ThePitcrewOnline

Category: Formula One

  • 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

  • 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)

  • Russian Grand Prix, Can Mercedes Beat Ferrari?

     

    SOCHI (RUSSIA) – 01/05/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    A crucial weekend for the Formula One teams and drivers is coming. The crews are traveling to Sochi for the Russian Grand Prix, the fourth race of the season. Sochi autodrom joined the Formula 1 calendar in 2014 and for the first time, the drivers will be able to use the ultrasoft tyre compounds.

    In Bahrain, Sebastian Vettel with his Ferrari took the chequered flag and celebrated the second victory of the season. Lewis Hamilton finished behind the German driver and in Russia, he will have the chance to win for the second time this year if that happens Hamilton will equal Vettel’s points in the championship.

    Sochi Autodrom

    Laps: 53

    Track Length: 5.848 km

    Race Distance: 309.745 km

    Lap Record: 1:39:094 (Nico Rosberg – 2016)

    Tyre Compounds: Ultrasoft (Purple), Supersoft (Red), Soft (Yellow)

    The circuit is located in Sochi and was designed by the famous F1 architect Hermann Tilke, circuit’s capacity is 55,000 and it is consists of 12 right and six left corners.

    “Sochi is a really nice track to drive and it’s a race I enjoy a lot. In the past it’s a track we have done well at – I finished fourth and fifth in 2014 and 2015 – so I’m hoping we can have another good race there this year. The event has been getting bigger every year so I’m really looking forward to going back again.” Felipe Massa said, who turned 36 the past week.

    Track’s formation will give an advantage to Mercedes, as it is not a very demanding circuit for the tyres and the 650 metre straight will allow the silver arrows to reach a speed around to 332 km/h.

    “It’s very good to see people talking positively about Formula One. Clearly, the close fight between Ferrari and Mercedes is something that is interesting for the fans. It’s interesting for us too. This is why we go racing – because we’re racers and we thrive on the competition and the battle. It’s a totally different kind of track this weekend in Sochi and, in this season with these new regulations, you can’t take anything for granted. The trophies of previous years don’t guarantee that we’ll be winning in Russia when you have a very fierce competitor like we do in Ferrari. We’ll take it one step at a time, start the weekend well and hopefully have a good result on Sunday.” Toto Wolff added about the upcoming race.

    Ferrari proved that they can match Mercedes’ pace and stay close to the silver arrows. It will be interesting to see if Scuderia can win two races in the row which will give them a big advantage in the championship. Whilst Mercedes has to respond to Ferrari’s pace and win the fourth race of the season in order to stay close to the Italians.

    Join PitCrew’s live coverage on Sunday, starts 30 minutes before the race.

     

    Victor Archakis F1 Editor  – @FP_Passion

    (Images Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)

  • Who will win in SilverMonaco?

     

    Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain.
    Sunday 16 April 2017.
    World Copyright: Charles Coates/LAT Images
    ref: Digital Image _27I8921

    Welcome to the fourth round of the season, Sochi, Russia. A circuit that I like to call SilverMonaco, because I see a lot of Silverstone in the first part and a lot of Monaco in the final, in this beautiful racetrack we should see another intriguing battle for victory.

    Now we know for sure that Ferrari has closed the gap to Mercedes. Now they are side by side. Only in qualifying the Brackley-based squad has a little advantage still. After the brilliant pole position achieved by Bottas in Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton will be determined to re-establish his dominance of the team. The driver was really surprised by his team mate’s performance but he was happy to find a competitive Sebastian Vettel too. I think even against himself, every driver, including an arrogant Lewis, prefers to fight against another driver to win the title instead of a lone run towards it.

    I think there is a regardable difference between the two drivers of Mercedes and Ferrari. I mean that, while at Mercedes Bottas can be at Lewis’ pace in qualifying, for now, at Ferrari we still see a too slow Kimi Raikkonen. I am sincere, I’ve never thought the Finn was a great driver. He’s good if he has a perfect car but he always struggles to find the right set up, he makes many mistakes while driving, sometimes it seems Kimi loves to stay in the shadows. So what I suggest to Ferrari is to change their second driver next year. Constructor championship is important as well.

    I think the future is already here and his name is Max Verstappen. Everybody knows he is the most talented driver now, considering his age. And every top team would love to have him on board. Ferrari should think about him. The Dutch driver impressed a lot (again) in China and he is doing a lot more than his Red Bull can allow this year.

    Sochi is a high skill level circuit. The walls are really close to the track in some corners. So no mistakes are needed and the drivers will have to preserve their brakes which are the most stressed part of the car here. Danil Kyvat, the local hero, is called to take a little bit of revenge here after his bad start to the season and thinking about the 2015 Grand Prix when he eliminated Vettel by touching him twice.

    We hope for a clean race for the Russian and a lucky one for Sebastian, in order to see a spectacular battle with Mercedes. Williams and Red Bull are expected to be finally closest to the top teams but nothing will change in the midfield, I guess. Mclaren Honda should have a new spec engine in Sochi, so we are all curious, and hopeful, to see where they will be on the grid and on the last lap of the race, also hoping that Fernando Alonso will not think too much about other Honda-powered cars!

    Massimo Trapanese

    (Image Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)

  • Ocon: “tenth isn’t enough for me”

    Esteban Ocon (FRA) Sahara Force India F1 VJM10.
    Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 17th April 2017. Sakhir, Bahrain. courtesy of Sahara Force India Formula One TeamEsteban Ocon has said he is determined to take away more than just a single point from this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix, after finishing each of the opening races of 2017 in tenth place.

    Alongside the two seventh- and one ninth-place finishes logged by teammate Sergio Pérez, Ocon’s run of results has helped contribute to Force India’s most

    lucrative start to a season since 2014, not to mention making them the only team bar Mercedes and Ferrari to have both cars in the points at every round so far.

    But despite the stats, Ocon insists there is more to come from him in 2017:

    “After three races in the points I’m feeling happy about my start to the season,” the Frenchman said ahead of Sochi, “[but] at the same time, I feel a bit of disappointment that we haven’t achieved more.”

    In Bahrain, Ocon believed that the ill-timing of the safety car “probably cost me three positions”, whilst in China a miscommunication with the team sent him on an unnecessary trip down the pitlane in which he lost at least fifteen seconds of lap time.

    “With a bit more luck on my side, I would have come away from China and Bahrain with even more points,” Ocon said. “Finishing tenth three times in a row isn’t enough for me—I want more!”

    Nevertheless, those around Ocon have continued to voice their approval of his achievements so far in 2017. Vijay Mallya has labelled Ocon’s first few races with Force India a “super start” to his first full Formula One season, whilst Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said Ocon is on “the right trajectory” as he continues to “benchmark himself against…a very strong teammate in Pérez”.

    Esteban Ocon (FRA) Sahara Force India F1 VJM10.
    Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 17th April 2017. Sakhir, Bahrain. courtesy of Sahara Force India Formula One Team

    James Matthews, Deputy Editor