Red Bull benefited from Sebastian Vettel’s punishment for dangerous driving as the Milton Keynes team locked out the second row in the Mexican Grand Prix.
The German was penalised by 10 seconds as he moved whilst in the braking zone. The dangerous driving rule was introduced into Formula One this season as Verstappen had broken the gentleman’s rule of not moving under braking. The rule commenced at the United States Grand Prix.
“I think it was a small bit of justice that the stewards made the decision to penalise Seb (Vettel). It was clearly a wrong move which has been punished according to the rules. As long as we can stick to the rules every week then we won’t have the frustration we felt after the race,” said Verstappen.
The Dutch teenager was demoted to fourth after his latest exploits: “When I went off the track towards the end I think it was pretty similar to Lewis on lap one, corner one. He went off and I felt he gained an advantage, I didn’t even gain an advantage, I was ahead going into braking and when I came back on the track I was the same distance in front so I don’t understand the penalty.”
Daniel Ricciardo was the recipient of both Verstappen and Vettel as he finished third: “Obviously I’m happy to get the points and I think that means third for me in the Drivers’ Championship so I’m quite proud of that this year. “
Christian Horner is happy how far Red Bull have improved this year and is looking forward to 2017: “I’m delighted for Daniel in having secured 3rd place in the Drivers’ Championship, he’s had an excellent season and deserves it. Daniel and Max have been driving brilliantly well, pushing each other on, they’ve both raised the bar and the level that they are operating at now is good to witness.
“We are chipping away and you are not seeing the margins Mercedes have had in previous years which bodes well not just for this year but for a more competitive Formula One in 2017.”
Dominic Rust
If ever there was a way to sum up Ferrari’s 2016 season, Kimi Raikkonen’s US Grand Prix was it.
Raikkonen had moved from fifth to fourth having passed Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and was looking like threatening Daniel Ricciardo’s third place, when, as usual this season, errors meant the end of his challenge.
During his second pit stop, Ferrari left the wheel gun on his front right tyre and as a result, it wasn’t fixed properly. The Iceman would get no further than the end of the pitlane before he retired.
Teammate Sebastian Vettel collided with Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas at turn one – not his first lap one wheel-banging this season, but was unscathed and until both Raikkonen and Verstappen retired was running sixth, unable to do anything about crowd-favourite Ricciardo in third.
The German said that fourth was the maximum that Ferrari were capable of at Texas and he wasn’t far wrong, as strategic mishap was the main reason behind Raikkonen’s pre-retirement assault on Ricciardo.
Ferrari are almost 60 points behind Red Bull and will now not finish second in a season in which they had promised to fight for first with Mercedes, and Mexico promises much of the same as Austin in view of the similar layout of both circuits.
The Prancing Horse will have long turned their attentions towards 2017 with the radical technical changes providing an opportunity to leapfrog incumbent champions Mercedes.
But they will keen to take any opportunities for a victory this season given that the top brass have already labelled this tumultuous season a failure after not building on the successes of 2015, where Vettel took three victories.
The Scuderia will be less than buoyed by their performance in Mexico City last season, as Vettel spun multiple times and collided with Ricciardo at turn one, while Raikkonen clashed with fellow countryman Bottas and retired.
Last year’s Mexican Grand Prix was a sign of things to come for Ferrari this season. Will this season’s edition prove the same?
Despite losing points to Lewis Hamilton in last weekend’s United States Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg arrives in Mexico City with his first chance of claiming the 2016 World Drivers’ Championship.
With twenty-six points in hand over his teammate, Rosberg could mathematically clinch the title providing he wins the race with Hamilton finishing tenth or lower. The odds of the German wrapping up the championship on Sunday are admittedly slim considering Hamilton hasn’t finished a race outside the points since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, but the possibility nevertheless highlights the impressive work Rosberg has done to come within touching distance of the crown with three races to spare.
For Hamilton, it also underlines the importance of every point, as the Briton has insisted that he will not concede defeat until the title is mathematically decided:
“The moment you give up is the moment you lose. I’ve never been one to give up and I don’t plan on starting now. There are still plenty of points available and anything is possible.”
Hamilton’s main advantage coming into this final stretch of races – aside from any potential momentum gained from his Austin win – will be that he has plenty of past experience of tight championship battles on which to draw.
By comparison, this will be the first time Rosberg has been in such a position. Given his past propensity for faltering in high-pressure situations, this first true shot at the title will be a real test of Rosberg’s new, more relaxed approach to racing – an approach which ironically surfaced at this same event last year.
“To be in a championship battle at the end of the year is awesome,” the German said, “but my approach is to keep it simple. There are many things that can happen during a race weekend which are out of your control, so it’s best to just block all that out and focus on the job at hand.
“That’s what’s worked best for me and how I feel at my strongest.”
Daniel Ricciardo will reminisce fondly of his 2016 season as he has performed miracles in the Red Bull car. The Australian has one victory to his name as well as seven podium finishes in this years’ championship.
Last weekend in Austin, he managed to finished third behind Hamilton and Rosberg. Ricciardo ended the practice session in third and started the race in fifth during the corresponding race in 2015 he said:
“Last year in Mexico it was quite challenging, the surface was so new it meant grip levels were really low.
“This year should be a bit more fun with a bit more feeling. The track has some really cool sections, driving slow through the stadium bits means you can feel the atmosphere from the fans.”
Supersoft tyres will be used for the first time at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City after the track’s return to the Formula One circuit last year.
Max Verstappen will be hoping his gearbox problems are behind him as did not finish the race in Austin:
“The circuit in Mexico is interesting, it’s still really new, they had only just finished it when we went there in 2015. Hopefully when we go there this year the grip will have improved and the lap times will be faster,” said the Dutch teenager.
From the start until the end of the race, Lewis Hamilton was in charge. For 56 laps he avoided any mistake because he knew that he had to win the USA Grand Prix if he wanted to remain alive in the championship battle with Nico Rosberg.
Nico Rosberg’s only purpose was to finish in the points and as high as possible. Hence, he didn’t have to do much, only to drive safe and quick, as he usually does.
The only driver who managed to challenge Rosberg for the second position was Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian passed Nico on the second turn on the first lap of the race. Ricciardo remained second after his first pit stop, but during the second pit stop Nico took advantage of the VSC (Virtual Safety Car) and regained the second position.
Red Bull called Ricciardo into the pits for his second stop on lap 25. A few laps later Mercedes did the same for Nico, but the VSC deployed because Max Verstappen stopped his car cause of a gearbox problem. Hence, Mercedes pitted both cars and Ricciardo couldn’t do anything.
The Australian finished third, behind the two Mercedes.
A misunderstanding between Max Verstappen and Red Bull, lead to a bad pit stop on lap 26, the Dutch thought that his team called him into the pits, but Red Bull’s mechanics were not prepared for a stop. That cost time to the young driver and from the fourth position he dropped to sixth. A few laps later he retired, due to a gearbox problem.
Ferrari didn’t have the speed to follow the Red Bulls and the Mercedes. The Italians decided to go on a different strategy between their drivers. Kimi Raikkonen was fifth, behind his team-mate Vettel, when Ferrari pitted the Finn for his third and final stop. When he left the pits, his mechanic told him to stop the car, because a wheel was not attached properly, hence Raikkonen stopped at the exit of the pit lane and let his Ferrari roll back where he parked it in Ferrari’s garage.
McLaren had the pleasure to enjoy a double finish in the points. Jenson Button had a quiet day and finished ninth ahead of Romain Grosjean, who scored Haas’s first point in their home race. From the other hand, Fernando Alonso reminded us, how good and skilful driver he is.
During the final laps of the race, there was an epic battle for the fifth place, between Sainz, Massa and Alonso. Sainz was trying to defend his fifth position from Massa and Alonso, but his tyres were old, so it was difficult for him to remain fifth. Massa attempted to pass Carlos Sainz, but he couldn’t find the right moment to do it. Fernando Alonso was close to the two drivers and on lap 53 the Spaniard made his move at Turn 15 and passed Massa after a wheel to wheel battle.
The Brazilian got a small puncture, but he secured the seventh place. The stewards investigated the incident between the two drivers but no further action was taken.
Alonso was closing the gap to Sainz. Time was pushing, with only one and a half lap to go, Fernando had to make his move. He attempted to pass Sainz on the first corner, but Carlos closed the door. Fernando attacked for the second time, this time dived into the inside in Turn 12 and managed to take the fifth place from Toro Rosso.
The battle for the fifth place was one of the best battles this season for me. Because Alonso is pushing his McLaren to the limits and showed us that McLaren-Honda is here. They are getting better and better and next year they will be close to the top three teams.
Lewis Hamilton, after his victory in Texas, he closed the gap with Nico Rosberg to 26 points. Still, if Lewis wins the three remaining races and Nico finish second, Rosberg will become the new champion.
The Brit needed this victory for psychological reasons, it was his first win since the German Grand Prix in July.
Next stop Mexico City 28-30 Oct 2016
Laps: 71
Circuit Length: 4.304 km
Race Length: 305.354 km
Lap record: 1:20:521 (Nico Rosberg, 2015)
Tyre Allocations: Medium (White), Soft (Yellow), Supersoft (Red)
Mexico circuit returned to the F1 calendar in 2015. Last season Nico Rosberg took the pole position and won the race, followed by Lewis Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas with his Williams finished third behind the two Mercedes.
This year the battle for the championship is not over, still, the two Mercedes drivers have to fight each other and Lewis Hamilton must finish above Rosberg at any cost. It will not be easy to achieve that. Rosberg is very concentrate and fast this year, he gets what he wants from almost every race and a disadvantage that Lewis has is that the other teams can’t challenge Mercedes.
It will be interesting to see if Lewis can win the remaining races and if Nico will lose points from Mercedes’ rivals.
Don’t miss my live race coverage on twitter this Sunday. Follow me and @PitCrew_Online.
Fresh from the news that Dany Kvyat will stay on to partner Carlos Sainz in 2017, Toro Rosso had further reason to celebrate come race day as the Spanish driver stormed his way to an impressive 5th place at the Circuit of the Americas.
DANIIL KVYAT
Formula 1 fans welcomed the news that Kvyat would be retained next season, after what has been a year for him to mostly forget. The Russian driver, safe in the knowledge that he would deservedly remain at the pinnacle of motorsport, looked to get close to the points based on the practice session running. Unfortunately, the day did not go exactly per plan.
Kvyat had a tangle with Sergio Perez saw him receive a 10 second penalty which forced a strategy change which he ultimately attributed to his finish spot:
“we then had to switch to a one-stop race after getting a 10-second penalty for my incident with Perez during the first lap. This compromised our race”
He however was pleased with certain aspects of his race:
“I have to say we did a very long stint on the Medium tyre and the management was very good. It’s just a shame that we lost the opportunity to fight for some more points today.”
With just three races left in 2016, Kvyat, more than the other drivers it can be argued, will be happy to see the final flag, hopefully with a few points in the bag.
CARLOS SAINZ
The only thing that made his superb 6th place drive better for the Spanish driver was the wheel to wheel fight with his idol Fernando Alonso:
The battle with Fernando was so much fun! I knew that he would end up getting past me but I said to myself, ‘let’s make it a bit complicated for him!’ I perfectly know how he attacks and how to defend against him, as I’ve been watching him race for the past 12 years… And I think that to be able to keep him behind for all those laps until he just opened the DRS and said ‘ciao, ciao’ was pretty decent!
The impressive element was not just how well Sainz held the race together, but especially the final few laps in which his tyres barely held on to the flag. The driver was clearly and justifiably excited after the race and the infectious feeling will boost the team into the final three races:
“Today’s result is a very special one for myself and the team, it’s a top, top, TOP result!! What a boost and what a way to motivate the team and keep our heads up until the end of the season! I don’t know what this track has, but I just get such a good feeling every time I race here!”
With all well in the TR camp, unlike some of their unsettled rivals, namely Williams, the team can focus on maximizing the full potential of their Ferrari engine car and, of course, the points that come along with it.
The United States Grand Prix dealt Red Bull a weekend of mixed fortunes.
Daniel Ricciardo finished in third but his team-mate Max Verstappen had to retire due to gearbox failure:
“It was a very unfortunate way to end the race, especially as the first part was so positive. I pitted and then realised they hadn’t actually made the call, luckily it didn’t affect the end result.
“Shortly after I had come back on track I heard a banging noise coming from the engine so I pulled the clutch, they then asked me to release it again and keep going so they could try and work out what it was, unfortunately we couldn’t solve it and it ended my race, “said Verstappen.
Ricciardo continued his good form this season as he finished on the podium for the seventh occasion he said:
“I think we were looking good for P2 but then the Virtual Safety Car didn’t work in our favour today. I’m not going to be too disappointed, it’s just cool to be on the podium here.
“It’s another big bag of points and we at least had Nico’s pace so that’s encouraging and we’ll try and do what we can in the next few days.”
Team Principal Christian Horner is delighted with the form of his team ahead of the Mexican GP:
“Taking away a podium finish and extending our lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship to 53 points are positives.”
Lewis Hamilton has ended a win drought stretching back to July with an unassailable performance at the Circuit of the Americas. Starting from his first pole position at the Austin track, Hamilton led the field away cleanly and settled into a race of his own from the first corner onwards, leading almost every lap to take victory by four and a half seconds.
For Hamilton, who is fighting just to stay in contention of what many feel is already Nico Rosberg’s championship, his fiftieth career win was a crucial one. As the season approaches a string of races dominated by Rosberg last year, it was vital Hamilton assert himself at the US Grand Prix and turn the pressure back around onto his teammate.
But Hamilton was unable to do too much damage to Rosberg’s championship lead, as the German recovered from a bad start to finish second.
Having secured a front row start, Rosberg was aiming to do as his teammate had done to him before and jump Hamilton into Turn 1. But when Hamilton reached the apex first Rosberg was forced to try around the outside – only to find he’d left too inviting a gap for Daniel Ricciardo, who edged up the inside into second position.
But despite pulling away from Rosberg early on, Ricciardo’s race was compromised when Max Verstappen stopped beside the track with a gearbox problem and triggered a virtual safety car. With an effectively free pit stop in hand, Rosberg was easily able to regain second place from Ricciardo and then pull away on fresher tyres to a buffer of fifteen seconds.
The Silver Arrows’ respective results means the title battle closes up to twenty-six points in Rosberg’s favour – still a big enough advantage for the German to take the crown without winning again this season, but close enough for one DNF to open things right back up again.
There’s no doubt about it – Nico Rosberg is on a roll. After taking his ninth win of the season and fourth in five races at the last round in Japan, the championship leader is enjoying his greatest run of form to date as he closes on his maiden F1 World Drivers’ Championship.
With such momentum behind him, Rosberg could easily be considered the favourite for victory in the United States Grand Prix this weekend, with the anxiety of challenging at a Hamilton heartland considerably assuaged by his recent dominant performances in Singapore and Suzuka.
But in reality, Rosberg doesn’t need to win in Austin to win the championship – in fact, he doesn’t need to take a single victory for the rest of the season. With his Japanese Grand Prix win giving him a thirty-three point lead over Lewis Hamilton, Rosberg could finish second to his teammate for each of the remaining four rounds and still claim the title by five points. As much as Rosberg insists he is still looking at each race in isolation, it would be naïve to think that he hasn’t at least passingly considered laying back and letting the inherent pace of his W07 Hybrid carry him this final mile.
But on the other hand, the significance of laying down another emphatic win at one of his teammate’s favoured circuits will surely figure strongly in Rosberg’s mind this weekend – as will, no doubt, the prospect of settling a few scores with Hamilton regarding last year’s controversial first corner contact.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how Hamilton approaches this final leg of the 2016 season. It’s simply not in the defending champion’s mindset to back down and concede this hasn’t been his year – but at the same time, he will be all too aware that doing his best might not be enough to prevail this time.
Hamilton’s best hopes arguably lie with Rosberg suffering a Malaysia-style DNF, or at the least some qualifying trouble to drop him down the order for Sunday. But those odds are far too long to bet a world championship on, and if Hamilton is still aiming to come out the victor in November he will have to race strategically from here on out.
He will know from past experience that he has the edge over Rosberg in wheel-to-wheel combat; and will also know that if he asserts himself from the start – as in last year’s Japanese Grand Prix, for example – he has a good chance of seeing the German get swallowed up by the chasing pack.
Such tactics are not without their risk, of course – one overly aggressive defence could easily see the Briton losing out instead, and potentially incurring the ire of both the stewards and the Mercedes team. But at this late stage of the championship and with the odds stacked so resolutely against him, what has Hamilton got to lose?
