2017 Archives

24th March 20173rd July 2017

TeamByTeam MotoGP Preview: Monster Tech 3 Yamaha

The Yamaha satellite team have an all-rookie line up for 2017, which some may have questioned when they first announced it. However, you will do extremely well to find someone who doesn’t think that Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger will mix it up with the leading teams on more than one occasion this year.

Zarco joins Tech 3 with two consecutive Moto2 world titles under his belt. Many rookies find their first year in the premier class extremely difficult, look at Tito Rabat for example, who was Moto2 world champion before Zarco. For the Frenchman though, this doesn’t seem like it will be the case. Admittedly comparing the two is harsh on Rabat, as he had arguably the most difficult bike on the grid (Honda), whilst Zarco has last year’s Factory Yamaha which most consider to be the easiest bike to ride. No matter, for Johann to go just 0.4 seconds slower than Maverick Vinales at the Sepang test was somewhat extraordinary. The 26 year old again impressed in Qatar, finding himself only half a second down on Vinales. It goes to show what a great bike the Tech 3 is but it also indicates just how fast the Cannes born rider is.

Potentially the most impressive man across the tests though was Folger. I will openly admit that I was sceptical about whether or not the German could cut it in the premier class, but boy have my doubts well and truly disappeared. Jonas is fast, very fast. For me, getting to within a second of Maverick at Sepang was impressive, but to then go to Phillip Island and Qatar and finish 4th and 7th overall was astonishing. Not to mention being within 0.5 seconds of a potential world champion at both circuits. Folger has a great wealth of experience too, in both 125cc/Moto3 and Moto2. He will have mastered his own technique and like Zarco, that may be incredibly important to Tech 3, who endured their first season without a podium from a rider since 2007.

Talking of circuits, Tech 3 also have their favourites. Phillip Island is a circuit that Yamaha on a whole do well at. Smith took a podium in 2014 at the track and there was a double top ten for the team at the track last year. Misano saw Bradley Smith take a heroic 2nd place, whilst Catalunya was home to a 5th place for Pol Espargaro, likewise at Le Mans. Yamaha enjoy circuits with long corners and big, wide esses, like Brno. Jonas Folger won the Moto2 race last year, whilst Johann Zarco won there in 2015. Losail may go well for the team too, seeing as Bradley Smith managed a front row in 2014 and that Cal Crutchlow put the bike in 4th in 2012. Expect an upset with the French-based team.

I think it is safe to say that both men look comfortable and will be upsetting a few factory teams right from the off. Not only that, but I’m predicting a hugely competitive inter-team battle to see who can come out on top. I’m sure the pair will be eying up that Factory Yamaha seat once The Doctor decides it’s time to call it a day…

Eliott York @journoyork

24th March 20173rd July 2017

Ayrton Senna and the Unfinished Bussiness with Williams

2011 Monaco Grand Prix – Saturday
Monte Carlo, Monaco
28th May 2011
Pastor Maldonado, Williams FW33 Cosworth.
World Copyright:Steven Tee/LAT Photographic
ref: Digital Image _A8C6407

What do you think when you say Williams F1? It’s hard to say because there has been a long journey since the famous team was born in 1977. Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve: this illustrious list of big names who won the title driving a Williams.

An incredible and dominating era shared with McLaren and Ferrari, that goes from the early eighties to the end of the millennium. But when I think of Williams I see a yellow lid in front of me, I hear a Brazilian accent shouting above the screaming engine, I feel a green flag flying in my beating heart, the legend of Ayrton Senna that tells an unfinished story from the FW16, this car was, unfortunately, the last car he would ever drive, the car he wanted so much to win the title in but betrayed him by not even finishing one race. The Williams team certainly has been through many different situations in its time: Wins, World championships, domination, good times and bad but they have always come through the tough times to fight another day.

Many other great drivers have passed through the British team during its forty years, Jenson Button started his career here in 2000, showing all his great talent.

So we can say, for sure, that Frank Williams has always been able to discover new and talented drivers. Montoya, Ralf Schumacher, Rosberg to name but a few. Some of the biggest names in Formula One history have, at one point, driven for the Williams team. This year marks 20 years since they won their last world championship with Jacques Villeneuve at the helm. The competition has seen many new teams joining over the years, Ferrari, Renault, Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren, some of these teams doing a better job, sadly Williams has lived for many years in a kind of limbo and it seems they can’t get out of the rut they are stuck in.

So now, when I think of Williams most of my thoughts refer to the former glory of this legendary, once dominating team, Times have changed, they have never given up. I fondly think of Sir Frank always there no matter was is thrown at him and the team he holds so dearly to his heart. Who knows maybe one day, with the right engine, we will see Willliams return to their winning ways.

Massimo Trapanese

24th March 20173rd July 2017

Max Looks At The Forhcoming Season In His Own Unique Way.

IF IS F1 SPELT BACKWARDS! (YES, MURRAY…)
MAX AND JAKE’ S SIDEWAYS GLANCE AT THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE 2017 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS MOTORSPORT

LEWIS HAMILTON: Britain’s most universally loved sportsman can put his put his foot on the throttle again, after trying to rob James May of his title “Captain Slow” in Abu Dhabi. Can he regain his title now that Roscoe has retired?

VALTTERI BOTTAS: How will he compare being thrust into the limelight against the slowest driver on earth? Will the dynamic between these two make the wolffe howl like it did with Lewis and Roscoe?

RED BULL RACING

DANIEL RICCIARDO: The man in the team with the Colgate “gleam” could, just could, fulfil his dream this year and win the world title. Well, there is a fly in the ointment, in the name of Max Verstappen, the precocious 12 – year – old Dutch nipper. Jug, straight glass, or shoe, Daniel?

MAX “VROOM” VERSTAPPEN: If you think this lad’s fast now, just wait until he reaches his teens! Some older drivers, such as Massa, have been known to scream “Get this kid out of here!”. But Massa has retired now, right? “The best thing to happen to F1 since sliced bread”, as Stirling Moss once said about Lewis Hamilton.

SCUDERIA FERRARI

SEBASTIAN VETTEL: “What is he doing, the fool, he hit me not once, but twice”…Seb describing the assault by Daniil Kvyat ‘s Red Bull in Russia? No, it’s his reaction to Maurizio Arrivabene’s reaction to the German quadruple world champ for letting his emotions get the better of him to not only let it affect his on-track form, but force the Ferrari team to buy a swear box so large that there was no longer room for the cars. Needs to remember just how good a driver he is this year to get on top of it all, emotionally at least. Ferrari just MAY have the car to let him rise to the top again, but then we thought that this time last year…

KIMI RAIKKONEN

I didn’t think it possible for “The Ice Man” to appear any less frozen when interviewed, but last year it happened. In fact, I don’t even know why anyone bothers to interview him these days. “Go away, I’m not interested” looks to be his attitude to just about everything these days. How I would love an interviewer to say to him “You are being paid a bloody fortune to never win while in the car, and be as miserable as sin out of it, , so answer my ******* questions you stroppy git!!!” File that under “unlikely event”.

WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING

FELIPE MASSA: But didn’t I just see him retire? He’s back! His front! In fact, all of him that we never thought we’d see again will be on the grid in Melbourne, making this the shortest retirement in F1 since “Our Nige” threw his red Ferrari gloves into the Silverstone crowd in 1990, only to re-appear with – funnily enough – Williams the following year. Who will believe him next time he says he’s finished with F1? Fake News?

LANCE “OUT FOR A” STROLL: It may well be true that Willy had to find a driver with a rich Dad so as to pay for all the money spent on Felipe Massa’s retirement party, but hang on one moment – this driver proved to be the dominant force in Euro F3 last year, so this is no “pay – driver” scandal, any more than Max Verstappen only got into F1 because of his father being an ex-F1 driver. If Willy can give him a good enough car, expect Lance to become the most exciting thing since “pulled pork”.

FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM

SERGIO PEREZ: Perhaps the first person to prove that McLaren were falling from grace, considering his year with the team proved to be his worst in F1. “Speedy Gonzalez”, as he is affectionately known by nobody except this writer, now has as many GP podiums as his great predecessor, Pedro Rodriguez – seven. Mind you, times have changed a bit since Pedro’s days, and two of Rodriguez’s podiums were wins. But the true measure of Checo’s performances is just how well he performed against The Incredible Hulkenberg.

ESTEBAN OCON: Esteban Gutierrez sneaks back into F1 via a false surname. “Oh con them into thinking you are somebody else”, somebody said…and the new name was born! I have a sneaking suspicion that he will perform better this year…

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO

CARLOS “BEANS MEANS” SAINZ: The fastest Spaniard in F1 last year (sorry Fernando, blame Honda…oh, you did!) finds himself paired with Red Bull demotee Kvyat again this year (much to the shock of Pierre Gasly) and has clearly proved he has the talent to oust one of the “Old Wild Men” in a top team, but question is, which one? There is a bit of a log jam up there at the moment. Yet another person I would have rather seen at Ferrari this year than “Curt Kimi”.

DANIIL KVYAT: Sebastian Vettel’s favourite driver will hope to have the continuity of a full season in the same team this year (Well, other than him being promoted to a top team mid-season, but I think the chances of that are just about the same as the England Football team winning the next World Cup). Go Danny Boy, prove them all wrong! (Just be careful not to hit the back of a red car on the first bend, I don’t think our bruised ears can take any more…)

MCLAREN HONDA FORMULA ONE TEAM

FERNANDO ALONSO: Let’s hope McLaren give the second fastest Spaniard in F1 (blame Honda…haven’t I said that once before?) an F1 car this year rather than a GP2 (whoops, Formula Two now) car. If rumours are true that he may head back to Renault if Merc don’t come knocking on the door towards the end of the year, that would make an incredible sequence: Renault, McLaren, Renault, Ferrari, McLaren, Renault…enough to make one’s head spin even without few glasses of “Johnny Walker”.

STOFFEL VANDORNE: “Stop all that porn” makes his full-time F1 debut this season, after spending a year off working as a milkman in Japan, driving a Honda milk float. Massive talent, but will Fernando be faster than him? (Where have I heard something similar before?) Jenson has kept the seat warm for him, and promises to be lurking not too far away.

HAAS F1 TEAM

ROMAIN GROSJEAN: Massively talented driver who deserves a GP win soon, but I fear that this will not be the team that allows him that opportunity. Yet another driver I would have liked to have seen in a Ferrari (and I still have another – “Now there’s a novelty”, as Eric Morecambe would have said) rather than “Fun Finn”. Time is running out quicker than McLaren’s patience with Honda for this man to land a top drive.

KEVIN MAGNUSSEN
Finished second in his first Grand Prix, and it’s been downhill ever since. That’s a career the wrong way round, Kevin! This has hardly been all the Dane’s fault though; lost a coin-tossing contest with Jenson Button for the McLaren Honda seat alongside Alonso for 2015 (boy was he relieved) and then found himself in an underdeveloped Renault Lotus Enstone last year.

RENAULT SPORT FORMULA ONE TEAM
THE INCREDIBLE HULKENBERG: I would have seen him in the second Ferrari this year, but instead of red he has gone yellow this season (I thought The Hulk was green?) and I can’t say I blame him, given the form of this team last year. Still, this year’s car looks good, and there are signs that Renault have their act together rather more than last year. So, good luck to The Incredible.

JOLYON PALMER
Seems a funny name for Jonathan to have given his talented offspring, since his son is younger than him, but hey-ho. This man, in my eyes at least, showed signs of developing into an excellent F1 driver last year, and fully deserved his place after a first-rate win in the GP2 championship in 2014. Gave “The Great Dane” far more trouble than was expected of him last year, and is proving a credit to his dad, more than he deserves perhaps for giving his son one of the strangest names since “The Incredible”.

SAUBER F1 TEAM

MARCUS ERICSSON: Last and very possibly least if last year was anything to go by, the Sauber team. For Marcus, at least it gave him a chance to show the F1 world what he could do more than with his time driving the Caterham 7 the previous year. Seems to have seen off Felipe “where is he now?” Nasr, which was somewhat of a surprise. Expect no fireworks from this team, other than from Monisha Kaltenborn if her drivers collide with each other as often as they seemed to be doing last year.

PASCAL WEHRLEIN: “That was not meant to happen!”, you could, and quite rightly too, have expected Pascal to have hollered when he found that, when the music stopped, he found that his car would be more likely to be parked at the back of the grid than the front, as he was expecting. Big Bad Wolffe apparently didn’t rate one year’s hard experience racing a Manor, usually very well, last year as “enough experience” to put this clearly gifted some-time Mercedes prodigy in with Lewis this year. Rather different to Red Bull’s attitude regarding young Vroomstappen, eh? Well, I know which kind of thinking I prefer, and I can’t help feel sorry for Pascal. Go out there (again) and show ‘em, lad!

MAX SCOTT

24th March 20173rd July 2017

Getting Back To The Top

Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Friday 24 March 2017.
World Copyright: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _31I9457

Last season, 2016, proved to be relatively disappointing for Williams, Mercedes and Ferrari increased the gap, Red Bull surged past and began winning again and Force India managed to nab fourth place, Hulkenburg’s pass around the outside of Suzuka’s final chicane being a metaphor for the battle between the two, the Force India driving into the distance, away from the Williams.

2017 sees a massive overhaul in the technical regulations, the cars are wider, the teams are allowed more aero parts on the cars and the tires are wider and less sensitive to temperature change, which will allow the drivers to push more during the races. Williams interpretation comes in the form of the FW40 (named to celebrate team’s 40th year in the sport) was the first car to (sort of) be revealed, the team released a digital render of the car a day before Sauber officially launched their car.

The car features a shark fin, common on many cars this year, but is one of few to have a T wing mounted on the end of the fin. The front and rear wings have been swept back as per this new rules and the thumb nose remains on the end of a front that also features an S duct, which was run by Mercedes last season. The team haven’t been as aggressive with the side aero as Mercedes or Ferrari, rather going down a similar path as Red Bull, going with a more simplistic design. Toward the end of testing the car sprouted a second wing, similar to the T wing, much lower, almost with touching distance of the rear wing. The rakes at the start of the sidepod’s remain, as do the tuning veins to the side of these, but they have been extended, to take advantage of the width increase for this season. Title sponsor Martini’s livery remains, with it’s brilliant white base and flowing stripes, which do look slightly odd, the way they widen along the shark fin the abruptly end. The team have cemented a new partnership with heavy vehicles manufacturer JCB and Stroll brings a reported £20 million to the team.

Williams’ driver situation is well documented, Rosberg’s shock retirement left a seat at Mercedes and it quickly became clear that it would be Bottas who would replace him at one of the sports top seats. With F3 champion Lance Stroll already signed and Martini’s requirement for an experienced driver over 25 to be one of the driver’s, the only option was to coax Massa out of retirement. The Brazilian quickly agreed and the shortest retirement in F1 history was complete. Stroll has had a tough start in testing, with a couple of accidents in the first test, but it is better he does it in testing rather than in Melbourne (like Maldonado in 2012). This should be Massa’s final year in F1, I imagine he will be consistent and quick, a good point scorer and if Stroll is even with him or outperforms the Brazilian, he will have performed well.

One must always be careful reading into testing too much, but everyone knows that the Mercedes engine in the back of the Williams will be powerful and reliable. The car looks fast enough, maybe not on the pace of Ferrari or Mercedes, but the team look to be at the top of the midfield and looking forward. Williams look to be set for another showdown with Force India and will be determined to take back fourth or higher in the constructors. Renault could be a threat if their engine is good enough, but realistically Williams have to beat Force India this year, try and get more podiums this year to elevate themselves up the grid and toward the “big three” (Mercedes, Ferrari and Williams).

The team need a strong start to the season, as the inevitable development race will be triggered at the beginning of the European season. If a rival makes a large leap ahead of Williams in that time, the Grove squad will need a points buffer whilst they work to retaliate. The first few races could prove unpredictable affairs as the drivers adjust to the new racing that the new rules will provide. Massa’s experience will be vital in this situation, as he has driven through multiple rules changes. Stroll needs a strong start, Formula One is a tough world if you aren’t performing and his testing incidents will have put a few more eyes on the Canadian.

Adam Brewer

24th March 20173rd July 2017

Porsche Carrera Cup GB Around The Corner

2017 season heads to the start line with over half the grid set to do battle for overall honours

The Porsche Carrera Cup GB, the fastest single marque GT racing championship in the UK, will begin its 15th season at Brands Hatch on 1 / 2 April with over half the field racing for overall glory in the Pro category. The battles throughout the 22 car grid will stretch across 15 rounds and eight race weekends.

The anticipation of a hotly contested season, headlined by a round in support of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is fuelled by an exceptionally talented and experienced grid. Over half the competitors are ranked in the Pro category, and of those, half again have already won at least one championship in the course of their careers.

Best placed to cause a surprise is a quartet of Porsche Carrera Cup GB Rookies who will be looking to make waves amongst the established Pro contenders. Fresh from his Ginetta GT4 Supercup title, Tom Wrigley from Chirk has already been making the most of the pre-season with IN2 Racing. His 2016 challenger and fellow race winner, Londoner Jamie Orton (Redline Racing), will be resuming their battle in 2017 as both adapt to the rear-engined 911 GT3 Cup.

Established endurance champion and race winner Ross Wylie from Dumfries will return to single marque racing, bringing with him a new team, Slidesports. The partnership began earlier in Wylie’s career and resumed recently with a successful one-off endurance race with the team in a Cayman GT4 Clubsport.

After rising through the single seater ranks to the heights of GP2 and most recently winning races in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Tio Ellinas is making the switch to sports car racing for 2017 with JTR. Already a winner with JTR in seasons gone by, the Cypriot star brings with him Formula One experience and undoubted race-winning potential as the season unfolds.

Leading the charge of the returnees is reigning champion Dan Cammish (Redline Racing) from Leeds. After taking the record in 2016 for most wins in a season – 12 from 16 starts – the 2015 and 2016 champion will face his toughest challenge yet. Graduating to the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup for 2017, Cammish will have to miss rounds eight and nine at Snetterton from his concurrent Porsche Carrera Cup GB campaign due to a clash of dates.

First among those looking to capitalise on this will be Cammish’s closest challenger from 2016, Bristol’s Dino Zamparelli. Launching his 2017 campaign with JTR, Zamparelli will be reunited with former coach Nick Tandy and will race alongside the second-placed Rookie of 2016, Lewis Plato. Plato, from Billericay, showed strong pace in his first season and is ideally placed to convert that into results for his second.

Another driver with championship winning potential is Porsche Carrera Cup GB 2016 / 2017 Scholar Charlie Eastwood from Belfast. Buoyed by taking the 2016 Rookie title and his first race win, Eastwood tasted victory over the winter in a dominant one-off race with the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East. Also successfully chasing the winter sun, and off-season experience, was Redline Racing team mate and 2016 podium finisher Tom Oliphant from Leamington Spa. Oliphant made a name for himself in his debut season with a series of fearless overtaking manoeuvres and plans to return stronger than ever.

Joining this top trio at Redline Racing and relishing a step up into the Pro category for 2017 are Edinburgh-based brothers Euan and Dan McKay. Both showed strong pace in their debut seasons, taking first and second in the 2016 Pro-Am1 category respectively, and often raced comfortably inside the top 10.

However, the Pro-Am1 category will maintain its competitive nature with a similar split of newcomers and returnees. Alex Martin (Pro-Am1) returns for the first time since racing the ‘Type 997’ GT3 Cup in 2011, joining championship stalwart and father Rupert Martin (Pro-Am2) at Team Parker Racing.

Alex will undoubtedly feature in the category title race, as will Justin Sherwood (Team Parker Racing) as he looks to build on his seven Pro-Am1 podium finishes in 2016. Another podium finisher, Peter Jennings, returns with G-Cat Racing, while experienced racer Graeme Mundy steps up to a full campaign in the category with Team Parker Racing.

A new team and driver will be joining the Pro-Am2 competition, Welch Motorsport and Matt Telling. Telling has experience of the ‘Type 991’ 911 GT3 Cup from endurance outings, while Welch Motorsport is a veteran of TOCA weekends. The second category newcomer is David Fairbrother, who graduates from the Cayman GT4 Clubsport with Slidesports.

Looking to make the most of their Pro-Am2 experience will be Shamus Jennings (G-Cat Racing), Iain Dockerill (Asset Advantage Racing) and Peter Parsons (The Race Car Centre), all three category podium finishers in 2016. However, favourite to take the honours remains Peter Kyle-Henney (IN2 Racing), the Chopard Fastest Lap winner of 2016 looking to go one step higher after his second place finishes in the category championship in 2016 and 2014.

Pre-season form

At the first official tests of the season, on Silverstone’s National circuit and at Donington Park, times looked tighter than ever with fractions separating each car. While the Pro category returnees will undoubtedly go into Friday free practice at Brands Hatch with the advantage of experience, several factors could see that rapidly eroded by the newcomers. An increased tyre allowance (up to three new sets per weekend and a maximum of 24 over the course of the season) may affect the dynamic of qualifying, while points are no longer awarded for pole position or fastest lap.

In both Pro-Am1 and Pro-Am2 categories, times were hard to monitor as various Pro category drivers swapped in and out of cars to help team mates with their pre-season preparations.

Rounds one and two will take place on Sunday 2 April at 10.00 (rolling start) and 15.40 (standing start) respectively, with live coverage of round two on ITV4. Follow the battles at @CarreraCupGB on Twitter and @carreracupgb on Instagram.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

23rd March 20173rd July 2017

Haas Season Preview: Can the colourful Americans improve on their debut season?

Haas F1 were the last team of the 2017 preseason to reveal their new car; the VF 17 challenger. In it’s first year Haas F1 became the first American constructor to win points in its F1 debut and first constructor overall since Toyota in 2002 to score points on debut.

Romain Grosjean made a 6th place finish in Australia and team best 5th in Bahrain to exceed the Carolina based outfits expectations early season but saw only three points finishes the rest of the season. Difficulty with Brembo brakes and operational issues led to only one point in the second half of the season.

Race strategist Ruth Buscombe was also snagged by Sauber and went mysteriously absent halfway through the season which hurt the team as well. Despite this, Grosjean’s early points were enough to finish the team 8th in the Constructors Championship ahead of Sauber, Mannor and even French giant Renault.

Manor gone from this years grid, the team should be clear of a struggling Sauber, but should want to take another step forward in the championship which will put them head to head with a number of likely foes who had impressive pre-seasons and R&D such as Renault, Toro Rosso and with their woeful testing in Barcelona, McLaren as well. Is the Haas VF 17 a car that can challenge in the midfield?

Drivers

Romain Grosjean
Haas kept its French driver Romain Grosjean who joined the team ahead of the the 2016 season. He scored all 29 of their points gaining with a 5th place in Bahrain. Grosjean is a strong driver and with seniority could be considered the ‘#1’ in the team.

Kevin Magnussen
Kevin Magnussen left Renault under somewhat of a cloud citing frustration at a “lack of commitment” though the French manufacturer was also not happy with his performance. Nonetheless, Magnussen should be an instant improvement upon Guttierez (now signed with Formula E) and the benefit is mutual for him and the team at this juncture. This will make 3 different teams in his 3rd season for Magnussen and gives him an opportunity a growing team to prove himself against a solid driver in Grosjean.

Pre-Season Testing in Barcelona

Testing went well for Haas, as driver Romain Grosjean recorded 76 laps around Catalynya on the final day of testing bringing his two-week testing total to 346 laps, 1,610.63 kilometers (1,000.799 miles). His teammate Kevin Magnussen meanwhile did 369 total laps, 1,717.695 kilometers (1,067.326 miles) during his two weeks of testing. In total Haas ran an impressive 715 laps or 3,328.325 kilometers (2,068.125 miles) during its 2017 preseason test. This, compared to only unning 474 laps from last year.

Magnussen did 119 laps on the final Thursday, the most of Haas preseason. His quickest lap Thursday also was his quickest of the preseason – a 1.20.504 on his 62nd lap with the Pirelli P Zero Purple ultrasoft tyre. That time placed Magnussen fifth among 13 drivers participating.

After a spin in the morning of the the last day of testing, and a sensor issue which stranded him later that morning, Romain Grosjean posted his best time on afternoon of the last day of testing with a 1.21.110 on Pirelli P Z Purple Ultrasoft tyres puting him 10th of 13 drivers. After bringing the VF 17 back to the garage a water leak was discovered preventing the team from running in the final 30 minutes of on-track running.

2017 Predictions

It was said by Romain Grosjean that Ferrari were ‘sandbagging’ and that they were not allowed to use all of their Ferrari PU in Barcelona testing. Exciting, even though you’d assume Renault and Mercedes were also turned down in testing. I think that Haas have done a very good job developing an advanced areodynamic package, there are some very interesting details they have gone with such as front facing elements of the bargeboards, and designs to the floor which are similar to top teams like Mercedes, so it’s nice to see them doing that.

With things at McLaren seemingly going from bad to crisis, I’m going to predict they shock McLaren and Renault, finishing above both but unable to catch the outstanding car Toro Rosso have built finishing them a very respectable 7th in the WCC with Grosjean finishing ahead of Magnussen.

Written by
Jeremiah Doctson ‪@JDFormula1 ‬

23rd March 20171st August 2017

McLaren – Lots Of Questions

Mutterings of McLaren Looking at an alternative engine supplier, a pre-season testing which saw the car breaking down on circuit and a discontented looking Fernando Alonso at the press conference for the Australian Grand Prix.

Is this the preparation that McLaren, an eight time Constructors’ champion needs before the start of the season?

The obvious answer is ‘of course not’.

This then moves onto the second question. Is the Honda power unit the way forward for the team?

The answer to that question surfaced with rumours of McLaren sounding out Mercedes as a potential engine supplier.

With the future of Stoffel Vandoorne and a double world champion in Fernando Alonso leading the team into the new season, plus the razzamatazz and promotional work that was the unveiling of the new car, the 2017 pre-season started with hopes and dreams of past honours that hung like a ghost around the factory.

Can McLaren be competitive this season? – There is a third question.

On the face of it, no they won’t. It appears that with the problems they have faced during testing those worries are not going to go away. Eric Boullier has been bullish in his interviews and has at times played the cliché ridden, party line of saying that with any new regulations there needs to be a certain amount of time to settle in.

But how long does this become an excuse? – A fourth question.

It would be positive to think that by now the gremlins were laid to rest and the problems fixed. A book full of excuses and deflective PR has been the story of McLaren’s pre-season.

Is the Honda-McLaren partnership doomed for failure? – A fifth question.

I sat and watched Fernando Alonso in the press conference today and his demeanour repeated that of a man who infamously shouted down the radio “GP2! GP2!”

Does he have the hunger this year? – A sixth question.

We have not heard much from the future of F1, the future of McLaren. Stoffel Vandoorne has been conspicuous in his absence from making any kind of quotes about the team, the power unit and the aspirations for the forthcoming season. The new man coming in, wanting to do the right thing and a double champion, presumably coming within the last two years of his career in Formula One, not wishing to sit on the fence any longer.

Cast this thought across your mind for a moment.

A McLaren car battling at the back of the grid, not getting beyond Q1 and having major reliability problems through the course of the season.

That, as a McLaren fan, is not something I wish for but the reality is that this is something which could possibly become reality. I haven’t seen any hunger or determination in the eyes of Alonso since the tests began. At the launch of the new car it was different. He was smiling, he cracked jokes and he looked like a man who was hungry for the season ahead. That has now disappeared over recent weeks.

Will McLaren dump Honda for another engine supplier? – A seventh question.

It would not be construed as a bad move for a team who haven’t seen one of their drivers win a world championship since 2008. Run that year through your mind again. 2008 – nine years since a McLaren driver won a championship.

They are not one of the teams running at the front any longer.

Zak Brown has gone on record as saying this is not going to be a quick fix.

How long is too long? – An eighth question.

It is now as I sit here typing this article I realise there are far too many questions than answers and heading into the new season it pains me to say it, but I just don’t think McLaren are anywhere near ready for being competitive. I also believe that if these problems are not sorted in pretty quick time, Fernando Alonso will walk away. A spare seat and a man like Jenson Button waiting in the wings.

Who would want to step into this cauldron of the unknown? – A ninth question.

Can McLaren really work with Honda? – A tenth question.

This weekend we will find out how far they have pushed on, what the team have done to rectify the problems they faced in testing and what they can possibly do to make this season less painful than it already is, before it has started.

Is a Mercedes engine the answer? – An eleventh question.

Is Ferrari an alternative solution? – A twelfth question.

All these answers and more will become clear soon.

Will they be the right answers? – The final question.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

23rd March 20173rd July 2017

Alan Jones, the First of Many

Over the course of its forty-year history, the Williams team has taken some of the biggest names in Formula One to the heights of world title glory. As part of our Williams Week celebrations, James Matthews looks back through the career of their very first champion—the inimitable, no-quarter Australian, Alan Jones.

Despite the success that was to come, Jones’ racing career didn’t get off to the most fortuitous of starts. After following in the motorsport footsteps of his father, Stan Jones, by racing Minis and Coopers in his native Australia, Jones made the bold decision to leave home in 1967 and try his luck on the European circuit.

But almost immediately, Jones found he had severely underestimated the financial realities of racing in Europe. His talent and tenacity was rarely in question, but without a major backer that counted for little, and by 1974 his dream looked to be over before it had even begun—until, that is, a chance meeting in the Formula Atlantic paddock with former racer and privateer team owner Harry Stiller. Here at last was the lifeline Jones so sorely needed: impressed by what the Australian could do on track, Stiller purchased a Hesketh 308 and arranged for Jones to make his Formula One debut in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix.

Once into F1, Jones’ career truly began to take off. Moving away from Stiller’s privateer outfit, he put in points-scoring performances for both the Hill and Surtees teams and established himself as a figure admired for both his hustling inside the cockpit and laid-back personality outside of it; it was during this time that he also became a close friend of James Hunt, who gave Jones the nickname “Big Al”.

His breakthrough season came in 1977, when the tragic death of Tom Pryce in that year’s South African Grand Prix led to an opening at the Shadow team. Despite the ominous circumstances surrounding it, Jones grasped the opportunity with both hands and used it to make his mark on the sport, by turning a points-capable car into a leftfield winner at the wet-dry Austrian Grand Prix—a victory so unexpected that the organisers didn’t even have the Australian national anthem to play during the podium ceremony.

With a maiden Grand Prix win under his belt, Jones was now firmly in the spotlight for the 1978 season, and shortly after leaving the Österreichring he received an invitation to Italy to discuss driving for none other than Enzo Ferrari himself.

In the end, however, Jones’ Ferrari dream became another of F1’s “what if?” moments. The Scuderia opted instead for Gilles Villeneuve, and Jones turned to his old friend Frank Williams, who was looking for a top driver to energise his fledgling eponymous team; after meeting in secret beside a motorway near Didcot, the pair agreed to join forces for the ’78 season.

The partnership was a winning one from the start. Together with Williams’ guidance and Patrick Head’s designs, Jones was able to deliver the Williams team’s first podium at the 1978 US Grand Prix, before going better again to take four wins in the following year’s FW07.

In 1980, Jones found himself at the very top of the field for the first time in his F1 career. His first outings in the FW07B yielded a win in Argentina and a third place in Brazil, followed by another two wins and four further podiums across the eight-race European leg—indeed, such was the pace of the Williams that Jones never completed a race that year in any position lower than third.

The season quickly became known for the intense title contest between Jones and future Williams champion Nelson Piquet, and when the two lined up together on the front row at the penultimate round in Canada they were separated by just a single point in the Brazilian’s favour.

Considering the title that was on the line the race began in suitably dramatic fashion, as Jones and Piquet made contact off the line and triggered a pileup at the first corner. Both men were able to restart the race, but the Cosworth engine in Piquet’s spare car was still tuned to qualifying specification and was as fragile as it was fast—after twenty-three laps it blew up, gifting Jones the lead of the race and ultimately the championship.

With his triumph in 1980, Alan Jones became the first Australian driver to win the F1 title since Jack Brabham, and together with his teammate Carlos Reutemann helped Frank Williams’ team to the first of its nine Constructors’ Championships.

The following year Jones returned with Williams to defend his title and again began the season with a win. But between a renewed Nelson Piquet and the fractious intra-team conflict with Reutemann, Jones could manage only one more victory in 1981 and conceded the title by four points to Piquet.

At the end of 1981 Jones announced his departure from both Williams and Formula One. In ’82 he returned home to dominate the Australian GT championship in a Porsche 935, and in ’84 finished in sixth place at Le Mans and fourth at Bathurst; the following year, a one-off return to single seaters saw him make the podium substituting for Mario Andretti in the ’85 Wisconsin Champ Car race.

But although Jones would also revisit the F1 grid multiple times following his first retirement, first with Arrows and then the ill-fated Haas Lola squad, he was to add only four more points to a career that included twelve Grand Prix victories, six pole positions and the 1980 World Championship.

The achievements of Alan Jones may always suffer from being seen in the shadow of his successors—the superstars of the ‘80s, Piquet, Prost, Senna and Mansell. But whilst he may not match their tallies of wins and titles, Jones’ 1980 championship remains as integral a part of the Williams story as any of those that followed—for if nothing else, Alan Jones will always be their first.

James Matthews, Editor-at-Large

23rd March 20173rd July 2017

Mercedes far from favourites in Melbourne

Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Thursday 09 March 2017.
World Copyright: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _31I6887

When Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas enter the cockpits of their new Mercedes W08s in Melbourne this week, they will, for perhaps the first time in many years, be piloting the Silver Arrows into the unknown.

After three consecutive years of domination from Mercedes, much was made of the chance the 2017 regulations revamp would bring for the German marque to be, if not entirely overhauled, then at least kept honest by the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull.

And whilst it’s clear the team at Brackley have produced no slouch with their new challenger, the signs from testing do appear to be positive for those wanting something other than a season of Mercedes-led processions.

The prodigious speed shown by Ferrari in Barcelona will be a particularly large elephant in the Mercedes garage this weekend. With the test-topping times set by Räikkönen and Vettel still rattling around the paddock consciousness, one could hardly blame Mercedes for having a few flashbacks to last year’s Australian Grand Prix—when both Ferraris breezed past the Silver Arrows at the start, and might have gone on to win had it not been for a strategy blunder allowing Rosberg and Hamilton back in front.

And as if Ferrari’s pace weren’t enough of a concern, the Scuderia may also have another advantage over Mercedes in the handling of its car. Many observed from testing that not only was the SF70-H a potential pacesetter, it also appeared top of the class in terms of drivability; by comparison, the Mercedes W08 seemingly required much more hustling around the lap than its predecessors, and when speaking to Motorsport.com Hamilton suggested the complexity of its aerodynamic package made it difficult to get the car “into a good window”.

If that is indeed the case, Mercedes could well struggle in these early races to unleash its full potential against Ferrari—a problem further compounded by the time it will take to fully integrate both Valtteri Bottas and James Allison into its development process.

It’s undoubtable that Mercedes will continue to be a race-winning and title-contending team this season. But as for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, they may just have to settle for second-best.

James Matthews, Editor-at-Large

23rd March 20173rd July 2017

TeamByTeam MotoGP Preview: Gresini Aprilia

The Gresini Aprilia Team had a fairly successful season in 2016, picking up a best result of 7th by both Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl. However, with both former champions moving on from Aprilia, 2017 could be a bit more of a learning year for the team. Aleix Espargaro comes across from Suzuki and Sam Lowes graduates from Fausto Gresini’s Moto2 outfit. A great mix of experience and excitement could see Aprilia produce something a little bit special this year and how good would it be if they could step on the podium?

Aleix Espargaro had quite a fall out with Suzuki last season, particularly when it came to a contract renewal. Having been with Suzuki since their return, the Catalan was unceremoniously dumped by the Japanese manufacturer, leaving him with no ride. After speculation about replacing Tom Sykes at Kawasaki, Aleix signed for Aprilia – staying in the paddock for two more years. Aleix has been one of the unluckiest riders in MotoGP but a 4th last year has been his best result of the last two seasons. Yet to get a podium since his incredible Aragon performance in 2014, Aleix has looked good in testing, putting the Aprilia in the top half-dozen during the Phillip Island test. The 27-year-old has a wealth of knowledge and could improve the Aprilia, having ridden a Ducati, Suzuki and ART Aprilia. Can Espargaro take Aprilia to their first ever podium in MotoGP?

Sam Lowes joins Aleix in the Factory Aprilia set up, having finished 5th in last year’s Moto2 championship, with two wins and a further four podiums. The former World Supersport champion has been doing the most of his testing on the old bike, leaving it more-or-less up to Espargaro to test the new machine – as Lowes gets used to riding a MotoGP prototype. The big question for Sam will be whether he can calm his aggressive riding style. Six crashes last season meant that Lowes’ otherwise consistent performances just didn’t amount to a title challenge. He will be looking at Bautista and Bradl’s data from last year to see if he is in the same ball park but also to see if the bike can be improved. The Pramac Ducati’s have to be the target come the end of the year for Sam, whether or not he takes points early on is yet to be discovered but I think he could be a bit of an underdog.

The Aprilia has been a bit of a dog over that last two seasons. However, Alvaro Bautista made the bike shine on many occasions towards the end of the year, putting it in the top 10 to be seeded into the 2nd round of qualifying in both Japan and Malaysia. The bike cracked the top 10 14 times with both riders breaking into the top 10 at the same time on four occasions. The bar has definitely been set high for the team but the team will be more concerned with the distance to the winner than their actual track position. It has been developed from cumbersome to nimble rather rapidly and the top speed of the bike is now 350kmh or 218mph to us Brits. The bike could then be rather rapid when we get to Mugello.

The Aprilia definitely got stronger throughout the year but there are a few circuits it seems to be able to do well at. Catalunya has been good to Bautista, finishing 10th in 2015 and 8th in 2016 – just 1.5s off Andrea Dovizioso’s Factory Ducati. The team have a pretty good record at Aragon, with a double top 10 finish in 2016, as well as Motegi. Phillip Island was kind to them, with their best qualifying since their return to the series. The pattern seems to be that circuits with long, sweeping corners suit the bike, maybe because it is rather long, allowing for stability.