FORMULA 1

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BUTTON: VERSTAPPEN NEEDS TO BE IN THE TITLE RACE THIS YEAR

Jenson Button believes that if Red Bull and Honda do not provide Max Verstappen with a title challenging car this year the Dutchman will get frustrated and start looking around for life after the fizzy drinks chapter.

Red Bull begin a new era with Honda, knowing they will have a great chassis and now praying that their Japanese partner have found a posse of reliable horses hidden in their PU package over the winter.

Verstappen is not known to be one that minces his words as Renault will testify and right now, during the honeymoon period, the mutual back-slapping has been impressive as Red Bull and their driver only have kind words for their new partner.

How long that lasts, if Honda does not deliver on expectations, only time will tell…

Speaking to Sky Sports, Button said, “It’s tricky with Max. He’s always moving forward and he’s always looking for something else. He jumps into a Red Bull and he wins his first race.”

“This year is a really important year for him to keep it moving. He has to be fighting for the championship or l think he will start asking questions about where he should be in the future.”

“There are so many changes in the sport at the moment and that’s exactly what the sport needs. I think we will have three teams battling at the front and, if we do, there will be some fantastic fights.”

Button, who is the reigning Autobacs GT Super GT Champion along with Naoki Yamamoto driving the Team Kunimitsu Honda NSX-GT, believes that three strong teams capable of winning races is what Formula 1 needs, while Verstappen as a challenger will serve to fire-up reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton.

Button said of his former teammate, “Knowing Lewis, it won’t be about trying to better what Michael has done. Things are changing in F1 and there are new challenges and that’s what he loves.”

“It’s when the challenges stop that you think: you know what, I’m going to do something else. But with the F1 is, with the regulation changes and the driver changes, he will want to keep going, which is fantastic for the sport,” added the 2009 Formula 1 World Champion.

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FORMULA 1 TO HOST FIRST EVER SEASON LAUNCH IN MELBOURNE

To mark the start of the 2019 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, Formula 1 has announced Melbourne will play host to the inaugural season launch event on Wednesday 13th March, ahead of the 2019 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix.

Taking place in the pulsating heart of the city, fans will have the opportunity to see all twenty drivers and ten team principals descend on Federation Square, all together to open the season for the first time in the sport’s history.

The free public event, organised in partnership with AGPC (Australian Grand Prix Corporation), has been specially created for fans to engage with teams and drivers as they participate in a live stage show, bringing the heroes of Formula 1 to the fans.

Fans are invited, to watch the teams and drivers arrive and walk through the iconic square, recreating the famous Melbourne Walk, which is one of the symbols of the race at the Albert Park circuit.

The event will also be supported by an exciting entertainment line-up featuring some of the sport’s legends and an array of music acts, adding to the vibrant atmosphere ahead of the race weekend.

The event will also be streamed across Formula 1’s social platforms to ensure fans across the world don’t miss out on the action. Global partners Rolex, Emirates, Heineken, DHL and Pirelli will also be supporting the launch, hosting a variety of activity for fans to take part in.

Sean Bratches, Managing Director Commercial Operations, Formula 1, said: “Since 1996, except on two occasions, Formula 1, the greatest racing spectacle in the world has kicked off its year in Melbourne and there really couldn’t be a location better than this fantastic city.”

“The passion, knowledge and enthusiasm of the Melbourne crowd deserved a special thanks and this is why we have decided to organise the first ever Season Launch event in the history of the sport.”

“We are incredibly excited to be putting on such a spectacle for our fans. It’s vital that we put them at the heart of everything we do, and this event provides us with a platform to engage with fans not just locally but also globally.”

“The 2019 season also marks another historic moment for the sport as we celebrate our 1000th Grand Prix in China later this year and we are excited to see all the teams come together to kick off the season with a bang”.

Martin Pakula MP, Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, said: “This is a once in a lifetime event for lovers of motorsport, and there is no better place to host the first-ever Formula 1 season launch event than Melbourne – Australia’s major events capital.”

“We are excited to be hosting a fantastic event that will attract legions of supporters from around the world and give Victorian F1 fans a chance to meet their heroes.”

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Renault's 2019 car will share just one component with its predecessor

Renault's 2019 car will be an all-new design bar one component which has been carried over from its predecessor, according to the team's technical chief Marcin Budkowski.

The French manufacturer is pushing hard to break into the frontrunner category after leading the midfield in 2018, and that means making some bold steps including an all-new design for its upcoming R.S.19.

According to Budkowski, the car will be such a departure from its predecessor that only one component remains unchanged: "The only thing we carried over from last year's car is the power steering," he told Autosport.

"All the rest is changing, and it is changing because we are trying to squeeze more performance from every area."

Budkowski admitted that such a big change brings with it some risks, including the ability to be ready for the car's planned launch on February 12, which he says is cutting it fine.

"It is a big effort to do everything from scratch, plus the [new] regulations, but it is a performance goal. The later you leave it, the more performance you have, but the more stressful it is to get it out on time.

"It’s tight. Very tight," he added. "But it is always tight. If it wasn’t tight you would be wrong, because by definition you leave everything as late as possible to try to get as much performance as you can before you commit to manufacturing the parts and getting them onto the car.

"We have left it late, but hopefully it is for the right reasons in terms of performance and we will get a car just in time for the first test and the launch. That is how it should be."

The engine, which will also power customer team McLaren, is also undergoing major changes and Renault is "very optimistic" it will deliver a step forward.

"We are very optimistic on the engine side. We are still working on the engines that will start the year, and in the end performance and reliability is a trade-off. You can extract more performance from any engine, but it might not last the number of races and numbers of sessions you want to.

"So we have to see where that cursor stops in terms of performance versus reliability, but we are optimistic."

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Ex-Caterham F1 employees finally get small sum

More than 200 ex-Caterham Formula 1 employees have been paid a small sum as the long-running legal saga following the team's collapse finally nears its end.
Caterham went into administration in 2014 amid a dispute between founder Tony Fernandes and a group of investors who had bought the team that summer.

Administrators from Smith & Williamson took control of Caterham later in the year but the team had to miss the US and Brazilian Grands Prix, before a crowdfunding project helped secure its participation in the Abu Dhabi season finale.

Attempts to help it continue in 2015 came to nothing and while several members of staff went on to secure jobs at other F1 teams or elsewhere in motorsport, Caterham's assets were sold at auction before the start of the campaign.

Motorsport.com has learned that earlier this month, Smith & Williamson was able to pay 216 employees that were transferred to their control under TUPE regulations from Caterham.

A statement from the administrators – Finbarr O'Connell, Henry Shinners and Mark Ford – given to Motorsport.com described the recent payment, made on January 15, to those employees as "good news".

"[It] reflects the years of work performed by the administrators in unwinding the complex affairs of the Caterham Formula 1 companies," read the statement.

The administrators said that many of the assets they were responsible for converting had "international aspects and were subject to competing claims that had to be resolved before being realised".

They state that the last assets have been realised and tax affairs completed, meaning sufficient funds were finally available to make the relevant payments.

While the specific amounts are unknown, last year the administrators reported it had received £217,495.06 worth of claims from employees.

They state that "preferential creditors are entitled to receive the equivalent of unpaid wages for the previous four months up to a maximum of £800 total", plus holiday pay of up to six weeks and "some occupational pension payments".

The payments have been made after tax and National Insurance contributions, which have been paid to HM Revenue & Customs.

They represent a "payment in full of preferential claims" and account for the employees' holiday and wage arrears "after deductions paid by the Redundancy Payments Service".

The administrators say the RPS made initial payments to these employees shortly after Caterham went into administration.

Any owed wages over the £800 limit, "pay in lieu of notice" or "redundancy entitlements", are deemed as unsecured claims along with business suppliers.

Unsecured creditors include the companies who have sought outstanding payments from Caterham, which administrators said last October, in their latest progress report, comprised 25 creditors claiming £66.8million.

According to the administrators "there remains a good prospect for a small dividend for unsecured creditors and we anticipate that such payment will be made in the next six months", after which the case will be concluded.

The most recent administrator's progress report stated that the administrators had drawn £713,502 in fees from November 2014 to August 2018.

They anticipated that future costs in respect of outstanding matters would total between £15,000 and £30,000.

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Hulkenberg would win "straight away" at top F1 team - Sainz

Nico Hulkenberg would win races “straight away” at a leading Formula 1 team, reckons his 2018 team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr.
Hulkenberg won F1’s ‘Class B’ fight last season, finishing seventh in the championship behind the drivers at Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.

However, joining Renault in 2017 to spearhead its works team effort represented a longer-term project as the French manufacturer is a recent re-addition to the grid.

That means Hulkenberg is still searching for his first podium finish, holding an F1 record of 156 grand prix starts without a rostrum.

Sainz, who partnered Hulkenberg for the final four races of 2017 and all of 2018, said: “The year that I came to Renault, Nico was having already a very strong year.

“I saw him performing at the highest level I’ve seen I think perform in the midfield for years.

“For me he’s one of those guys that you give him a Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull he’d win races straight away.

“But unfortunately you guys are not able to see it, not able to calculate it, as Formula 1 works like that.

“Nico is one of those guys that I’ve learned a lot from and I’m going to go to McLaren with that experience, having shared a team with one of the most talented drivers in the grid right now.”

Hulkenberg will need Renault to make a significant step to end his podium drought this season, having trailed the big three teams by a considerable margin.

Renault has openly admitted its disappointment at the size of that margin last year, but Sainz reckons the team he leaves behind is well placed to progress.

“I hope so because then it means they are also improving the engine and the engine goes to McLaren and the McLaren also starts working,” Sainz joked.

“I see a lot of good guys here, I’ve met people like [chassis technical director] Nick Chester that are top guys, and people really willing to make it back to winning ways.

“I wish them the best. I know it’s a hard process. I don’t know how much time they want to cut it back, but it’s between one-and-a-half and two seconds in qualifying every time.”

Sainz ended 2018 16 points behind Hulkenberg, finishing top of 'Class B' just once all season as his teammate managed that feat at six races.

However, while he rates his teammate highly, Sainz believes the final table was misleading.

“I’m not entirely happy [with] the amount of points I got in my good weekends,” he said.

“The amount of points I get at the end of the season is not the amount that I think I deserve or the amount that I wish for."

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F1 would "love" to add second China race

Formula 1’s global sponsorship boss says the championship would “love” to have a second race in China.
The Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai circuit has been ever-present on the calendar since the inaugural race in 2004, and this year’s race will be the 1,000th in F1.

F1, like other major categories, has identified growing its presence in China – the world’s second-largest economy and a key location for car manufacturers – as a priority.

Head of global sponsorship and commercial partnerships Murray Barnett, in Beijing for an F1 strategic marketing conference, told China’s state news agency Xinhua: "We would love to have a second race here.

“Probably not in the short-term, given how congested the schedule is already.

“But we'd certainly love to figure out a way to have another grand prix here."

He added: "We're looking at a number of different things to try to generate more interest on a local basis.

“We can't just be here for the three days of the grand prix. We need to have a year-round presence here and be much more locally relevant in order to really establish a big fanbase here."

More than half of the countries that currently host a grand prix do not have a local F1 driver.

Ma Qing Hua is the closest China has come to having a home-grown talent in grand prix racing, but he only took part in five free-practice sessions with the HRT and Caterham teams.

Its best prospect now is Guan Yu Zhou, the 19-year-old former Ferrari Driver Academy protege who has joined Renault’s F1 junior scheme for 2019 ahead of his rookie Formula 2 campaign.

Barnett said: "We'd love to see him [in F1]. Ultimately, that's down to the teams, but I think even they recognise what a fantastic opportunity China is.

“You never know, we might see him in F1 very soon."

Adding a second F1 race in China would require an already-swollen calendar to grow further, but F1 owner Liberty Media has made it clear it is willing to rise to as many as 25 races.

Liberty has already added a 2020 GP in Vietnam, boosting its portfolio of Asian races and taking the season to a possible 22 GPs.

Barnett said it would avoid a repeat of previous failed expansions to new territories like South Korea and India.

"We've learned what we did wrong in those races,” he said. “We're making sure we don't make the same mistakes again.

“Both of those races only had short-term deals, and we certainly believe in investing for the long-term.”

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Rosberg: Bottas can annoy Hamilton a lot

Nico Rosberg believes Valtteri Bottas is better than he showed in Formula 1 last season and has backed him to be "annoying" Lewis Hamilton "quite a lot" in 2019.
Rosberg beat Hamilton to the 2016 world championship when they were teammates at Mercedes and then announced his shock retirement at the end of the year.

Mercedes signed Bottas to replace him but a solid first season, in which he won three grands prix, was followed up by a winless 2018 campaign.

Sky F1 pundit Rosberg, speaking at a day of promotional filming for the channel, believes the start of the year will be crucial to Bottas.

"Valtteri is a lot better than he's been able to show recently," Rosberg told Sky Sports News.

"With a new season starting again he has a good chance of establishing himself in a much stronger position and even really [be] annoying Lewis quite a lot.

"I think that's possible. It always depends how the season starts.

"Last year he had a lot of bad luck as well. If the luck is on his side and he starts well, it could be a whole different situation."

Bottas did help Mercedes to a fifth straight constructors' championship, while Hamilton claimed 11 victories to wrap up his fifth drivers' title.

Rosberg said F1 does not need his former team to fall back, but for others to catch up.

"It's been an amazing run but it's not necessarily time for change, it's time for renewed battles up front, and then may the best team win," he said.

"Mercedes has been the best recently. We want it to go down to the wire, we want to see real action."

Button, Rosberg eye three-way fight for F1 2019

Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel mounted a stronger title challenge against Mercedes last year but fell short thanks to errors from both parties.

Red Bull also became a regular victory threat at the end of the year and Rosberg said F1 would "love" to see Max Verstappen's team, which has switched to Honda engines for 2019, "up front and make it a three-way fight, at least".

"That would be so cool," he added. "I hope that can work out for this year.

"There's a real possibility because the regulations have changed so much in terms of the cars, and everybody had to start from scratch."

Rosberg will be joined at Sky this season by 2009 world champion Jenson Button, who will take on his first full-time pundit role.

Speaking at the same event as Rosberg, Button also backed the front-wing and aerodynamic changes for 2019 to close up the field.

"Lewis is coming off a fantastic few years but with the new regulation changes who knows what is going to happen in 2019," Button told Sky Sports News.

"There's so many changes and it's exactly what the sport needs. I think we might have three teams fighting at the front as well, hopefully we're going to see Red Bull-Honda up there.

"If we do, there'll be some fantastic fights I'm sure."

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Top drivers "desperately missing" coaches – Stewart

Three-time Formula 1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart says top drivers are "desperately missing" coaches, which he believes is "absolutely wrong".
It is common for modern racing drivers to seek professional help with their physical preparation and conditioning, through the likes of personal trainers and nutritionists.

Stewart, who has long been an advocate of the benefits of coaching behind the wheel and mentally, believes modern F1 drivers are not making the most of other avenues of support.

He told Motorsport.com that using coaches is "one of the things that's desperately missing".

Stewart said: "I simply don't understand it to this day. Racing drivers are so clever that they don't need coaches. [It is] absolutely wrong.

"There is not a single driver at the highest peak of his skills who would not be assisted by wisdom and observations that he probably had never thought of.

"You go to skiing, golf, tennis, equestrian, anything you like to think of – and coaching is just one of the most important things.

"Now they [F1 drivers] are fit and they have coaches to help them with their physical condition, but not their mental ability. And I think that's completely wrong."

Stewart, world champion in 1969, 1971 and 1973, made his debut in 1965 with BRM.

He finished on the podium in only his second start and finished third in the championship.

Stewart spent his first two seasons alongside Graham Hill but said he was mentored by rivals as well as his two-time world champion teammate.

"I was so hungry to learn from other people and I was lucky I had Jim Clark to talk to," said Stewart. "He was the best racing driver I ever raced with.

"Because we shared an apartment together and we spent time together, I was never not trying to find things out that he would know and I couldn't possibly have been aware of at that stage in my career.

"And I had Graham Hill, and Graham never once didn't answer the question in full that I would have asked him, whether it was for a setting on the car or whether it was where do you brake or what gear are you in.

"The telemetry today is so clear, you can actually have somebody go out there.

"If they're listening to what the coach might be telling them, they can see the difference."

Stewart said it was important that drivers do not underestimate the value they could find in someone who does not have a successful CV themselves.

"[Legendary downhill skier] Franz Klammer's coach was not a top skier, he wasn't as quick as Franz ever was, but he knew the techniques and knew the emotional issues in what he had to do and how he had to get his head together before he left, on a downhill.

"Yet we're all so clever that we didn't need a coach. It's completely wrong. And even more important today because they've got the telemetry to discuss it."

 

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Ricciardo test snub shows Red Bull "afraid" - Renault

Renault found it “quite flattering” that Red Bull did not allow Daniel Ricciardo to test for his 2019 Formula 1 team early because it means its rival is “afraid”.
Ricciardo has left long-time backer Red Bull to join Renault for the 2019 season, but was not given permission to test for the French manufacturer in Abu Dhabi at the end of last year.

He has since visited Renault’s factory as part of his preparations but will not drive on-track until the team tests its new car in Spain next month.

Asked by Motorsport.com if Ricciardo has already made a tangible contribution, Renault F1 team executive director Budkowski said: “There’s always things that you learn from the interaction with a driver.

“He’s been in the simulator, he’s been with the engineers. It’s difficult when he hasn’t driven the car.

“We would have loved him to drive the car in Abu Dhabi but we couldn’t make that happen.

“We’re disappointed that we couldn’t get his feedback on last year’s car because it would have been very useful to us.

“The fact it didn’t happen, without pointing fingers, is quite flattering to us because it means other people are afraid of us and don’t want to give us anything that could be a competitive advantage.”

Seven-time grand prix winner Ricciardo shocked the F1 paddock last summer when he opted to leave Red Bull for Renault, which only returned to the F1 grid with a works team in 2016 and has a fractious relationship with its former engine customer.

Renault has since risen to fourth in the constructors’ championship and team boss Cyril Abiteboul has previously compared signing Ricciardo to when the previous iteration of the works Renault team had Fernando Alonso on board to lead its progress.

Budkowski said: “He [Ricciardo] is a race winner. He is bringing us an experience that we don’t have in the team today.

“He has been working with a top team for a number of years, so he will bring us some understanding in terms of direction and development of the car, of set-up of the car, which is useful learning for us.

“It has been a huge motivation boost for everyone at the team to have someone like Daniel coming, obviously because he is Daniel, the driver and person he is.

“But also a race winner, from a team that is challenging for wins and potentially the championship, believes in our project and joins our organisation at this stage.

“[That] says a lot about the project and says a lot about what we are trying to build here and it all goes together.”

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Irvine: "Massively overrated" Vettel a one-trick pony

Ex-Ferrari Formula 1 driver Eddie Irvine has labelled four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel "massively overrated" and a "one-trick pony".
Irvine raced for Ferrari from 1996 to 1999 and earned all four of his grand prix victories in his final season with the famous team, taking on the role of its title protagonist after Michael Schumacher suffered a broken leg.

Despite claiming that "I don't watch it [F1] anymore because it bores me", Irvine – who left F1 at the end of the 2002 season after three years with Jaguar – questioned five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton's credentials because of the Briton's "debatable" competition.

Irvine, the 1999 championship runner-up, said Hamilton is "in a different league" to his rivals but "I don't even think he is close to Michael's league" because the likes of Vettel have questionable quality.

Speaking to BBC Northern Ireland, Irvine said: "I think Vettel is good if he is at the front and he doesn't have anybody to race.

"When you watch Lewis race, Lewis is focused on racing and getting ahead.

"You watch Vettel, and when Vettel is racing is someone, he is focused as much on the other guy as he is on where he is going and inevitably crashes into the other guy.

"That happens nearly all the time. I think Vettel is a good driver, but a four-times world champion, I just don't see it.

"I think he is massively overrated, I think he's a one-trick pony. Lewis has a much broader talent."

Irvine said Hamilton was probably a better overtaker than Schumacher but has too many "off days" compared to the likes of seven-time world champion or Ayrton Senna.

"If you look over the two [sic] years Lewis and [Jenson] Button were together [at McLaren], Button actually outscored him over two years," said Irvine. "No one ever did that to Michael.

"Michael's level of performance was consistently higher even though Lewis is an amazingly talented driver.

"When Lewis first came to Formula 1 he was fantastic to watch and his overtaking was second to none. He's probably a better overtaker than Michael.

"But for pace, and consistency over a whole weekend, over a whole year, I don't think anyone touches Michael – even Senna."

Elaborating on why he finds modern F1 "incredibly boring", Irvine said it was "synthetic", "not raw" and "too perfect".

He added: "When you make a mistake you don't pay a price.

"It's just got safer and safer, which is a good thing but it's just gone too far. It's just progress, progress, progress until it's like, 'What have we ended up with here?'.

"And I think we have ended up with something a bit mushy and not that interesting."

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Toro Rosso reveal 2019 car launch date

They have a new-look driver line-up in Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Albon taking to the grid in 2019, and Toro Rosso have announced that their STR14, the car they hope will help them make in-roads this season, will be launched on February 11.

The 2018 campaign marked a new era for the Italian squad, having switched from Renault to Honda power units, and though they finished ninth in the constructors’ standings, it was seen as a successful year of learning and ultimately led senior squad Red Bull to partner up with the Japanese engine manufacturer for the upcoming campaign.

Toro Rosso, who had Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley racing for them last season, will hope to give their new drivers Kvyat, who is returning for his third spell with the team, and London-born Thai racer Albon the tools to build on their 2018 exploits – and on Friday morning, they revealed the launch date of their 2019 challenger.

A short YouTube video confirmed that the car will break cover one week before winter testing begins at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain on February 18, meaning that as it stands, they will be the first team to launch their 2019 car.

Renault are currently set to be the second team to launch, with an event planned for February 12th, with Racing Point to present their livery and new identity the following day.

McLaren have opted for a Valentine’s Day reveal, a day ahead of Ferrari and four days before pre-season testing begins.

Sauber, meanwhile, have announced they will wait until the morning of the first day of testing to officially pull the covers off their 2019 challenger in the Barcelona pit lane.

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Why Raikkonen and Sauber can be a success

This year, Kimi ‘The Iceman’ Raikkonen will see his career come full circle when he lines up on the grid in Melbourne in a Sauber. Eighteen years before, he did exactly the same thing, only that time he was making his debut as a 21-year-old after Peter Sauber had to fight tooth and nail to convince the sport’s governing body that the Finn was good enough (and safe enough) to be granted a F1 race licence.

Turns out he was, scoring a point on his debut in Australia. Since then, he’s accumulated one world championship, 21 wins, 103 podiums and 18 pole positions as well as a loyal and dedicated fanbase of millions around the globe. Many were surprised Raikkonen, now 39, wanted to stick around in F1 after Ferrari informed him they no longer required his services. But the Finn could not understand why they were so perplexed by his decision to join midfield runners Sauber.

“People don’t understand I’m actually very happy with where I’m going,” he said at the time. “I have had my time with Ferrari, I won the championship with them and many races with them. For me, as a driver, I want different challenges. I want different things. I wasn’t really at any point disappointed with the decision. The only thing I was interested in was to know what would happen (next).”

TAKING THE LEAD

Raikkonen didn’t hang about when he was informed of his future at Ferrari at Monza. He went to chat to Beat Zehnder, long-time Team Manager at Sauber, whom he had formed a close relationship with having worked with him in that first season with the Swiss squad. The chat, unsurprisingly, got straight to the point. Would they be interested in signing him up to a race seat? The answer was quick and was clear. “Yes.”

“When Kimi was told that he wouldn’t have a contract [with Ferrari] for next year, Kimi made a move. He started a dialogue about the potential to drive for Sauber,” Raikkonen’s manager Steve Roberston told Formula1.com. “Kimi wanted to carry on. He had meetings with the owners at Sauber, then a meeting with Fred [Vasseur, Team Principal] and Beat. They could see Kimi was eager to carry on.

“Fred has since made it clear that when they first had the meeting, Kimi was so focused on what the plans were for next year. And Kimi wanted to see if the team had the same enthusiasm as he did. And he felt that, so he said ‘OK I want to do the deal’. He was a bit negative at Monza, when he found out what happened, but he bounced back quickly. He wanted to keep driving because he feels he still has something to offer.”

Interestingly, it wasn’t so much that Raikkonen was the interviewee when he met with Sauber, but more the interviewer. He had bundles of questions for them. He wanted to know, in detail, what plans were being put in place to move the team further up the grid. He wanted to be directly involved in that process – and use his wealth of experience to facilitate that. His enthusiasm clearly oozed through.

A BURNING DESIRE

Sure, an unmotivated world champion who has lost that spark is no good to a midfield team. It will only cost them money with little reward – and there have been plenty of examples of that in the past. But Raikkonen isn’t lacking motivation. And it’s not just a desire to keep driving but rather to push a team’s development to give him a package to achieve the best possible result. So even though he’ll largely be mixing it in the midfield and scrapping for the smaller points, that makes him the right guy for Sauber.

They need someone like that as they bid to become the 'best-of-the-rest' team. Last time Raikkonen, who will be 41 at the end of his current two-year deal, raced for them, he helped them finish fourth in the constructors’ championship. Achieving the same feat during his second tenure will be challenging, but certainly not out of the question. It’s no wonder Sauber moved swiftly to wrap him up.

Last year, he proved he still had the speed that he first showed the world at the Australian Grand Prix, scoring a point in sixth on his debut. In Italy, he came close to a first victory in more than 200 races, then in Austin, he converted for the first time since Australia 2013. In doing so, he set a record for the biggest gap between first and last career wins of 15 years and 212 days (His maiden win was in Malaysia 2013). To be able to achieve a high level, no matter what the machinery at your disposal, across that period is incredible.

CONSISTENCY THE KEY

Last year we saw a Raikkonen at his most committed in years. His pace was consistent, allowing him to score podiums in 12 of the 17 races in which he was classified – only champion Lewis Hamilton fared better. You could argue that if Vettel had made fewer mistakes and collected the points he should have done, together with Raikkonen’s tally Ferrari could well have won their first constructors’ championship since 2008. The Finn at least held up his end of the bargain.

Up until last year, he held the record for the race finishes in the points with 27, running from the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix to the 2013 Hungarian GP, before Hamilton snatched that with a run of 33. It nonetheless proves what he is capable of, given a consistent and reliable package.

His experience will prove vital. Sauber excelled last season with a rookie driver in Charles Leclerc and another who never quite fulfilled his potential in Marcus Ericsson. Strong form from both, particularly Leclerc, allowed them to emerge as a genuine midfield and points contender. They even had the fourth fastest car on pure pace in the closing races of the year. But in order to kick on from there, they need someone who can drive the direction of the car, the set-up, the development. They need someone who can maximise the package. Raikkonen, one of only 33 world champions in history no less, can do that.

Vasseur recognised that. “We are quite a young team,” he told Formula1.com. “We’re restructuring every single department, and the drivers are the leaders of the project so to have someone with huge experience to show the way of the direction of the development and with huge reference will be helpful for us, probably more for us than other teams.”

Raikkonen isn’t one to waffle. That’s always been the case throughout his career and showed in his approach to talks with Sauber. Getting to the point quickly is something that will dovetail nicely with Vasseur’s management style. “We are fitting well together because we have more or less the same approach – to be direct,” adds Vasseur. Together, they could be quite the potent force this season.

 

[BrightonCorgi]

13 hours ago, MIKA27 said:

Correct on all accounts but don't forget that BRAWN GP in 2009 had won the WDC with Jenson Button and the Constructor titles, after which Mercedes purchased the team.

BRAWN GP only competed for that 1 season. It can be done, but it is getting harder IMO.

I include Brawn GP as being the same as Mercedes AMG as they are essentially one in the same on the UK side.

[MIKA27]

ECCLESTONE: I DON’T WANT TO SEE THE SPORT I CREATED GO DOWNHILL

We are living an interesting week in Formula 1, as teams prepare furiously for preseason testing for the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship, in boardrooms in the corridor of power dissent has emerged among the ranks.

The episode smells of a Bernie Ecclestone caper, thus no surprise then that the deposed F1 supremo has come out and offered to help resolve an issue which might even be of his own making.

Whether a careful media ploy or pure coincidence, a questionable report of Liberty Media looking to sell Formula 1 preceded with what has been a week of sabre rattling by the 16-promoter Formula One Promoters’ Association (FOPA) who are not happy with the way the sport is being run.

Not all promoters are on the bandwagon, but smoke is turning into a fire and Liberty have yet to respond to the criticism which was aired at a meeting between the stakeholders, including F1 chiefs Chase Carey and Ross Brawn, in London on Tuesday.

Daily Mail reports that Carey spoke at the start of the meeting in an attempt to defuse the tensions and offering to work together in an effort to resolve the issues, but other than that, for now, it appears to be a stalemate.

Needless to say, nothing has stopped Ecclestone from lobbing a barb while offering a ‘helping’ hand, “If people say I should be involved that is up to them. I am an employee of the company and will do what I am told.”

“If they want me to help, I am willing to do so. I don’t want to lie on my deathbed and see the sport I created go downhill,” the 88-year old told the Daily Mail.

Which prompts the question: Why would promoters trust Ecclestone again?

When, not long ago he openly admitted, “I charged them too much for what we provided so I feel a bit responsible. So when they ask me things I try and help them.”

[MIKA27]

MERCEDES W10 SET FOR SHAKEDOWN ON 13 FEBRUARY

Mercedes have announced that the W10 that Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will use in the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship with break cover at a private shakedown run ahead of testing in Barcelona less than a week later.

Mercedes said in a press release: “We are delighted to announce that our 2019 Formula One car will hit the track for the first time on Wednesday 13 February for its initial shakedown run. The Mercedes-AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+ will contest the tenth season of the modern incarnation of the works Mercedes team. ”

“To celebrate the tenth modern-day Mercedes F1 car, we will provide fans with insights about the new car and the upcoming season on our social media channels in the days leading up to the shakedown day.”

“We ask for your understanding that the shakedown is a closed event and will not be accessible to media or public,” concluded the release.

Racing Point will launch their team in Toronto on the same day.

[Bartolomeo]

no new thread for 2019?

[MIKA27]

Just now, Bartolomeo said:

no new thread for 2019?

No mate, I'm just keeping it all on the one thread. Probably should have done this years ago! 

[skalls]

Looking forward to seeing the new cars again.

Racing season got off to a good start with the 24 (22) hours of daytona last week.

[MIKA27]

SCHUMACHER: I NEVER WANTED TO DO ANYTHING ELSE

Mick Schumacher is inevitably heading to Formula 1 and by his own admission he never contemplated any other career from the time he went karting with his legendary father Michael Schumacher

And despite the pressure of being Schumacher’s son, the youngster does not allow this to hinder him but rather relishes the fact that his father is the most successful race driver of all time.

In a wide-ranging interview in the latest edition of the FIA’s Auto magazine, 19-year-old Schumacher said, “I am happy to be the son of the greatest F1 racer of all time. I’m happy that he is the greatest F1 racer of all time, and I admire him for that.”

“And even if sometimes it can be a bit difficult, it is what it is. There are good sides to it and there are bad sides. Having the support I have from a lot of people all over the world can’t be a bad thing. I am thankful for that.”

The teenager – being billed as Schumi III – knew he was destined to race from an early age, “Racing and karting is quite a normal thing in my family and I always loved to go karting with my father. It was big fun sharing that with him.”

“I remember him asking one day if this would be a hobby for me or if I wanted to do it as a professional. I told him straight away I wanted to do it professionally. I never wanted to do anything else.”

And by all accounts Schumacher junior shares similar traits to his father, asked if his Dad’s approach influenced the way he worked, the 2018 European F3 Champion replied, “For me, everybody has to find his own way of approaching a race weekend, everybody has to find out for himself what is best for him, what he needs to go into a race or what information he needs to develop.”

“It is better finding your own way than just copying. Personally, I am convinced as well that this is important, but it would not mean that you cannot do it differently and still be successful.”

A new era of Schumacher-mania is gathering momentum, how far it will go depends on how young Mick fares in Formula 2 this next season.

So far, with his F3 success, he has ticked the first box. The second box requires him to finish in the top three of the forthcoming F2 championship, although another year in the second tier would delay the inevitable, but would not wreck his ambitions.

Schumacher explained, “Again, everybody has to find out for himself what’s best for him. We always said that we wanted to take time for me to develop as a racing driver in the best possible way, and we were good in doing it the way we did.”

As for his rookie F2 season with Prema Racing, he said, “I am very eager to learn more, improve my skills both in driving the car but also in working with the team, and I am really looking forward to that new adventure.”

[MIKA27]

SENNA’S RESTORED VAN DIEMAN TAKES CENTRE STAGE AT RACE RETRO

Ayrton Senna fans are in for a nostalgic treat when the Van Diemen Formula Ford car driven by the Formula 1 legend, the one he used early during his career in the United Kingdom, is shown in public for the first time since it was restored by the man who built it.

The yellow Van Diemen RF81 has been meticulously restored by Van Diemen founder Ralph Firman, who gave Senna his car racing break with this machine on the very same Norfolk industrial estate that it was originally built.

The car will take pole position in the Motorsport Hall of Fame live at Race Retro to be held at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, from 22-24 February.

This will be the car’s first public viewing since it has been restored by Van Diemen founder Ralph Firman. The rebuilt car also features the Minister 1600 engine, identical to the 1981 original.

Senna finished fifth on his FF1600 debut at Brands Hatch on 1 March 1981, and just two weeks later won his third ever car race at Brands Hatch, at the wheel of a Van Diemen RF81.

By the end of the season Senna had established himself as the man to beat, finishing the season with 12 wins, six other podiums, and the championship, winning the two prestigious national British Formula Ford titles.

In 1982 Senna graduated to Formula Ford 2000, competing in both the British and European Championships. He dominated the Formula winning 21 out of the 27 races contested. That year, Senna also had his first chance to race in a non-championship Formula Three race at Thruxton where he started from pole position and won easily. The rest, as they say, is history!

Race Retro’s Acting Show Director Lee Masters said: “We are deeply honoured to have the Van Diemen at Race Retro and thrilled that our visitors will be the first to get a closer look at this incredible racing car.”

The Motor Sport Hall of Fame Live will also include other racing and rally cars, with a number of key milestones celebrated, along with special guests, many of whom will be interviewed on the Motor Sport Live Stage.

[MIKA27]

MCLAREN AND ESTRELLA GALICIA ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP

Estrella Galicia, long time sponsors of Carlos Sainz who backed Toro Rosso and Renault during the Spaniard’s spells with the two teams, are again following their charge, this time to McLaren with whom they have agreed a multi-year deal.

Press Release:

McLaren Racing and Estrella Galicia 0,0 have today announced a multi-year partnership that will see the companies collaborate in Formula 1.

The partnership celebrates a shared passion for supporting young racing talent and the sport of Formula 1, and will focus on the brand’s flagship non-alcoholic beer, Estrella Galicia 0,0.

The Estrella Galicia 0,0 brand will be represented on the two McLaren race cars, as well as the team’s drivers, Spaniard Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris from the UK. Estrella Galicia 0,0 brings a wealth of experience in motorsport having partnered with Carlos Sainz since 2013.

Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Racing, said: “We are delighted to announce this partnership with Estrella Galicia 0,0, which is built on shared values of quality, craft and heritage. Estrella Galicia 0,0 is a great supporter of our sport and young racing talent, so what better time to join our team than alongside our new and exciting driver line-up. I look forward to enjoying a bottle of Estrella Galicia 0,0 at track and seeing our fans do the same.”

Ignacio Rivera, Chief Executive Officer, Estrella Galicia 0,0, said: “Today marks a milestone for Estrella Galicia 0,0 as we are announcing a partnership with one of the most important global brands in the racing industry. Craft, tradition, innovation and high quality are just three examples of the common values that both companies share and with such a talented young driver line-up, we feel that the match-up with our philosophy couldn’t be better. We can’t wait to enjoy this season with McLaren and all their fans, it will be fantastic to toast with Estrella Galicia 0,0 to all the great things that are yet to come.”

 

[MIKA27]

Monza still 'far away' from new Formula 1 deal - ACI President

Italian Grand Prix organisers say a contract renewal beyond 2019 is “far away”, but remain adamant that an agreement with Liberty Media can be reached.

Monza has hosted Formula 1’s Italian Grand Prix since the inauguration of the championship in 1950, and has been absent only once, in 1980.

Its current contract expires at the end of 2019 but circuit officials have previously stressed their desire to renew, with celebrations planned in 2022 to mark Monza’s centenary.

Speaking to Italian publication Corriere Della Sera this week, Automobile Club d’Italia President Angelo Sticchi Damiani explained: “Renewal is far away but we are confident that a solution can be found in the interests of all.

“As Monza is keen to host Formula 1, so for Formula 1 it is important to have Monza

“We want to continue, but only in an economically sustainable framework.

“We cannot put ACI's budgets at risk. Without [Lombardy Government] help we would never have it [the current deal] done alone.”

Monza is one of five circuits on the 2019 calendar without a contract beyond the end of the year.

Spain (Barcelona), Britain (Silverstone), Germany (Hockenheim) and Mexico (Hermanos Rodriguez) are the other events without a 2020 deal.

Formula One Promoters’ Association earlier this week expressed its concerns over the future of the sport, as they seek to secure more profitable deals for their respective events.

[MIKA27]

F1 to rethink TV camera positions for 2019

Formula 1 is to adjust trackside TV camera positions this season in order to better translate the speed of the cars to the screen.
The idea is to make the current generation of high downforce cars look more "edgy" than they have done in the past.

"There's a big push for 2019 is to reflect the speed of the sport, and the pace of the cars," F1's head of TV and media Dean Locke told Motorsport.com.

"There's a rethink on all camera positions. If you're in the grandstand and watch them, they look incredible, don't they?

"Camera angles, or lenses, can cheat that quite a lot, and make them look not so dramatic and not quite as quick.

"So we looked at different ways to do that, a few little tricks. We've always been good at doing whip-pans to show the high speed of the cars, making them look a little bit more edgy in places.

"There were some tracks last year – in Japan for instance – where we really highlighted where these cars are good."

F1 is also continuing to work on power unit sound, which has been an issue since the hybrid era began in 2014.

"Audio has changed quite dramatically. We've done a lot more around the car and on the car. If you look at the pictures, they tend to be at the front, and the audio out the back. A lot of thought went into that in 2018, and a lot more for 2019.

"It is successful, but at some tracks it's better than others. The Honda engines sounded really good last year. We've done some really exciting stuff on that."

Another key area for development in 2019 is the partnership with Amazon Web Services, which will allow F1 to add more strategical elements to its graphics.

"We're doing lot of work with AWS and their machine learning capabilities to explain things like the undercut/overcut. We're using their platform to give us the data, the information, for some graphics," Locke added.

"It's a pretty powerful tool, and we're just touching into it now, what we can achieve or can't achieve.

"For example, the pit stop strategy, why did they come in, why didn't they come in? We're relying on a very good commentary team to explain that, which in the UK we're very lucky to have. You can't take it for granted in the other 200 territories and over 90 broadcasters.

"We have graphics that can actually explain, 'He started on those tyres, he's going to stop then,' while actually making it more dynamic, because if the VSC comes out it can throw those kind of things out.

"We're using all the data from Friday and Saturday to come up with that algorithm of what we think will happen. If we can explain that in a simple and easy to read manner, it will be a huge win."

[MIKA27]

Red Bull admits Gasly promotion "earlier than we would've liked"

Red Bull boss Christian Horner thinks it is essential that Pierre Gasly is given time to get up to speed this year, as he was promoted to the main team "faster than we would have liked".
Gasly has been drafted in to replace Daniel Ricciardo, who has decided to switch to the Renault team for 2019.

And although Red Bull has a history of being ruthless on drivers that do not perform, Horner says the outfit needs to be responsible with Gasly in letting him adjust to the step up to a top team so early in his Formula 1 career.

“I think Pierre is a very quick driver and it is up to us to give him a little bit of time to get up to speed,” Horner told Motorsport.com.

“It [his promotion to Red Bull] is faster than we would have originally liked to elevate him into the team, so Max [Verstappen] will be very much taking on the role of the experienced senior driver and Pierre is going to have to go up against a very competitive teammate.”

Horner admitted that Gasly is not going to have a straightforward time in battling the experienced Verstappen, but he is clear the Frenchman knows what he needs to do.

“It is not going to be easy,” he said. “Of course it is not. But he knows what is expected of him.

“And in actual fact, for the team, it is a far easier scenario than it has been in previous years where we have got a clear difference between the experience in the two drivers and the expectations.”

Horner is also convinced that Verstappen is now able to deliver at his best all the time, after a strong end to the 2018 campaign.

“You are always learning and he is such a young driver,” said Horner on Verstappen. “I think that what we have seen is that all drivers make mistakes.

“We have seen that with experienced drivers as well this year, and I think that as he is gaining more and more experience he is applying that extremely well.”

[MIKA27]

MASSA: CALM BINOTTO MIGHT BE WHAT FERRARI NEED

Felipe Massa knows a thing or two about Ferrari and how the legendary team operates, the Brazilian spent eight seasons with the team in which time he worked under Jean Todt and Stefano Domenicali.

In the wake of yet another top man shake-up, the Brazilian believes that “calm guy” Mattia Binotto might just be the type of leader the Scuderia needs.

This forthcoming season is something of a watershed year for the great Italian team as they usher in their fourth team principal in five years, this time opting to promote their ‘homegrown’ technical chief – Binotto – to the ‘hottest’ management seat in sport.

Speaking to Motorsport Network, Massa said of the new team principal, “Binotto is a calm guy. He is a guy that has the capacity to work in a calmer way and maybe absorb less of this pressure that you have in Ferrari than Arrivabene.”

“But it is a new moment for him. He was never a team principal before. We have to see how he will work because it is an important change. He became the boss but will be on the technical side as well. Speaking the truth, this can be good.

“I wish the best to him because I know him since I joined Ferrari,” added Massa who was an 11-time Grand Prix winner with the Reds.

Nevertheless, the Brazilian, who quit F1 at the end of 2017 and now races in Formula E, is wary of the huge pressure that Ferrari are constantly under to win.

Massa continued, “A lot of things happen in a difficult way inside Ferrari in terms of pressure. They feel this a lot. The inside of the team was always like this.”

“There was a time that they felt less because they had more results, in the time of Jean Todt. He was a guy who had great leadership in every area of the team. He could put an area working together with the other ones without any pressure.”

“After this, things happened in a very different way. Ferrari now is always feeling the pressure and the obligation to win, and this is a problem.”

For the forthcoming season Ferrari have retained four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel who will be joined by youngster Charles Leclerc – the team have groomed the 21-year-old and are banking on him to be their future star.

Massa, who joined Ferrari as a 25-year old, believes that ditching veteran Kimi Raikkonen and promoting Leclerc is a step positive step, “For me, what Ferrari is doing with Leclerc is very good. This kid can be a super champion in the future. And I hope and cheer that this can be in a near future.”