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  • Magic Monaco Moments – Panis 1996

    In the 1996 season this race will long live in the memory of any Formula 1 or Motorsport enthusiast. Williams prior to the event had dominated, taking 5 wins from 5 with eventual 1996 world champion Damon Hill taking four of them. Michael Schumacher & Ferrari were hot on the heels of the British based team though, he took pole for the Grand Prix. Various teams were struggling over the weekend in particular Ligier, the team were suffering with misfiring issues with the Mugen Honda engine they ran, a resulting in a poor qualifying session for Olivier Panis & team mate Pedro Diniz.

    In the 90’s prior to the race like MotoGP still has, Formula 1 had a warm-up session, Olivier Panis in the session looked very strong, in fact the Ligier was quickest with teams making adjustments throughout the session as they know the bad weather was on its way. Drivers had issues though in the weather, the likes of Mika Hakkinen crashing, Forti-Ford driver Andrea Montermini did serious damage which actually prevented him from taking part in the race.

    The track was wet, and drivers managed to get an understanding of the track, so on the grid they lined up. Jos Verstappen in the Footwork took a major risk starting on slicks, even though track was far from it. It was a clean get away at the front with Damon Hill jumping pole sitter Schumacher, but looking further down the field with Verstappen being on the slicks a first corner incident was inevitable. We lost him and the Minardi’s at Ste Devote, the first corner of the Monaco track. To look at what an idiotic choice that was, no other driver chose to run the slicks until lap 26.

    The next driver to hit the wall was a surprise, renowned as the ‘rain miester’ Michael Schumacher was pushing hard to make amends for a poor start but he hit the wall coming out of the hairpin. This was a very uncharacteristic mistake of the German, this error then gave Hill control of the race. Further incidents and mechanical issues ensued, such as Rubens Barrichello also crashing on lap 1 and Pedro Diniz retiring with transmission problems, only 13 of the 21 starters running after 5 laps of the 78 lap race.

    A gap was forming across the field, due to the horrible conditions, bigger gaps than normal. Eddie Irvine was holding a few cars up struggling in the overcast weather. Hill was in total control, the race settled down for 20 minutes with rhythms beginning to form. The track then dried, and Hill only briefly lost the lead on lap 30 to Jean Alesi after switching to slicks as Alesi decided to go later before making the switch. Another notable development was that Olivier Panis and other drivers managed to overtake the slow Irvine on track, something of rarity at Monaco.

    Hill on lap 40 had a whopping 30 second gap to second placed Alesi in the Benneton, who was having a quiet race amongst the drama that had been taking place around him. Hill looked like he was going to make it 6 from 6 for Williams and continue their dominance but then…. Out of the tunnel a cloud of smoke followed the Williams driver’s car, an oil pump failure had happened. This then promoted Jean Alesi into the lead in the Benetton, well known for his win in 1995 at Canada in a Ferrari. He continued to lead for the next 20 laps seeking a second win, but then even further mechanical issues and it was the Frenchman’s suspension. This ruined Alesi’s hopes and no chances followed, therefore his only win being in 1995 at Canada.

    Although! Great news for France, fellow countryman Panis took the lead after this retirement, who started 14th. He led David Coulthard in his first season for Mclaren by around 5 seconds and it looked like a battle could ensue. Eddie Irvine capped an awful race for himself and an eventful race by spinning and coming back on track was hit by Finn Mika Salo, in turn hit by fellow Finn Mika Hakkinen.

    We were down to four running! The race wasn’t going to be completed as the two hour time limit was going to come into play. Heinz Harald Frentzen decided to enter the pits as he was a lap down but was officially classified along with Salo and Hakkinen. This left only three drivers to see the chequered flag. Olivier Panis winning his one and only race, with Ligier’s first in fifteen seasons. British duo David Coulthard and Johnny Herbert completed the podium in their Mclaren and Benetton cars. Coulthard had pre-race drama of his own, his iconic Scottish helmet was steaming up making it impossible to drive, he ended up borrowing Michael Schumacher’s spare!

    Monaco 1996 holds the record for the least amount of cars to see the chequered flag of three, and most retirements in terms of percentage of the field at 85%. Truly a race to remember, which can be noted as one the best races ever. Raw pace wasn’t the factor this time like it normally is, Monaco 1996 was more about pinch of luck with reliability, and keeping your car in control amongst the barriers of Monaco.

    Chris Lord
    16 May 2017

  • New Era of GP3

    A quick overview on the GP3 2017 series, last year they introduced a new GP3 specification car. They also use Pirelli rubber and the rear tyres configuration has changed, tyre management will come into play more this year. It is a first this year they have DRS, still needing to be less than a second behind the driver in front. It is not available all the time throughout the race, they have so many amount of times to use it, for Spain they have an allocation of 6 uses.

    Race One

    Jack Aitken took pole for the first GP3 race of 2017. Aitken was very squirmy, lots of rear wheel spin from the get go, Nirei Fukuzimi got the jump who started second, Aitken dropped to second. A very clean first couple of corners, albeit a few drivers ran wide Dorian Boccalaci being the most notable, bit too aggressive out of turn 2, going from attempting to pass Aitken for second but dropped to fourth.

    Fukuzimi and Aitken were in a league of their own, sharing fastest laps and pulling away from the field. The introduction of DRS provided some great overtakes, not everyone is a fan of the system we all do know. Alessio Lorandi and George Russell were on fire, using the DRS to good effect. Russell did start fourth but went to as low as eighth on lap one. We were robbed as Aitken came out of turn 5 and a problem for the Brit, mechanical issue slowed him. He crept around to the pits, and retired. Aitken was starting to use his own DRS usage to put the pressure on the race leader.

    The TV screens then focused to the Italian drivers in second and third, Leonardo Bulcini of Arden held on to second, albeit Lorandi who finished third was all over the back of his fellow countryman. Bulcini was ecstatic, raising is hand in joy like he had won! Although Fukuzimi was the victor, he won by 7 seconds, took it easy in the last couple of laps as per mentioned due to the unfortunate end of Aitken on lap 16. Fukuzimi is in his second season, staying with ART. The Japanese driver looks strong for the season coming now knowing all the tracks unlike previous years.

    Campos team mates of Raoul Hyman and Marcos Siebert were having a right battle for eighth place, as with GP3, finishing eighth seals you pole for race two. Siebert lit his rear wheels out of penultimate corner, lost eighth, giving pole to Hyman.

    Race Two

    Arjun Maini started second on the grid after finishing seventh on race one, and at the start he got the jump on Hyman and lead clearly into turn one. Once more there was no severe accidents in the first couple of laps, you’d think being a junior series more accidents, but a very clean weekend took place at Barcelona. Maini set fastest lap early on, the teenager looks up to Sebastian Vettel and pulled away very similiar to the German in the latter stages. Maini is a 2014 runner up for Formula 4, so he has experience in open wheel races.

    It wasn’t all plain sailing, Dorian Boccalaci was extremely quick, hot on the heels of the Indian driver, on lap four/five him and Maini were side by side from the pit straight going into turn four but Maini held on. On lap six Boccalaci at turn one he passed Maini using one of his DRS allocations, but out of turn two, Maini managed to re-overtake him

    Alessio Lorandi once more like race one managed to control himself and his car to get better speed the later the race goes on. The Italian had lovely outside pass around Hyman at turn one for fourth on lap 9. 5 laps to go Lorandi went up to third, and the place stayed as is. Lorandi only driver to finish on the podium for both races.

    Arjun Maini came round to win in Spain, he won by 6 seconds. Maini recently signed a partnership with Haas and with former F1 driver Karun Chandhok supporting him, could see a tasty battle for the remaining events along with race one winner and Honda driver Fukuzimi.

    The Standings

    Race one winner Fukuzumi holds the lead going into the next round after his first and sixth race finishes. Mr consistent Lorandi in second, podium in both races this weekend, the only driver to do so, and race two winner Arjun Maini in third. British drivers Jack Aitken, who was unlucky in race one, and George Russell who has a solid weekend will look to build upon the start of the season and preparation for the British Grand Prix in two races time. GP3 has a break, a much shorter schedule than parent series of Formula 2 and Formula 1. We will next be racing in Austria at the Red Bull Ring on 9 July, gives food for thought for all drivers before they turn the wheel next.

    Chris Lord

  • Spain proves that Ferrari are here to stay

    Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
    Sunday 14 May 2017.
    World Copyright: Andy Hone/LAT Images (Via Pirelli Sport)
    ref: Digital Image _ONZ6499

    Ferrari have made 2017 interesting.

    The first five races have all had intrigue and uncertainty surrounding them, and even if not all have been harum-scarum humdingers they’ve all been much more than watchable.

    In 2016, the debate was all about which Mercedes of recently-retired World Drivers’ Champion Nico Rosberg or Lewis Hamilton would win the race.

    Now though, and especially with Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari have altered that equation somewhat.

    With more luck, Vettel could have had four wins from the opening five races.

    As it is, the reinvigorated German has had to settle for two, and three second places in a relentless start to 2017, while Hamilton hasn’t had it all his own way with Valtteri Bottas as teammate.

    Mercedes had come to Spain more bullish about their chances of victory after a raft of major upgrades including a new sidepod design and front wing, and indeed that ended up being justified.

    Ferrari had also brought upgrades but the consensus is that the Scuderia had made fewer changes than the Silver Arrows.

    Many will argue that Mercedes’ victory came only because of a Virtual Safety Car thrown to recover the stricken Stoffel Vandoorne from the outside of the first corner, not as a result of pure pace.

    Mercedes worked the strategy well and while Vettel manfully held out, using his elbows on pit exit, it was only going to be a matter of time before Hamilton, on faster tyres, breezed past.

    That he didn’t drive away was telling.

    Vettel had half a chance until, and not for the first time this season, he found the Williams of Felipe Massa parked in an awkward place at Turn 10 with five laps left.

    The race was on a knife-edge until the end, and proved that Ferrari’s early season form was no flash in the pan.

    Six points separate Vettel and Hamilton at the top of the standings in the four-time champion’s favour.

    With Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen keeping their respective teammates more than honest, 2017 is shaping up to be the closest season in five years.

    Let the battle commence.

    Jack Prentice @JPrentice8

     

  • 2017 Le Mans entry list revealed

    The official entry list for the 2017 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been revealed ahead of the historic event in June.

    Of the 60 cars that will comprise the field, 28 will be full-time entrants from the full World Endurance Championship. The prototype classes will be led by six LMP1 entries, including Toyota’s additional #9 TS050 Hybrid, and 25 cars from all four different chassis manufacturers will contest the LMP2 category.

    Meanwhile, the two LMGTE classes will feature 29 entrants between them, representing Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford and Porsche.

    Car Collective Shoot: Prologue Monza – Autodromo Nationale Monza – Monza – Italia

    John Rourke/ FIA World Endurance Championship

    LMP1

    The biggest change in the LMP1 field is an adjustment to Toyota’s racing lineup. Following Jose Maria Lopez’s crash at Silverstone and withdrawal from Spa, Toyota has elected to swap the Argentine around with Stephane Sarrazin.

    This means that Lopez will now drive the team’s third car alongside Nicolas Lapierre and Yuji Kunimoto, whilst Sarrazin will return to the #7 TS050 Hybrid to partner Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi, the pairing with whom the Frenchman finished second for Toyota in last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    LMP2

    In the LMP2 category the entrants total 25 cars, including thirteen from the Asian and European Le Mans series’ to complement those from the WEC field.

    Notable names on the 2017 grid include Rubens Barrichello joining the ELMS Racing Team Nederland entry, as well as top single-seater talents such as Jean-Éric Vergne, Felix Rosenqvist, Alex Lynn and Sergey Sirotkin, who are all making their Le Mans debut in LMP2 this year.

    Last year’s LMP1 champion Romain Dumas will continue racing in the #36 Signatech Alpine in place of regular driver Nicolas Lapierre, who will instead pilot the third Toyota LMP1. Matthieu Vaxiviere will also return to TDS Racing’s #28 Oreca-Gibson following his recent foot injury, and will compete against his Spa stand-in Ben Hanley, who makes his Le Mans debut this year with ELMS team DragonSpeed.

    LMGTE

    As always, the LMGTE fields feature several third-man additions to established lineups. Amongst those are former Audi LMP1 drivers Lucas di Grassi and Marcel Fassler, both of whom return to contest Le Mans in the GTE-Pro class with AF Corse and Corvette Racing respectively.

    The USA and UK Ford Chip Ganassi teams have also altered their squads from the usual WSCC configuration: the respective crews of the #66 and #68 Ford GTs have been swapped around, whilst Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell have moved from the #69 to the #67 and join new teammate Pipo Derani.

    In GTE-Am, former Manor and G-Drive racer Will Stevens joins the #66 JMW Motorsport, and Fernando Rees will make his return to Le Mans with Larbre Competition, the team with which he made his WEC debut in 2012.

    James Matthews, Deputy Editor

  • F2: Barcelona Review

    2017 FIA Formula 2 Round 2.
    Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
    Saturday 13 May 2017.
    Nicholas Latifi (CAN, DAMS) on the main straight in the reflection in the grandstand
    Photo: Jed Leicester/FIA Formula 2.
    ref: Digital Image JL2_0623

    Barcelona ushered in the second round of the 2017 Formula 2 championship, and it brought with it a few changes to the series. A single change to the track, which affected all races taking place at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona, was the extension of the DRS activation zone by one hundred metres, increasing the opportunities for overtaking on the main straight.

    The second was the replacement of Stefano Coletti with Robert Merhi at the Campos Racing team. Ex-F1 driver Merhi tested for Campos before the season began, but the call to race came very late for the Spaniard, who drove wearing his old Manor Marussia racing overalls.

    The race weekend also brought with it a first win this season for Honda junior driver Nobuharu Matsushita in the sprint race, and an increased championship lead for rookie Charles Leclerc who now leads the standings by twenty-six points.

    In qualifying it was Prema who reigned triumphant once again, taking pole position for the second weekend running. But while Leclerc started the feature race at the front of the grid, his teammate and fellow Ferrari junior driver, Antonio Fuoco, sat in eighth position, his time half a second slower.

    Qualifying did not pan out so well for the other race winner from Bahrain, Artem Markelov, who found himself all the way back in thirteenth. As far as one lap performances went for the other rookies, Rapax’s Nyck de Vries put in another good performance for third, and GP3 race winner Alexander Albon managed to slot himself into fifth, ahead of his more experienced teammate Matsushita.

    2017 FIA Formula 2 Round 2.
    Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
    Saturday 13 May 2017.
    Antonio Fuoco (ITA, PREMA Racing)
    Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.
    ref: Digital Image _56I8934

    Before Saturday’s feature race had even begun the field was divided in terms of strategy, with most opting to start on the soft tyres and switching onto the hard after the first round of pit stops, while others went for the alternate strategy, earning them a longer first stint on the harder compound.

    It was a decent start for the pole sitter Leclerc, but second-placed Luca Ghiotto pulled away more cleanly, prompting aggressive defending from Leclerc who managed to hold his lead by the end of the first lap. De Vries’ trend of being unable to convert his promising performances in qualifying to the race continued when he struggled at the start, sending himself backwards before he had even reached the first corner.

    It was a disappointing first lap for Louis Deletraz too, who seemed to have brought his bad luck with him from Bahrain—he got hit by Cecotto and spun, sending him down the order. A clumsy first lap meant Fuoco’s weekend went from bad to worse, as damage sent him into the pits and he emerged at the back of the field.

    Albon, who had promoted himself to third at the start, managed to overtake Ghiotto on lap 4, whose tyres were already starting to fade, triggering a fierce battle for the lead between himself and Leclerc.

    2017 FIA Formula 2 Round 2.
    Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
    Sunday 14 May 2017.
    Alexander Albon (THA, ART Grand Prix) leading Charles Leclerc (MCO, PREMA Racing)
    Photo: Jed Leicester/FIA Formula 2.
    ref: Digital Image JL2_1496

    Those who started on the softer tyres were soon into the pits, whilst those who begun the race on the hard tyres carried on, the comparative lack of degradation enabling them to push for longer. But any advantage this alternate strategy might have won these drivers was wiped out on lap 10 when Sergio Canamassas came to a stop in the middle of track, bringing out the safety care. The field was bunched together rapidly, closing the gap between the early stoppers and those who had yet to pit.

    At the restart on lap 13 Albon got away well, but by this point Leclerc was making his way back through the field with Ghiotto following closely. Deletraz redeemed himself from his earlier bad luck with a stunning move round the outside of Norman Nato. Once DAMS driver Oliver Rowland finally managed to take the lead from Albon, he was churning out very competitive lap times, despite still using the same set of tyres that he started on. Unfortunately, the safety car effectively ended any chance he had of a race win. But a strong resurgence after a late stop meant he managed to finish the race on the third step of the podium. Albon also recovered well to finish in fifth place, but it must have been hard not to dwell on what might have been, had strategy gone his way.

    There was no stopping Leclerc and Ghiotto from claiming first and second place respectively. But they certainly had the strategic advantage. Markelov once again showed his development as a mature driver, and a measured overtake on Jordan King won him eighth place and reverse grid pole for the sprint race.

    2017 FIA Formula 2 Round 2.
    Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
    Saturday 13 May 2017.
    Charles Leclerc (MCO, PREMA Racing)
    Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.
    ref: Digital Image _56I9134

    The sprint race on Sunday morning was a dramatic affair. Markelov would have been hoping for a better result than he got on Saturday, and one that would help build his championship challenge after his win in Bahrain.

    Unfortunately, it was not to be. The Russian got away very poorly, failing to capitalise on his starting advantage. Nicholas Latifi, on the other hand, got a fantastic start, immediately putting himself into the lead, and in a position to get his first win at this level after three previous seasons in GP2.

    The safety car made a reappearance on lap 1 as Fuoco made an early exit from the race, bringing his miserable weekend to a close. He collided with Nyck de Vries at turn seven who also retired as a result of the shunt.

    Latifi managed to command the race for the ensuing laps, and looked certain to cruise to victory. However, tragedy struck for the Canadian on lap 22, as he plunged his car incredibly deep into turn five, the gravel trap slowing him right down and allowing both Matsushita and Rowland to get past him, gifting the lead to the former.

    In the closing stages of the race Leclerc finally managed to dispatch Albon and eventually worked his way up to fourth place, whilst the ART driver eventually finished down in seventh place as his tyres began to degrade badly. Despite starting the race on pole, Markelov could only do as well as ninth place, never managing to recover after his poor start. The win would have surely been Latifi’s had he not thrown it away before he could seal the deal. The only consolation is that DAMS managed to get both of their drivers on the podium, earning themselves some valuable points.

    Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
    Sunday 14 May 2017
    Nicholas Latifi (CAN, DAMS)
    Photo: /FIA Formula 2
    ref: Digital Image JL2_1630

    The stand out performer of the weekend was Oliver Rowland, who scored himself two podiums to promote himself to second in the championship standings. The Yorkshireman was positively dominant in the feature race, even with the misfortune of the safety car, and while he did benefit from the mistake of his teammate in the sprint race, he had the speed to bag himself that second podium regardless.

    Another strong showing from Charles Leclerc extended his lead at the top of the driver standings, proving the speed and talent he showed in Bahrain was no beginner’s luck. Any doubts that he would not be a contender owing to his rookie status have been well and truly dismissed. His GP3 teammate Alexander Albon continued to perform well, and the two of them are demonstrating that experience is an optional component of a successful run in Formula 2.

    2017 FIA Formula 2 Round 2.
    Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
    Sunday 14 May 2017.
    Oliver Rowland (GBR, DAMS)
    Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.
    ref: Digital Image _54I9611

    Leclerc’s teammate Antonio Fuoco, by contrast, seems to still be struggling to get up to speed, and is hardly taking advantage of having one of the strongest cars on the grid. Time will tell if it is a lack of confidence and experience that is plaguing the young Italian, and whether he can challenge his teammate by the end of the season.

    Barcelona was nightmarish for Frenchman Norman Nato as well, who was looking like a championship contender after the feature race in Bahrain. However, he leaves Spain empty handed, and sitting ninth in the championship standings.

    Artem Markelov was overtaken by both Rowland and Ghiotto in the standings, but did manage to score some points. His performance was nowhere near as strong as in round one, but the races interrupted by safety cars prevented him from driving on his own terms. He can take positives from the fact that he has continued to look far more consistent and measured than in previous seasons. It would be too soon to discount both him and Nato from the championship fight already.

    We head to Monaco for the third round of the F2 championship in just under two weeks’ time. It is a track that can always throw us a few surprises, so don’t count anyone out yet. Though we can expect Charles Leclerc to be a force to be reckoned with, as a man on a mission to win his home race.

    Georgia Beith, F2 Correspondent

  • Toro Rosso, Spanish GP Weekend Review

    Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
    Friday 12 May 2017.
    World Copyright: Andy Hone/LAT Images
    ref: Digital Image _ONZ4056

    It’s time for the Spanish Grand Prix, 2nd race in a row, it’s one of our drivers home GP, this time its Sainz’s turn to be the hero and have thousands of fans cheering him on all weekend.

    Thursday- Carlos had to attend the drivers press conference where he got asked many questions and got huge praise from Alonso saying “Sainz is a very talented driver one of the best and his preparation from the Red Bull junior driver program really helps young driver be ready for F1. While Kvyat was stuck answering the media questions outside in the paddock while it was raining. After that it was time for the home hero to meet his fans and sign many autographs, he also managed to get time to go the game zone and try to set the fastest lap on the F1 2016 game time trial of the circuit. And to finish the day off a group of drivers, including our two, got to meet some kids aged 7-12 karting stars hoping to be in F1 one day.

    Friday- day of practice, day of collecting data. A day to show off our new enlarged numbers and drivers names on the car. FP1 started slowly for us completing 39 laps between our drivers with Sainz setting a 1.24.0 and Kvyat a +0.600 slower, then it was time for a quick spot of lunch and restroom brake maybe even a quick afternoon nap for Carlos as we are in Spain. FP2 was a bigger improvement for us doing 61 laps with our two guys in the much warming afternoon temperatures where we can collect more accurate data for race conditions.

    Quotes from the drivers about Friday. Sainz- “It’s been a tricky first day here in Barcelona. I think the track conditions surprised us a bit as it was much slower compared to winter testing, but overall we end the day on a high making some improvements”.

    Kvyat- ” The car has quite a few handling issues at the moment we need to be patient and try and do things overnight so the car will suit me more because it wasn’t the correct window for my driving style”.

    Saturday- starts with FP3 a quick 1 hour session our last chance to make changes to the cars. We have done 33 laps in the session, now it’s time to get ready for qualifying. Q1 was a disaster for Kvyat has he struggled with the car and qualified P20. He said the car was undriveable its needs taking apart and rebuilding. Sainz managed to put his car on P12 for Sunday’s race. He said that the car still lacks engine power, but is great in the other areas.

    Sunday- Raceday with Sainz lining up in P12 and Kvyat in P20 the lights went out it was go go go Sainz made a great start making up a few positions getting into P9. Kvyat was up to P14 with the cars that made contact on the first corner out of the way. Kvyat pitted on lap 1 fitting the medium tyres to the car. While Sainz made his first pit stop on lap 13 fitting another set of softs on. Both cars pitted once more on laps 33 and 34 fitting the opposite tyre on than before. Both strategies worked great allowing our cars with a bit of luck with the big teams all losing 1 car each, Meaning we could finish in P7 and P9 a double points finish great work from the boys.

    Both our drivers were really happy with the performance of the car today and happy to score points, as both started outside the top 10 at the beginning of the day.

    See you in Monaco guys

    Richard Hindson

    (Image Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)

  • Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton The King of Spain

    Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
    Sunday 14 May 2017.
    World Copyright: Andy Hone/LAT Images
    ref: Digital Image _ONZ6737

    The fifth race of the season belongs to Formula One’s history book, Lewis Hamilton started the race from the pole and after a thrilling race, he secured his second victory of the 2017 season and closed the difference to Vettel, in the championship standings, to six points.

    Lights out

    Lights out, and one of the most exciting starts took place in Barcelona. Sebastian Vettel qualified behind Hamilton, but he had a quicker start and passed the British on the first lap. Valtteri Bottas tagged Raikkonen’s car, into the first corner, and Kimi’s Ferrari collided with Verstappen’s Red Bull.

    Kimi Raikkonen forced to retire after a broken suspension, while Max Verstappen retired after a few more meters.

    The other Ferrari, which was still on track, was increasing the lead from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. Sebastian Vettel had a comfortable lead, and his team called him into the pits on lap 14 for a fresher set of soft compounds. At that point Mercedes, decided to keep Hamilton and Bottas on track for a few more laps.

    Mercedes’ strategy paid off, Hamilton pitted a few laps later, switched on mediums, while Bottas defended his leading position from Sebastian Vettel who was running on softs. The silver arrows, knew that Hamilton will have an advantage at the end, because Vettel had to go on mediums and Hamilton would be able to switch on softs and go faster than the German.

    Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
    Sunday 14 May 2017.
    World Copyright: Charles Coates/LAT Images
    ref: Digital Image DJ5R0535

    After a thrilling battle between Bottas and Vettel, the German managed to retain the lead and started to increase his gap by his competitors.

    An incident between Stoffel Vandoorne and Massa forced the first driver in the gravel, which caused the deployment of the Virtual Safety Car.

    Hamilton pitted, in order to switch on softs, whilst Vettel remained on the track and Ferrari called him one later, but Hamilton had an advantage at that point as green flags were waving and the race was on again.

    Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
    Sunday 14 May 2017.
    World Copyright: Andy Hone/LAT Images
    ref: Digital Image _ONZ6499

    When Vettel rejoined the track, Hamilton was already close and tried to take the outside, but Sebastian closed the way, they touched and Hamilton forced to run-off. The British remained very close to Ferrari and five laps later made a move, used the DRS, and passed the German.

    Hamilton retained the lead of the race and secured his second victory of the season.

    Daniel Ricciardo was the third driver on the podium, an easy afternoon for the Australian, he took advantage of Raikkonen’s, Bottas’ and Verstappen’s retirement and finished on the podium once again.

    A very good day for Sahara Force India, both Perez and Ocon finished in the points, fourth and fifth respectively. Force India, have a good season so far, they are fourth in the constructors’ championship ahead of Toro Rosso and Williams.

    Amazing race for Pascal Wehrlein, who, despite the five second time penalty, for failing to remain to the correct side of the pit entry bollard, he managed to finish eighth and scored four critical points for Sauber.

    Positive evening for Toro Rosso as Carlos Sainz and Daniel Kvyat finished seventh and ninth respectively. Romain Grosjean, with Haas, was the final driver who finished in the top-10.

    Sebastian Vettel remains first in the drivers’ championship with 104 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton who is just six points behind.

    The next race will take place in Monaco in two weeks, it will be Red Bull’s chance to take the pole position and try to win their first race of the season.

    Best moment of the day, Kimi’s reaction to invite a young fan, who was crying when the Finn retired, in Ferrari’s garage and give him the chance to meet him personally.

    Victor Archakis F1 Editor  – @FP_Passion

    Images Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media

  • Three In A Row For Ekstrom

    Sweden’s Mattias Ekstrom has extended his lead in the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy after taking a lights-to-flag victory at the Cooper Tires World RX of Hockenheim. It is the EKS driver’s third win in a row – and made even more impressive as Ekstrom also raced in DTM during the same weekend. Twenty minutes after stepping off the World RX podium, Ekstrom was back in his DTM car to take part in race two qualifying.

    Hockenheim RX runner-up Johan Kristoffersson had another strong weekend after winning his semi-final which allowed the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver to line up alongside Ekstrom on the front row of today’s final. Ekstrom was quickest to turn one and Kristoffersson remained second for the duration of the race. Team Peugeot-Hansen driver Timmy Hansen finished third in his Peugeot 208 WRX Supercar – two spots ahead of his team-mate Sebastien Loeb who won two qualifying races and was placed top qualifier at the end of Q4.

    PSRX Volkswagen Sweden’s Petter Solberg finished fourth, slowed by a bad getaway in the final. EKS driver Topi Heikkinen finished sixth and also won the Monster Energy Super Charge Award – a prize given to the driver who had the quickest reaction off the lights during the final. EKS has won all three Monster Energy Super Charge Awards so far this season with Ekstrom winning the first two in Barcelona and Portugal.

    “I am super happy for Audi and for the whole team – thanks to the guys for the all their hard work which has really paid off,” said Hockenheim RX winner, Ekstrom before jumping into his DTM car for his next race.

    Ekstrom’s team-mate Heikkinen added: “Friday was really hard for us so overnight we made some changes to the car that were hugely important. As a team, we are working really hard and getting very little sleep over race weekends which is obviously paying off as Mattias has now won three events in a row. He is always wanting to make changes to the car until everything is perfect. EKS has won Belgium for the last three years in a row [Heikkinen 2014 and 2015, Ekstrom in 2016] so it is a obviously a good event for us – hopefully we can take some more silverware home for the team.”

    Runner-up Kristoffersson commended Ekstrom’s efforts in today’s event. He explained: “Mattias had a very good start in the final, and I tried to follow and put the pressure on him but he did not make a single mistake for six whole laps – he was driving so well. For that, he deserves this win and I wish him all the best in the DTM race this afternoon too.

    Reflecting on his own performance, Kristoffersson added: “Overall it was a good weekend for us – we struggled with the balance in the car during Q1 and Q2 but the launches were very good so that left me in a good position. Everything felt better for Q3 and in Q4, it was almost perfect and I was able to push the guys out front. I had a good battle with Sebastien [Loeb] in the semi-final and it was good to show we had really picked up the pace. Both myself and Petter have been in the final for the last three events and we continue to leads the teams’ standings which we are really happy with.”

    Sweden’s Timmy Hansen was pleased to have secured his first podium of the year and complimented the performance of the car. “The car was so good today,” explained the 24-year-old. “Obviously I didn’t want any rain before today’s races but it was about trying to adapt to the situation as best as I could and the start line was very slippery. I was leading for most of my semi-final but I pushed a bit too hard and I went off at the Sachs Curve which was when Mattias got in front. The final was a big challenge, Mattias and Johan were tough competitors but I’m pleased to get my first top three of the year which is an important result for the team.”

    Elsewhere, MJP Racing Team Austria’s Timo Schieder was seventh. Kevin Hansen – younger brother of Timmy – was eighth, the 18-year-old having suffered a setback earlier in the day when he damaged the rear of his car after an impact during the sighting laps. Kevin Hansen, Kevin Eriksson and Reinis Nitiss were then caught in a collision in turn two of their semi-final. Hoonigan Racing Division’s Ken Block spun in his semi-final.

    After the first three rounds of the 2017 season, Ekstrom leads the overall standings with a total of 85 points – 16 points ahead of Kristoffersson in second. Solberg remains third with 62 points, while Loeb has moved up to fourth with 48 points – one point ahead of his team-mate Hansen. In the teams’ standings, PSRX Volkswagen Sweden lead the way with 131 points – 17 points ahead of EKS.

    World RX Managing Director for IMG, Paul Bellamy, concluded: “We’ve had 79,500 fans attend the Hockenheim RX/DTM double header and once again the rallycross Supercars have put on a fantastic display. Congratulations to Mattias, Audi and EKS for another flawless performance this weekend. The fact that Mattias is able to swap from a rallycross Supercar to a DTM car in a matter of minutes and deliver so well in both championships is testament to his sheer talent behind the wheel. Well done to Johan and Timmy also – both drivers thoroughly deserve a spot on the podium. Now the teams have very little rest as it’s straight to Mettet in Belgium for round four of the season.”

    PENALTIES

    Kornel Lukacs “CsuCsu” #10, Q1, Reprimand for “causing a collision”

    Kornel Lukacs “CsuCsu” #10, Q2, 30 second penalty for “pushing”

    Andreas Bakkerud #13, Q2, Reprimand and 20 second penalty for “pushing”

    Neil Simmons

    Twitter: @world_racing

  • The Update Special

    For weeks, we have been promised huge upgrades from nearly every team. Red Bull were rumoured to be bringing a whole new car, whilst Ferrari had hinted at the improvements they were making on their engine. Well, now we have arrived in Barcelona and it is time to see what they have managed to bring.
    With most teams using special engine modes for qualifying, the lowest levels of fuel and a brand-new set of tyres, there is no time in a weekend when a car should be faster. That means that Barcelona qualifying is a great barometer to allow us to judge the scale of each team’s improvements.
    We’ve chosen two ways to assess the teams, comparing the cars against pole and then against their testing times.
    Pole Comparision
    Our first comparison is the difference in times to pole position. Taking the best placed car for each team and comparing it to the pole position time, allows us to see the relative improvement each team has made to each other.
    With Mercedes sitting in pole for both Australia and Barcelona we can’t deem anything interesting using this method.
    Ferrari have managed to pull two-tenths of a second back on the Mercedes and this was highlighted with Vettel’s pole in Russia. They are now genuine contenders during the qualifying sessions and if Vettel hadn’t made a mistake in the last sector in Barcelona, they might even have been in front of the Silver Arrows.
    Interestingly, Red Bull’s ‘whole new car’ upgrade appears to have been worth the hours in the factory. Closing by nearly three-quarters of a second is a huge step, but when we can all see that the Factory Renault team have improved by only a tenth less, is this improvement coming from an engine upgrade?
    Unsurprisingly enough, those with the most to work on, have been able to gain the most time. McLaren and Sauber were three and four back, respectively, in Australia, so had scope to make massive gains. Both teams have closed the gap to front of the grid by over a second and Sauber have closed up by over a second and a half.

    The only team which hasn’t been able to keep up in the performance race are Haas. Compared to the other teams, they have taken a step backwards. Losing nearly three-tenths of a second to the pole time although they still seemed to be able to grab 11th and 14th this weekend.

    Testing Comparison
    Luckily for everyone involved in F1, we have pre-season testing in Barcelona. It means that no team is very far from their base and it makes it easy and quick to get parts back and forth from the factory. Luckily for us, the fifth race allows us to directly compare lap times with the pre-season testing.
    What really came to light was that the teams have managed to lose lap time since the March tests. Somehow every team, with the exception of McLaren, posted slower qualifying times on Saturday compared to their fastest times during the testing sessions.
    The difference in track conditions, the amount of rubber laid down after eight days of testing compared to a race weekend, the higher temperatures in May compared to March; there are many reasons and many excuses which could all be genuine.
    But despite these, the differences in times is staggering.
    To work out the comparative difference, where McLaren are the benchmark as the only team to be quicker. We can take McLaren and then work out the comparative difference from the McLaren improvement.
    McLaren seem to have made over a second on Force India, Toro Rosso, Renault and Haas. They’ve even claimed two seconds on Williams and a large chunk of a second on Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.

    The best news for all racing fans is that it is getting competitive at the front and with Red Bull making gains on the front two, then McLaren closing in on Force India and Williams, we are looking at a really competitive season.

    Andy Robinson
    All times are from Formula1.com

  • Quali review

    Lewis Hamilton secured his 64th career pole position ahead of Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix with a blistering time of 1.19.194 – nearly three seconds quicker than the time to beat last year, again set by the number 44 car.

    The Mercedes man edged out nearest rival Sebastian Vettel, who will start alongside the Brit after crossing the line .051 seconds behind his title challenger and managing to split what looked set to be the Silver Arrows’ fourth consecutive lockout at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

    It was a particularly impressive result for the German who, if it were not for his experience, would have been starting alongside Daniil Kvyat at the back of the grid after receiving team instructions to turn the engine off at the start of Q1.

    This came as a result of Ferrari mechanics having to complete a full engine change before the beginning of qualifying in under two hours, and seemingly being unable to cure a water leakage which occurred at the end of FP3.

    However, Vettel questioned the radio communications and managed to alter in-car settings to remain on track and boost his chances of maintaining the Driver’s Championship lead come the end of tomorrow’s race.

    It was not the start Mercedes wanted in terms of reliability on Saturday morning either, with Valtteri Bottas also suffering from a similar engine issue overnight meaning the Finn had very little time out on track during FP3; a session in which Ferrari dominated with Kimi Raikkonen setting the fastest lap; .242 ahead of his teammate and .381 in front of Hamilton.

    But the two countrymen will line-up together on the second row of the grid after both lost time in sector three whilst seemingly on course to pip pole position– with the chicane catching several drivers out throughout the weekend including Hamilton, Vettel, Max Verstappen and particularly Romain Grosjean – who starts 14th after abandoning his final lap in Q2 following a second lock-up of the afternoon.

    The top six is completed by the two Red Bulls with, as has been the case all weekend so far, Verstappen coming out on top of their battle for supremacy, with Daniel Ricciardo seemingly struggling to match the pace of his Dutch teammate.

    It was here 12 months ago the exciting youngster truly arrived on the F1 scene after a collision between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg allowed the former Toro Rosso man to take a maiden victory for the senior team. Something when asked if it could be repeated this year Verstappen joked would have to be involving the top four for him to stand any chance of taking away full points again.

    Elsewhere, Fernando Alonso was somehow able to drag the McLaren up to seventh on the starting grid after more technical issues on Friday which forced the Spaniard to take some time way from the track to de-stress achieved by a game of tennis, seemed to be yet another episode in the long-line of disasters this season.

    But the veteran was able to overcome no time on the track in FP1 and the colossal achievement sparked celebrations similar to those of the days the 35-year-old became a double world champion with Renault, leaving a sad comparison to see how much the great has fallen.

    It was not all smiles in the McLaren garage however as Stoffel Vandoorne was unable to match the heroics of his teammate and lines up alongside Kvyat at the back of the grid – who claimed there was something broken on the car following the session.

    There were similar looks of disappointment etched across the faces of Lance Stroll and Joylon Palmer, who both had Q1’s to forget and will begin Sunday’s race on the second row from the back.

    It will be especially disappointing for the Renault driver after the Brit set a solid pace in Friday’s FP1 and FP2 and arrived in high spirits ahead of Saturday’s sessions only to comment after stating he was unhappy in the car and that it seemed to have lost its speed overnight.

    Teammate Nico Hulkenberg was also unable to continue his good qualifying run which had seen him secure a place in Q3 for the last three consecutive races. The German’s 1.21.397 leaves him 12th on the tomorrow’s grid, again a disappointment following the weekend’s previous sessions.

    A Look Ahead

    The Silver Arrows and Hamilton will be hoping they can repeat the standings of FP1, FP2 and all of qualifying in which the three-time world champion secured top spot.

    However, Vettel and Raikkonen will take spirit from their FP3 dominance and believe they have what it takes to force Mercedes all the way.
    One thing that was certainly noticeable throughout both Friday and Saturday are the upgrades that have been placed on and in both the Mercedes and Ferrari’s ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix seem to have improved all four cars, however have not dampened the ferocity of the teams’ rivalry and it is sure to be another tense encounter in Barcelona.