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  • McLaren – Lots Of Questions

     

    (c) Neil Simmons

     

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

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

    The obvious answer is ‘of course not’.

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

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

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

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

    (c) Neil Simmons

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Cast this thought across your mind for a moment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    How long is too long? – An eighth question.

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

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

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

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

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

    Is Ferrari an alternative solution? – A twelfth question.

    All these answers and more will become clear soon.

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

    Neil Simmons

    Twitter: @world_racing

  • Alan Jones, the First of Many

    (Image Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    James Matthews, Editor-at-Large

     

  • Mercedes far from favourites in Melbourne

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    James Matthews, Editor-at-Large

  • TeamByTeam MotoGP Preview: Gresini Aprilia

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

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

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

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

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

  • Haas – Season Preview

    MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA) – 19/03/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    Haas F1 were the last team of the 2017 preseason to reveal their new car; the VF 17 challenger. In it’s first year Haas F1 became the first American constructor to win points in its F1 debut and first constructor overall since Toyota in 2002 to score points on debut. Romain Grosjean made a 6th place finish in Australia and team best 5th in Bahrain to exceed the Carolina based outfits expectations early season but saw only three points finishes the rest of the season.

    Difficulty with Brembo brakes and operational issues led to only one point in the second half of the season. Race strategist Ruth Buscombe was also snagged by Sauber and went mysteriously absent halfway through the season which hurt the team as well. Despite this, Grosjean’s early points were enough to finish the team 8th in the Constructors Championship ahead of Sauber, Mannor and even French giant Renault.

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

    Drivers

    Romain Grosjean

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

    Kevin Magnussen

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

    Pre-Season Testing in Barcelona

    Testing went well for Haas, as driver Romain Grosjean recorded 76 laps around Catalunya on the final day of testing bringing his two-week testing total to 346 laps, 1,610.63 kilometers (1,000.799 miles). His teammate Kevin Magnussen meanwhile did 369 total laps, 1,717.695 kilometers (1,067.326 miles) during his two weeks of testing.

    In total Haas ran an impressive 715 laps or 3,328.325 kilometers (2,068.125 miles) during its 2017 preseason test. This, compared to only running 474 laps from last year. Magnussen did 119 laps on the final Thursday, the most of Haas preseason. His quickest lap Thursday also was his quickest of the preseason – a 1.20.504 on his 62nd lap with the Pirelli P Zero Purple ultrasoft tyre.

    That time placed Magnussen fifth among 13 drivers participating. After a spin in the morning of the the last day of testing, and a sensor issue which stranded him later that morning, Romain Grosjean posted his best time on afternoon of the last day of testing with a 1.21.110 on Pirelli P Z Purple Ultrasoft tyres puting him 10th of 13 drivers.

    After bringing the VF 17 back to the garage a water leak was discovered preventing the team from running in the final 30 minutes of on-track running.

    2017 Predictions

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

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

    Jeremiah Doctson

    (Image Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)

  • The Story of Williams-Renault in the BTCC

    As part of the Crew’s Williams Week, Aaron Irwin looks at Williams’ involvement in the BTCC during the mid to late 90’s.

    The British Touring Car Championship has always been a fantastic race series, full of close, tight racing. However when you ask most which era was the best? It’s undoubtedly the Super Touring era.

    The 90’s were a great time for the series, with drivers such as Gabriele Tarquini, Alain Menu and Frank Biela all making names for themselves in the BTCC. I’ll be looking at Williams’ participation in what was a hugely competitive era for the racing series.

    1994 was a solid season for Renault, they replaced the dated 19 for the new Laguna. Young Swiss driver Alain Menu was partnered by 1992 champion Tim Harvey. Together they won three races between them and Menu came second in the championship behind the dominant Tarquini in the Alfa Romeo 155.

    In September 1994 the Williams Formula One team and Renault announced their new partnership. It was created so Williams could expand their motorsport involvement past F1 and Renault could challenge further for the BTCC crown.

    1991 champion Will Hoy came in to replace Harvey, who left for Volvo. Menu continued to show he was a champion in the making, winning seven races, including the first for the new Williams backed team at Thruxton in round five. He again finished second in the championship, this time to BTCC legend John Cleland. Hoy had a less successful season, struggling with reliability in the first half of the season, Hoy managed to win three races in the second half and finish fourth.

    While there wasn’t instant success in the Driver’s Championship, Williams-Renault won the Manufacturer’s championship in their debut season working together.

    It’s key to remember during this time, in Formula One Williams Renault were fighting for titles too, with Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost winning the title in 1992 and 1993 respectively. Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher played out titanic battles for the championship in 1994 and 1995, with the Benetton driver coming out on top in both occasions.

    Williams had their time to shine again however as Hill won the title in 1996 with team mate Jacques Villeneuve following suit in 1997. They were the dominant team during these two seasons and no one could match them, not even the might of Schumacher and Ferrari.

    Meanwhile back to 1996 and in the BTCC Renault had a new foe, following the success of BMW and Alfa Romeo in previous years, Audi decided they’d try their hand at BTCC. Bringing in Frank Biela they dominated the season, with Biela taking his only BTCC title win.

    Menu was considered the hot favourite for the title before the season, but Audi’s four wheel drive A4 Quattro dominated. The Swiss driver still managed to win four races, including a clean sweep at the Brands Hatch GP meeting in rounds 13 and 14.

    He again finished second in the title race for the third successive season, Biela dominated, with the gap between him and Menu being 92 points. Hoy finished ninth with two second places at the season opening Donington Park rounds being his best result. He moved to Ford for 1997, with Jason Plato replacing him at Renault.

    Though Plato had made hard work of it. He was in the running along with ex-F1 drivers Gianni Morbidelli and Jean Christophe Boullion (more on him later) for the second seat. After being overlooked Plato travelled down to Williams’ base in Grove and waited for Sir Frank Williams to arrive.

    After chasing him down the car park, Plato was eventually given the second seat at Williams-Renault for what would prove to be a hugely successful season for

    the team.

    The dominant Audi team were controversially penalised with extra weight penalties applied to their A4’s. It was relaxed later on in the season but this would be Williams’ year.

    Menu won 12 of the 24 rounds to take his first title. Plato proved his worth to Williams and his potential by winning two rounds to give Renault a dominant clean sweep of the championships. Menu won the title by 110 points, with Audi’s Biela in second.

    The pair also raced in the 1997 Bathurst 1000, with Williams running two cars. 1980 F1 world champion Alan Jones was in the second car. Menu and Plato led for a long time, but unfortunately both cars failed to finish.

    1998 however saw change for Williams, Nescafe came in as title sponsor, and the team renamed Blend 37 Williams Renault. Menu and Plato were kept on. But the competition caught up in what is regarded as one of the most open and best seasons in the series’ history.

    Rickard Rydell in the Volvo won the title, Nissan’s Anthony Reid took second, James Thompson of Honda third with Menu and Plato fourth and fifth, 91 points separated the top five. Four wins between the two Renault drivers as it was clear the competition was a lot tougher than 1997.

    I for one feel incredibly nostalgic about that era, mainly because my mum and dad bought me ToCA 2 Touring Cars for my PlayStation. It was based on the 1998 season and that green Nescafe Renault is still my favourite touring car ever.

    Menu was pragmatic about his title winning season, quoted as saying: “I think last year on some tracks we were not the quickest car but we ended up winning the championship because we made less mistakes than the other guys. So hopefully this year (1998) will be the same.”

    The Swiss driver left for Ford for 1999, ending a six season partnership with Renault. This meant Jean-Christophe Boullion joined Plato at Renault. It was their least successful season under the Williams partnership.

    Now a Ford driver, Menu commented on the state of his former team, saying in a March 1999 issue of Autosport: “I’ve got to say they’re leaving it a bit late. “If they’ve got any problems they won’t have much time to fix them. They’re playing with fire a little bit.” Plato defended Renault: “It’s late because we want to make it right.”

    However it would be Menu who was right, engine troubles meant Renault had a poor season, winning just one race, at Silverstone. This led to Renault pulling

    out of the BTCC along with a host of other works teams, such as Volvo and Nissan, sparking the end of the golden age of BTCC racing.

    It’d be fair to say the Williams-Renault BTCC partnership was an unmitigated success, with two Manufacturer’s championships in five years of racing. Not to mention this was in an incredibly competitive era where Audi, Volvo, Nissan, Vauxhall, Honda, and to an extent Ford were all capable of winning races.

    Alain Menu became a BTCC legend, winning a second title with Ford in 2000. Plato also made a name of himself after pushing through the door to get his drive. Both have won two world titles each, and the 1997 season is still seen as one of the most dominant and successful for any BTCC team.

    Aaron Irwin

  • Sir Frank Williams, a Living Legend

    2011 German Grand Prix – Friday
    Nurburgring, Germany
    22nd July 2011
    Pastor Maldonado, Williams FW33 Cosworth.
    Photo: Steven Tee/LAT Photographic
    ref: Digital Image _A8C4283If I asked you to name five legends of Formula One I bet you’d name all drivers, right? I’d probably do the same, but how could anyone miss Sir Frank Williams from their list? The man is a living legend and has come through so much adversity during his life he really should be top of any legend list.

    Frank was born in South Shields in 1942 to an RAF officer and special needs teacher, he spent much or his later childhood at St Joseph’s college a private boarding school.

    It was in the late 1950s when Frank became hooked on fast cars after a friend gave him a lift in a Jaguar XK150, Personally I think we have a lot to thank this anonymous friend for, if he hadn’t given Frank a lift we may not have had, what is arguably, one of the finest Formula One teams of all time.

    Before setting up Frank Williams Racing in 1966 he had a brief career as a driver and mechanic. He made his racing debut in 1961 driving an Austin A40 saloon, thereafter progressing to F3 racing both as a mechanic and driver which he funded by working as a traveling grocery salesman.

    During the days of Frank Williams Racing he ran cars in Formula Two and Formula Three, in 1969 he purchased ad Brabham Formula one chassis which driver Piers Courage drove through that season, twice finishing in second place.

    1970 saw the death of Courage at the Dutch Grand Prix, Frank entered into a brief partnership with Alejandro de Tomaso a partnership that ended in 1971, also in that year Frank purchased a chaises from March Engineering and ran a race car driven by French man Henri Pescarolo.

    In 1972 Williams Works built their first F1 car designed by Len Bailey and called the Politoys FX3, unfortunately, Pescarolo crashed it and destroyed it in the first race of the year.

    By this point, Frank was short on money and had started conducting his business from a phone box due to the fact his own phone had been cut off because he hadn’t paid the bill!

    Frank decided it was time to seek sponsorship and turned to Marlboro and Italian car company Iso Rivolta, they initially agreed the deal never materialised which meant Frank was still short on cash and still searching for a sponsor, in 1976 he finally found the sponsorship he was looking for in Walter Wolf the oil tycoon.

    1977 saw Frank leave Frank Williams Racing along with a young engineer called Patrick Head. The two of the bought a disused carpet warehouse in Oxford and so began the Williams Grand Prix engineering.

    These days we know the team as simply WilliamsF1, although Frank has eased his role passing the reigns to his daughter Claire, he can still be seen at many races.

    Frank has overcome many trials and tribulations in his life, none less than the horrific car accident that he had in March 1986.

    Frank was leaving the Paul Richard circuit

    on a journey to Nice airport in his Ford Sierra rental when he lost control of the car. It was very unfortunate that there was an eight-foot drop between the field the car was heading for and the road, the car landed on the driver’s side resulting in Frank being pressed between the seat and the roof causing a spinal fracture since the accident Frank has been confined to a wheelchair.

    One would find it hard to write anything about Frank Williams and not include the untimely death of Ayrton Senna, under Italian law Frank was charged with manslaughter although he was cleared many years later.

    Frank has been quoted as saying “Ayrton was a great man he had that fierce competitive spirit that every racing driver should have. But off the track, he was a calm, charming man and that’s what made him stand out”

    Frank married his wife Virginia in 1967. they had three children Jamie, Jonathan, and Claire, Ginny, as she was known by many, sadly passed away in 2013

    Frank was awarded a CBE in 1987 by the queen, then in 1999, he was knighted.

    He was made a Chevalier of France’s Legion d’honneur an honnour which was presented to him for his work with Renault.

    2008 saw Frank awarded the Wheatcroft trophy which is presented to people who have made significant contributions to the motorsports world.

    On December 19th, 2010 Frank was awarded the Helen Rollason Award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.

    Frank even has a street in Didcot named after him.

    Now let me ask you the same question I asked earlier, would you now put Sir Frank on or even at the top of your list?

    Donna Marie, deputy editor

  • Australian Grand Prix Preview -The kangaroos are back

    MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA) – 20/3/16
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    Australian Grand Prix Fri 24- Sun 26 March

    Formula One finally returns to our lives after a long time of absence. Winter break is over, pre-season tests have completed and the race weeks/weekends are back to our screens, heart, and mind.

    The season premiere will occur in Australia, Melbourne, which hosts the opening Grand Prix of each year, excluding the 2006 and 2010 seasons.

    The Australian driver Lex Davison and the German driver Michael Schumacher are the two drivers who are sharing the record of the most wins in the Australian Grand Prix, both have won the race four times. While McLaren is the most successful constructor as they have won twelve times in Australia.

    The teams had to adjust the 2017 car and form them according to the new regulations which included changes on the tyres, front and rear wings, suspension and in the weight of the cars. You can read my previous article about the 2017 new regulations.

    Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit

    Laps: 58

    Circuit Length: 5.303 km

    Race Distance: 307.574 km

    Lap Record: 1:24.125 – Michael Schumacher (2004)

    The track is familiar to the drivers, there are two DRS zones, the first one is at the start/finishing straight and the second one is between the second and the third turn.

    Last season in Australia, Lewis Hamilton took the pole position, which was the fiftieth of his career, but Nico Rosberg was the driver who took the first chequered flag of the season. The German finished ahead of his team-mate and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

    Romain Grosjean finished sixth and scored Haas’ first points in their Formula One debut race. Daniil Kvyat didn’t start the race due to electrical issues, on lap 22 Kimi Raikkonen forced to stop and retire the race as fire was coming from his airbox. A massive collision between Fernando Alonso and Esteban Gutierez deployed the safety car for a couple of laps, but a few moments later all the cars returned to the pitlane as the race was under red flag. Alonso ran into Gutierez’s back while he was running with almost 300 km/h and lifted into the air, he crashed onto the barrier and started to roll over and finally landed upside down at turn three. Alonso walked away with minor injuries.

    Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
    Wednesday 01 March 2017.
    World Copyright: Steven Tee/LAT Images
    ref: Digital Image _R3I6563

    Hopefully, on Sunday, we will not see any similar accidents, as the safety of the drivers is the most important factor. A clear race, full of battles and overtakes is all that we need.

    Melbourne will give us a small taste of which team is ahead and which made the best adjustments. Will Ferrari be able to challenge Mercedes and return to victories?

    Do not miss PitCrew’s live coverage on Sunday, starts 30 minutes before lights out!

    Victor Archakis – @FP_Passion

  • TeamByTeam MotoGP Preview: Red Bull KTM

    Picture Credit to Gold and Goose

    I think I’ll be speaking for every MotoGP fan when I say what an exciting prospect the Red Bull KTM bike is, especially with Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith spear heading the Austrian factory outfit. The pair have proven top six credentials and one can only imagine the two creeping further and further up the points as the season progresses.

    So what can we expect from the two riders this year? Smith first entered the Grand Prix stage 11 years ago, amazing to think considering how young the Briton still is. Talking in his blog, the 26 year old is expecting the opening rounds to be particularly tough. After an outstanding 2015, where he finished the season as top independent team rider in 6th, Smith had one of the most difficult years of his career last season. Now recovered from his freak accident at Oschersleben in an endurance race, both he and his Spanish team mate will be aiming to penetrate the top 15 in the opening rounds. Once more, Bradley is one of the most technically gifted riders in the current MotoGP field. He knows exactly what he wants and by the time we get to the end of the year, we (as Brits) will want Bradders to be somewhere near the top 10.

    Pol Espargaro joins KTM after a stellar year on board the Tech 3 bike, only losing out on the top independent rider honours to double race winner Cal Crutchlow. The former Moto2 world champion now enters his 11th year of Grand Prix racing, and despite never tasting the champagne in the premier class, there is no doubting the young Spaniard has the ability to ruffle some feathers as he gets to grips with his new machine. The KTM has however proven difficult to ride, as Pol has already said the bike is rather violent with its power. Once more though, Pol – like Bradley – brings a wealth of experience into the team, from Moto2 and MotoGP. Both riders both coming from the same team may also enhance KTM’s understanding of where their own bike may need to improve but also where it is just fine.

    In terms of out and out speed, the RC16 isn’t a million miles away from being a competitive bike. Since Mika Kallio’s wildcard in Valencia, both Espargaro and Smith have lapped within 1.3 and 1.4 seconds of Maverick Vinales at the Phillip Island test, a sign of how far the bike has progressed since the project started 15 months ago. One indicator to measure how quickly the bike is developing is by observing the distance between the bike and the front riders from the start of the weekend. It’s not so much lap time that matters but more of how big the gap is to the leaders. They may also want to use Aprilia and Suzuki’s comeback season as a benchmark – although reliability and validity would be questioned, seeing as there was open class concessions for tyres and engines and also a different tyre supplier, with Bridgestone.

    What circuits have previously benefitted KTM then? Unfortunately there’s little evidence to go on seeing as their only point in the premier class was at Laguna Seca, with Shane Byrne in 2005. The Ricardo Tormo circuit was where the bike made its debut so it may make a more notable improvement in comparison to other circuits. However, the three day tests in Qatar, Malaysia and Australia would’ve done no harm in finding a base setting for when the tracks are used for racing.

    For the team to be aiming for points in their second ever race is a sign of Red Bull KTM’s mind-set, so let’s not expect them to be at the back of the field for long. After all, with big money sponsorship, two incredibly technically-talented riders and a determined workforce, they could be something a little bit special in what is now considered the “Golden Age” of MotoGP.

    Eliott York @journoyork

  • TeamByTeam MotoGP Preview: Ecstar Suzuki

     

    After taking their first win nine years last season, Suzuki haven’t come into a year as strong as they do in 2017. Although losing Maverick Vinales who joins Yamaha, the Ecstar Suzuki team have found a race winner to replace him, with Andrea Iannone heading up 2nd new signing, Alex Rins – who replaces Aleix Espargaro who departs for the Gresini Now TV Aprilia outfit. Will Suzuki build on their 2016 performance, stagnate and remain a threat at some rounds or, will they go backwards as Ducati and Aprilia up the effort?

    One thing for sure is that Andrea Iannone didn’t reluctantly choose Suzuki. The Italian, who won at the Red Bull Ring last season, has been impressive in testing, consistently being in the top five or six on certain days. Iannone’s switch did come at a slight shock, as rumour has it that Aprilia did try and sign him – which would make sense seeing as it’s an Italian manufacturer. With Iannone joining a team as number one rider that may also help his confidence. He will be the one that takes Suzuki’s first podiums of 2017 and who’s to say that he won’t go on to take wins?

    Talking off wins… Alex Rins partners Suzuki’s all new star-studded line up for 2017 and 2018. The former Moto3 and Moto2 Grand Prix winner and championship challenger is one of four riders to graduate from the intermediate class to the premier class. Undoubtedly quick on his day, Alex Rins’ form has been fluctuating more than the British Pound post-Brexit. 2nd at Brno, 7th at Silverstone, 2nd at Misano, 6th at Aragon and a 20th at Motegi were his mid – to – end season results last year. One may argue that he’s consistently in the top 10, however, to have such fluctuating form can be worrying. Maybe MotoGP will sort Rins out – surely he could take a podium this season?

    The Suzuki squad returned in 2015 but it took them to the French Grand Prix last season to take a podium, with Vinales. It was at Silverstone where the team took their first win though, highlighting the fact that the bike likes cool temperatures and also quite fiddly circuits, with a lot of point and squirt corners and fast direction changes. The bike is by no means the fastest in a straight line but that can be countered in the corners. Maverick Vinales showed last year just how many liberties you can take with the bike. If it had a bit more power, it’d be a threat all season round.

    So what circuits does the bike go well at? It’s very hard to say given it only really came good last season, although Le Mans was good for them – as they achieved a double top six and a podium with the aforementioned Vinales. The win at Silverstone was backed up with a 7th by Aleix Espargaro, who battled with Jorge Lorenzo for most of the race. The Japanese GP was also kind to them, with Vinales 3rd and Aleix 4th. Could they be a more prominent threat throughout 2017?

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko