FORMULA 1

[MIKA27]

How is a Formula 1 car born?

A project 16 months in the making. The journey from the first concept to the first laps. Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport Technical Director James Allison talks through how our latest Formula One challenger, the W10, was born...

[MIKA27]

Dutch F1 race efforts won’t get state support

Efforts to revive the Dutch Grand Prix will have to be made without financial support from the country's government, which declared aiding a Formula 1 race "neither necessary nor justified".

Leading Dutch circuits Zandvoort and Assen have both been keen to facilitate F1's return to the country, with Zandvoort securing an exclusive agreement to try to negotiate a deal with championship bosses by the end of March 2019.

The intention is to add the Dutch GP to the calendar next season, to capitalise on the popularity of Red Bull star Max Verstappen, but this will have to be achieved through independent funding.

Following an assessment of whether contributing to a commercial sporting event is "appropriate", the minister for medical care and sports in the Netherlands Bruno Bruins wrote to the Dutch parliament to indicate an F1 race would bring "considerable" economic value and benefit businesses.

However, he said: "The question is whether this justifies the use of tax resources from the [national] government.

"The government is of the opinion that this is not the case."

Bruins outlined a combination of the specific circumstances around an F1 race, the government's own sports policy and the fact this would be an annual event.

First, Bruins said that a government contribution is "neither necessary nor justified" because F1's rights are "in the hands of an American-listed company", and other commercial events are organised without state support.

He added that it would give opportunities for national businesses to contribute financially and see a return on their investments, helped by a high ticket yield.

Second, Bruins claimed that an F1 race would not be "sufficiently in line with the sports policy of this administration", which includes promoting sports and physical exercise, improving children's motor skills and "make providers of sports future-proof".

Finally, he said that as an annual event it did not fit in with conditions for funding events in 2019 and 2020, as this framework allows for €10million to be made available annually for one-off events.

Should Zandvoort fail in its attempt to organise a GP in May 2020, MotoGP venue Assen claims to have funding in place.

Both circuits were visited by FIA race director Charlie Whiting last year and are understood to require minimal changes to meet the necessary standard for F1.

The cost to make any adjustments would be additional to the estimated €20million required to earn a place on the F1 calendar, plus the investment required to organise the event.

Zandvoort has indicated it was not entirely dissatisfied with Bruins' letter, saying he is "prepared to support the event through model guarantees", and will persevere with its efforts.

Circuit director Robert van Overdijk added: "As the circuit management we, together with our fellow initiators TIG and SportVibes [the nominated promoter], feel supported by the fact that the minister welcomes our initiative.

"We will take the message of the minister into account in our discussions with the FOM and in the meantime we will keep working very hard to make this unique event happen."

 

[rckymtn22]

15 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

HORNER: WE PAID RENAULT FOR A FIRST CLASS SEAT BUT GOT ECONOMY

Red Bull are still hurting in the wake of their ‘divorce’ from Renault, with Christian Horner lobbing a barb the way of their former engine partners as his team begin their new era with Honda power.

Ahead of the new season, Horner told Reuters, “I think we’ve had a really collaborative approach and open approach with Honda. Communication has been very honest and very open about areas of strength and weakness.”

Despite four glorious years in which they won eight F1 world titles, Red Bull’s relations with Renault were fractured from the start of the V6 turbo hybrid era, when Mercedes began a period of domination that has now brought them five successive title doubles.

Horner was sure the Honda partnership would be very different and said of the last three seasons with Renault, “Effectively we’ve been paying for a first class ticket and you get an economy seat.”

“An awful lot of frustration was born out of that… so I think with Honda, it being a true technical partnership, there’s much more collective responsibility from both sides rather than being a customer-supplier scenario.”

Horner also said Red Bull aimed to be more consistent across all circuits this year, rather than just those where engine power was less of a factor.

Is Christian Horner trying to take Bernie's place as the biggest whiner in F1? He is sure doing a good job!

[MIKA27]

4 minutes ago, rckymtn22 said:

Is Christian Horner trying to take Bernie's place as the biggest whiner in F1? He is sure doing a good job!

Funny you say that because I always assumed he would take over from Bernie a few years back.

[rckymtn22]

He will probably be whining about the Honda engines two races into the season

[LLC]

How is a Formula 1 car born?
A project 16 months in the making. The journey from the first concept to the first laps. Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport Technical Director James Allison talks through how our latest Formula One challenger, the W10, was born...

Great video.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[skalls]

The Haas livery had a big change for 2019.  Hints of lotus, kinda dig it

[BrightonCorgi]

1 hour ago, skalls said:

The Haas livery had a big change for 2019.  Hints of lotus, kinda dig it

New sponsorship deal must be a big one to go away from the well know Haas colors.

[MIKA27]

9 hours ago, skalls said:

The Haas livery had a big change for 2019.  Hints of lotus, kinda dig it

New livery looks brilliant. Very much the Lotus look, but very cool.

[MIKA27]

STOREY: WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO TAKING ON RED BULL

The Haas F1 Team transformed their old grey livery into a sleek black and gold look at a launch on Thursday while a new if little-known, energy drink title sponsor talked about taking on Red Bull.

The U.S.-owned outfit have signed a deal with British-based Rich Energy, a startup depicted by entrepreneur frontman William Storey – with a beard that would make ZZ Top proud – as a David ready to take on the Goliath of the industry.

“We are looking forward to taking on Red Bull, on and off the track,” said Storey after the covers came off the team’s rebranded car in the grand foyer of London’s exclusive Royal Automobile Club.

“I’m full of admiration for Red Bull, they’re a very good business. “Dietrich Mateschitz is a very clever guy, but we feel we’ve got a compelling proposition, a better brand.”

“We feel that there is a little bit of apathy and hubris in the market place and we think that we have a real opportunity to beat them off the track.”

“And now we feel going toe-to-toe with them in Formula One gives us a narrative and a wider platform to really grow,” he told Reuters.

Team principal Guenther Steiner said Ferrari-powered Haas, fifth of 10 teams last year, were a good fit as relative newcomers also “trying to take on the big boys”.

Austrian-based Red Bull spend an estimated $400 million annually on their two Formula One teams — ninth-placed junior outfit Toro Rosso and former champions Red Bull Racing, third last year.

Haas entered the sport in 2016 and have yet to score a podium finish. No financial figures have been given for the Rich partnership.

The new livery revived memories of now-defunct Lotus teams that also raced in black and gold.

Haas’s experienced French driver Romain Grosjean, who raced and stood on the podium for the most recent Lotus team, welcomed the new paint job.

“I love those colours, they are very iconic in motorsport,” he told Reuters.

“Let’s hope we’re not bankrupt when we stand on the podium,” he joked. “That was an interesting time… I think with Haas and Rich Energy we’re in a different league in that aspect.”

Rich Energy tried to buy Force India, to some scepticism from F1 insiders, when that team went into administration last year and were also in talks with struggling former champions Williams.

If cans of the drink have been hard to find, Storey shrugged off those who questioned the company’s fundamentals. He said Rich had a presence in 43 countries and had recently sold 90 million cans.

“For a drink that (supposedly) doesn’t exist, that’s quite an interesting statistic,” he said.

The bearded businessman said David Sullivan, the billionaire co-owner of Premier League club West Ham United, was one of seven backers but in a personal capacity.

He said the involvement in Formula One was a long-term project with significant expenditure and institutional investors.

“David Sullivan is a shareholder of the business,” he said. “But in terms of the people that we’ve got behind us, one of the conditions really is that they wanted a bit of anonymity. I built this, I’m sort of the face of the business.”

MIKA: I must admit... I've never heard of Rich Energy. 

Taking on Red Bull a a drinks company and brand that's literally global and into all sorts of Sports and sponsorships, that's a big statement from STOREY.

[MIKA27]

GROSJEAN: THE TOP THREE TEAMS WILL BE THE SAME ONES

Haas drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen welcomed the ambition of their Formula One team’s new energy drink sponsor in targeting Red Bull on Thursday but recognised the podium was still likely to be a long way off this season.

The gulf between the sport’s top three — champions Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull — and the rest has become embarrassing.

Only once last year, and again once the season before that, did a driver from a team outside the top three appear on the podium and both of those races involved some freak circumstances.

Red Bull finished third overall in 2018 while Haas were fifth, behind Renault.

William Storey, boss of new title sponsor Rich Energy, told reporters at a livery launch that he hoped to challenge Red Bull on and off the track.

Grosjean, who has stood on the podium in the past as a Renault and Lotus driver, said fighting for fourth was the more logical step — at least until the rules change in 2021.

“The top three teams will be the same ones,” the Frenchman told Reuters. “At the moment it feels like we´re doing a 100 metres race but some people are already starting 40 metres into the race, so no chance really to compete with them.”

Magnussen, who started his career at McLaren with a surprise second place on his debut in Australia in 2014 — a result that once-great team has not exceeded since — sounded more optimistic.

“It´s great to see that there is this massive ambition. We share that completely,” he told Reuters.

“I doubt that we will be serious contenders for podium positions straight away… but last year we finished P4, P5 a couple of times, so it doesn’t take a lot.

“Not a lot more has to happen and you’re on the podium,” he added. “That´s the thing with Formula One; you never really know.”

Red Bull have switched to Honda engines from Renault this season, with a question mark over performance and reliability while Haas have a Ferrari power unit in the back of their car.

Team principal Guenther Steiner said Rich’s presence had turned up the pressure at a team that previously focused on promoting Haas’s machine tools business.

“The pressure gets higher if you have a title sponsor on board because you have got accountability to it, but we can deal with that,” he said.

Haas, who have a close technical partnership with Ferrari, made their debut in 2016 and have made good progress after ending their first two seasons in eighth place.

In Singapore last year, Magnussen took the team’s first fastest lap.

“We wanted to get up there with the competitive teams, and now we need to hold onto it,” said the Dane. “And holding onto it means that you need to improve.”

[MIKA27]

LECLERC HAS PROJECT 670 SEAT FITTING AT MARANELLO

Charles Leclerc had a seat fitting at Maranello as the team make the final touches to Project 670, their 2019 Formula 1 challenger which will be unveiled on 15 February.

The 21-year-old Frenchman will make his debut for the Scuderia, partnering four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel this season, starting at the Australian Grand Prix on 17 March, in Melbourne.

Ferrari announced on their website:

Today, for the first time, Charles Leclerc sat in the Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow car that he will drive during the 2019 season. This morning, the Monegasque driver had a fitting to finalise the shape of the made-to-measure seat of his Formula 1 car.

In the factory. While he was at the Gestione Sportiva, Charles took the opportunity to meet Director and Team Principal, Mattia Binotto and say hello to the rest of the team, with whom he will work for the first time at the forthcoming Barcelona test from 18 to 21 February. Leclerc will be the first driver from Monaco to race in Formula 1 for Scuderia Ferrari.

Unveiling. In fact, it’s not long now, just over a week, before the new car is launched. The event takes place at Maranello, on Friday 15 February at 10:45 and the launch will be live streamed on the Ferrari website. The unveiling can also be watched on the Scuderia’s social media channels.

Today, for the first time, Charles Leclerc sat in the Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow car that he will drive during the 2019 season. This morning, the Monegasque driver had a fitting to finalise the shape of the made-to-measure seat of his Formula 1 car.

In the factory. While he was at the Gestione Sportiva, Charles took the opportunity to meet Director and Team Principal, Mattia Binotto and say hello to the rest of the team, with whom he will work for the first time at the forthcoming Barcelona test from 18 to 21 February. Leclerc will be the first driver from Monaco to race in Formula 1 for Scuderia Ferrari.

Unveiling. In fact, it’s not long now, just over a week, before the new car is launched. The event takes place at Maranello, on Friday 15 February at 10:45 and the launch will be live streamed on the Ferrari website. The unveiling can also be watched on the Scuderia’s social media channels.

[MIKA27]

Williams to unveil its 2019 F1 livery on Monday

Williams has confirmed that it will unveil its 2019 Formula 1 livery on Monday.

The team finished at the foot of last year’s Constructors’ Championship, amassing only seven points, marking the worst campaign of its four-decade spell in Formula 1.

It has kept a similar livery through Formula 1’s hybrid era but that five-year partnership with Martini has now come to a close, with a replacement anticipated.

Williams has recruited Robert Kubica and George Russell to pilot its FW42, marking a refreshed line-up, with Lance Stroll switching to Racing Point and Sergey Sirotkin leaving the series.

Kubica last raced in Formula 1 in 2010, having spent the last eight years out of a race seat following his serious rally crash, while Mercedes-backed Russell won last season’s Formula 2 title.

Confirmation of Williams’ 2019 livery launch all-but-completes the respective plans for Formula 1 teams ahead of pre-season testing.

Toro Rosso will unveil its STR14 on Monday, followed by Renault on Tuesday, while Mercedes, Red Bull and Racing Point will launch their campaigns on Wednesday.

McLaren (Thursday) and Ferrari (Friday) will continue a busy week while the rebranded Alfa Romeo team will take the wraps off its car the following Monday, shortly before the start of the first test day.

Haas, meanwhile, took the covers off its 2019 livery during an event in London on Thursday.

[MIKA27]

Kevin Magnussen hopes F1 avoids 'ridiculous' management races

Haas Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen says he hopes there will not be Grands Prix in 2019 in which drivers have to undertake an “extreme and ridiculous” amount of tyre- or fuel-saving.

Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli previously outlined plans to adopt a harder approach with its compounds for 2019.

Pirelli anticipates that, while one-stop strategies will still be preferred, drivers should be able to push harder on the tyres, as opposed to running at a slower pace to preserve the rubber.

In addition, the FIA has increased the fuel limit for each car from 105kg to 110kg for a race distance.

Magnussen was one of the most vocal critics of heavy management races last year, having been excluded from a points-paying position at the US Grand Prix for running 100g over the fuel limit.

It prompted the Dane to refer to the championship as “Formula Fuelsave”, and speaking at the launch of Haas’ 2019 season in London on Thursday, expressed hope that the situation won’t re-occur.

“We have a bit more fuel, which is a nice thing,” said Magnussen of 2019 regulations.

“The most frustrating thing is having to save too much fuel. A little bit of saving is fine, there’s always been a bit of fuel saving in Formula 1.

“But for me fuel saving in the way that we did a couple of times last year is a joke.

“The tyre thing is another thing, sometimes like [in] Mexico [it] just didn’t work for us, we were going eight seconds slower than what we could do with a new tyre in the race, and that’s always very frustrating.

“I just hope that we won’t get these extremes in areas where [it's as if] you’re not racing anymore.

“It’s okay to have to manage, that’s expected in Formula 1, but having to manage in those extreme and ridiculous ways that we had to do a few times, whether that be fuel or tyres, that’s a bit stupid and I hope that situation is altered.”

On his personal ambitions for 2019, Magnussen said: “That depends on what kind of car I get.

“Then when you see what kind of car you have you start to build some kind of goal for the season.

“That’s the frustrating thing about Formula 1: you can never just go into the season and say ‘I want to be the best this year’. I can say that but I can never prove it.

“I want to be the best and I feel like I can do that, but proving it is difficult in Formula 1 if you don’t have the best car.”

[MIKA27]

JARDINE: OCON WILL REPLACE BOTTAS AT MERCEDES IN 2020

Formula 1 expert Tony Jardine has predicted that Mercedes will run out of patience with Valtteri Bottas at the end of 2019 and will promote Esteban Ocon to the hot seat beside five-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.

Bottas has it all to do this year, his stats versus Hamilton were dismal and looking over his shoulder, in the reserve role with Mercedes, is heir apparent Esteban Ocon.

Jardine an F1 veteran who worked with Goodyear, Brabham, McLaren and Lotus, told Express Sport, “Mercedes have got some great young drivers. You’ve got Esteban Ocon sitting there, who was kept out of a drive by other teams because of his Mercedes connections, that’s why he hasn’t got a ride for next year.

“But, for me, Bottas has been very disappointing. I can’t see him going for any longer than 2019 with Mercedes. He just has not delivered. He’s very smooth, he’s very fast, on certain circuits like in Sochi in Russia he’s very, very quick.”

“But even he has come out now and said: I’ve got to come out fighting [in 2019], got to be more aggressive. But it’s too late in my book.”

Jardine sees method in the madness of Mercedes allowing Bottas to compete in one of the toughest rallies in the world, “It’s interesting that he’s trying to keep his profile very high because he’s just announced that he’s going to do the Arctic Lapland Rally, which is the big snow and ice rally in the Arctic tundra.”

“It’s such an adventure. Mika Hakkinen’s done it. Kimi Raikkonen’s done it. It’s interesting that what they’re told by their management is: ‘You can improve, not only is it great for your profile, but you can improve your skills by going ice racing, ice and snow rallying.’

“[That is] because the car’s dancing around all the time. They go and practice on the frozen lakes and all that other stuff, it’s fantastic for car control.

“Most of them have done it. Carlos Sainz Jr, obviously his dad told him to do it because he was an ex-rally champion. That’s where they hone their skills.

“[Bottas is] looking and is very determined to try and up his game for 2019. But I think Ocon will replace him for 2020,” envisions Jardine.

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has been very patient with Bottas as the current arrangement does no rock the boat provided Hamilton does the winning and the #77 car helps win the constructors’ title.

With Ocon the last man standings in the Silly Season game of musical chairs and forced to watch from the sidelines next season, Wolff was quick to assure the Mercedes junior that he will be in a competitive car in 2020.

Jardine’s prediction is hardly revolutionary in concept, changing Hamilton’s teammate will depend on how much the Mercedes chiefs want to rock the boat, for now champ Hamilton and wingman Bottas are working in harmony and winning. Why change a winning team?

[MIKA27]

DI GIOVANNI: MISSION WINNOW RESPECT AUSTRALIAN LAWS

Ferrari’s title sponsor Mission Winnow are responding to reports of an investigation, initiated in Australia, questioning what the branding represents and indeed what the campaign is actually selling, as information on the official website is PR-speak that serves to confuse rather than enlighten.

Anti-smoking activists claim the branding is merely a smokescreen by Philip Morris International (PMI) to peddle their Marlboro cigarette brand through subliminal advertising.

PMI communications chief Tommaso Di Giovanni responded in an interview with Motorsport Italia, “We are aware of the debate on Mission Winnow in Australia and we are working with the local Grand Prix organizers to understand the concerns of the authorities and give them an answer.”

“Mission Winnow does not advertise or promote products or brands of products of our company. Rather, it is meant to talk about our commitment to improving ourselves in everything we do. Mission Winnow is a window towards the new Philip Morris International and our partners, towards our commitment and the incentives that drive us to improve and evolve. And to contribute to the progress of society.”

With regards to the branding being a cover for cigarette advertising, Di Giovanni said, “The initiative and the symbols and logos used on the livery of the Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow and the website comply with the laws that apply to our activities in Australia and the State of Victoria.”

The saga has arisen as the Formula 1 season prepares for pre-season testing next week in Spain ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on 17 March.

[MIKA27]

WOLFF: WITH LEWIS WE’RE ALIVE TO WITNESS AN EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMER

Amid the army of Lewis Hamilton fans, aficionado in chief is Mercedes boss Toto Wolff who rates the five-time Formula 1 World Champion as the best ever alongside Michael Schumacher and should the Briton should be appreciated for how good he really is.

Wolff said in an interview with The National, “Lewis, in my opinion, along with Michael, are the best we have ever seen. We’re only going to realise when he retires one day. We tend to never acknowledge somebody’s great performance while it happens.”

“We are always full of [praise for] the types of people who retire or die. But they are never saying: This guy is really unbelievable, we’re alive to witness an exceptional performer. I think we should recognise that while we are still racing.”

Defying criticism and doubters, Hamilton made a bold decision to ditch his alma mater McLaren and take his services to Mercedes, in 2013, long before they were the force they have become now.

Since then he has been in the process of rewriting the F1 history books while adding four more world titles to his CV but, according to his boss, the 34-year-old’s growth has not been limited to on-track achievements.

Wolff explained, “The way he has developed as a human is exceptional. He’s become a strong pillar of winning with the team, which is rather unusual for a driver; your driver is more complaining about the team than praising, and he praises.”

“We have an environment of brutal honesty with each other. So, if things go wrong, we go into the meeting and we say: That was wrong, that was wrong, and that was wrong. That has allowed us to perform better, and he has a perfect attitude,” added the Mercedes team chief.

[MIKA27]

CLAIRE WILLIAMS: I’LL GO DOWN FIGHTING IF I HAVE TO

It’s all change at Williams in 2019, two new drivers in Robert Kubica and George Russell as well as a new title sponsor but the biggest change they really need is to hoist themselves from the bottom rung of the Formula 1 pecking order.

A reset was needed in the family-run business. Sir Frank Williams’ remarkable story is well told as is that of his daughter and team heir Claire Williams, along with McLaren the last of the old ‘garagistes’ – both great racing organisations became so mighty at one point before sliding to the wrong end of a grid they once dominated.

The magnitude of the task ahead is no obstacle to Claire, undaunted she told Racer, “This is our family’s team, so there is a lot riding on that. One of the reasons why I took this job was to protect not just my dad’s but my mom’s legacy in this sport. It’s a legacy that we’re enormously proud of. So there’s that pressure.”

“And I care very deeply about the reputation of this team, I care very deeply about the people that work for us and I want to make sure that they have a team that they can be proud of and that this team survives for many, many, many years to come in our sport.”

“So I have a huge personal investment, but I wouldn’t be doing anything else. I love what I do, I’m very lucky to do what I do, and I actually find the challenge probably more invigorating than if we were just happily cruising around in P4 and grabbing the occasional podium.”

With Sir Frank receding further into the background Claire has had to step up and put in the graft, a role she relishes, “I’m prepared for that and I’ve got my sleeves rolled up and I’m going to fight with every inch of my being in order to achieve what I want Williams to achieve and I won’t give up until I do.”

“I’ll go down fighting if I have to, but I will continue to fight for this team because I believe in it. I believe it has a place in this sport, I believe it still has a very great relevance and it shouldn’t be where it is at the moment.”

“I also want to put my stamp on Williams. So a lot of the work we’re doing around cultural transformation, business transformation, I’m leading and I’m driving that through the business so that I put my stamp on it.”

“But I would never want to lose Frank and Patrick’s legacy either. So it’s important for me to protect the past but also to carve out and protect the future,” added the 42-year-old Williams team chief.

Williams last won a Grand Prix in 2012 when Pastor Maldonado triumphed out of the blue in Spain to notch up their 114th victory in the top flight. Prior to that, they had last won at the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix with Juan Pablo Montoya.

The Grove-based outfit last won a F1 world title in 1997 with Jacques Villeneuve. Last year they finished last in the world championship.

MIKA: From where I'm sitting, Williams will continue down their steep decline until they can build a better chassis and grab some good engineers. It's great to get new drivers, but they only play part of the game here. Same, Same unfortunately IMO.. 

[MIKA27]

MAX AND PIERRE TWO BULLS ON ICE

Life of a Red Bull Formula 1 driver is dead boring (not!!!) as can be seen in this video of Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly karting on an ice in Flevoland, Netherlands.

Here’s the blurb:

Max and Pierre go back to their roots for their first event together as Aston Martin Red Bull Racing teammates.

The off-season is long and tedious, especially for two young impatient F1 drivers, so we organised a little distraction by taking Max and Pierre to a speed skating track in the Netherlands where Max’s old kart team was hard at work prepping a couple of karts for the ice. Starting the season in true Red Bull style, both drivers quickly got to grips on the narrow 3km ice track with some impressive power slides, donuts and Scandinavian flicks.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Max afterwards. “It was the first time ice karting for me and it was actually pretty quick. I think at one point we were going over 100, in sixth gear, so it was great. If I was to rate my drifts, I’d give myself an eight. This has been one of the most fun activities we’ve done, there have been a few really good ones but this is definitely one of the best. I had a lot of fun today with Pierre and it was a great way to start the season together.”

Pierre was equally enthusiastic, and a little bit surer of his skills, rating his drifts at 10 out of 10. “There were a few nice moments with Max, just drifting side by side. It’s really different to what we would normally do on a proper track with an F1 car, so it’s cool to experience this kind of thing. I love competing and when I was racing in the World Karting Championship and the European Championship, the adrenalin and competition made it super exciting, but this was more of a fun day and it was great to do this with Max. Now I guess I should find something fun for him to do when he comes to France.”

[MIKA27]

Why reaction to Haas sponsor's optimism highlights F1's key flaw

Did you hear the laughter?

If not the real-life smirks, then surely the cackles and wry remarks that raced around the internet were impossible to miss.

Haas’ title partnership with the slightly mysterious drinks brand Rich Energy, and its colourful and contrarian CEO William Storey, has already raised eyebrows, and it was during the team’s launch event at the glittering Royal Automobile Club that a supposedly outlandish remark was made.

“Haas are brilliant people and they’re the perfect partner for Rich Energy as we move forward to challenge Red Bull on and off the track,” said Storey.

Red Bull is a market leader in the beverage industry – using extreme sports as a platform to promote its product – and whether Storey’s company, which includes seven shareholders, among them West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan, can trouble the Austrian giants is a matter for the business industry.

That Storey was widely ridiculed for such on-track ambition highlighted the predictable trap and competitiveness chasm into which Formula 1 has fallen under the current regulations.

Haas’ Guenther Steiner, Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen were quick to admire Storey’s bravado and ambition though subtly played down such lofty expectations, given their respective experience of Formula 1’s picture.

Formula 1’s reliance on machinery and its exclusive nature means it is difficult to draw comparisons to other sports. But that the idea of the fifth-best team challenging the third-best team was mocked by observers should emphasise to Liberty Media one of the key areas it needs to address.

Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull have taken every Grand Prix win since the second round of 2013, a run of over 100 Grands Prix that encompasses the entirety of the hybrid era. Interloper Williams threatened on occasion, having initially profited from Mercedes' engine supremacy, but it has since horribly regressed.

Since Formula 1 moved to faster cars – with greater downforce levels – for 2017 the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ (ie, those whose budgets are a paltry $100m or so) has grown, with only two podiums scored by teams outside of the top three. Such predictability is not necessarily an overwhelming negative if there is at least the outside chance of an upset. But the gap is so large that it is borderline impossible for midfield teams to provide an upset. In Mexico last year Renault led the midfield but was still two entire laps behind winner Red Bull – even with the same power unit in the back. Haas’ best result in 2018 came as a consequence of it extracting the maximum from its package, but its fourth and fifth in Austria also owed much to the exit of both Mercedes drivers and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. On a ‘normal’ Sunday it would have been seventh and eighth. Most sports are formed on a foundation of a pecking order, but there has to at least be a chance of something out of the ordinary happening (and, it should be added, without the huge reliance on mechanical failures elsewhere). Formula 1 hasn’t had a proper feel-good underdog story, outside of the Baku madness, for several years now. Several highly-competitive and skilled athletes arrive at each event knowing it’s a Grand Prix for (without retirements) seventh place, with terms such as ‘Class B’ and ‘Formula 1.5’ banded about in 2018 to the point of becoming normalised. It is not a positive situation for teams either. The likelihood of this changing across the next two years is remote.

By no means should free meal tickets be handed out to Formula 1 teams for the sake of unpredictability, but the reaction to Storey’s ambition should act as another lesson for Liberty as the deadline for any fundamental 2021 changes looms larger.  

 

[MIKA27]

Grosjean welcomes F1 weight freedom – despite 'overdoing' it

Romain Grosjean thinks he may have ‘overdone’ the weight gain that this year's new Formula 1 regulations allow, but says the sport will be better for the change.
In a move to level the playing field between the smaller and bigger drivers, F1 has changed the way the minimum car and driver weight are calculated.

From the start of this season, any driver who weighs less than 80kg will have to have ballast added in to the cockpit area of his car to bring him up to that level.

The change means that drivers will no longer have to be so strict with their diets and can also build up a bit more muscle mass – because it will no longer put them at a disadvantage against lighter rivals.

Speaking about the impact of the changes Grosjean joked: “Yeah, I may have overdone it!

"I've been 180cm and 69kg for like six or seven years, and I think now with the freedom I might have reached a bit more! So I'm going back on diet. It was good fun though.

“But, it's great. It's much better in terms of health and fitness-wise as well. You can see that you're getting better and stronger and so on, but you still cannot be a body builder.

“I've put quite a fair bit of muscles on. I just need to sweat off a little bit for the first race but we're going to be alright. I think the regulation is a good step in the right direction, and it's much nicer to live that way.”

Grosjean’s Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen has also welcomed the changes, even though he says he has never particularly struggled to stay light.

“You don’t put 10kg of muscle over the two months we’ve had unless you do it in the wrong way,” explained the Dane. 

“I think I’ve gained muscle but we’re talking maybe a kilo or two from where I finished last season. That’s not something you would see massively. I don’t expect anyone to come in and look like the [Incredible] Hulk.

Asked if it will make a difference in the races, Magnussen said: “I hope so. I’ve done training that I didn’t do last year and the intensity of the training has been a lot more. I feel more fit and that’s a good feeling. I look forward to getting into the car and seeing the results of the training I’ve done over the last few months.

“I’m not one of the taller guys so I’ve never been in a situation where we’ve heard other drivers have to completely starve themselves for months because the team did a new floor that weighed a bit more. I’ve been lucky in that regard.”

[MIKA27]

Honda wants "no grey areas" in F1 engine regulations

Honda would like Formula 1's rulemakers to clamp down further on the potential for interpretation in the engine rules so there are "no grey areas".
After rejoining the F1 grid in 2015, the second year of the turbo-hybrid V6 engine rules, Honda has spent time recovering from fundamental mistakes with its approach.

Part of the reason it has struggled to catch F1's benchmarks Mercedes and Ferrari is a hesitancy to exploit grey areas in the rules, like burning oil to boost power.

Honda motorsport boss Masashi Yamamoto told Motorsport.com that when the new engine era began "everyone was really keen to exploit the grey areas, especially Ferrari and Mercedes".

"We were the ones who came in the later time, so we were behind from the point of view of knowledge and understanding," he said.

"So, what Honda thinks is we want to burn all of those grey areas. We want them to stop - no grey areas is our hope."

The FIA has worked to limit how much oil teams are allowed to burn, and further restrictions have also been put in place for 2019, including a new regulation that stipulates teams must keep their auxiliary oil tanks empty throughout qualifying.

Yamamoto accepts that there will always be grey areas in racing because even though "the people who make the regulations are specialists", they do not possess the detail and knowledge of those who do the design work.

"So, we cannot help having grey areas," Yamamoto admitted. "But in terms of F1, we know we've got so many specialists inside the FIA, and we think they can make better regulations to not have grey areas.

"They can do a better job than now."

The process of burning oil or other areas where manufacturers push the envelope in development is usually an additional boost relating to peak performance.

As Honda made fundamental development mistakes early in its F1 comeback, such grey areas are a supplementary issue rather than the cause of its initial problems.

It made tangible progress in 2018, though, reaping the rewards of employing its IndyCar programme head Toyoharu Tanabe as technical director and life-long Honda engine guru Yasuake Asaki as head of its research and development work at Sakura, rather than having one overarching technical boss like before.

"The reason we could progress is that we have chosen good people from the racing development side and brought them to the F1 team, [and] the matured quality of our factory," said Yamamoto.

"The biggest thing is for sure the learning from the past three years.

"We did so much trial and error and we studied a lot from that. From that we can have some steps forward, and that can be connected to next year."

[MIKA27]

Seidl the right man to lead McLaren turnaround - Webber

Mark Webber says his former Porsche LMP1 boss Andreas Seidl will have a "red hot go" at turning McLaren's Formula 1 fortunes around.
The nine-time grand prix winner and Seidl have a history that dates back to Webber's first season with Williams, when Seidl was an up-and-coming engineer working for BMW.

They then worked together again at Porsche when Webber stepped back from F1 and joined Porsche's LMP1 programme.

Based on that experience, Webber is confident that Seidl is the man for the job at the struggling McLaren outfit.

He reckons Seidl was a driving force in Porsche's sportscar success, and says he was unsurprised to see him take a more challenging role rather than joining an in-form team.

"If there's any man for the job..." Webber told Motorsport.com. "He's going to give it a red hot go. He's an absolute workaholic, very, very, very sharp on the technical side, and great with people.

"He's certainly one of the best I've worked with. Andreas and I, we've known each other since 2005. He was my engine engineer at Williams, at BMW. He was always going places.

"He's dead excited [about the McLaren move], he's really excited about it. But he knows he's got a task ahead. He's had some snapshots of Formula 1 with Sauber BMW.

"He was instrumental in our success with the 919. Not just him, it was a big team, but he definitely turbocharged the results.

"He's always wanted to get back into F1. And I don't think it was his only phone call from the paddock, to be honest.

"I think he sees it as a tremendous opportunity to make a big difference."

Even with Seidl at the helm, Webber isn't expected to see an immediate turnaround for McLaren.

He says getting back to the top of F1 "will take time" for the once legendary team, and that a renewed focus on grand prix racing will be key to making it happen.

"For a lot of Ron [Dennis'] faults, that's when they were at their best," said Webber. "When they were at their most harmonious, with the commercial model in place – you get your drivers and off you go.

"McLaren were a beast. Then they wanted to do road cars, then it's like 'what are we doing here?' Then it's a bit of IndyCar, a bit of... you can't do everything.

"It's that laser focus. Every team that's been successful in Formula 1, they've been focussing on one thing and recruiting well."

[MIKA27]

Ferrari set for unique double-stacked exhaust in 2019

Ferrari looks set to adopt a unique double-stacked exhaust system with its 2019 Formula 1 car, judging by the first images of customer team Haas's new design.
Last year, Ferrari raised eyebrows when it trialled a new concept for its exhaust system at the German Grand Prix.

Rather than having the two turbo wastegate pipes exiting at the side of the main exhaust like other teams, it experimented with mounting them both on top.

Sebastian Vettel conducted tests in practice at Hockenheim, with then teammate Kimi Raikkonen sticking to the original version.

The fact that the exhaust tests came in tandem with a new rear wing design, which featured an upwardly curved leading edge to the main plane, suggested that part of the motivation for the tweak was to make use of exhaust blowing of the rear wing.

However, another aspect could simply be that mounting the exhausts of top of each other opens the door for even tighter packaging of the rear bodywork to help reduce aerodynamic drag.

Ferrari was able to adopt the exhaust arrangement because of a twin-pillar mounting for its rear wing – something that Haas also has.

Images of Haas's 2019 F1 car clearly show the exhausts mounted on top of each other, so it would be a surprise if Ferrari's own challenger does not feature a similar concept when it is unveiled next week.

Other teams will have noticed Ferrari's experiments last year and could also copy the idea if they have found performance gains from doing so.

Although the benefits of exhaust blowing are minimal, teams may be more tempted to pursue this idea in 2019 as they bid to recover downforce lost by the new aero regulations aimed to help overtaking.

Last year, Renault was very aggressive in this area as it angled its exhaust in a way to maximise opportunities for blowing gases over its rear wing.

[MIKA27]

Williams reveals its 2019 F1 livery

Williams has unveiled a new livery and title sponsor ahead of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
The team has signed a deal with emerging British-based telecommunications company ROKiT and revealed a new white and light-blue colour scheme.

This season will be Williams's first without title Martini sponsorship and branding since 2013.

The ROKiT deal was announced at an event at Williams's factory on Monday afternoon, attended by team principal Claire Williams and 2019 drivers Robert Kubica and Formula 2 champion George Russell.

The 2019 Williams is not expected to be seen until the start of pre-season testing next season.

Announcing the deal, the team described ROKiT as a "new telco brand challenging the status quo, offering premium smartphone technology, performance and design at an affordable price and installing innovative wifi networks to make the world a better place".

Deputy team principal Williams said: "We are delighted to welcome ROKiT to our team as our title partner for the 2019 season and beyond.

"We share many similar values and aspirations with ROKiT; primarily putting engineering and innovation at the core of everything we do in our pursuit to be the best – the perfect platform from which to start a partnership.

"ROKiT is on an exciting journey in their world of telecommunications, as we are at Williams as we build the team for a successful future.

"Taking that path together will make us both stronger in our endeavours and so I can't wait to get started."

ROKiT co-founder Jonathan Kendrick previously worked in F1 as a Goodyear tyre engineer, including on Alan Jones's car at Williams in the 1978 season.

MIKA: "Meh..."