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Category: Formula One

  • United States Grand Prix P3 Roundup. We’re calling it a ’roundup’ because Texas, y’all.

    United States Grand Prix P3 Roundup. We’re calling it a ’roundup’ because Texas, y’all.

     

    The word of the session for Free Practice 3 of the United States Grand Prix is, ‘workmanlike’. The teams are continuing to dial the cars in, find the limits, and push them. While rain didn’t make an appearance the wind was particularly noticeable along the back straight, blowing at 3.7 m/s (around 8 miles an hour for us Yanks unused to SI measures) from the north and making turn 12 exciting. A track temperature of 35 C (95 F) and an air temperature of 28 C (82 F) made for warm running. Following the usual churn in the leader board as the session progressed, an unsurprising back-and-forth finally ensued between Ferrari and Mercedes at the top of the timing sheet, with the familiar final order of Hamilton, Vettel, Bottas, and Raikonnen in the top 4.

    Mercedes had, by all appearances, an uneventful session. After slowly ramping up, Lewis Hamilton set a new record of 1:34.478 to top the timing sheet. Hamilton made some creative interpretations of the track limits in the closing moments, but ran into no major issues.

    Valtteri Bottas showed respectable pace as well, and with a fastest lap of 1:34.692 claimed third on the sheets.

    After a raft of complaints from Sebastian Vettel following yesterday’s sessions, Ferrari claims to have completely changed the chassis on his car. Though as Will Buxton pointed out in his commentary on NBC Sports, supported by his fellow commentators, there have been occasions where the mechanics have simply taken a car apart and reassembled it – a placebo for the drivers. Maranello swears it was a full chassis change, so we’ve no choice but to take them at their word.

    Seb’s times gave the impression he was happy, though. After the usual back-and-forth at the top of the timing sheet, Vettel’s best lap of 1:34.570 saw him finish in second, 0.092 seconds behind Hamilton. If he can keep this pace in quali and the race, the title battle may go down to the wire – were that to happen, the true winners would be the fans. Seb appeared to have a moment of nostalgia for his Red Bull days, accidentally pulling into a Red Bull pit box before correcting himself.

    Much like his fellow Finn and #2 driver (search your feelings, you know it to be true), Kimi Raikkonen turned in respectable pace but was overshadowed by his teammate. His fastest lap of 1:34.755 earned him 4th on the leaderboard for the session.

    Red Bull showed good pace early on, with Daniel Ricciardo topping the timing briefly during the middle of the session. Sadly it wasn’t to last, and with a bit of a scruffy showing he finished in 9th, with a fastest lap of 1:35.723.

    Max Verstappen, who may be forced to start the race from Taylor after taking a new engine and MGU-H, was up to 2nd for a moment, but settled in at 5th with 1:35.103

    Brendon Hartley, helmet issues resolved, continued to put in the work for Toro Rosso. First out and closing with 26 laps, he easily put in the highest mileage in the session. Toro Rosso is clearly happy with his performance, as the flow-viz paint on the back of his car indicates they’re running some experimental parts. With a best lap of 1:36.818, he came in at 15th place, and the speculation of a Gasly-Hartley line-up for the Baby Bulls in 2018 continues apace.

    Speaking of Toro Rosso, poor Dany Kvyat can’t catch a break any more – even though Pierre Gasly couldn’t make it back from Japan in time thus giving him a race seat, he suffered from steering issues and spent significant time in the garage. With a best lap of 1:38.5, Dany is dead last in 20th, with only 6 laps under his belt.

    It wouldn’t be practice without Romain ‘I’m not moaning’ Grosjean beaching his Haas. Though not quite as dramatic as Vettel’s excursion yesterday, this nonetheless brought out the Virtual Safety Car and ended his session after only 9 laps. His best time of 1:37.891 left him in 19th.

    Kevin Magnussen had a far less eventful session, finishing 16th with a fastest lap of 1:37.271. His dad was there, which was nice.

    Renault put in a solid, though comparatively uneventful showing. Nico Hulkenberg put in the second highest lap tally of 21, and had a best time of 1:35.608. He finished the session a comfortable 7th.

    His freshly-minted teammate Carlos Sainz was right behind, landing 8th with a best lap of 1:35.650. Sadly, there is no time bonus to be found in their livery – though the cats leave them solidly tied for P1 in our hearts.

    Force India, fetchingly color-coordinated with their pink livery and the pink ultrasofts, rocked up 10th and 11th, with Sergio Perez bringing a lap of 1:35.802 and Esteban Ocon weighing in with 1:35.965. Sadly, no time benefit for style here either, lads.

    McLaren continued to show hints of what they could do with a better power unit, briefly having both cars in the top 10. Sadly, they’ve still got Hondas in the back and came to rest with Alonso in 13th with a time of 1:36.239 and Vandoorne in 14th, clocking 1:36.599.

    Williams left getting out on track until comparatively late in the session, but they turned in reasonable times themselves. Felipe “will he retire again or what” Massa finished up in 6th, with a best lap of 1:35.346, while Lance Stroll ended 12th, turning in a best time of 1:36.118.

    Sauber quietly rounds out the time sheets, with Marcus Ericsson finishing in 17th with 1:37.319, and Pascal Weherlein in 18th with 1:37.807.

    The final order for P3 is:
    HAM
    VET
    BOT
    RAI
    VER
    MAS
    HUL
    SAI
    RIC
    PER
    OCO
    STR
    ALO
    VAN
    HAR
    MAG
    ERI
    WEH
    GRO
    KVY

  • Max Verstappen has agreed the contract with Red Bull Racing for a further three years

    Max Verstappen has agreed the contract with Red Bull Racing for a further three years

    Max Verstappen continues to race for Red Bull Racing for a further three years. The 20-year-old Dutchman, who won this year’s Malaysian GP, is happy with the decision. “Their support, from the guys and girls in the factory through to the crew in the garage, no matter what plays out on the race track, has always been 100 per cent. We’ve also had some fun times! I’m very happy to commit further to Red Bull Racing.”
    Max started his F1 journey as a part of Red Bull’s young driver programme. “Red Bull has always shown their faith and belief in me with actions; inviting me in to the young driver programme as a 16-year-old, then giving me my start in Formula One when I was just 17, and then the opportunity to race with Red Bull Racing where I had such a dream start with this team. They have always backed me and my ambition and I know we share that ambition.” He expects more successes in the future.

    Credit: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

    The Team Principal said: “We are delighted that Max has agreed to extend his contract with Red Bull Racing. We had a phenomenal start together in Spain last year and Max has only pushed on from there. It was a great moment for the whole team to see him put the frustrations of this season behind him in taking that fantastic victory in Malaysia last month. He is pure racer, with an undeniable talent at the wheel and a rare instinct for what it takes to compete consistently at this level. Coupled with a committed work ethic and a mature approach to learning his craft that belies his years, Max is right to be hungry for success”. Christian Horner belives that Red Bull Racing is the right team for Verstappen to win the championship. “As we now look to the long term with Max he is in the best place in the sport to build a team around him to deliver our shared ambition.”

    Credit: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
  • #FlashbackFriday – ‘Brendon Hartley Prepares For His F1 Debut At The U.S. GP (Interview From 2015)’ – Mobil 1 The Grid

    #FlashbackFriday – ‘Brendon Hartley Prepares For His F1 Debut At The U.S. GP (Interview From 2015)’ – Mobil 1 The Grid

    Check out the flashback video from Mobil 1 The Grid in which Brendon Hartley compares WEC to F1.

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  • United States Grand Prix Preview, Who will be the next Texan Cowboy?

    United States Grand Prix Preview, Who will be the next Texan Cowboy?

    GP USA F1/2016 – AUSTIN (TEXAS) 23/10/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    Formula One is travelling to the United States and more specifically in Texas for the American Grand Prix which will be held in Austin.

    Lewis Hamilton needs to score 16 more points than Sebastian Vettel in order to secure his fourth title in his Formula 1 career, considering Ferrari’s performance in the last races, it is not an unachievable target for the British driver.

    Ferrari was not able to be competitive in Asia and now Lewis Hamilton has the upper hand in the drivers’ championship. Scuderia, must finish ahead of the two Mercedes if they want to stay in the game and go to Mexico, a track which suits Ferrari, with more confidence and hopes.

    Austin entered Formula 1 in 2012, it is an anti-clockwise circuit which is contained by 20 corners.  The 5.5 kilometre track, designed by Hermann Tilke in collaboration with local architects, the layout of the circuit was inspired by other tracks.

    Circuit of the Americas

    Laps: 56

    Circuit Length: 5.513 km

    Race Length: 308.405 km

    Lap Record: 1:39.347 (Sebastian Vettel – 2012)

    Pirelli will provide three tyre compounds to the teams, Ultrasoft (purple), Supersoft (Red) and Soft (Yellow).

    Lewis Hamilton is the only driver, on the grid, who have won more than once in COTA, Sebastian Vettel have won only one time in the American Grand Prix, Kimi Raikkonen’s best finish was second, whilst Daniel Ricciardo have finished two times on third place.

    Brendon Hartley will make his Formula 1 debut with Toro Rosso, the New Zealander will replace Pierre Gasly, who will race for the Super Formula series in Japan.

    Carlos Sainz will make his debut with Renault in COTA, the Spanish driver said:

    “I’m very excited to joining the team and I hope to hit the ground running. We have some hard work ahead of us going into Austin with lots of things to learn and many people to meet. I’m going to give everything to be on the pace as soon as possible even though I know it can take a bit of time to adapt, but I’m confident we can do it. It’s key to have this immediate taste with Renault and get to know the people and the car. It’s a big challenge, but it motivates me. We have this last push for the season and I have to find where the limit of the car is, get used to the steering wheel, things like that. That’s the procedure and I will embrace the challenge. It’s good to see the people at Enstone putting the work in to get back to the top. They can be sure all the effort being put in is being matched on my side of things and I will be pushing flat out to help the team. Austin is one of my favourite tracks and I had one of my best races in Formula 1 there last year, finishing sixth. I can go there with confidence as I know how to go fast in Austin. I just need that adaptation to the car and the engineers. The first sector is special, it’s one of these modern tracks which is well designed, very fast with quick changes of direction and high G-forces. I love these sort of tracks and it’s a good opportunity for me to test the limit of the R.S.17.”

    GP USA F1/2016 – AUSTIN (TEXAS) 20/10/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    Red Bull Racing was competitive in the final races and they want to keep up the pace. The Bulls aiming for another podium, if Ricciardo finishes on the podium, it will Daniel’s 10th podium this season.

    “Everyone knows I love the city of Austin but I also love the circuit. It’s certainly unique with the wide apexes, you can pass in more than three areas, it’s fast, it flows well and it’s definitely one of the best tracks on the calendar for overtaking.In the city there is so much to see, I like going to the well-known places like Pete’s Piano Bar but also some of the more local places for live music and food. I have done Barton Springs, visited a ranch and this year I’m doing Austin City limits, there’s so much to do and it’s all so good.Some people are asking if I have a beard plan for Austin this year, I haven’t thought that far ahead yet but I still feel my little beard in 2014 was my best, so I might just bring that one back.”

    Watch Max Vertappen’s preview for the U.S. Grand Prix via Mobil 1 The Grid.

    I am expecting to see a fast and strong Lewis Hamilton who will give everything for the pole-position and the chequered flag, the British feel comfortable in COTA and he wants to secure his fourth title as soon as possible.

    Twitter * FP_Passion

  • ‘Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo & Max Verstappen On F1 Race Preparation’ – Mobil 1 The Grid

    ‘Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo & Max Verstappen On F1 Race Preparation’ – Mobil 1 The Grid

    Check out the newest video from Mobil 1 The Grid in which Red Bull’s drivers are talking about the preparation before the race.

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  • Who is Brendon Hartley?

    Who is Brendon Hartley?

    Here is the lowdown on the newest motorsport driver to attempt the thrills and spills of Formula 1.

    Dean Tremi/Red Bull Content Pool

    Brendon Hartley

    Age: 27
    Nationality: New Zealand
    Current Drive: Porsche WEC Driver

    Notable Achievements:

    2007: EuroCup Formula Renault 2.0 Champion
    2015: FIA World Endurance Champion
    2017: Le Mans 24 Hours Winner

    History:

    Brendon Hartley is an out-and-out racer, whether we say open wheeled racers or prototypes. Hartley’s F1 debut by all means has come to a shock to the New Zealander, after he was dropped by the Red Bull Junior driver program in 2010. The reason he was dropped was after poor results compared to his team mate in Formula Renault 3.5. His team mate at the time was Daniel Ricciardo.

    Andrew Ferraro/GP2 Media Service

    Hartley fluttered in and out with GP2 between 2010 and ’12, but without anything set in stone it was difficult for him to gain a rhythm in the series. Without a full-time drive in 2012 he moved towards LMP2 in his Le Mans 24 Hours debut. In 2012 and ’13 he continued to have his foot still in the door at Formula 1, performing some shakedown tests for the pre-dominant Mercedes team.

    From 2014 onwards, he then dedicated his full time to the World Endurance Champion when he signed with the up-and-coming Porsche LMP1 team. He won the 2015 Drivers’ Championship, coming on leaps and bounds in that category of motorsport.

    The Kiwi is in good form: he won the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours and, including that event, has won the last four races, ironically his most recent win being at the Circuit of the Americas. In endurance racing he hasn’t finished off the podium since Le Mans last year.

    Dutch Photo Agency/Red Bull Content Pool

    Chance at 2018?

    Daniil Kvyat has now been demoted twice but has been given a reprieve with Carlos Sainz moving to Renault in-season and Pierre Gasly attempting to win the Super Formula Championship in Japan.

    If Brendon Hartley impresses could he replace Kvyat when Gasly returns? The World Endurance Championship and Formula 1 do not clash for the remainder of the year. Brendon Hartley on the 2018 Formula 1 grid—something I wouldn’t have thought would even be in discussion few months ago.

  • ‘Carlos Sainz Jr. On Fernando Alonso & Why He Owes Everything To Scuderia Toro Rosso’ – Mobil 1 The Grid

    ‘Carlos Sainz Jr. On Fernando Alonso & Why He Owes Everything To Scuderia Toro Rosso’ – Mobil 1 The Grid

    Check out the newest video from Mobil 1 The Grid in which Carlos Sainz Jr. talks about the influence of Fernando Alonso and much more.

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  • Sayonara and Game Over for Ferrari

    Sayonara and Game Over for Ferrari

    Suzuka Circuit, Japan.
    Sunday 08 October 2017.
    World Copyright: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Images
    ref: Digital Image _X4I8963

    Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese Grand Prix, and extended his championship lead to 59 points from Sebastian Vettel. The British Samurai, led the race from the pole till the end, without any problem and no pressure. Red Bull was the only team which tried to put some pressure on Hamilton, especially after the second Virtual Safety Car, but still the champion remained first and took the chequered flag at the Japanese Grand Prix.

    An engine problem cost the race to Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari’s engineers were working on Vettel’s car just a few minutes before the formation lap, the team thought that they solved the issue but there prays didn’t work out and Vettel retired on the fourth lap. After lights out, the German lost the second position from Max Verstappen and soon dropped down to sixth, the safety car, which deployed due to Sainz’s retirement, allowed him to remain on track for a couple of laps, but at the re-start Ferrari informed Vettel to return to the pits and retire his car.

    Suzuka Circuit, Japan.
    Sunday 08 October 2017.
    Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W08 EQ Power+, leads at the start of the race.
    World Copyright: Andy Hone/LAT Images
    ref: Digital Image _ONY8649

    Vettel said on Sky  “It’s normal you’re critical, especially if things go wrong, so it’s part of our job. I think I need to protect them. We’ve done an incredible job so far. Bitter the past two races with the reliability issues – but you know, it’s like that sometimes. Of course it hurts and we’re all disappointed, but now we need to get back, get some rest and then go flat out for the last four races and see what happens.”

    Daniel Ricciardo scored another podium this season and set a new personal-best with nine podiums in one season. The Australian had a quiet evening behind his team-mate compering to Max Verstappen who started fourth but moved up to second place and was trying to stay close to Hamilton during the Japanese Grand Prix. The Dutch, knew that Lewis will not defend his position in case of a battle between them, but Max didn’t have the pace to match and challenge Hamilton.

    Suzuka Circuit, Japan.
    Sunday 08 October 2017.
    World Copyright: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Images
    ref: Digital Image _X4I8155

    An interesting battle for the tenth position took place during the final laps of the race, Felipe Massa was the leader of this battle from the 10th position, challenged by Magnussen and Grosjean. The Brazilian was struggling and didn’t had the pace to stay ahead of the two drivers, both passed him and moved up to the eighth and ninth place respectively. Massa defended his position from Fernando Alonso, who started the race from the back of the gird. The VSC which deployed due to Stroll’s retirement, helped him to keep a distance from the Spaniard and score one point for Williams in Suzuka.

    Jolyon Palmer raced for the last time for the Renault and finished 12th, whilst his team-mate, Nico Hulkenberg was unlucky as he forced to retire due to an issue with the DRS.

    Next stop is at the Circuit of the Americas, a circuit which suits better to Mercedes and they are expected to be more competitive. Sebastian Vettel was leading by seven points after the Belgian Grand Prix and he was only three points behind Hamilton in Italy, but the next three races were a disaster for him and Ferrari. A start-line crash in Singapore, followed by engine problems in Malaysia and Japan dropped him 59 points behind Lewis. The Brit three-time champion, is on his way for his fourth title which he can celebrate it in COTA.

  • ‘Max Attack – Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen On How To Overtake & Win Races In F1’ – Mobil 1 The Grid

    ‘Max Attack – Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen On How To Overtake & Win Races In F1’ – Mobil 1 The Grid

    Check out the newest video from Mobil 1 The Grid in which Max Verstappen talks about overtaking, his first win and much more.

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  • Japanese Grand Prix Preview, Can Hamilton secure his 4th title?

    Japanese Grand Prix Preview, Can Hamilton secure his 4th title?

    GP GIAPPONE F1/2016 – SUZUKA 06/10/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    After the Malaysian Grand Prix, drivers and teams are heading to one of the most fascinating places on the Formula One calendar, Japan. Back to back races for the crews with just five races to go and 125 points available for the drivers, Sebastian Vettel has to cover the gap of 34 points between him and Lewis Hamilton, who right now is the favourite for the 2017 world title.

    Scuderia Ferrari announced that they will not change Sebastian Vettel’s gearbox for the upcoming Grand Prix, so the German driver will avoid the five place grid penalty.

    Max Verstappen with his Red Bull celebrated a victory in Malaysia, first in this season for the young driver, was in full control of the race followed by the Brit champion Lewis Hamilton. Daniel Ricciardo was the third man on the podium, whilst Sebastian Vettel finished fourth. Kimi Raikkonen suffered an issue with his Ferrari and forced to retire from the second position before the start of the race.

    Only three drivers have won more than three times in Japan, these drivers are Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. Vettel took four times the chequered flag in Suzuka, whilst Lewis Hamilton has scored one less victory than the German champion.

    The team with the most wins in Japan is McLaren (9), followed by Ferrari who have won seven times in Suzuka and Red Bull four. Two Japanese drivers have finished on the podium in their home race the one was Kamui Kobayashi and the second one was Aguri Suzuki.

    Suzuka International Racing Course

    Laps: 53

    Circuit Length: 5.807 km

    Race Distance: 307.471 km

    Lap Record: 1:31.540 (Kimi Raikkonen 2005)

    Suzuka built by Honda and used as a test facility in 1962, the circuit was designed by John Hugenholz. In 1987, several motorsport races were held in Suzuka, F2 races were among these events.

    Suzuka is a demanding circuit for the tyres, has 18 corners and the brake demanding is low. During a lap the drivers are changing their gears around 45 times and the average lap speed is 220 km/h.

    Max Verstappen – “After Malaysia we will spend some time in Tokyo before heading to Suzuka. Japan is full of new experiences and it will be great to spend a couple of days exploring before the race weekend starts. Some people say the Japanese fans are crazy, but I think they are just very passionate about Formula 1, which for me is very nice to see. Suzuka will always be a special place for me because I made my Formula 1 debut there during Friday practice and it’s a proper old-school track. My favourite corner is the fast Esses in the first sector, but it’s also the most difficult section of the track and you really have to concentrate on getting the set-up right.”

    Felipe Massa believes that Suzuka suits to Williams and they will be very competitive.

    “Suzuka is definitely one of the best tracks in the world and one where I really love racing. I think the car we have this year will be amazing there with the high downforce and the high-speed corners, so I am really looking forward to going there. Another great thing about being in Japan is the fans, who are some of the best we come across during the year.”

    Victor Archakis