FORMULA 1 - 2015

[MIKA27]

My Favourite Race - Paddy Lowe

With a career in Formula One spanning almost thirty years, Mercedes' Executive Director (Technical), Paddy Lowe, has seen it all when it comes to drama, on-track action, championship deciders and classic races.

Unsurprisingly though for a man with a CV boasting senior engineering roles with Williams and McLaren as well as his current position with Mercedes, when asked for memories of his favourite race, Lowe concentrates on a race of great technical significance – featuring a starring role for an innovation which Lowe himself played a vital role in developing.

The 1991 Formula One season saw the beginning of a reversal in fortune, as Williams-Renault started to turn the tide against McLaren-Honda and re-establish themselves as the pre-eminent team in the sport. The Williams FW14 in the hands of Nigel Mansell ran Ayrton Senna close for the title, but fell short of preventing the Brazilian from claiming his third championship, and McLaren's fourth on the spin.

Behind the scenes though, the Williams technical department had been developing an innovation which they would unleash to devastating effect to dominate the 1992 season – starting at the South African Grand Prix in Kyalami. As Lowe explains, “I'd come to work for Williams at the beginning of their first generation of active suspension at the end of 1987 and racing it in 1988. We were really unprepared on every level to race something which for that era was so complex though.”

“It wasn't even about the car itself, it was about the infrastructure in terms of people, technology, understanding, support - it was nowhere,” continues Lowe. “We spent the next five years building that capability towards 1992 with the active suspension and traction control, whose first appearance was [Kyalami]. We spent five years building up to this point of playing our secret weapons – this was our moment.”

According to Lowe, it was clear from pre-season testing that Williams had developed something special – but beating McLaren was as much of a mental obstacle as it was a question of lap times. “As it turned out, the active suspension and the traction control were both worth about a second a lap from our winter testing,” Lowe explains. “McLaren had been so dominant through that preceding period. We gave them a bit of a hard time in '91 but they still won it, so my whole career up to that point they were always winning… I couldn't imagine that you could beat McLaren.”

Having not tested alongside McLaren during the winter, Williams still had no idea of their rivals' pace heading to South Africa. Come FP1 in Kyalami though, and Williams' and Lowe's thoughts quickly moved from imagining to dreaming. “You go into P1, and we're massively quicker than them and you think, 'there's something wrong, they're just sandbagging or something'. As the sessions went on you began to believe that 'maybe we've got something here',” Lowe recalls.

Come qualifying, and Nigel Mansell took pole position by seven tenths with the McLarens of Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger second and third. Mansell's teammate Riccardo Patrese was a distant fourth, 1.5 seconds down on the sister Williams. It laid down a marker for the season, with Mansell in particular benefitting from the FW14B's characteristics. As Lowe tells us, “Nigel had come to that race on absolutely top form. He loved the active car, it really played to his strengths. [The car] had this feature where as you lifted off you lost the balance quite a bit – so the more you stayed on the throttle the more the car worked. [Nigel]'s a driver with huge confidence… and the active car thrived on that confidence.”

Despite Mansell's dominant qualifying performance, Lowe was taking nothing for granted on race day. “I remember being on the grid and this car was quite complex and I was the only one who knew all of the things that could go wrong – more than anyone else,” Lowe recalls. “I was feeling physically sick thinking of what could go wrong as there were so many new things on the car which had never raced before.”

“Active suspension was something which took quite a long time to arrive, it was the product of 5/6 years work whereas the traction control was something that was the product of 3 months work - one of those things that just come together really nicely and added as much lap time,” Lowe continues.

“Renault were a bit unhappy with [the traction control] because they hadn't done any endurance work with [it], so Nigel switched off his traction control in the race as Renault didn't want us to run it. Riccardo was being threatened by Ayrton so whenever he was threatened we told him to put the traction control on and he would leave him behind to open up a gap – then the Renault guys would come out and say 'turn it off!'. So we'd turn it off again and Ayrton would catch up – that happened two or three times.”

Mansell duly went on to win the race, cruising home to take the chequered flag by 24 seconds from Patrese. It would be the first of three consecutive 1-2 finishes to open the season, and the first of six overall during the year. Mansell would go on to win the opening five rounds and a total of nine races en route to becoming champion with 108 points – all records at the time and illustrations of the Williams FW14B's dominance.

Mansell's win was memorable for many reasons, but Lowe reveals that a cheekily collected bonus memento offered an extra special significance. “I've actually got the champagne bottle from that race, which Nigel signed and wrote, 'First Win' on there,” Lowe tells us. “I shouldn't really have had it as it was supposed to go to the mechanics… I felt a bit bad taking the bottle but I did sort of think, “that's mine, I earned that!”

Few would disagree as Lowe was one of the key men behind a quantum leap in performance, and it's little coincidence that McLaren in 1998 and Mercedes in 2014 also enjoyed similar jumps forward during Lowe's tenure. For Lowe, there are significant differences in the development race during the 1990s and today however.

“In those days we were far more resource limited,” Lowe explains. “Now we are regulation limited, so if we find a gap in the regulations or a change is made we will exploit that right to the limit within days or weeks. We have all the knowledge, experience and technology… Back then there was a lot of technology in the aerospace industry that we weren't using. We were 20 years behind the times in terms of what was possible.”

“You could come along and come up with an idea like active suspension, traction control or active steering, power brakes, automatic gears – and it wasn't about whether they were legal, they were all legal, it was about 'can I actually do that, and have I got the people, the capacity and the knowledge to implement that',” Lowe continues.

The systems that Lowe and Williams implemented in 1992 represented the pinnacle of technological evolution at the time. Not only was the Williams-Renault FW14B the outstanding class of the field throughout the 1992 season, but the success of that year instigated a period of dominance for the Grove outfit that well and truly knocked McLaren off their perch. The foundations of Williams' supremacy through the early 1990s were built on a mastery of the complex electronic systems that defined the era, and the 1992 South African Grand Prix was the first public demonstration of a technical weaponry so potent that all such devices would be outlawed by the Hockenheim Agreement barely 18 months later.

By then Lowe was en route to McLaren and plotting another reversal of fortunes, but even involvement in further epochal benchmarks such as the McLaren MP4-13's demolition of the field at the 1998 Australian GP, or the first outing of the Mercedes W05 at the same circuit 16 years later can't displace the fond affections of Kyalami '92 – proving that nothing is ever as sweet as the first time.

[MIKA27]

STATS OF THE HUNGARIAN GP COURTESY OF LOTUS F1 TEAM

[MIKA27]

BOTTAS NOT DENYING FERRARI CONNECTION

Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Williams driver Valtteri Bottas has not denied ongoing speculation he will switch to Ferrari for 2016.

It is rumoured the fabled Italian team is set to pay Williams millions to buy out his 2016 contract option, and speaking ahead of the Hungarian grand prix, Bottas also would not confirm if he will still be with the Grove based outfit next year.

“I have no confirmation yet whether I am going to be a part of that [Williams] or not and, like I said, whichever team I’m at I will give 100 per cent,” he said.

And Bottas would not be drawn on when there will be clarity about his future, “Of course as a driver you want it (confirmation) as soon as possible, but sometimes you have to wait. That’s life, for sure we are going to tell when there is something to tell about.”

Current teammate Felipe Massa, on the other hand, is hoping Williams will take up his own 2016 contract option.

When asked about reports the deal has already been signed, the Brazilian said on Thursday: “I believe I will drive for Williams next year but maybe the chance this guy [reporter] is correct is bigger.”

Meanwhile, Swiss rookie Fabio Leimer on Thursday announced that he will finally make his Friday practice debut this weekend for Sauber.

It is believed his management struggled to put the necessary budget together in time for Austria and Silverstone, amid suggestions the Friday role is a precursor to a full Manor race seat.

[MIKA27]

SAUBER CONFIRM NASR AND ERICSSON FOR 2016

Amid a rampant Silly Season, with Felipe Nasr linked to a move to Williams should Valtteri Bottas depart to Ferrari, Sauber have made an early announcement that they will be retaining their current line-up for the the 2016 season.

The team announced in a press release: “Before the summer break, the Sauber F1 Team is pleased to announce the extension of the contracts with Marcus Ericsson (24) and Felipe Nasr (22). The Swede and the Brazilian will again form the driver line-up for the Swiss Team in the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship.”

Team principal Monisha Kaltenborn explained, “We are pleased about the extension of the contracts with Marcus and Felipe. This early point in time shows that the drivers and the team are sure they are heading in the right direction. We have full confidence in the talents and skills of Marcus and Felipe. Both have shown solid performances, gained experience and learnt quickly.”

“We enjoy having them in the team and they give it a positive boost. Despite their young ages, they work very professionally – on as well as off the track. Marcus and Felipe are already involved in a very dedicated way with the development of next year’s Sauber C35,” concluded Kaltenborn.

Nasr, who has been critical of the team’s lack of development in the middle of the season, said, “It is great to be driving another season for the Sauber F1 Team. The extension to the contract with the Sauber F1 Team is an important step in my career. During the first half of the season, in what is my rookie year, I was able to gain a lot of experience from a driving perspective as well as on the personal side.”

“Finishing fifth at my first ever Formula One race in Melbourne in the Australian Grand Prix is so far my career highlight. Now I am looking forward to the second half of the season. My objective is to support the team as best I can, and also with regard to the development of the new car,” added the Brazilian.

Ericsson, who has been out performed by his rookie teammate, commented, “I’m very happy that the Sauber F1 Team has put its trust in my potential for another year. Up to now I have some good memories of my first year with the long-standing Swiss team. I had a great start from the very beginning, and it is worth mentioning my first points in Formula One that I scored right away during the season-opener.”

The Sweded continued, “I am getting to know everyone within the team more and more, and feel I am being appreciated as a valuable driver. I feel honoured to be part of the Sauber Motorsport family, and I will continue to do my very best to succeed.”

At the opening race of the season in Melbourne former Sauber reserve driver Giedo van der Garde took the team court claiming he had signed and paid to drive for the outfit in 2015. The matter was settled out of court.

MIKA: Good to see Nasr sticking around another season with Sauber, they are a great team and duly deserve a good driver like Felipe IMO.

[MIKA27]

BIANCHI HEAD IMPACT MEASURED AT MASSIVE 92G

The FIA has released further information relating to Jules Bianchi's fatal crash during the Japanese Grand Prix last year.

The results of a detailed investigation, published in Auto Motor Und Sport, revealed that Bianchi lost control of his Marussia car at 213 km/h, and hit the crane at 126 km/h just 2.61 seconds later.

The car struck the crane at an angle of 55 degrees, with the nose diving under the rear of the recovery vehicle, allowing Bianchi's helmet to contact the crane.

The force of the impact was recorded at 58.8G, according to the car, but the impact was made worse because of the angle.

Bianchi's earplugs recorded an impact of 92G, however reports they fell out at a critical moment and therefore gave a misleading reading haven't been confirmed by the FIA.

Speaking about the incident, the FIA's vice president of the Safety Commission, Andy Mellor, explained the incident in more detail to Auto Motor und Sport.

"The problem was that the Marussia partly dipped below the stem of the crane, and was therefore pressed down from above by the underside of the crane.

"It worked like a brake, with an abrupt deceleration – and in this process there was contact between the helmet and the crane. We have never seen this before."

[MIKA27]

ECCLESTONE: MONTEZEMOLO A GOOD FRONT MAN FOR ANY SPORT

Long-time Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo was in the running to take the top job in Formula 1, Bernie Ecclestone has revealed and believes the Italian would be a great front man for the sport.

Montezemolo, 67, left the legendary Maranello marque late last year following a period of conflict with his successor Sergio Marchionne.

He now heads Rome’s 2024 Olympic bid as well as the Italian airline Alitalia, but F1 supremo Ecclestone told the Times newspaper that Montezemolo also would have made “a good front man” for formula one.

“The problem would have been that he would have been up front but he is not a day-to-day, hands-on guy,” said the 84-year-old Briton.

“He is not going to go through piles of paper. Luca would have taken the first piece of paper and decided it was nothing to do with him. All these things have to be dealt with and I don’t know whether Luca would have wanted to do that,” Ecclestone added.

Montezemolo was, however, drafted onto the F1 board to be next in line as chairman, Ecclestone said, as Peter Brabeck-Letmathe’s health was deteriorating.

“Luca was the right man for the job,” Ecclestone said. “He is a good front man for any sport or business. Peter is ok now but Luca could have been the chairman if Peter had stepped down.”

Under Montezemolo and executive director Jean Todt, Ferrari won the F1 World Drivers Championship in 2000, the first time since 1979. The previous year, 1999, they had won the constructors’ championship for the first time since 1983.

The combination which also included Michael Schumacher. Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne went on to utterly dominate F1 from 2000 until 2004

Montezemolo has often been reported to have aspirations of a career in Italian politics, including the office of prime minister.

In July 2008, Montezemolo founded the now defunct Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) which he presided over from 2008 to 2010.

[MIKA27]

WIN A PAIR OF MCLAREN JOHNNIE WALKER GOLDEN BOOTS

McLaren and Johnnie Walker will celebrate our ten year partnership at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

In celebration of the anniversary, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso will be wearing special edition Johnnie Walker #GoldenBoots inspired by and celebrating Johnnie Walker’s Gold Label Reserve.

For a chance to win a pair of boots signed by either Jenson or Fernando, tell us your greatest McLaren moment over the last ten years, starting from the 2005 season opener in Australia.

Go here to enter>>>

[MIKA27]

MCLAREN FIT NEW HONDA ENGINES WITH NO PENALTY

Struggling McLaren are free to fit new engines for both Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button without any penalty at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

The two former world champion drivers have suffered massive grid penalties in recent races after needing to have replacement Honda power units put in their cars.

A regulation change at a meeting of Formula One’s World Motor Sport Council this month has permitted new manufacturers to take one new unit for each driver without any sanction.

Spaniard Alonso and Briton Button had been penalised since exceeding their original allocation of four engines when they took a fifth in Austria.

The tight and technical Hungaroring circuit is expected to give the McLaren team an opportunity to secure an improved result because it is not a track that demands outright power.

[MIKA27]

STUCK BAFFLED BY ECCLESTONE’S GERMAN GP STANCE

Hans-Joachim Stuck says he cannot understand Bernie Ecclestone having allowed Germany to fall off the 2015 schedule.

Just before the forthcoming four-week summer break, F1 found itself in an unscheduled three-week gap between the grands prix at Silverstone and Hungary.

It is because Germany was scratched from the 2015 schedule, as Ecclestone failed to reach agreement with either of the financially-struggling circuits at the Nurburgring or Hockenheim.

Hockenheim is returning to the calendar as scheduled in 2016, but the future of the historic race is once again in grave doubt beyond that.

And German motor racing legend and former driver Stuck, who is president of the governing body DSMB (Deutscher Motor Sport Bund), says he cannot understand how F1 supremo Ecclestone has allowed the situation to occur.

“For me, it is unthinkable not to have a grand prix in Germany,” he told the French magazine Auto Hebdo.

“On the one hand, Mr Ecclestone is inflexible with regards to the (race) organisation rights. It’s his decision. But I cannot understand it, because a world championship without Germany is not a world championship.”

And as for the new uncertainty surrounding a 2017 race in Germany, Stuck added: “We can only hope that a solution will be found this time.”

[MIKA27]

TOST HINTS AT RETURN TO FERRARI POWER FOR TORO ROSSO

A key hot topic in Hungary will be the future of Renault in Formula 1, which prompted Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost to hint that Ferrari could be an alternative engine source for the Red Bull owned team.

The latest reports suggest that amid the French carmaker’s deliberations about buying Lotus, Renault wants an upgrade in official F1 income.

Earlier, Renault had even been linked with a buyout of the second Red Bull team, Toro Rosso, but Tost doubts that is now a likelihood.

“I don’t know what was decided by Renault for its future,” the Austrian told Omnicorse. “Three or four months ago they came to see the factory at Faenza and then they also went to Bicester to get an idea of our facilities there.

“The negotiation went on for a while but then I started to get the feeling that Renault was not really interested in acquiring Toro Rosso,” Tost added.

If Renault and Red Bull do separate, it could mean Toro Rosso needs to look for a new engine supplier, even though currently the sides are contractually bound for 2016.

“I would say we have to wait a couple of months,” Tost said. “First we need to understand what Renault wants to do. Once they make their decision we will understand if we have to talk with the other manufacturers or not.”

“For example with Ferrari we had a successful partnership several years ago, but at the moment there is nothing decided,” added Tost.

In the more immediate future, Toro Rosso and Red Bull are hoping Renault can make a much-needed step in performance this season.

There are rumours of a ‘new engine’ featuring Renault’s token upgrades at Spa-Francorchamps, after the summer break.

“I do not expect a new engine in Spa,” Tost responded, “but we’ll see. I think we will have a development, but that will come later in the season.

“The hope is that the performance can be improved, respecting the promises that were made by Renault,” he added.

[MIKA27]

FERRARI CONFIRM JOCK CLEAR ON HIS WAY TO MARANELLO

Ferrari has confirmed the impending arrival at Maranello of former Mercedes engineer Jock Clear.

Just before last Christmas, Mercedes confirmed reports that reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton’s highly-experienced performance engineer Clear is leaving the team.

Earlier reports had suggested Briton Clear, also well known for working alongside champions Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve, was headed to Ferrari.

“After leaving Mercedes, Clear cannot now work in formula one for a year,” the German newspaper Bild had claimed.

However, it was expected that Ferrari would want Clear to join the team earlier than that, meaning it must reach an agreement with Mercedes.

Clear’s impending arrival at Ferrari was confirmed this week by technical boss James Allison, during a wide-ranging interview with the Italian magazine Autosprint.

It is believed Clear will head up the engineering team at Ferrari in a role similar to that previously held by Pat Fry, who departed at the end of last year.

MIKA: I remember meeting Jock Clear back in 2004 where he was with BAR LUCKY STRIKE HONDA team as Takuma Sato's race Engineer (Remember him! ). Met him at the Melbourne Grand Prix and he was such a nice humble man, I asked for an autograph, he gave me 10 minutes of his time to sit and chat about Formula 1.

I've met loads of drivers over the years and amongst meeting Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen that truly stand out to me, Jock would have to be the only non Formula 1 driver who stands equally amongst those drivers purely because he is such a genuinely nice guy and extremely good with what he does.

I still have a picture somewhere, I'll try finding it and post it.

[MIKA27]

McClaren may prevent Jenson Button from rejoining his former team Williams

Jenson Button’s hopes of a dream return to Williams, the team where his Formula One career began, could be blocked by McLaren, who hold all the cards over his future.

Button heads into this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix – the final race before the summer break, and the site of his first ever win 10 seasons ago, on his 113th attempt – with his future uncertain for the second year running.

McLaren have the option to extend his current deal into a second season, but the power is in their hands. Should Button express his wish to retire, it is unlikely McLaren would refuse, with two young chargers waiting in the wings.

But if Button were to try to and engineer a move to Williams, who gave him his debut in the sport in 2000, McLaren could stand in his way. With Williams regularly scoring podiums while McLaren are mired in seemingly endless troubles with engine supplier Honda, it would be an attractive proposition for Button.

Williams, who are expected to lose Valtteri Bottas to Ferrari reportedly in exchange for compensation of roughly £9 million, would also benefit hugely from Button’s return. As the most experienced driver on the grid, and third on the all-time list, he would help give the team’s revival added impetus.

It would also be a hugely popular move with sponsors and help to attract new money. Button is consistently ranked among the top two or three drivers in Formula One according a recent survey of fans. He also has a good relationship with Sir Frank Williams, their legendary team principal, who holds the driver in high esteem both on and off the track. However, the 35-year-old would probably be required to take a cut from his current salary of £8 million if he moved to Williams.

Button, who has become used to fielding questions on his future, said that he will begin evaluating options for next season in September.

“Nothing is certain,” Button added. “I don't need to push it to the back of my mind. It's natural. I don't feel that I have to think about next year yet. Years of experience of being in the same situation of people asking me a question about next year when we're not even halfway through this year.

Button posing in his Williams car at the start of his career, alongside Ralf Schumacher

“As I said before, we always look too far into the future. I have no reason to think about the future right now.”

Although he has performed well so far this season, particularly in his public demeanour with results so poor, it has been a torrid year for Button and McLaren. The Honda engine has proved underpowered and chronically unreliable. He has scored just four points, with an eighth-place finish in Monaco.

Button may decide he wants to bow out at the end of this season, his 16th in Formula One, paving the way for one of Stoffel Vandoorne or Kevin Magnussen to take his place. Vandoorne has been winning plaudits for his performances in GP2, the feeder series to Formula One, while Magnussen was dropped last December after a boardroom row at McLaren. The team’s entire senior management, including Ron Dennis, the chairman, and Eric Boullier, racing director, had wanted to drop Button, but they were overruled by McLaren’s 50 per cent owners, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund.

The 2009 world champion returns to the Hungaroring with fond memories of his first victory here, a typically astute Button drive in wet-dry conditions. It came after six years of agony and waiting.

The first victory of Button's career came at the Hungaroring, racing for BAR Honda

“It feels like yesterday,” he said. “It was a long time before I won my first race. The race went so fast. I wanted it to continue forever. It was very special. To see all the guys after so many years of fighting for a victory, crying their eyes out.”

Even if a few thunderstorms on Thursday afternoon offered Button hope of similar weather on Sunday, he knows McLaren cannot hope to win in any conditions at the moment. Asked if he still enjoyed Formula One as much now, he conceded years of not fighting at the front has had its impact.

“I enjoy fighting with my team-mate,” he said. “At the moment, when we're not competitive, we have fighting with your team-mate and finding performance in the car. Knowing that you've had the impact to make a difference. Those are the two things which are keeping me upbeat.

“I would love to be winning, all of us would be. I'm still positive, but not as positive as when I was winning races, I don't mind saying that.”

[MIKA27]

Rosberg says he is still struggling with brakes

Mercedes F1 driver Nico Rosberg says he is still struggling to find a brake set-up that suits him, and admits that he may have to continue to compromise.

The German, who now trails teammate Lewis Hamilton by 17 points in the standings, insisted that he has spent the last two seasons trying to solve the issue at Mercedes.

"It's never easy to set up the car," Rosberg said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. " It's always a big challenge, but there's no particular big problems with the car at the moment.

"Except my usual issues with the brakes, for example, but that's a long-term thing which is not easy to solve.

Asked to elaborate, he added: "It's feel, it's variable. It's just personal feel. Also last year. It's difficult.

"Because it's taken so long, and we haven't really had much progress at all. It's such a complex matter, brakes, because it takes six months to bake a new pair of discs.

"If they're the right ones, then six months again to bake a whole set of them, to be able to race them, for example. It's such a long process. That's why it's taken ages, and there's not really any hope at the moment for a quick improvement."

Rosberg could not confirm whether or not the issue was costing him laptime.

"I don't like it. So is it losing me time? It depends. It's something I don't like and I would prefer if they were different. I've tried a lot of things, and this is the best that we've found."

Problems exaggerated - Hamilton

Intriguingly, Hamilton was quick to suggest that Rosberg had exaggerated any problems.

"He was perfectly fine on the brakes in the last race," said the championship leader. "I'm just letting you know, and he knows you're going to ask me that! We don't have any problems with the brakes.

"Naturally you're always wanting to improve the brakes, particularly in this hot climate the brakes began to fade when they get over temperature.

"In the last race we probably wouldn't get too much fading, because you don't have to use them too much.

"Here you do have to use them a lot, and because the temperature is so high, the initial bite drops off, because they're operating above the window, and then they fade, so it affects your braking zones. But I enjoy that, that's a challenge for me."

[MIKA27]

Bottas thinks Williams can be strong in Hungary

Valtteri Bottas believes Williams could be a strong contender in the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend despite the nature of the circuit.

Slower tracks like the Hungaroring have not usually favoured the Williams package, that is at its best on high-speed circuits.

"In theory it's not the best track for us," said the Finn. "But we're definitely not giving up yet, because the weekend hasn't even started.

"Last year I qualified third here, and was running well in the beginning of the race. It's still possible to have a good result here.

"I think we really need as a team to focus on the qualifying performance, because it's a big effect here. It's really difficult to overtake. Could be slightly more challenging, but I still think there's a possibility for a good result."

Bottas admitted that Williams got its sums wrong in Monaco, a track that is often compared with Hungary, but insists that the team learned from the experience.

"We definitely have analysed well what happened in Monaco. We were probably running the car a bit out of the window in terms of set-up.

"We're not going to repeat the same mistakes. It's still a good step from Monaco in terms of set-up, so I'm not worried that it's going to be that bad. I'm still pretty hopeful for the weekend."

Aero help

Bottas added that aero updates will help the team this weekend.

"We had the new package for Austria already, and it was just a bit too draggy for that track. Here straightline speed isn't a big thing. I think we have made steps in terms of the overall downforce of the car, and this is one of the places where it's definitely going to help.

"We have one front wing to try on Friday, and if it's better, I'm going to be allowed to use it. The rules are in this situation if there's one bit the one who's in front in the points gets it first.

"It should be interesting to test, because for the future development it's a pretty important direction they've gone with the wing."

He has no concerns about the high temperatures: "If we need to choose either a cold or hot race I think we prefer hot, in terms of the efficiency of the cooling of the car, getting the tyres to work. Everything is better in hot conditions, so that doesn't matter at all for us."

[MIKA27]

US Grand Prix offers ‘flexi-ticket’ deal to fans

Grand Prix chiefs at Austin are to offer Formula 1 fans a radical new ticketing initiative, following a successful trial at its recent MotoGP event.

In a bid to give fans greater choice when it comes to choosing grandstands, the Circuit of the Americas has created a new 'Flex Pass' system – which will allow spectators to switch grandstands on different days of the weekend.

It was felt that there was a gap in the market for spectators – between the general admission flexibility that did not guarantee a viewing areas, and the normal grandstand option that only allowed a specific seat for the whole weekend.

Geoff Moore, COTA's chief revenue officer, said that the trial of the system had been such a success at MotoGP that it was a no-brainer to offer it for those wishing to attend October's F1 race.

“It was well received, sold very well and we sold out of the inventory that we set aside for it, so everyone was happy,” he told Motorsport.com.

“We have done same thing with Lone Star Le Mans that is coming up in September, and we have now decided to try the same thing for F1.”

More choice for fans

At a time when race promoters find themselves having to deliver more to attract audiences, Moore believes that giving fans the kind of choice its 'Flex Pass' offers is a positive step.

“I think it is the natural evolution of giving fans more choice and more control,” he said. “With a general admission ticket, while we have some great areas, unless you are here at 7.30am then you may not get a good spot.

“The one thing that always make me proud is when drivers talk about coming to this track and how much they enjoy driving the different sections of it – so if you wanted to get a good view of drivers in the Esses, Turn 5 is a great place to do it, but others may prefer to watch from Turn 11 in qualifying.

“Then some people want to be in main grandstand for race day. They want to see the grid ceremony, start, podium, have best access to the track invasion and see pit stops.

"With our new ticket, you can now do that."

F1 event now more established

Moore says that Austin is benefiting from a new acceptance of F1 in the United States – which will be further boosted with the return of the Mexican GP and the arrival of the Haas team.

“I don't know if anything will match the social phenomena that 2012 brought, in terms of excitement, anticipation and drama,” he said. “2012 was a pretty special year. We are in a more normalised environment now – but we are being looked at differently by fans and sponsors who know we are here to stay.”

Speaking about the impact of the Mexican GP on the Austin audience, Moore said: “I think in the end what is going to happen is it will raise F1 awareness on this side of the world. The more F1 races that are happening here, when people are awake and paying attention, is ultimately a good thing.

“Whenever there is a new kid on the block it tends to generate a lot of excitement and gets a lot of attention, I enjoyed that when it was us; and I don't enjoy it as much when it is someone else. So they are the hot thing right now and that is ultimately a good thing for all of us.”

[MIKA27]

Ricciardo needs a “significantly” improved engine

Daniel Ricciardo admits he couldn’t go another season racing with the current Renault engine, but that he trusts Red Bull Racing to make the right decisions for 2016.

In the lead-up to the Hungarian Grand Prix, a race Ricciardo won 12 months ago, the Australian admitted that he didn’t expect to have to spend another year dealing with the same power deficit that Renault currently has compared to Mercedes and Ferrari.

When asked if he could see himself racing a Renault-powered car in 2016, he said: “Not the current one. A significantly better Renault I would accept, but as we are now, I don’t think we could go with this performance again next year.

“Other teams will keep improving, we need a significant gain. With the rest, we’ll see what happens.”

Trust in Red Bull Racing

As Red Bull looks to lock down its engine plans for 2016, a process Ricciardo expects to make significant progress in the next fortnight, he says he has full trust that the team can find a suitable solution.

“It’s in the hands of the team,” Ricciardo added.

“I’m keeping my ears open for what’s happening, of what’s being discussed with the team, with Renault, with the team’s future.

“From what I understand in the next two weeks there should be a bit more of a plan in place, we’ll see what happens after that.

“I’m putting a lot of my trust at the moment within the team. Why I do that is because I still know the team wants to get the success, or wants return to the success they have.

“So when I speak to them and they say ‘trust me, we’re doing all we can to make sure we’re going to be as competitive as possible for 2016’, that’s all I need to hear for now. That’s important for me to know.”

The customer isn’t always right

With Renault in crunch talks about its F1 future, which may include purchasing the Lotus team, Ricciardo admits he has concerns over Red Bull Racing losing its ‘works’ status with its engine supplier.

“Any situation at the moment isn’t perfect,” he said.

“Now, we’re down on power. If we were to go as a customer in the next few years, will a customer let you win? Do you actually have an opportunity to win in the next few years? That’s the big question.

“But as I said, speaking to the big guys in the team, they’ve given me the confidence that I need to hear, that they’ll do what they can to make sure that we can fight for success.”

[MIKA27]

Massa believes he will stay on at Williams

Felipe Massa believes he will drive for Williams in Formula 1 next year, although he denied a new deal has already been finalised.

The Brazilian joined the Grove team from Ferrari for the start of the 2014 season, and his contract comes to an end at the end of 2015.

Williams, however, has an option on his contract, and the Brazilian sees no reason why the team would not take it up.

"I hope so! Nothing has changed at the moment," Massa said during Thursday's press conference when asked if he would stay at Williams.

"I don't see why I should not be there.

"I really enjoy working with the team. The team is really respecting me 100 per cent and I think I am enjoying the way I work with them."

Although Brazilian media wrote this week Massa has already signed a new contract, the Williams driver said the reports were premature.

"What people wrote a few days ago or maybe a week ago, I don't think this guy has the right information," he added.

"I think he just put in the paper. I believe I will drive for Williams next year but maybe the chance this guy is correct is bigger."

[MIKA27]

Hungarian GP: Thursday's press conference

Roberto MERHI (Manor), Romain GROSJEAN (Lotus), Felipe NASR (Sauber), Sergio PEREZ (Force India), Felipe MASSA (Williams), Nico HULKENBERG (Force India).

PRESS CONFERENCE

Well gentlemen, clearly all our thoughts this Hungarian Grand Prix weekend are with Jules Bianchi and his family. Many of you were at the funeral this week. Perhaps we should start with a word or perhaps a favourite memory from the drivers about their colleague. Romain, would you start?

Romain GROSJEAN: Well, as you can imagine, I’ve got questioned a few times. I cannot pick up a favourite memory because I’ve got too much with Jules. I think the first time I heard his name was back in 2003. He was a much better driver in go-karts than I was; he was a bit younger. Then he did follow up in all categories what I did and he won everywhere. I think we shared a lot with Jules. It was a very nice ceremony. It was very emotional. His parents were, I think, happy to see us. Of course, this week all our thoughts go with him but personally I will never forget that we race and we race for Jules as well.

Felipe?

Felipe MASSA: Jules, first of all, I mean, he was a great friend. [When] I met him he was still racing in go-karts, because we have the same manager. [When] Nicolas [Todt] started to work with Jules he was still at the end of his go-kart career and I met him in that time. For me he was a fantastic boy, very nice, very humble and an amazing driver. Unfortunately in Formula One he didn’t have the opportunity to race in a competitive car; to show his talent. He showed us anyway by finishing in the points in Monaco with a car he was driving which everybody knows was like… it was an amazing thing he did in that race. But for me the experience I had with Jules was also that we did a lot of go-kart together, even in Brazil, and in my experience he was the best go-kart driver I saw. It was amazing the way he was driving go-karts. It was maybe the opportunity we had to race together in a similar kart. It’s not nice to see has happened. It was so difficult to be there in the church, to understand what’s happened, it was so sad. But I’m sure he is in a good place, racing, enjoying and definitely looking here to all of us, from whatever place he is, I don’t know, but I think he was an amazing boy and a fantastic driver that I really hope the best for his family as well. It was a very difficult day to be there.

Roberto?

Roberto MERHI: The first time I met Jules was in 2002 in a karting race. It was a race in Spain and he was coming from France and normally when you are that young to come to a track that you don’t know, in Spain, that you have never raced, it’s very hard to be quick and I remember I was really surprised to see that guy that was really quick immediately on that track. He really impressed everybody. After that I followed him really closely. He was always the driver – the reference. He was all the time the quickest and doing really great things. Obviously, when I jumped into Formula Renault in 2007 we did a few races together because he also jumped in 2007 to Formula Renault and again he won straight away; his first year in the championship. It was pretty incredible, no? For me he was the biggest talent I saw in motorsport. Also, when I raced, back in 2009, with an F3, we were fighting against him because he was the man to beat that year and he won the championship with so many good drivers on the track and he won it really easy; just winning so many races. I think that shows how good he was and for me it’s, to be honest, really a shame that he was not able to really show in an F1 car what he was able to do, because I think he was the best driver that I raced against and it’s a bit of a shame what happened in Suzuka, but hopefully he’s in a good place and enjoying.

Felipe (Nasr)?

Felipe NASR: I met Jules on one occasion only but we shared the track in this go-kart race that Felipe [Massa] does, or used to do, every year. It was really the first time I got in a conversation with him and you could see the guy was special. Not only as a person – for sure he had a good heart inside of him – but all his techniques, all the junior categories he had been through. As everybody mentioned he was a real reference to all of us. Especially for me, I was always a few years behind him because we didn’t have the same age. But you could definitely see he had all the ingredients to be a very good driver and to fight for something bigger in the future. I have all the respect for him, even though I didn’t know him so well and I wish the best for his family as well.

Sergio?

Sergio PEREZ: Yeah, I met him when we were both in GP2. When I really spent more time with him was in the Ferrari Academy, when we were both doing the Ferrari Academy. You could see Jules was a very special driver but also a very special person that everyone seemed to like. He was just very humble and very human as well and he really left a big impact on the world. I think we all share the same opinion. I think Jules was a very special driver that didn’t have the opportunity to show what he could do in Formula One in his short period. It was just enough to realise that he was a potential champion for the future. He was just a very, very special driver. It’s very sad, you know. As drivers we share many moments – every Sunday, every Friday afternoon in the drivers’ briefing. We’re not the best friends but we always share moments. We do the same, all of us. We see each other every 15 days or so during the whole year, so we spend a lot things together and not to see him ever again, it really shocks you. It’s very, very hard for all of us – I’m sure not only for the drivers, but for everyone involved in the sport – to lose someone, because you know you could be there, it could be your family. I was talking the other day to his father and it’s just very, very difficult for the whole family. But his family is our family now and we really want to support them in any way because Jules will stay with us forever. I think what Jules did for the sport… he was just a great ambassador for us and he will always be in our hearts.

And finally, Nico.

Nico HULKENBERG: Yeah, he’s been my team-mate twice, in 2008 in Formula 3 and 2012 in Formula One here. I remember in 2008, I was in my second in Formula 3, supposed to win the championship and he came in as a rookie, his first year. I remember his race in Mugello, I was starting from pole and he was starting second or third. Anyway, we take off, I’m leading, he’s second and I’m seeing him in my mirrors, pushing really hard, really chasing me down, trying to get me. He was burning his tyres at the time, I was saving them, but it just showed how competitive he was and he was so hungry for success. Even outside the track he was a great guy, a lot fun, a lot of great moments together and we’ll all miss him.

Thank you. Back to you Romain: the first lap at Silverstone was extraordinary, with both Lotus cars out. It seems as thought the team is still leaving a lot of points uncollected. What are your feelings at this stage of the season and where you go in the second half?

RG: Yeah, after last year it was important for us to get a good baseline when we started the winter testing, which was the case and then we had missed opportunities, especially in the first few race where actually Felipe [Nasr] did very well, he finished P5 in Melbourne, where we could have finished and it was the same in Malaysia. Then we got in the points, things were looking better but unfortunately we were a bit less lucky in the next races. I made a mistake in Canada, cost us a good chunk of points and in the last race we couldn’t do much – we retired both cars at the beginning. I think we still have a very good baseline. We still have a few updates we would like to put on the car and then we could chase a little but more Force India, which just got in front of us in the championship.

Thank you. Felipe Massa, coming to you: you had 19 in the lead at Silverstone, including the opening lap. How did it feel to be in control at the front again and how does the team avoid a repeat of what happened at the other end of the race, where the podium got away from you?

FM: It feels amazing to be in the front! It’s really a great feeling. Unfortunately it didn’t stay until the chequered flag, but it was a great feeling to be back at the front, to be back fighting for the victory at least, you know. We couldn’t manage to win at the end, not just for the first moment we lost the first and I went to second but also for the rain; we were struggling a lot in the rain and it’s definitely part of our working to improve the car in the rain. But I think we need to take also the positive things, that the car was competitive, maybe we were very close to Mercedes. Even if they were a little bit quicker, we were not far. I think we were very close in that race. I think this positive aspect needs to stay in our brain and we need to try to understand how we can do that again but also stay in the front and finish and try to win the race. We will keep pushing.

Q: Nico, coming to you, over the last few races we’ve seen Force India take a step forwards – even before the new chassis arrived – points finishes etcetera. That was on power circuits. What difference will the new chassis make here on this type of circuit, do you think?

NH: Yeah, I think it’s going to be good and positive. The B-spec car has really, so far, talking about Silverstone, lived up to the expectations what we wanted from it. So that’s very positive and encouraging. I think, obviously having collected a lot of data from both cars in the race, we’re able in those two weeks to go through it and optimise even more. Plus there is some more tweaks to the car here. I’m excited to see how we’re going to get on here.

Q: Felipe, coming to you, congratulations on your contract extension announced today. Why was staying at Sauber the right thing for you?

FN: Well, I think it only builds up the trust between myself and the team. Although I think it was always the plan when we came to Sauber, for the first time the opportunity came and I thought it was the right moment to take it. It’s nice to see the team, they put in a lot of confidence on myself and I think, looking back at the year we’ve had already, in this seven months we’ve learned a lot together, we did achieve a lot, I think we did achieve most of what we’ve expected, especially in the beginning of the year when we had some great results. As mentioned, the Australia fifth place was fantastic and, after that, we saw things becoming a lot more difficult and from the drivers’ point of view it’s always easier for us to say where the car needs to work and the team is seeing all the limitations that we have at the moment. I think everybody is leaning towards the direction of improving things out there. We saw Mark Smith coming in, joining the team. It’s already the beginning of that. And by having the two drivers, the same line-up, I think it only brings more of this information together, and we can be committed together for 2016 and build up something a lot more promising.

Q: Roberto, you’re a bit unusual in that you’re running a parallel Formula One and World Series programme this year, you were on the podium, I believe, at this track earlier in the season – how comfortable do you feel in Formula One now, and what happened with that accident at the end of the last race in Austria.

RM: The feeling in Formula One, every time is going better through the races. At the start of the year I was struggling a little bit – but I, after Monaco, everything went better, the race pace, after the quali in Montreal and the race pace in Montreal, Austria, and then the race in Silverstone was really good. And yeah, obviously I am going another championship, so far the World Series season, we had so many issues at the start of the year with so many engine problems. In this track we were missing two seconds on Friday, we changed 70 per cent of the car, just pieces, and the next day I was P5 or P6 in quali, something like that, and I finished second in the race. Was a strong result, let’s say. Then last weekend in Austria, at the start of the race I had a failure with the steering wheel. All of the race I was driving with the steering wheel bent completely, like 50° to the left, and after the race I wanted to do just a slow lap. I moved to the right, just to avoid the people coming to the left and the next time I check the mirror, the guy behind me was three seconds behind and the next time I checked the mirror he was like five metres behind me, coming much quicker and, yeah, colliding to my back. I don’t know, it was a bit strange to be honest, the situation I think was really unlucky. Thanks God nothing happened to both drivers, we are both OK. He could race the race afterwards and nothing else happened.

Q: Sergio, coming to you, obviously point in three of the last four races but in the in-house battle Nico recently has the edge over you on qualifying. How’s the match-up going with Nico? How do you feel about it?

SP: Obviously it’s been, the last three races, he obviously has scored more points that what I’ve done. I think with the B-spec and the upgrades I haven’t got on as well has he did in the last race. Still plenty of championship to go and I think it’s important that we keep improving. I’m very optimistic coming into this track. I think what we’ve shown in Silverstone was just the proof that the car has improved massively. So I think in a track like this it will be really interesting to see how we go because obviously here the engine is not so important. I think our car has improved a lot and we have plenty of data to analyse from the weekend before, so I think we have plenty of reasons to be optimistic into this weekend.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) To all drivers, I’m sorry to come back to the subject of Jules Bianchi. This was the first time your generation has faced a death in Formula One. We saw many of you very touched at the funeral, couldn’t be different. Do you think even maybe unconsciously you start avoiding some high-risk manoeuvres from now – or maybe even different approach to the races?

Will it change the way you drive. Nico, do you want to take that one first?

NH: I mean it opens your eyes and tells us what we’re doing, the sport we’re doing, there’s still some risk involved. I think you just have to be aware of that and make your own choices at times in the car, how much risk you’re willing to take, and be comfortable with it. Yeah, I think for me, personally, it won’t change much.

Felipe?

FM: I don’t think it changes. When you close your visor, you want the best, you want to finish in front, and you want to do the best you can and manoeuvre overtaking, the way you drive, your thinking, I don’t think it will change. When I had my accident here, when I start driving again here in Hungary, always when I pass that place I don’t remember that I had the accident there. So, you don’t think about it, it stays in the past. Maybe when you go out of the car you remember about Jules or about other things which is… now I remember about my accident but when I’m driving, I don’t know, y’know? So I don’t even think I have a mother, father, my son, my wife or whatever, you don’t think about it. You just think about your job, your work. I don’t think that will change. But now, I have Jules all the time on my mind.

Sergio, go along with that?

SP: Yeah, definitely. Obviously when something like this happens you know that there is a big level of risk. It’s what we love to do and when something like this happens to our colleague, we all know it could have been ourselves in that car – but it doesn’t really change anything. I’ve had some accidents in the past and you know that the risk is there. We all know. It can happen in any practice, any day, as soon as you jump into the car, you know that the risk is very high but it doesn’t really change anything. As Felipe says, we want to give our best, we want to succeed, we want to take every tenth out of the car. So we just give it all. I don’t think it will change. We all have to make Jules very proud.

Roberto?

RM: I don’t think it changes much but for sure you think more about it. For example, I was racing here with the World Series, as I mentioned and out of the fastest corner on the track was a car crash and a tractor came in to recover the car and they didn’t put a Safety Car and, to be honest, when I saw that situation and a yellow flag I really slowed down. So maybe in the past I would not have slowed down so much because, after that, you think more about it. You’re more afraid that you know things can happen. To be honest I didn’t feel so comfortable in that situation and I really lift from that corner and maybe losing three tenths per lap because I think it’s a dangerous corner and a dangerous situation, as we can see. But obviously, I think for a single lap of for a start – a normal situation – I think will not change. But, for sure, this time, when I left my house, was not the same the way I say goodbye to family and that – because you know things can happen, and maybe before we never even stop a minute to think about that.

Romain?

RG: I think thought our career it’s in our nature to take risk and think, when you drive, especially a Formula One car going that quickly around the corner, you need to be 100 per cent in the car and not thinking about what could happen if and if. We know it’s a dangerous sport but I think that was a hard way to remember that. But when helmet is on and visor is closed, it’s racing 100 per cent. That’s what we’ve always been doing and that’s what racing drivers will always do.

Felipe?

FN: I agree with what everyone else said. We are racing. That’s what we come here for. We do face some risks sometimes but I think since then, the Virtual Safety Car thing was a good positive point to have in a way to avoid the kind of circumstances like it happened with Jules. But it’s also linked to us drivers to know this kind of situation and to be aware of it. In dangerous conditions out there or whatever it’s something you… we all have to know what is good for us. What we have to do, what is safe for us to do. As all the others do, like I do as well, when we are racing, we are not thinking about this thing.

Q: (Péter Vámosi – Vas Népe) Question to Romain. In 2010 you had the opportunity to drive a Ford GT car in Le Mans. Next year Ford is coming back – are you interested in that, driving again in Le Mans? And are you allowed to do that?

RG: Well, of course that experience was a great experience. If I do it again Le Mans it would be LMP1 because I got tired of watching the mirrors in the night, and the day. I was quite jealous of Nico winning the race, I think all of us, but, to be fair, I haven’t thought about it.

Would you recommend it Nico?

NH: Yes!

RG: Just for the watch or…?

Q: (Oana Popoiu – F1 Zone.net) Felipe, do you believe you can benefit from the new starting procedure? If we look at Silverstone, you had a very good start there but it wasn’t enough to stay ahead of Mercedes.

FM: On the start, yes, it was enough but afterwards not. I believe I can still be competitive at the start. To be honest, I’ve always had a great start. Even last year I had a trophy for the best start of the season and this year I did many many good starts as well. I believe I will still be competitive at the start and I don’t think it should really change a lot. The procedure is more of less similar. Maybe you have less information but I don’t think the procedure will change completely, so I’m really not worrying about that.

Q: (Daniel Johnson – The Telegraph) Felipe, I just wonder about two things especially after your accident here: first of all, what view do you take on the whole open/closed cockpit debate and touching on something Roberto said about the recovery tractors, are you and the rest of the drivers comfortable with them still being in use as they are?

FM: Well, I think if you go back to what’s happened to Jules, many things changed after that so unfortunately, we need to see that type of accident to understand what’s happened. I really agree that Formula One has changed a lot, especially after Ayrton Senna’s accident. I believe the car is very safe now. We always need to keep working to improve the safety, you know - not just the cars but the tracks and everything is very safe now – so what happened in Japan was a different situation. What happened in Japan is something that we cannot... I cannot accept, because a car crashed into a tractor. It was a race that... it was a very strange weekend so we had the typhoon, we had people asking to run the race at a different time, we had the red flag already at the beginning of the race. It was already a different event and I am sure after that accident that so many things changed and people understand that what’s happened there was something that was not supposed to happen. We had some different rules after that, for the virtual safety car, for more safety cars especially if the car goes off the track and everything. Unfortunately we need to see that type of accident to change something. The most important thing is not to see that again. Unfortunately Jules is not here any more. So many things changed in the past because of accidents, it’s unfortunate, but it’s important that we don’t see that any more.

I’m not completely against it (open/closed cockpits). I think it’s something that needs to be... if it’s better for everybody and it doesn’t change the aspect of Formula One – or maybe not closing the cockpit but doing something that they always did since years, to improve the safety on that area – I’m not against it.

Q: (Gabor Joo – Index online) Felipe, basically could you clarify for us your contract situation with Williams, for next year especially? Will you stay there?

FM: I hope so. Nothing’s changed at the moment, I don’t see why I should not be there. I’m really enjoying working with the team. The team is really respecting me 100 percent and I think enjoying the way I work with the team as well. I see that the team is growing, growing and getting stronger most of the time, but what people wrote a few days ago or maybe a week ago, I don’t think really this guy has the right information. I think he just put (it) in the paper... I believe I will drive for Williams next year but I think maybe the chance that this guy is correct is bigger than... he’s risking the way that he can be correct.

Q: (Istvan Simon – Auto Magazin) To Felipe again: Nelson Piquet has admitted just recently or a couple of years ago that he’s had serious problems with his vision after he had the big accident in 1987 at Imola. You’ve had the big one here, in Hungary, a couple of years ago; is everything alright 100 percent with your vision now?

FM: Oh my God, it was in 2009. I’m still racing after years and if I cannot see, you understand, before that... you understand maybe the race after or two races after so I can see very well.

Q: (Tomas Richtr – AMC/Sport1) Question to the drivers regarding the 21 race calendar next year, so it looks like it’s ever increasing. How difficult is it to adapt to your already busy schedules and do you think there is actually some kind of limit of number of races per year which is feasible for you as Formula One drivers?

RG: I think the limit would be the divorce!

FN: As I say, racing is more time away, for sure. All of us, all of us drivers but every one here, I’m sure they have other parts – apart from Formula One – everyone has a life behind that. But in a way I’m young, I’m in the opposite direction to him (Romain) so I’m fully open to as many races as they can do and let’s go for it.

RG: You see, they want to get rid of the old ones, more so even those with kids!

NH: Nothing more to add, really. I think it’s fine, it’s a job, you know. We’ll do as many as they tell us.

SP: We already have 19 now, so two more doesn’t really change a lot, I think.

RM: Yeah, obviously I’m doing 19 F1 races plus nine World Series races and so to do only 21 races next year will be less races than this year. I am the same as Felipe (Nasr), I am not married so I can go for it.

Q: (Zsolt Godina – Best of Radio) Roberto, your team is very young in Formula One but it has had two tragic accidents in the past few years. How difficult is it to manage this within the team?

RM: Obviously I think they are really... to be honest, you cannot really complain about the team for these situations. It can happen to everyone. The team doesn’t have anything to do with that. The people from the team are really nice people, the best team bosses you can have and they are really open to speak with the drivers and the treatment they give you is really good and I am sure that they always do, since I met them in 2009, and I feel really comfortable to work with them. It’s just a kind of a bad luck that they had in the team. It’s nothing to do with them what happened. For sure they are the first ones that are really down with this situation.

Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS.NL) Felipe Nasr, your new contract, does it mean that the future of Sauber is solid now? And are you 100 percent sure that you’re only two drivers under contract?

FN: We’ve seen this before, but I believe the situation is a lot better than it was a few months ago and all we’re trying to do is to improve, to develop the car as much as we can and as I said, I’ve been driving a pretty much similar car to the one I had in Australia, so as I said, we achieved the goals we had from the beginning of the year. Now of course it’s getting more difficult because all the teams are improving their cars, the development rate is much better in other teams but by having this confirmation early on, starting from now we can think about 2016 and I can tell you there are a lot of more positive things coming.

[ptrthgr8]

A Mercedes-less podium is best podium! Helluva drive by Vettel! Too bad Kimi's car died, but was glad to see Vettel's Ferrari take the win without any of those annoying Silver Arrows anywhere to be found. Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

[joeskow]

Fantastic race... Bravo Seb!

Too bad for Kimi as a Ferrari 1-2 whould have been spectacular.. Double points for Mclaren-Honda and Newey returns to put both RB's back on the podium.. Great way to head into the summer break.

[skalls]

Great race. Was it just me, out was there way more contact in this race then normal? Wings were shattering out being broken constantly.

[LLC]

Great race, I agree it would have been great to see a Ferrari 1-2 finish.

[MIKA27]

VETTEL TRIUMPHS AS MERCEDES IMPLODE IN HUNGARY

Sebastian Vettel scored what will be remembered as one of his most famous victories, as he triumphed in a sensational action packed Hungarian Grand Prix while Mercedes faltered in dramatic fashion.

From the start Vettel edged his Ferrari ahead of both Mercedes drivers, who were sluggish off the line, and thereafter the quadruple Formula 1 world champion kept a cool head, in the scorching heat of Budapest, to notch up an important at a crucial time for the sport.

Vettel said on the podium, “An incredible day but this victory is for Jules. It has been an incredibly tough week for all of us. And for all the people at Ferrari, we know sooner or later he would have been part of our team.”

But it was by no means plain sailing for the Ferrari driver as he had to survive a virtual safety car period, followed by a real safety car period and then a scare as his team were forced to retire teammate Kimi Raikkonen with a terminal MGU-K problem – the Finn running strongly in second for much of the race.

He also had Rosberg filling his rear view mirrors, and Ricciardo feisty with better rubber after the safety car period. But Vettel never flinched, kept to the task at hand by making no mistakes under intense pressure to bag maximum points – his first ever win in Budapest.

Crossing the line in second and third were Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo respectively, the Red Bull duo making the most of a track which suited their car.

With Kvyat surviving a 10 second penalty for an off track overtaking infringement, and Ricciardo withstanding contact with both Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton during a race in which the Aussie was always in the thick of things.

Kvyat mused afterwards, “After Turn One I thought my race might be over because I had a massive flat-spot. My team told me to keep pushing and today I learned what it means to never give up.”

Clearly emotional Ricciardo said on the podium, “It was a crazy race. I had contact at the restart with Lewis and thought my race might be over. I had contact with Nico and thought my race was over. I left it all on the track today. I gave it everything and I owe my race to Jules. I gained extra strength today and I owe that to him.”

Thus for the first time in 31 races there was no Mercedes driver on the podium. Often it has been said that the only ones who can beat the silver cars are Mercedes themselves and this was the case in Hungary.

With Hamilton on pole and Rosberg beside him, they both botched the start, getting tangled up with one another throughout the opening lap and by the time the dust had settled Rosberg had managed to hang on to third, but only just.

Meanwhile Hamilton got it all wrong in the chicane area and was down in tenth at the end of lap one – although Hamilton was complaining over the radio about Rosberg they were clearly both to blame.

Thereafter the pair were always on the back foot and oddly had no answer to the Ferrari duo and Red Bulls when it mattered. Also evident was the fact that the W06 is not happy running in dirty air.

From the outset chasing all the time, Hamilton came together with Ricciardo in Turn 1 where the Aussie was almost unbeatable. This earned the world champion a drive through penalty, which saw him drop down the order late in the race, before he fought back with a flurry of fastest laps to finish sixth and crucially ahead of Rosberg.

The Briton summed up his afternoon, “Today was weird. Do I deserve any points? I didn’t give up and drove as hard as I could. To come away from one of the worst performances I’ve put in in a long, long time… it shows we are human. The team worked incredibly hard but I’ll come back stronger.”

“I was all over the place. I don’t have any words to explain what happened. It was a really bad performance from myself. I pushed and never gave up but when I had two different choices I chose the wrong one very time,” added Hamilton as he heads into the three-week summer break with a 21 points advantage, up from 17.

Rosberg recovered well thanks to safety car and looked set for at least second place, if not victory but went toe-to-toe with that man Ricciardo exiting Turn 1 and ended up with a puncture as he tagged the Red Bull’s front wing. It was a long journey back to the pits for repairs.

The German finished eighth and reflected, “Daniel still had his front wing there. The FIA have looked at it and decided to take no action and that’s the way it is. I’ll just keep going. It was close. We’re at half-time. With little differences, I could have had the lead at half-time. There is a good chance I could pass Lewis in the world championship some time soon.”

With the attrition high there were inevitably those who benefited from the foibles of others. Notably Max Verstappen avoided the mayhem to deliver a mature performance and claim fourth place. Just missing out on matching father Jos’s distinction of scoring his maiden podium at the 1994 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Behind him Fernando Alonso showed his experience and tenacity as he claimed fifth place for McLaren, actually overtaking cars and going wheel-to-wheel with rivals on several occasions. Teammate Jenson Button was ninth, to make it a memorable day for the team’s new Honda era.

Romain Grosjean, unlike his Lotus teammate Pastor Maldonado, kept out of trouble to finish seventh. Maldonado on the other hand accumulated four penalties for an assortment of infringements and was perhaps lucky not to be black flagged for his indiscretions.

Marcus Ericsson claimed the final point for Sauber.

There was a scary moment not long after the midway mark when the front wing on Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India failed at the end of the main straight. The wing simply snapped from its struts, going under car and shattering into a million pieces of carbon fibre. The car plunging into the tyre wall which prompted the safety car period. Hulkenberg emerged unscathed. Sergio Perez’s sister car was retired not long after.

Ricciardo did well to avoid the exploding shards, while Valtteri Bottas’ Williams narrowly avoided being hit from the back.

Yes, Williams were in the race too we know this because Felipe Massa, despite his huge experience at the highest level, got a penalty for lining up incorrectly on the grid for the start of the race, but thereafter neither really featured in the ‘wars’ that ensued on the day. Massa ended 12th and Bottas 13th.

MIKA: Race of the season!!

[MIKA27]

LOTUS ADMITS RENAULT TALKS TAKING PLACE

Lotus has finally admitted it is in talks to be bought out by Renault.

The Enstone team arrived at the Hungaroring amid a dispute with tyre supplier Pirelli, as it emerged that a $500,000 payment to the Italian marque was overdue.

“We had a problem with the bank transfer,” insisted deputy team boss Federico Gastaldi. “We are not so crazy that we will make the trip from the UK to Hungary without having the money for tyres.”

“It was just bad timing. In this situation there is a lot of talk but it’s a waste of time to have to refute all the rumours,” he is quoted by Speed Week.

Gastaldi, however, cannot deny completely that Lotus is struggling financially, as another disgruntled supplier, Xtrac, recently filed a petition to have the team wound up.

And amid it all is the persistent speculation that the team is set to be bought back by its former owner, Renault.

Gastaldi no longer denies it, “The talks are between Gerard Lopez and the executive board. But I don’t know about it in detail.

“We would welcome the return of Renault. It would be a huge advantage to have them back at Enstone. But the decision is not with us (the team), so we can do nothing except to say that we would welcome them back,” Gastaldi added.

[MIKA27]

BOULLIER NOT HAPPY WITH 2016 F1 TESTING CUTS

McLaren-Honda team boss Eric Boullier says he is not thrilled with the further reduction of testing in Formula 1.

For 2016, the official pre-season programme has been cut from 12 days to just 8, while in-season testing has been axed altogether.

Asked if he is happy with that, Boullier answered: “I don’t think any team would be. But everyone says that formula one is too expensive and that it (reducing testing) is a very efficient way to save money.”

However, the Frenchman explained that less testing makes it harder for teams to develop — and McLaren-Honda undoubtedly has a lot of improving to do.

“Yes, it is certainly more difficult,” Boullier told Speed Week. “Maybe we have gone a little too far, but that is what has been decided so we have to live with it.”

On McLaren-Honda’s difficult 2015 so far, Boullier denied that the team has at least achieved the ‘milestone’ of a handful of points.

In fact, he said a haul of just 5 points at the middle of the season for a grandee like McLaren is nothing short of “depressing”.

“We are taking a more aggressive approach now,” Boullier revealed. “After the summer break we will use some of our tokens to improve the engine. And I certainly hope it will be noticeable on the track.

“We still lack 120hp compared to Mercedes. So we need to continue to work under high pressure. It’s very important to remove these weaknesses, also with regards to the 2016 season,” he added.