FORMULA 1 - 2016

[MIKA27]

Grosjean: F1 needs to improve “poor” wet tyres

Having qualified seventh for the Brazilian Grand Prix, Romain Grosjean’s race ended on his way to the grid as he crashed in the rain.

The Haas driver was hoping for a strong having shown good pace in qualifying, making it into Q3.

However, it all came to naught when he lost control on an out-lap.

Grosjean went off in the rain and hit the wall at Turn 14, damaging the front left of his Haas.

“Hero to zero in 24 hours,” said the Frenchman. “I feel so bad for the team.

“Conditions were hard but the car was not behaving too badly.

“I was just doing laps to the grid, not even flat out.

“I picked up wheelspin like an ‘on/off’ switch, not pushing at all.”

He added: “We need to improve the wet tyres because losing the car in a straight line is something quite bad.”

It was a big hit for Grosjean as he revealed it was “30Gs, so it was a bit impact.”

MIKA: I agree that the weather must have been dismal but wet or dry, Romain hasn't the greatest skill at Brazil as seen in FP1 a couple days ago, not to mention spins at the same GP last year in 2015, and his massive shunt there again in 2012.

Still... Sad to see such a retirement before any race, there was much promise considering he qualified P7 which was great to see HAAS up so high.

 

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Mercedes boss says Verstappen's Brazil F1 drive 'redefined physics'

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff believes Max Verstappen is redefining physics in Formula 1, after witnessing his remarkable Brazilian Grand Prix performance.

Verstappen finished third at in atrocious wet conditions at Interlagos, behind a Mercedes one-two spearheaded by Lewis Hamilton, who kept his title hopes alive by beating team-mate Nico Rosberg to victory.

Red Bull's Verstappen starred, produced numerous stunning overtaking moves, including on Rosberg, as well as Ferrari duo Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.

He also survived a huge high-speed slide on the main straight while running ahead of Rosberg in second, and produced a superb charge through the field from 16th to third over the final 17 laps, after making a late pitstop for fresh wet tyres.

When asked to sum up the 19-year-old's race, Wolff said: "The Verstappen show! It was really unbelievable driving, great entertainment. Physics are being redefined."

Verstappen found grip and chose lines for his moves, often around the outside of rivals, which defied the tricky conditions.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner described Verstappen's display as "something very special".

"They don't get much better than that," he said. "The conditions were tricky all afternoon, but once the race got underway he quickly moved past Kimi, a very decisive move into Turn 1, and you could see from that point he meant business.

"At the next restart there was a fairly audacious move on Nico around the outside of Turn 3 - that was really just the start of things to come."

RED BULL LOST OUT WITH TYRE GAMBLE

Verstappen ran as high as second until lap 42 of 71, before Red Bull gambled on fitting intermediates in hope of pressuring Mercedes as the circuit began to dry.

"After the [first] restart it looked like the intermediate tyres were the tyre to be on - we've seen so many times once you generate a bit of heat in them they are much quicker," explained Horner.

"We elected to put Daniel [Ricciardo] on them initially, and immediately he started setting purple sectors, went second quickest out of anybody on track, which prompted us to take the risk and go for the change with Max."

But the rain intensified later, forcing Verstappen back into the pits to switch to full wets again on lap 54, which meant he had to make up 13 places over the final 17 laps to finish on the podium.

"Unfortunately the rain intensified very slightly, just enough to make the final sector pretty tricky," added Horner.

"After another safety car we had the difficult decision to make to sacrifice track position versus going on to the safer tyre.

"After discussing with Max we decided to go on to the extreme, and it was really all over to him for those final 16 laps.

"He drove an incredible race, losing very little time in each of the passing moves he made.

"To be able to finish the grand prix in third demonstrated what a great talent he is. Max was in a league of his own today."

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NEW MICHAEL SCHUMACHER ACCOUNT CREATED ON INSTAGRAM FOR F1 FAN COMMUNITY

Michael Schumacher is now represented on social media after an official page was launched on race day in Brazil for fans to share thoughts, images and memories of F1’s statistically greatest driver ever.

The message on the page says: “We love to share memories with you and what better start could there be than the upcoming anniversary of Michael’s first world championship title.

“From November 13 this page will be our meeting place to collect and exchange memories and to celebrate Michael’s many achievements, established as a thank you gesture to all you wonderful fans.”

Schumacher won the first of his seven F1 world championships in Adelaide on this day 22 years ago.

He suffered severe head injuries in a skiiing accident in December 2013 and although he came out of a long coma he remains unable to move and his exact condition is kept a closely guarded secret by his manager Sabine Kehm and the Schumacher family.

Schumacher’s son Mick is making his way up the racing ladder and has competed in Formula 4 this season, finishing second in the Italian and German championships. He is likely to race in FIA F3 next season, the series that produced Max Verstappen, Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll.

He made a very public appearance at the German Grand Prix this year in Hockenheim and the pathway is clearly being prepared for him to rise to F1 in the next two to three years.

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WOLFF: MY BIGGEST NIGHTMARE WOULD BE MECHANICAL ISSUES

After twenty races, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will host the 2016 World Championship decider, on the evening of 27 November either Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg will be celebrating and all that Mercedes team boss wishes for is that mechanical issues do not decide the outcome of the title.

Wolff told media after an epic Brazilian Grand Prix in which the Silver Arrows finished one-two, “As Bernie would have ordered it, there will be a showdown in Abu Dhabi. Twelve points gap, so they are going to drive it out on track.”

We just have to give them two cars so that they can fight it out on the track. My biggest nightmare would be mechanical issues.”

Hamilton beat Rosberg in treacherous conditions at Interlagos, Wolff said of the feat, “You can’t expect a one-two in these conditions and this is a rare achievement. You have such tricky conditions and to drive it home with a one-two and a faultless drive by Lewis with the best pace in the field, I’m very happy about that result actually.

“It’s maybe the best result of the season,” added the Mercedes chief.

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VETTEL: VERSTAPPEN’S OVERTAKE WAS NOT CORRECT

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel has taken exception to the manner in which Max Verstappen blitzed past him him as the Red Bull driver stormed from 16th place to third during the rain affected Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.

On lap 67 Verstappen came upon Vettel battling with the Force India of Carlos Sainz. The Red Bull stalked the Ferrari through Pinheirinho and Bico de Pato, before Verstappen attacked and got beside Vettel out of Mergulho, completing the move on the exit of Junção.

Replays show that the Ferrari had room beside the Red Bull on the exit of Junção, but Vettel went wide and onto the grass. Immediately radioing his displeasure to the Ferrari pit gantry.

Afterwards he told media, “I think I was racing him side-by-side, he saw me, I still had a little bit of my nose ahead. He was much faster so it was about the corner where you get past. I don’t think it was correct.”

Nevertheless Vettel finished fifth despite a spin on lap 11 as he hit the white line on the uphill sweeper before the pitlane entrance.

“Obviously, it was not ideal in the first part to spin,” admitted Vettel. “I had some aquaplaning but I wasn’t the only one. I think it was a good recovery in the end, difficult to come back.

“I struggled to get past Carlos [Sainz for fifth], I don’t know why it took a lot of laps but by then it was too late,” added the four times world champion.

MIKA: I'm not liking this whiney World Champion of late...

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VERSTAPPEN HAILED FOR SUPERB PERFORMANCE IN BRAZIL

Media, pundits and Formula 1 figures are unanimous in praising Max Verstappen’s storming drive during the Brazilian grand Prix, where he stole the show with great moves on track and a stunning 16 laps charge from 16th to third, where he dispatched his Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari’s four times world champion Sebastian Vettel with consummate ease.

Respected Italian motorsport magazine Autosprint wrote: “Verstappen has regained admiration of Formula 1 fans. He did not win the grand prix because of the risky choices of Red Bull in terms of strategy. It was a great race by Verstappen, who was flying over the water and you could tell with the naked eye he was superior in those conditions. He knocked over opponents as if they were bowling pins. He caught and passed Vettel, humiliating him.”

El Confidencial headlined the feat: “Max Verstappen on day that he reminded us of Ayrton Senna on track.”

And reported: “How many times have we seen Niki Lauda doff his famous hat? Jos Verstappen was being interviewed at the end of the race in Brazil. As Lauda passed he interrupted the conversation with the journalist and they greeted one another. Then, the great Austrian raised his cap and complimented Verstappen senior for the display his son gave on the day. There could be no greater sign of respect from the man who wears the cap to hide the aftermath of an accident that almost cost him his life.”

After the race Lauda told media: “He did the job, unbelievable, the way he passed was just incredible. I know the guy is good but he proved to everybody what he can do.”

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff, who saw his drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg finish one-two in the race, said of the Dutch teenager, “The Verstappen Show! It was really unbelievable driving, great entertainment. Physics are being redefined. He drives inside, outside, no matter how. He really inspires. It’s great that he is in Formula 1.”

Sky pundit Marc Surer said: :”The boy is just great. Verstappen showed again and again his superior mastery of his car. At the start, he took a position into Turn 1. In the duel with Perez, Verstappen aquaplaned on a curb, but remained full on gas.”

Nico Rosberg: “Hats off to Max. It was really difficult to guess where the tires still have grip and where not. An inch could be too much. Max did a great job. ”

Former F1 driver and TV pundit, Martin Brundle said: “We knew it was good, and as you pointed out as a future world champion. And today has cemented that impression.”

Verstappen’s father, ex-F1 racer Jos, said of his son: “I have never seen something like this. I’ve known him for a long time, I have seen many races he did, but today it was incredible. They didn’t have it right with the strategy, they were unlucky with the weather probably, but after that I think it was worth to have a bad stop.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner: “It’s one of the best drives I’ve seen in Formula 1, to be honest. His recovery was amazing, we gave it a go on the Intermediates, it looked right at that crossover point, Daniel [Ricciardo] was setting purple sectors, it was the kind of call which could have won you the race But the rain increased, so we gave him a huge amount [of work] to do, and the that way he drove those last 15 laps was unbelievable.”

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HAMILTON: RED BULL MADE A BIG MISTAKE WITH THAT CALL

Brazilian Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton questioned Red Bull’s strategy in the race which saw the energy drinks team pit their driver Max Verstappen when he looked set for second place.

Mercedes driver Hamilton would have benefited hugely had Verstappen finished ahead of championship leader Nico Rosberg. The points deficit ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi would have been nine, not 12 as it is now.

After the race Hamilton cursed his bad luck, “Unbelievable, when will it end? Red Bull made such a big mistake with that call.”

“When the team called me and said, ‘People are starting to pit for inters,’ I’m like, ‘They’re crazy, there is no way it is going to last, and they are going to have to pit again’. That’s what they did and it is a shame, but there is nothing I can do about that.”

Hamilton acknowledged, “Verstappen still had a great race, and got back up to third, but it would be good if they made some good calls at the next race.”

Red Bull’s strategy blunder caused the 19 year old the Dutchman to drop down the field to 16th with with 16 laps to go. Thereafter the youngster delivered a thrilling performance, which is sure to go down as one of the great drives in Formula 1 history. Powering to third in a breathtaking display of brave and masterful driving

Along the way he passed Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo with ease and dispatched of Sebastian Vettel, the four-time world champion, in a clinical manner which had the four times world champion complaining meekly into his pit radio.

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BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX FUTURE REMAINS UNCERTAIN DESPITE THRILLER

Lewis Hamilton emphasised how much the Brazilian Grand Prix meant to him after winning a thrilling race in the wet, but the race’s future on the Formula One calendar remains clouded by uncertainty.

“I just assume this is going to be on the grand prix calendar because it is one of the best races,” said the triple champion after succeeding at Interlagos, his boyhood idol Ayrton Senna’s home track, for the first time. “It is part of the heritage of Formula One. We cannot lose this grand prix.”

Despite the Mercedes driver’s words, the chances of Brazil remaining on the calendar remain very much a ‘maybe’ due to the country’s ongoing economic crisis.

Brazil will also have only one driver next year, in an uncompetitive car, and even that is not certain with Felipe Nasr yet to be confirmed by struggling Sauber.

The atmospheric amphitheatre has an asterisk against it, along with Canada and Germany, on the 2017 draft calendar and commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone is not sounding positive.

“I think we may well be able to sort Canada out, possibly, but the other two…,” the Briton told Reuters with a shrug.

The final calendar, currently 21 races, will be published in December.

Interlagos, with fans exposed to the elements and the track close by slums on one side, has undergone an upgrade to the cramped pits and paddock area but there is always more to do.

“They’ve done a good job, but it needed to be done,” commented Ecclestone, who is married to a Brazilian and owns a ranch in the country.

The 86-year-old Briton said long-standing talks with Argentina, which last hosted a race in 1998, could lead to another South American option but “it would be good not to lose this race”.

Canadian promoters have sounded optimistic about keeping their grand prix but the prospects for Germany, a home race for champions Mercedes and Ferrari’s four-times champion Sebastian Vettel, do not look good.

“Trouble is it’s all commercial. If they can’t make it work commercially they will stop,” Ecclestone said of Germany.

Hockenheim held the race this year but has been reluctant to do so in successive seasons unless the hosting fees are frozen, while the Nurburgring has baulked at the cost.

“We tried to keep them (Hockenheim) alive, but they’ve run out of tablets,” Ecclestone told reporters. “I’ll put my money on it not happening. I’ll have to talk to them in the next couple of weeks.”

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Jenson Button insists something is wrong with his car after finishing last

Jenson Button insists there is a problem with his car after he finished last in Brazil during Sunday's grand prix.

The Briton, who is known for his wet weather skills, failed to make any progress through the field on Sunday, but doesn't believe the rain was the problem as he struggled during a dry qualifying session too, failing to escape Q1 when team-mate Fernando Alonso made it through to Q3.

"After today’s race, we need to go back to the factory and work out what it is that’s wrong with the car," he said after the race.

"During Friday practice, it was working really well; I was comfortable with the car and in the high-speed corners we had a strong rear-end. Yesterday, it wasn’t working, and today it was further exaggerated by the conditions.

"Finishing last is unusual for me in conditions like these – so there’s definitely something wrong. I don’t think I’ve forgotten how to drive in the wet…"

When asked about the conditions and whether the race should have been run at all, Button said the important thing was that nobody was injured despite several high-speed crashes.

"In terms of the restarts, those were very difficult conditions in which to judge what’s right and what’s wrong, but nobody was injured – and that’s the most important thing."

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Ricciardo: It was a frustrating day

Being outshone by his team-mate Max Verstappen, Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo suffered a ‘frustrating’ race as he got hit with a five-second penalty and dealt with a visor problem.

With the intermediate tyre gamble not working out for the Austrian-based outfit, Ricciardo couldn't quite replicate Verstappen’s amazing recovery.

The Australian said the five-second penalty, which he got for entering the pit-lane while it was closed, and a problem with his visor, causing him to struggle with visibility, resulted in a troublesome afternoon in a rainy Interlagos.

"It was a frustrating race, we never really felt like we got lucky with the strategy; every time we made a change with the tyres there was a safety car or a red flag," said Ricciardo, who ended his race P8.

"We lost positions and obviously we could not predict what was going to happen and we felt a little bit on the back foot.

"But the real difficulty today was my visibility, which was a struggle as my visor kept fogging up.

"I kept opening my visor and trying to wipe it but it’s never happened before, and it held me back. It’s a shame as the car was a lot better than eighth, when we had a clear track our speed was good."

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Rosberg has a 90% chance of title victory

For the 30th time in the 67-year history of the Formula One world championship, the title will be decided at the final race of the year.

That is remarkable given the 2016 season is the longest of all time. The weary field heads to Abu Dhabi to wrap up the title in two weeks’ time in the 21st round of the championship. It will be the third time the drivers’ title is decided there following Sebastian Vettel’s success in 2010 and Lewis Hamilton’s two years ago.

Hamilton went into the 2014 finale as the favourite to win the title. However this time the odds overwhelmingly favour his team mate Nico Rosberg.

With a 12-point lead heading into the final race a podium finish will guarantee Rosberg the title. In contrast, a podium finish is the only way Hamilton can retain his crown, and after that it depends where his team mate finishes.

In the 22-car field there are 507 different combinations of finishing positions plus non-finishes for the two title contenders. In 455 of those Rosberg would win the title and the remaining 52 would result in Hamilton clinching the title.

In simple mathematical terms Rosberg has an 89.7% chance of winning the championship.

Hamilton’s chances of winning the title look better if we take this year’s results into account. To take the title he must win in Abu Dhabi with Rosberg fourth or lower. That result has occurred four times in the 20 races so far this year, giving him a 20% shot. But of course, Hamilton may not be content to leave it up to chance.

Mercedes break pole record

With his ninth victory this year, Hamilton reached a career total of 52 wins. He has now overtaken Alain Prost’s 51 victories, leaving Michael Schumacher as the only driver in F1 history who’s won more races than Hamilton.
At his tenth attempt, Hamilton finally crossed Brazil off the list of venues he hadn’t previously won at. Fittingly, the driver of car number 44 did so in the 44th edition of the Brazilian Grand Prix which counted towards the championship. That leaves only Baku, this year’s new addition to the calendar, as the one race on the schedule which Hamilton has never won.

Hamilton also took the 60th pole position of his career. It was his 11th pole position this year which means he retains the Pole Trophy he won last season.

Hamilton gave Mercedes their 19th pole position of the year. That broke Red Bull’s record of 18 in a season from 2011, when there were 19 races on the calendar instead of this year’s 21. Since 2014 Mercedes have only been beaten to pole position once per season, and by a different team each time.

The Safety Car notwithstanding, Hamilton led all 71 laps of the race and has now led more laps than Rosberg this year: 523 to 486.

Verstappen takes youngest-ever fastest lap

However the flying Red Bulls denied Hamilton a ‘grand slam’. Max Verstappen took the first fastest lap of his career, becoming the youngest driver ever to do so.
This record was previously held by Rosberg, who set it on his grand prix debut at Bahrain in 2006, aged 20 years and 263 days. Verstappen lowered the mark to 19 years and 49 days.

Verstappen is now the youngest driver to win a race, score a point, stand on the podium and set a fastest lap. Vettel remains the youngest driver to start from pole position, but Verstappen has two years and 30 days to break that record.

Unusually, neither Mercedes driver made a pit stop in their pit box during the race. They only time they changed tyres was during the first stoppage when the whole field was instructed to fit a new set of full wet weather tyres. This was done in the fast lane of the pits, so Mercedes’ efforts to move their pit box to avoid a bump proved inconsequential.

Another curiosity from the eventful grand prix was Hamilton’s mid-race change of helmet designs. He began the race using a special yellow helmet in tribute to Ayrton Senna, but switched back to his regular model due to problems with water ingress.

Felipe Nasr’s first points of the season crucially moved Sauber ahead of Manor in the constructors’ championship. But he nearly did even better. With a dozen laps remaining he was in sixth place, which would have taken Sauber ahead of Renault as well.

However it was a joyless race for Romain Grosjean. He equalled the best qualifying performance for Haas with seventh on the grid he failed to start there after crashing on his way to the grid.

 

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New Raikkonen crash videos show his “one millimetre close” near-miss with Ocon

Videos filmed by fans during the Brazilian Grand Prix give a new perspective on Kimi Raikkonen’s near-miss after crashing out of the race.

Raikkonen’s car snapped out of control on the pit straight following a Safety Car restart on lap 19. His Ferrari struck the barrier on the outside of the track then came to a rest after hitting the pit wall.

He was running in third place at the time of his crash which meant almost the entire pack had to dodge his spinning car. Manor driver Esteban Ocon had the luckiest escape, passing dangerously close to striking the Ferrari head-on, as these videos show.

Raikkonen blamed aquaplaning for the crash. “I got it in a place where I was not expecting it,” he explained. “I spun off on the straight.”

“I almost got the car back, but then I went off in a pretty bad place.”

The race ran in constant rain which had begun falling hours before the race. “It was not raining heavily, but there was a lot of standing water,” Raikkonen added.

Raikkonen said afterwards his crash would have been less likely to happen on previous generations of Formula One’s wet weather tyres.

Ocon, who went on to finish in 12th place, described his near-miss with Raikkonen as “one millimetre close” on the radio. “It’s blind in the straight line now,” he added. The race was stopped for the first time following Raikkonen’s crash.

 

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FELIPE NASR’S BRAZILIAN BONANZA SET TO INJECT €35M TO SAUBER’S F1 BANK BALANCE

Felipe Nasr’s ninth place in the Brazilian Grand Prix could be worth as much €35m for his Sauber team, provided they do not lose their 10th place in the championship to Manor at the final round.

Sauber has struggled for cash and pace for much of the 2016 Formula 1 season.

The 24-year-old went from last on the grid to run as high as sixth during the rain-hit, disrupted race in Interlagos before several faster cars overtook him in the closing stages.

But Nasr was able to hang onto the two points available for ninth, which means Sauber is now above Manor in the constructors’ championship standings with one race of the season remaining. If Sauber can hang onto to its current position, the Swiss team stands to qualify for a slice of F1’s lucrative ‘column 2’ championship payments, directly hitting Manor’s income from the F1 prize pot. It’s a heavy blow to the Banbury squad.

Nasr was delighted by the result, which came in front of his home fans and represents the first points he has scored at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

He said: “For us, it tastes like a victory. Having a car that was super-difficult to drive, in terms of performance it would have been impossible to be in the points, but in conditions like this, the opportunity when it comes you have to be there to take it.

“I never lost confidence in the team, I always had the faith that we could have done it and we all deserve it. After such a difficult year, these two points mean a lot.”

Before the Brazilian race, Sauber had endured a tough season and its best previous finish was Marcus Ericsson’s 11th place at the Mexican Grand Prix. The team, which had been in financial trouble for some time, was bought out just before the Hungarian Grand Prix by the financial investment firm Longbow Finance, which has links to Ericsson.

Since that takeover, the team has been able to produce more updates for the C35 and attract new staff members, but points had still continued to prove elusive.

Sunday’s result came from good team operations under Xevi Pujolar, Sauber’s head of track engineering who joined the Hinwil-based team in August after leaving Toro Rosso earlier this season.

The strategy was decided by another ‘import’, Ruth Buscombe, who was behind Haas’ bold strategies in their dream points scoring start in Australia and Bahrain. It is estimated that those two calls plus Sunday’s must have netted the respective teams around €50 million in prize money.

Her plan closely mirrored Mercedes in sticking with wet tyres and looking to change sets under red flag conditions. And by focussing on track position, rather than looking for a silver bullet with intermediate tyres, her gamble paid off.

Pujolar described the tension on the pitwall in the closing stages of the Interlagos race.

He said: “For us at the end it was better to stay with the extreme-weather tyres and keep position. When fast cars were coming from behind we told Felipe: ‘don’t worry about him, let him go’.

“The last 10-15 laps, it was quite hard because you could see drivers like Fernando Alonso coming much faster but we had Esteban Ocon and Daniil Kvyat making a bit of a barrier and that helped us.

“Our engineers were talking to the driver and I was scared even on the last lap with our car, [thinking] ‘just don’t do anything wrong, don’t say anything on the radio until he crosses the line’.”

After the race, Sauber’s team principal, Monisha Kaltenborn, praised her squad’s efforts and mentality throughout a difficult season.

She said: “I want to thank the whole team at the track, as well as at the headquarters in Hinwil. Despite the difficult circumstances, the team has always worked very hard and believed in its skills with a strong belief – therefore, these points are well deserved.”

Manor’s Dave Ryan: “it’s not over until it’s over”

Pascal Wehrlein had given Manor what looked like being a decisive one-point lead over Sauber when he finished tenth at the Austrian Grand Prix, but Nasr’s two-point haul in Brazil now means the British squad sits 11th and last in the constructors’ championship.

Ocon, who joined Manor in place of Rio Haryanto ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, had spent a large portion of last weekend’s race running in the points behind Nasr. The pair had moved up the order after a number of drivers had come in for intermediate tyres early on and were left stranded down the order by the multiple interventions of the Safety Car and two red flag periods.

The 20-year-old eventually slipped down the order and finished 12th, but Dave Ryan, Manor’s racing director, explained after the race that his team would not give up on reclaiming the lucrative tenth place in the constructors standings’ from Sauber at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking to F1i, he said: “As a team, we did pretty well. I know it’s a pretty strange thing to say but we were up there the whole race, we were not lapping around at the back of the field. It just got away from us in the final part of the race. That’s life.

“Esteban had a really good run. Even with about three laps to go, it looks like he could have a go at Nasr as he was dropping back. But credit to Felipe, he drove a really good race.”

“Ericsson at the [Mexico] race was last at one point and he nearly got a point, so it’s an old saying but it’s not over until it’s over and you don’t give up until the last lap of the last race. And that’s definitely what we will be doing. All we can do is give it our best shot.”

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Brazilian GP analysis: Lewis holds his nerve as Max brings the magic

Max Verstappen stole the headlines with his spectacular charge in horrid conditions, but it was Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes who put in a flawless performance to keep the title fight well and truly alive.

The Brazilian GP was an extraordinary race for many reasons, not least because the two red flags meant that it was a three-part event, that stretched out to a total running time of just over three hours.

The afternoon also saw Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg finish one-two without making a proper pitstop between them, the pair only changing tyres while the race was suspended.

And then there was Max Verstappen, who made three 'hot' pitstops – albeit two of them under Safety Car conditions – the last of which dropped him to 14th place. And yet just 17 laps later he crossed the line in third after putting in one of the most extraordinary charges we've seen in years.

After the flag, even Toto Wolff conceded to the Dutchman's proud father Jos that despite the title battle, this was the 'Max Verstappen Show'.

"I think what we saw was a fantastically exciting race," said Christian Horner. "And for me what we witnessed today with Max was genius..."

Having qualified fourth Verstappen made his intentions clear when the field was finally released after the initial seven laps of Safety Car running, diving past Kimi Raikkonen to take second.

He ran in Rosberg's wheel tracks for the next few laps, until Marcus Ericsson's crash brought the Safety Car out again. It was then that Red Bull made a typically bold call, as once again the team tried to put pressure on Mercedes by doing something different.

This time the choice was to bring in both Max and Daniel Ricciardo for intermediates.

Others further down the field had already made the switch, and the results were inconclusive. But RBR still thought it was worth a punt – although the team was caught out with Ricciardo, who came in just after the FIA had taken the rare decision to close the pitlane entry.

The Australian was fortunate to escape with a five-second penalty, the stewards taking into account the fact that poor visibility made it hard for the driver to see the signal, and that the team had had very little time to react to it.

As the Safety Car was out, Max lost only one place by pitting, to Raikkonen, which meant he sat fourth in the queue. And at the restart he gained that back when Kimi sailed off the road in front of him, the resulting crash bringing out the first of the red flags.

Max was now third in the queue as the cars filed into the pitlane. The intermediate gamble was then rendered null and void, since for the resumption everyone was obliged to go back to extreme wets behind the Safety Car.

That middle part of the race was effectively meaningless as everyone cruised around for another eight laps before the red flag flew again, and the race was neutralised once more.

     

Max makes his move

When the field head off after this second break Max noted on team radio that he was "ready to race."

During much of the Safety Car period he had been exploring different lines as he sat behind Rosberg, trying to get a feel for grip levels, despite the slow speeds.

And when the race resumed he again made an immediate decisive move, although this time he used the outside of Turn 3 to scoot around Rosberg and put himself into second.

Even by the standards we have come to expect from the young Dutchman, this was spectacular...

     

The wildest of moments, the greatest of catches

Now only Hamilton lay up ahead, and Lewis put a series of fastest laps as he attempted to stay clear.

Then, at the end of Lap 38 Max had a lurid sideways moment as he headed onto the pit straight, which he somehow managed to gather back up without hitting the inside wall.

"My heartbeat went a little higher there," he told the team.

"I think that almost necessitated an underwear change for most of the pit wall," said Horner. "But again he was extremely calm, the way he came on the radio. He seemed in control, apart from that moment, all afternoon."

In the course of his slide he sacrificed some 4.5 seconds, and thus lost touch with Hamilton. Lewis added a couple of seconds to his margin over the next few laps, and then on Lap 43 Red Bull rolled the dice once more, bringing Max in under green flag conditions to put him onto intermediates.

Ricciardo had made the switch three laps earlier, and it appeared to work for the Aussie.

Mercedes took a different view, as Rosberg noted: "I was sure that inters were the wrong thing, because if I'm really struggling with unpredictable aquaplaning on full wets, then inters is not the right way to go. So I was very comfortable with that..."

The stop dropped Max to fifth, with Rosberg, Sergio Perez, and Carlos Sainz all getting past. And he dropped over 34 seconds behind leader Hamilton.

However, he had only four flying laps on those tyres before Felipe Massa's crash brought out the Safety Car once more on Lap 48. So now Max sat fifth in the queue, and he gained back over 30 seconds on Hamilton.

He looked pretty well set at this point, except that by now Red Bull had accepted that intermediates were not going to work for him over the remaining part of the race after all, with no sign of the rain abating.

"The inter looked like it would be the better tyre," said Horner. "It was only the last sector that he couldn't get out of, with the aquaplaning."

The only choice was to drop out of the Safety Car queue and go back to extremes, which would inevitably cost a lot of places. He did that on Lap 54, and rejoined the queue in 14th.

     

Mercedes holds its nerve

It may have been the Max Verstappen Show, even in the eyes of Toto Wolff, but it would be wrong to overlook the fact that Mercedes scored another one-two on a day when things could so easily have gone wrong.

This was a typically polished wet weather performance from Hamilton, who led all the way, and as noted earlier, won without making any proper pitstops.

It was a definitive decision by Mercedes to stay on extreme wets throughout, and it wasn't just to steer clear of unnecessary pitstops – the team was adamant that it was the best tyre to be on for performance, as well as the safer one on a day when neither driver could afford to put it in the wall.

Although everyone knew rain was coming on Sunday, it arrived in greater quantity than Mercedes had expected.

In fact Hamilton and Rosberg both had new sets of extremes for the start and the resumption after the first red flag (where they also went to a wet set-up with a rear roll bar change), and both had a nearly new set after the second red flag – so they were always in good shape.

     

Merc not fussed by Verstappen pace

Verstappen was flying at the end, but Paddy Lowe says that his guys had performance in hand, should it be required.

"We had the pace, once the stint was established, to pull away. And at the end of the race we were saving the car, so whilst Max put in some stunning quick laps, if they'd been racing, we could have been in the fight there."

It might have been frustrating at times for spectators and TV viewers alike when rain stopped play, but in the end we had a memorable afternoon, one that set up the Abu Dhabi showdown that the world wanted to see.

"It was very difficult for Charlie [Whiting] to make the right judgements between safety and the spectacle," said Lowe.

"And I did worry at various points that we wouldn't actually have a race, which would have been terrible for this Brazilian event, which is really one of the classics of F1. So I'm pleased that in the end not only did we get the one-two, but there was actually a great show with a number of races going on behind."

And for Horner, Verstappen's afternoon ranked with the great wet weather drives: "I think it's right up there. You have to compare it to those great moments.

"You don't often witness a motor race like that, and I think what we saw today was something very, very special."

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Force India F1 team buoyed by 2017 signing Ocon's Brazil drive

The Force India Formula 1 team heaped praise on its 2017 driver Esteban Ocon after the Frenchman's strong performance for Manor in the rain-hit Brazilian Grand Prix.

Ocon started last, after being handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Jolyon Palmer, but made good progress through the field to run eighth.

He was on course to score his maiden points and help Manor stay ahead of Sauber, which had Felipe Nasr running in the points too, in the constructors' championship.

But though Ocon battled hard, the Manor ultimately did not have the pace to maintain that position and he ended up 12th as faster cars recovered from delays.

Nonetheless, his defence of position and the way he dealt with the tricky conditions impressed Force India deputy team boss Bob Fernley, whose team will run Ocon alongside Sergio Perez in 2017.

"We're very encouraged by what we saw from Esteban on Sunday," Fernley told Autosport.

"He had a very, very good drive for Manor.

"We were aware of his talent, we were comfortable with the decision, so we didn't need to see a race like that.

"What we have go to do is make sure we can support him and get that talent to deliver."

Manor racing director Dave Ryan was also impressed with Ocon's performance.

"Esteban did a super job," he told Autosport. "We thought we'd have a fairly good chance of having a go at Sauber.

"But all credit to Nasr, he drove a really good race.

"He was due one and Sunday was the day, unfortunately for us.

"Unfortunately they restarted the race at the end there and we just didn't have the car to live with them.

"We did everything we could but it wasn't enough in the end."

When asked if Manor was disappointed to lose a driver of Ocon's talent, he said: "Look, it was always on the cards that he and also Pascal [Wehrlein] could move on.

"They are both Mercedes drivers and Mercedes can place them where they want.

"Obviously if you can keep drivers and they are good, you have continuity but that's not the case so we just get on with it."

Manor has a four-strong shortlist of drivers it is considering signing for 2017, including, Wehrlein, Nasr, Esteban Gutierrez and Rio Haryanto.

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DENNIS: I AM DISAPPOINTED THEY HAVE PUT ME ON GARDENING LEAVE

Ron Dennis has been forced to stand down as chairman and chief executive of McLaren, bringing to an end his 35-year involvement with the Formula One team.

The 69-year-old relinquish his duties at the team, who are the sport’s second most successful despite not having won a race for four years, following a decision by the majority shareholders to place him on gardening leave.

Dennis owns 25 percent of McLaren Group, while Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat owns 50 percent and Saudi-born businessman Mansour Ojjeh, the CEO of TAG, holds the remaining 25 percent.

Dennis, who has been involved with former champions McLaren since 1980 and is one of F1’s biggest names, stood down as team principal in 2009 but returned as group chief executive in January 2014.

He is a legendary figure in Formula 1 circles and synonymous with the McLaren team he guided to enormous success during the eighties and nineties.

However, of late the team have fallen on leaner times winning a single title in 16 years, Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 Formula 1 World Championship.

He said in a statement:”I am disappointed that the representatives of TAG and Mumtalakat, the other main shareholders in McLaren, have forced through this decision to place me on gardening leave, despite the strong warnings from the rest of the management team about the potential consequences of their actions on the business.”

Dennis owns 25 percent of McLaren Group, while Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat owns 50 percent and Saudi-born businessman Mansour Ojjeh, the CEO of TAG, holds the remaining 25 percent.

A report last week said that Mumtalakat and Ojjeh wanted to oust Dennis and that an unidentified consortium of Chinese investors had made a 1.65 billion pounds ($2.05 billion) takeover bid for McLaren Technology Group that Dennis supported but the other shareholders opposed.

The report said that Dennis had failed to secure a High Court injunction against a move to sideline him until his contract expired in mid-January, and an emergency board meeting had been convened.

The BBC reported that the other shareholders felt that Dennis’ autocratic style was not suited to growing McLaren in the future, a claim he denied on Tuesday.

“The grounds they have stated are entirely spurious; my management style is the same as it has always been and is one that has enabled McLaren to become an automotive and technology group that has won 20 Formula 1 world championships and grown into an £850-million a year business.”

“Throughout that time I have worked closely with a series of talented colleagues, to whom I will always be extremely grateful, to keep McLaren at the cutting edge of technology.

“Ultimately it has become clear to me through this process that neither TAG nor Mumtalakat share my vision for McLaren and its true growth potential.

“But my first concern is to the business I have built and to its 3500 employees. I will continue to use my significant shareholding in both companies and my seats on both boards to protect the interests and value of McLaren and help shape its future.

“In addition I intend to launch a new technology investment fund once my contractual commitments with McLaren expire.

“This will capitalise on my expertise, my financial resources, together with external investment to pursue the many commercial opportunities I have been offered in recent years but have been unable to take up while being so committed to the existing business,” concluded Dennis’ statement.

Dennis’ journey in Formula 1 began as an 18-year-old mechanic for the Cooper team, before joining Brabham in 1968.

After a spell working as in various capacities and teams, he formed the Project Four company in the seventies and became a Formula 2 entrant.

Dennis became a Formula 1 team boss with McLaren in 1980, with Marlboro instrumental in placing him in charge of the team, while ditching Teddy Mayer who was boss until then and including the very successful Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt years.

In 1981 McLaren morhped into McLaren International in what Dennis termed “a reverse takeover” and a mere 18 months later he gained a controlling interest in the company. He was 32 at the time.

Mansour Ojjeh joined Dennis as a McLaren shareholder in 1984 and the pair have been partners in the business ever since.

Of McLaren’s 20 Formula 1 World Championships titles, 17 were won during Dennis’ time at the helm, including 158 victories of the team’s 182 triumphs.

Before Dennis took over, McLaren had not won a grand prix since James Hunt in 1977 and a constructors’ championship since 1974. But in 1982 and 1983 drivers Niki Lauda and John Watson returned the McLaren name to the top of the podium.

In 1984, they won both the drivers’ and constructors’ world championship titles – winning 12 of the season’s 16 races as Lauda edged team-mate Alain Prost to the individual title. The team retained both titles the following year.

McLaren’s dominance resumed in 1988 – their first era of Honda power – when they claimed both titles as between them Prost and Ayrton Senna won 15 of 16 the races, despite a high profile and nasty feud between the pair – the first of four successive years winning both championships.

After the Senna era, McLaren would have to wait another seven years to follow that success when they took both the drivers’ and the constructors’ titles with Mika Hakkinen their main driver in 1998.

Hakkinen managed to retain his title in 1999, but at that point in history Ferrari had emerged as the sport’s most dominant team with Michael Schumacher unbeatable for the first five years of the new century.

McLaren had to wait until the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship to claim another title, a season after they were stripped of their 2007 constructors’ points and fined £49.2m for using information leaked from title rivals Ferrari in what became known infamously as ‘spy-gate.”

Lewis Hamilton returned McLaren to the limelight with the title almost a decade ago. The Briton’s rise through the team’s Young Driver Support Programme is well documented.

Hamilton remained a McLaren driver until 2012, before departing and joining fellow McLaren refugee Paddy Lowe. Since then the pair have won six world titles with Mercedes.

When Hamilton departed the team spiraled downwards, with their last win going to Jenson Button in 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix.

In 2015 McLaren re-united with Honda, but the combination has simply not delivered as the did a quarter of a century earlier. The team wallows in the midfield with Button and Fernando Alonso, among the best drivers in the business, scrapping for the occasional point.

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LAUDA: THEY WERE PERFECT CONDITIONS FOR A RAIN RACE

Mercedes F1 chairman Niki Lauda claims that the way officials reacted during the rain soaked and action packed Brazilian Grand Prix proves that Formula 1 is over-regulated.

Speaking after a thrilling race at Interlagos, Lauda said, “They were perfect conditions for a rain race. This is an example that everything is over-regulated. Okay, all the top drivers had their moments, perhaps with the exception of Hamilton. But this is normal in a rain race.”

With regards to the officiating, including a decision not to red flag the race for a second time, Lauda said, “I think mistakes were made so we need to get together with Charlie Whiting to do better in the future. Race drivers have to race, even in the most difficult conditions.”

Lauda was full of praise for Red Bull driver Max Verstappen who was simply on another level to his peers, barring Hamilton, and for many was the star of the show in Sao Paulo, “He did the job, unbelievable, the way he passed was just incredible.”

“I know the guy is good but he proved to everybody what he can do. Some drivers should look carefully at Max and what lines this boy drives,” advised the Formula 1 legend.

Ironically, Lauda lost the 1976 Formula 1 world championship when he refused to race in the rain affected 1976 Japanese Grand Prix, watching from the pits as James Hunt took the title in treacherous conditions. Admittedly the circumstances of Lauda’s withdrawal were very different on that day.

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McLaren unable to seize the moment in Brazil - Boullier

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says the team were unable to “seize the moment” in tricky conditions at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso enjoyed an eventful race to 10th place, finishing where he started, but Jenson Button struggled throughout and claimed there must have been something wrong with his car.

Boullier admitted it won’t be a race McLaren will remember fondly, but believes there was a lot to learn for F1 as a whole.

“For McLaren-Honda, this was largely a race to forget,” he admitted after the race at the Interlagos circuit.

“For Formula 1 as a sport, it’s a race from which we can learn in order to improve the show for future wet-weather races.

“Unfortunately for us, neither driver was truly able to seize the moment – Fernando drove bravely to run inside the top 10 for much of the race, then a lap-56 spin at Turn 13 dropped him to the back of the field.

“His comeback drive to 10th – passing seven cars in 15 laps – was brilliant, and displayed all his speed, bravery and commitment.

“Jenson was unable to rid himself of the handling imbalance he encountered yesterday, and struggled to find any rear grip in the tricky conditions. We will go away and examine what went wrong for him.”

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Nico Hulkenberg didn't know whether to 'laugh or cry' after Brazilian GP

Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg said he didn’t know whether to “laugh or cry” after an eventful Brazilian Grand Prix.

The race, which featured several red flags and safety car periods, looked set to be a good one for Hulkenberg after a strong qualifying.

Both Hulkenberg and team-mate Sergio Perez made up ground in the opening part of the race, but he picked up a puncture and dropped back.

The German driver eventually recovered to seventh place, but it could have been a much stronger result – even a top three finish.

“That was an intense race and I don’t know whether to laugh or cry because I think a possible podium slipped away,” he explained.

“I had great confidence in the car, felt comfortable and I had the pace to push and overtake. There were some scary moments in the race, especially when Kimi crashed in front of me.

“Some of his debris hit my car and caused a lot of damage. At least I survived that, but then I picked up a puncture from the debris, which was so frustrating because it dropped me down to the back of the field.

“Without the puncture, who knows where I might have finished? I’m happy and proud of myself and the team. We did a great job, but we were just missing a bit of luck.”

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Rosberg and Hamilton select same tyres for Abu Dhabi GP

2016 Formula 1 drivers’ title contenders Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have opted for the same tyre compound nominations for this year’s final race in Abu Dhabi.

Rosberg has a 12-point lead ahead of the last round at the Yas Marina Circuit, following Hamilton’s victory at the chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix.

Both drivers will have four soft Pirelli tyres available in Abu Dhabi, going for two sets of super-softs and seven sets of the ultra-soft compound.

Ferrari’s drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel have gone slightly different with their tyres, the former going for one extra set of super-softs, with Vettel having an extra set of softs.

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen have gone for the same tyre nominations too, with an extra set of softs and one less set of ultra-softs each compared to the Mercedes duo.

Few risks have been taken by teams for the final race. Nico Hulkenberg has the most ultra-softs with eight sets, with the Sauber duo picking four super-softs (the highest number for that compound) and several drivers picking five sets of softs.

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Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff wary of mechanical 'nightmare' in finale

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has expressed fears of a mechanical problem wrecking the Formula 1 title decider between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Hamilton kept the championship battle alive with his first Brazilian GP victory last weekend, leading home Rosberg in the rain at Interlagos.

With Rosberg's lead cut to 12 points, the German can afford to finish third at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi in a fortnight and claim his first title, even if Hamilton wins the race.

Wolff, though, is concerned another technical problem could play a part, such as those that have plagued Hamilton this season, or like in Abu Dhabi in 2014 when Rosberg suffered an ERS failure.

"As Bernie [Ecclestone] would have ordered it we now have a showdown in Abu Dhabi," said Wolff.

"There's a 12-point gap so they are going to fight it out on track.

"We just have to give them two cars so they can do that.

"My biggest nightmare is a mechanical issue, but this is how it is."

Given the circumstances of the race in Brazil, with five safety car periods and two red flags that were as a result of the conditions, for Wolff the one-two finish was a surprise.

"You can't expect a one-two in these conditions, it is such a rare achievement," he added.

"You have such tricky conditions and to come away with a one-two, with a faultless drive from Lewis with the best pace in the field, I'm very happy with the result - maybe the best result of the season."

Hamilton added: "All I can do is what I'm doing right now - I'm hunting.

"The team have been giving me a great car, and finally the reliability has been really good. The results are showing that.

"I'm going to go and give it everything I've got in Abu Dhabi, which is generally a really good track for me.

"But right now I'm just going to live in the moment as this [to win in Brazil] has been my dream since the first time I watched Ayrton [Senna] race, when I was five or six years old."

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Sauber boss Kaltenborn 'aged 100 years' during Brazilian Grand Prix

Monisha Kaltenborn felt she "aged 100 years" as she watched her Formula 1 team's "miracle" points score unfold in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Going into the race at Interlagos Sauber sat outside the lucrative top 10 in the constructors' standings for the first time in its history, and was yet to score a point in 2016.

But from a chaotic, rain-hit grand prix Felipe Nasr finished ninth in his home race to claim two points to elevate Sauber above Manor in the standings with only the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi to come.

"It was very tense because you never knew what was going to happen, and we didn't want to be involved in anything," said Kaltenborn.

"For us it was about hanging in there, and if anything came, that we were in the race.

"Manor was taking that kind of approach as well, they were not far behind us [with Esteban Ocon], so there was pressure from all these sides.

"You feel like you aged 100 years in this kind of race, but what was important, and what happened, is we just focused on the race, let the others do what they had to, and to not get away from our concept."

Sauber's precarious financial situation earlier this year resulted in very little car development work taking place prior to its takeover by Longbow Finance in late July.

Progress has since been slow, and ahead of last weekend's race it still appeared unlikely the team would be able to get back into the top 10.

Kaltenborn added: "It's a fantastic feeling.

"We've been seeing things improving since the new owners have come in, we've been getting good people, the performance improving step by step.

"We couldn't do miracles, but this is like a miracle, and we want to enjoy the moment.
"It shows the momentum is there and we'll be back next year."

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McLaren seeks new CEO to replace 'true great' Ron Dennis

McLaren has hailed Ron Dennis as "one of the true greats" of Formula 1 despite now being in the process of seeking a new CEO.

Dennis has stepped down from his roles as chairman and chief executive officer of the McLaren Technology Group, with fellow shareholders Mansour Ojjeh and Bahrain sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat placing him on gardening leave.

The moves follow a two-year behind-the-scenes battle for control of the organisation.

McLaren issued a statement on Tuesday night recognising Dennis's achievements during his time with the team, but insisting it is now appropriate for the company to be given new leadership and direction.

"As of this afternoon Ron Dennis no longer holds the position of chief executive officer of McLaren Technology Group (or its subsidiaries)," the statement read.

"However, he remains a shareholder and a director of the McLaren Technology Group.

"Over the past 35 years Ron's contribution to the success of McLaren has been colossal.

"During his tenure the team won 17 world championships and 158 grands prix, making him the most successful leader in Formula 1 history.

"Like the company's founder, Bruce McLaren, Ron is, and always will be, one of the true greats of the sport."

McLaren said the process of finding a replacement for Dennis in the CEO role had begun.

"McLaren Technology Group is now in the process of seeking a new chief executive officer," the statement added.

"Until such an appointment has been made the company will be run on an interim basis by an executive committee comprising the group's majority shareholders."

McLaren said the decision will be made "in close collaboration with the board of directors and senior management team, all of whom remain utterly committed to the company, its partners, its employees and its fans, and share a passionate determination to build on our many strengths towards future prosperity".

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F1 Strategy Insight: How to adapt to extreme wet conditions

Chief Race Engineer Andrew Shovlin explains how the team adapted its race strategy to the extremely wet conditions during the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix.

 

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Alonso wants McLaren’s 2017 gains to be ‘final step’

Fernando Alonso says McLaren's improvements this season give a promising indication for a similar step in 2017 where he hopes this team can catch the world title contenders. 

After enduring a nightmare 2015 with the return of Honda as McLaren's engine supplier, the former F1 world champion says the huge gains in terms of pace and reliability with its power unit has enabled the whole package to step up and be fine-tuned. 

The results have corresponded with Alonso's comments as the Spaniard claimed just two points finishes throughout 2015 compared to a much higher strike rate of eight top ten results so far in 2016. 

Indeed, McLaren looks set to secure sixth in the F1 world constructors' championship compared to ninth last season and Alonso is looking for a similar rate of improvement in 2017. 

“After struggling a lot last year we found ourselves in a position that we are enjoying and competing with the midfield cars. Next year we want to do the final step and fighting for much more than this,” Alonso said. 

“The last couple of races we will try to improve the car, learn about the car, especially for next year's philosophy of the cars so these are important races even if we are not fighting for anything in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, there are still some important things that we need to answer for ourselves.” 

With the introduction of the new technical regulations as well as wider and fatter Pirelli tyres in 2017, Alonso sees it as an ideal chance for McLaren to use its considerable resources to get ahead of its rivals as it searches for a way back to the front of the F1 grid. 

“I think we have a great opportunity with the new rules, because everything will mix,” he said. “If we are able to produce a quick car from race one we have a chance to do well. 

“On the engine side I think we learn a lot this year, much more than last year because last year it was a weekend that with our power unit we had to survive to make it last until the chequered flag. It was down on power, down on batteries, down on reliability, down on everything, so it was difficult to learn. 

"This year I think we are making a lot more fine-tuning with the engine so I think the knowledge this year will pay off even more next year with the power unit so. 

“I'm quite confident on that so the big question mark is the new rules, the new aerodynamics and on that I am also confident because McLaren is a big team with a lot of resources, with a lot of possibilities so I think it's looking good for next year.” 

McLaren's last podium results came in the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, the dawn of the V6 Hyrbird era in F1, where Kevin Magnussen finished in second on debut while Jenson Button gained a promoted third place after Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was disqualified post-race for a fuel flow infringement.