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  • Silverstone Circuit to be resurfaced ahead of 2019 British Grand Prix

    Silverstone Circuit to be resurfaced ahead of 2019 British Grand Prix

    The Silverstone race track is to be resurfaced in June ahead of both the F1 and MotoGP races.

    The news comes as bosses of both Silverstone and F1 desperately scrap to come to an agreement to keep the F1 race alive at Silverstone, and try to avoid the British GP moving to a different and perhaps less favourable home.

    Situated on the site of what used to be a military airbase converted into a race track in the 1940s, Silverstone has been the sole home of the British Grand Prix since 1987, having alternated with Brands Hatch and Aintree prior to that.

    Last year saw a resurfacing job completed on the track ahead of the start of the F1 season. Now, another resurfacing will be completed just a month before the Formula One race towards the end of June, and two months before the MotoGP race in August.

    2018 British Grand Prix, Sunday – Wolfgang Wilhelm

    So, why the same job twice in as many years? You may remember the MotoGP race that was supposed to take place in August last year, but never did. Race day brought with it typically British weather, and alleged drainage problems meant the rainwater could not be cleared. As such, the race could not be contested or even rescheduled, and travelling fans had to be reimbursed after what turned out to be a disaster of a weekend for them. The track is thus being resurfaced again to avoid the same problems from occurring this year.

    The source of the funding for this year’s job is as yet, according to Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle, uncertain. There is still an ongoing investigation as to whether Aggregate Industries – the company who surfaced the track last year – were at fault for the cancellation of the 2018 MotoGP race, and therefore should have to compensate for this year’s job, or whether the Silverstone circuit will have to fund it themselves.

    If Silverstone has to pay for the job itself, it will be a huge dent in its plans to host the race beyond its current deal which expires this year. Last year’s MotoGP cancellation cost Silverstone a huge amount of money, and having to pay for a job they feel should be paid for by the company whose alleged poor drainage cost them will result in struggles to pay the F1 race hosting fees beyond this year.

    The Silverstone management is not the only disgruntled party. Lewis Hamilton described the 2018 resurfacing as ‘the worst job ever,’ so all was not well even before the MotoGP disaster of August.

    Ferrari Media

    In terms of the racing, the change in surface will mean that the track will not be rubbered in and there will be no racing line, resulting in less grip. Therefore, the lap times over the course of the weekend will take longer to fall as the drivers try to find traction.

    There is, however, another potential plot twist. Stuart Pringle was quoted as saying that he ‘hopes’ the job will be complete ahead of the F1 Grand Prix. Missing the race would be another big hit in terms of revenue, and it would mean that F1 would have to search for a new home for the race. British GT will be the last event run before the F1  race, and several club meetings have already been cancelled to accommodate the job. They will be hoping and praying the track will be ready for F1’s British Grand Prix weekend between the 12-14 July.

    The race is an extremely popular one for the fans, drivers, and teams alike. The campsites along with by the ample grassland allow for fans to enjoy barbecues over the course of the weekend. The track is vastly expansive and the Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel complex is truly a sight to behold.

    Because of the popularity of the track, it would be nice for F1’s British Grand Prix to stick around in Northamptonshire for a few years yet, but the resurfacing job really is just the surface of the many issues the Silverstone track faces in 2019.

     

    [Featured image – Andrew Hone]

  • MotoGP: Vinales Storms to Qatar Pole Position

    MotoGP: Vinales Storms to Qatar Pole Position

    The 2019 MotoGP World Championship enjoyed its first qualifying session of the new season in Qatar, with impressive-looking rookies and a tight field meaning it was to be a fantastic session.

    Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) took his second pole in successive grands prix after his wet weather pole in Valencia last November. Vinales reeked of confidence, lapping on his own in what were treacherous conditions – and his aggression on the brakes into the final corner was spectacular, the weight catapulting onto the front tyre. Despite being just under two tenths shy of Marc Marquez’ (Repsol Honda Team) outright lap record from Friday night, Vinales took pole by nearly two tenths, and consistently fast times posted in FP4 suggest he could be in the frame for the victory tomorrow.

    Maverick Viñales grabs the first 2019 MotoGP pole At Qatar. Image courtesy of Yamaha Corporation

    But it will a difficult race for Vinales. Despite having a pace as strong as anybody, he will have to fight against bikes which are between 15kph and 20kph faster than him in the front straight.

    One of those bikes is the Ducati Desmosedici GP19, and in particular the one ridden by Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati). The Italian has been almost invisible throughout the weekend, but in the long runs he has perhaps the best pace, and when it mattered, he showed he had the one-lap speed to give him a good grid position, finally taking second place.

    In the past, the equal pace with his rivals would have been enough for Dovi, thanks to the straight-line speed of the Ducati. However, in Q2 Marc Marquez displayed the new engine in the Honda in its full potential, drafting past Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) on his way to the back of the front row.

    Marquez had looked uncomfortable throughout the session, and in the end it was the tow provided by Petrucci that fired him onto the front row. Marquez also suffered two crashes on Saturday, in FP3 and FP4. The suggestion of a slightly weaker front end on the 2019 Honda compared to its predecessor means that its pilots could be some of those most at risk if the temperature is low tomorrow, and that seems to be what caught both Marquez and his Repsol Honda teammate Jorge Lorenzo out in Saturday night’s sessions.

    Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) took the fourth fastest time despite a crash late on in Q2. In this, Miller scored the first point in the sub-championship going on this season with himself, Danilo Petrucci and Miller’s Alma Pramac teammate Pecco Bagnaia, who are all fighting for the second spot in the factory Ducati team for 2020 alongside Dovizioso.

    Danilo Petrucci and Marc Marquez at Qatar MotoGP Qualifying. Image courtesy of Ducati

    The middle of the second row sees the surprise of the weekend so far, with Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) qualifying fifth on his MotoGP debut. Quartararo has been fast all weekend, especially over one lap, and he put that into perfect practice in Q2. Like Vinales he will have his work cut out tomorrow against bikes which are so much faster than his, but already this weekend has been a big success for the Frenchman, beating both his teammate, Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Yamaha stablemate Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in in his first ever premier class qualifying, and supposedly all with five-hundred revs taken off the top of his M1’s motor.

    The second row for tomorrow’s MotoGP race will be rounded out by Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda CASTROL), who made a stunning return after an injury from which he is still recovering to qualify sixth on a motorcycle with which he does not feel completely comfortable. Crutchlow is worried for the race, just to finish, if it starts at the planned 8pm, so it will be interesting to see what he can achieve tomorrow.

    Danilo Petrucci has some outstanding-looking race pace, but he will be hoping Ducati’s holeshot device will propel him past some of the riders in front of him tomorrow, so that he can use that pace, after qualifying only seventh, in front of Franco Morbidelli and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda IDEMITSU on row three.

    As disappointed as Petrucci will be, the feeling will be similar for Alex Rins (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) after the Spaniard only managed tenth place on the grid for the opening race after such an impressive preseason. Rins will be joined by his teammate, Joan Mir (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) on the fourth row tomorrow.

    Francesco Bagnaia was the fastest of those riders who did not make it through to Q2, and will start thirteenth tomorrow. On the face of it, especially with fellow rookies Quartararo and Mir in fifth and eleventh respectively, thirteenth doesn’t seem so fantastic for the reigning Moto2 World Champion, but the Italian will share the fifth row of his first GP with some hefty names: Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo.

    Valentino Rossi under the lights of Losail circuit. Image courtesy of Yamaha Corporation

    Rossi’s problems started on Friday evening, when an out-of-balance front tyre destroyed itself in five laps and left the Italian out of Q2 overnight. FP3 was too hot, too windy and too dusty for The Doctor to make an improvement and get into the top ten, and then a difficult Q1 saw him end his Saturday early, qualifying only fourteenth for the opening round of the championship. Unfortunately for Rossi, he has become only too accustomed to failing to make it out of Q1, and now tomorrow he faces another big fight back – one which, on paper, he seems entirely incapable of achieving. Rossi needs something big overnight if he is to make a good result tomorrow night.

    Lorenzo’s problems also started when he failed to make the top ten on Friday night. The Spaniard then suffered a nasty high side on the exit of turn six early on in FP3, meaning he had to miss the rest of the session. After starting Q1 quite strong, the Repsol Honda rider looked good to advance to Q2, but a crash at the start of his second run ended those hopes, and he will start fifteenth tomorrow.

    Jorge Lorezno at Qatar MotoGP qualification. Image courtesy of Yamaha Corporation

    Seventeenth on his debut MotoGP grid is what faces Red Bull KTM Tech 3’s Miguel Oliveira tomorrow, as the Portuguese starts between the Spanish duo of his KTM stablemate Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in sixteenth and 2014 Moto2 World Champion Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) in eighteenth.

    Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) will head up row seven tomorrow for his debut on the RSGP. Iannone had a bike problem at the end of Q1, although it didn’t seem as though he had the speed to make it to Q2 regardless. The Italian will be joined on row seven by Karel Abraham (Reale Avintia Racing) and Johann Zarco who will make his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing debut from twenty-first.

    Hafizh Syahrin (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) still looks to be struggling to adapt to the RC16, and the Malaysian will start twenty-second tomorrow, in front only of Aprilia wildcard Bradley Smith (Aprilia Factory Racing).

    Featured Image courtesy of Yamaha corporation

  • Moto2: First Moto2 for Schrotter

    Moto2: First Moto2 for Schrotter

    For the first time in the history of the intermediate class of grand prix motorcycle racing, the qualifying session in Qatar for the opening round of the 2019 Moto2 World Championship was split into two parts. In the same way as Moto3, the fastest fourteen riders from the combined free practice times would be joined in the pole position shoot-out of Q2 by the four fastest riders in Q1.

    The four advancing riders from Q1 were: the Sky Racing Team VR46 duo of Luca Marini and class rookie Nicolo Bulega; Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) and Iker Lecuona (American Racing KTM), the Spaniard the beneficiary of Fabio Di Giannantonio (+Ego Speed Up) having his fastest lap cancelled.

    As in the preceding Moto3 Q2, there was some bunching out on track as riders looked to get a tow. However, the rider who took pole made his lap time on his own, and he did it over and over. Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP) took his first Moto2 pole position as a result of a 1’58.585, which followed a series of laps from the German which would have been good enough or pole.

    Marcel Schrötter,gets the first pole of 2019 Moto2 Season. Image courtesy of Dynavolt Intact GP

    In the end, Schrotter’s advantage over second place was 0.146 seconds, and it was over Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) who put himself in almost the perfect position for his debut with his new squad tomorrow.

    Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) ensured it was three different nationalities on the front row of the first Moto2 round of the 2019 season, but also that it was a Kalex front row lockout for the first GP of the Triumph-powered era of the Moto2 World Championship. Baldassarri finished second in Qatar last season, and will hope that this good grid position will allow him to go one better this time round.

    Fourth place went to Luca Marini after he made it through from Q1. The Italian could have been on the front row but a crash at turn two in the closing stages of the session put him out of contention.

    Marini will be joined on the front row tomorrow by the two riders who arguably came into this season as the favourites for the race win: Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) in fifth and Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) in sixth. Whilst both Lowes and Gardner would have perhaps hoped for more, the second row gives them a good position from which they can fight for the top positions.

    Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was the top non-Kalex rider as he put his KTM eighth place, between the two Kalex’s of Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) – seventh on his Moto2 return – and Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) who begins his fifth season in Moto2 from ninth on the grid.

    Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) will start tomorrow’s GP from tenth, ahead of Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in eleventh. Martin had a crash midway through Q2, which limited his chances. Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) completed the fourth row.

    Enea Bastianini has looked to have top ten pace all weekend, but could only manage thirteenth on his debut for the Italtrans squad. He will be joined by Tetsuta Nagashima and fellow rookie Nicolo Bulega on row five tomorrow.

    After passing through Q1, Iker Lecuona qualified sixteenth, ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) – who like his teammate has shown better than his qualifying result throughout the weekend – and Bo Bendsneyder (NTS RW Racing GP).

  • Moto3: Canet Eases to Qatar Pole

    Moto3: Canet Eases to Qatar Pole

    Saturday in Losail for the first round of the Moto3 World Championship saw for the first time a segmented qualifying for the lightweight class. It would see the top fourteen riders from the combined free practice times compete in Q2 along with the four fastest riders from Q1.

    The four fastest riders from Q1 were Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46), John McPhee (Petronas SRT), Ai Ogura (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) and Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team). These would therefore fight it out for pole position in the second fifteen minute qualifying session, along with the fourteen fastest riders from the combined free practice times.
    Although the new qualifying format for Moto3 was intended to reduce the amount of bunching on track, and to stop as many people waiting for a tow, the majority of the field – in both sessions – found themselves occupying the same 200 metres of track.

    Aron Canet at Losail, Qatar 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

    In the melee, Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) managed to put together a strong lap, at the end of which he found a useful tow from Vicente Perez (Arizona Reale Avintia) with which he managed to set a time good enough for pole position. It was the perfect start to his partnership with Max Biaggi’s collaborative effort with Peter Oettl, and moreover the perfect way to start what he will hope to be a championship challenge.

    Second fastest was Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing), just under two tenths shy of Canet’s time. The Italian has been largely under the radar for most of preseason and throughout the winter. However, let’s not forget that he took the first podium of his career in Qatar twelve months ago.

    Completing the front row was Kaito Toba (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), for his first ever front row start in grand prix racing, and has had a good weekend so will be hoping to fight for the podium tomorrow.

    John McPhee took fourth place from Q2 to start from the head of the second row, after a difficult start to the weekend (hence he went through Q1) the Scot seems to have turned it around, and has a good shot at making a good result tomorrow.

    Niccolo Antonelli (Sic58 Squadra Corse) has been fast this weekend, despite falling twice (the first crash being the first of any grand prix rider this year). Fifth place gives him a good starting position for tomorrow, and he will hope to capitalise on that on a track at which he won in 2016.

    Rounding out the second row for the first round of the season is Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team).

    Seventh fastest in Q2 was Tony Arbolino (Snipers Team), and he will be joined on the front row by Celestino Vietti in his first race as a full time grand prix rider and Vicente Perez – who is in a similar situation to Vietti.

    The top ten was rounded out by reigning Moto3 Junior World Champion Raul Fernandez after he passed through Q1. He will be joined on the fourth row of the grid tomorrow by Romano Fenati (Snipers Team) – who should have been on the front two rows at least, but for a miscalculation in sending him out for the final run meant he didn’t get a flying lap in at the end – and the injured Gabriel Rodrigo (Gresini Racing).

    Kazuki Masaki (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) took thirteenth place, ahead (provisionally) of Jakub Kornfeil (PruestelGP) who was seen blocking Kaito Toba mid-session. Ai Ogura impressively rounded out the fifth row on his debut as a full-time grand prix rider.

    Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) will be disappointed with sixteenth place in the opening qualifying session of the season, as will Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai) who was up inside the top ten before his lap was deleted. 2018 Valencia GP winner Can Oncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo) rounded out the sixth row.

    Featured image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

  • The fastest lap frenzy: what impact will it have?

    The fastest lap frenzy: what impact will it have?

    Formula One’s hybrid era is known for a lot of things: the vanquishing of the V8 banshee scream, abundant engine penalties and, most importantly, the ever-widening chasm between the series’ Goliaths and Davids.

    The Davids are now so hamstrung that some previously balanced stats now read as though they were handed to us as a death note. Since Williams’ brief giant-killing stage subsided in 2016, only five podiums have featured a non-top three driver – Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez (twice) in 2016, Lance Stroll in 2017 and Perez again last season.

    Wins? You have to reach as far back as the 2013 Australian Grand Prix, when Kimi Raikkonen prevailed with Lotus-Renault. Even then, Lotus was arguably only slower than the Red Bull and Mercedes, making it a loose inclusion.

    Teams now race in an era where clinging to within a second of sixth is the podium result itself, and the elite dangle their cash reserves in front of prospective B-teams like a carrot laced with the poison of compliance.

    Liberty Media understands this is an issue. Not enough to actually re-shape F1’s tainted foundations, but enough to feel a cosy rug can hide the living room mess for the time being. Their latest idea to give a helping hand to the midfield is a point for fastest lap.

    Photo by Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images

    If passed, the rule can only be described as compromised and pretty exploitable.The picture that sprung to mind was of a Williams or a Toro Rosso giving up a futile chase for 16th and deciding, “to hell with it, softest tyres and a low fuel load – this point is ours”.

    In an extreme case, you’d get a real two-tier series. The ones that are able to keep their noses in the standard ‘overtake to get points’ race do as planned, while the no-hopers battle it out among themselves to nab that extra point.

    As a result of the alarms that started blaring in the heads of the rule-makers, it was decided that it would take a top ten finish to secure the point for fastest lap. But what might sound like an intriguing plan likely won’t pan out as hoped.

    Only four races since the turn of the hybrid era have had a non-top three car take fastest lap within the top ten.  Even then, only three are truly valid—Bottas’ fastest lap in Russia 2014 was in, what was at that stage of the season, arguably the second fastest car. Perez’s in Austria 2014, Daniil Kvyat’s in Spain 2016 and Fernando Alonso’s at Britain 2017 are the only fair examples. Would they have affected their championship standings? No. The last time a fastest lap would’ve changed the midfield championship order was in 2009, when Adrian Sutil’s Italian GP fastest lap would have placed him ahead of 16th place Sebastien Buemi.

    ravas51 / Wikimedia Commons

    History suggests points for fastest lap are a blue moon level of useful for the midfield drivers. But let’s talk the other extreme—title fights. Of the seven showdowns decided by a solitary point or less, the one that had the potential to decide the title by way of a point for fastest lap was 2008.

    Felipe Massa nailed the all-important lap of laps in the title-decider, which would have put him and Lewis Hamilton equal on points—and with six wins to Hamilton’s five, Massa would have been crowned champion on countback. So let’s take a trip through time and ask ourselves: would it have enhanced the fight?

    Fans hold Brazil 2008 as one of the finest races of all time. No lap has ever threatened to break rib cages and set hearts free from the body than that final lap at Interlagos, as Hamilton chased the fifth place he needed to deny Massa the title. But if fastest lap points were on offer, they would have nullified that excitement—Massa set his fastest lap early in the race, and as the last laps were rained out there was no chance of that changing. Massa and Hamilton were fighting just to keep their chariots on the island, rather than go purple on the timing screens.

    Ferrari Media

    So in no case in history have we had a true fight for the title where the fastest lap rule can be used to enhance the show. We’ve also seen that for ten years now, no midfield runner has benefitted from a fastest lap in meaningful fashion. All we’re likely to be left with is low hanging fruit for sixth place, the usual 40 seconds ahead of the midfield pack.

    While Liberty’s attempt to spice things up is admirable, the gatekeeping only serves to give free reign to whatever Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull finds itself in the barren wasteland between the podium fight and the midfield. History spells out irrelevance at best for this latest experiment, insult-to-injury annoyance at worst. Oh how I want it to succeed, but the results of the past only suggests it’s bound for the future’s scrap heap, along with the other well-meant distractions from F1’s real issues.

  • ThePitCrewOnline Exclusive: Susie Wolff for International Women’s Day 2019

    ThePitCrewOnline Exclusive: Susie Wolff for International Women’s Day 2019

    Ask any motorsport fan to name a successful woman within the sport, and usually, Susie Wolff will be amongst the names they provide. The first woman to take part in an F1 weekend in 22 years, Susie is now the team principal of the Venturi Formula E who scored their first podium of the seasion in the Mexican ePrix a few weeks ago, as well as the co-founder of the Dare to Be Different initiative, a non-profit organisation committed to change viewpoints and inspiring young girls and women to participate within the motorsport industry.

    Sarah Jarvis: You’ve had time to become much more comfortable within your new role as team principal. Was the transition period as challenging as you thought it would be?
    Susie Wolff: Yes, it’s definitely been challenging with plenty of changes and improvements to make, but to be honest I’ve relished the opportunity to get stuck in. We’ve made really great progress after a difficult start to the season. In motorsport, ultimately all that matters is performance and, with our first podium of the season in Mexico, I think we’ve demonstrated that we’re on the right track.

    SJ: The FE in-season test featured nine female drivers competing in cars as part of the FIA Women into Motorsports Initiative. Did that feel like a significant step forward in promoting the movement of women into motorsport?
    SW: Yes, I do feel like it was a significant step forward. I also think it clearly demonstrated Formula E’s commitments both to the promotion of women in the sport and also their desire for diversity within the series. The all female in-season test also served as a fantastic reminder of the female talent out there – that’s an incredibly positive thing in my book.

    Image credit: Sam Bloxham

    SJ: With your increased involvement in Formula E, there is an intensity of D2BD initiatives at these events. How important are these events to display at such a vastly popular sport? Are they changing the opinions and viewpoints of young girls?
    SW: The D2BD events are really important and now that we have the official collaboration with the FIA’s Girls On Track initiative, we’re widening our reach even further to a bigger, global audience. Having our launch event in Mexico at the ePrix was a major milestone for the initiative, it also clearly demonstrated Formula E’s commitment to the promotion of grassroots activity for young women. The launch was met with great enthusiasm, not just from the motorsport community but also the local fans who came and participated in the activity, there’s simply no substitute for hands on experience. One of the major additional benefits of teaming up with Formula E in this way is that we have the benefit of some incredible city centre race locations, this goes a long way towards helping raise awareness and generate interest in the activity.

    SJ: Is it imperative to gradually add more racing events to the D2BD calendar for exposure? Are there certain avenues such as F1 and MotoGP that you want to pursue further?
    SW: Now that we are a joint venture with the FIA, we’re not focused on volume of events or trying to be the biggest. What we want to do is foster strong and lasting relationships with the ASNs (the local motorsport authorities) to ensure that the activation is strategic, meaningful and leaves a lasting impression on the young ladies who participate. The impact we have from an inspiration and education perspective is the most important thing to me.

    SJ: With the introduction of the W Series aimed strictly at a female demographic, do you feel it is a positive step towards better representation of women in motorsport?

    SW: Any championship that gives the opportunity to young women to compete is a positive thing. In my view though to become a truly world class professional driver and earn a living in motorsport, you need to compete with the best in the world regardless of gender. Ultimately, motorsport isn’t segregated so I think in the long term, we need to really focus our efforts on bringing more female talent in to the sport across the board so that the best can rise to the top.

    SJ: What advice would you give any young girls or women wanting to break into motorsport, whether it be driving or engineering?
    SW: My advice would be the same whichever field they were looking at: believe in yourself. Find out what it is that you feel passionate about and go for it. Don’t be scared to stand up for yourself and be seen and heard. Work hard, push yourself and never, ever lose the belief in your abilities. Use initiatives like Dare to be Different to connect and widen your network. We have an incredible line-up of ambassadors who provide mentoring and education to the next generation. But above all else, don’t wait for doors to open for you, knock them down.

    For more information on the Dare to be Different initiative: https://www.daretobedifferent.org/

  • F1: Drive to Survive available on Netflix

    F1: Drive to Survive available on Netflix

    Today Netflix launched their long-awaited F1 documentary series. In ten episodes of around thirty minutes each, this series offers a unique view of the world of Formula One. Whether you’re a huge F1 fan or new to this sport, this documentary captures all drama involved in the race to the chequered flag.

    Following drivers and team principals, every episodes focuses on different subjects. So in one episode Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso are the main players, whilst Daniel Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen and Gunther Steiner shine in another.

    Daniel Ricciardo in Aston Martin RedBull Racing garage at the 2018 Mexico Grand Prix. Image courtesy of Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

    One of the main criticisms directed towards the show was the absence of Ferrari and Mercedes. They didn’t allow Netflix to follow them throughout the season as they were in a heated fight for the championship, and all focus should be on that. After watching the series it is clear they are missing, but it doesn’t really have a big impact on the documentary as a whole as all the other teams make up for that. Red Bull, Renault, Haas and all the others offered Netflix a huge amount of freedom to record whatever they saw fit, which can be seen quite easily. Steiner calling Gene Haas after their Australian GP drama is one of those examples.

    The fact that this series is supposed to reach not only F1 fans but also people who don’t watch F1 regularly, makes for a bit of a problem. On the one hand, the series goes further than what F1 fans normally get to see on their TV – the pit crews, principals and family of drivers are all there to add a whole new perspective. On the other hand, the voice-over sometimes is a bit too dramatic and every little aspect of F1 gets explained, which slows down the tempo of the series.

    In the end, it still offers unique insights in the life of the drivers, exclusive behind-the-scenes drama and that all uncensored. From the makers of Senna, a highly praised documentary movie following the life of Ayrton Senna, Formula 1: Drive to Survive is a must see for all F1 fans. All ten episodes are available to watch on Netflix right now.

  • ThePitCrewOnline Exclusive: Bia Figueiredo for International Women’s Day 2019

    ThePitCrewOnline Exclusive: Bia Figueiredo for International Women’s Day 2019

    Bia Figueiredo has had a glittering career in motorsports that spans from Indy Lights to Brazilian Stock Cars. As the first woman to win an Indy Lights series race and the first woman to win at a race car event at the Iowa Speedway, she defined motorsport history and inspired women around the world with her positive attitude and impressive racing. For this International Women’s Day, Bia answered a few of our questions on her career and what it’s like to kick the trend in motorsports. Because this girl can!

     

    Jade du Preez: How did you get into karting when you were young?
    Bia Figueiredo: Since 3 years old I’ve shown passion for cars and speed. I would stay in my dad’s car turning the wheel for hours. I would ask for mini cars together with dolls. My parents decided to take me to a go-kart track and I loved it. I was lucky enough that they had an open mind by that time and supported me in the sport.

    JdP: When did you start to think that you could make a career out of racing?
    BF: When you are a kid you are sure you will make it easily to the top. Growing up I’ve realized that it wouldn’t be that easy. Because of that I started to focus on racing and left to the side my teen life with friends, boyfriends and parties. So, by 16 I decided to do that and put all my energy into racing and finishing school.

    JdP: How do you think motorsports has changed for women since your breakthrough season in 2009?
    BF: Actually I believe 2008 was THE year for women in Racing as I won in Indy Lights, Simona da Silvestro won in Atlantic and Danica Patrick won in IndyCar. On 2010 I made it to Indy 500 with the record of 5 women. So I believe it brought attention to other female drivers working hard to get to a top series.

    JdP: You’ve had a few issues with funding over the years, and as a result had to miss races, do you think this would be an issue if you were a man? 
    BF: Funding is the biggest problem in racing for male or female racers. At the beginning of my career in karting people wouldn’t support me because they thought a girl would never reach Indy Car. But after winning so many races it has changed a lot.

    JdP: And how do you think the issue of female drivers struggling to get funding can be solved?
    BF: There are not many women around the globe that are passionate for racing and speed. And not all of them have the support to move up. I believe if you start winning, things will start to change. Funding was always a problem when I struggled to get good results. So I started to work harder to do things different from guys like working better with social media , TV and others. And kept working hard to win races.

    JdP: You’ve had such an incredible career, what is the highlight for you?
    BF: The highlight is to be able to live from racing. I had support from so many people that believed in me and it is good to know that winning so many races, reaching the top and live from what I love to do make them all proud.

    JP: And looking forward, what goals do you still want to reach?
    BF: I moved from open wheel to V8 Cars in 2014 and feel that adapting wasn’t  easy. In Brazilian Stock Car where 30 cars can be in the same second I was able to reach a top 5 and many top 10. But for me the target still is a podium and a win. The same in IMSA where I should run a few races with Heinricher Racing/ Michael Shank with amazing drivers like Katherine Legge and Christina Nielsen. I can’t thank Jackie Heinricher and Michael Shank enough for giving me a new chance in the USA.

  • ThePitCrewOnline Exclusive: Noemí de Miguel for International Women’s Day 2019

    ThePitCrewOnline Exclusive: Noemí de Miguel for International Women’s Day 2019

    As part of our celebration of International Women’s Day, we spoke to Spanish F1 journalist Noemí de Miguel about her love of sports, her work for Spanish broadcaster Movistar and more.

    Emily Inganni: Where did your love of sports first start?
    Noemí de Miguel: From my childhood. I grew up in my grandparents’ house and my grandfather and my uncle (still single then) loved sports and we didn’t watch another thing on TV. You only have to choices: love it or hate it. And seems that I felt in love with sports.

    EI: Was it always your aim to become a sports journalist?
    NM: Indeed. I have been always focused on being a sports journalist and guided my studies and my career to get it from the very beginning.

    EI: Why did you decide to switch from football to Formula 1? How did the opportunity with Movistar come about?
    NM: I felt stuck. I had been working hard to be the best football journalist possible but my position on the company, my contract and opportunities to raise better conditions weren’t what I expected. I felt frustrated working on my dreamed job and at the beginning, I thought that the situation would change in some moment. But nobody changes anything for you. You must do your way. Then, they offered an opportunity working on F1 and I accepted the challenge because you can watch F1 and follow the races but developing yourself as a journalist following the Great Circus is very demanding. I was studying for months to prepare myself.

    EI: How did you feel when you first came into F1? Were you intimidated at all?
    NM: In Melbourne in my very first grand prix I was nervous and the jet lag didn’t help at all. I had been studying, reading and researching all kinds of information, speaking and asking some specialists, but it was my time to prove I was capable of doing a good job; as good as I considered I did working for 10 years on football. And many people tried to pressure me and criticised me for being there coming from football and doubting about my knowledge. But I overcame all those circumstances and my confidence grew quickly. I was very welcomed on the paddock for the main F1 representatives, drivers and colleagues. And soon people on social media changed their minds. It’s a good learning experience to leave your comfort zone, face the difficulties, localise your weaknesses and work hard to fix it.

    Source: Noemí de Miguel Instagram

    EI: F1 is still very male-dominated, what do you think needs to happen to get more women into the series, in roles both on and off the track?
    NM: Fortunately, off the track, there are more and more women coming to play important roles. And the opportunities for a driver is about to happen soon, Tatiana Calderon is in pole position. The problem is the culture of motorsport in women, something in which FIA is working on and also Dare to be Different. As the girls would be educated in the culture of everything is possible for them and every single job is appropriated for them and get away the idea of male and female jobs the number of girls aspiring to be F1 driver will increase, the options of talented drivers also.

    EI: Do you think there has been much progress for women since you started working in F1?
    NM: It’s been a long way but there are more projects running to help the development of female drivers and more women working on F1 teams.

    EI: What would be your advice for anyone trying to get into sports journalism?
    NM: Respect sports and athletes because they are who play the main role. Work hard, you never know everything, be focused, openminded, a good teammate and enjoy the opportunity. And if you are not happy just change yourself and move on for the next challenge.

  • ThePitCrewOnline Exclusive: Sabré Cook for International Women’s Day 2019

    ThePitCrewOnline Exclusive: Sabré Cook for International Women’s Day 2019

    Sabré Cook hit the headlines last year when she won the Renault Infiniti Engineering Academy scholarship at the US GP, but her story goes much further back than that. She balances careers in both racing and engineering , chasing her dreams and encouraging others to follow theirs.

    Emily Inganni: What inspired you to start racing?
    Sabré Cook: My father used to race motocross and supercross professionally, and he and my mother didn’t want my brother and I racing motorcycles so we got into karting. Things started out slow, they even called me driving miss daisy at first! I remember getting teased by one of the boys about him being faster than I was and that really didn’t sit well and just flipped a switch for me. I remember telling my dad through tears that if I had a proper kart (I had an old one just for fun as I wasn’t too serious about racing yet) I could win. Well, he got the kart and the very next race I won. From then on I was hooked and my competitiveness and passion only grew from there.

    EI: You’ve raced in both USF2000 and F4 United States in 2018, how would you compare the two series?
    SC: Both USF2000 and F4 are a great platform for starting along the ladder system to professional open-wheel racing in the US. USF2000 has great competition and provides unique opportunities being paired with the IndyCar calendar. F4 also has good racing, the amazing venue pairing with the US F1 GP at COTA, and the overall cost is lower. Both are good series fielded with talented drivers.

    EI: What drew you to the engineering side of the sport?
    SC: I’d always enjoyed school, specifically math and science subjects. Growing up working on my kart with my dad only fed my interest in the science behind motorsports. Then throughout school, I was blessed with several amazing teachers who nourished my desire to learn.

    EI: How did the opportunity with Renault’s INFINITI programme come about? 
    SC: The Infiniti Engineering Academy (IEA) is a global opportunity available to all engineering and science-related undergraduate and graduate candidates. The program offered by the IEA is the only program in the world that offers a placement for young engineers that stretches from the road car side of the industry to the motorsports side. And not just any motorsports, it’s Formula 1. Having access to work in F1 is a treat very few engineers get. Candidates can apply online and learn more about the program at www.academy.infiniti.com. I highly recommend checking it out!

    EI: What was the selection process like?
    SC: The process first begins with submitting your CV online and taking a short test at www.academy.infiniti.com. Candidates are then selected to be a part of the Skype Interview phase. From there only 10 are chosen from each of the 7 global regions to compete at their respective regional final. (The seven regions being Europe, Asia & Oceania, Canada, US, Mexico, China, and Middle East.)
    Each of the finals extended over two days. On the first day, the 10 finalists complete several challenges including an engineering exam, individual interviews with the judges, and team challenge created by Harvard University; after that, we were divided into two teams to build an RC car and then compete against the other team in a drag race. Three of us then progressed to the second day, which took place in the Renault F1 Team garage at the Circuit of the Americas the day before the Formula 1 US GP.
    On the second day, myself and the other two finalists that made it through completed a technical F1 challenge; this challenge varies per region and it is normally designed by one of the Renault F1 Team technical partners (Pirelli, Castrol, etc.); ours was designed by Perkin-Elmer and it was about diagnostics and trying to find suspect substances in a sample taken from the air filter of the F1 car. This was then followed by the media challenge, which essentially is a simulated press conference with a 30-minute grilling from journalists.
    The judges then selected a winner and the announcement was made in front of the Renault F1 Team garage by Nico Hulkenberg. It was a truly amazing experience, to say the least!

    W Series Driver Selection.
    Melk, Austria.
    Monday 28 January 2019.
    World Copyright: Zak Mauger/LAT Images
    ref: Digital Image _54I4037

    EI: What will your 12-month placement at Renault involve?
    SC: The Infiniti Engineering Academy placement offers 6 months at Infiniti Technical Center and 6 months at Renault F1. I’m currently at the beginning of my placement as a Vehicle Test Engineer at the Infiniti Technical Center. I will be working as a Composite Design Engineer for the second half of my placement when I transition to Renault F1 in the middle of 2019.

    EI: Women are still in the minority in both racing and engineering, have you seen progress being made during your time in the industries, or is more change needed?
    SC: There is certainly an increasing number of women involved in STEM-related jobs, and of course I hope this trend will continue. Racing is a different story, as the number of females involved seems to come in waves. The core issue is that not enough girls are starting at the roots in karting or other introductory levels. Most girls are not encouraged or know motorsports to be an option for them. I was blessed to have parents that believed I could do whatever I put my mind to regardless of the activity or my gender. The more parents that encourage their daughters, the more women in the industry that speak out, take action, actively support programs to get girls more involved, and publicly put out there that little girls can choose motorsports as a career path, the more likely it is we will see the number of female racers steadily increase.

    EI: How are you going to juggle your racing and engineering commitments this year, will one have to take priority?
    SC: I’ve balanced racing and school/engineering since I can remember. Time management, having the right focus, and asking for help when you need it are all key.  Engineering and racing go hand in hand, so one skill is always helping improve the other. I am very blessed that the Infiniti Engineering Academy fully supports my passion and ambition to continue racing, and vice versa with my racing partners understanding and supporting my desire to be an engineer.

    EI: What does the future hold for you in both racing and engineering?
    SC: Truly I cannot be sure, and it will depend on how this year unfolds. That’s life though, the route to your goals never goes exactly to plan. My goals remain the same though, to be an IndyCar driver or F1 Race Engineer… or both! Life is unpredictable, so I cannot say exactly what my path will be. All I know is that I am going to work as hard as possible to achieve my dreams.

    EI: What advice would you give to any youngsters dreaming of careers in racing or engineering?
    SC: Go for what you want, and don’t let the fear of failing hold you back. Believe in yourself. Learn from every opportunity and keep everything in perspective. Positivity is a choice. Embrace every event, even if it seems less than ideal, there is always something to be gained.  But most of all NEVER GIVE UP!