Grand Prix weekend, Hulkenberg was realistic when summing up where he and Renault are in the pecking order this season, “At the moment we’re still quite far away.”

“In Canada we were lapped by the top six guys, which is obviously a lot, a big gap. But you need to see the progression since Renault came back. From last year to this, we’ve made really good improvements.”

“The big teams are doing a very good job and they have huge budgets, huge resources, so it’s hard… it’s also naïve to think that you can just catch them up like that over one or two years.’

“It takes time, because it’s in every detail. We’ve made good progress and we’re not lifting off the throttle, we will keep on pushing.”

Hulkenberg has normally had the better of his teammates, but Carlos Sainz’s arrival in the team was a wake-up call for the German who had to raise his game relative to the pressure he was getting when Jolyon Palmer was his teammate.

But The Hulk has his own opinion, “I don’t really agree with that. I think last year, yes, I was more comfortable, let’s say I was always clear. But I don’t feel that having a team-mate closer to you makes you find extra stuff.”

Looking back at last year, I’m pretty confident that there was not one instance in qualifying or the race where I underperformed because of that.”

“I don’t see it because of my own ambition, my own challenge is to always get the best out of me and my car. I don’t need someone to push me to do that. I’m German, I’m a machine, I just do my job!”

Renault have lagged behind Mercedes and Ferrari in the power unit stakes, but the goal is to slug it out for victories and titles in the future, how far ahead that is only time will tell.

Hulkenberg might have been an option for Mercedes and Ferrari at some point, there was talk at some point of a deal to drive for Maranello but nothing ever materialised. However, Renault came calling and the rest is history.

“I’m very happy here,” admitted the 30 -year-old, “I can see that they want what I want, and that everybody is pushing in the same direction and that, for me, is important. To be able to see and feel the progress.”

“It takes that kind of time, the same for Ferrari years and years ago, for Red Bull and for Mercedes. When they came back in 2010, Mercedes started to dominate only when we changed to the new regulation cars, but before that there was a four-year time period leading up to being the best in the game.”

“You need to be in the right car to be winning and win races and to go for the championship. Of course, I feel I have what it takes, and I am confident I can deliver if I have the right car one day. So far, I haven’t, and that’s why I haven’t even been on the podium. Those are the facts. That’s the nature of this sport.”

Formula 1 has been dominated by Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull for the past half dozen years, with no other team coming close to victory.

Knowing this, he rationalised, “What are the alternatives? If you don’t like it you can walk away, but this is Formula 1, the best there is in the world. This is the best of racing, the best drivers are here, the best engineers.”

“This is where I want to compete and challenge other people and challenge myself. Even if I’m upset or not happy that I don’t have the winning car, the alternative is to leave – and I don’t want to do that. I love what I do and I’m good at it; I’m still chasing that dream, wanting to win races.”

“Right now, I have an excellent opportunity with Renault to work our way up there over the next few years and that’s very exciting for me and gives me a lot of motivation.”

Asked during the interview if this was the most enjoyable period in his career, Hulkenberg replied, “I think so, yeah. I feel good, I feel confident, and I’m probably doing the best driving of my whole career.”

The Hulk has made 145 grand prix starts since his debut at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix and scored 447 points. He won the Le Mans 24-Hours on his first attemptin 2015 with Porsche.

There was a school of thought that said when Carlos [Sainz] came into the team, it would be good for you because he would be the best team-mate you’ve had to date and that it would push you to another level. Have you felt that?

Going back to the performance gap between the top teams and those in the midfield, that’s something that’s existed for quite a bit of your career…
Yes, always.

Do you feel that a lot of you have missed out on big achievements because of that performance gap? If there had been a cost cap in place then it would have shrunk that gap.

[MIKA27]

GIOVINAZZI SET FOR SAUBER DUTY IN HOCKENHEIM FP1

Ferrari reserve Antonio Giovinazzi will be back in a Formula 1 cockpit when he does duty for Sauber during the first free practice session of the German Grand Prix weekend on Friday.

The Italian driver, who made his Formula 1 race debut at the 2017 Australian Grand Prix, in place of injured Pascal Wehrlein, will do the FP1 session in place of Marcus Ericsson, with Charles Leclerc in the sister car meaning that both Ferrari proteges will be in action during the 90-minutes morning session at Hockenheim.

Giovinazzi drove during Barcelona F1 testing, after the Spanish Grand Prix in May, for Sauber on day one of the in-season testing and then for Ferrari a day later.

Last year the 24-year-old Italian did seven FP1 sessions with Haas and has recently been linked to a return to the American team as a possible replacement for wayward Romain Grosjean, if not this season then as a contender to do so next year.

Ferrari ran out of seats this season for their drivers as the Maranello bosses were keen to place both Giovinazzi and Leclerc on the grid. They opted for the latter with Sauber who has done a stellar job, setting himself up as the first Ferrari Drivers Academy (FDA) graduate to step up to the Scuderia.

At the time Haas were committed to both their current drivers, however, However Guenther Steiner and Gene Haas may well think twice when considering their line-up for next season because Giovinazzi would come with a substantial discount on their Ferrari engine deal.

[MIKA27]

FERRUCCI: I SEND MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES FOR MY ACTIONS

Disgraced Haas reserve Santino Ferrucci apologised for taunting and driving into Trident teammate Arjun Maini claiming that anger and frustration got the better of his emotions on the ‘cooling down’ lap after the Formula 2 Sprint race at Silverstone.

The American driver made contact and forced Maini off track after the race, on a weekend in which he was slapped with €66,000 in fines for his shenanigans, including driving his car in the support paddock wearing one glove and clutching a mobile phone!

In the wake of his dark weekend, Ferrucci admitted that he erred in his ways, “I want to send my sincerest apologies for my actions on Sunday at the FIA F2 race at Silverstone Circuit.”

“I used extremely poor judgement at the conclusion of the race getting far too close to my teammate Arjun Maini and swerved away only to graze his tire, very fortunately causing no damage or issue to his car.”

“There was no intent, premeditation or any type of retaliation by my actions, only anger and frustration as this has been a horrific year. I have no excuse other than the fact I am a 20-year-old Italian American with a deep passion for motorsport, which is a very emotional sport.”

“While there has been much provocation leading to my mental lapse, it is still not an excuse and I will make sure that this does not happen again. I realize I have embarrassed many people and I apologize to my Sponsors, Trident, my fellow drivers, Haas F1, FIA, FIA F2, my fans, friends and family,” added Ferrucci.

The Haas F1 team have yet to comment with regards to their young driver’s behaviour at Silverstone.

MIKA: Disgraceful. Should be kicked out of HAAS and not get a chance in F1.

This clip below is how I imagine Ferrucci and Maini behaving. This isn't the first time these two have clashed.

 

[MIKA27]

TORO ROSSO IS NOW HONDA TEST-BED FOR RED BULL

The remainder of the 2018 Formula 1 season will be tough on drivers Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley as from now on Toro Rosso is a test-bed for Honda to fast-track development of their power unit ahead of Red Bull bolting them to the back of the RB15s next year.

Engine penalties will be the norm at just about every race for the Toro Rosso rookies, already it’s looking bleak for both drivers with penalties looming in the wake of ten races packed with changes to components.

Auto Motor und Sport report that Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko indicated that the offer to use Toro Rosso as a test-bed came from his camp, “Of course we leave the decision to Honda, but if they find a tenth with the development it is fine, even if that means we’re taking penalties for it.”

Team chief Christian Horner made no secret that Honda’s determination to save face after four years of misery is intense and money will be thrown at the problem until the problem goes away.

Horner explained, “With the resource and facilities and investment Honda have made and the progress they have made – particularly in the last six months – for us it was a particularly straightforward decision. The agreements that we have with Honda are very much focused on performance.”

At this time last year, Honda powered McLaren had only scored points in one race during the first half of the season and were last in the constructors’ standings.

Currently, Toro Rosso lie eighth in the championship with three points finishes in the first ten rounds, suggesting improvement has been dramatic.

To Red Bull’s surprise, and delight, they have realised that the engines bolted to the back of the Toro Rossos are not as bad as they were made out by McLaren last year.

Toro Rosso team chief, Franz Tost told ORF, “I’ve never had problems with Honda. I don’t know what McLaren’s experience was, but the engines are not as bad as we heard. The engine is good enough and we are working with them to improve it.”

How good they will be only time will tell, namely, what happens at the season opener in Melbourne next year, until then it is carte blanche for Honda to use Toro Rosso as a test-bed for the big deal next year.

[MIKA27]

WOLFF: WE HAD THE BEST CAR BUT WE MADE MISTAKES

Mercedes dropped behind Ferrari during the quick-fire, first ever, triple-header weekend of grands prix, the Reds bagging more points in the three races than their rivals, but the German team’s boss Toto Wolff is taking comfort from having the best car to tackle the trio of races.

Speaking ahead of the German Grand Prix weekend, Wolff said, “We didn’t score as many points in the triple-header as we had hoped for. A lot of that was down to our own mistakes. However, there is a silver lining to this – while we didn’t maximise on points, we did bring the quickest car to all three races.”

The F1 circus sets up tent at Hockenheim this weekend on Silver Arrows soil, both championship’s delicately poised with only eight points separating points leader Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton in second. Ferrari lead the constructors’ standings by 20 points from Mercedes.

Wolff continued, “Hockenheim will mark the halfway point of the 2018 season. We’ve had a decent first half – on the one hand, we’ve left points on the table and had to do damage limitation more often than we would have wanted.”

“On the other hand, we still scored a good amount of points, both drivers have shown strong performances and we have a fast car. So there are many reasons why we’re looking forward to the second half of the 2018 season; we’re hungry, ambitious and want to kick on from here.”

“Going to Hockenheim always feels like coming home; it’s only about a 90-minute drive from the Daimler headquarters in Stuttgart. While we had the great opportunity to race in front of many of our colleagues from Brackley and Brixworth in Silverstone, we’re now looking forward to welcoming the German members of the Mercedes family to the circuit and to holding high the three-pointed star on home turf.”

“We will fight hard to not only put on a good show for our friends and fans in Hockenheim, but also get the result that they will be hoping for,” added Wolff on the eve of the first grand prix in Germany since 2016.

Mercedes have proven to be suspect under pressure, particularly during unexpected moments in a race when quick thinking on strategy is paramount. They have dropped the ball more than once this season.

With the power deficit between the top two teams down to almost nil, Mercedes can no longer rely on engine advantage to when needed to dig themselves out of a hole, sorting that aspect out could be key to the best car on the grid winning again.

[MIKA27]

LECLERC: I UNDERSTOOD MY ERRORS AND MADE A BIG STEP FORWARD

The plaudits keep pouring in for Sauber rookie Charles Leclerc who is having a stellar first season in Formula 1, a Ferrari seat is beckoning for the likeable 20-year-old Monegasque whose shares in the top flight are soaring thanks to his splendid performances on track.

The Ferrari-backed kid wobbled into his first season with Sauber and it took three or so incident-packed race weekends for Leclerc to calm down and for his real quality to emerge.

Leclerc conceded, more than once in the interview, that his first few races were below par for his expectations, “I made quite a lot of mistakes in the first three races.”

But in the last seven outings, he has turned things around, twice he’s been in Q3 and on each occasion outqualified his more experienced teammate Marcus Ericsson.

His drive to sixth place in Baku was the stuff of legend. This he followed up with by finishing 10th in Barcelona, both times mixing it with well known ‘street-fighter’ Fernando Alonso. Leclerc has scored points on five occasions, his teammate only twice.

Nowadays – earning praise from F1 heavyweights Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel – its a common sight watching Leclerc wrestle his Sauber to places it should not be, comprehensively outperforming and outshining his teammate but, amid a certain degree hype, the youngster is not allowing the success to go to his head.

Reflecting on his first ten races in Formula 1, Leclerc told the official F1 website, “It’s crazy, how it’s going up and up and up. We’re doing an incredible job, which is great, but it raises expectations. When you’re doing still a good job but not incredible, people might see it like a bad day, so we have to be careful about that.”

Expectations were always high for Leclerc when he arrived on the big stage with a fine pedigree, his junior CV is very impressive with the 2016 GP3 and the 2017 Formula 2 titles etched with his name.

This is no surprise because Ferrari have been grooming him to step up to the Scuderia, thus the spotlight on him is intense, but he brushes away the pressure, “It doesn’t bother me. I’m just focusing on myself.”

“The most important thing is that the team is happy and the team knows what to expect every weekend and they know how good of a job we are doing at the moment. So we need to keep focusing on that.”

Last year his father Herve died after a long illness, inevitably the emotions are raw still but also serves as inspiration for him, “My father has given me the quality. He has always been honest with me and has always taught me to be honest with myself, because that’s the most important thing.”

“I think you go forward a lot quicker when you’re honest with yourself, when you accept when you’ve made an error. If you know you have made a mistake, you should work to try not reproduce it again. But if you know it, that’s the most important thing.”

A very mature outlook on life for one so young, perhaps emotionally more evolved than his peers because of the tragedy and pain of losing his father. Instead of wallowing in the huge loss, for one so young, he redirected the energy to turn things around when, after the first three races, he had not impressed the fickle F1 paddock.

Leclerc reflected, “The first two or three races were a big challenge for me. It came from one thing especially, which was what I was asking the engineers to give me, in terms of car balance. It was just wrong.”

“I just asked for a very tricky car and I never realised it until we arrived in Baku and we tried a more stable car. Once I realised it, I understood my errors and I think we made a big step forward after that.”

Drivers who perform beyond the call of duty, a trait of the greats, inspires those around him and the effect is contagious often capable of galvanising a team. Leclerc has this effect at Sauber.

Another trait he shares with the greats is a relentless work ethic and constant attention to detail, “I call my engineers quite a lot. I speak to them after the races, on Monday or Tuesday, to do a point on the last Grand Prix and to speak about the next race and find out if we have any upgrades.”

“I ask them what I can do better, what I can improve and if my way to work with them is OK. We speak a bit about everything.”

This carries through to how Leclerc operates in the confines of the cockpit, “I think quite a lot when I’m driving. It’s very important for me to think how the car is behaving, and how I would like it to behave and how to drive with the car behaving the wrong way. Actually, there is a lot going through my head when I’m driving.”

“I’m rarely saying anything positive about me. I would never say it’s something natural. I believe my manager did the right steps with me. Since 2012, I haven’t done twice the same category in two years. Every time I have stepped up one category. That has helped me to really push to adapt myself very quickly to a new car.”

“When I’m doing a good job, Seb is coming to me and saying ‘well done’. I’ve seen Lewis has spoken about me in the media. Fernando [Alonso] comes sometimes personally. It’s great to have these drivers speaking positively about me. It’s a huge honour. I have a lot of respect for them. I’m watching them since I was younger.”

Inevitably speculation that Leclerc is set to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari, possibly from next year, has been constant for several months but, typically, he is ignoring the gossip, “I have the mentality that is focusing on what is happening at the moment”

“I don’t want to change this and I don’t think it will be good for me to change it. I don’t think it’s any good to distract myself with what could possibly happen next year. I think it’s important I stay focused on the job I have to do now. Hopefully, I keep doing a good job with the team. And then we’ll see.”

One of the keys to success at Sauber for Leclerc is the presence of no-nonsense team chief Frederic Vasseur who has had a hand in the junior careers of most of the top guns in F1, including Vettel, Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Vasseur, who is understandably protective of his young charge, summed up, “He’s ramping up. I’m very proud of the job he’s done. It’s not been easy for him. But I’ve been impressed by his calm attitude and his ability to manage the tough comments about him after the first few races.”

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Red Bull aiming to pressure Mercedes into mistakes

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner reckons Mercedes is vulnerable to making mistakes when under pressure, and believes his team's traditionally stronger form in the second half of the season will only increase that strain.

Red Bull has taken three wins this year so far, the same as Mercedes, and just one shy of championship leaders Ferrari, but early season struggles have cost the Milton Keynes team, which is 88 points adrift of Ferrari.

However Red Bull has outscored Mercedes, which is 68 points ahead, by five points across the previous five races, thanks in part to a rare double DNF for the Anglo-German outfit, but Horner believes the added pressure of a true title fight is causing Mercedes problems.

"I think historically post summer break we have always been very strong to the end of the championship, so if we can get to the summer break still in contention, I’m reasonably confident we can have a good final third to the championship at tracks that will play more to our strengths," he is quoted as saying by Racer. 

"Then it starts to get really interesting because pressure builds, whether it be with the drivers, strategists, the pit crew, the setup, engineers — it just builds throughout an entire organisation. Then you see the strength and depth and character of a team.

"I think that if you look at Mercedes’ history their only main competition has been internal between their own drivers, so they have never been in a position — or the management of the team has never been in a position — where they have had to go head to head through an entire season. And, of course, the closer you get towards the end of the year the more the pressure builds."

Horner added: "It’s a new experience for them. There are obviously very capable people there, but our role if we get close enough will be to put pressure on, because we’ve seen that when you do put pressure on Mercedes mistakes do happen."

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Force India 'due a change in fortune' - Vijay Mallya

Force India is due a change in fortune in the second half of the Formula 1 season, believes team boss Vijay Mallya, after an "unlucky" opening half to the 2018 campaign.

Force India currently holds sixth in the Constructors' championship standings, 21 points behind Renault, which holds the fourth place that the Silverstone-based outfit has bagged for the last two years.

Meanwhile Haas, in fifth, is just two points ahead of Force India, with McLaren a solitary point adrift in seventh.

Force India scored just one point in the opening three races before Sergio Perez delivered a podium finish in Azerbaijan; following that the operation struggled again with only 12 points in four races after getting caught up in incidents.

Mallya is nonetheless confident Force India turned a corner with a strong showing in both Austria and Britain, although the latter could have been better had Sergio Perez not spun at the start.

"It’s been satisfying to get both cars in the points for the last two races," said Mallya. "It’s what we need to do for our fight in the Constructors’ championship.

"Germany marks the halfway point in the season and it feels as though we have some momentum now. The updates we introduced in Silverstone helped and there’s more performance to be unlocked.

"We’ve been a bit unlucky in the first half of the season, especially getting caught up in first lap incidents, so I think we are due a change in fortune"

Mallya added that the team needs to target double-points finishes in the remaining races if it is to climb to fourth, but is wary such an achievement will be difficult due to the tightly-congested nature of the midfield.

"Scoring points in all of the remaining races is a realistic target, but I expect the midfield fight to get even closer in the races to come."

Perez meanwhile is confident of a strong showing this weekend at the Hockenheimring, adding: "I was happy to rescue a point last weekend in Silverstone after a big recovery.

"The main focus for Germany is to have a clean weekend because if we maximise our performance we can be at the front of the midfield. There is a long way to go [11 races] and lots to play for. We are finding a bit more performance with each race and I still believe we can target fourth place in the championship."

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Lowe: Williams recovery my greatest challenge

Williams technical chief Paddy Lowe believes he is facing the biggest challenge of his Formula 1 career in trying to get the Grove-based team back towards the front of the grid.
After a lacklustre start to the campaign that has left Williams at the bottom of the constructors' championship, the outfit is seeking answers for the aerodynamic problems that have hit its 2018 F1 challenger.

For Lowe, who joined Williams at the start of 2017 after a title-winning spell at Mercedes, the experience of pulling up a team from the back is something that he thinks could push him harder than when he was battling at the front.

As well as the more recent success with Mercedes, Lowe has also helped Williams and McLaren win titles during his long career.

When asked if his current situation was potentially the biggest challenge he had faced, Lowe said: "In many aspects, yes.

"There have been some other challenges I faced on different occasions, but this is a new challenge for me anyway

"Through the years I've been fortunate in my career not to work in a team that wasn't part or within reach of the front, performance wise. That is where we were always playing, in the top ten and towards the front of top 10 or at the very front end.

"It is a new experience for me to work in a team, which has a lot of work to do to get back to where we want to be.

"So that creates some new challenges for me personally, and I am learning all the time. Some things you get right, some things, if I had my last year again, I would do differently. But I think that is the nature of life.

"You face challenges and you learn from them and hope that that builds your experience to do a better job next time."

Rather than feel dispirited by the long road to recovery, though, Lowe says he is inspired by the potential progress that can be made at Williams.

"I think the more we get into understanding where we are, and why, and what is not working, I think the more positive that makes me feel about the progress that we can make," he said.

"We've got a great team, you know. There are some great creative people back at Grove. And I think if we can work in the right direction, which we are now turning round to do, I think we can make some really good progress."

Top of Williams' priority to sort out is an aerodynamic stall that affects the car on turn in, and means drivers Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin do not have the confidence they need to push.

The scale of the problems has also left Williams pondering whether it is worth spending a great deal of effort on sorting out the 2018 problems, and instead switching its focus early to 2019.

"I think as we get to this point of the year, which is common with all the teams, the focus goes very much more on the current car towards pieces and developments which are also relevant into next year," said Lowe about his team's mindset on this front.

"I think we are definitely moving into that mode now with this car, which should be common with the other teams I would expect.

"Because although the rules are changing for next year quite significantly, there are still many aspects of the car for which the development and the learning on this car was still carry across.

"So, for instance, we probably won't do a lot of work on front wing endplates for the rest of this year, but that's because it's a big change for next year."

 

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Renault says it must look for Sainz alternatives

Renault says it must look for alternatives to Carlos Sainz for 2019 while the Spaniard's future with Red Bull in Formula 1 remains unclear.
The French manufacturer's F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul wants to finalise its 2019 line-up as soon as possible, with Sainz's future dependent on what Red Bull does with Daniel Ricciardo.

Red Bull believes a fresh deal with Ricciardo is close to being finalised, while Ricciardo himself recently admitted he is likely to stay at Red Bull as the chances of him moving to Ferrari or Mercedes reduce.

But both Renault and its customer team McLaren have also been linked with Ricciardo, who described them as options with "some appeal".

Renault has also opened talks with Sainz regarding a long-term contract, but Motorsport.com understands Sainz is only free to leave Red Bull if he is not promoted to the senior squad when his loan to Renault ends.

Until the situation at Red Bull is resolved, Abiteboul feels it is essential Renault looks elsewhere for alternatives. Speculation has already linked Mercedes junior Esteban Ocon, as well as Ricciardo, with the seat.

  

"We'll pay attention to two things: how Carlos's performance evolves, and how the driver situation evolves at Red Bull," Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.

"We're well aware this could have an impact on Carlos's availability for next year.

"My responsibility is to make sure there are alternatives if Carlos were not available for us in the time frame that seems reasonable and necessary for us to define next year's line-up.

"Something I definitely want is to anticipate as quickly as possible next year's line-up.

"We need to be able to look at alternatives, as we know we don't completely control Carlos's future at Renault, because we don't control the future between Red Bull and Carlos."

Abiteboul has been clear for some time that he wants to find opportunities in grand prix racing for the best youngsters from the Renault Sport Academy - just as Red Bull does with Toro Rosso and Mercedes did with Pascal Wehrlein and Ocon.

Abiteboul has suggested customer engine deals from 2021 will be the perfect chance to evaluate what can be done to help Renault's younger stars.

"This academy lacks something: a connection with a Formula 1 team that can take on a driver from the academy," Abiteboul added.

"We can see that's what Red Bull has with Toro Rosso, that's what Mercedes has with Force India and/or sometimes Williams.

"That's one of the reasons why the [Renault] relationship with Red Bull doesn't make sense with our new goals as a fully-fledged team, especially regarding our nurturing of drivers.

"I couldn't see myself asking Helmut [Marko] to take on a driver of ours, that's for sure. We're not going to do it with McLaren either.

"But when we start thinking about our customer engine strategy for 2021, clearly, an element that will be on my mind is the customer's ability to take on a driver from our academy."

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Ex-Bridgestone tyre man key to Haas' 2018 consistency

Kevin Magnussen reckons the decision to hire an ex-Bridgestone tyre engineer over the winter has been "one of the biggest factors" in the improved performance of Haas in Formula 1.
The American F1 team has shown greater consistency in 2018, challenging for fourth in the constructors' championship and avoiding the wild swings in performance seen previously.

Understanding how to get the best from the tricky Pirelli control tyres has been at the root of Haas's inconsistency, but Magnussen says hiring Hiroshi Tomitsuka has transformed the team's understanding.

"Obviously we have a better car this year, that's more consistent, and the aero is stronger in terms of consistency as well, but I think one of the biggest factors is the tyre guy we got," Magnussen said.

"Tomi-san is a really big addition to the team. The understanding of tyres and just managing that is a lot better this year, which is also adding to the consistency – more so than the outright pace.

"[The] Pirelli is a very complicated tyre, it's a difficult tyre to manage - not only from a driving point of view, but also in terms of setting the car up with temperatures in the rims, managing the race, and strategy-wise, switching the tyres on with the driving style on the out laps.

"There's a lot of science – you need someone with experience of tyres to try and understand the Pirellis, because it's not that easy to understand.

"It's certainly a massive advantage having someone to help you understand. With his experience with other tyre manufacturers it's easier to try and understand, you get there quicker.

"Every weekend it's a new tarmac, it's different temperatures, it's different tyre compounds, different set-up on the car, so you have to re-learn every time, and the tyres behave differently, so having someone there with great experience who just has the kind of eye for tyres is a great help."

Teammate Romain Grosjean feels Tomitsuka's intuitive understanding of the rubber helps Haas make quicker and better decisions during the race weekends.

"Looking at the tyres he's knowing if they need to be hotter or colder," Grosjean said.

"It really helps us because the feeling when they're too cold or too hot is pretty much the same thing, so it's a very difficult thing to assess.

"He's still learning the Pirelli, which is a fairly different tyre from what he was working on [before] I believe, but he helps us a lot to put it in the window and to be fair that's what we do 80% of the weekend – just getting the tyres to work."

Team boss Gunther Steiner says Tomitsuka's "20 years of experience doing tyres" is "a big help" for Haas.

"He looks at a tyre and knows what he looks at," Steiner said. "He knows was it too hot, was it too cold?

"It's a big help for the guys, even if he can only confirm what they think mathematically."

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HAMILTON MEGA-DEAL PUTS KIMI, SEB AND SCHUMI IN THE SHADE

Lewis Hamilton is set to ink the most lucrative contract in Formula 1 history, dwarfing the mega-deals that made extremely wealthy men of Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.

Although no official is saying so, an announcement is expected during the German Grand Prix weekend on Mercedes home soil, at Hockenheim, where big boss Dieter Zetsche and his management team will be in attendance.

Hamilton and Mercedes are expected to confirm a three-year extension worth $170-million and will keep the four-time F1 World Champion with the team until the end of 2021.

The three-year deal will put Hamilton top of the list of Formula 1’s mega-contracts which, until the Briton’s new deal kicks in, was topped by Kimi Raikkonen who was paid an astounding $153-million for his services by Ferrari from 2007 until the end of 2009.

Winning the F1 world championship for Ferrari in his first season with the team triggered bonuses that sent Raikkonen’s earning into the stratosphere. At the time, in terms of sportsmen salaries, only Tiger Woods banked more money than The Iceman.

Interestingly the $153-million Raikkonen earned during his first three years with the Reds from 2007 to 2009 is still more than what Vettel is taking home with his own mega-deal which will see him at Maranello until the end of 2020.

Prior to Vettel’s new contract extension, Hamilton’s $140-million was only bettered by Raikkonen’s decade-old record.

However, Hamilton’ new contract with Mercedes is expected to net him $170-million in a three-year deal worth $56.6-million per annum, making it the most expensive contract between team and driver in the history of Formula 1.

Sources have also indicated that management have also thrown in a sweetener should Hamilton wish to stay on another: namely an extra $150-million to extend until the end of 2023.

Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Gerhard Berger, Eddie Irvine were some of the drivers, from the eighties and nineties, who benefitted from Formula 1’s boom and inked very lucrative deals during their respective tenures in the top flight, all departing the sport wealthy men.

However, it was the late, great Ayrton Senna who set the benchmark and he triggered the era of superstar status salaries in Formula 1. He famously agreed to race with McLaren in 1993 for a million dollars per race, huge money in those days.

For 1994, Senna signed a multi-year deal worth $20-million per season to drive for Williams. Tragically the Brazilian was killed in a crash during the Italian Grand Prix at Imola that year.

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VETTEL OUT TO SPOIL MERCEDES PARTY ON HOME SOIL

This weekend’s German Grand Prix could be Sebastian Vettel’s last chance to win on home soil but Lewis Hamilton will be doing all he can to deny Ferrari’s Formula 1 championship leader that particular accolade.

Hockenheim is also home for Hamilton’s employers Mercedes and after Vettel beat the Briton at Silverstone a week ago, there is plenty of desire to get one back on a rival who grew up in nearby Heppenheim.

Regardless of the expected clash between the title contenders, the weekend will still be special because the race was not on the calendar last year and its future remains uncertain.

Hockenheim’s contract expires after this year’s race and, despite the sport’s commercial rights holders Liberty Media saying how keen they are to keep historic venues, the two sides appear at odds.

“We would like to have a contract which will take the risk from us. This is the basic point… we cannot continue in the same way,” Hockenheim-Ring marketing director Jorn Teske said in May.

“A lot of people might want a risk-free contract but that’s not our business model,” Formula One’s commercial managing director Sean Bratches said in response.

Hockenheim was already alternating with the Nurburgring before that circuit pulled out for financial reasons and there are no obvious permanent replacements.

All of which makes this year’s gathering in the Rhine valley a standout for the fans, who have been bringing with them a party atmosphere since the Michael Schumacher glory days.

“I saw my first Formula One race here in 2000, and since there are always friends and family here, Hockenheim is something very special for me,” Vettel remarked.

The German, whose only home win to date was with Red Bull at the Nurburgring in 2013, leads his fellow-four times F1 world champion by eight points, while Ferrari are 20 clear in the constructors’ standings.

Hamilton won at Hockenheim in 2016 and will be going for a fourth German GP win to rival Schumacher’s record tally.

“Going to Hockenheim always feels like coming home; it’s only about a 90-minute drive from the Daimler headquarters in Stuttgart,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said.

“We will fight hard to not only put on a good show for our friends and fans in Hockenheim, but also get the result that they will be hoping for.”

Sunday also marks the second half of the season, even if the natural divide comes with the August break that follows Hungary the weekend after Germany.

Mercedes have dropped important points in the last three races through misfortune and mechanical problems, and have work to do if they are to claim both titles for the fifth year in succession.

While they have taken five poles from 10 races, the champions have only converted three into wins — all for Hamilton — and scored 61 points from the recent triple-header compared to 98 for Ferrari.

Red Bull (65) have also out-scored Mercedes in that period, and claimed more fastest laps (five) this season than any other team, despite lacking power on the fast straights. They will fancy their chances in Hungary, if not Hockenheim.

“In the end, pace normally tells over the course of a season, and if we bring it to bear in the next 11 races, we will muscle our way back into a title race that is very much ours to win,” Mercedes technical head James Allison said.

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EPSTEIN: THE BIGGER THE SUCCESS MIAMI IS THE BETTER FOR F1

Circuit of the Americas (COTA) chairman Bobby Epstein believes says the prospect of the Miami Grand Prix is good for the sport as his organisation bide their time ahead of negotiating a new Formula 1 contract for the United States Grand Prix in Austin.

The Texas track’s existing deal agreed with Formula 1’s former supremo Bernie Ecclestone runs to 2021 with an annual escalator clause.

COTA chairman Epstein would like to secure better terms from the sport’s new U.S.-based owners Liberty Media, as do other promoters in the global series who have long complained that high hosting fees make it hard to turn a profit.

Liberty’s eagerness to add a race in Miami, possibly as soon as next year, could see a change to the old business model with media reports suggesting that deal will have shared risk and revenues.

“I think there are nine or 10 circuits that have to renew their deals before we do,” Epstein told Reuters in a telephone interview.

“So I am sure by the time ours comes up, there’ll be a lot more precedents set. And you know, hopefully the sport will have taken off in the U.S. (by then) and the reliance on the promoter income might not have to be as heavy.”

Hockenheim, which hosts this weekend’s German Grand Prix and is in the last year of its contract, has already said it cannot continue unless any new deal is risk-free.

Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix, has a year remaining on its contract having exercised a break clause, while even countries like Azerbaijan that pay more than most are seeking revised terms.

Liberty see the United States as a key market for the sport’s growth and are keen to add at least a second race.

COTA is the country’s only purpose-built Formula One facility.

Epstein, who said he was not planning on starting conversations about a new F1 deal until much closer to the 2020 race, also has a MotoGP contract to renew but he was not worried about that, “MotoGP is a great event for us and we’re not going to lose it.”

COTA has drawn big crowds to the F1 race by putting on big-name concerts on the Saturday and Sunday to drive sales of family tickets.

Epstein said this year’s headliners Bruno Mars and Britney Spears meant sales were “on top of where they were last year” when Justin Timberlake and Stevie Wonder topped the bill.

He added, however, that the circuit was almost ‘maxed out’ as far as the concert crowd and future growth would have to come from increasing the sport’s popularity.

Miami, he said, might siphon off some fans but would be good in the long run, “I certainly think there’s a core group of the curious fans, just as we saw the first year of our event, who want to go experience the new.”

“And they will go to Miami and I hope Miami will be a great success because the bigger the success Miami is, the better it is for the sport. So that will lift all of us. At least that’s the hope.”

The Miami Grand Prix is by no means a certainty, but Epstein felt something would be sorted for 2020 if not next year.

The uncertainty has meant a 2019 draft Formula 1 calendar has yet to be published, with Liberty waiting on the Florida city before confirming any dates.

If Miami happens then it would be scheduled with Austin, Mexico and Brazil in a sequence for the later part of the season, with Canada retaining a June slot.

“I’ve a feeling they’ve got their schedule and calendar fairly well pencilled in,” said Epstein, who added that the date of the Austin race — on 21 Oct0ber — could change from next season.

“They’ve mentioned the possibility of a (date) change to us. Within three weeks either way of our existing date. It might be early November,” added Epstein.

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Haas rules out expansion push amid 2021 rules uncertainty

Haas says it is wary of pushing on with a big expansion of its team while 2021's rules remain uncertain, even though it knows such a move could fast-track its progress up the order.
The American outfit is chasing Renault for fourth place in the constructors' championship, and is only 19 points behind the French car manufacturer approaching the halfway stage of the campaign.

But although Haas is making a success of its small budget operation, team boss Gunther Steiner does not think it makes sense to go on a big recruitment drive just yet.

"Until we know exactly what is happening for 2021, we always grow but very slowly," Steiner said when asked by Motorsport.com about Haas' plans. "I'm not into quantity. I'd rather have quality.

"We're not investing another $20m or $30m, another 100 people, we're not going to do that. That would be unwise at this moment.

"We don't know what's happening in two years. If we do that now it could be only for one year. The earliest you can get something out of it is 2020, and you maybe have to change again because 2021 is coming.

"We will stay where we are, we can operate pretty well and we try to keep up."

Haas' impressive pace this year has surprised some, but Steiner says that the outfit had a sense of what was possible when its 2018 F1 challenger tested for the first time before the campaign.

"I think we got a feeling that the car was good in winter testing. Everybody got that feeling," he said. "It's difficult when you don't know what the others can come up with. We didn't know how good our upgrade would work.

"Everything seems to be coming together a lot better than seasons before. We have less points than we should have, but it's our own doing. It's a little bit unlucky but the majority is our own doing. We try to get some of this back by working hard."

Steiner promises
While Steiner's reluctance to spend a fortune on becoming bigger may limit the team's chances of taking on the top outfits in the short term, the Italian's approach to F1 has been backed by driver Romain Grosjean.

With the French driver having committed to Haas for its debut season in 2016, he says that Steiner's attitude to the sport has been notable in the way that he has never over-promised.

"I tell you one thing, since I met Gunther Steiner everything he's told me about the future has happened," he said. "It's pretty impressive, to be fair. And there's more potential in the team.

"There are things we can improve by miles. I don't know if we were expecting to fight for fourth in the third year, but everything Gunther told me since I spoke to him in September 2015 has actually happened and that's quite impressive."

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How Formula 1's new mirrors could look

Formula 1 mirror designs will be under the spotlight next week when technical chiefs meet with the FIA to discuss potential changes to help improve driver visibility.

As revealed by Motorsport.com, the FIA wants to move the mirrors so that a drivers' view is not obstructed by the top edge of the sidepods and wider wings, as has been increasingly happening.

Although an attempt by the FIA to stipulate a new location on safety grounds was redacted for procedural matters, the proposal does show what the governing body is trying to achieve.

As Giorgio Piola's exclusive drawings show, the location that was originally put forward by the FIA is higher and further out than mirrors currently are.

Mercedes AMG F1 W09 mirrors comparsion measure

The idea (shown above) was for the centre point of the mirror to be 640mm above the reference plane and 450mm from the car's centre point. A 5mm tolerance would be allowed.

Previously, mirrors had to just be situated between 200mm and 550mm from the car centre line and there was no limit on height.

Mercedes AMG F1 W09 mirror position comparsion

As can be seen from the illustration above, the new area lifts the mirror clear of the upper surface of the sidepod and the rear wing.

The change of regulations in 2017 to a wider rear wing meant that there was more chance of the view being blocked by the end plate.

Mercedes AMG F1 W08 and W07 mirror comparsion

The FIA will be hoping that new rules can be agreed to come in to force later this year, without the need of having to to the World Motor Sport Council to push through changes on safety grounds.

Concerns about lack of visibility have grown this year, with a near-miss between Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix having acted as a catalyst for a change.

At the British Grand Prix, Mercedes also experimented with a new location for its mirrors in a bid to try to help improve visibility for Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

Mercedes AMG F1 W09 mirrors

 

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GERMAN GRAND PRIX TECHNICAL PREVIEW

The German Grand Prix returns as Round 10 of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship, after a one-year absence, in what is likely to be its final appearance on the calendar for the foreseeable future.

The Hockenheimring, not nearly as challenging as the old route through the forest, features a mix of cornering speeds, albeit slightly biased to the lower – medium end of the spectrum, together with multiple full throttle sections.

Downforce vs Drag

The part of the lap to Turn 8 favours a medium or even low downforce set-up, with Turns 3, 4, 5 and 7 all being flat-out. However, the remainder of the lap features very little in the way of straights, with a series of corners challenging the drivers, including the Stadium section. It is likely that Red Bull will aim to run lower downforce rear wings than both Mercedes and Ferrari in order to overcome its straightline speed deficit and improve its competitiveness in the first part of the lap.

Car Strengths Needed

A car with good traction and Aerodynamic efficiency will perform well here, as the majority of the lap is made up of low speed corners and straights. Those teams with a Mercedes or Ferrari power unit will benefit on the long flat-out run up to Turn 6.

Key Corners

Turn 2 is critical in setting up an opportunity to overtake heading down towards the Turn 6 hairpin. In addition, Turns 1 and 12, being the only high-speed corners on the track, will test the grid’s Aerodynamic downforce.

Tyres and Strategy

Given the absence of data from the current generation of cars and tyres at the Hockenheimring, an assessment of potential strategy options is difficult. Back in 2016, when Pirelli’s tyres were still fragile and subject to overheating, the race required a three-stop strategy to be competitive, using the SuperSoft and Soft compounds. The current tyres are more durable than in that period, with this year’s tyres a little softer than the equivalent 2017 tyres.

Given that the 2016 SuperSoft was capable of stints of up to 20 laps in the 2016 race, the UltraSoft should be able to run a similar distance, at least over the weekend, when temperatures are forecast to be lower than on Friday. The question then centres around which tyre can result in a one-stop strategy, the Soft or the Medium?

Both tyres have shown consistent performance through the year, and the selection of two or more sets of the Medium for at least one driver in every team suggests that the answer is not clear as yet. Of course, the front runners may choose to avoid the UltraSoft in the race completely, using the Soft to set their fastest time in Q2 and begin the race, before switching to the Medium.

Renault’s selection of ten sets of the UltraSoft tyre stands out as particularly aggressive, while its Soft/Medium combination guarantees that one driver will not run the preferred race tyre during practice.

Overtaking/DRS

The mix of slow corners and reasonable number of straights usually makes for good racing in Germany. For 2018, this will be assisted by the introduction of a third DRS zone along the pit straight which, like the additional zone in Silverstone, will be designed to move cars closer together in a bid to overtake into Turns 2 or 6, rather than providing a passing opportunity into Turn 1 itself.

Weather

Friday is expected to be extremely hot, but dry, with temperatures over thirty degrees Celsius, before cooler conditions set in for the weekend. This will make judging the long run data from FP2 particularly tricky for the teams, while the preparation for a flying lap may well need to be altered due to the temperature drop. Note that on Saturday particularly, but also on Sunday, there is the possibility of some rain showers.

Form Guide

In France and Austria certainly, and arguably in Silverstone as well, Mercedes had the outright fastest car over the weekend. However, all three of these circuits featured multiple medium-high-speed corners, and long-radius turns in the case of the first two, which seemed to suit the W09 better than the Ferrari SF71H.

Hockenheim has a very different circuit layout that could play more to the strengths of the Ferrari and Red Bull cars. In the midfield, Force India and Renault should perform more strongly than in recent races, thanks to the greater bias towards low-speed corners, while Haas should become relatively less competitive, with the VF-18’s high-speed corner performance hidden on this circuit.

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON TURNS DOWN APPROACH TO INK MERCEDES MEGA-DEAL

Four-times Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton ended months of speculation about his future on Thursday by signing a new deal keeping him at Mercedes until the end of 2020, revealing there was interest for his services from another team.

No financial details were given but British media reports suggested the deal could be worth up to $60 million a year, with a basic of $52-million with an extra $8-miillion in potential bonuses which has made him Formula 1’s top earner and up there with the biggest annual salaries in sport.

The 33-year-old Briton would have been out of contract at the end of the season and the protracted negotiations have been an ongoing saga.

Hamilton also admitted to reporters at Hockenheim that another, unnamed, team had made an approach to which he “didn’t give any air” and when asked if it was Ferrari he replied, “You can make whatever assumption you want.”

The Mercedes deal, finally signed this week according to team boss Toto Wolff in a statement, means the top three teams now have a leading driver under contract for the next two years.

There was no mention of Hamilton’s current teammate Valtteri Bottas, whose place has yet to be confirmed, but the Finn told reporters separately that talks were moving forward and he expected some good news soon.

Hamilton, who conducted his own negotiations, explained, “We started with the discussions at the beginning of the year, and then a few months later, and for a couple of days. Then I put it off as it was too stressful. I just kept delaying it. I had a contract in place so I didn’t feel like I had to rush.”

Hamilton has been part of the Mercedes “family” since he was in karting and secured backing from the German manufacturer and McLaren, “I have never been happier inside a team than I am right now. I’m very confident that Mercedes is the right place to be over the coming years.”

Mercedes have won both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles for the past four years but, despite having the hottest seats in the sport, there had been lingering doubts about Hamilton’s intentions.

Former teammate Nico Rosberg stunned the team in 2016 when he won the title and then announced his retirement only days later.

Hamilton, who won his first title with McLaren in 2008, enjoys a celebrity lifestyle with plenty of interests — mainly in music and fashion — outside of Formula 1.

He acknowledged as much when asked whether the new contract would be his last, “Maybe in two years my life will be completely different and I will want completely different things to what I want now so I couldn’t tell you.”

“I still feel pretty great. I wasn’t expecting to feel as excited as I am now in this signing to extend,” said the man who has won 65 grands prix and taken a record 76 career pole positions from 218 races.

Hamilton is eight points adrift of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, also a four-time world champion, at the halfway point in the season.

The German greeted the news that Hamilton would remain a rival for two more years with some indifference, “Well, congrats. I don’t know why it took so long. I think it was pretty clear. I have my place and my mission and what I want to achieve and in all honesty, that’s all that matters.”

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON: TOTO IS A GREAT HUMAN BEING AND A GREAT MANAGER

Lewis Hamilton reckons he has the best boss one could wish for in Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff who has shown patience and goodwill by indulging their star driver during a protracted negotiation period between the two parties which had reached a stalemate but has now been resolved.

The Briton was speaking in the eve of the German Grand Prix weekend, shortly after he and Mercedes confirmed a two-year extension deal which will see the four times Formula 1 World Champion bank anything between $52-million and $60-million per year until the end of 2020.

The contract negotiation process was drawn out, but in the end it was a mere formality as the two parties have much vested in one another and, despite some tense moments over the years, it is clear that the personal bond is now deeper than ever before.

Speaking to reporters at Hockenheim, Hamilton opened up with regards to his relationship with Wolff, his boss since he joined the German team back in 2013.

“Honestly, Toto is a great human being and a great manager,” explained Hamilton. “We have got a great relationship and it has gone from strength to strength. We have had our ups and downs as every relationship does but it has been one of a lot of growth.”

On this occasion, his third contract with the team, Hamilton deliberately took his time to put pen to paper as Formula 1 in the Liberty Media era is facing a new future, the reigning world champion cited this as a reason for the delay in signing.

Mercedes were said to be angling for a three-year deal with an option for two more, while Hamilton was adamant he wanted his slate clear for 2021 and beyond. This apparently is where it all got stuck until a compromise was reached after the British Grand Prix weekend.

Hamilton continued, “I really appreciate Toto being so patient with me. Most people would not have been given the time frame I chose to take, but the one thing that shows is the trust we have between each other.”

Talk of Hamilton contemplating a Ferrari move briefly surfaced during the madness of the Silly Season, but this was clearly never an option, “I said from day one I am not looking anywhere else, I’m not talking to anyone else, I am not investigating to see what other options there are, I’m not playing you against anybody else.”

“I know there are drivers calling you, which I expect, I also trust you are not thinking to do anything else so we can take our time.”

“It has been great. I am really happy with the process. I enjoyed that negotiation phase. It is intense, it is a learning experience because you learn a lot about the person you are speaking to and it is an interesting dynamic – but one that I have enjoyed doing.”

“This is my third contract I did with the team and I am just really, really excited about the plan and mental focus of what I want to do in this team and achieve in this team, which I am not going to elaborate on, but I am excited about this journey and the next couple of years. I think we can do some great things.”

At the German Grand Prix, on Sunday, Hamilton will line-up on the grid for the 109th time as a Mercedes driver, one race short of his spell with McLaren. With the Silver Arrows he has won three world titles, adding to the single one he won with the Woking outfit which groomed him for the big league.

[MIKA27]

WHO WILL BE THE NUMBER TWOS AT FERRARI AND MERCEDES?

Confirmation of Lewis Hamilton’s new megabucks Mercedes contract keeps him with the German team until the end of 2020, with archrival Sebastian Vettel’s deal with Ferrari set to run for the same period the question now is: who will be their respective teammates?

Hamilton’s signature will now trigger a flurry of pen to paper moments as the Silly Season winds down and speculation becomes inked into reality

Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes all now have their top gun drivers locked in until 2020 in Vettel, Max Verstappen and Hamilton, who they share their garages with should be decided in the not too distant future.

Daniel Ricciardo looks a shoe-in to stay at Red Bull and admitted that Hamilton’s staying put had changed nothing for him, “I knew he was going to sign.”

On Thursday when speaking to journos at Hockenheim, Valtteri Bottas sounded confident about his prospects of keeping Hamilton company at Mercedes, “I hope quite soon there will be some news.”

“I’m pretty confident there will be, so it’s not that long to be sure everything is good. We’ve had some talks and things are moving forward,” added Bottas.

That leaves Ferrari with the oldest driver on the grid in 2007 F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen and although the 38-year-old is enjoying a strong season, his chances of staying at Maranello beyond this season remain uncertain.

Sauber’s 20-year-old rookie Charles Leclerc, a Ferrari protege and last year’s F2 champion, is tipped to join Vettel next year — but the German downplayed the suggestion in the drivers’ press conference, “I don’t know Charles much. I know him a little bit through the programme.”

“Charles, one way or the other, will have a great career. He’s a great guy, he’s fast, he’s got everything, so yeah, definitely, he has no rush,” added the four times F1 world champion.

Vettel made no secret of who he really wants beside him next year, “I like Kimi. I think we get along. We have never any issue…I think the way we handle things is very similar, very straightforward, so I think it’s great to work with and great for the team, but it’s not my decision so we’ll see what happens.”

Ricciardo’s new deal with Red Bull should be confirmed before the summer break, but the smart money is on him staying with The Blues until the end of 2020 on a similar deal to Verstappen.

This would then allow Renault to turn Carlos Sainz’s loan deal with Red Bull into a permanent transfer to the French team for the Spanish driver.

With Renault a solid fourth in the championship, that closes down another desirable destination with knock-on effects elsewhere.

Both Esteban Ocon, the highly-rated Mercedes-backed driver, and Sergio Perez might have been part of a wider merry-go-round had Hamilton made a different decision.

As it is, they too appear short of options with Perez’s future looking more uncertain amid speculation that Lance Stroll could be set for a move from Williams to Force India bank-rolled by his billionaire father Lawrence Stroll.

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RICCIARDO: YOU DON’T WANT TO RISK IT FOR A DISCO BISCUIT

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo believes he can still shine in Sunday’s German Grand Prix despite the fact that he is likely to start down the order as he expects grid penalties for the race.

The Australian is set to exceed his season’s engine allocation and Hockenheim is a better place to take a drop than Hungary on the following weekend where his Red Bull team have a chance of winning.

“I like the track, it’s fun and you can overtake,” Ricciardo said on Thursday. “So if we do have the penalties and I start towards the back I’ll stay positive and know that there will be some good overtaking.”

The driver said it was likely he would take a mandatory penalty, although the extent of that punishment remained uncertain, as the best long-term strategy.

He does not want to risk not taking penalties in Germany and then finding he has to in Hungary.

“You don’t want to risk it for a disco biscuit,” he declared, an expression likely to have puzzled at least some of his audience.

Ricciardo finished second last time Formula 1 raced in Germany but slower and twistier Hungary, which follows the weekend after Germany, is much more suited to the car’s characteristics.

The Australian won at the Hungaroring in 2014, but said he had not given up on doing well in both the remaining races before the August break, “I want a good race here. Even if we start towards the back, I still want to go for it.

“I feel like the triple-header didn’t treat me that well so I would like to at least make this double-header good for me,” said Ricciardo, referring to the recent run of three races on successive weekends in France, Austria and Britain. “Both heads, not just one.”

Ricciardo has won two races this year, in China and Monaco, and is fourth overall in the championship but 65 points behind Ferrari’s leader Sebastian Vettel at the halfway point in the season.

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DOES GERMANY DESERVE TO HAVE A GRAND PRIX?

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel believes that the reason Germany is on the verge of losing their grand prix permanently is that his country is not prepared to match what other nations are paying for the privilege of hosting a grand prix.

The 2018 Formula 1 world championship leader, racing on home soil for the first time in two years, however he painted a gloomy picture of his country’s prospect of retaining the grand prix.

This year is the last of the current contract and talks appear deadlocked, with Hockenheim circuit organisers unwilling to commit to hosting fees that expose them to financial risk.

“I hope that because of the fact that we failed in football this year that people saved a little bit of money on barbecues and so on and they can come here and go camping this weekend,” argued Vettel, who grew up in nearby Heppenheim.

Germany, the 2014 soccer World Cup winners, failed to get beyond the group stage at the recent finals in Russia in a major upset.

The country’s grand prix once drew huge crowds, most of them there to cheer on seven times world champion Michael Schumacher against a backdrop of campfires, vast quantities of beer and sausages.

The crowds have dwindled since the Schumacher era, despite Vettel winning four titles between 2010-13 and the domination of Mercedes with Nico Rosberg taking the crown in 2016.

“Maybe the nation is a little bit full or tired of racing, I don’t know,” ventured Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, now one of just two German drivers on the grid but still without a podium finish to his credit in 145 starts.

“Germans are a bit spoiled when it comes to that, because we’ve always been successful, we’ve always been around…but I think ultimately it’s the commercial aspects that play the biggest part.”

Vettel, winner of four races this season and eight points clear of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in the standings, agreed it was all about the money, “We are a car nation. I think probably it’s to do with the fact that generally you have to pay money to get a grand prix.”

“Other nations are prepared to pay money. Other countries are prepared to fund the grand prix and I think that’s where the main problem is. Germany is not ready to spend money on having the grand prix, to advertise Formula 1, to advertise racing, to advertise Germany, to attract people coming here.”

At one point, when Schumacher was at his peak, Germany had two races a year. Hockenheim and the Nurburgring then alternated before the latter fell away due to financial difficulties and a change in ownership.

Vettel said it was not for want of any effort by the organisers, “I know the track well here, I know the people that work for it and they are working very hard for the event to get people coming here and it’s tough for them to actually make some money.”

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MIAMI DELAYS DECISION ON GRAND PRIX AMID OPPOSITION

Miami city authorities have delayed a decision on hosting a grand prix race in the face of local opposition.

The Miami Herald reported that a discussion on a race contract had been scheduled for 26 July, but will now have to wait until after the City Commission’s August recess.

It said the delay was to get more input from downtown residents but quoted City Manager Emilio Gonzalez as saying plans to hold a grand prix in October 2019 had not been derailed.

“We want to make sure we do this right,” he said. “It’s a big event.”

Gonzalez was authorised by Miami commissioners in May to negotiate a 10-year contract with Formula One on a layout yet to be determined.

The Herald said many downtown and Port Miami residents had expressed concerns about the proposal and potential road closures, noise and traffic problems.

Formula One currently has only one race in the United States, at the purpose-built Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, but commercial rights holders Liberty Media see the region as a key growth area.

A fan festival is already scheduled for Miami this year, in the same week as the 21 October United States Grand Prix.

A group calling itself the Better Florida Alliance (www.betterfloridaalliance.org) has already organised a petition headlined “Say no to Formula One closing Miami streets”.

The south Florida city has never before hosted a Formula 1 championship grand prix, although it has hosted a round of the all-electric Formula E series.