FORMULA 1

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PEREZ: I ACTED TO SAVE FORCE INDIA AND SECURE THEIR FUTURE

Sergio Perez said on Saturday he sent the Force India team he drives for into administration to save the jobs of 400 colleagues at the Silverstone based team.

Perez said he was broken-hearted at having to make the claim for money owed, which put the British-based team in administration, but he insists it was not for personal gain.

Perez told reporters at the Hungarian Grand Prix that he had endured a month of emotional and mental hell and his racing had suffered because of the team’s precarious financial situation.

Force India, co-owned by embattled Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and fifth in the championship, were placed into administration by the London High Court on Friday.

“I love Vijay. My heart is really broken because I know this is not ideal in the short term for him, but the big picture is really different,” said the Mexican. “The bottom line of this is that we do this or the team would have gone bust. That’s what I get from the lawyers and members of the team.”

Going into administration effectively removes the immediate threat of closure and also overcomes the obstacle of shareholder resistance to a sale.

Perez’s claim for money owed — some 4 million euros, mostly from last season — was supported by engine provider Mercedes and team sponsor BWT which says it is also owed significant sums.

With up to five interested parties, a sale appears imminent, and the August break after Sunday’s grand prix gives the team breathing space to sort out its future before going racing again.

“There was a winding-up petition from another customer which would have closed down the team completely. Therefore I was asked to basically save the team, to pull the trigger and put the team into administration” said Perez.

“It has nothing to do with my outstanding amounts. The only reason I’ve done it is to save the team and for its better future,” added the driver, who is now in his fifth season with Force India.

“I am sure everyone appreciates what I’ve done and if they don’t appreciate it right now, because a couple of members of the team don’t know the full picture, they will appreciate it in a week’s time or so.”

Perez said he had struggled to keep his focus over the last month, even if the results had not betrayed the turmoil going on behind closed doors at a team that has struggled to pay its bills for some time.

“Emotionally and mentally it’s really tough. I haven’t been able to focus on my driving and being a racing driver,” he declared. I’m not going through a good time at the moment.”

Mallya, who has a 42.5 percent stake in the team, is fighting an attempt by India to extradite him from Britain to face charges of fraud, which he denies, with a group of Indian banks seeking to recover more than $1 billion of loans granted to his defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

He has decried a “political witchhunt” and has said he is seeking to sell assets worth about 139 billion rupees ($2.03 billion) to repay creditors.

Perez said of his boss, “He’s going through a very difficult time, not just legally but also financially.”

“I hope that whatever happens, Vijay is happy with that and gets a good benefit from that. Secondly, I hope to have a team that is more stable and can go on to the next level and be a racing team. We were not a racing team since the beginning of the year,” added Perez.

MIKA: Let's not forget that in all of this, Vijay is the bad guy, not Sergio. Shifty business man.

I hope Vijay gets extradited and serves his time. So many families lively hoods at stake because of his greed.

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WOLFF: BUYERS WITH DEEP POCKETS INTERESTED IN FORCE INDIA

Although times are dire for Force India right now, according to Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff there is light at the end of the tunnel for the team as a host of potential buyers have stepped up to save the beleaguered Silverstone based Formula 1 team.

Sergio Perez explained in a special letter why he initiated legal proceedings against the team which triggered administration for the team co-owned by underfire business tycoon Vijay Mallya, Michael Mol and Subrata Roy.

Team COO Otmar Szafnauer acknowledged that times are dire, but Wolff revealed to reporters in Hungary that the bad times should be over soon, “First of all, full credit must be given to Vijay for ten years or so of funding the team. Having been not only a shareholder – the key shareholder of the team – but also having had the enthusiasm to support the team and fund it.”

“Obviously things have turned more difficult for him and that has had an effect on the team. Now that the process has been kicked off by the administrator, there are many potential buyers with great interest, with deep pockets, with an understanding of what kind of spending levels are needed in order to perform in F1.”

“I would say, it’s something that is positive for the team, and for all its employee, “A formal process has been started with administration and we have to wait and see who will bid for the assets. We as Mercedes are interested spectators of the process.”

“We would like to understand what the funding strategy from a potential new buyer is, how it could affect the collaboration between the two teams. We aren’t there yet,” Wolff insisted.

Force India deputy team chief Bob Fernley explained, “What will happen is that interested buyers will lodge their interest with FRP, and FRP will now evaluate the business case for any of the potential buyers.”

“From that I’m sure there will be a process which will involve Mercedes and the F1 Group to determine the most appropriate buyer for Force India,” added Fernley.

Among the heavy hitters interested in Force India include billionaire Lawrence Stroll who is reportedly looking to buy the team so as to place his son Lance Stroll with the team, removing him from the dire situation at Williams.

Meanwhile, Rich Energy have taken offence at apparently being out-manoeuvred by current developments, they Tweeted:

Despite a last minute £30m cash injection from @rich_energy the court has today put @ForceIndiaF1 into administration. A tragic and avoidable outcome orchestrated by @MercedesAMGF1 @SChecoPerez , Julian Jakobi and BWT. Disgraceful

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ALONSO: IT WAS A HAPPY DAY

Fernando Alonso benefitted from a shrewd strategy call from the McLaren pitwall to finish eighth at the Hungarian Grand Prix after which he praised his team for their contribution on a tough day in the mid-pack.

Alonso was quick to hail his team for their quick thinking, that at one point had both McLaren’s running in the meat of the points.

The Spaniard told reporters after the race at Hungaroring, “It was a happy day, especially for the strategy. I think the pit wall did an amazing job today, extending the first stint and that put us in a perfect position.”

“Again we struggled on Saturday, even if it was mixed conditions, but on Sunday we delivered the result and more points for the team.”

“We really deserved eighth and ninth places today, but unfortunately the gearbox problem prevented Stoffel from taking any points, otherwise it would’ve been a perfect Sunday for us,” added Alonso.

Stoffel Vandoorne shadowed his veteran teammate for most of the race but on lap 50 was forced to park his McLaren with a gearbox issue, his second DNF in the space of a week.

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RICCIARDO: IT’S NICE TO FINISH ON A HIGH

After two DNFs in three races, including last time out in Germany, Daniel Ricciardo turned things around at the Hungarian Grand Prix despite starting from 12th on the grid and a first corner collision to bag a well earned fourth place.

Red Bull arrived at the Hungaroring expecting the tight venue to suit their car, but the wet qualifying for some reason stumped their drivers who were unable to extract the performance they expected when it mattered.

Thus it was no surprise that at the end of the day Ricciardo was savouring his ballsy driver in which he again he delivered numerous clinical overtakes that he is now famous for. His charge through the field, when he settled down and found the sweet spot, was for many the drive of the day.

Granted there was an element of luck, particularly when Valtteri Bottas speared his gripless Mercedes into the side of the Red Bull as they tussled for position in the closing laps of the race.

In the end, Ricciardo survived to tell the tale, “It’s nice to finish on a high. I feel it’s been a few races where I haven’t really been happy, so it’s nice to get a good one today. The start was hectic. I got beaten around a little bit and then we managed to find our way through, so that was fun. With Valtteri as well, but got him at the last lap so that felt better.”

“The first few laps were not really fun. I was getting a little bit hit around at Turn 1. I think it was Ocon, let’s call it a Force India. Went to pass on the outside of Turn 6 but was never going to make it, he then cut the chicane and stayed in front of me for two laps.”

“That was frustrating, I was on the radio saying he was basically killing my race because he shouldn’t be in front. I thought about cutting the chicane myself and getting back in front of him. Eventually, he let me pass, and we could set a rhythm. Once we set a rhythm, it was fun.”

“The battle with Valtteri, I wouldn’t call it that fun. I felt a bit of a knock on the inside, but passing him back felt good. I feel I did all I could, I gave him enough room. I guess with the damage, he went in pretty hot. Definitely over the top, but I wanted to still get him back on track as opposed to wait for a penalty.”

Ricciardo will be on testing duty this Tuesday before taking a well-deserved break along with the rest of Formula 1 world, after an unprecedented and gruelling dozen race spell. The Australian lies fifth in the championship with nine rounds remaining.

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Sebastian Vettel insists he had the pace to match Lewis Hamilton

Sebastian Vettel insists he had the pace to match Lewis Hamilton in the Hungarian Grand Prix, but things didn't quite play out as the Ferrari driver had hoped which ultimately meant he was unable to challenge the Briton.

Vettel started fourth but passed his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen at Turn 2 and kept with the two Mercedes cars despite running the harder soft compound tyre, whereas Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas drive their first stint on the ultrasoft.

Vettel took the lead after Hamilton and Bottas made their first stops and looked set to come out ahead of Bottas when he eventually stopped, however a slow stop meant he emerged just a few tenths behind and that's when his race unravelled as he was unable to pass the Finn for several laps, allowing Hamilton to open up a large gap.

"It was a tough race, we were a bit out of position for the speed we had," he said. "We could have gone with Lewis in terms of race pace. P2 wasn’t what we really wanted – but I think it was the maximum we could get today.

"It was a good start, a bit surprising on the harder tyres. I was in third. Then we did well. Then it was a bit tricky knowing when to come in. We had a little issue with the pitstop, we came out behind Bottas and then realised I couldn’t get him. I was sitting back and waiting, trying to line up for the last 10 laps."

Vettel managed to pass Bottas at Turn 2, but the pair collided, which allowed both Ferraris through.

"It worked, his [Bottas] tyres were getting worse and worse, I knew how long those yellow tyres last from my first stint. I was quite confident I could get him at the end. 

"I was surprised because I was already ahead," he said of the incident with Bottas. "I was trying to brake to cover the inside line and not run too deep. I got a hit from behind. I wasn’t sure what was going on. I was looking in the mirror, I saw he was there with Kimi . Lucky the car wasn’t broken and we could carry on."

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Red Bull's Christian Horner slams below par Renault engine after Max Verstappen retirement

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has hit out at engine supplier Renault following yet another failure, this time on Max Verstappen’s car during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Verstappen was forced to pull off the circuit on lap five of the race with a suspected MGU-K problem after reporting he had no power on team radio.

“No power, no power,” he said, before becoming more irate at the situation: “Can I not just keep going. I don’t care if this engine blows. What a fucking joke all the fucking time with this shit.”

It’s the third power unit failure experienced by the Red Bull team in four races following Daniel Ricciardo’s failures in Austria and Germany.

Speaking to Sky Sports during the race, Horner described the engine as ‘below par’.

“I am not going to get drawn into saying too much, but we pay multi millions of pounds for these engines, for a first-class product, a state-of-the-art product, and you can see it is quite clearly some way below that.

“So it is frustrating. That is what it is. We still have Daniel in the race and I will let Cyril [Abiteboul] come up with his excuses afterwards.”

Verstappen was in fifth when he was forced to stop, chasing down Kimi Raikkonen in fourth.

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Vettel doesn't blame Bottas for hitting him

Sebastian Vettel says he does not blame Valtteri Bottas for locking up and hitting his Ferrari Formula 1 car after being passed for second place in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Vettel had overtaken Bottas exiting the first corner with five laps to go but the Mercedes driver tried to fight back into Turn 2, locked up and hit the rear of the Ferrari.

Bottas broke his front wing in the incident and fell to fifth, hitting Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull in the process in a later incident, while Vettel was able to continue and finish second.

"I felt, all of a sudden, I got hit from behind," said Vettel, who was fortunate not to be passed by teammate Kimi Raikkonen after the contact as Raikkonen was right behind him on track.

"For him [Bottas] there wasn't anywhere to go, I was ahead.

"I don't blame him – I think he had no grip and when you're so close it's very difficult to stop the car and I think he locked up and we made contact."

Vettel had been hounding Bottas for several laps on fresh ultrasofts, with Bottas trying to make an unlikely one-stop strategy work having pitted early to switch to softs.

"I realised straight away I had a much better run," said Vettel of the pass.

"My rears were in better shape and I got the inside track outside of Turn 1, I had DRS. I was quite comfortable into Turn 2 knowing I got him.

"I wanted to make sure I didn't overshoot the braking, I hit the brakes and when I turned in I felt the contact from behind."

Vettel's second place minimised the damage in the championship, as his main rival and points leader Lewis Hamilton claimed a comfortable victory.

The result leaves Vettel 24 points adrift, but the four-time world champion said the result could have been worse.

"I was lucky I could catch the car [after the contact] and lucky I didn't get a puncture," he said. "The team told me straight away that the tyres look fine.

"I had a feeling the car was fine and it was until the end."

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Renault confirms Ocon talks, targets '19 decision by Spa

Renault has confirmed it is in talks to field Mercedes Formula 1 junior Esteban Ocon in 2019 and has targeted the Belgian Grand Prix to announce its driver line-up.
Ocon has been linked with a loan move to Renault next season that would mean he replaces Carlos Sainz alongside Nico Hulkenberg.

Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul told French broadcaster Canal+ before the Hungarian Grand Prix that talks with Ocon were taking place but that did not mean he was guaranteed to join the team.

Abiteboul said he expects conversations to continue with representatives of Ocon and Sainz over the summer break and thinks a decision will be made by the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of August.

“We have not made a decision, we have not signed anything,” said Abiteboul. “We've got a number of options, good options.

“Carlos staying with us is one of them, but things rather are in Red Bull's hands.

“Esteban joining us could be an option. Mercedes is running Esteban's career, it's a good thing, but it's also something we have to consider.”

Sainz pushed for a Renault move because he did not want to stay with Toro Rosso for a fourth season and faced a lack of opportunity at Red Bull’s senior team.

Max Verstappen then signed a contract extension late last year while Daniel Ricciardo is poised to land a fresh deal with Red Bull as well, which gives Sainz the chance to try to move to Renault permanently.

Ocon is halfway through his second season with Mercedes customer team Force India, having started his F1 career in mid-2016 with Manor, which also used Mercedes engines at the time.

However, Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff admitted earlier in the Hungarian GP weekend that the company was open to Ocon joining a rival engine manufacturer.

Abiteboul said: “We've had talks for a long time, we first contacted his manager and Toto weeks, months ago.

“We're talking and we'll keep talking with everyone during the break, including Carlos.

“Once again, no decision has been made, we'll see with time and reach a decision at Spa.

“I think all requirements will be met for us to announce things at Spa.”

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Sainz has ‘a lot of options’ for 2019 drive

Carlos Sainz is confident he will be in Formula 1 in 2019, saying that he has “a lot of options” for a drive next year.

He has helped put Renault firmly in the ‘best of the rest’ position in the Constructors’ Championship, but is only in P11 in the Drivers’ standings.

The Spaniard is under contract with Red Bull, but is on loan at Renault for this season.

With Ricciardo and Verstappen set to be at Red Bull, and a possible Ocon–Hulkenberg partnership at Renault, Sainz could be out of a seat, but he remains confident.

“Let’s wait a bit. I think we still need to wait, but I have a lot of options and very good options,” Sainz said.

The Spaniard finished in the points at Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, but fell from his third row grid slot to end the race in P9.

“I am not happy. The start was good but then into Turn 1 I got pushed wide and I was surrounded by people on the ultrasofts while I was on the softs,” Sainz said after the race.

“So I was probably lacking a bit of grip in the first couple of corners.”

He said that he was able to find some speed in his Renault, but the strategy then played into their rival’s hands, and he lost positions.

“Once we got into a rhythm and we were started to show our pace, all of a sudden, we got over-cut by everyone,” he admitted.

“We boxed too early and we were over-cut by the McLarens, by a Haas, and we lost all the positions there.”

There was also talk, at one point, of the Spaniard being given a penalty for ignoring blue flags, but he was confident that he was within the laws of the sport.

“No, I think I was correct. I was not ignoring them,” he said firmly.

“We are given a certain amount of time and that certain amount of time I was spending it well to let the other car by.”

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Claire Williams: I think about walking away

Claire Williams admits Williams’ wretched season has her questioning whether she is the right person for the job, but until someone at Williams tells her otherwise, she won’t give up.

The Grove team are in the midst of a troubled campaign, one that has seen them score just four points in 10 races.

The FW41 has been criticised from all quarters with former driver Jacques Villeneuve putting the blame squarely on deputy team boss, Claire.

She, however, says until such a time as someone at Williams tells her that she the problem, she’ll keep pushing on and try fix the situation.

She told The Sun: “Of course I think about walking away.

“Anyone with a team in this position would but it’s not because I can’t be bothered any more.

“I question whether I’m the right person to be doing this job. But I haven’t got to the point where I look in the mirror and think I’m the problem.

“If people are criticising me in the paddock or on social media, they can do that all they like.

“But if anyone in Williams says to my face that I was damaging the team, then I would go.

“Until then, I have much more I can do and I won’t give up. We are 10th and I hold my hands up. It is up to us to fix it.”

Williams, who took over in 2013, revealed her father Frank has been a lot more supportive than she thought he would be given the team’s dismal form.

“It’s a hard process and it is humiliating. We go out every weekend — the Williams spirit is with us and we’ll keep fighting.

“I had a big discussion with dad a few months ago and he was a lot more supportive than I thought he was going to be.

“I thought he was going to say ‘Oh my God, what are you doing!’ but he didn’t.

“He was very philosophical and said, ‘Claire, we’ve had s****y times before and got through it. You have to keep pushing’.

“I want to impress him because he entrusted this job to me. I don’t want to embarrass my dad, or bring his team down. That would be horrendous.”

And while Williams is adamant this team will never become a “B team”, she concedes she may have to explore the possibility of closer collaboration with one of F1’s bigger teams with engine supplier Mercedes the most likely option.

“We would never be anyone’s B team,” she said.

“We’re tremendously proud and protective over our position within this sport. We have earned that.

“We have raced in F1 for over 40 years and many people have made sacrifices for this team.

“But the collaborations we see now, we have to explore those.

“We don’t want to be dinosaurs, the once-giant of Formula One who refused to change and adapt.”

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ABITEBOUL: WE STOPPED READING WHAT HORNER SAYS SINCE 2015

As expected the war of words between Red Bull and Renault is ramping up as the two partners see out the final season together despite their divorce being confirmed last month, with fuel added to the fire when Max Verstappen was forced to retire his car with yet another Renault failure early on in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Verstappen’s radio rant directed at their engine supplier was echoed by Red Bull chief Christian Horner who lamented another wasted opportunity as he watched Verstappen park his powerless car he said live on Sky TV: “It is frustrating, that is what it is. I will let Cyril come up with his excuses afterwards.”

True to form Abiteboul hit back, first laying the blame squarely on Red Bull themselves and has followed that up with his own swipe at his Red Bull counterpart.

“Our bosses have stopped reading what Christian Horner is saying about us since 2015,” insisted Abiteboul. “It’s very clear that we don’t want to have any dealings with them any more. It’s very clear it’s done.”

“They will have their engine partner that will be paying a helluva money to get their product on board, and I wish them good luck. I have nothing else to say,” added Abiteboul in reference to the Honda deal Red Bull have struck for next year and beyond.

The bitter animosity that has developed since 2014 between the two parties has generated many interesting and often amusing headlines. A split nearly happened a couple of years ago but without an engine supplier willing to partner the energy drinks outfit, the FIA stepped in to ensure Renault remained as their supplier.

Notably, before the current hybrid turbo era, the partnership was unbeatable during a four-year spell in which together they bagged eight Formula 1 world titles.

With nine races remaining, the partnership is already in tatters and it is going to be intriguing to witness how it will degenerate even further until they finally split for good after the season finale in Abu Dhabi on 25tNovemberer. Watch this space!

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ABITEBOUL: RED BULL HAVE ONLY THEMSELVES TO BLAME

Red Bull boss Christian Horner and his driver Max Verstappen were quick to lambast Renault after a sixth power unit related failure during a race, this time the Hungarian Grand Prix where the young Dutchman was forced to park his powerless car at the side of the track with a mere five laps completed.

Verstappen’s immediate reaction, an expletive-packed rant at the French engine supplier, grabbed headlines in the wake of an incident-packed race at Hungaroring.

Horner was interviewed live by Sky as Verstappen’s powerless car coasted to halt beside the track, “I am not going to get drawn into saying too much, but we pay multi-millions of pounds for these engines, for a first-class product, a state-of-the-art product, and you can see it is quite clearly some way below that.”

“So it is frustrating, that is what it is. I will let Cyril come up with his excuses afterwards,” taunted Horner.

And in due course, the excuses were quick to emerge, as Renault chief Cyril Abiteboul lay the blame firmly with the energy drinks outfit when he told reporters, “We switched at Monaco to an improved MGU-K. But Red Bull is not using it because it affects the way the power unit is packaged on their car.”

“The new MGU-K manages and contains the temperatures more effectively. There were no problems with our cars, but we cannot force Red Bull to go with it. It’s their decision,” insisted Abiteboul.

Red Bull will terminate their fractious partnership with Renault at the end of the season to be powered by Honda but, between then and now, the animosity between the two parties is likely to increase if the weekend in Hungary is anything to go by.

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FERNLEY: MALLYA DEVASTATED WITH THE FORCE INDIA SITUATION

Vijay Mallya is ‘devastated’ to have lost control of the Force India Formula 1 team but the embattled tycoon should still have a say in what happens next, according to his right-hand man Bob Fernley.

The Briton, who was deputy team principal until a court-appointed administrator took charge last Friday, told Reuters that Mallya would act in the best interests of a team he acquired in 2007.

“I don’t know. I think there’s more to come yet,” he said in an interview at Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix when asked whether Mallya’s Formula 1 adventure had reached the end of the road.

“He will also be able to discuss directly with the administrator the future of the team and Vijay is certainly not going to get in the way of making sure the team is fully supported. That’s not his way of doing things.

“The team means a huge amount to him and he’s devastated with the situation as it is at the moment. But as the major creditor he hopefully can make sure it is in the right hands going forward to go on to better things.”

Mallya has a 42.5 percent stake in the Silverstone-based team, with a similar shareholding in the hands of the Indian Sahara Group and the remainder owned by Dutch businessman Michiel Mol.

The administration was triggered by Force India’s Mexican driver Sergio Perez, supported by engine provider Mercedes and team sponsor BWT who were also owed money by a team struggling financially.

Perez told reporters at the weekend that he had acted to save the team, and 400 jobs, from the threat of being closed down in the face of a winding-up order scheduled for the London High Court last Wednesday.

Fernley suggested that was not an entirely accurate representation of what had happened, “I know absolutely categorically that Vijay had some very sensible solutions to everything to be able to maintain the team going forward. This process obviously affected those.”

“I don’t have enough information to tell you,” he added when asked whether he felt there had been an orchestrated coup to remove Mallya.

“All I know is that from our point of view it was an unexpected move. And Vijay certainly wasn’t expecting it,” said Fernley.

The Briton said the winding-up order had been brought by the British tax authorities but was not as critical as had been made out.

“The winding-up order that was due to be heard, HMRC were dismissing that because all the money had been paid,” he said, while acknowledging that it would only have been a deferral with another creditor ready to step in.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said there were five interested parties who could now take over the team but it would be for the administrators to decide which was the best long-term prospect, “We as Mercedes are interested spectators of the process,” he told reporters.

“We would like to understand what the funding strategy going forward from a potential new buyer is, how it could affect the collaboration between the two teams. We aren’t there yet.”

As well as providing the engines to the team, Perez’s French teammate Esteban Ocon is also backed by the German manufacturer. He is tipped for a move to Renault while Perez’s future remains uncertain.

Force India’s problems are well-documented, with Mallya having assets frozen in India and fighting an attempt to extradite him from Britain to face charges of fraud, which he denies.

A group of Indian banks are seeking to recover more than $1 billion of loans granted to his defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

Mallya has decried a “political witchhunt” and has said he is seeking to sell assets worth about 139 billion Indian rupees (£1.53 billion) to repay creditors.

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HAMILTON: WE’VE GOT TO IMPROVE TO TRY AND CATCH FERRARI

Lewis Hamilton leads the Formula 1 world championship standings into the August break by a healthy margin but, despite winning the Hungarian Grand Prix comfortably from pole position, the champion feels Mercedes still have some catching up to do.

Ferrari had looked favourites for victory at the Hungaroring but could not show their true race pace after Hamilton and teammate Valtteri Bottas made the most of a wet qualifying on Saturday.

The circuit is famously difficult for overtaking and Bottas, however much it pained him to be told, proved an excellent ‘wingman’ in keeping the Ferraris behind while Hamilton built a buffer.

Hamilton, now 24 points clear of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel after 12 of the 21 races, will head off on holiday a happy man but also recognising he is in a different kind of fight this year compared to 2017.

“This year we all know that Ferrari really do have the upper hand pace-wise,” said the Briton after his fifth win of the campaign.

“But to win a championship is not just about speed, it’s about how you manage things, the strategy calls you make, mistakes, all these different things weigh up.”

While Mercedes have made some glaring strategy mistakes, Vettel has made more errors in the heat of battle than his rival.

In Hungary, it was no exceptions as the German lost time when he went off track while leading and in clear air. His Ferrari team then botched his pitstop.

The Briton has now won six times in Hungary, more than any driver, but has yet to do so and take the title in the same season.

There is still plenty of work to do if he is to break that streak, even if Hamilton is well ahead of where he was this time last year when he went into the August shutdown 14 points adrift of Vettel.

“We’ve got things to improve, we’ve got performance to bring moving forwards. We’ve got to try and catch them,” said Hamilton of Ferrari’s perceived pace advantage.

“But we’ve got to continue to keep rising with all the other elements, which allows us to beat the Ferraris when they don’t bring their A game.”

The second half of the season has been good for Hamilton in the past, with the Briton coming back strongly last year to clinch his fourth title.

He rejected a suggestion that he had a couple of fingers on a fifth already, however.

“Absolutely not. I think it’s far too early and you’ve seen the ups and downs we’ve had from this year, you’ve been ahead by some points and behind some points,” he said.

“A lot can happen moving forwards but what’s really important is that we continue to keep up the pressure and keep working as we have done until now. There’s nothing we really need to alter.

“It’s important to capitalise on those difficult weekends such as this and I think that’s really been a key strength of ours this year,” he added.

Belgium is next up, followed by Italy, and Hamilton won both of those last year. But before then he can enjoy a few weeks of downtime.

“Now it’s holiday, I’m going to meet my mum and my sister and niece and nephew tonight and I’ll spend the next four or five days with them,” he said on Sunday.

“It’s not too often I get to do family holidays so that’s something I’m looking forward to.”

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ERICSSON: TO SAVE WEIGHT I DON’T USE A DRINK SYSTEM

Sauber’s driver Marcus Ericsson has revealed that he has raced thirsty for years because he has ditched his car’s water bottle in order to save weight.

The tall Swede explained the situation on Twitter after Sunday’s sweltering Hungarian Grand Prix, in which he shed between 2.5 to three kilos.

“Haven’t had a drink system installed for over two years (including today),” he said in response to a discussion about Kimi Raikkonen racing in the heat without water after Ferrari failed to connect the drinks bottle.

“It weighs around 1.5 kg. So we choose not to use it because of the weight. Just one of the reasons why we should have the same weight for all drivers,” added Ericsson, who said he trained hard and kept well-hydrated before the race.

Raikkonen, who finished third at the Hungaroring where track temperatures were well above 50 degrees celsius in one of the hottest races so far this year, made light of his problem afterwards.

“The fact of not having my drink bottle available was obviously not ideal, but not so much of an issue either,” declared the Finn, who has now finished on the podium nine times in Hungary.

Formula 1 is set to introduce a minimum driver weight of 80kg from 2019 to end a situation where the taller drivers have become disadvantaged, raising concerns about drastic weight loss and other unhealthy practices.

Driver weight will be considered separately to the car next season, with ballast required to be placed next to the seat for those weighing less than the minimum.

The addition of the halo head protection system has added weight to the car this season.

MIKA: The stupidity of F1 ladies and gentlemen. 

Let's install a HALO for driver accident safety, yet, let's allow teams to not use water bottles and pass out from dehydration because driver weight limits are all over the place. Some of the new rules and allowances from 2019 will be welcome IMO.

[MIKA27]

Brendon Hartley frustrated to miss out on points

Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley expressed frustration at slipping down the order at the Hungarian Grand Prix, believing his race strategy backfired.

Hartley started from eighth on the grid after securing his first Q3 appearance in Saturday’s rain-affected qualifying session and made a strong start, but ultimately lost the spot he had gained on Renault’s Carlos Sainz Jr., and also fell behind Haas’ Kevin Magnussen.

Sainz Jr. ran on the Soft compound as opposed to the Ultrasofts employed by Hartley, and the New Zealander stopped for Mediums on lap 24 of 70.

Renault responded by pitting Sainz Jr. next time around, while Haas’ Romain Grosjean extended his stint to jump ahead, as Fernando Alonso leapfrogged all three by not stopping until lap 39.

With Hartley having also been overhauled by the recovering Daniel Ricciardo he was left down in a point-less 11th, as he came home within sight of both Sainz Jr. and Grosjean.

“I’m disappointed with 11th, I had a really good start actually, had my nose up the inside of Pierre [Gasly] into Turn 1, he braked pretty early and it worked out well for him,” he said.

“But I lost a place to Magnussen, almost got past Carlos at Turn 2, not quite though, on the first stint he was on the hard compound tyre, I was on the Ultrasofts.

“I had a lot more pace but nowhere to overtake, then we pitted very early for Mediums, and it didn’t work out for us, the ones that stayed out on Softs over-cut us.

“We lost a place to Grosjean, the McLarens, not sure who else, but yeah obviously as a team sometimes you have to split strategy but it didn’t work out for me.”

Hartley added that he was also compromised by his pit stop dropping him into the territory for being lapped.

“I still had plenty of tyres when we boxed but then going onto the harder compound tyre, which was a lot slower early on, people that stayed out on softer [tyres] were quicker,” he said.

“And I got the blue flags, so a double negative.

“I haven’t seen all the details on how it played out but we lost a lot of places through that strategy, obviously disappointed, I didn’t actually get overtaken once on track but it was all lost on the strategy.”

[MIKA27]

Haas pair pleased to add double points to tally in Hungary

Haas F1 managed to secure their second double-points finish of 2018 at the Hungarian Grand Prix giving the team morale boost going into the summer break.

After showing good pace right from the start of the season, the American team has yet been fully able to extract the best out the VF-18 on a consistent basis after numerous problems have prevented better results coming their way.

Team principal Guenther Steiner expressed his satisfaction with the result his drivers put in for the team over the weekend by saying: "Two cars in the points – a good end to the first half of the season and for everyone to go into the summer break.

"Closing in on our opponents and moving away from the others is fantastic. Everyone can relax a little bit, come back stronger and try to get more points after the summer break."

Kevin Magnussen was happy with his performance despite driving what he described as a lonely race to cross the line in seventh place.

"I was quite happy today. Had a good first lap, gained some positions, and took it home from there. Not a very eventful race, except for the first lap, but that’s fine for us.

"We scored a double-points finish for the team and that’s a good way to go on holiday."

Romain Grosjean was hoping for better results from the race at the Hungaroring as he felt his Haas deserved much more than just tenth place after getting stuck behind the Renault of Carlos Sainz Jr for most of the race.

"Both of us in the top-10 is really good. The race was frustrating. We need to understand how to get the tires better in these circumstances.

"I spent 50 laps behind (Carlos) Sainz, being half-a-second to one second faster. As soon as you get close to the car in front of you, it just goes and there’s nothing you can do.

"That was a bit of a shame but, overall, I think we really did a great job. We jumped (Nico) Hulkenberg and (Brendon) Hartley, showing that we had an amazing pace. Generally, I think we had a great pace, so it’s good to have two cars in the top-10.

"We’ve had a really good weekend. The race pace was so much better than P10."

[MIKA27]

Lewis Hamilton praises Valtteri Bottas' role in Hungarian GP win

Lewis Hamilton praised the role of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in assisting his drive to victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Mercedes lacked pace compared to Ferrari in dry conditions on Friday but secured a front-row lockout in wet weather on Saturday, and was braced for a challenge as the warm conditions returned on Sunday.

Hamilton led away from pole position and opened up an advantage over Bottas and the Ferrari pair of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, the German running an alternative Soft/Ultrasoft strategy.

Vettel was released into second when Bottas stopped and inherited the lead when Hamilton came into the pits, and his pace advantage effectively left him a net second, ostensibly with the intention to hunt down the Briton on softer and fresher rubber.

But Vettel’s pace dropped off at the end of the stint just as Bottas posted a sequence of rapid laps, and a slow front-left tyre change at his pit stop meant he crucially emerged behind Bottas.

Vettel was unable to find a way past Bottas until lap 65 of 70, during which period Hamilton’s advantage swelled from eight to 24 seconds.

Bottas ultimately slipped to fifth on extremely worn tyres, his plight accentuated by collisions with Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo, but Hamilton was eager to point out his team-mate’s role in the win.

“I would like to give praise and thanks to Valtteri,” said Hamilton on social media, having extended his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 24 points.

“Without his great drive the team may not have won, [it] would have been very tight at the end.

“But thanks to his fight he enabled us to come away with three more points as a team than Ferrari.

“Don’t forget, the priority for the team is to win the race and the Teams’ championship. So he played a key role.

“As for me, he ultimately helped me in being supportive as a team-mate, which I want to acknowledge. Huge respect between us.”

Bottas and team boss Toto Wolff moved to clarify comments made in the aftermath of the race after the latter called his driver a “sensational wingman” for his efforts in the Grand Prix.

Bottas holds fourth place in the Drivers’ Championship, 81 points behind Hamilton, having yet to take a win this season.

[MIKA27]

Kimi Raikkonen: Ferrari unable to exploit speed

Kimi Raikkonen said third-place was the maximum he could have aspired for at the Hungarian Grand Prix but rued Ferrari’s inability to fully demonstrate its pace.

Ferrari held the quickest package over a single lap in dry conditions at the Hungaroring but lost out to Mercedes during a wet qualifying session, taking third and fourth on the grid.

Raikkonen dropped behind team-mate Sebastian Vettel on the opening lap, after which he carried out a two-stop strategy, spending time stuck behind Valtteri Bottas.

Raikkonen ultimately profited when Bottas collided with Vettel to move up to third and expressed mixed emotions at the result.

“I think it was the best that we could hope,” he said.

“It was a far from the ideal start. We caught up with Bottas after the first stop but there was no chance to overtake at that point, so our option was to stop again and try again and at least we got one place back.

“I think we had pretty good speed but what can you do? Sometimes it's like that, but we take the points and go for the next one.”

Raikkonen added: “I think we had very good speed but obviously what happened [in qualifying] and after the start, we never really were able to use our speed when we were on our own, catching-up.

“But, apart from that, you are kind of offset in the position and you know you are going to get stuck once you catch up with them.

“At the beginning, I was giving a bit of a hard time for Valtteri and then Seb obviously, so they never had the freedom to slow down and take care of their tyres. And there have been some issues and it paid off, so we both gained one place.

“But yeah, apart from that it was fun to push because the tyres, at least on my side because I stopped twice, they lasted well and I was able to go full speed. So that was fun.

“But the end result doesn’t really feel like a happy finish.

“As a team, we scored decent points and I think we have a few things to improve and I’m sure we have all the speed to be higher up – but we need to tidy up a few things.

“I think which way you look it depends if it’s good or bad. I don’t think it’s a disaster but it could be better, for sure.”

[MIKA27]

Brawn: F1 will do all it can to help save Force India

Formula 1 sporting boss Ross Brawn says the commercial rights holder will do “all in its power” to ensure Force India survives after going into administration. 
The move into administration, triggered by its driver Sergio Perez, has been done to shore up the long-term future of the team but part of that relies on it being able to continue with its full share of F1 prize money. 

It requires the consent of all its rivals to have access to those funds under a new owner. 

Brawn used his usual post-race debrief to say all F1 participants deserved the upcoming summer break, but said “this applies especially to those who work at Force India, which is going through a particularly difficult time at the moment”.

He added: “Formula 1 will be doing all in its power to ensure the team survives and I truly hope that in the coming days and weeks its future is resolved. 

“Over the past few years the Silverstone-based team has been an amazing example of what can be done with limited resources, showing that what you do and how you do it is much more important than the size of your budget.”

Force India has finished fourth in the constructors’ championships for the previous two seasons despite competing with one of the smallest budgets on the grid.

  

Ferrari “must shoulder some blame” for defeat

Reviewing the on-track action from the final race weekend before the break, Brawn said Ferrari needed to shoulder some of the blame for making Sebastian Vettel’s race harder than it needed to be.

The German’s strategy cost him time in traffic and then a slow pitstop compounded his time loss, which he spent most of the race stuck behind Valtteri Bottas.

That allowed the other Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton to claim a comfortable win and extend his championship lead over Vettel to 24 points.

“Bottas played a vital role, but Ferrari must shoulder some of the blame given that Vettel had a slow pit stop when there was an opportunity to overtake Bottas in the pits,” said Brawn. 

He added: “I would suggest that for the first time since 2008, Ferrari has the quickest car on track, capable of taking pole positions and wins at every type of track. 

“A mix of mistakes, crashes and lost opportunities has led to the current points situation, but with nine races still to go there’s plenty of time to close the gap, knowing that the SF71H is the best car right now.”

  

Red Bull “regrets”

While Vettel at least went on to finish second and Kimi Raikkonen gave Ferrari a double podium, Red Bull had less of a silver lining. 

Max Verstappen retired from fifth earlier on with a suspected MGU-K failure, while Daniel Ricciardo battled through to fourth after being knocked out in Q2. 

Verstappen then struggled to fight for pole in Q3, which Brawn called a “mystery”.

He called Ricciardo’s charge a “fantastic show” and added: “Indeed, looking at the Australian’s strong lap times, the Milton Keynes team must have even more regrets.” 

 

[MIKA27]

Teams set to reveal first look at ‘19 front wing

Williams is preparing to trial an experimental version of Formula 1's new 2019 front wings this week in Hungary.
F1 is introducing new front wing rules for next season in a bid to improve overtaking.

The wing will need to be 200mm wider and 25mm deeper than this season, while complicated upper flaps and endplates will be eradicated.

Williams and Force India have confirmed their intent to run a new wing this week's two-day test at the Hungaroring.

If 2019 parts are trialled in the test, which starts tomorrow (Tuesday) and ends Wednesday, it will provide the first chance to see one of the new designs in action, even if it is only experimental.

Williams chief technical officer Paddy Lowe confirmed it would be trialling development parts in the test and said it would "probably" run a 2019 wing.

"I think everyone else will probably be doing similar things," said Lowe. "We'll be doing some experiments around next year's rules.

"It's the last opportunity in certain areas to do that because it's you can't run a car to a different ruleset on Fridays."

Lowe said, when asked by Motorsport.com, that the priority was to correlate the work at the factory to the real word.

Force India expressed its intention to use the Hungary test to trial some 2019 parts earlier this month in Germany.

A photo of a 2019 Force India front wing design has already circulated on social media.

Andrew Green, technical director of the team that went into administration last week, said at Hockenheim: "We'll be testing some parts in the week after Hungary, to confirm the direction that we are going in and the changes to the car that these regulations make.

"The front wing is key to everything that gets set up further down the car, so changing that is a big step.

"So, we want to make sure we are developing in the right direction, so we are bringing parts after Hungary just to confirm that."

Not all teams are in a position to trial experimental designs.

Renault's technical director in charge of chassis Nick Chester said the manufacturer is evaluating designs but not ready to have one on track.

"We're looking at them already, we've had some in the tunnel, but we're a fair way off making one," he said.

"Those concepts are still developing quite quick so I think it'd be way too early for us."

[MIKA27]

Vandoorne refusing to listen to rumours

toffel Vandoorne‘s DNF in the Hungarian GP could not have come at a worse time as the Belgian racer fights for his Formula 1 future.

Vandoorne put in a good drive on Sunday as he ran a long first stint on the soft tyres to work his way up from 15th on the grid to eighth place on the track.

Racing towards what would have been only his fourth top-ten result of this campaign, he was forced to park his MCL33 on the side of the track with a gearbox problem.

And it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

According to F1’s silly season rumours, Vandoorne is set to lose his McLaren race-seat at the end of this season, replaced by Renault’s Carlos Sainz.

As for where he could land, he has been linked to a move to the Alfa Romeo Sauber team.

The 26-year-old says he is refusing to pay any attention to the rumours.

“It’s F1 and there are always rumours,” he told La Derniere Heure.

“I try to do my best and this weekend I am satisfied. I did a very good performance.”

He added: “Now I’m going to take a little vacation, empty my head and get back in shape for the Belgian Grand Prix where I’m going will have many friends, family to support me.”

[LLC]

If you get a chance to see the Budapest F2 feature race from the weekend, you’ll be amazed. First F2 race I’ve watched and there was more action and passing through n this one race than the whole F1 season to date. From crazy action in the wet to begin to unbelievable action in the drive to the very end. Worth trying to see.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MIKA27]

IS NORRIS BEING PRIMED TO REPLACE VANDOORNE AT MCLAREN?

It is no secret that Stoffel Vandoorne’s future at McLaren, and possibly Formula 1, is shaky as the once highly rated driver struggles to match his teammate Fernando Alonso, while his boss Zak Brown admits the team have options on the driver front that may spell bad news for the 26-year-old Belgian.

Vandoorne has been something of an enigma since he stepped up to the top flight. He was stellar in his Formula 1 race debut, substituting for injured Fernando Alonso at the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix in which the Belgian driver finished tenth.

In 2017 he stepped up to replace retiring Jenson Button but has failed to spark and stats show that he has been obliterated by his veteran teammate, and ‘mentor’ of sorts, Alonso. In qualy this year the score is 12-0 and after 12 rounds it’s 44 to 8 points in the Spaniard’s favour.

At the same time, McLaren have young Lando Norris on their books until the end of September at which point the team reportedly have to commit to giving him a race seat for 2019 or he marches off to… Toro Rosso!

Thus it is interesting to note that at the current in-season test, at Hungaroring, McLaren have opted to run Norris in the car for the two days – that’s a potential 16 or so hours of very valuable track time for the 18-year-old Englishman.

The obvious question is: why not put Vandoorne in the car for at least a day so he can try and revive his form or?

Needless to say, Belgian media are fearing that Vandoorne is on the verge of being dropped, perhaps even at the forthcoming Belgian Grand Prix and are understandably in his corner while seeking answers.

A source close to the McLaren suggests that it is unlikely the team will ditch Vandoorne for his home race at Spa-Francorchamps and would use it to assess their troubled driver after the summer break. However, Norris replacing Vandoorne for the Italian Grand Prix, after the race at Spa, or in Singapore is apparently a distinct possibility.

Adding fuel to the speculation is the fact that team chief Brown is not denying the possibility, when quizzed by Belgian journos in Budapest he said that “it’s very unlikely” they will drop their number two driver.

As for contact with other drivers, Brown explained, “Technically and morally we speak to other drivers. It is normal at this time of the season.”

Vandoorne himself is sure he will be in the car for the remainder of the season, “Yes, I am very confident. You know, after two bad GPs nothing is good but if you have a good run then you’re a god, that’s Formula 1…”

Meanwhile, talk is that Carlos Sainz could join Alonso to create an all-Spanish driver line-up at McLaren in 2019, while Brown has admitted that he would welcome Ferrari’s out of contract veteran Kimi Raikkonen back at the team where he spent five years. Mixed signals aplenty.

On a positive side is if McLaren do wield the axe Vandoorne has a true believer in Sauber chief Frederic Vasseur, the Frenchman managed him in his 2015 GP2 championship winning year.

Apart from Ron Dennis ‘discovering’ and backing Lewis Hamilton all the way to the Briton’s 2008 Formula 1 title and launching Raikkonen into superstardom, of late McLaren have a dubious record when it comes to nurturing their young drivers.

A number of useful drivers, in the early stages of their careers, were cast out before they had time to impress the team. The likes of Heikki Kovalainen, Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen spring to mind, with Vandoorne increasingly drifting towards that list.

[MIKA27]

BOB BELL STEPS ASIDE IN PLANNED RENAULT TRANSITION

Renault Sport Racing today announces Bob Bell will become the team’s Technical Advisor, in an evolution of his current role, and in addition to participating in strategic projects to support the team’s long-term growth and development.

Bell will take responsibility for developing technical collaborations with third parties to explore specific expertise and technologies that can contribute to the team’s overall performance.

Currently Chief Technical Officer, Bob played an instrumental role in the plan for Renault to return to Formula One as a factory team and establishing the team’s technical structure. However, after 36 years in Formula 1, he has understandably expressed a desire to move away from the front-line action while exploring other interests outside the sport. He will fulfil his new role on a part-time basis.

Bob will take on this strategic, transversal role, reporting directly to managing director Cyril Abiteboul. Bob will not be replaced in the position of F1 Chief Technical Officer now a fully functional and agile collaboration between Viry and Enstone has been implemented.

Cyril Abiteboul, managing director of Renault Sport Racing, commented: “In just two and a half years he has helped to make Renault Sport a genuine and respected points scorer. He’s also a massive part of the heart and soul of the team and a real motivator for everyone to draw together and get the best from themselves and each other.”

“Under this planned transition within the team’s executive management, Bob will now look closely at how to work with our partners but also the different stakeholders of Formula 1, and of the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance, to ensure we continue to move even further up the grid.”