FORMULA 1 - 2016

[MIKA27]

Grosjean: We could’ve scored points

Haas driver Romain Grosjean has revealed that if it wasn’t for Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen he could have finished in the points at Monaco Grand Prix.

At the time of the incident with his former Lotus teammate, Grosjean was running just outside the top 10 ahead of Williams driver Felipe Massa, who finished in P10.

When Raikkonen made contact with the barrier, the Frenchman tried to take advantage of the situation but when the Finn underteered wide Grosjean was forced to surrender his position to Massa.

“Kimi (Raikkonen) pushed me into the barrier. I had to reverse and that was it. I lost my position and that was the end of my race,” he explained.

“It was hard to keep going behind the Manor car. There was only one dry line and it was impossible to overtake. I did something like 60 laps behind the same car and tried everything I could.

“The good news is that the chassis worked well and we made a good setup.

“I was in front of Massa before the incident, so I think we could’ve scored points, which would’ve been amazing starting where we did.”

[MIKA27]

Hulkenberg: I could’ve been on the podium

Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg will have to continue his search for his first podium after missing out in Monte Carlo.

With his teammate Sergio Perez finishing in third place at the Monacao Grand Prix, the German expressed his frustration as the team couldn’t get his car ahead of the middle pack during the flurry of pit-stops.

Hulkenberg, who crossed the chequered flag in P6, revealed that with the pace he had throughout the race he should have definitely been on the podium.

Completing a last minute move on Championship leader Nico Rosberg, the 28-year-old was also pleased to claim P6 at the last stretch, especially on a track notorious for being hard to overtake.

“It was ultimately a disappointing race for me, despite getting back to scoring points,” he lamented.

“I feel the timing of our first pit stop was wrong and that cost me track position and put me straight into traffic. This effectively ruined my race, as I spent the rest of the afternoon stuck there.

“It’s very frustrating as I had the pace to be on the podium, but this is racing and it’s just the way it often is in Monaco.

“I was able to finally get past Rosberg with a good move on the exit of the final corner: we were on worn out tyres, it started to drizzle and it was very tricky to keep the car facing in the right direction. I got a better exit out of the corner and I think I got him by just a car’s length.

“All in all, I still feel it’s a huge missed opportunity for me. The car was in the sweet spot, it gave me a lot of confidence and I just had a good feeling today, but it was not to be.”

[MIKA27]

Ferrari’s Monaco win drought reaches 15 years

Ferrari and the Monaco Grand Prix are two of the most evocative names in grand prix racing. But F1’s most famous team now hasn’t won F1’s most famous race for 15 years.

Not since Michael Schumacher’s victory in 2001 has the prancing horse led the field home at Monte-Carlo.

The 44th victory for the driver of car number 44 has been a long time coming by his recent standards. But on Sunday Lewis Hamilton finally scored not only his first win since clinching his third world championship in October last year, but also his long-awaited second Monaco Grand Prix triumph.

Ferrari’s last Monaco Grand Prix win was in 2001

Curiously, at a track where the winner usually comes from pole position, Hamilton won from third on the grid as he did in 2008. Both his Monaco Grand Prix wins also came in the only significantly rain-affected races he’s started at this track.

Victory for Hamilton meant Nico Rosberg’s streak of three consecutive Monaco wins came to an end. Ayrton Senna’s record run of five in a row, set between 1989 and 1993, is safe for now. Mercedes took their fourth Monaco win in a row, leaving them two shy of McLaren’s record of six scored between 1988 and 1993.

Hamilton has now won grands prix in ten consecutive seasons of racing – every year’s he’s competed in Formula One. That equals Alain Prost’s achievement between 1981 and 1990 and leaves only Michael Schumacher’s 15-year-long streak from 1992 to 2006 left to beat. Hamilton also added the 29th fastest lap of his career, putting him fifth on the all-time list.

Ricciardo took his first pole position

Daniel Ricciardo was denied his fourth grand prix victory, which means he and Hamilton now have as many grand prix victories as their race numbers – 3 and 44 respectively. Continuing the theme, Mercedes now have 50 grand prix victories which happens to be the sum of their two drivers’ race numbers: 44 and 6. One more win will put them level with Red Bull.

It will be of little consolation to Ricciardo that he took his first pole position. He is the 97th driver to start a race from the front and was the first new pole sitter since Pastor Maldonado in the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix.

Ricciardo is also the only driver to have out-qualified his team mate at every race this year, as Esteban Gutierrez beat Romain Grosjean for the first time this weekend.

This was the first time in 11 races that a grand prix began with something other than a Mercedes on pole position. The team’s 11-race streak of pole positions is the sixth-longest of all time.

Nico Hulkenberg made his hundredth start – but still no podium

Sergio Perez took his sixth podium finish and the fourth for Force India, all bar one of which he is responsible for. It’s a galling outcome for Nico Hulkenberg, however: he finished his 100th career F1 start without a podium once more while his team mate, who will reach the same century at the next race, has taken half-a-dozen from 99 starts*.
If Hulkenberg ever finishes on the podium he will break Martin Brundle’s record of taking 91 starts to achieve a podium finish. The record for most starts without a podium finish is held by Adrian Sutil, with 128.

For the fifth race running Williams achieved the fastest complete pit stop time for one of their drivers. As Valtteri Bottas failed to score Felipe Massa is now the only driver in the field who has scored points in every race so far this year.

 

[MIKA27]

McLaren "not jumping up and down" over Monaco GP result

McLaren boss Eric Boullier says that Fernando Alonso's fifth place in Monaco can't disguise the fact that the team still has a long way to go to catch the pacesetters.

The team secured its second double-points finish of the season, with teammate Jenson Button coming home in ninth position.

Boullier said that the result was a useful boost, and at least showed that the team can take its chances when they come around.

"I'm not excited more than this," he told Motorsport.com. "We are here to win races, we made the best of the weekend, we had both cars in the points, which is good. That's it, job done.

"It was a team result. The team did a good job, the drivers drove cleverly and faultlessly, and they managed the tyres.

"It's good for the team and I'm happy for the team. We took the opportunity. But we want more pace, we want to be more competitive."

Regarding expected Honda upgrades, he said: "It's coming, but it's not going to be a revolution.

"We are still not fastest, which is why I'm not jumping up and down."

[MIKA27]

MONACO MARSHALS HAILED AS BEST IN THE WORLD

Perhaps nowhere in the world is the vital role played by motor sport marshals and safety officials more apparent than at the Monaco Grand Prix. The narrow city streets are steeped in history and glamour, but the speed and intensity of modern Formula 1 puts the spotlight on safety at every visit.

Undoubtedly the key to the safe running of the event is thorough, timely marshalling – something that we see year in, year out at Monaco. Following the 2016 race, which saw seven cars fail to finish, the podium trio were quick to give praise to the ever-professional marshals at the circuit.

“I’ve been racing for such a long time and seen thousands and thousands of marshals that turn up every year to look out for our safety and for sure it’s not mentioned anywhere near enough,” said race winner Lewis Hamilton. “So I would like to absolutely thank them. They do it for the love of the sport and I’m massively appreciative of them.

“Also being able to go on the track knowing that if something was to happen to me in the car, I’m confident that these guys could get me out to safety in the best way possible.”

Hamilton’s sentiments were echoed by pole-sitter and eventual runner-up Daniel Ricciardo, who added, “The marshals here are by far the best in the world. We obviously travel around the world and not taking anything away from wherever else we go, but the efficiency and the way they are able to clean up and keep the race going, basically keeping it exciting for the fans, letting us race but still doing it safety, it’s impressive, it’s impressive how they work here.”

Indeed, Ricciardo’s team-mate and winner of the Spanish Grand Prix last time out, Max Verstappen, ended both qualifying and the race in the barriers, but thanks to the hard work of the marshal teams there was minimal impact on the sessions. Ricciardo concluded, “There’s always crashes, there’s always incidents and yeah, they’re able to be very efficient and honestly keep us safe, as Lewis said. So I 100 per cent appreciate everything they do.”

In addition to it being the first ever race start at Monaco under safety car conditions, there were four virtual safety car periods to deal with the more serious instances of debris and damaged cars. The unforgiving barriers and tricky conditions meant there was a regular need to clear pieces of carbon fibre from the circuit, and that this was done in a safe and timely manner is testament to the professionalism of all involved.

Finally third-placed driver Sergio Perez, who knows better than most how unforgiving the streets of Monaco are having had a major accident in 2011, added his thanks to the team of marshals and safety officials. He said, “What I can say is that I remember my crash in 2011 and they did a fantastic job to get me out of the car in very difficult situations and in the end I just want to thank them because they do an extremely good job. I think it’s the most difficult track for that and they show how good they are, so I really want to thank them a lot for the job they do and their love of the sport. I think they are simply the best marshals in the world.”

 

[MIKA27]

FERRARI IN CRISIS TRUMPET ITALIAN MEDIA

Ferrari has gone from targeting Formula 1 title glory to drowning itself in a growing crisis, according to the Italian press.

Having aimed to chase and unseat dominant Mercedes this year, the Maranello outfit was in fact beaten to the win in Barcelona by Red Bull, and then to the Monaco podium by Force India’s Sergio Perez.

“Force India did a better job than us,” Sebastian Vettel, taking the blame for missing the podium on Sunday, said.

But La Gazzetta dello Sport insists: “Vettel took a responsibility that is not his. He fights with a car that has no leadership ability and a Maranello that is on the wrong track.”

Corriere della Sera, however, suggested German Vettel might be right to take some of the blame.

“Vettel appears a sad relative of the driver who took hold of the Scuderia last year,” the newspaper exclaimed.

And La Stampa added: “In Monaco, Hamilton laughs again after a seven-month losing streak, while Maranello must deal with its crisis still.”

Tuttosport noted after Monaco: “For Ferrari, this time it was the pilots who flopped.”

Indeed, the Italian media was particularly scathing of Kimi Raikkonen, after a notably poor Monaco for the 2007 world champion.

La Gazzetta dello Sport gave the Finn just five out of ten for his weekend, which ended with a lazy slide into the barrier. They reported: “A disaster. With his experience, he should not be in the rails after just ten laps. It is not acceptable.”

 

[Bartolomeo]

Lewis got screwed last year, this year it was Daniel, feel bad

 

always enjoy Monaco

 

how about Rossi!!!!!

[MIKA27]

DID ERICSSON CRASH INTO NASR DELBERATELY?

Sauber drivers Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr have apologised to their furious team manager for their silly and avoidable collisions as they fought it out for minor placings during the Monaco Grand Prix, but a Brazilian F1 correspondent claims that the Swede might have acted deliberately.

Team boss Monisha Kaltenborn, who is struggling to keep the team alive financially, said both Ericsson and Felipe Nasr had shown “unacceptable behaviour” leading up to the crash.

It was Ericsson who was punished by the stewards, but Globo claims Kaltenborn actually apportions “100 per cent” of the blame to Nasr, after he repeatedly ignored radio instructions to let his teammate past.

In a subsequent report by correspondent Rafael Lopes, the same Brazilian outlet cited a source that is ‘very close’ to the Swiss team in revealing that Ericsson actually admitted behind closed doors in Monaco that he had punted Nasr off deliberately.

Kaltenborn was furious after the race, “It was unacceptable behaviour by both drivers. Today the work of the whole team ended in a collusion. Marcus and Felipe both know how much work is put into every race weekend. They have the responsibility to make it to the end of the race.”

“After evaluating the overall situation, it was important to bring the fastest car as far as possible to the front, so that we were able to used any chances. Our decision was based on the data from both cars. After this, we have clarified the situation internally and both drivers are aware of their responsibilities. Such an incident will not happen again,” vowed Kaltenborn.

Ericsson explained, “When the tyres started to work, I caught Felipe, but got stuck behind him. I was told that Felipe received a call (to move aside for Ericsson) via the radio. Then I saw a gap and tried to overtake him, but we all saw what then happened.”

“It is a difficult situation for us, and it is even more important to stick together as a team in these times. I apologise, and I am sure that this will not happen again in the future,” he added.

Nasr gave his side of the story, “It is a shame that neither of us finished. It is the worst scenario that can happen for us. Marcus and I were on different strategies, so his second pit-stop was earlier. My tyres started to get up to temperature, and I was catching the cars in front. For me, it was not the right timing to swap positions.”

“Suddenly, in La Rascasse, I felt my car being hit. It is disappointing as the whole team works very hard. I apologise for what happened; we need to make sure that this will never happen again,” concluded the Brazilian.

[MIKA27]

F1 POPULARITY ON THE RISE AGAIN IN GERMANY

The popularity of Formula 1 might be back on the rise, after the German broadcaster RTL last weekend recorded its best TV ratings in three years.

Bild newspaper said 5.81 million Germans watched the free-to-air coverage of Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo dicing for the Monaco win.

“Formula one is offering something again,” German-language F1 pundit Christian Danner said. “The Mercedes crash, Verstappen winning a race at 18, now the spectators are rewarding tha.”

Not only that, after two consecutive years of easy dominance, Mercedes is being pushed harder by Red Bull and Ferrari in 2016, resulting in signs of reliability weakness from the reigning world champions.

“We are pushing all the systems to the limit,” confirmed team boss Toto Wolff.

“As frustrating as it is for us to have repeated problems, it is good for formula one that the competition is pushing us harder now,” he added.

Another German-language pundit, Marc Surer, agreed: “The audience recognises that Mercedes now has some competition.”

It is also good news for German grand prix promoter Georg Seiler, whose Hockenheim race has suffered in recent years with dwindling audiences.

“May the chaos at the top continue,” he declared. “Now we need a win for Sebastian Vettel and we can look forward to a mega-exciting race in July.”

[MIKA27]

MONZA APPEAR TO HAVE A DEAL WITH ECCLESTONE

Monza officials may finally have shaken hands with Bernie Ecclestone on a new deal to secure the future of the Italian Grand Prix.

The negotiations have been public, fraught and protracted but Italian automobile club chief Angelo Sticchi Damiani agreed terms last weekend in Monaco, according to Sky Italia.

“After the drafting of the contracts, the announcement regarding the years 2017-2020 will be made,” the report added.

Sky said the latest meeting in Monaco, also attended by Ecclestone’s long-time friend and business partner Flavio Briatore, resulted in a deal regarding the until-now disputed financial value of the new contract beyond 2016.

The report continued: “Ecclestone has always said that his handshake is worth more than a written contract. Now the formal part will follow and, if everything goes well, Monza will announce the renewal shortly.”

[MIKA27]

First test run completed at the Baku City Circuit

Euroformula Open driver Gulhuseyn Abdullayev has given the Baku City Circuit its maiden test run, becoming the first racing driver to sample the new track.

The Baku circuit is set to make its debut next month hosting the returning Formula 1 European Grand Prix.

Measuring 3.732 miles and with 20 corners, the Hermann Tilke-designed street layout passes some of the Azerbaijan capital’s most iconic landmarks, including the Azadliq Square and Old City.

The European Grand Prix takes place from the 17-19 June in Baku, with the new addition boosting this year's F1 calendar to 21 races.

Ahead of its first event, 19-year-old local driver Abdullayev became the first to sample racing machinery around the track, completing four laps at the wheel of the previous-spec GP3 car.

"The Baku City Circuit consists of a combination of both slow and fast turns," he said after the test run.

"In general, this track has a very unique layout. Unlike other street tracks, Baku City Circuit has sufficient width as well."

 

[MIKA27]

Teams favour ultrasoft for Canada; Renault, Haas go extreme

Pirelli has confirmed which tyres each driver will have available to them during the Canadian Grand Prix in a fortnight, with the majority favouring the ultrasoft compound.

The leading teams have all converged on similar strategies, with Mercedes opting for eight sets of the ultrasoft for both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, two of the supersoft and three of the soft compounds.

Ferrari, Williams and Red Bull have chosen seven sets of the ultrasoft each, though they differ on their allocation of supersofts and softs, with Red Bull opting for an additional set of the more durable yellow soft tyre.

Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa are the only team-mates to have chosen slightly different strategies, with the former electing for just two sets of the soft and one more of the supersoft.

Renault and Haas have gone for an aggressive strategy which sees both teams completely ignore the supersoft in favour of additional sets of the soft for Renault (5) and ultrasofts for Haas (10).

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve isn't aggressive on tyres, hence the same line-up as Monaco, with one stops likely, though some drivers may opt for two if it proves quicker.

[skalls]

7 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

MONZA APPEAR TO HAVE A DEAL WITH ECCLESTONE

Monza officials may finally have shaken hands with Bernie Ecclestone on a new deal to secure the future of the Italian Grand Prix.

The negotiations have been public, fraught and protracted but Italian automobile club chief Angelo Sticchi Damiani agreed terms last weekend in Monaco, according to Sky Italia.

“After the drafting of the contracts, the announcement regarding the years 2017-2020 will be made,” the report added.

Sky said the latest meeting in Monaco, also attended by Ecclestone’s long-time friend and business partner Flavio Briatore, resulted in a deal regarding the until-now disputed financial value of the new contract beyond 2016.

The report continued: “Ecclestone has always said that his handshake is worth more than a written contract. Now the formal part will follow and, if everything goes well, Monza will announce the renewal shortly.”

Not having monza on the year would be in a word stupid.  

[MIKA27]

10 minutes ago, Bartolomeo said:

Lewis got screwed last year, this year it was Daniel, feel bad

 

always enjoy Monaco

 

how about Rossi!!!!!

Shock as rookie wins 100th Indianapolis 500

The 100th running of the famous Indianapolis 500 saw a former Formula One driver becoming a surprise first rookie winner since 2001.

Manor reserve driver Alexander Rossi took victory on his first attempt at the Indianapolis 500 with a brilliantly calculated fuel-saving drive. In just his first season of Indycar Rossi has had a tough start to the year but has showed signs of improvement, and eleventh in qualifying was another step forward. He never looked like a contender though until he was left out during a late caution to clear the wrecked cars of Mikhail Aleshin and Conor Daly, and despite falling out of sync with everyone else and pitting 36 laps from the end for fuel, he nursed his car to the finish.
Carlos Munoz finished an equally surprising second to complete a one-two for Andretti while Josef Newgarden was disappointed with third and likewise pole sitter James Hinchcliffe, who could only manage seventh. Juan Pablo Montoya’s hopes of defending the win he took last year vanished early on as he caused the first caution, while Sage Karam also crashed.

Meanwhile two cars were eliminated from the scrap for the win after a tangle in the pits. Townsend Bell was released into the path of Helio Castroneves and spun into Ryan Hunter-Reay – who still led the most laps – causing both of them to require new front wings and lose a lap, while Castroneves escaped without damage. Championship leader Simon Pagenaud was never quite in contention, and failed to recover after he was dropped to the back of the pack for pit-lane indiscretion.

 

[MIKA27]

How Mercedes is responding to the Red Bull threat

With Red Bull closing the gap to Formula 1 pacesetters Mercedes, the Silver Arrows introduced a number of innovations for the Monaco weekend in a bid to stay ahead, as Giorgio Piola and Matt Somerfield explain.

Mercedes

Mercedes continues to make alterations to its front brake duct, utilising its sixth iteration in six races. For Monaco, the triangular vane last used in Russia returned to the upper corner of the vertical brake duct fin.

Meanwhile, the inlet and mesh design first used in Russia was also bought much further forward in order to get the right amount of airflow through to the brakes on the slower streets of the principality.

Although it's not been employed at the last few races, Teflon spray could be found on the upper front corner of the brake duct once more, limiting the amount of debris/rubber that could build up around the inlet and hamper performance.

Mercedes has made numerous changes to its front end during the opening races, with a few detailed in the 2D animation above.

As we have seen in previous seasons at Monaco, the Cobra vane that protrudes from the brake duct was shortened. This changes how the airflow shed from it moves downstream, improving performance of the floor and sidepod undercut.

The bodywork around the intersection with forward leg of the upper wishbone was opened up to cope with the power unit's cooling demands at the low speed street circuit (usual specification inset).

Meanwhile, in the main image it is also worth noting that Mercedes changed the rear brake drums to one that featured several cutouts.

These not only help manage brake temperatures but can be critical to the temperature of the rear tyres too, as the heat generated by the brakes radiates into the wheel rim.

 

The monkey seat which had a slot introduced in the upper element in Barcelona had a gurney trim added to the trailing edge (highlighted in green), in order to change the point at which the airflow upwashes underneath the wing, which was also being run at a steeper angle of attack to improve downforce.

Force India

Force India arrived in Monaco with yet another new floor, having installed a fresh design in Barcelona.

The changes to the floor are once again centred around the control of 'tyre squirt' the phenomenon that see's airflow pushed laterally into the diffusers path as the tyre deforms under load.

The use of slots in the floor ahead of the tyre help to change the shape of the oncoming airflow before it makes its way onto the tyre, therefore changing the shape of the airflow as it passes by the tyre, improving the diffusers performance.

The design employed in Monaco featured 15 straighter slots ahead of a 16th L-shaped slot. This elevated number of slots has become a trend up and down the grid, started by McLaren last season and uses much more of the floor, rather than concentrating efforts on a more controlled region just ahead of the tyre.

The low-speed nature of Monaco means that the point at which airflow is shed by the front aerodynamic structures is changed and so the more forward placement of the slots is indicative of where the air meets with the floors edge.

Williams

It's fair to say that Williams is a little adrift of where it would expect to be this season, primarily because of the Red Bull resurgence, however, it has been suffering some of its own issues along the way.

Having set up a wet weather and low-speed working group last season, it is constantly trying to resolve issues it faced in the past. Based on these past discretions, you'd expect them to have struggled significantly on the wet low speed streets of Monaco, but it seems to have made some progress.

In order to change the airflow around the front of the floor and sidepod undercut, a revised layout and geometry of the fins attached to the front brake duct were used.

Meanwhile, in order to mitigate the cooling requirements for the low speed circuit changes were made, adding two slits behind the louvres, allowing more heat to be rejected.

At the rear of the FW38, a new monkey seat was employed to help change the point at which the exhaust plume and surrounding airflow upwashes under the wing, improving stability and increasing downforce.

The monkey seat was reminiscent of the one used on the FW37 but rather than being mounted on the crash structure it was hung from the rear wing support pylon from a central spar, primarily because of the placement of the two wastegate exhausts which run either side of the main exhaust this season.

Manor Racing

Manor arrived with a new, more complex monkey seat in Monaco, changing the point at which the airflow and exhaust plume it manipulates is received by the rear wing, which itself is being run with more angle of attack to improve downforce.

Considering its relatively low budget, it's impressive that Manor has also changed its rear wing mounting pylon to one that intersects with the exhaust in a similar fashion to several other teams on the grid (Toro Rosso - see below, Ferrari, Sauber, Haas and McLaren).

The intersecting pylon will bring a marginal weight advantage over the Y-Lon design previously used but also have an aerodynamic effect. The pylon will straighten the exhaust plume as it exits, changing its effect on the surrounding airflow.

[MIKA27]

Frustrated Kvyat teases future beyond Red Bull fold

Daniil Kvyat has revealed he is considering an F1 future outside of the Red Bull fold, suggesting problems by Toro Rosso in the Monaco Grand Prix will make him 'look for a change in situation'. 

The Russian driver began the season with Red Bull Racing but was demoted to the Toro Rosso 'B' team in a direct swap with Max Verstappen ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, a race the young Dutchman went on to sensationally win. 

Coming despite Kvyat having scored a podium with the team at the Chinese Grand Prix, though he is the first driver to be given the chance to stay within Red Bull's F1 fold, the former GP3 champion says this doesn't mean his future is set. 

Indeed, after technical issues with his STR11 left him at the back of the field for the start of the Monaco Grand Prix, Kvyat says 'things going wrong' will prompt him to look elsewhere. 

“Yes,” he replied when asked whether he is considering other options. “I was on for a fight this weekend, I am giving my absolute best to Toro Rosso and I want to reward this team with a lot of points. But you cannot start in a race where should have been in the race to score a lot of points, it's really frustrating. 

“I want to give everything to this team, but when all of these things start to go wrong you look for a change of the situation.” 

With Kvyat eventually retiring from the race after colliding with Kevin Magnussen – for which he was blamed and given penalty points -, he says he will try and take charge of his future, but is in no rush. 

“I usually try to do things my own way, but if I need someone I will always have someone behind me. But at the moment it's early days, if I need someone I will have help outside of Red Bull. First I want to focus on these races, I want to have strong races with Toro Rosso because it's easier to go forward with good results in your hand.” 

“I am not leaving it too late, everyone is human and everyone can talk. If we need to talk, we talk. When there is a time to tell something to the media I will let you know. At the moment I don't want to let you know.” 

[MIKA27]

Rosberg wants to be at Mercedes for ‘many more years’

Nico Rosberg insists he is not focusing his attentions on contract negotiations for the 2017 Formula 1 season, but insists he wants to stay with Mercedes for 'many more years'. 

Despite a difficult Monaco Grand Prix run to seventh and a retirement in the Spanish Grand Prix, Rosberg's four race wins so far this season keep him a comfortable 24 points clear of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton after six events. 

However, a year on from when Hamilton firmed up a three-year deal ahead of the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix, some question marks remain over Rosberg's plans beyond the end of his current deal this year. 

With former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger reportedly being enlisted to join contract negotiations, Rosberg – who was linked with a Ferrari approach ahead of this year's Monaco race – remains certain he will be staying at Mercedes. 

“It's not something that I've been thinking about, it's not really at the top of my mind,” he insisted. “It's not been before this weekend and it won't be after this race and to just repeat, I am happy at Mercedes and Mercedes is pleased with me so I am sure I will be here for many more years.” 

It is understood negotiations are stalling over the length of the deal, with Mercedes seeking a similar long-term agreement to that of Hamilton following his strong start to the 2016 season.

[MrGlass]

Slightly off topic, but Sportsbet issued a "Justice Refund" following Monaco:

 

What a load of Red Bullsh*t!

Aussie legend Daniel Ricciardo was on his way to his fourth Formula One victory in Monaco overnight, before he was sabotaged by his own team!

Thirty two laps into the famous French race, the Red Bull team completely stuffed Ricciardo’s pit change, costing the Aussie precious seconds and eventually the chequered flag to British twerp Lewis Hamilton.

Well, we’re not having it.

So we’ve refunded bets placed on Daniel Ricciardo to win the Monaco GP.

The Justice Refund means over $79,000 has been returned to Sportsbet punters who backed the Aussie for victory.

“It’s the pits. Ricciardo is like a bull in a china shop and so too are our punters who backed him, so we’ve taken some of the disappointment off the shambolic result by refunding bets on the Aussie to win the race,’’ said sportsbet.com.au’s Will Byrne.

[capitalpg]

Not F1, but Rossi (who got forced out of an F1 seat this year) just won the Indy 500.  Very very cool.  Ran out of fuel but had enough of a lead to coast in.

That was awesome!

[capitalpg]

Don't know what's going on at Ferrari, but they appear to moving in the wrong direction. Getting extremely frustrated as I believed strides in the right direction were being made early season.

RBR is for real.

Lewis got a gift on this one.

[MIKA27]

28 minutes ago, capitalpg said:

Don't know what's going on at Ferrari, but they appear to moving in the wrong direction. Getting extremely frustrated as I believed strides in the right direction were being made early season.

RBR is for real.

Lewis got a gift on this one.

I think the head of Ferrari needs to seriously step back and allow the team and Engineers to get on with it, unhindered.

I feel there is way too much pressure from him looming around and perhaps this is what they need to get the job done. Saying this, both Kimi and Seb are rather lacklustre this season. Surprisingly Seb IMO.

[MIKA27]

ARRIVABENE: YOU WILL SEE ANOTHER FERRARI IN CANADA

Ferrari is eyeing a step forward for Canada, after not only failing to catch Mercedes but even falling behind Red Bull at the last two races.

Sections of the partisan Italian media are now calling it a “crisis”, but team boss Maurizio Arrivabene is vowing to hit back.

“We will accelerate some developments for Canada – you will see another Ferrari,” he is quoted by Speed Week amid speculation of a further engine upgrade.

“In order to become competitive, we must make improvements at every race, and that is what is planned,” the Italian added.

But Arrivabene suggested the biggest problem is a mysterious loss of ability to stay in Pirelli’s tyre operating ‘window’ between the early and later stages of qualifying.

“It’s absurd to go into Q1 fastest and not be able to repeat it in Q2 and Q3,” he said. “We need a deep analysis of what happens between the chassis and the tyres with the temperatures and the pressures,” he added.

As for the suggestion Ferrari has already fallen behind a resurgent Red Bull, Arrivabene hit back at that notion, “If it is Red Bull that is Ferrari’s problem, then I just go home now.”

[MIKA27]

MAGNUSSEN: FORMULA 1 MUST BE SAFE FIRST THEN SEXY

Formula 1 must defer to “safety” over “sexy” when it comes to preventing more deaths, according to Kevin Magnussen.

It emerged after a meeting in Monaco last week that the sport has now decided to push ahead with introducing the controversial ‘halo’ concept for cockpit protection in 2017.

It is believed the 2017 version will be made of titanium and more elegant than the ‘halo’ tested by Ferrari earlier this season, but many preferred Red Bull’s alternative ‘aeroscreen’ concept.

“It’s hard to judge without having tried them,” Renault driver Magnussen told Ekstra Bladet. “The screen looks nicer than the halo, but fortunately it’s not up to me to make these decisions.”

As for claims the cockpit coverings are too ugly for a sport that should be attractive and glamorous, Magnussen answered: “Formula 1  should be sexy, but we also need to do everything we can for safety.

“I don’t really want it, but I also don’t want myself or anyone else to die. So if it helps with safety then you have to introduce it,” he said.

What Magnussen is fully supportive of are in the new tyre and chassis regulations for 2017.

“I think the cars should be faster,” he agreed. “They’ve been getting slower and slower since 2004 while safety has been getting better and better. I would have preferred that while safety is going up, so too is the speed of the cars.”

 

[MIKA27]

ALONSO WANTS UPGRADE FOR CANADA BUT HONDA UNSURE

McLaren and Honda have played down Fernando Alonso’s claim that the decision to take an upgraded engine to Canada next weekend has already been taken.

The Anglo-Japanese team expected a more competitive weekend on the twisty streets of Monaco last weekend but Spaniard Alonso remains upbeat about what is coming.

“There is much room for improvement,” the sports daily Marca quotes him as saying. “We’re going to Canada with some improvements, particularly with the engine. Let’s see if we start to use some tokens and can be more competitive.”

But McLaren team boss Eric Boullier denies a decision has been taken, telling Marca: “About the engine in Canada? No, certainly not.”

And a Honda spokesman agreed: “It is not decided yet.”

Finally, Red Bull said it is looking forward to seeing how its package fares in Canada, after Max Verstappen won in Barcelona and Daniel Ricciardo dominated almost all weekend in Monaco with Renault’s latest upgrade.

“The real test for us will be in Montreal,” said team boss Christian Horner. “It’s a completely different place compared to the last two circuits.”

[MIKA27]

VILLENEUVE SAYS SAFETY CAR START IN MONACO RIDICULOUS

Jacques Villeneuve has slammed Formula 1’s race director for starting the ‘jewel in the crown’ Monaco race last Sunday behind the safety car.

The 1997 world champion said it was “ridiculous” that just because it was raining in the Principality for the race start, the normal grid start was called off and the drivers did seven laps behind the safety car.

“Seven laps behind the safety car — that’s ridiculous,” Villeneuve, the 11-time grand prix winner who is now a pundit for Italian television, told Motorsport-Magazin.com. “These are not tourists, they are the best paid drivers in the world.

“Formula one is already losing fans and things like this do not help at all because it makes the drivers look not like gladiators but weaklings,” the French Canadian charged.

45-year-old Villeneuve admitted that racing in the rain on a street circuit like Monaco is dangerous, but what happened on Sunday was not the right look for F1.

“It’s risky but they’re professionals,” he said. “Let them start, or change the rules so that we never start in the rain.”

 

MIKA: I never agree with JV but I wholeheartedly agree with him here. Standing start or nothing IMO