A group of fans have come together through Twitter and Facebook to cheer on D-Mack driver and Welsh Wizard during Rally Wales GB this coming October. The rally takes place from the 26th to the 29th of October.
They’re going to gather together in Myherin, a stage that is very well known in the rally world. The stage is just under 20km’s in length and will be run twice on Friday.
Those currently joining the fun at the moment are, Phil, Kevin, Sam, Lee and Andrew. I asked them what for their hopes were for Elfyn. Here’s what they said to me.
Phil Duke said:
“To show our support for Elfyn, Daniel and D-Mack as they don’t get the acknowledgement they deserve. Hopefully #ELFYNSCORNER will bring the attention to ELFYN and co and to have a laugh and meet new and old friends. This is going to be the first time the whole group has got together so will great to meet them all in person and show our support. Hoping Elfyn and Daniel will have a full time full works backing for 2018 and to be fighting for the win at Wales Rally GB 2017 it’s what he has proved this year that can fight at the front and a win is just around the 6 left!”
Sam Walker adds:
“I for one, think the lad has done amazing to get where he is, he has worked his backside off and done everything asked of him within the BRC and WRC. I think next year, having gained experience with the car and knowing how it works, there is every chance he will be on the podium more often than not. Not sure he is capable of winning just yet, but give him a couple more years and I have high hopes for our very own Welsh lad.”
Kevin Pascoe said:
“My hopes are for a top 2 finish for Elfyn, but a wet Wales Rally GB, with the current tyres, doesn’t inspire confidence for supporters or for him. Taking a longer-term perspective, hopefully good results in Spain and Australia should secure a competitive car and critically tyres for next season. Probably still with Ford, but would not rule out any of the three factory teams. Team managers know the challenges he has faced this year – but he has delivered anyway on most events.”
Lee said:
“I hope Elfyn becomes a world champ and keeps flying our flag with pride” and he added, “he is a national hero to us and he deserves to be a champ.”
Peter Jones said:
“Followed him from his first rally, and seen him grow into what I believe is a driver who can now compete at the very top. Thankful to D-MACK for giving him the opportunity this year, but that has also brought with it some frustrations i.e. Tyres have in most rallies been a handicap, and have beyond doubt held him back from exhibiting his full potential. Hope tyres work well on GB and that he can give it a real go. Hopes for next year is for him to be on Michelins, in a strong car, and getting that first important win.”
“Elfyns’ corner, an opportunity for his fans to get together and show the support he has got, and a chance to meet the idiots I have been tweeting over the past 12 months, and have some fun. Here endeth the lesson.”
Elfyn Evans and Dan Barritt during Rally Finland. They finished second overall.
Now, let me take you back to last year.
Ott Tanak pushed Seb very closely for the win last year with the D-Mack tyres on his Fiesta WRC winning a number of stages and finishing second in the end. Well, Elfyn will be using D-Mack tyres this year. I’m not going to speculate, but my feelings are that he will certainly be running near the front and will definitely take some stage victories.
The conditions in the stages will largely dictate the overall finishing position, and at this point it’s impossible to say what the drivers will face at this point.
However, these fans will hope that their efforts to support Elfyn and Dan will spur the crew to a top result.
All I will say is you won’t miss this banner. It’s huge! Emma Duke, Phil’s wife did most of the work to get it looking so great! Look out for it!
When Red Bull first started in Formula One in 2005 they started out with a reputation for adding fun to the ever-more serious world of F1. Energy drinks tycoon Dietrich Mateschitz took over the ailing Jaguar team having harboured interest in F1 for some time. But for their first driver line-up they far from goofed around.
David Coulthard resurfaced there after losing his McLaren seat to Juan Pablo Montoya, while F300 Champion Vitantonio Liuzzi would share driving duties with Christian Klien. The season started well as a wet-dry-wet qualifying in Australia mixed the grid up. Coulthard took a solid fourth place while Klien also scored on Red Bull’s debut with seventh place. In Malaysia, Coulthard and Klien again scored a double-points finish by taking sixth and eighth respectively, while Coulthard scored a further point in Bahrain. Coulthard was to score again with an eighth place in Spain as Red Bull confirmed a solid start to their Formula One life, but the team were to go through a lean spell through the middle of the season.
David Coulthard, Bosphorus Crossing 2005 – Istanbul Credit: Fatih Saribas/Red Bull Content Pool
Liuzzi scored his only point in San Marino while Coulthard rattled off a fourth and a seventh at the European Grand Prix and in Canada, before the team scored just two points from the next five races. In Turkey, the team scored three points as Coulthard took seventh while Klien followed his teammate home before another three-race scoreless streak to the chaotic Japanese Grand Prix. Another wet qualifying mixed up the grid, and despite Red Bull’s lack of pace relative to the beginning of the season Coulthard was seldom far away from the top three. The Flying Scotsman would eventually finish sixth. Klien would finish a strong fifth in China while Coulthard just missed out on the points at the final round of 2005.
Coulthard would end the season 12th in the World Drivers’ Championship with 24 points, with Klien 15th on 9 and Liuzzi 24th with one point from his four races. The team finished an impressive seventh in the Constructors’ Championship, just four points behind BAR Honda. For 2006, the team would struggle more on their way to 16 points and seventh in the Constructors’ Championship.
The signing of Coulthard added experience to a team entering a new dawn, while Klien showed flashes of speed. The solid performance of Red Bull’s first years inspired confidence of future success for Mateschitz.
Formula 2’s visit to Italy threw up more than a few surprises over the course of the weekend, with a frenetic set of races that saw us leave Monza with the gap between first and second in the championship somehow still at fifty-nine points.
Charles Leclerc’s on track pole position streak finally came to an end when ART’s Nobuharu Matsushita posted the fastest time in a disrupted session on Friday afternoon, while the championship leader sat all the way down in seventh place. It was a mighty recovery for the Japanese driver, who crashed out of the last race in Spa in spectacular style. It also meant that it was something of a shaken up grid that started Saturday’s feature race, with none of the championship front runners even on the front row.
On Saturday it wasn’t even a simple case of the drivers turning up and racing. Thanks to the torrential downpour that led to the cancellation of the GP3 race and the long delay in Formula 1 qualifying, the Formula 2 feature race started around two hours late. The wet conditions also led to the field circulating behind the safety car for six laps, with an extra formation lap added when Santino Ferrucci stalled just as the race was finally about to get underway.
As expected, given the conditions, it was a messy start with contact between the leading cars at the first corner, but Racing Engineering’s Nyck de Vries managed to take the lead from Matsushita. After his disappointing qualifying, Leclerc improved almost immediately to third and into the podium places, which much of the field scrapping behind him as the cars battled through the wet tarmac, a fight saw ART’s Alexander Albon spin and end up at the back of the field.
Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.
Poor visibility from the fountains of spray being kicked up by the cars didn’t stop Leclerc taking second from Matsushita around the final corner of the track. But it was his fellow championship contender, Oliver Rowland, who made up the most amount of places in the opening laps, improving to fifth from thirteenth on the grid by the end of lap 3.
Quickly, Leclerc was gaining on de Vries, circulating comfortably quicker than the McLaren junior as all the drivers learnt how to navigate the difficult conditions. Rowland looked imperiously quick as he moved off the racing line to overtake the experienced Roberto Merhi, moving past Matsuhita barely a lap later. This was a tactic many of the other drivers began to emulate in a bid to find more grip and speed.
De Vries managed to keep a cool head under the pressure being mounted on him by Leclerc, showing that his new stint at Racing Engineering is a far more better fit for him. The majority of the top ten waited until a few laps from the end to pit, with Leclerc making his stop on lap 18 of 23, with de Vries and Rowland coming in a lap later and both of them managing to maintain position.
But the race was by no means decided then, Leclerc wasn’t giving up the chase and disaster struck Rowland on lap 19 when one of his tyres came loose, ending what would have been a truly storming race for the British driver. His abandoned DAMS brought out the safety car with just a handful of laps remaining.
Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.
Racing resumed on lap 21 with a lightning fast restart from the leader de Vries and Leclerc, who pulled away from the now third placed Luca Ghiotto. A mistake by Leclerc at the first corner forced him to cut the chicane and subsequently give the position he gained, which opened the door for Ghiotto who flew into the lead of his home race with only a lap and a half to go. De Vries fought back aggressively with the two cars running side by side down the start/finish straight as they started the final lap of the race. An error under breaking from Ghiotto saw him cut the first chicane but crucially maintain the lead – a mistake that would come back to haunt him later.
Meanwhile Leclerc tried to make the pass on de Vries, narrowly avoiding a collision with Matsushita, only to be forced wide and off the track by the Dutchman. The clumsy move saw Leclerc finish last and de Vries retire with a puncture from the contact. De Vries would later be penalised for the move but the time penalty made little difference to Leclerc and Prema, who were understandably furious about the incident.
It wasn’t all disappointment for Prema however, as their other driver Antonio Fuoco fought his way through to second, making it an Italian 1-2 at Monza, and securing his third podium of the season. ART’s Nobuharu Matsushita finished in third, making up for his poor start from pole, with Nicholas Latifi coming in an impressive fourth place after starting fourteenth. Alexander Albon, who was running dead last on the first lap was another driver who made a strong recovery to finish fifth, followed by Sean Gelael, Sergio Sette Camara and Louis Deletraz in eighth with his best finish of the season so far. Gustav Malja and Artem Markelov picked up the final points of the race.
Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.
But it wasn’t all over yet. In a déjà vu moment similar to the events of Spa one week ago, late into Saturday night it was announced that race winner and home hero Luca Ghiotto had been handed a five second time penalty, stripping him of his victory, and pushing him off the podium entirely, making his final finishing position fourth place. It meant his countryman and Prema driver, Antonio Fuoco collected his first race win of the season, and whose performance proved that his early bad run was not indicative of his talents. Nobuharu Matsushita, therefore, received second place, whilst Nicholas Latifi moved onto the podium to take third.
Alexander Albon, who had finished fifth on track was also given a ten second time penalty for his collision with Norman Nato, which demoted him from the points and into fourteenth place.
The last lap drama of Saturday’s race saw the grid for the sprint race look a little different than we might expect. Without the treacherous conditions of Saturday, Sean Gelael and Louis Deletraz were able to get flying starts, overtaking the reverse grid pole sitter Gustav Malja. The Indonesian driver managed to fight his way into the lead; unfamiliar territory for the Arden driver who is yet to finish higher than fifth place this season.
The sprint race was all about recovery for Rowland and Leclerc, who started near the back of the field and set about trying to cut their way through the field. But they weren’t the only drivers who had a point to prove. Ghiotto was vocal about how disappointed he was to lose his first race win of the season, and was clearly determined to make amends on Sunday.
Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.
Most of the field were bunched together, with the drivers in the podium positions constantly swapping and changing in the first few laps, as Gelael lost his lead to Deletraz and began to slip down the order. Within just seven laps, Ghiotto was back in the podium positions with an uncompromising couple of moves on Gelael and Sette Camara.
Monza is a track renowned for generating massive slipstreams, which, while aiding overtaking, leaves advancing drivers vulnerable to attack from behind. Rapax’s Louis Deletraz learnt this the hard way as he fought to keep the lead from the charging Luca Ghiotto, which he eventually lost on lap 11. Ghiotto was being followed by Sette Camara, but it would be hard to deny the Italian driver the race win which had been taken away from him the day before. The young Brazilian was driving well to prove that his sprint race win in Belgium was not just a case of good fortune, but raw speed and ability.
The close running made a collision seem inevitable, and many of the drivers did pick up damage over the course of the race, including Leclerc, who had worked his way up to ninth but struggled to make it much further with a broken front wing.
Antonio Fuoco was on a mission to secure his first double podium of the season, his speed showing just how confident he is around Monza, especially as he overtook Deletraz with ease for third place.
Luca Ghiotto’s dominant race win was never in doubt this time, and the Italian could feel vindicated that he had driven out of his skin to secure a victory he believed he deserved. It was a mature drive from Sette Camara to take second place, and a strong showing from Fuoco to take third, pleasing the crowd of fans who were cheering on the Ferrari junior driver at Monza. Louis Deletraz’s fourth place was his best finish of the season, and rounded off a much stronger weekend for the Swiss driver, who had floundered a little up until this point. Roberto Merhi, Sean Gelael, Matsushita and Alexander Albon – who made a good recovery from fourteenth on the grid – occupied the final points paying positions, while the championship leaders Leclerc, Rowland and Markelov all finished empty handed.
Photo: Sam Bloxham/FIA Formula 2.
The Italians were undoubtedly the stars of the weekend, and whether it was a case of home turf advantage, both Ghiotto and Fuoco proved that they shouldn’t be overlooked in favour of their teammates. Ghiotto’s performance, including a much needed first race win, has placed him in the picture of the championship fight, as he is now only two points behind his teammate Markelov, and just nine behind Rowland.
The main fight in the driver standings remains unchanged, with Leclerc and Rowland feeling the brunt of bad luck once again and failing to score at all. With his fifty-nine-point lead, if Leclerc can steer clear of trouble in Jerez in a month’s time, then it is possible that he could wrap up the championship in Spain. But the drama and unpredictability of the season so far means that as likely as this might seem, it is far from guaranteed.
Team orders are a topic that often divides fans of Formula One. They are a critical, but at times, unwelcome part of motorsport. Throughout the years, the conflict of whether team orders should be implemented to manipulate results has come to the forefront on a number of occasions. Arguably, the most famous case of team orders was in 2002 when Ferrari’s Rubens Barrichello gifted the race win to his teammate Michael Schumacher in Austria. It was a decision that caused outcry throughout the paddock and the racing world. Schumacher was dominating proceedings and his closest competitor was 21 points behind, making Ferrari’s decision seem a pointless one. After the 2002 season ended, the FIA announced that orders that influenced a race result would be banned. In 2010, despite the ban still been in place, Ferrari once more showed their blatant disregard for the rules at the German Grand Prix. “Fernando is faster than you.” uttered by Felipe Massa’s race engineer, Rob Smedley, is now a phrase that has found it’s place in Formula One history. Massa proceeded to allow his teammate and title contender Fernando Alonso through to clinch the win. However, after the race, Ferrari were reprimanded with a $100,000 fine. It was shortly after this incident that the ban on team orders were lifted. The relaxation of the ban brought about a situation that would be discussed several years later, that would be ingrained into the history of Formula One. The year was 2013. The previous three seasons had been dominated by a new force. Red Bull had claimed the crown of the constructor’s championship and the driver’s championship for the third consecutive time and this season, the aim was no different. They wanted to continue to build on the success they had forged with the dynamic partnership of three time world champion Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.
Credit: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Things however, were not rosy within Red Bull. Over the past three years, it was clear that Red Bull seemed to favour Vettel, leading to quips from Webber such as “Not bad for a number two driver.” at the 2010 British Grand Prix. However, Webber continued to perform admirably, often securing podium finishes to cement Red Bull’s standing at the top of the driver’s championship. The opening race of the 2013 season had not gone to plan for the Austrian based team. Their lead driver Sebastian Vettel had taken pole but thanks to a mistimed pit stop, had to settle for third behind Räikkönen and Alonso. Webber had less luck, struggling with a ECU problem which dropped him to a lowly sixth position. It was not the start that Red Bull had envisioned. Things had to change in Malaysia. They did, but not in the way they had hoped. Vettel claimed a dominant pole but gambled with dry weather tyres early in the race, falling back several positions on the still-wet track. Webber on the other hand, took over the lead of the race and held the position until the last set of pit stops as Vettel carved his way back through the field. However, as lap 44 began and Webber emerged ahead of Vettel in his final pit stop, the delicate harmony that had existed between the two Red Bull teammates would once more be shattered. Red Bull had opted to retain their current 1-2 status. They did not want a repeat of the events that unfolded at the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix. The situation had been identical. Webber had fended off a chasing Vettel until fuel saving had left him open to attack. Vettel had dived down the inside but the two teammates collided, sending Vettel spinning into the gravel and out of the race. Webber recovered to take third place. Both drivers blamed the other for the crash. Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko and team principal Christian Horner were livid and for good reason, their driver’s actions had thrown away the perfect team result. “Multi map 2-1, multi map 2-1.” was the order given to Vettel in Malaysia as he chased down his teammate, hungry for his first win of the season. Red Bull wanted to preserve their driver’s current positions. However, the three time world champion chose to ignore the order, continuing to press Webber. Horner chose to intervene at that moment, seeing Vettel on the gearbox of the sister car. He told Vettel to give Webber space and to hold position. But that order was also ignored by Vettel who pressed forward, pulling alongside Webber. Webber fought back, but it was to no avail. Vettel got ahead of the Australian at turn four, going on to claim another victory and the top spot of the driver’s championship. Webber finished second, but he was furious that Vettel had ignored direct team orders.
Tempers flared in the cool-down room as Webber uttered the infamous words “Yeah, Multi 21, Seb. Multi 21.” reinforcing the team orders that Vettel had disregarded. His anger continued into the press conference as he confirmed that Vettel had made his own decisions but he would probably be afforded protection as the main driver at the Austrian outfit.
Credit: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Although Vettel apologised at the end of the race, his teammate’s remarks made him withdraw his apology ahead of the next race in China. He claimed that he had not understood the instruction he was given and that Webber did not deserve to win, pointing to the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix as evidence. Vettel had fought back from last to sixth, only for his progress to be hindered by his teammate. Thankfully, for the championship leader, fellow German Michael Schumacher allowed him to pass, clinching the title by a mere three points.
It wasn’t until 2015 when Webber was finally able to release his book Aussie Grit that further details on the incident were released. Vettel had sent lawyer’s documents to Red Bull, preventing them from reprimanding him further. By this point, however, the dust had settled on the events and they were a distant memory. Despite this, the Multi 21 situation changed everything. It is still discussed within fans of motorsport, even today. The team were left embarrassed by Vettel’s comments, the gulf between their two drivers was plain to see. The decision to allow team orders in the sport was once again questioned as fans feared that it diluted the excitement of watching drivers duel without any influence. Despite this animosity, Vettel still claimed his fourth consecutive title in dominating fashion that season. However, it came at the cost of losing Webber. In June 2013, the Australian called time on his eleven year Formula One career, declaring that he was moving on to drive for Porsche on their new LMP1 sportscar programme.
Webber has never stated that the Multi 21 situation alone was reason for him to choose to walk away from the successful team. It seems, rather, to be one of a number of catalysts that forced his decision. He no longer wanted to sit back and watch his teammate get the preferential treatment. It turned out to be a decision worth making as Webber would go on to claim the 2015 WEC championship with teammates Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley.
Credit: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Rivalries between teammates have become part of what makes Formula One great. Two men fighting side by side in the same machinery. Prost and Senna. Mansell and Piquet. Alonso and Hamilton. Hamilton and Rosberg. These names are forever ingrained in the history of the sport together, as fierce competitors in intense battles. Vettel and Webber are no exception to this. Multi 21 however, exposed the ugly side of being teammates, of favouring one driver over the other blatantly played out in the public eye. Team orders have always been a part of motorsport. They always will be as teams push to claim the result that suits them best. Multi 21 was not the first time team orders were issued and ignored, nor will it be the last. It will still remain as one of the great controversies of the sport for years to come, cementing both Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber as fierce competitors during their time together at Red Bull.
Despite not being able to run their Superbike at Cadwell Park – due to a John Hopkins injury – I caught up with team manager, Iain Hopcroft. Iain discussed the team’s season so far and how it hasn’t gone to plan, the plan for 2018 and the prospects of a wildcard appearance at Donington Park next season!
How has 2017 gone for you so far?
So far, not to plan. During pre season testing with John we were extremely fast and to be honest, I was hoping that we could continue that positivity into the racing season. We arrived at the first round at Donington Park and we were very fast so all was looking good but we had three crashes, which is unheard of for most teams and especially John. in the morning warm-up, John’s final crash was coming out of Goddard’s and he broke his foot.
We moved on to round two, at Brands Hatch Indy and then Oulton park. John was still in pain. That put us on the back-foot for the opening part of the year. Obviously, it’s hard to recover from the points loss and puts pressure on the rider. Also, with round two and three being so close together, it gave little time in between to heal.
When the North West 200 came along and then the Isle of Man TT, it was a welcome break for us to refocus and for John to get back to full fitness.
However, we then arrived at Knockhill. John was pushing hard and he fell off. This time, he broke his hand. We had some ECU problems at Knockhill, which is unheard of but for some reason, it’s happened a lot this year to a few other teams too. So Knockhill was just super frustrating. The plan at the start of the year was to aim for the top six, get into the showdown and work it all out from there.
Snetterton was pretty good. John had a little punch-up with his bike on Saturday – after a bit of over-revving around Coram Curve. The races were strong. We were very happy with that. Since then, things haven’t been too bad – until we got to Cadwell Park and again, John injured himself and put himself out for the Sunday races with ligament damage.
There’s been a bit of pressure on John, as he was brought into the team to deliver. A rider of John’s caliber expects to be fighting at the sharp end of things. Especially after we had strong races together in 2015.
Back to this year, we’re aiming for the top eight now, seeing as we can’t get into the Showdown. We want to end the year strong with some silverware.
How much have ECU problems or machine issues held you back this year?
We have had a good year so far with a couple of minor issues. The team has been fantastic all season long and I couldn’t fault them. The Knockhill issue was a minor Motec problem which is totally out of our hands but was soon rectified by the technical support of Motec.
Hopkins hasn’t been happy at some points this year but the run into the end of the season suggests that he may well be a front runner.
What is your aim for the rest of the year?
John is aiming to give the team podiums at Silverstone! it’s a track that he really enjoys and has held the lap record there in previous years. It is also a triple-header, so with 75 points up for grabs, it’d be nice to take them all.
The last four tracks are tracks that John loves so we head into them with great positivity. Brands Hatch GP is also a good track, as John gave us a podium there in 2015 so the run-in to the end of the year shows a lot of promise.
What are the advantages of using the Ducati? You guys were the only team for a long time to run the Panigale.
Since the Panigale came out in 2012, we were the only team in the world to run the bike. In 2013, WSBK introduced it. Our relationship with Ducati is very strong. It is great that Paul Bird has decided to use Ducatis as it brings along a team friend in Giovanni Crupi, who is also Shakey’s crew chief.
How close are you to the Paul Bird Motorsport team?
We know that John and Shane are different so setting the bike up is also quite different. We all get along very well and it is great to have a Ducati Corse engineer (Giovanni Crupi) in the paddock. If there are any questions, we can ask the factory and they will help. Giovanni has been instrumental in the design of the Panigale and he has been very helpful with the chassis set up in the past.
There’s no difference at all with the bikes. Paul Bird may have a bigger budget than us, meaning their access to having more spare parts or their ability to test is greater. PBM buy exactly what Moto Rapido buy. The engine specs are the same. The difference is that we build our engines and PBM use Ducati Corse but as you can see from the speed trap data, our engines are fast too.
Given that you’ve said you get along well, would John help ‘Shakey’ if he needed it?
No. It’s all about winning races and yes, they’d have a laugh and a joke about it all but neither of them would share information like that. They are racers.
What do you as a team and John as a rider have to do to get in the top six every weekend?
Honestly, an extra 100cc wouldn’t go amiss! No, seriously, all weekend we are good in practice and qualifying. This year, I believe that the pressure has been on John from the get-go. From this point onwards, you’ll see a different kind of ‘Hopper’. The team didn’t consider Cadwell Park their favourite circuit and John doesn’t either so up until he crashed, we had been mega happy with where we’d been all weekend. John being out of the races on Sunday didn’t show the amount of effort that went in over the weekend. The team has worked amazingly well, so I wouldn’t change anything on that front.
The Motostar championship is going OK this season, do you agree?
It’s not going bad at all. It’s been really good! It was more a project for us to work with Moto3 stuff as some of the team had worked with it before. Thomas is amazing at feedback and he is good with PR, sponsors and everyone in the team, which really helps with the team harmony and if John’s having a bad day, Thomas normally brings home some silverware which balances it all out – otherwise we’d all be suicidal! It’s nice to have a second rider in the team because it does relieve some of the pressure from John.
It doesn’t stretch resources, which is good. The way it has worked out this year is that Sean Willers does the tyres for both Thomas and John. Tom Brown, who is the second mechanic on the Superbike, uses his knowledge of the Moto3 to the benefit of Thomas. That’s been evident right from testing in Cartagena. They both work alongside Matt Balchin who is Thomas’s main mechanic.
We haven’t decided on our plans with regards to Motostar next year. We want to follow Thomas through his career and into the British Talent Cup and see what happens.
How close to the WSBK Ducati side of things are you?
Ducati Corse don’t use Motec and they can’t really help us out because there are no circuits in BSB – apart from Assen and Donington Park – that replicate anything on the WSBK level. Throttle mapping is different, suspension will be different and also, they run traction control whereas we can’t. In other words, the WSBK Ducati is totally different to our MotoRapido Ducati or Paul Bird’s BeWiser Ducati.
Was there a view to do wildcards at WSBK?
If we had a better start in BSB, then a wildcard would’ve definitely been on the cards. We are certainly looking at that for next year. I think it’s a really cool thing to do and a good opportunity to show WSBK what we have and what we can do. Dorna need an American too. John has a huge personality and a tonne of fans so he would definitely attract people to watch him.
What is the plan for 2018?
John Hopkins – I’d love that but who knows at this stage. It’d be nice to run a Superbike and a Superstock bike. We’d probably run something else too but we aren’t too sure what. We help out the Boast Plumbing team in the Ducati Tri-Options, which runs Joe Collier, Jon Railton and Levi Day. It’d be a great match and great to see Joe’s progression continue further if he wins the Cup.
Thomas has been accepted into the British Talent Cup but the plan for that championship is to not interfere with any BSB rounds and it is only planned to be six rounds anyway. It’d leave him available to do anything that he wants to do within BSB. We have a few more rounds left to decide on that one just yet.
It would be really nice to have a second bike if we could have the sponsorship to cover it. With a second bike, you double your team size. It’d be a case of who that second rider would be, whether or not they had their own crew chief or preferred mechanics etc. There’s a lot of talented people in this paddock and I’m sure that if you are going to pick a rider from a team, they’ll come with someone. Resources wouldn’t be an issue. We were left in the lurch with the Lloyds British sponsorship, after they went bust. Luckily, we have some very good sponsors this year which has been amazing and we can’t thank them enough.
We support some of the CoolFab series riders too, with the likes of Ollie Walker and Ryan Hitchcock. It’s nice to see a rider progress through the ranks.
Next year, if John’s here, we are looking at Showdown places. John is hungry for the championship, especially after the 2011 title fight. We know he can fight for the championship and he knows that he can too. He will not give up trying for a BSB championship until he has won it. We as a team give him the best package possible every weekend.
Images by Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photgraphy.
After a dissapointing Belgian GP weekend and another upcoming very difficult Italian GP, the decision of McLaren’s engine situation for 2018 is near. We reflect some of the options and showing also the opinion of a long McLaren Fan.
Silverstone, Northamptonshire, UK. Friday 14 July 2017. Engineers return Fernando Alonso, McLaren MCL32 Honda, to the garage. Photo: Andrew Hone/McLaren ref: Digital Image _ONZ3713
The speculations that are going on since the first winter test in February, could end finally in the next days – we reported about the engine dilema of McLaren back in the end of July before the Hungarian GP.
The huge damaged partnership between the british racing team and Honda are on the crossroad for weeks now. At the Belgian GP Channel 4 commentator and ex-F1 driver David Couldhard forced McLaren-CEO Zak Brown the deadline, of the decision of the engine deal. The answer: In the next two weeks, at least in September.
The reason of this is clear: As every other teams McLaren working on the 2018 car for weeks now. And now they coming into a stage, where they have to know with what engine they will start next year. But not only for McLaren the time is running, also for the potential new partner of Honda, Toro Rosso have to know at least at the Italian GP this week, with which engine supplier they will start in 2018.
Toro Rosso-Honda – The only way out for McLaren
Despite Honda’s Yusuke Hasegawa and Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost denied a conversation between the japanese manufactur and the Italian team, there are conversations right now – McLaren got also a inquiry supplying Toro Rosso with an gearbox next year, as they are the only team that running with Honda engines currently.
Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia. Sunday 26 March 2017. Eric Boullier, Racing Director, McLaren. World Copyright: Sam Bloxham/McLaren. Ref: Digital Image _J6I3310
It would make sense for everyone. Honda has no longer the pressure of building a winning-engine immediatly, McLaren are free for Renault and could do an engine swap with Toro Rosso, and the italian Red Bull-Junior team could test the Honda engines for an possibly supply for the Red Bull-A team in 2019.
According “Auto Motor und Sport” the Red Bull company is open minded for a deal between Honda and Toro Rosso.
But Honda have other plans. The Japanese people want’s to show the world that they could rise the bad situation into a good one, and this only with McLaren.
Is McLaren-Renault a better solution? – Looking to 2020/2021
On the other hand this could be a big risk, as McLaren will be the big loser if Toro Rosso or Red Bull getting their stuff together with Honda, and Honda will build a stronger engine as Renault in 2018 and also need to pay for that and also looses all the big money from Honda.
Definitly, the solution with Renault, driving the same PU alongside the workteam and also the big Red Bull team as a customer, could not be a long term solution. But it is also known that this solution will be no long term relationship with Renault – It should be giving the team better results till the next engine revolution in 2020/2021, where McLaren will be looking for a new manufactur till that. The new engines, will be probably a V6-Bitturbo with KERS. Many manufacturs showed their interests in the last meetings. So it is more than possible, that McLaren considering this.
But for sure, probably no one would swap the position with Zak Brown, Eric Boullier or the Executive Comitee. The british team has moved themselves in a dilemma. Ferrari and Mercedes don’t wanna supply them and Renault also is not available, as long as they have four teams to supply.
Monte Carlo, Monaco. Sunday 28 May 2017. Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MCL32 Honda, on the grid. Photo: Andrew Hone/McLaren ref: Digital Image _ONZ0291
McLaren and Honda – The partnership is already broken
There is no question if the partnership from McLaren and Honda is broken – The question is how strong they could recover from that. The pressconference from last Friday showed that the tablecloth between the two companys is at their last breaths.
McLaren lost their trust in Honda – And Honda showed again in Belgian with the Spec 3.6, that they are currently not good enough, to compete against the other manufacturs. After running the new 3.6 Spec on last fridays practise sessions, the mechanics had to changed back the engine to Spec 3.5 on Vandoornes car, after Honda found another issue overnight.
In Belgian both McLaren’s getting passed from every side on the long straight. Everyone knows the end: Alonso retired again and Vandoorne finished only the back of the field – On a track where Alonso drove from P22 to P7 in last years season, where everybody thought that Honda reach the turnaround.
Coming now to Monza, the best known highspeed circuit of the calender, everyone knows how difficult the weekend will be for McLaren-Honda. Probably their best finish will be a place in the Top 15.
But as written about, with Toro Rossos engine deadline end at this weekend, the F1 world will probably know next week how McLaren and Honda continue in F1
The words from a McLaren Fan
We know what media thinks about the matter. We know what experts say. We know what Alonso and his Fans think. But what a true McLaren Fans, that sticking with the team for many years, with different drivers, different engine suppliers and different people on the board thinking abou the current situation. We talked with McLaren-Fan Owen Davies and asking him for his opinion.
“This is a difficult moment for the team clearly, certainly for new boss, Zak Brown. McLaren will be better placed to make a better educated judgement about what changes need to be made than us fans. From what I’ve read, all I know is the current level of performance seems untenable in the short term (let alone the longer term) for McLaren. In these circumstances, change seems inevitable now to most fans. I trust the team to make the right call for the future though.” – Owen Davis/ @f1mclarenfan on twitter
When Formula One returned to action at the end of the summer break, it looked as though Ferrari’s decision to retain Kimi Räikkönen had brought silly season to an early close.
But during preparation for the Belgian Grand Prix, the driver market was given a second wind when rumours emerged that Williams had offered Fernando Alonso a seat for 2018.
Steven Tee/McLaren
At first glance, it seems like a sensational story—the final, erratic death throes of what’s been a rather damp silly season. The two parties just don’t seem in the slightest bit compatible. Alonso is hunting for his third world title; Williams is currently fighting to hold off Haas and Toro Rosso to fifth in the Constructors’.
Then there is the monetary aspect: while Williams is believed to have only the sixth largest budget of the ten teams, Alonso’s services come with a price tag in the tens of millions.
But on the other hand, there remain several details in the background of this story that suggest an Alonso-Williams tie-up would be a serious consideration for all involved.
Steven Tee/McLaren
For one thing, this is not your average silly season rumour, sparked out of nowhere and fanned into a frenzy overnight—it was first reported in the highly-respected German publication Auto Motor und Sport.
It also goes without saying that (financial questions notwithstanding) Williams would love to have Alonso driving next year’s FW41. In terms of base performance he would represent a marked upgrade on Felipe Massa, and as teammate to the maturing Lance Stroll, Alonso’s experience and ability would prove the ultimate benchmark—as Stoffel Vandoorne can no doubt attest.
Nor is that the only benefit to the team of signing a driver of Alonso’s calibre. When quizzed on the rumours by SkySports in Belgium, Williams’ technical director Paddy Lowe said: “You need great drivers and great cars to win races. With a greater driver in the team, everybody is motivated to work that bit harder for performance because they know it’s going to be exploited and deliver great results.”
Alonso is not a questionable rookie like Pastor Maldonado or Bruno Senna, nor is he a former winner seeing out his twilight years like Massa or Rubens Barrichello—he is a proven champion with both the ability and the drive to win again, whose presence at Williams would lend total credence to their ultimate goal of becoming title contenders once again.
Zak Mauger/LAT Images/Pirelli Media
But would Alonso even entertain an offer from Williams? If a credible shot at the 2018 title is not something Williams can provide him, what makes them any more attractive an option than joining Renault instead, or even remaining at McLaren?
At the very least, Alonso might be tempted into switching to Williams by nothing more than a desire to enjoy racing again. After three years of disappointment at McLaren-Honda, the prospect of driving a package with no horsepower deficit or reliability concerns to hold him back may prove all the enticement Alonso needs to make the move.
There’s also next year’s driver market to consider. With no championship seats available to him now, Alonso’s next best hope is that the final year on Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes contract results in a vacancy at the Silver Arrows for 2019.
And if Alonso is planning on just “seeing out” the 2018 season until a better drive becomes available, he will find more freedom to do so at Williams than with McLaren or Renault—either by insisting on certain performance clauses in case the need for an early exit arises, or by negotiating to take a fraction of his usual superstar salary in return for an open one-year deal.
Steven Tee/McLaren
There is also the chance, however slim it might seem at present, that Williams will in fact be the team to join in 2018.
As well as commenting coyly on the merits of signing a “great driver”, Paddy Lowe also told Motorsport following the Belgian Grand Prix weekend that he was overseeing “substantial changes” to Williams’ design philosophy in the process of constructing next year’s FW41.
His words came at the same time as Felipe Massa criticised the team for falling behind in the 2017 development race—the assumption is that Williams is already calling a halt on this year’s programme to allow Lowe a headstart on designing a much more competitive 2018 challenger.
If that is the case, it would mark the next major step in Williams’ painstaking long-term plan to return to its former status as one of F1’s top teams. The first phase came in 2014, with the acquisition of Felipe Massa and a Mercedes engine supply, and a substantial increase in budget supported by new title sponsors Martini.
The result was the rapid FW36, which between Massa and Valtteri Bottas took more than four times the podiums than its predecessor did points finishes (not to mention pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix) and lifted Williams up from ninth to third in the Constructors’ standings.
Andrew Hone/Pirelli Media
Since then, Williams has enjoyed consistent running within the championship top five—its best string of Constructors’ results since its partnership with BMW in the early 2000s—and has created the perfect foundation from which to take its next great leap forward.
In Paddy Lowe, Williams has the talent capable of designing a race-winning FW41; in Martini, Lawrence Stroll and their past seasons’ results, they now have the money needed to make that design a reality.
None of that will be lost on Alonso, who has been on the grid long enough to know the signs of a team making genuine progress.
All that remains in doubt is whether Williams’ promises can sway him more than McLaren-Honda’s.
On Thursday afternoon at Monza it was time for the FIA to reveal the package that will be run in the newly branded Formula 2 season in 2018, which took the place of the GP2 series this year. Currently, Formula 2 runs a chassis and engine package that was introduced in 2011, and with the overhaul of the junior single seater ladder by both the FIA and Liberty Media, now is naturally the right time to upgrade the series’ machinery.
Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2
The chassis will still be supplied by Dallara, and the new V6 turbo charged engine by Mecachrome. But perhaps the most obvious, and controversial, difference is the introduction of the halo cockpit protection device, which is being introduced in Formula 1 from 2018 as well. The aim with this new model was to ensure that racing will continue to be exciting, while still keeping costs down so as to make the series accessible.
Photo: Andrew Hone/FIA Formula 2
At the launch in the Monza paddock, Ross Brawn was keen to emphasise the desire to keep promoting and expanding junior single seater racing. The ultimate goal is that fans can follow their favourite drivers from Formula 4 all the way to, hopefully, Formula 1. This new car is the first real taste of what Liberty Media and the FIA hope Formula 2, and other junior categories of motorsport, can become – a thrilling series in its own right and the perfect preparation for aspiring racing drivers.
Formula One returns off the back of a thrilling Belgian Grand Prix in which Lewis Hamilton clinched a well-deserved win. This week, the drivers will return to the Autodromo Nazionale Monza for the thirteenth round of the 2017 F1 season. With just seven points – the difference between first and second place separating Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel – things could soon change at the ‘Temple of Speed’ this weekend. Ferrari: Is the comeback on? Ferrari impressed at Spa last weekend, despite the track seeming to not suit the set up of their car. Vettel pushed Hamilton all the way to the end, coming close at the end of the safety car restart. He dived up the inside, only to fall foul of the Mercedes’s top line speed. The upgrades to the SF70-H certainly worked wonders at the Belgian circuit. Ferrari will be looking for another win at their home race in front of the passionate Tifosi this weekend and with their showing in Spa, they can certainly be a safe bet on taking the chequered flag for the first time since 2010.
They will need to nail their qualifying position at the circuit and the support of the passionate Italians will certainly provide the team with some much needed confidence. Vettel will want to win his first Italian Grand Prix in Ferrari red, chasing the record five wins that the legendary Michael Schumacher achieved in his time as a Ferrari driver. Expect the Italian team to be riding high with the support of the home crowd behind them.
Mercedes: one eye on the competition Mercedes left Spa as a team of mixed fortunes. Hamilton claimed a dominant pole and a win that he had to fight until the bitter end for, whilst Valtteri Bottas had a race to forget. On the safety car restart, he was left vulnerable on his soft tyres to the attack of Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Räikkönen, forced off the track and recovering to fifth. Mercedes brought the fourth and final reincarnation of their engine to Spa in order to get around the lower oil burn regulations that come into play for engines introduced after this weekend. It was a decision that flared tempers within Ferrari as the Maranello outfit have yet to introduce the latest incarnation of their engine.
Mercedes surely will be tentative as they enter the Ferrari hunting ground. The circuit itself seems to favour the Silver Arrows with its long straights and low drag, however, Ferrari’s showing at the previous race where the circuit wasn’t one of their strongest will have put Mercedes on the alert. Hamilton will be aiming for Mercedes’s fourth consecutive Monza win and the chance to finally become the championship leader after trailing Vettel all season. Expect Mercedes to keep one eye on the competition, but focus on the job ahead. Trouble brewing at Red Bull Red Bull seemed to put themselves in a strong position in Spa. Despite the misfortune of Max Verstappen’s sixth DNF this season, Daniel Ricciardo managed to fight his way onto the podium and claim a third place after a couple of disappointing races. The Austrian team also ran some aero trails which proved critical towards their success in Spa and could potentially earn them success in Monza. Red Bull tested a new spec low-drag rear wing on Ricciardo’s car. This set up will suit the low-downforce track and long straights that Monza is famous for.
However, despite this positivity, Verstappen is set for grid penalties at the circuit after his fourth and final combustion engine failed on the ninth lap of the Belgian Grand Prix. This will no doubt make the young Dutchman hungry to carve his way through the field, hungry for success. However, the doubts over Renault and over their ability to provide a competitive engine will continue to rage, casting Verstappen’s future potentially into doubt.
The boxing gloves came out once more at Spa as Force India teammates Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon came to blows not once, but twice. They clashed in the opening lap with Perez bumping his teammate into the wall as they came towards Eau Rouge. However, things did not end there. On lap 30, Perez squeezed Ocon into the wall in a similar place as they came up towards Eau Rouge, however, on this occasion the outcome was not so favourable. It ended Perez’s race with a puncture as he spilled debris onto the track, bringing out the safety car. However, Ocon’s race was also compromised by a broken front wing and he limped home in ninth position. Such loss of points have forced the team to take a similar approach to Mercedes last season and introduce new rules of engagement.
Monza will be the first race that these will come into play and although, it seems that the racing will become diluted, it is easy to consider things from Force India’s viewpoint. They do not want to lose any more points and surrender the fourth place they hold in the constructor’s championship as it would affect funding for next year. McLaren: The curious case of Fernando Alonso McLaren had a race to forget in Spa. Stoffel Vandoorne had a 65 grid penalty to take as a result of exceeding his quota of power unit elements and for changing his gearbox. Fernando Alonso had similar mixed luck. He failed to get into Q2 due to a failure within the software running in his car as taking Puhon flat confused the system and left the Spaniard with no power. This continued into the race as despite a good start, Alonso retired on lap 26, reporting that once again there was no power. It’s a phrase that has sadly become the norm over the McLaren team radios. However, shortly after the race, Honda reported that they could not find fault with Alonso’s power unit.
The former world champion had cut a sullen figure all weekend, using his radio to voice his opinion of the car, and things are not likely to change at Monza. The long straights will not favour the Honda engine and it’s likely that the team will have another weekend to forget. Alonso is also poised to take penalties as a result of taking a new upgraded engine to the race, it is hoped that by doing so, McLaren will be in a stronger position for the Singapore GP, considered one of the lower-power circuits. However, the question for McLaren is over Alonso’s future. The former world champion has made it clear that he is unhappy with the technology in the car and that he has other offers on the table. Although it will be a race to forget for McLaren, the future of Fernando Alonso will still loom large over Monza. The Italian Grand Prix will commence on Friday 1st September with practise at 10am local time, followed by qualifying on Saturday 2nd September at 2pm local time. The race will be held on Sunday 3rd September at 2pm local time.
