Category: Formula One

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Red Bull have good memories of the American Grand Prix

At the United States Grand Prix three years ago, the Red Bull Racing pit crew had conceivably its finest hour, completing a pit stop on Mark Webber’s car in a World Record time of 1.923s. It beat their own record of 2.05s, set earlier in the season and was, of course, the first ever pitstop to break the two seconds barrier.

Red Bull have exceeded expectations this year and with Max Verstappen under their wing they have surely have a future Formula One World Champion. Daniel Ricciardo also has shown he has the mettle to compete with Mercedes.

Last year at the American Grand Prix, the ever smiling Australian qualified in third before dropping down to tenth:

“It has a lot of unique features like the wide apex at turn one; you could fit about four cars side by side through there. There are loads of opportunities to overtake and have fun throughout the whole track. It has fast flowing sections and hairpins, pretty much everything I like in a track.”

Ricciardo led last year’s race at the same venue until Rosberg and Hamilton overtook the Red Bull driver due to the greater straight line speed.

Daniil Kyvat who was with Red Bull until he was demoted to Toro Rosso started the race in fourth position.

Max Verstappen should be looking forward to Austin as he produced a brilliant drive to finish fourth in 2015 behind Sebastian Vettel for Toro Rosso:

“The COTA track is very special, it’s a new track but with a lot of old school corners in it (but with more run off) which makes it really cool to drive.”

The Milton Keynes team should be in for a good weekend and extend their lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship.

Dominic Rust

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Grand Prix in the USA

GP USA F1/2015 – 25/10/15
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

Formula 1 may have only recently found its spiritual American home in Texas but don’t be fooled into thinking that this is the only time that grand prix racing has taken on the land of the brave and free. Let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable moments from F1’s past in America.

Our first trip down memory lane sees us in 1983 at Long Beach. This one is a true underdog story and shows that there is nothing greater than pure grit and determination when it comes to racing. The two McLaren cars of Nikki Lauda and John Watson had a day to forget in the qualifying session. They couldn’t quite get the tyres to work thus lining up at the back of the grid. Patrick Tambay managed to steal pole and looked like a favourite for the race win, considering the difficulty of overtaking on a street circuit. The start however didn’t go to plan with Keke Rosberg from the second row spotting a gap between the two front row starting Ferraris. Contact with Arnoux left the Frenchman spinning across the track. Tambay would lead but a costly mistake on lap 26 would see him running wide. This was Rosberg’s chance. The two cars went side by side with Tambay holding his line, then contact! Tambay up onto two wheels and stalling the car in the middle of the track. Laffite took the lead whilst Rosberg collided with the Ligier of Jean-Pierre Jarrier, taking them both out of the running. After going unwatched for most of the race the McLaren pair found themselves in third and fourth (Watson ahead of Lauda). Patrese ended up down the escape road leaving Watson to chase down Laffite for the lead. Lap 45 Watson would pass Laffite for the lead without even realising he had done so. A short while later and Lauda joined him to take McLaren’s first 1-2 finish in fifteen years. A truly outstanding effort.

Now it’s time to talk about “that grand prix.” Yes you guessed it. Indianapolis 2005. A favourite circuit amongst pretty much every racing driver out there. High speeds, with a challenging infield section. What could possibly go wrong? The weekend is the one for me that ended the tyre war between Bridgestone and Michelin. A strange construction problem with the Michelin tyres meant that they would become unstable after about 10 laps as Ralf Schumacher found out during practice, resulting in a terrible accident. This wasn’t helped by the rules at the time which stated cars were only allowed to use one set of tyres during the race. The idea of a chicane before the final banking was thought up to reduce speeds, thus increasing the stability of the tyres. The FIA however believed that this would cause more problems than it would fix. So the track was left unchanged. Jarno Trulli claimed Toyota’s first pole position, but along with the other 13 Michelin shod cars he wouldn’t even take to the start. The Michelin cars all pulled into the pits at the end of the formation lap. Effectively retiring from the race rather than pulling out of the event which would lead to penalties and punishment. That left just the six cars of Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi. An easy victory resulted for Michael Schumacher who strengthened his position in the championship due to none of the drivers who were above him before the race, actually taking part. Michelin and the tyre war stayed only for another year before Bridgestone took on a sole supplier role within F1.

As I mentioned earlier Formula 1 has now found its spiritual home in America. Since 2012 COTA (Circuit of the Americas) has played to host to the circus of speed. Its unique blend of long straights, tight technical sections and incredible elevation changes have helped to

create some of the best racing in the modern era. Borrowing ideas and principles from other classic circuits, COTA has found its place in the heart of fans and drivers alike. Moments like Hamilton chasing Vettel most of the way round in the inaugural race or the extremely wet weather of last year, which caused chaos and excitement. It also meant that Lewis Hamilton would claim his third drivers title after passing team mate and championship rival Nico Rosberg in the closing stages. I am certainly looking forward to whatever this weekend’s race has to throw up at us. Expect thrills and spills on the roller-coaster that is COTA.

(Image Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)

Mitch Oakley

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Renault Roll Into Texas on a Hulken-High

GP GIAPPONE F1/2016 – SUZUKA 07/10/2016
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

The Renault team head to the American leg of the F1 calendar on a high after announcing the signing of Nico Hulkenberg for the 2017 season. The move further underlines the team’s focus on the 2017 season to produce better results. There are still 4 races left however in 2016, and the team and its current line- up look to the US Grand Prix and points.

The tarmac at the Circuit of the Americas or COTA will experience the supersofts tyre for the first time, which will make the practice sessions very important to all teams, a fact that has not been lost on Renault.

KEVIN MAGNUSSEN

The popular Danish driver is no stranger to contract waiting periods and with the 2017 news this season, he hopes to hear from the team by the time this weekend’s race rolls on. If he is nervous, he certainly isn’t showing it, as he previews the American spectacular:

“The start-finish with the big climb at the end is pretty notable then there’s a fast and flowing section that follows – and that’s pretty fun. It’s a good layout that has quite a few different challenges and we have seen some decent racing there. Overtaking is possible and there can be a variety of tyre strategies too, so I think we could have a fun race”

JOLYON PALMER

The British driver has seen resurgence in form in recent times, but will be equally nervous about the 2017 decision which could see him out of his racing seat at the French team.

Not having driven there in a full F1 race, Palmer has had to rely on simulator data. Much like Magnussen, Palmer exudes a calmness and humour as he previews the Austin flyaway:

“My problem with the US is the food; there are too many temptations! This is tough as I have to watch my weight so closely. I’d love to be tucking into ribs and burgers all the time! Aside from trying to keep away from the food, it really is a nice place to go racing. It’s something different, especially to be in Texas, there’s a great atmosphere there. Last year we had huge downpours, which was a shame so I’m hoping for some good weather this year and a big crowd”

Renault are bringing a new floor for Magnussen’s car to COTA, which they hope will provide more stability to the overall performance of the car. The track is considered a successful modern layout which will be a challenge to the comparatively slower Renault. Rumours (which we will not repeat until made official) suggest big changes to the driver lineup might still be in the works, at least insofar as Hulkenberg’s teammate is concerned.

* Rhea Morar

(Image Courtesy of Pirelli F1 media)

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Sahara Force India Press Release

October 17, 2016

2016 Formula One United States Grand Prix, Preview

Vijay on America

Team Principal, Vijay Mallya, reflects on a successful couple of weeks in Asia as the World Championships heads to North America.

VJM: “Malaysia and Japan were positive races for us. We were close to maximising our potential at each of those events and that’s all we can do at this stage of the season. Sepang and Suzuka provide a tough test of a Formula One car and our strong form is a good sign for the races to come.

“We’re in the middle of a very busy spell for the sport with four races within a month. The motivation and belief in the team are high and the visit to North America is always a highlight of the year. At such a busy time, it’s important to keep focus: the margins between success and failure are very small and we need to perform at the top of our game in every area. I’m proud of the job we are doing and excited about the challenge ahead of us.”

Nico Hülkenberg on America

Nico: “The weekend in Austin is one of the coolest of the whole year. It’s an event that ticks all the boxes: the track is fun, the city is interesting and the people are great. There’s a brilliant atmosphere, which you can feel as soon as you land in the city, and I really enjoy going there.

“I think COTA is one of the best tracks among the recent introductions to the calendar – they did a superb job with the layout. Sector one is very quick, with a great flow and high speeds. The whole lap has a good rhythm and overtaking is possible so you usually see some great racing.

“Last year was a very weird race, with some crazy rain on Saturday. When you get really wet weather, it adds to the challenge, because you have to keep focus while waiting around for the sessions to restart. You need to switch off and then be able to switch on again, but that’s part of being a racing driver.”

Sergio Perez on America

Sergio: “Before Mexico joined the calendar, Austin felt like a home race for me so I am always happy to go there, to be close to home and to be able to spend a bit of time with my family and friends at the circuit. I always have guests with me and there are so many fans who make the trip from Mexico to see the race in Austin.

“The city is really nice and you’re never short of things to do. The whole place comes alive at night and there are so many bars and restaurants to enjoy. Of course, being there to race means we do not really get the chance to go out much, but even going for a walk gives you an opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere and see all the fans. It’s a young city, with many students, and that gives it a nice vibe.

“The circuit is incredible. The facilities are impressive and once the racing starts the atmosphere is really cool. It’s quite different from your average Formula One environment and makes for a very welcome change.

“Turn one is very tricky: you get to the top of the hill and the apex is blind, so you can’t really see where you’re going or the best line into the corner. You take a leap of faith and just go for it, and if you hesitate it’s very easy to turn in too late and lose precious time. You just need to get your calculations right.

“There are many corners inspired by other tracks – you get hints of Monza in the big braking zones, a reminder of Silverstone in the fast corners and it makes for a very interesting lap. Last year’s weekend was very difficult, with the weather stopping us from doing much practice, but we came away with a good result in the end and hopefully we can score strongly again this year.”


Image courtesy of Sahara Force India Formula team.

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Jenson Button – McLaren Love at First Sight

2014 Formula One Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Styria, Austria, 19th – 22nd June 2014.
Jenson Button, McLaren MP4-29 Mercedes, Action,
World Copyright: © Andrew Hone Photographer 2014.
Ref: _ONZ0573

Jenson Button is a driver who had the chance and the opportunity to race for several teams. He made his Formula 1 debut with Williams in 2000 and he became the youngest British driver ever to start a Formula 1 race in Australia, he was 20 years old. The following year, Jenson moved to Benetton, but he didn’t stay for a long time. In 2002, Benetton became Renault and Jenson remained and raced with Jarno Trulli.

 

The British were replaced by Fernando Alonso in Renault, hence he was looking for a new team. In 2003, he signed a two years contract with BAR (British American Racing). Button’s new team-mate was Villeneuve. Jenson took his first podium in 2004 in Malaysian Grand Prix. In October 2006, Honda bought the remaining 55 percent of BAR and the team was renamed to Honda. Button stayed in Honda for two years and in 2009 Brawn acquired the Japanese team and signed a deal with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello who was Jenson’s teammate. It was the year, where Button won his one and only championship. At that season he won six of the seventeen races.

The following season, the Brit had to find a new team, as Brawn was bought from Mercedes. McLaren offered a three years deal to Jenson Button. Many didn’t agree with Jenson’s move, but I believe that Jenson found what he truly wanted. A team which will be surrounded by experienced staff and a team where he could be loyal. Button is still racing for McLaren, he moved there for three years, but he remained for seven years (he won’t be racing for McLaren next season).

During his years in McLaren, he had good and bad moments. Jenson’s debut was not very impressive, the British Champion finished seventh in Bahrain, but he won the second grand Prix of the season, which took place in Australia. At that season, Button finished 5th and he scored 214 podiums. He finished seven times on the podium and won two Grand Prix (Australia and China).

The following season it was Button’s second year in McLaren, Jenson won three races and finished second in the championship standings, behind Sebastian Vettel. It was Button’s best season with McLaren. The Brit celebrated a victory in Canada which was called as the best victory of his career. At the same season, he won two more races in Hungary and in Japan. Jenson scored 270 points for McLaren and finished 12 times on the podium.

In 2012, Jenson had a good season, but he finished fifth in the drivers’ standings just two points behind his team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Button secured three victories for McLaren in 2012, in Australia, Belgium, and Brazil.

The next year was not positive for Button’s career. He managed to score just 73 points and his best position was in Brazil, where he finished fourth. In March of that season, Jenson announced that he wanted to remain in McLaren until his retirement. In 2014, Button had a new team-mate, Kevin Magnussen who replaced Sergio Perez and raced for McLaren. At the season premiere in Australia, Jenson finished fourth, Daniel Ricciardo, who finished second in the same race, disqualified. Hence, Jenson promoted to the third place. It was a poor season for the Brit champion. He finished eighth and collected 126 points.

In 2015, Jenson decided to renew his contract with McLaren. Fernando Alonso had also signed a contract with the British team and became Button’s new team-mate. Furthermore, McLaren had a new partner. Honda returned to Formula 1 as an engine supplier.

It was a very difficult season for McLaren-Honda because the new engine was unreliable. In 2015, Button finished 16th and collected just 16 points.

This season, McLaren-Honda has done huge steps forward and that is obvious from their results so far. Jenson is currently 15th and has scored 19 points with four races to go. McLaren announced that Jenson won’t race with them in 2017.

I believe, that Button found his paradise in McLaren. He looks very relaxed during the races and he is enjoying every moment. Despite the difficulties that McLaren had and still has he is trying to help and gives advice to his team. His experience is very helpful for McLaren-Honda and helped them to improve the performance of the car. Jenson has the option to return to McLaren as a race driver in 2018 and I hope that he will race for at least one more year.

Victor Archakis F1 Editor

Follow me on Twitter: @FP_Passion

(Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)

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Sayonara Japan, Hello USA!

Suzuka Circuit, Japan.
Sunday 09 October 2016.
World Copyright: Sam Bloxham/LAT Photographic
ref: Digital Image _SBB9737

After 2 completely miserable race weekends in south east Asia, Haas F1 Team arrived in Japan full of optimism.

In addition to being a favorite for both Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutiérrez, Suzuka Circuit had provided both drivers with some of their best career finishes in the past.

While not experiencing an entirely trouble-free Friday, the team avoiding the extreme drama of Singapore and Malaysia and looked to be finally able to take advantage of recent engine updates and a new front wing and appeared to be well position to make a run at Q3 on Saturday.

Friday was not a fluke.

For the first time in the team’s short history, both drivers were able to pilot their VF-16’s into the top 10 and participate in the run for the pole in Q3.

Here’s how qualifying went down:

Q1
Grosjean: 7th quick (1:32.458), advanced to Q2
Gutiérrez: 11th quick (1:32.620), advanced to Q2
Cutoff: 16th-quick Fernando Alonso of McLaren (1:32.819)

Q2
Gutiérrez: 7th quick (1:32.155), advanced to Q3
Grosjean: 8th quick (1:32.176), advanced to Q3
Cutoff: 10th-quick Sergio Perez of Force India (1:32.237)

Q3
Grosjean: 8th quick (1:31.961)
Gutiérrez: 10th quick (1:32.547)
Pole Winner: Nico Rosberg of Mercedes (1:30.647)

Grosjean would roll off on Sunday from the seventh spot after Kimi Raikkonen was penalized five grid spots for a gearbox change. It was easily the best combined starting spots for the Haas F1 drivers.

Both drivers got away cleanly as the lights went out but Grosjean was pushed wide in turn 1 by the Sahara Force India of Nico Hulkenberg and lost a couple of spots down to ninth, one spot ahead of his teammate.

The team opted for a 2 stop strategy as did much of the field but were just off on the timing for hitting the pits and after the first round of stops were complete, Grosjean had dropped to 14th and Gutiérrez had plummeted to 20th with 38 laps left to reclaim some positions.

When the second round of stops had cycled through, Grosjean had regained three spots to P11 but Gutiérrez could not make up any ground and was mired down in P20. Grosjean would make a run at Valtteri Bottas for the last points paying spot in the final laps but come up short as the teammates had to settle for finishing a disappointing P11 and P20.

Nico Rosberg beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 4.978 seconds after Max was able to hold off Lewis Hamilton in a spirited last lap battle. Hamilton would finish third. The victory allowed Rosberg to extend his lead in the championship standings to 33 points over Hamilton with but 4 races remaining in the 2016 campaign.

Seventeen rounds into the 21-race Formula One schedule, Haas F1 Team remains eighth in the constructor standings with 28 points. The American squad maintained its 19-point gap to seventh-place Toro Rosso and the 20-point advantage it holds over ninth-place Renault. Mercedes clinched the constructor championship via Rosberg’s victory and Hamilton’s podium.

Four races remain on the 2016 Formula One schedule, with the series heading to Haas F1 Team’s home race in two weeks. The United States Grand Prix takes place Oct. 23 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Romain Grosjean – Driver #8
“Well, we struggled on the first stint with a green track, and with the soft tires, we had a lot of graining. But then the car was flying. It was really good. I had some good overtakes. I don’t think I’ve ever been as frustrated as today at the end of a race. I thought we deserved much more. With the pace of the car, I was much faster than the Williams’. We just got the life on the hard tires wrong. We could have pitted earlier for the last stint, but overall the pace was amazing. It shows a lot of promise for the future. I’m optimistic about these updates and the pace we had in the car.”

Esteban Gutiérrez – Driver #21
“Everything started pretty good. We’ve been working a lot on getting the best out of our start and today that proved to be better. On the first stint, things were going well. We were managing the gap, pushing to get higher up to the front of the grid. I then came into the pits and I ended back out behind a lot of traffic, and that was it. I was trying to push forward, trying to overtake, and then I had an incident with Carlos (Sainz Jr.). He braked a bit early, closing the door, and I had nowhere to go as I was preparing the corner to overtake him on the straight. After that, I had some damage on the front wing which wasn’t ideal. Unfortunately, this is how the race went. It was not what we wanted, but now we need to keep pushing and keep a good rhythm and really put in a good performance as we head to our home race in Texas.”

Guenther Steiner – Team Principal
“Not really the race we wanted today finishing 11th again with one car and 20th with the other having started seventh and 10th. I think a few things happened today – everyone else had a good race and everybody finished, so nobody dropped out. We tried to take the fight to the Williams, but we didn’t manage it in the end. They were able to make a better strategy by starting on tires they wanted, but that’s racing. This weekend we’ve seen that our car shows speed and we were also competitive in the race. So we’re able to take that away from here.”

We’ll see y’all in Texas in 2 weeks!

Image courtesy of Haas F1 Media

Eric Barnes @ebarnes442

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2009: Nice Guys Don’t Always Finish Last.

If there was one year that confounded critics, fans and even a few drivers alike, 2009 was that season.

For that was the year in which Brawn GP and Jenson Button achieved something that will never be repeated again in Formula One, as they became the last privateer entry to win both the World Drivers’ and World Constructors’ Championship, and probably the last ever team to do that.

The story begins in December 2008 when Honda, after three dismal years in Formula One, pulled out of the sport with immediate effect and left two of the most experienced drivers in Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello potentially on the F1 scrapheap.

That was until March, just days before the new season was about to begin, when ex-team principal Ross Brawn announced a deal to take over the fallen team had been completed. Brawn then took part in pre-season testing and Button and Barrichello suddenly had another chance.

Many were surprised despite their strong pre-season pace at just how quick Brawn were at the Australian Grand Prix, with Button and Barrichello dominating the weekend. Button would go on to win the race and start a streak that would prove pivotal as the season wore on, while Barrichello’s second meant Brawn took a 1-2 on their Grand Prix debut.

Button won again in Malaysia, which was stopped after 31 laps due to appalling weather conditions and thus half points were awarded, before a third place in China that was to be his worst result in the opening seven races.

Button’s early-season juggernaut was to roll on into Bahrain while in Spain and Monaco he headed two more Brawn 1-2s. After his sixth win in seven races at the Turkish Grand Prix in ultimately his last victory of 2009, Jenson was 26 points clear of Barrichello in second, and 32 clear of Sebastian Vettel.

At the British Grand Prix he was sixth with this result followed up with a fifth place in Germany, where Mark Webber took his first ever win, before two seventh places in Hungary and at the European Grand Prix in Valencia before his first lap retirement in Belgium following a collision with Romain Grosjean, after he qualified down in 14th.

After Belgium, Button’s lead at the top of the standings had been cut to 16 points over Barrichello, while Vettel was a further three points back going into the Italian Grand Prix. A return to form at Monza was enough for second place, though Barrichello cut further into Button’s lead with a victory that left him 14 points behind with 40 to race for.

In Singapore, he was fifth while Vettel was only a place ahead and Barrichello sixth. At the Japanese Grand Prix Barrichello and Button finished seventh and eighth respectively to leave Brawn half a point away from an unlikely Constructors’ Championship.

Barrichello was 14 points back with two races left with Vettel a further two behind and the World Championship could be wrapped up at the next race in Brazil.

The Brazilian Grand Prix was a weekend that seemed to encapsulate Button’s career and his journey in F1 from his debut season in 2000.

Button qualified 14th in a rain-interrupted session that ended up at 2 hours 41 minutes being the longest in Formula One history, while Barrichello took pole position at his home race. His other rival, Vettel, was 16th having also been caught out.

By the end of the first lap due to various incidents, Button had climbed five positions to ninth and this quickly became seventh as Grosjean and Nakajima were dispatched in short order, while debutant Kamui Kobayashi’s Toyota took more persuading.

He eventually got the pass done with a bold move down the inside at turn one, a manoeuvre made famous by a small kick of oversteer to keep the Japanese charger at bay.

Barrichello’s annual dose of bad luck at Interlagos was to strike again as the Brazilian suffered a puncture that relegated him to eighth and put Button in a now crucial fifth place, and the title was now his if the result stayed as it was.

Button was to finish fifth to wrap up the most unlikely of World Drivers’ Championships with a race to spare. His rendition of Queen’s “We are the Champions” remains famous to this day.

The Brit’s season was rounded off with a third place in Abu Dhabi and the eventual margin at the top of the standings was 11 points to Vettel.

The 2009 F1 World Championship was a season of the underdog and Formula One simply will not see another story like this again.

Button’s World Championship win, his sole title in a glittering 17-season career remains the example to many Formula One drivers about perseverance, with many having written him off in seasons past following an awful 2007-08 with Honda.

But the biggest compliment to Jenson Button?

You will have to go to great lengths to find a more popular title winner.

Jack Prentice

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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen breaks Mercedes dominance at Suzuka

GP GIAPPONE F1/2016 – SUZUKA 08/10/2016
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

Red Bull pair Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo finished in second and sixth place respectively in the Japanese Grand Prix.

The man from Holland is showing the world that he has the talent to win the Drivers’ Championship in a few years as he defied the more powerful Mercedes to end the race in Suzuka on the podium for the second time in successive weeks.

Although Mercedes made a complaint against the 18-year-old as they believed he drove ‘dangerously’ to thwart Lewis Hamilton’s chances of finishing behind Nico Rosberg. Subsequently the complaint was later withdrawn after it was learnt that they decision would not be cleared up before the American Grand Prix.

“Lewis (Hamilton) was obviously a bit quicker in the final stages and I knew he was going to catch me, the gap time on the pit board was dropping every lap. Into the last chicane I saw him coming in my mirrors so I defended my position, said Verstappen.

Christian Horner defended his young protégé after his manoeuvres hampered Mercedes chances of locking out the first two positions on the podium:

“A fantastic drive by Max today. A very mature performance, moving into second place and then really looking after his tyres resisting pressure initially from Sebastian and then at the end of the race from Lewis, with some great racing. It was fantastic to see him split the Mercedes and achieve our eighth 2nd place of the year.”

Daniel Ricciardo didn’t have the best of performance however he still finished the race in a commendable position and the Australian is looking ahead to Austin, he said:

“Today wasn’t a very exciting race for me, and unfortunately it just wasn’t my day. We struggled in the traffic and fell behind the eight ball. In the final stint towards the end I had a clear track and I was able put in some good laps but it wasn’t enough. We’ll come back in Austin ready to have a good weekend on track.”

Dominic Rust

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Opinion: Hulkenberg and Renault would be perfect for each other

 

Over the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, rumours of Nico Hülkenberg making a surprise switch to Renault for 2017 ramped up a notch after reports in German media claimed the deal was all but done.

Logistically, a move to Renault is entirely possible: although Hülkenberg is signed to Force India for next year, his contract reportedly contains a buyout clause if a manufacturer comes knocking. But would the German really want to sacrifice his secure position in a podium contending team for a works drive at the back of the field?

GP GERMANIA F1/2016 – HOCKENHEIM (GERMANIA) 30/07/2016
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

Harsh though it may sound, Renault could well be Hülkenberg’s only remaining chance at a top team drive. Both Mercedes and Red Bull are committed to a future of promoting from within their own junior ranks; and despite interest in the past, Ferrari has made it plain that its affections have moved on from Hülkenberg to the likes of Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez.

If Hülkenberg is still serious about driving for a manufacturer team in Formula 1 – and he insists that he is – that only leaves Renault or McLaren-Honda. And although neither team are particularly desirable at the moment, Hülkenberg will no doubt keep his missed shots at Ferrari in the back of his mind as he weighs up an offer from Renault.

At 29 and approaching his eighth season in F1, Hülkenberg’s career stands at a critical point. In all that time, he has never progressed beyond the midfield and many observers believe that his chance to do so has passed. Add to that his arguable overshadowing alongside Pérez in recent years, and it wouldn’t be too astonishing to see Hülkenberg seize the chance with Renault whilst it’s there.

As for Renault, the appeal of Nico Hülkenberg is obvious. Leaving aside his reputation and glittering CV for the moment, one of the best arrows in Hülkenberg’s quiver is his ability to lift a lower-midfield car up above its station. Take, for example, his pole position with Williams at the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix, or the 29 laps spent leading the same race two years later with Force India.

But perhaps of most significance to Renault will be Hülkenberg’s year with Sauber in 2013, in which he helped lead the team from scrapping over tenth and eleventh to scoring several solid top six finishes by the end of the season. It’s this ability to move a poor car forward that Renault so sorely needs right now, and it’s this that would make Nico Hülkenberg an invaluable asset to the French marque in 2017.

GP ITALIA F1/2016 – MONZA (ITALIA) 04/09/2016
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

Unfortunately, the flipside of this move is that it would mean the loss of either Kevin Magnussen or Jolyon Palmer – or even both of them, if Esteban Ocon takes the second Renault seat as many expect.

At present, there are still some eleven seats available for 2017, though only a handful of them could actually be considered viable havens for the two current Renault drivers. Magnussen arguably has the greater pool of options should he leave Renault, and would certainly not be unwelcome at Haas after the American team marked him down as their second choice last year if they couldn’t tempt over Romain Grosjean.

For Palmer, his best bet is likely Manor, as the backmarker team looks set to yield up Pascal Wehrlein to Hülkenberg’s vacant Force India seat, even if Ocon doesn’t move to Renault as well.

James Matthews, Editor-at-Large

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The Arrival of Jenson Button

October 29th, 1998. That was the day I first heard of Jenson Button. It was the day that I received my copy of Motoring News. As usual around this time of year, the annual “Formula Ford Festival” had been held at Brands Hatch. Up until a few years ago this meeting was regarded as a major event, certainly the absolute highlight of the Formula Ford year, and the prestige of winning the event was high. Past winners had included eventual F1 drivers Geoff Lees, Derek Daly, Roberto Moreno, Tommy Byrne, Julian Bailey, Johnny Herbert, Roland Ratzenberger, Eddie Irvine, Vincenzo Sospiri, Jan Magnussen, and Mark Webber. The format of the event was both simple and entertaining, with a series of knock-out heats, two semi- finals, and then the all-important final – back in ’98, victory in this race was still big news on the club scene, and would more often than not lead to something bigger for the winning driver for the following year.

Usually I had heard of the winner beforehand, but this was not one of those occasions. The name “Jenson Button” was, at the same time, curiously different, and memorable. Having been massively successful in karting, this was his first season of racing cars, and the 18-year-old had already sown up the British Formula Ford Championship. He was driving a French Mygale Ford-Zetec, run by Haywood Racing, against a whole fleet of the cars that had been, more often than not, driven by past winners of the event, the Van Diemen.

Having won his heat, Button was beaten in his semi by the Australian driver, Markus Ambrose. But the young Frome lad was not to be outdone. In what was a thrilling final, the battle for the lead was between Button, Ambrose, and Daniel Wheldon – another British driver who would go on to fame as a double winner of the Indianapolis 500, but who was tragically killed in 2011. Having trailed both Ambrose and Wheldon at the start, he nipped past Daniel when he took a wide line at the McLaren Curve early on, then got past the Australian on the following lap. There ensued a thrilling battle for the lead between the three, and as the race drew towards its conclusion it was Ambrose who narrowly led. Then Ambrose left the door wide open at Surtees Bend, Button pounced, the pair touched wheels, and Ambrose was out. Wheldon didn’t give up the chase, but at the flag it was Jenson Button who had won the 1998 Formula Ford Festival. His name was made.

The following year he moved up to the British Formula Three championship. The engine to have in that formula at the time was a Mugen-Honda, whereas Jenson had a Renault engine, therefore was rather the odd-man-out, however, he went on to finish third in the championship.

Well, the rest, as they say, is history. After just two seasons of racing cars, Jenson was a fully-fledged F1 driver. Sir Frank Williams used words like “astounded” and “astonishing” to describe his new young driver after his debut in Melbourne in March 2000. After 300 Grand Prix, the compliments still come thick and fast, but a World Championship, and 15 Grand prix wins, can now be added to that. Perhaps even more precious is the fact that Jenson has become one of the most loved F1 drivers of all time.

Max Scott

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