FORMULA 1 - 2016

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Horner: F1 drivers have it too easy…

Christian Horner is confident next year's proposed regulation changes will shift more of the emphasis onto skill behind the wheel, saying drivers currently have 'too much of an easy time'.

Having previously criticised the current V6 Hybrid formula for being too weighted towards the ability of the car and not the driver, Horner has been one of the more vocal advocates for tweaking the technical regulations to prioritise skill over machine.

In the wake of 'losing' his battle against the manufacturers for stricter changes to the engine regulations – which he criticised for not going far enough -, Red Bull team principal Horner is hopeful the plan to revise the aerodynamics and tyres will achieve its stated aim.

“We have the regulation change [coming],” he said. “Formula One is about man and machine, or woman and machine at the absolute limit. I think at the moment the drivers have too much of an easy time.

“We don't see or get to appreciate their skill levels – which are huge. I think anything that can be encouraged within the regulations that differentiates more between the drivers, so we get to appreciate more the real skill they have, I'd be all for.”

Though Horner and Toto Wolff have clashed over regulations previously, particularly engines, the Mercedes F1 boss agrees the forthcoming changes – which are still yet to be confirmed – are an exciting development for the sport.

“I think if we leave everything as it is now, we have changed the regulations for a new aerodynamic concept for next year and that's pretty exciting. I'm actually quite happy with the direction we are heading towards.”

Maurizio Arrivabene, however, is less convinced, saying Ferrari's role is to build the best car and not to develop the best driver, adding he would rather see the current formula remain as it is.

“Concerning the show, I think from my point of few, as Ferrari, we are building car, engine, gearbox and chassis and not growing driver, so for us it's good what we have."

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Steiner brushes off Gutierrez Haas outburst

Gunther Steiner says he can understand Esteban Gutierrez's frustrations following his outburst at the Haas F1 team over the weekend, insisting it is the product of his passion to succeed.

Returning to F1 this season with the new Haas team, former Sauber driver Gutierrez has endured a disappointing 2016 campaign thus far, with persistent technical issues underlining his failure to score in the opening five races.

With team-mate Romain Grosjean earning plaudits for his results by contrast, another problem during free practice for the Spanish Grand Prix would see Gutierrez take aim at the team for its failure to get on top of the issues, remarking 'the f*****g great job I'm doing on the inside is not really perceived by the outside'.

Despite the outburst, Steiner says he doesn't blame Gutierrez for his pointed criticism, which also included him saying 'the team has to get on top of this', insisting he doesn't hold a grudge towards him for it.

“It is emotion and I don't hold any grudges about that,” he said. “If it is standard thing I stop it, but sometimes it can happen. We are all passionate about it and it is the right way to be. But the guys in there, they work night and day, and it isn't easy.

“Never forget we weren't here two months ago: be calm, keeping working and we need to keep on improving, no point to panic. It is not like we are in a situation where we don't know what to do or we are stupid. We are learning to keep calm and to keep

“You know there are ways to say things but emotions come in play and that is good. We are all passionate about this otherwise we wouldn't do it.”

Gutierrez scored his best result of the season during the Spanish Grand Prix, finishing 11th, albeit after being passed late on by Daniil Kvyat to miss out on the points.

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IS A MOVE BY ROSBERG TO FERRARI A GOOD IDEA?

Speculation is mounting in F1 circles at present regarding the possibility that Nico Rosberg is contemplating a switch away from Mercedes to Ferrari for 2017.

Corriere della Sera claims talks between the championship leader and Ferrari are in progress.

When asked about that as he departed the Barcelona test, Rosberg said: “I feel very good at Mercedes, but let’s see what the future holds.”

A move to Ferrari would create a German ‘super team’ at the very Italian Ferrari, and Rosberg said his relationship with Sebastian Vettel is “normal”.

It is probably better, however, than his current relationship with Lewis Hamilton, particularly after their first-lap crash in the Spanish grand prix.

“It’s always hard when you’re fighting for the championship for three years,” Rosberg explained.

“On the other hand it’s fun too because we push each other. Sunday of course didn’t go well, but our relationship will remain the same as before,” he is quoted by Turun Sanomat.

The F1 world did not get to see Mercedes’ race pace last Sunday, but the Spanish grand prix did show that Red Bull has now joined Ferrari as a true challenger.

“For sure we need to keep a close eye on our competitors, which are Ferrari and Red Bull. But I believe we will also be fast in Monaco, so it’s ok,” Rosberg said with a smile.

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RICCIARDO AND MAGNUSSEN TO GET RENAULT UPGRADE IN MONACO

If Renault unleashes its latest engine at the Monaco Grand Prix, the French marque may only be able to supply one version apiece to the two teams that they power.

Although Renault has actually slated Canada as the debut race for the 35 horse power, 5-tenths-per-lap power unit upgrade, officials are considering fast-tracking the process to Monaco next weekend.

But Auto Motor und Sport reports that the problem with that plan could be a lack of spare parts, meaning only one works Renault and one Red Bull gets the upgrade for the streets of the Principality.

For Red Bull, it might be a difficult decision. Does Max Verstappen, F1’s new teen winner, get the Tag-Heuer branded upgrade, or should it go to the more experienced Daniel Ricciardo?

“Very clearly, I would give the engine to Ricciardo,” Niki Lauda, the F1 legend and Mercedes’ team chairman, said.

“Max Verstappen is the man of the future, but despite all the hype about his (Max’s) first victory, you have to say that Ricciardo is still the better overall package,” he added.

Kevin Magnussen is expected to get the second available unit.

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FORCE INDIA MAY HALT 2016 CAR DEVELOPMENT

Force India is reportedly considering halting its car development programme for 2016 in order to focus on preparing for next year’s new rules.

The Silverstone based team’s founder and boss Vijay Mallya has been missing from the paddocks so far this year amid his financial and legal troubles in India.

Force India and Sauber are pursuing F1 through the European Commission over the sport’s governance and income systems, and are reportedly unhappy with what Christian Horner last week called the “weak” new engine rules.

“I think we’ll reserve our position,” said deputy boss Bob Fernley, who is believed to have written a letter to the FIA to voice the team’s displeasure.

But while Sauber was absent from the Barcelona test this week, Force India in Spain pushed ahead with a significant car upgrade.

“It reminds me of the debut of our B-car last year,” Nico Hulkenberg told Auto Motor und Sport. “It feels very different.”

It is believed Force India designed the upgrade to be a strong basis for the remainder of the season, as the teams with the smallest budgets will struggle to run parallel development programs for 2016 as well as the big changes coming next year.

“It looks as though we have a lot of potential in this package,” said technical boss Andy Green. “We can find a lot of laptime through the setup.

“Perhaps we will then only improve the car with small, detailed steps,” he added.

If that sort of plan is replicated by the other midfield teams like Toro Rosso and Haas, it’s good news for the bigger-budgeted McLaren-Honda.

“We hope that we can beat the midfield through our pace of development,” confirmed McLaren boss Eric Boullier.

McLaren supremo Ron Dennis even warned last week that two teams appeared in danger of complete collapse.

“Certain teams are currently experiencing hardship, and in fact I wouldn’t be too surprised if one or two of those teams fail to make it to the end of the season,” he told F1 Racing magazine.

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REAL ESTATE PROJECT THREAT TO MONACO GRAND PRIX

The future of the Monaco Grand Prix is under threat, race organiser Michel Boeri has warned.

Caroli Group, a Monaco real estate development company, who according to Nice-Matin is planning to develop a new district near the port including shops, restaurants and museums.

“The project of Mr Caroli, if it were to happen, would automatically lead to the end of the formula one grand prix. I guarantee it,” Boeri, president of the organising Automobile Club de Monaco, told the local Nice-Matin newspaper.

Boeri said: “The ACM is not qualified to comment on the urban, economic and cultural decisions of the government, but it can warn about the harmful consequences of this project to the future of the F1 race and all motor sport events in Monaco.”

Space is famously tight in Monaco for the huge travelling circus of formula one, and Nice-Matin said the Caroli Group proposes to take over an area used as the F1 TV compound.

“No TV compound, no grand prix,” Boeri warned.

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20 years ago today: Three cars stagger to the flag in Monaco

1996 Monaco Grand Prix flashback

The chequered flag came out three laps earlier than planned at the end of the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix, held on this day 20 years ago.

And it was a good thing the race finished when it did, for with only three cars still lapping it was in danger of running out of competitors.

It was the craziest race the Principality had seen since Riccardo Patrese won in 1982 despite having arrived at Loews’ hairpin going backwards at one point. And the shocked winner was the man who had started 14th on the grid: Olivier Panis.

Schumacher snatches pole

The Ligier driver did not figure highly among the potential winners when the 22-car field assembled for the sixth round of the championship. The dominant Williams-Renaults had won all five of the opening rounds, with four wins going to points leader Damon Hill and one to rookie Jacques Villeneuve.

The pre-race build-up therefore focussed on which of these two sons of Monaco Grand Prix winners would be the first to emulate their fathers by winning the race for themselves. The biggest threat was likely to come from reigning champion Michael Schumacher, who was looking for his first Ferrari victory in his sixth start for the team.

Monte-Carlo’s streets had been extensively resurfaced for the 54th running of the Monaco Grand Prix. The 1996 race was the last before a series of changes which relocated barriers and lessened the challenge of F1’s most cramped circuit.

Lap times fell by over a second and a half in qualifying. Hill, who had taken pole the year before, traded top times in the hour-long session with Schumacher. But with ten minutes to go, and feeling a pressing need to take advantage of a lull in the traffic to improve his position, the Williams driver posted his final time of 1’20.866.

That left Schumacher free to respond as he pleased in the final minutes. He did: a 1’20.356 gave Ferrari their second pole position of the season.

Schumacher’s former team Benetton filled row two, Jean Alesi ahead of Gerhard Berger. The latter was incensed after being delayed by Schumacher as the Ferrari driver waved to the chicane during qualifying.

The stewards investigated the incident, which led to Berger spinning at the corner, but took no action. McLaren team boss Ron Dennis accused Schumacher of holding up Mika Hakkinen, leaving his driver eighth on the grid.

That left David Coulthard to claim the highest qualifying position for McLaren’s specially-prepared short-wheelbase cars. He took fifth ahead of Rubens Barrichello’s Jordan and Schumacher’s team mate Eddie Irvine. The second Ferrari was using a new-specification rear end but Schumacher chose to continue with the tried-and-tested 1995 example.

Villeneuve, who had appeared in the Formula Three support event at Monaco three times before, could only manage tenth on the grid behind Heinz-Harald Frentzen’s Sauber. His prospects for victory seemed about as realistic as those of the man who started four places behind him.

As with practice and qualifying, the Sunday morning warm-up session was held in dry conditions. Panis, feeling comfortable with his JS43’s race set-up, headed the times.

Then the heavens opened. Under the rules at the time this meant an extra 15 minutes’ practice was hurriedly arrange to give drivers a chance to acclimatise.

Hakkinen crashed heavily at Tabac on the soaked surface, and with the race start just half an hour away he had no option but to switch to the spare car. This was not an option for Forti driver Andrea Montermini, who had to sit out the race after crashing his FG03 during the warm-up.

A comedy of errors

That left 21 cars to assemble on a very wet but drying track. And once the race began the field thinned out in a hurry.

From second on the grid Hill’s start was a beauty, leaving Schumacher no opportunity to move across to defend his lead. The Williams led a portion of the field up Massenet.

Villeneuve clung to the inside line at Sainte Devote, edging Hakkinen wide and leaving Jos Verstappen nowhere to go but the barrier. The Arrows driver perhaps rued his brave decision to start the race on slicks – no one would be in for those for 30 laps.

He was joined by Giancarlo Fisichella, who was given a helping hand by team mate Pedro Lamy. A furious Giancarlo Minardi therefore saw both his cars retire at the start of a race which could have proved highly lucrative for his team, which would end the season point-less.

The next visitor to the barrier was a shock: Schumacher clambered over the kerb on the right-hander after Loews and was spat into the barrier on the opposite side of the track. And he wasn’t the final victim of lap one: Barrichello, who’d already been hit from behind at Casino, spun into the barriers at Rascasse.

That left just 16 cars as lap two began. Hill already had a huge 4.3 seconds lead over Alesi who was followed by Berger, Irvine and Frentzen – the latter having made great gains from ninth on the grid. Ukyo Katayama was the next driver into the barriers on lap three due to a throttle problem on his Tyrrell. Ricardo Rosset brought Arrows’ participation to an end when he crashed on lap four.

And Pedro Diniz retired his Ligier with a gearbox fault after five laps. That left his team mate Panis with ten cars in front of him and just two behind as the field continued to tiptoe around the slowly-drying circuit.

Benetton’s hopes of a double podium finish ended when Berger appeared in the pits with faulty gearbox electrics. Ten laps into the race and just a dozen cars were still running, but from now on the rate of retirements returned to normal levels and some actual racing broke out.

Frentzen blew his victory chance by hitting Irvine

Frentzen was almost falling over Irvine in his bid to take fourth place off the Ferrari, the pair fishtailing wildly from corner to corner. But on lap 17 impatience got the better of the Sauber driver, who wiped his front wing off against Irvine’s car at Sainte Devote. That send Frentzen into the pits for a new front wing and, with the track still too wet for slicks, another set of wet weather tyres. He immediately began setting fastest laps.

Hill put Frentzen a lap down on the 26th tour and the Sauber driver responded by pitting for a set of slicks. Hill did likewise the next time by and it proved a superbly-judged pit stop for the race leader. One Alesi came in two laps later Hill was comfortably back into the lead and any obstacles to his first Monaco Grand Prix victory appeared to have been removed.

But as Hill came past the pits on lap 40 he jabbed the radio button and told his team a red warning light had illuminated on his dashboard. The Renault engineers reported back that there didn’t seem to be a problem – but there was. A bolt in the oil pump had come loose allowing fluid to drain away and Hill, who had been almost half a minute ahead of Alesi, helplessly coasted to a stop at the harbour front chicane.

Alesi took over the lead ahead of Panis. The Ligier driver had made key gains by passing Hakkinen and Herbert then switching to slicks before Coulthard, jumping ahead of the McLaren driver in the process. His next target was Irvine who he barged past at Loews, leaving the Ferrari temporarily stuck against the barrier.

So when a rear spring broke on Alesi’s suspension, sending him into the pits to retire on lap 60, Panis didn’t simply inherit the lead, he had earned it. And most of his rivals were busy demonstrating just how many ways there are to lose a grand prix.

Martin Brundle’s final Monaco Grand Prix ended when he spun his Jordan three laps after switching to slick tyres. Luca Badoer let Johnny Herbert lap him at Mirabeau but didn’t notice Villeneuve creeping up the inside – the Forti was eliminated on the spot and Villeneuve retired a few laps later.

By now it was clear the two-hour time limit would be reached before the drivers had completed all 78 laps. Just seven cars were left running and with spots of rain falling three of them managed to eliminate themselves in a single crash.

Irvine, running last and out of the points, set things in motion when he spun at the same place Schumacher had. He kept out of the barriers, but with yellow flags waving he spun his Ferrari around at the exact moment Mika Salo rounded the corner with Hakkinen filling his mirrors. The result was a fender-bender which eliminated all three.

With Frentzen heading to the pits on the penultimate lap, that left Panis leading a fast-closing Coulthard and Herbert as the final lap began. The chequered flag came out after 75 laps of the planned 78, but only three cars went the distance in an exceptionally gruelling race.

It had, however, produced a thoroughly deserving victor.

After holing up in the Ferrari motorhome for a while, Schumacher emerged to faced the media. “I am extremely upset,” he told them.

“Upset and angry with myself, because I alone am responsible for this mistake. It’s an incredible mistake. I hit the kerb, couldn’t control the car, it’s all my fault.”

His first win for Ferrari would have to wait. But while it hadn’t been a successful day for Schumacher, one of his helmets had returned to the podium.

Prior to the race Coulthard had discovered his helmet would not de-mist properly. As he and Schumacher shared similar sponsors his rival generously leant him the model he had worn to third place at that year’s Brazilian Grand Prix. Coulthard went one better, creating a surely unique instance of the same helmet appearing on the podium twice courtesy of two different drivers.

Coulthard later revealed in his autobiography that he pulled some strings to ensure that helmet went into his collection instead of that of Ron Dennis. After Schumacher agreed to let him keep it, Coulthard had a replica made up for his boss. “He’ll find out when he reads this book,” Coulthard noted. “He shouldn’t have pissed Michael off.”

While Panis would no doubt have wished his first grand prix victory to have been followed by more, he claimed one of Formula One’s most unlikely victories and greatest underdog triumphs. It was the final win for Ligier, 15 years since their previous triumph at Canada, and it remains the most recent success for a French driver and team.

Panis collected the tricolour on his in-lap. “When I was handed the French flag I couldn’t resist taking it,” he said. “Ever since seeing Alain Prost do it, I’ve always wanted to see it happen again.”

“But who could imagine it would be my turn next?”

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Fan video shows Renault drivers tangling on final lap

Video shot by an F1 fan at the Circuit de Catalunya reveals the moment Renault drivers Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer made contact on the final lap of the Spanish Grand Prix. The incident was not seen on the world feed during the broadcast of Sunday’s race.

Magnussen was attempting to pass his team mate for 13th place at turn 13 when the pair made contact. As the video shows, Palmer continued across the run-off and kept the position while Magnussen negotiated the chicane.

The stewards ruled in favour of Palmer, handing his team mate a ten second penalty. That dropped Magnussen to 15th place in the final classification behind Felipe Nasr. Magnussen was also given penalty points on his licence.

At the end of the race Magnussen was running on a set of soft tyres which were 22 laps fresher than the hard compounds on his team mate’s car and caught Palmer at around three seconds per lap.

The pair have now finished ahead of each other twice in the four races where both drivers saw the chequered flag. Magnussen’s seventh place at the Russian Grand Prix remains the team’s only points finish so far this year.

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Development in Monaco

There is a story kicking around suggesting that the Monaco Grand Prix is under threat because of a possible real estate development that is at the bottom end of the current F1 paddock, where the TV compound and very large yachts, filled with Russians are usually to be found. The remarks were made by Michel Boeri (77), the head of the Automobile Club de Monaco. It sounds rather a dramatic thing to say given that the TV compound can be relocated without too much difficulty, although it might not be as close to the paddock as is now the case. They are, in any case, endlessly inventive in Monaco when it comes to space and use several floors of the Parking des Pecheurs as the GP2 paddock, so it is not hard to imagine that the TV compound could be made to fit into that (for example).

It is very clear that Monaco does not wish to lose the Grand Prix and F1 has a similar mindset so one must presume that there are other reasons why Boeri is scaremongering, perhaps because the new development will rather dominate the harbour area. The project includes two museums, which will funded entirely by the Caroli Group, a Monaco real estate development company. These will be a museum of the Grimaldi Family and a museum that will be in honour of Man and the Sea. There is a tiny Musée Naval already hidden away in Fontveille, but this is not of international standing. The development around these two buildings (and the reason they are being proposed) will include 52 luxury apartments, 250 parking spaces, plus an esplanade, in addition to 6000 sq m of offices and retail space, which the state will own. The company has also agreed to manage the museums for 15 years. The Museum of Man and the Sea will provide exhibition space. It will, if it happens, give the harbour a much more modern look, which some may consider to be a bad thing, but so much has been developed that the real Monaco disappeared a long time ago. The $330 million project will take four and a half years to complete.

While on that subject, the plans to expand Monaco into the sea, on the other side of Monte Carlo are continuing. Here is a video (in French) about what they are planning told to do. It is not clear yet whether this will lead to any changes in the F1 circuit, but it provide the opportunity to lengthen the track and provide overtaking.

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The unsung hero of the Spanish Grand Prix

A phenomenal win by Max Verstappen is what will define the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix for years to come, but he wasn't the only driver to put in a potentially career-defining performance. Valentin Khorounzhiy explains.

In any other grand prix, a young driver delivering a career-best finish at his home track – and handily beating a more experienced teammate in the process – would be talk of the town.

But Spain 2016 was, of course, no ordinary race. When Max Verstappen took the chequered flag in first place after 66 grueling laps, the Dutchman insured he'd rightly monopolise around half of the coverage, with the over half going to the Mercedes clash.

As Verstappen celebrated on his cool-down lap, his former team's message to his former teammate rang out: "Si, Carlos! Si. P6. Bravo."

Most comfortable

You'd have to imagine it was pretty hard for Sainz to watch his teammate Verstappen bag up the promotion to Red Bull, and it probably was reasonably daunting to be reunited with Daniil Kvyat, the very Daniil Kvyat who beat Sainz in GP3 in 2013 and earned a Formula 1 promotion a year in advance.

But the Spaniard insisted that the move has made his position at Toro Rosso no less comfortable and, on the Barcelona race's evidence, he meant it.

And why wouldn't that be the case? Forget, for a second, the tensions between the Verstappen and Sainz camps at the start of 2016 because, by all indications, Sainz these days is a cool enough head to not let that affect him.

Even if they would have been getting along super well, being split from the Dutchman should be a boost for Sainz.

For, while a lot of people noticed that he was doing a perfectly good job since his arrival at STR, much of the media hardly ever mentioned his name if not in conjunction with Verstappen's. And the highest praise he got seemed to come from Verstappen sceptics, who adopted Sainz as their "protest candidate".

It is, perhaps, no coincidence that Sainz's qualifying in Spain felt among his strongest. He's been higher up the grid before, but it's hard to remember him being this obviously the team leader in any previous grand prix build-up.

Then again, it was a pretty rocking qualifying effort on its own merit, with a four-tenths gain between Q2 and Q3, which is what allowed him to comfortably clear Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso for P8.

Fighting for Red Bull's win

P8 is what set him up for a lightning start as, after the Mercedes duo eliminated each other, it was a veritable Red Bull 1-2-3 – Sainz crucially clearing both Ferraris and lining up as the buffer between the parent team Red Bull and the rest of the pack for the safety car restart.

"Ferrari were, with DRS, 35kph quicker than us before braking into Turn 1," Sainz recalled after the race. "The team was telling me on the radio: 'Take it easy with them, it's not our race'.

"I said: 'Okay, I am going to take it easy, but they are not going to pass me on the first lap they arrive. I'll at least play for a bit with them, leave them on the outside for a couple of times.' "

The race restarted on lap 4 and Sainz dutifully started acting rearguard for Daniel Ricciardo and Verstappen as he baulked fourth-placed Sebastian Vettel. By lap eight, when Vettel finally cleared him with the use of DRS, the German was more than four seconds adrift of the Bulls.

And Raikkonen was held up even further, his own tussle with Sainz leaving him almost 10 seconds off the race lead when the pit stop window opened.

Sainz said: "I managed to hold on pretty well the two times I defended, then they told me 'take it easy, take it easy, it's not our race' - and from there I kind of let them go.'

"[Red Bull] know I was doing that kind of a job for them."

Trying to gauge now just how important Sainz's early defense was to the eventual outcome of the race is a bit of revisionist history, but his efforts certainly helped Red Bull at the time, the Austrian team managing to get both of its drivers on new tyres without fear of being overhauled on strategy.

For the rest of the grand prix, everything took a backseat to the thrilling Red Bull – Ferrari showdown, and Sainz's own race was no different.

The Spaniard took to the pits right after surrendering fourth place to Raikkonen, switching to a new set of mediums in order to undercut Valtteri Bottas.

That didn't quite work out, as Bottas put in a couple of very strong laps on used softs and managed to leapfrog Sainz despite stopping later. The Finn pulled away from that point on, and, with nobody really challenging the Toro Rosso from behind, Sainz brought the car home for his career-best finish of sixth.

The aftermath

Jubilant with the outcome of his own race, Sainz, commendably, did not take the opportunity to assert himself over new teammate Kvyat, who ended up more than half a minute adrift.

"I know him from a very young age, I know his strong side," he said of Kvyat. "He normally does really well in the final stint of the season - last year with Red Bull, [2014] with Toro Rosso.

"I'm convinced by Monaco he will fight - and at the end, he finished P10. You can consider that a struggle, but from P13, it's a very good result for the team."

Indeed, there's a reason to expect a proper showdown between Sainz and Kvyat over the rest of the 2016, two very strong drivers who probably know each other better than any other pairing on the grid.

But for now it's advantage Sainz, and with Red Bull's "fifth man" Pierre Gasly having left Barcelona with the points lead in GP2, Sainz needs to continue to outperform Kvyat.

At the same time, if the Spaniard does carry on with this form, keeping his Toro Rosso seat for 2017 might not be good enough. On Friday, before his breakthrough performance in the grand prix, Sainz said he has no doubt that he is ready for a top team.

"Red Bull knows what I am capable of doing – and I think many people know [as well]. It's just about showing it.

"I have no doubt I am ready. You give me a top team seat right now and I am ready.

"I asked [Helmut Marko why Verstappen was promoted over me]. He said: 'Look, we keep trusting in you – at the moment, it's Max who's got this opportunity , but if you keep doing what you're doing, keep fighting, keep showing your speed and just put some more results together, your opportunity can come very soon.' "

On Sunday, Sainz subsequently reckoned that, in putting together a strong grand prix, he gave Red Bull "the only thing" that was left to show. As such, it's back to square one - with another dilemma - for the Austrian team.

Red Bull has kept hold of Max Verstappen. How does it now hold onto Carlos Sainz as well?

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Wehrlein: Manor pace not enough for Monaco points

Pascal Wehrlein says it would take a special circumstance for Manor to bother the points at the Monaco Grand Prix, two years after the minnow team scored its first and so far only F1 points around the principality.

A mighty race day performance by the late Jules Bianchi saw Manor score two points for a ninth place finish at the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix, a result that allowed it to finish ahead of Sauber in the constructors' standings that year.

Two years later, Manor is enjoying its most competitive turn on the back of a switch to Mercedes power, but while it has matched Sauber and Renalt on occasion this year it hasn't come close to points. Though the traditionally unpredictable Monaco could throw up more opportunities, rookie Wehrlein admits it won't do so on pure pace.

“Monaco is a special track, it's also the first time for me. I'm really looking forward to that. At the moment, our pace isn't strong enough to score points but you never know what is happening."

Having been drafted in to drive the Mercedes W07 during this week's post-Spanish Grand Prix test, Wehrlein says it isn't fair to compare it to his MRT05.

“It's a big difference of course. It wouldn't be fair to compare it and tell you what's better and what's worse but it's a big difference, yeah.”

“It really feels different, so I had to get the feeling back because this year I wasn't in the simulator a lot so I need to change the steering wheel, all the buttons in different positions. I enjoyed the day in the car and got used to it and it was a great day."

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INSIDE LINE: GRAND PRIX DE MONACO HISTORIQUE

A couple of weeks ago I got a call from GPXtreme General Manager Stehane Clain.

He asked: “Do you want to come to the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique with our team? We have four cars entered for the race…”

“Wow!” was immediate (and wise) answer. Of course I did and a week later I was returning to Monaco for the first time since 1992 when I went there to cover the grand prix that year as a photographer.

This time I was returning in style, as a guest of a racing team, staying on a yacht and at the same time committed myself to taking some ‘snaps’ during the course of the weekend. Life can be very hard at times!

Of course, as a photographer at heart, I wanted track-side access which was kindly given to me by Richard Micoud, ACM Communication & Media Manager, despite my very late application. Good guy Richard and I owe him one.

So there I was in among the cars that ignited my passion for Formula 1 around 1973 as a lad. From then on I devoured everything about the sport. Thus it was great that the cars from 1973 to 1976 – no less than 43 of them – were the headline act on a sumptuous bill that included race cars from the pre-war era.

But honestly anything before 1966 I know very little about, so my focus was to savour three classes during the course of the weekend which were Grand Prix Cars from 1961 to 1965, 1966 to 1972 and 1973 to 1976.

All I can say is that I wallowed in pure bliss as I trudged up and down the pit lane and paddock, in qualifying I made my way to La Rascasse, Piscine and Tabac areas and then for the races it was Saint Devote for the start and then up the hill to Massenet and Casino.

The GPXtreme yacht, where we ate and were kept well entertained by a myriad of the team’s associates, was anchored at the Chicane. Five star and more is the only way I can describe life in the Monaco harbour aboard a tacht.

The team had four cars in the field for ex-F1 driver Jean Dennis Deletraz in the Durex Surtees TS19, Dubai 24 Hours class winner Jordan Grogor in the ISO Marlboro (Williams FW03), Ron Maydon in an Amon AF101 and GPXtreme boss Frederic Fatien in a Hesketh 308 (yes the one that James Hunt won his first grand prix with at Zandvoort in 1975)

Former F1 driver Alex Caffi won the race for 1973 to 1976 cars at the wheel of an Ensign N176, but really victory was hardly a big deal. It was more about the fantastic race cars on display and, maybe it sounds corny or cliched but it is true, every driver who was out there on the streets of Monte Carlo driving these masterpieces were the winners.

And of course everyone present, the crowd was huge, were winners too as we witnessed a real blast from the past. And believe me some of the front runners were really flinging the cars around the narrow armco lined strip of tarmac.

For me the noises, the sights, the smells harked back to a distant yet very familiar era. I was like a kid in a candy store, and all I can say when the next Monaco historique comes about (two years from now) I will make sure I am there again.

I urge anyone – young or old – with a passion for Formula 1 and it’s rich heritage to also make the pilgrimage, as the experience is sure to reaffirm why we love F1, because irrespective of the state that is in right now it is still the best sport in the world.

Below is a selection of some of my favourite photos taken during my three days at the principality. Thank you GPXreme!

Inside Line by Paul Velasco

[MIKA27]

GET YOUR MONEY ON RED BULL FOR NEXT WEEKEND’S F1 MONACO GRAND PRIX?

Flushed with their unexpected victory in the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, Red Bull Racing can be forgiven for feeling some optimism for the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix.

Although the emphasis in Monte Carlo is on the chassis nimbleness and driver skill more than the engine power, the long awaited upgrade to the Renault engine looks set to move it closer to Mercedes, which is also good news for some of the races that follow.

Red Bull has not won the Monaco race since 2012, the second of Mark Webber’s victories there, while Ferrari has not won Monaco since 2001. Both are challenging Mercedes’ recent dominance and the running of the updated Renault engine over the last two days in testing at Barcelona gives further grounds for optimism. Renault has been targeting an improvement of 0.4s from the upgraded engine, which is a very big number when it comes to engine performance, equivalent to over 50bhp.

Ricciardo was 0.680s behind Mercedes in qualifying in Spain and 0.505s behind in China last month. However the figure in race pace terms is closer to 0.4s, so that upgrade could put them close.

Renault management have not confirmed that they will run the new engine in Monaco; they have to assess the feasibility of introducing it earlier than planned on what is a very specific type of circuit. Canada, the next race, is certainly going to be a race where the extra power and driveability will be a bonus, with its long straights and acceleration moments out of low speed chicanes. Austria is also a power circuit.

The key indicators for the Monaco Grand Prix in terms of chassis performance are the final sector at Barcelona, with the low speed chicane. In qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, pole sitter Lewis Hamilton set a time of 28.736s through Sector 3, while Daniel Ricciardo’s best for Red Bull was 28.931s, a delta of 0.195s.

Mercedes are still confident that they have the best chassis in F1 currently, as well as the best engine, but there is no doubt that Red Bull has made strides with both and Ricciardo said at the weekend that there was a palpable sense of excitement at the team, after a difficult 2015 season in which the team failed to win a race for the first time since 2008

“You can be sure that Max and I will both be ragging it in Monaco,” said the Australian.

The strategy looks likely to be a one-stop again in Monaco, despite the first appearance of Pirelli’s new ultra soft tyre. The time and track position loss of making a second stop far outweighs the degradation of performance as tyres fade over a long stint. So qualifying will be crucial and the Red Bull is good at looking after its tyres.

Ricciardo got a good jump on Max Verstappen in qualifying in Spain, by adding in a couple of turns of front wing for his final run, something Verstappen was not aware possible as such a move would have destabilised the Toro Rosso. He has had some more time to learn the car this week with a day’s testing, but he’ll still be improvising next week in Monaco.

Meanwhile Ricciardo has today come out with a series of tweets putting the disappointment of Barcelona behind him and congratulating Verstappen on his win.

The updated engine ran in the Renault and badged as TAG Heuer in the Red Bull chassis at the Barcelona test on Tuesday and Wednesday with positive results. Rival teams question whether the improvement is as much as 0.4s but admit that the signs are that there is a gain of several tenths.

Renault admit that they took some wrong directions in evolving the hybrid turbo engine, after three wins in the inaugural 2014 season with Ricciardo. Renault sources suggest that one of the root causes of their relative weakness in the early years of hybrid was the reduction in headcount at the engine base in Viry-Chatillon when Flavio Briatore was in charge of Renault F1 operations in 2009, at the time when KERS hybrid system was being developed. He wanted the expertise in electrification and energy harvesting to be at the chassis headquarters in Enstone.

Conversely Mercedes built on its work at its engine base in Brixworth, making it a centre of excellence for hybrid technology, batteries and high density electric motors. Those missing years and difficulty of hiring talented engineers to work in Paris, have cost Renault, and it was not able to invest enough and early enough to recover.

[davidsan]

If RBR give the upgraded PU to Max then it's confirmation that we have another Seb/Webber situation. Looks like they are getting 4 tenths gain on the upgrade.

Really keen to see how everyone goes on the Ultrasoft, will only be a one stop barring any rain.

[skalls]

Rbr has an amazing chassis. Renault engine may not be #2 but the rbr cars may be the second best on the track.

Helps that Monaco isn't a course that you can brute force it like spa, where the mercs have a huge edge

[demer]

First year in 5 or 6 years I cant watch F1 because I dont really watch cable and I was keeping some crazy package just to watch F1. Finally cut cable and F1 was the casualty I miss the most.

[Lotusguy]

First year in 5 or 6 years I cant watch F1 because I dont really watch cable and I was keeping some crazy package just to watch F1. Finally cut cable and F1 was the casualty I miss the most.

I download the races through torrent.

[gangstarrrrr]

First year in 5 or 6 years I cant watch F1 because I dont really watch cable and I was keeping some crazy package just to watch F1. Finally cut cable and F1 was the casualty I miss the most.

Raspberry Pi + Kodi + Sportsmania

You'll never look back.

[mgravito]

Raspberry Pi + Kodi + Sportsmania

You'll never look back.

Also just to add:

Reddit.com/r/formula1

And stream the sky coverage with Acestream.

I have access to nbc sports coverage but the sky coverage between croft and brundle and ted kravitz's notebook are unbeatable

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[gangstarrrrr]

The beauty is Sportsmania is that they live stream the Sky Sports F1 coverage in HD as well as 4+ other options for watching the live coverage. Want to watch it on NBC? There's an option for that!

[mgravito]

The beauty is Sportsmania is that they live stream the Sky Sports F1 coverage in HD as well as 4+ other options for watching the live coverage. Want to watch it on NBC? There's an option for that!

Well sir, you've certainly sold me. I have kodi running on my Nexus player and will absolutely give this a go.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[demer]

Just placed an order for a Raspberry Pi 3. Really appreciate it guys. Thanks.

[demer]

Anyone see that Formula 3 crash today at the ring? Truly amazing everyone walked away relatively unharmed. Engineers really are amazing.

[davidsan]

It was a huge shunt, big airtime.

[MIKA27]

Anyone see that Formula 3 crash today at the ring? Truly amazing everyone walked away relatively unharmed. Engineers really are amazing.