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  • Valtteri Bottas: the dark horse of 2017?

    Großer Preis von Russland 2017, Sonntag – Steve Etherington / Mercedes AMG Petronas

    Valtteri Bottas secured his first win in Formula 1 last weekend after overcoming the first Ferrari lock-out in nine years. Going into turn two and holding onto the lead, the Finn had seemingly learnt from mistakes made in Bahrain fourteen days beforehand.

    The 27-year-old crossed the finish line in Sochi 0.617s ahead of Sebastian Vettel and 36.320s before fellow Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton in fourth.

    The 25 championship points secured thanks to a near-flawless drive placed the Fin just ten points behind his Mercedes teammate and within a race win of the German leader.

    However, Bottas has already shown inconsistency this season—falling from pole in Bahrain to finish third and losing another three places in China where the former Williams man finished sixth.

    So is there correlation between this season and the last? Or, is Bottas really in the title chase?

    Großer Preis von Russland 2017, Sonntag – Steve Etherington / Mercedes AMG Petronas

    Well, during the first four races of the 2016 campaign Bottas impressed, out-qualifying then-teammate Felipe Massa on three occasions; Bahrain, China and Russia, including a front-row start alongside Nico Rosberg in Sochi.

    However, this season seems to be a similar scenario: Bottas has again showed great pace in what seem to be his favoured tracks, but, similar to last year, struggled with the opening race in Australia.

    Barcelona again seems to be one that the Finn relishes. The 4.65km circuit was another happy hunting ground for Bottas in 2016 finishing fifth behind both Red Bull and Ferrari after the infamous collision between the Mercedes drivers early on.

    However, throughout the remainder of the 2016 campaign, Bottas struggled to match both qualifying and race pace of Williams’ nearest rivals leading to an eighth-placed Drivers’ Championship finish.

    The Monaco Grand Prix seemed to be the catalyst for this downfall, with a finish just inside the points which inevitably lead to a fifth-placed Constructors’ Championship finish for Williams—35 points behind Force India.

    Using this, you cannot say that Bottas is in the title picture just yet. His downward spiral last season after a promising start showed no evidence that the 27-year-old is able to provide a consistent challenge.

    However, if the Finn was to secure similarly impressive qualifying times and results to that of his previous two races, then he may well be considered as the third-horse in a current two-horse race.

    Joe Owens, F1 Correspondent

  • Sauber shake-up: more than just engines

    Image courtesy of Sauber F1 Team

     

    Despite the 2017 F1 season still being in its infancy, one team has already raised their proverbial hand in respect of the 2018 season.

    The on-track action at Sochi saw both Sauber drivers struggle all weekend, however Marcus Ericsson put on, what Monisha Kaltenborn described as, a fighting performance, to finish in fifteenth place ahead of team mate Pascal Wehrlein who brought home the car in sixteenth place.

    It was however the off-track activity that garnered attention after the Swiss outfit announced that they would part ways with long time partner Ferrari in favour of a new engine supplier in 2018—Honda.

    Honda, who have faced a barrage of detractors this season including two-time world champion and incumbent McLaren-Honda driver Fernando Alonso are looking forward to the challenge that Sauber will bring, according to Katsuhide Moriyama, Chief Officer, Brand and Communication Operations for Honda.

    Kaltenborn likewise sees this as yet another milestone in the storied history of the independent team, who celebrate 25 years in F1 during this 2017 season. The move is in line with changes envisioned by the new ownership of the popular team.

    While a feature-length debate could be made about the decision and the advantages and disadvantages to both sides, it has led to an interesting, albeit early look at possible 2018 driver line up.

    Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
    Wednesday 08 March 2017.
    World Copyright: Zak Mauger/LAT Images
    ref: Digital Image _X0W7668 -via Pirelli F1 media

    THE McLAREN SIDE AND OTHER MOVES

    Kaltenborn has not confirmed any links with the McLaren team; however, if history is to be relied on then it is possible that McLaren may supply Sauber with a gearbox and technical knowledge. This could lead to a driver placement, akin to that utilised by the Mercedes team in recent years. Two names stand out as far as McLaren are concerned:

    NYCK DE VRIES

    The 22-year-old McLaren Development driver, who is managed by one Anthony Hamilton, is currently racing in the Formula 2 series for Rapax and had been considered for the Ferrari GT programme, but McLaren had retained the faith in their protégé, keeping him in single seaters.

    It is faith that seems well-placed, albeit with just the Bahrain F2 round complete, with De Vries finishing in the points in both races, and ahead of his very experienced teammate, giving him 9th place in the championship standings.

    2017 FIA Formula 2 Round 1.
    Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain.
    Sunday 16 April 2017.
    Nyck De Vries (NED, Rapax)
    Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.
    ref: Digital Image _56I1747

    Why could De Vries make the hypothetical jump to F1 in 2018? For one, he is incredibly quick and a fast learner who could slot in a role next to the more experienced Ericsson (who is fancied to be retained) with ease. In Hamilton, he has a manager who is au faire with the ever-evolving animal that is the F1 paddock and who could make the transition an easier one that most.

    His Dutch nationality could also count in his favour: ever since the arrival of Max Verstappen and the entrance of Heineken into F1, the Netherlands has seen an upsurge in the popularity of the sport, which can only be an advantage to De Vries.

    OLIVER TURVEY

    The 2014 LMP2 Le Mans winner is a favourite in the motorsport world and is McLaren’s test driver having been signed in 2012, and is spending the 2017 season in the Formula E series with NextEV NIO.

    Turvey’s racing acumen holds him in excellent stead for a possible entry into F1 and he has the intelligence to take on the technical side given that his Masters dissertation is based on F1 aerodynamics. Turvey will bring a wealth of racing knowledge to a team and would need very little time to learn the dynamics of F1.

    2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
    Mexico City ePrix, Autodromo Hermanos Rodr’guez, Mexico City, Mexico.
    Saturday 1 April 2017.
    Oliver Turvey (GBR), NextEV NIO, Spark-NEXTEV, NEXTEV TCR Formula 002.
    Photo: Zak Mauger/LAT/Formula E
    ref: Digital Image _O6I1965

    SHAKEN AND STIRRED?

    The Sauber Honda partnership has the potential to shake up other driver moves. The current lineup of Ericsson and Wehrlein have not been paired together for very long, given the latter’s slow recovery from injury.

    Ericsson has carried the proverbial can at Sauber through the very difficult seasons of late and is expected to be retained by the Hinwil team as a reward for his hard work.

    Wehrlein is the heir-apparent at the Mercedes team, albeit only after and if Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas leave the team. If neither of them do in 2018, his position in the Sauber team would fall under the spotlight. Wehrlein is a talented driver but has been unsettled in F1 with the Manor team falling out of the sport and the Sauber 2018 decision.

    Pascal Wehrlein (D), Sauber F1 Team.
    Bahrain International Circuit.

    In the hypothetical scenario of a McLaren man at Sauber-Honda, could Wehrlein be moved to another Mercedes engine team? The simple answer is an obvious yes, but at whose cost? Esteban Ocon has been placing well for the Force India-Mercedes team and has impressed hugely thus far.

    Williams have the unique dynamic of Felipe Massa, who retired and then emerged to replace the moving Bottas, and the rookie Lance Stroll. Wehrlein could conceivably replace Massa at Williams, if the proverbial powers that be are happy to pair relative “rookies” together.

    If Wehrlein leaves Sauber, it seems likely that his best fit would be at Williams, rather than upsetting the good pair Force India.

    The crystal ball of F1 is one that is foggy at the best of times. Sauber’s decision is not merely confined to that of an engine supplier (which is a debate for another time). It has the potential to affect the driver market much like a domino ripple. In a sport where tenure is as certain as a few seasons ago, this thought, we can assure you, is not lost on the drivers, even this early in 2017.

    Sauber have always been the dreamers and chance takers of F1 and the Honda decision is no different. All that remains to be seen is who will take this jump with them.

    Rhea Morar, deputy F1 editor

  • McPhee – We’re Feeling Really Positive

    John McPhee was in the British Superbike paddock on Monday, which meant that I had to go and speak to him. The Scotsman says he’s positive but we also discussed other topics. The British Talent Cup, Honda and tyres are all spoken about in this exclusive interview.

    You’ve had a great start to the year, how are you feeling?

    It’s been great to have such a good opportunity this year with a good bike and a good team around me, with a couple of podiums to start of the year in the perfect way too. In Texas we had a difficult weekend but we were still there in the podium challenge and in the points. We got some really important points on the table and now we are arriving back in Europe, we’re feeling really positive.

    How does this Honda compare to the previous Honda you rode?

    There’s a big difference because in 2015, we actually had the 2014 bike so there’s three years development on the engine and the chassis. Honda have made a massive improvement over the last few years, obviously I haven’t done a back to back comparison with last year’s bike but they (Honda) have made a big step forward now and the bike is working really good thanks to a really good job by Honda. Everything just feels like home for me.

    How does the Honda compare to the Peugeot?

    Chassis wise the Mahindra was actually really strong – it was actually one of the strongest bikes I’ve ever ridden for chassis set-up. The downfall of the Mahindra was the engine power, it didn’t quite have the power there, especially with acceleration. With Honda, they’ve got the whole package and they can compete with the Mahindra and they’ve got more power there as well.

    How do you feel the Moto3 tyres have developed since you’ve been in the class?

    The main compound is the mediums and they’ve remained pretty standard throughout the last few years, they’ve not changed much. What they have changed is the soft tyre and it’s not quite as soft and the hard tyre is not quite as hard so they’ve brought all the tyre compounds a lot closer which means people tend to use the soft or the hard tyre more throughout races than what they would’ve done a few years ago. Actual development of the tyre is pretty standard.

    Is tyre wear an issue for Moto3?

    As the lap times are getting closer and the bikes are getting closer, it is becoming more of a factor. People are starting to look into that a lot more. In Argentina, when I qualified on pole we had the hard rear tyre in rather than the medium because it provides a little bit more stability. It has made a difference a couple of times now and that’s good because it gives us another area to look at and to try and improve.

    Brno last year and you won, then come October you was stranded in Australia – how are your injuries?

    I think even before Brno we had a bike that was working but we just didn’t have the opportunity to show it. We lacked a bit of horsepower at some of the track we went to and it was difficult to hide that, however at the more flowing tracks – like Phillip Island – we was able to carry corner speed. After the accident, it took a very long time to recover. I wouldn’t say I’m back up at 100% yet, I’m more like 95% and there or there abouts. There’s no pain or anything which is good so hopefully we can get quicker.

    Which track do you feel will be your strongest?

    I think Phillip Island is going to be one I’m always going to be strong at, it’s more about the rider rather than the actual bike which I quite like.

    If you was to choose one rider to go up against at Valencia for the title, who would it be?

    Obviously it’s difficult to say, Joan Mir is riding well and leading the championship at the minute but it is a long year. I have a bit more experience than him but we will need to wait and see and it will come down to the last few races for sure. At the minute it’s a bit hard to put one name down.

    Where do you see the British Talent Cup in the future? Can it be successful?

    I think that the whole intention of this is to bring more British riders along because I think the talent is there but it’s just not being shown and there’s a couple of reasons for that. One of them is funding, the other being accessibility to tracks and teams, down to the lack of funding in the UK. The whole idea of the British Talent Cup is to fund young riders and give them the opportunity of getting the track time, the bike time and the correct people on bikes around them. I think that it will be similar to the Asia Talent Cup. If there is any talent there – which we believe there is – to bring it through and give them the opportunity. You see families re-mortgaging there house to try and fund it. We know there is talent there and this is the opportunity to try and make it shine through.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Quick 10 With…..Carl Fogarty

    Neil Simmons

    He retired from motorcycle racing in 2000. He won 7 world titles, four World Superbikes (1994, 1995, 1998 and 1999) as well as three World TT (Formula 1) titles (1988, 1989 and 1990).

    He helped develop the Petronas FP1 racing team in the early 2000’s.

    In 1998 he was awarded an MBE.

    In 2002 Ducati, in recognition of his services, released a special limited edition model (only 300 units were built) in his honour.

    He is the global ambassador for Triumph, he is also endorsing for ZONA (see the official ZONA press release and competition and how you can enter at the end of the interview).

    He started 219 World Superbike races, with 108 podiums, 16 double wins, 29 race wins and totalled 3,008 points.

    Add to that he was crowned King Of The Jungle for I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here in 2014.

    These are his Quick 10……and it is my absolute honour to say he is Carl Fogarty……or to his fans…….FOGGY

    1. What is your favourite circuit and why?

    Assen. It was my most successful circuit. The old circuit’s banked corners suited my riding style of high corner speed.

    2. Who is/was your racing idol?

    Kenny Roberts. He was the most successful racer when I was growing up and I loved seeing him in the TransAtlantic races at Oulton

    3. Who would you regard as your toughest opponent?

    Either John Kocinski or Scott Russell – two tough Americans who wanted to win as much as me

    4. Considering racers of all time, you are a team principal and money is no object. Which two racers would you have in your team?

    Mike Hailwood and Valentino Rossi

    5. If you could invite four famous people to dinner (past and present), who would you invite?

    Donald Trump, Liam Gallagher, Gazza and James Whitham

    6. Personal racing number? What is it and the reason behind it?

    Number 1. No explanation required

    7. What is the best race you have been involved in?

    I probably remember my two wins at Brands Hatch in 1995. It was the perfect weekend. I was fastest in every session, on pole, broke the lap record and won both races in front of 60,000 fans.

    8. Is there a race or series you have not competed in, that you would like to or had wanted to?

    It would have been nice to have had 2 or 3 seasons on the Marlboro Yamaha in Grand Prix but it didn’t happen, probably because World Superbikes was so big at the time

    9. How did you get into motor racing? What ignited that spark?

    I raced motocross as a boy and followed my dad when he was racing. So it seemed the natural thing to do.

    10. What is the best advice in racing you have been given?

    I’m still waiting for that!

    – How did you get involved with ZONA?

    I receive a lot of approaches to get involved with new products but it has to be the right product. I honestly believe ZONA can improve safety and the riding experience for every rider.

    – Tell us about the product and how it enhances and assists road bike users?

    ZONA is a unique and solution to the age-old problem of poor rear vision for motorcycles. It’s an in-helmet display wirelessly linked to an intelligent rear camera. The intelligent vision and delivers clear and wide screen stabilised rear views without interference to riders’ forward vision, as well as eliminating vulnerable blind spots.

    – Is there anything more you’d like to see done regarding road safety?

    I think technology will play a bigger and bigger part in making riding more safe.

    ZONA

    Overwhelming biker response to ZONA reveal at MCN London Bike Show

    Zona – a new motorcycle accessory – was revealed at the MCN London Motorcycle Show.

    There was a tremendous response to Zona at the show with 2,500 people visiting the stand and around 1,000 trying the product for themselves. During the show over 500 hundred people registered for Zona news updates and dozens of people took advantage of the show’s pre-order offer and purchased the product.

    Zona is a unique solution to the age-old problem of poor rear vision for motorcyclists. It can be fitted into any helmet and on to any bike. It’s been carefully engineered to extend the rider’s view – enhancing the riding experience.

    Using cutting edge patented technology and advanced optics Zona is a state-of-the-art in-helmet display wirelessly linked to an intelligent rear camera.

    The team received excellent feedback about the product and in response they are adding an extra feature – loop recording – to Zona at no extra cost ahead of its official release in the summer. So if anyone is shunted from behind they will have video footage to support their insurance claim.

    Customer Dave, at the MCN London Show, said: “I think it’s brilliant. I saw a similar product a few years ago, it was too intrusive in your helmet but just trying this on now it’s fantastic, completely out the way but what you can see behind is incredible.”

    Customer Graham Lynch said: “Incredible idea, can’t wait for it. Roll on summer for sure, even more safe miles now seeing everything around me thanks to Zona.”

    Zona is an invention that 7 x World Champion Carl Fogarty knows will change the way bikers ride forever.

    Carl has been influential in developing Zona and was at the MCN London Motorcycle Show on the Sunday to talk about the product, which generated even more interest in the new accessory.

    Zona is easy to fit and can be used with any motorbike and helmet. It has flexible fitting options to suit individual rider preferences and once fitted it provides a clear wide screen rear view to the rider with a single glance into the in-helmet display.

    The rider sees a stabilised full rear view through Zona’s micro display and optics fitted inside the rider’s helmet. It appears to the eye as a 30” flat screen at 3 metres distance from the rider, giving a comfortable focus for the rider’s eye when looking into the helmet-mounted display, and works equally well for riders who wear glasses when riding.

    Zona is not only about enhancing the rider’s experience and enjoyment, it’s about keeping them safe too. The product eliminates vulnerable blind spots and automatically adjusts to remove blur giving riders a better view of any potential hazards around them.

    Zona’s Intelligent Rear View System becomes a natural extension of the rider’s senses, giving them better awareness of what’s around them and more time to focus on the road ahead, and ride with more enjoyment, freedom and confidence.

    John Hale, Founder and CEO of Zona, said: “We’ve been blown away by the fantastic response at the London Show. We were hoping for a positive reaction, and this was even better than we had expected.

    “I’ve been riding since I was old enough to get my bike licence. I know that poor rear vision for bikers is a real problem. Not being able to see clearly behind the bike affects us every day. Motorcycling is an experiential activity – it’s all about connecting with the road and enjoying the ride.

    “Zona is a revolutionary solution to this problem and will change the way we ride our bikes forever. It helps bikers focus on the road ahead, improving their overall experience by making them feel more comfortable and the ride more enjoyable – that’s what it’s all about.”

    Zona has been a real labour of love for John as he initially came up with the idea back in 2003 when he was nearly knocked off his motorbike on his way to work after not being able to see a motorist behind him.

    Initial research and designs led him to putting the idea on hold until the correct technology was available. In 2010 John secured £100,000 funding to develop the first prototype to prove the concept of Zona.

    Following the concept design and further investment the final prototype was completed in 2016 and the product is now ready to take to market and will be available in June.

    ** COMPETITION **

    For your chance to win a ZONA just re-tweet this article on Twitter or share it on Facebook. Yes, it is that simple to win this state of the art bike technology.

    I wish to thank Carl Fogarty for taking the time out from his busy schedule to take part in this Quick 10, it was an absolute honour to put these questions to not only a racing legend and champion but somebody as a fan I cheered on. I would also like to thank his manager Neil Bramwell for the help and assistance in making this interview possible, always at the end of an email with quick responses. Really appreciated. I would also like to thank Sarah Jeffery the Senior PR Executive at Gardiner Richardson in her help and generosity with ZONA. Without these people this interview would never have occurred.

    Ladies and gentlemen that was the Quick 10 With…..Foggy

    Visit Carl at: http://www.carlfogarty.com/

    Follow Carl on Twitter at: @carlfogarty

    Visit ZONA at: http://www.zona-store.com/

    Neil Simmons

    Twitter: @world_racing

    (c) Carl Fogarty images courtesy of permission from Neil Bramwell (no credit required)

    (c) ZONA images

  • Contrast In Characters

    The weekend passed and for some motor racing fans, memories of twenty-three years ago remained as strong and emotional as ever.

    Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna were two contrasting characters from different backgrounds who are now tied by a date.

    Senna’s rise and subsequent legendary status in motor racing has been told many times in articles, books and on film. What isn’t so well documented is that Roland Ratzenberger is a 24 Hours of Le Mans winner.

    He had forged his way to Formula One via Formula Ford, Formula 3, Touring Cars and Sportscar racing. It was in 1993 he was co-driver with Mauro Martini and Naoki Nagasaka in a SARD Toyota 93C-V when they took the C2 class title at Le Mans. One year later Ratzenberger would find himself in F1 with the Simtek team.

    I never had the honour in meeting my racing hero, Ayrton Senna, but I did have the pleasure in meeting Roland Ratzenberger. It was 1987 and I was just starting out on my writing adventure as a junior admin. I bumped into a young Roland, who was testing in British Formula 3. I had been involved in karting at the time and when it became apparent I was not going to make it in racing I decided to write about it.

    That is how the initial conversation with Roland came about, our mutual love of racing. I could see the passion in his eyes when he spoke, it was so infectious and as a young teenager it spurred me on to put that kind of passion into my writing.

    I was a doing a piece on testing for the team we were assisting around press work and I just found Roland so friendly and accommodating. He would take time out to speak with me about the car and giving his opinion on how it was handling, the conditions out on track and his thoughts on other drivers in the championship. These opinions were always courteous and I never once heard him talk rubbish about another driver.

    It was in 1991 when I was now assisting with some Le Mans promotional work when I happened to bump into Roland again. He was co-driving with Will Hoy and Eje Elgh in a Porsche 962C. Not only did he remember me from those years earlier, he remembered my name. We had a chat about Le Mans and he was so excited about the direction his career was heading. He also put aside his own ambitions and was asking me how my writing was developing and wished me luck on my adventure. That was the mark of the man.

    Two years later he would be a class winner at Le Mans.

    Senna had quickly grown to become my racing idol. The man could be a confusing paradox with his thoughts on life, religion and racing and he did split opinions on his racing style at times with fans. My love of all things Senna stemmed from his days with Toleman. Any racing fan worth their weight in gold could see what a talent he was even then. I was young and had no real concept of his rise through karting and the lower single-seater series at that time. It was not until later in life when I was able to read back when it added to the legend of the man.

    There will always be debate on who the greatest Formula One driver of all time is, based on opinions, facts and figures but in my humble opinion Ayrton Senna was and still is the greatest driver to grace Formula One. Even Michael Schumacher said that Senna was the greatest and he’s won more titles than anybody else.

    That weekend, twenty-three years ago, was the only time I have ever cried as a racing fan. Not only did a man I had met, worked with and found so friendly lost his life doing a sport he was so passionate about, the very next day the motor racing world lost a legend.

    A very difficult weekend for racing (add to that the injury to Rubens Barrichello) and one which I found difficult to watch back until recently.

    It feels like yesterday since we lost these two men.

    A contrast of characters who are both now connected by one tragic weekend.

    I will never forget either man.

    See you at the chequered flag.

    Neil Simmons

    Twitter: @world_racing

  • Renault Barcelona MGU-K Upgrade

    The dust has settled on an uneventful Russian Grand Prix, with no on-track overtakes from lap two through to the finish (we are not including when Ricciardo slowed due to the fire in his right rear brake). Very much a power related track the Renault-engined cars struggled in sectors one and two on the long straights. A Herman Tilke-designed track always tends to have two long straights if you look at the likes of Austin and Sepang.

    Renault-engined cars reverted back to their 2016 MGU-K at the start of the season due to the poor reliability in pre-season testing, but is keen to bring the new version back. Their 2017 version is five kilograms lighter, and packs more power within itself. Renault said that whilst they race with 2016 they will look at solutions to fix the reliability and introduce as soon as possible, and the fifth round in Barcelona was the goal.

    In such a complex era of Formula One a matter of centimetres and grams makes a huge difference. Scenarios such as Verstappen not having a drinks bottle in Australia is equivalent to one kilogram, as well as the twenty-centimetre wheelbase difference between the Ferrari and Mercedes making Ferrari extremely strong in the more twisty section of Russia.

    A supposed huge engine upgrade by Renault is due for the Canadian Grand Prix, with that and this being implemented the power of the Renault engine could finally be unleashed.

    Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

    With a B-spec chassis coming for Red Bull in Spain, and a power upgrade there or in Canada, could it heat up the battle at the front? With arguably the most exciting driver partnership, throwing Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo into the mix sure does add a sense of excitement.

    It doesn’t only help the energy drinks giants, but for their partners Toro Rosso & Renault an upgrade should give them the boost they need. Renault need something to kick start their season, especially Jolyon Palmer: after a string of poor results and a turn one incident at Russia, surely the frustration is building inside the Englishman.

    Toro Rosso originally looked like in testing the fourth-fastest team, with a very similar design to the Silver Arrows in terms of suspension and front end. But just as with their year-old Ferrari engines last season, the power aspect with Renault is once more what they are struggling with.

    As a whole Renault seem to be on the up in terms of the engine department, just down to the teams now to improve their chassis and aerodynamics.

    Chris Lord, F1 Correspondent

  • Opinion: Palmer risks losing the chance of a lifetime

    Jolyon Palmer (GBR) Renault Sport F1 Team on the grid.
    Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 17th April 2017. Sakhir, Bahrain.

    For most racing drivers, the wealth of opportunities Jolyon Palmer has enjoyed in the infancy of his F1 career is the stuff of dreams. Signed up by one of the sport’s most prestigious manufacturer outfits after a year of extensive test and reserve running with Lotus, retained by Renault for 2017 despite scoring just a single point last year, and now given a car capable of regular top ten appearances—it’s a dizzying height at which to begin one’s Formula One journey.

    But if Palmer’s season doesn’t begin to improve soon, he stands at risk of throwing his once-in-a-lifetime chance away.

    Having been given some reassurance following a rocky debut campaign, it was expected that Palmer would begin to settle into his seat at Renault, providing a degree of stability and consistency whilst the team worked to integrate Nico Hülkenberg into their development programme.

    But in actuality, Palmer has so far finished only two of the opening four races, both times a lap down in thirteenth position. His 2017 scorecard is also blotted by costly shunts in practice and qualifying sessions, not to mention his race-ending collision with Romain Grosjean in Russia, and although the Briton made his first top ten qualifying appearance in the Bahrain Grand Prix, he has also twice lined up on the back row of the grid.

    To a team like Renault, these results will be seen as nothing short of unacceptable. The opening flyaway races have shown that on pure pace and potential, Renault should be fighting the likes of Williams and Force India this season; yet when it comes to the points table, the French marque has only just begun to pull away from Sauber and McLaren.

    Jolyon Palmer (GBR) Renault Sport F1 Team RS17.
    Russian Grand Prix, Sunday 30th April 2017. Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, Russia. Courtesy of Renault Sport F1 Team

    Of course, in the spirit of fairness the blame for Renault’s thus-far underwhelming points haul cannot be laid squarely at Palmer’s door. Neither of the Briton’s two DNFs this year have been entirely his fault—his brake failure in Melbourne especially—and both he and Hülkenberg have suffered from tyre degradation issues that have held back the potential of the RS17.

    But on the other hand, for it to be said that Renault have missed out on genuine opportunities they at least need to have their cars running in points positions to begin with, which means logging the kind of qualifying results that Palmer has so far only been able to produce the once.

    In 2016, performances of this kind could largely go unnoticed for Palmer. He had the allowance that it was his debut season, and also that his car was—in the gentlest of terms—a handful. Renault wasn’t expecting much more than it got and Palmer knew his seat was relatively safe, if only because the team would have a hard job convincing anyone else to take it.

     

    Jolyon Palmer (GBR) Renault Sport F1 Team RS17.
    Formula One Testing, Day 4, Thursday 2nd March 2017. Barcelona, Spain. Image courtesy of Renault Sport F1 Team

    But a year on and there is no longer any such place to hide for Palmer. With Renault targeting the top five of the Constructors’ Championship and Hülkenberg proving that goal to be more than possible, any absence of results from Palmer’s side of the garage can be easily traced back to the driver.

    And unlike last year, Palmer will now face a very real threat of being dropped from his seat if he cannot keep that deficit to his teammate under control. He doesn’t have to be matching Hülkenberg point-for-point, but he does need to begin showing Renault that he is an asset to the team, that they do in fact have two drivers capable of qualifying well and bringing home consistent, constructive results.

    What’s more, he will need to start doing so soon—if the opening rounds were a grace period for getting used to the new breed of F1 cars, then that period is now over, and Palmer will need to hit the ground running in the European season before talk turns to contracts over the summer.

    If he can’t, there’s no doubt that a rejuvenated Renault will have a much easier time finding an ambitious and dependable new driver to put in his place. It’s worth remembering the words of Palmer’s own father Jonathan, no less, speaking to The Guardian about his son’s promotion last year: “If you don’t make the best of the opportunity you’re going to get spat out very quickly”.

    James Matthews, Deputy Editor

  • What have we learnt from the first four races of 2017

    Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, Russia.
    Sunday 30 April 2017.
    World Copyright: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Images
    ref: Digital Image _X4I8803 – Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media

    What have we learnt from the first four races of the season?

    Mercedes and Ferrari are in a different league to the rest of the field. It was staggering to see that in Russia alone, the difference between Hamilton in fourth and Ricciardo in fifth was over a second in each of the three qualifying sessions. We know that The Tag Heuer branded Renault has some deficiencies to both the Mercedes and Ferrari power units, but we wouldn’t have been expecting to see a second gap between the top two teams and their third placed competitors. It’s going to have to be a wet or mixed up race with several safety cars if we are going to see anything other than a silver or red car taking the chequered flag.

    Even without the win at the weekend, it is fair to say that Bottas has found his feet pretty quickly at Mercedes. He’s out qualified Lewis in half of the races so far and has just as many wins as him. To say that it’s an even head to head is to mis-read the statistics on purpose. No-one is going to be arguing that Bottas is as good as Hamilton already, but the Finn has certainly rattled his cage with some confident driving.

    Either Lewis underestimated his new team mate or he underestimated the challenge which would be coming from the Ferrari’s, but he has changed his happy tune in the last few weeks. Initially, when Vettel won the Australian Grand Prix, Lewis seemed pleased that he was going to be having a challenge from somewhere. Now he knows that he might well be fighting off the pressure from Vettel, Bottas and maybe even Raikkonen.

    At the other end of the spectrum is the other World Champion attempting to even get to the start line. Alonso is not being subtle with his interactions in the media and pointing out that he has driven the best lap of his life just to get into Q2 is merely highlighting the fact that he wants a good car. Either from Honda or from another team.

    When Alonso moved to McLaren, he knew they would not be competitive right away and accepted this with his reportedly £25.5 million a year pay cheque. Two years further down the road and the power unit actually looks worse. If the figures reported are correct, then Alonso has earnt £46,500 per race lap he has completed this year. Even that is not enough compensation for ruining three years of a world-class career.

    It’s been really positive that the sole focus of the race weekend has not be the tyre degradation and how Pirrelli’s are performing. The new spec look to have matched the requirements the teams have laid out. They do degrade and there is a difference between the performance of the compounds, but they don’t seem to suddenly fall of the cliff and become useless.

    On the useless note, the announcement that Honda are to power Sauber was interesting. One of two things have gone on here. Either Honda have decided that they can’t get faster or more competitive and therefore will just slow down the rest of the competition. OR Sauber have money issues and Honda have offered them a lot of money to become the second factory team. A long-term deal would really suit the Swiss team and could be the security they need. The extra data and running times should help out Honda and then the McLaren team might have a decent engine.

    Andy Robinson

     

  • Totally Toro Rosso in Russia

    Formula 1

    May 1, 2017

    Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

    Before we talk about the Russian Grand Prix weekend let’s have a quick recap of what our drivers did last time out in Bahrain. Bahrain was a really disappointing race for Toro Rosso: we were expecting a lot but Sainz made contact with Lance Stroll moments after his pitstop and ended his race, and Kvyat finished in twelfth after struggling with pace in the race, meaning we come away from Bahrain empty-handed.

    After the Grand Prix we had a two-day in-season test, this hopefully would give us chance to gather more data and test new parts. First day our test driver Sean Gelael took to the track and completed 78 laps. Here’s what he had to say:

    “Today is a day I will never forget—to finally drive a Formula One car is something every driver dreams of, and to do it with Scuderia Toro Rosso makes it even more special. The power and overall grip is amazing…compared to the Formula Two car I drive.”

    Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

    On day two our two regular guys took over—Kvyat drove in the morning and did 61 laps, and Sainz later in the day completed 68 laps.

     

    Talking ahead of the Russian Grand Prix, Kvyat said: ”The first thing that comes to my mind is Sebastian, as in Sebastian Vettel. I like to torpedo Sebastian, it’s my hobby. You know I’m joking!” Kvyat also added a picture of himself riding a torpedo to his helmet design this weekend just to continue the joke.

    Sainz added: “I’ve learnt a few Russian words thanks to my team mate, Daniil. I think it’s best that I don’t tell you which words he’s taught me…”

    On Wednesday it was Daniil’s 23rd birthday and he got to celebrate it in his home country, while learning how to play curling with the Russian national team, which he said he really enjoyed and liked trying new things.

    Later that day Kvyat also presented his book, Daniil Kvyat: The Path to Formula One, all about the early stages of his career. As soon as the English version is released I will be purchasing it.

    Pavel Sukhorukov / Red Bull Content Pool

    Thursday arrived and it was time for the track walk on a sunny afternoon. Sainz posted a video on Twitter talking about the hairstyles of his race engineers while on the walk, and when they returned to the garage it was time for a huge chocolate birthday cake for Kvyat.

    Later that day Kvyat joined Bottas and Grosjean at the drivers’ press conference to face the world’s media, before taking to the stage to speak to his home fans. Meanwhile, Sainz was back onto autograph duty.

    Friday arrived and it was time for free practice. In FP1 home hero Kvyat finished eleventh and Sainz fourteenth, and in FP2 Sainz was fifteenth and Kvyat seventeenth. Both drivers were disappointed and said the car was lacking a lot of speed.

    On Saturday Sainz ended FP3 in ninth with Kvyat thirteenth. With both drivers still unhappy but with little time to make changes we head into qualifying. Our boys ended in eleventh and thirteenth with Sainz coming out on top, but his three-place grid penalty from Bahrain dropped him to fourteenth and moved Kvyat up to twelfth for his home race. Both drivers said they were much happier with their qualifying positions than their Friday pace.

    Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

    Sunday meant race day, and with Kvyat starting twelfth and Sainz fourteenth points would be tough but still the aim. As the lights went out Sainz made the better start up to eleventh while Kvyat held onto twelfth place, and in the early laps both boys were looking good.

    After the pit stops the race calmed right down and nothing much happened for our boys in the remaining laps: Daniil ended the race where he started in twelfth, but Carlos took a point in tenth. Both drivers struggled with race pace and overtaking was difficult this weekend, but to leave Russia with one point was better than we left Bahrain.

    Afterwards, Sainz commented: “What a tough race, especially as we were starting from behind because of the grid penalty… But today we got everything right: the start, the first lap, the pit-stop, the strategy…so we can be happy!”

    Kvyat added: “My start today wasn’t the best and I lost a bit of time there. During my pit stop we…got undercut by Stroll and during my second stint I was unfortunately blue-flagged quite a lot and lost some more time having to let the leading cars by.

    “On a positive note, the last part of the race in clean air, was fantastic—we were flying and the car felt great!”

    Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

    Richard Hindson, F1 Correspondent

  • Haas F1 Russian Grand Prix Preview

    Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain.
    Sunday 16 April 2017.
    World Copyright: Sam Bloxham/LAT Images
    ref: Digital Image _W6I2713

    Next up for round 4 the Sochi Autodrom, a 5.848-kilometer (3.634-mile), 18-turn circuit. Despite it’s complete lack of camber or elevation change, it reminds me of a nice roller coaster that weaves through the stunning architecture of the Winter Olympics and down the coast of the black sea. It will be interesting to see how the cars go at this circuit it could either be good racing or a repeat of Melbourne. I think there is just enough variation to the track that we are going to see a very good race though. Weather conditions will be good. The circuit varies between what are essentially long straights interrupted by short corners in sector 1 whereas sector 3 is very slow and takes much more life out of the tyres. In this sense it will be important to manage the tyres properly in sector 1 so they’re not dead by sector 3.

    However, the tarmac is very smooth here and has what’s called a “low macro roughness” meaning there is a very low degradation for the tyres. In 2014 Rosberg did the entire race minus one lap on one set of White Medium tyres. With that partly in mind Pirelli have gone down one level of softness for tyre options this year and will now offer the Soft, Supersoft, and for the first time Pirelli P Zero Purple Ultrasofts.

    The current track record at the Sochi Autodrom is 1:35.417, set last year by Mercedes Nico Rosberg in Q3 but this record will likely be broken in the free practice sessions possibly even the first. A non-Mercedes car has never won at this track either now in it’s 4th year of running, so Haas will be hoping Ferrari power has made an improvement at this circuit. Grosjean’s has qualified P8 in 2015 with a best result of P8 in 2016 while Magnussen’s best qualifying in 2016 started him 11th with a best result of P5 in 2014.

    Romain Grosjean

    “A lot will depend on the temperature. The tarmac in Bahrain is very rough. It’s very smooth in Russia…I do quite like the fast turn three. It’s a very high-speed corner, flat out, then just going into turn four, coming out of the corner, then braking straight away for turn four. I think the corners flow into each other quite nicely. It’s a good track to drive.”

    Kevin Magnussen

    The Sochi Autodrom seems to emulate Bahrain in terms of setup. How much of what you learned in Bahrain can be transferred to the Russian Grand Prix?

    “I think you learn every weekend more and more about the car. You get a better understanding overall, which is going to help everywhere…I like turns six, seven and eight as they’re high speed.”

    UPDATE: Haas to start Russian GP weekend with Carbon Industrie brakes

    Carbon Industrie brakes will be used by Haas at the start of the Russian Grand Prix weekend. Carbon Industrie brakes were first tested by Haas in 2016 at Brazil and will again be tested as the team struggles to get the performance out of Brembo brakes which caused frustration during the second half of 2016 for the team.

    Because they ran Brembo brakes during winter testing, they were forced to start the season with them due to new Formula 1 rules. However, after positive driver feedback from Bahrain testing of Carbon Industrie brakes Haas has decided to start FP1 in Sochi on them after which they will make their decision for the race.

    By Jeremiah Doctson

    (Image Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)