FORMULA 1 - 2016


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F1 Canadian GP: Monaco a turning point for Force India – Mallya

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Force India boss Vijay Mallya says his team can use its Monaco Grand Prix success as a springboard into the remainder of the 2016 F1 season after a lucrative weekend saw it return to the podium and climb to fifth in the constructors' standings. 

Having struggled for consistent form in the opening five rounds of the season, Monaco marked a turnaround in fortunes for the Silverstone-based team, with Sergio Perez's measured drive in tricky conditions yielding an unexpected podium alongside Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo. 

Coupled to Nico Hulkenberg's run to sixth place, the 23 point haul sees Force India leap up to fifth overall ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, momentum team principal Mallya believes it can now maintain over the coming events. 

“The Monaco performance means we come to Canada full of confidence. The 23 points we claimed in Monaco lifted us to fifth place in the championship. I've been saying all season that our luck needs to change and I hope that Monaco represents a turning point. 

“We now have some momentum and I believe we can push on and keep racking up the points in the races to come. Montreal should play to our strengths and I'm feeling optimistic that we can get both cars well inside the top ten in qualifying and the race.” 

Reflecting on the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Mallya was full of praise for Perez's efforts, describing his podium as a moment he will never forget. 

“Monaco was a very significant weekend for us,” he said. “It's one of the most famous races in the world and I felt incredibly proud to see Checo standing on the podium. It's a memory that will stay with me forever. 

“It was a brilliant team effort and a much deserved reward for all the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes to keep pushing us forward. There was some late drama too with Nico snatching sixth place on the line in a race where the strategy didn't allow him to show his true potential.

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He screwed himself.  No one forced him to drive that aggressively onto the curb.  Did drivers get screwed by the wall in Monaco when they slam into it?  By qualifying everyone knew what the curbs were

Ha Ha

I thought it was a fairly entertaining race. McLaren had some speed, Alonso would would've been a p7 or 8 had he not had that horrific crash. Renault engines, when the work, look to have decent pace

HEINEKEN AND F1 ANNOUNCE MULTI-YEAR DEAL

Heineken F1

Heineken and Formula One announced a multi-year global partnership on Thursday that the Dutch brewer said would complement their existing platforms, including a long-standing sponsorship of European soccer’s Champions League.

No financial details were given for the deal, announced at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The partnership will start in September with title sponsorship of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

From 2017, Heineken will be the title partner of three grands prix as well as Formula One’s exclusive global beer partner. No branding will appear on race cars.

The following was announced on the official F1 website:

Heineken and Formula One Management (FOM) have reached an agreement for Heineken to become a Global Partner of Formula 1, This significant partnership will start this year at the newly renamed Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken D’Italia 2016, in Monza, and run for a multi-year term.

From the 2017 F1 season onwards, Heineken will be the F1 Event Title Partner of three Formula 1 Grands Prix (GP). It will also have a significant presence at several additional F1 Events chosen by Heineken® and Formula One Management. Heineken will be the exclusive Global Beer Partner of Formula 1 and will also have substantial pouring, activation and access rights across the majority of F1 Events in the FIA Formula One World Championship. Heineken will not be visible on any F1 cars.

Heineken will create fully integrated global F1 ‘Open your World’ manifesto and “If You Drive, Never Drink” campaigns. Activations will include F1 circuit branding, TV commercials, digital activations, live fan experiences and events, dedicated PR initiatives, and packaging/point-of-sale activations. David Coulthard and Sir Jackie Stewart will be ambassadors for the respective campaigns.

Gianluca Di Tondo, Senior Director Global Heineken Brand at Heineken, said; “Formula One is bigger than a race. It is a global event. F1 represents a unique opportunity for Heineken to engage with existing and potential consumers in important growth markets. F1 delivers in three specific areas; strong commercial opportunities; expansion of our responsible drinking platform in new and innovative ways; and enabling skill transfers between F1 and our employees.”

He added: “This partnership complements our existing global platforms, enabling us to reach F1’s huge spectator numbers and 400 million unique television viewers every year. The hallmark of our long and successful relationships with UEFA Champions League, Rugby World Cup and the James Bond franchise is our passion to excite our consumers. We will be bringing this passion to Formula One.”

Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of the Formula One group, said; “Heineken is a premium international brand with a super reputation for first class marketing. I am very pleased to welcome them to the Formula One family and look forward to the scale and quality of their activation at and away from F1 Events. We are both in the innovation and enjoyment business and I hope that this is the start of a long and special relationship. When I have a beer, I have always been happy with a Heineken”.

Central to the partnership will be a clearly articulated and compelling ‘responsibility’ message. The Formula 1® global platform will provide Heineken® with even greater opportunities, globally and locally, to drive positive change. Consumers will be left in no doubt that Heineken® and Formula 1® are both clear; “If You Drive, Never Drink”.

The new campaign will build on Heineken’s long standing commitment to use its flagship brand to convey the responsibility message. Heineken® invests 10% of the brand’s global media spend on dedicated responsible consumption campaigns such as Moderate Drinkers Wanted and Dance More Drink Slow. The message is also delivered through sponsorship platforms such as UEFA Champions League and Rugby World Cup where one third of all pitch side advertising is dedicated to the message. As well as at hundreds of music festivals and shows around the world. The messaging also appeared on more than 8 billion bottles and cans in 2015.

Bernie Ecclestone added; “Some time ago I started a ‘Think Before You Drive’ campaign at F1 Events. I am pleased that this important initiative now has such strong and committed support from Heineken, through its “If You Drive, Never Drink” campaign. We will now evolve and reinforce these messages in a way that reflects the Heineken personality and values.”

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VILLENEUVE: FORMULA 1 IS NOT GLADIATORIAL ANYMORE

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Jacques Villeneuve prefers the “excessive” F1 of the past, compared to today’s “sober” equivalent.

“It’s not boring,” said the 1997 world champion, “but it’s not the same.”

F1 has grown and evolved in the almost two decades since the French Canadian beat legend Michael Schumacher to the title, but the sport has found itself in a period of soul-searching amid declining spectator interest.

“It begs the question,” Villeneuve, now a television pundit, told La Presse newspaper in Montreal. “What do we want from F1?

“For me, this sober F1 is not excessive. For me it’s not gladiatorial, which is what made me love the sport. Often there was no real action but people recognised the talent and risk that these drivers were taking and playing with.”

Asked why F1 is lacking some of that today, 45-year-old Villeneuve answered: “Because it’s forbidden to hurt yourself, I guess.

“There is this position of the FIA to put an emphasis on road safety and use F1 to push that image.”

He said F1’s democratic voting systems have also hurt the sport, but said Force India and Sauber’s argument that huge budgets are to blame is not right.

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“The budgets were always huge,” said Villeneuve. “Formula one is not socialism. If you’re not good enough, well, go home, that’s all.

“If you look at some small teams, like Manor or Sauber now, they don’t even try to be an F1 team, they are just trying to survive. F1 is a business — it was never the purpose to have everyone within the same second.”

The problem, Villeneuve argues, is that F1 has become not only obsessed with safety but also ‘the show’.

“We tried to turn F1 into a TV show, and that’s the big mistake. Now we have lots of passing but never on the edge of your seat, wondering if the driver will make the pass. There’s nothing exciting about it now.

“We have to stop saying that F1 is just a show. F1 is supposed to be extreme; it’s supposed to be expensive; it’s supposed to be something unreachable.

“It’s supposed to take a driver six months to be physically able to drive the car.

“No, F1 is now a show, F1 is the pinnacle of motor racing and a show in itself. In their day, everyone looked at Prost and Senna and said ‘In my life, I will never be able to do that’, and that was enough to make people dream,” said Villeneuve.

 

MIKA: I NEVER agree with JV but in this article, I completely do. 

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F1 IN MONTREAL NOT IN DECLINE SAYS PROMOTER

Francois Dumontier

Amid declining television and spectator numbers, Canada is one of Formula 1’s exceptions.

“As promoters, there are 21 different markets,” said Francois Dumontier, organiser of the popular annual Canadian grand prix in Montreal.

“The reality in Sochi or Abu Dhabi is not the same as it is in Montreal,” he told La Presse ahead of the race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. We are far from being in decline.”

Renault team boss Frederic Vasseur agrees: “The interest of the public is not necessarily down everywhere.”

In fact, he argues there is little wrong with today’s F1 spectacle.

“When we complain today about Mercedes’ dominance, I recall the years when McLaren won 15 of the 16 races, or Mansell won 14 of 17. It was always like this,” Vasseur added.

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Kimi hopes to stay on at Ferrari

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Although Kimi Raikkonen wants to continue his Ferrari stay through into 2017, he admits the decision does not rest with him.

The Finn returned to Ferrari, with whom he won the 2007 World title, in 2014 but has failed to shine in his comeback.

Last season this led to a great deal of speculation about his future with several drivers linked to his race-seat.

In the end Ferrari opted to retain Raikkonen in a one-year deal.

He is, however, now been dogged by more rumours with the 36-year-old saying he has no idea where he will be next season.

Asked about his future, Raikkonen told the media in Montreal: "I don't know any more, you guys seem to know a lot every week.

"It's not my decision in the end.

"I've always said I am happy to be here and I hope I will be here with Ferrari to get where we want to be as a team.

"What happens in the future, we will see."

Raikkonen arrived in Canada fourth in the Drivers' Championship having lost ground to the Mercedes drivers as well as Daniel Ricciardo last time out in Monaco.

He is hoping to close the gap on the front runners this weekend as Ferrari introduce an upgraded turbo.

Raikkkonen concedes it is a step forward, and not a miracle.

"This is a step forward, how much of one time will tell," he said.

"We don't put new parts in the car if it we don't think it improves it, but we don't know what kind of step.

"We're not expecting miracles suddenly, but it's the right direction.

"It's like any other new parts we bring, it's not going to be something magic."

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Grosjean: If Ferrari call I will say yes

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Romain Grosjean admits he would head to Maranello if Ferrari showed any interest in signing him.

The Frenchman joined Haas at the beginning of this year with speculation claiming it was a move to align himself with the American team’s technical partner, Ferrari.

And although Grosjean is adamant his priority right now is Haas, he says he would say ‘yes’ if Ferrari called.

“It’s not me who decides,” he told Gazetta dello Sport. “I’d like to of course.

“But I don’t think about it and focus instead on doing well and bringing Haas to a competitive level.

“But if a call comes from Maranello, I’d be happy to say ‘yes’.

Asked what Ferrari means to him, he replied: “Something big. We are talking about the most important team.

“When I was 18-19 years old, I spoke with Jean Alesi and he told me: ‘Before I was just a Formula One driver, then I became a Ferrari driver’.

“Wearing the red suit, driving that car, it’s unique.”

Should Grosjean join Ferrari it would be as Kimi Raikkonen’s replacement as the Finn is out of contract at the end of this season while Sebastian Vettel has a long-term deal.

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Rain forecast for race day in Montreal

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Formula 1 could be in for a wet Canadian Grand Prix with showers forecast for Sunday.

The sun will be out for Friday’s practices and Saturday’s qualifying, the latter reaching a high of 23’C, however the weather could take a turn for the worse on Sunday.

Forecasts suggest a windy day with showers in the morning that could linger into the afternoon.

Race day’s high is just 16’C while there is a 40 per cent chance of rain in the morning, which drops to 20’C come 1pm when the race is scheduled to begin.

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Hamilton braced for "potholes" ahead despite Monaco win

Hamilton braced for

Lewis Hamilton says he is ready to have to overcome further hurdles in the course of this year despite finally getting his first win of the year in Monaco.

The Mercedes driver had not won since last year's United States Grand Prix, while teammate Nico Rosberg had taken seven straight victories.

"I feel positive coming here but of course I'm conscious of how the season's gone so far," Hamilton said.

"I'm not arriving all excited thinking everything's going to go great again, just because we've had one win.

"I'm conscious that there are potholes that we could easily manoeuvre, but could also fall down.

"I'm just conscious of those bumps that are potentially ahead. If we have a smooth weekend, that will be amazing.

"If we have a smooth weekend in terms of performance it should be a happy weekend."

The Briton has won the Canadian Grand Prix four times, including victory in his debut season in 2007 and also last year.

Hamilton does not believe that he has any advantage over teammate Rosberg in Canada, despite his winning record.

"Not at all, I don't feel any different. Firstly you should never assume anything. That's not really the feeling I have this weekend. I know that it's a track that I've always been quick at.

"You look at the season and there'll be tracks like I've won there, been quick there, this one's always difficult but I have won there, but I can get back there through work.

"There's other tracks that naturally come a little bit easier than others. This is a naturally good track for me, so hopefully I should be able to capitalise on that this weekend.

"But the weather's all over the place, and I've had bad races here as well, hence I arrive here probably feeling the same as all the other drivers."

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Analysis: How Heineken plans to shake up Formula 1

Analysis: How Heineken plans to shake up Formula 1

To steal its own catchphrase, Heineken's new sponsorship deal of Formula 1 could be about to refresh the parts of grand prix racing that other sponsors have been unable to reach.

For while Ecclestone's paymasters will be mostly delighted about the extra $200-$250 million added to their coffers over the next few years, the scope of F1's latest deal – and the beer brand's ambitious plans – are poised to deliver something that lifts the sport in ways never dreamed of before.

Heineken's vision is not of sitting back and being happy that its trackside logos are broadcast to millions of homes around the world, or that it can use pictures of F1 cars on special edition bottles (although both these things will be happening).

Instead, it wants to ramp up marketing efforts in a way that perhaps only Red Bull has been able to do so far.

By doing that, to tap in to the estimated $200 million potential new Heineken customers it thinks F1 can bring it, it will only help lift the sport's profile around the world.

It is talking about F1 promotional pushes in cities in the weeks before races, shop floor campaigns in bars, cafes and supermarkets around the world, worldwide ticket promotions and competitions, fan 'Meet and Greet' sessions with stars, flat out social media and digital marketing campaigns to fully engage the Facebook generation, big advertising campaigns, Heineken lounges and entertainment at tracks and venues around the world.

It wants to do all that it has done with the Rugby World Cup and UEFA Champions League, and more.

F1 is underexploited

Heineken's global head of brand, Gianluca di Tondo, a long-time grand prix fan, senses so many opportunities for F1 to better market itself. And it is something that he thinks his company can help sort.

"The way we look at F1 is from two sides," he explained ahead of the official launch of the F1 global partnership deal in Montreal on Thursday.

"On one side it is still a platform that is loved by millions of people: and that is the 200 million on top of what we can reach at the moment. That really intrigues us.

"But as a marketeer, I personally believe it is largely unexploited. So I believe we can do with F1 things that no one has done before. And this is first of all based on the experience we have accumulated, based on the way of working we have."

Heineken is well experienced in making the most of sponsorship campaigns, and its ongoing partnership with UEFA through the Champions League and the Rugby World Cup have shown that there is a mutual benefit to such partnerships.

On the one side, Heineken gets exposure to potential new customers by pushing the sport so much to exploit its sponsorship, but equally the sport is also helped by being opened up to people who may not have tuned in before.

"If you take UEFA Champions League [before the Heineken sponsorship started] – it had a strong European platform and was very strong in South America. As a company we were very strong in Africa and Asia-Pacific," explained di Tondo about how Heineken and UEFA helped boost each other.

"We designed a platform in working together in stretching awareness of UEFA in Africa and Asia-Paciifc.

"Now if you choose a country in Africa, by chance, you go there and UEFA is the thing to watch. The final is the show of the year – and we have been creating this together. We did a Trophy Tour in Vietnam recently, which had a worldwide reach of 276 million people."

New digital era

Central to Heineken's strategy of maximising the exposure of its F1 partnership will be through better use of social and digital media, which is an area where grands prix racing's official channels had fallen behind other sports in recent years.

"If we like it or not, that is the future," added di Tondo. "Like all the big brands, they are moving from traditional media and broadcasting to digital, because that is where the people are moving as well.

"For F1, it will be how can we help the fan and the casual viewer understand that F1 is bigger than just the race. F1 is not just two hours of the race, it is the 72 hours that turns cities in to playgrounds. It is such a rich world and there is so much more to discover beyond the border of F1.

"Most of the people don't know as it is still a bit of a closed world: you have restricted access to people, places, news. I think what is our role is to open up this world as much as we can.

"It will be a process: to give people the access. For example, having a meet and greet with Jackie Stewart, for an F1 fan, it would be amazing. This is what we are doing every day."

Building relations

Di Tondo is equally aware that there is no point Heineken marching into Ecclestone's office and banging its fist on the table to demand everything straight away.

Its UEFA relationship has matured over 20 years to deliver some great campaigns; and he expects there will be a learning period where Ecclestone and Heineken get to know what each other want.

"We have been working with UEFA for 20 years, you don't crack this thing overnight. It will not happen like that. It is working together, showing results, making mistakes sometimes and then applying what you learn to make it bigger, bigger, bigger. I think we are going to do the same with F1."

He well knows that Ecclestone has not been a fan of expending time and energy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but Heineken has experience of changing attitudes and having brands do things that were unthinkable in the past.

"We show our partners all these assets and they are open to consider these kind of things. In the past Bond was a taboo.

"They wanted us to have it very strongly globally managed. Today you see Bond events popping up everywhere in the world, because we were proving to them that everything we do is on a high-quality level.

"The Bond bottle was another taboo. They said, 'we don't put our logo on a beer bottle'. Then you start, and say 'okay let's do it once, let's do a second one and then suddenly it is everywhere – there are half a billion of them.

"It is to showcase how we do things and how they can immediately get a positive return. That is the best way.

"If you try to do everything together right at the beginning, it is too much and they will say, no this is too much and too big. If you go step by step, you will get there."

He added: "This will be a journey we will make together. For sure we are going to push to move in that direction. They will also showcase the benefits of moving in that direction. This is happening as we speak, and it is a world that will keep on changing.

"We are talking about Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality, that is the next step. It will come. No-one knows exactly how it will come, but if you look how many big players are investing on that you know it is coming.

"So what can a commercial look like in Virtual Reality? So we want to look at new technologies and use this big platform to pilot new technology. Our role is to excite them [F1] with the things that are coming."

Not about millions

What di Tondo sees is a future where F1's impact on digital channels is not measured in the millions any more, but the billions.

"For us the point is to go beyond broadcast. It is really to leverage the power of digital and social media.

"You will see an activation for Heineken and F1. We will have a special edition bottle for F1, for example. When we do this for UEFA, when we do this for Bond, when we do this for Rugby, you go to a billion people.

"Then we will leverage massively F1 on our social media and our digital programmes. This is the way you move from the millions to the billions.

"If you take what we did for the UEFA Champions League, our Twitter programme – Champion the Match – this year 2015/2016 – it has a 2.5 billion people reach. That is the way you scale up what you do. I think it is a journey. It is a step by step."

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VETTEL: I DON’T MIND RICCIARDO, I LIKE HIM

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Amid talk that Daniel Ricciardo his high on the list to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari, maybe even as soon as 2017,  Sebastian Vettel has said he would have no objections welcoming the big smiling Aussie to Maranello.

“I raced with him in 2014 and we didn’t have any problems,” said Vettel. “And I knew him before that. I don’t mind him. I like him.”

“I think he’s a strong guy and obviously he had a good season in 2014. Last year and this year it’s a bit difficult always to judge because you don’t know what’s going on internally, but, from what I know, he’s a good guy,” acknowledged Vettel

“Then again, it’s not my decision. It’s not my job to sign people. Our main priority now is to close the gap,” he added.

Ricciardo was Vettel’s teammate at the energy drinks team in 2014 and remains the only driver to have beaten the quadruple world champion over a course of a season.

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When asked recently by Corriere della Sera about his contractual situation with Red Bull, Ricciardo replied, “It’s open. It all depends on Red Bull. If they stay in Formula 1, I think they will propose a multi-year extension.”

Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko is aware of the situation and told Servus TV earlier this year, “Ferrari are much more interested in Ricciardo than Verstappen. The red and the silver teams are knocking.”

Ricciardo is not denying his fascination with the Italian team, “I won’t lie. I’m sure at least 90 per cent of drivers, at least if not now, they followed Ferrari as a kid because, in a way, that is what we knew formula one as.”

But added, “It’s interesting, but it’s only interesting if they have got the best car. Sure, you want to put yourself in a winning car at some point and have a chance. Whether one day that is Ferrari I don’t know…”

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Hulkenberg & Perez draw each other's portraits

 

The final and deciding round of the SFI Drawing Challenge is the toughest yet: Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez channel their inner Rembrandts as they draw each other's portraits.

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Verstappen leaning on Ricciardo for Red Bull F1 car set-up for now

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Max Verstappen says he is 'still guessing' how to set-up his Red Bull Formula 1 car and is relying on team-mate Daniel Ricciardo while he builds experience with the team.

Verstappen became the youngest winner in F1 history on his Red Bull debut, after swapping his Toro Rosso seat with Daniil Kvyat for the Spanish Grand Prix, but then endured a difficult weekend in Monaco last time out, where he crashed out of qualifying and the race.

He has been outpaced at both events by new team-mate Ricciardo, who took pole in Monaco and would have won that race without a mistake by Red Bull at his second pitstop.

Verstappen's lack of experience overall, and particularly with his new team, means he is relying on Ricciardo's help to find the best way to set up the RB12.

When asked by Autosport whether he is leaning on Ricciardo for this, Verstappen replied: "Definitely. He has a lot of experience.

"You try to see what they [the team-mate] are doing because I still don't have an idea of which direction to go in, because I've never driven the car here [in Canada], for example.

"You rely on the data from last year, but you were not in the car so it's a bit different."

Verstappen reckons he will not feel fully confident until he has built up a season's worth of fresh experience with Red Bull at every circuit on the calendar.

"It's just getting used to the car and how to set it up," he said.

"It's mainly just the experiences you don't have.

"With Toro Rosso I had the experiences from last year and you know a bit more of which direction you have to go in.

"[With Red Bull], first of all you have to set the car up completely differently, because it's a completely different car, so I'm still guessing a bit and following directions.

"It takes a year to get around everywhere. You just need to build up your experience with the new car."

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RED BULL HAS SHORT NOSE AND NEW SOFTWARE FOR CANADA

Monaco F1 GP Auto Racing

A new, shorter nose for the RB12 is not the only change Red Bull has made ahead of the Canadian grand prix.

The team has also brought some software and procedural changes to Montreal, in the wake of the bungled pitstop that cost Daniel Ricciardo victory in Monaco.

The Australian was furious after Monaco but he said on Thursday: “I think more important than how to move on is how to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“I knew they were going to take it seriously but I’ve been assured that if we’re in that position again then it won’t happen, so that was obviously what I needed and what I wanted to hear,” Ricciardo added.

It is a crucial weekend for Red Bull, with both Ricciardo and Max Verstappen now equipped with Renault’s engine upgrade that will be put to the test on the demanding straights of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

“This race will tell us about the rest of the season,” Ricciardo is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport. “If we are competitive, we can fight anywhere.”

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ALONSO SAYS LATEST HONDA TURBO MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT

Team members prepare the car of Fernando Alonso in the garage.

Honda is pushing forward with a new turbo specification at the Canadian Grand Prix, allied with new fuel from McLaren partner ExxonMobil that brings a further 0.1 second boost.

“The new turbo should allow us to use the energy more efficiently,” Fernando Alonso confirmed. “It is not about raw performance but in certain race situations it is important that we can release more energy. That will also reduce our fuel consumption.”

In the past few days, comments attributed to Alonso have suggested he is only committing to F1 and the team until the end of his current contract next year.

“With McLaren I am in the right team,” he insisted in Montreal, “the only question is whether I am in the right team at the right moment.”

Alonso said he is definitely staying next year, though, which is more than can be said for teammate Jenson Button who is linked with a potential move to Williams.

When asked on BBC radio if he is enjoying F1 and will still be there in 2017, Button answered: “At this moment in time, I am loving it. The second part of your question, I can’t answer.”

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Virtual Track Walk - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve - Sauber F1 Team

Walk The Track! Put on your On running shoes ;-) and join the virtual track walk on sauberf1team.com. Drivers and engineers walk around every track in order to examine the tarmac and discuss the best racing line, and many team members do track runs to stay fit. Join them! Well, at least virtually... Not to forget: our handy session time converter will make sure that you won't miss any of the sessions!

MIKA: No wonder they are woeful this season, they don't even walk the track for real! ;)

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Canadian GP - Behind the scenes Mercedes F1 Team Dinner

In the lead up to the Canadian Grand Prix, Rosanna takes you behind the scenes at the Team's traditional Wednesday night dinner in Montréal.

 

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Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen Drone On

Daniel and Max were whisked off to the Stade Olympique in Montreal for a taste of some high-speed drone racing. The stadium built in the mid – 1970's as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics was the perfect drone-on-drone battle field between the two Red Bull F1 drivers.

 

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MEET GRANDPA LEWIS HAMILTON

Grey hair, wrinkled skin and grandchildren are three things that probably don’t spring to mind when you think of Lewis Hamilton.

The three-time Formula 1 world champion gave fans a glimpse of his future in a new video on Friday, entitled: Grandpa Lewis.

The advert, released in collaboration with Allianz, features an 80-year-old Hamilton attempting to teach his grand children life lessons in 2066.

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MONTREAL FP 1: HAMILTON FASTEST AS MASSA CRASHES HEAVILY

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Lewis Hamilton lapped fastest in opening Canadian Grand Prix free practice session while Felipe Massa gave Formula 1’s newest sponsors plenty of exposure by crashing his Williams heavily into a Heineken hoarding.

Triple world champion Hamilton, a four times winner in Montreal who arrived fresh from victory in Monaco, led a Mercedes one-two with championship-leading team mate Nico Rosberg.

The Briton clocked a best time of one minute 14.755 seconds, 0.331 quicker than the German.

The only issue Hamilton faced was when he was forced to miss the final chicane to avoid hitting the McLaren of Fernando Alonso after the Spaniard slowed right down in front of him.

“A bit dangerous from Fernando there,” he said of his former team mate.

Massa brought out the first red flag of the weekend at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve after losing control at turn one, destroying the rear wing as the car rammed backwards into the hoarding that fronted a tyre wall.

Dutch beer company Heineken announced a multi-year deal on Thursday, with the Montreal signage a welcome ‘gift’ from commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone.

“I think I had a problem,” said Massa over the team radio as his practice session was curtailed after just seven laps. “I cancelled the DRS (drag reduction system) and lost the rear completely.”

Ferrari, yet to win a race this season, have brought a new turbocharger to the seventh round as the sport’s oldest and most successful team attempts to close the gap to champions Mercedes.

Sebastian Vettel finished third fastest, just under 0.5 seconds off the pace set by Hamilton, with team-mate Kimi Raikkonen fifth. The Ferrari duo were split by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

The Dutch teenager is looking to recover after crashing out in Monaco two weeks after he became the sport’s youngest race winner in Spain at 18 years old.

Australian Team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, who started on pole in Monaco and would probably have won that race but for a pit-stop error by the team, was back in 11th spot.

Finland’s Valtteri Bottas was sixth fastest with Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg seventh and Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz eighth.

Alonso was 10th fastest, behind Force India’s Sergio Perez. McLaren’s Jenson Button was 12th fastest but was forced back into the garage with an engine problem soon after going out for his final run.

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MONTREAL FP2: HAMILTON TOO GOOD ON DAY ONE

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Lewis Hamilton dominated Canadian Grand Prix practice on Friday in a further indication that the Formula One championship momentum could be swinging back towards him.

The triple world champion set the pace in the morning session at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and went even quicker in the afternoon, clocking a best time of one minute 14.212 seconds in his Mercedes.

Two weeks after finally taking his first win of the season in Monaco, the Briton will be confident of a fifth victory in Montreal on Sunday which, if team-mate Nico Rosberg draws a blank, will see him regain the overall lead.

Rosberg has never won on the island track, finishing runner-up for the past two years, and the championship leader has work to do after ending the day third fastest and more than half-a-second off Hamilton.

The German was leapfrogged on the time-sheets in the second session by countryman Sebastian Vettel, the four times champion, who was second fastest in a Ferrari that has a new turbocharger for this race.

Vettel is still seeking his first win of the season and, after finishing 0.257 seconds off Hamilton, will be hoping the seventh round brings that elusive victory.

Max Verstappen showed his confidence has not been dented by crashing out in Monaco, just two weeks after his historic win in Barcelona, with the fourth fastest time ahead of Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.

Had it not been for the pit-stop error in Monaco that wrecked Ricciardo’s victory chances, the team would have been aiming for a third success in a row.

The Red Bull duo, making the most of improved Tag Heuer-badged Renault engines, were the only other drivers within a second of Hamilton.

Valtteri Bottas set the sixth fastest time for Williams while Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion who is giving little away about his plans for next year, was seventh after an oil leak in the opening session.

Button’s McLaren team mate Fernando Alonso had a few brushes against the wall on his way to the 11th fastest time behind Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz who completed the top 10.

The Williams mechanics had to work hard in the lunchtime heat to repair Felipe Massa’s car after it slammed into the barriers when the Drag Reduction System failed after seven laps.

The hard work paid off as the Brazilian racked up 44 laps in the afternoon.

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Lewis Hamilton impressed with Ferrari's gains from its new turbo

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Lewis Hamilton says he was impressed by the gains made by Ferrari with the updated Formula 1 turbocharger it introduced for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.

Ferrari used two engine development tokens for the update, taking its tally to 28 and leaving just four remaining, with engineering chief Jock Clear saying the changes "performed as expected".

Hamilton topped the times in second practice but Sebastian Vettel split the Mercedes and was just 0.257 seconds adrift of the reigning world champion.

"The Ferraris look very quick," said Hamilton. "They've got a new turbo so they've picked up their pace on the straights.

"Whether or not they've turned their engine up to test that, I'll assume they probably have, but we will see tomorrow.

"The Ferraris look quite quick and the Red Bulls will be quick also.

"Particularly with the Ferraris it looks like we might be very close with them.

"Hopefully we're going to have a bit of a race here."

Hamilton was impressive across both practice sessions but ran off track and even kissed the wall as he explored the limits.

"It's been a great day, you're not pushing hard enough if you don't go off the track, you'll never get near the limit if you don't go off the track," he said.

"I went off the track lots of times as I'm trying to discover the limit, trying to get as close to the limit to stay just above the limit.

"I was nearly in the wall several times, but fortunately I was able to stay out of it."

Rosberg was half-a-second adrift of his team-mate in third and admitted he was at a loss over his lack of pace.

"I need to understand if it's tyre temperatures or just me and driving lines or something like that. I need to understand that," he said.

"The long run was looking good, our car's looking good.

"The Ferraris seem pretty close but it's always so difficult on a Friday, you never knew what fuel levels they're running, how much engine power they're using.

"Red Bull had their engine turned down completely in the last session so they didn't show anything."

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Williams F1 deputy team principal Claire Williams awarded an OBE

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Claire Williams has been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen's 2016 Birthday Honours List for her services to Formula 1.

Williams joined the team in 2002 as a communications officer before becoming head of communication and then director of marketing and communications.

She was then promoted by father Sir Frank to the role of deputy team principal in March 2013.

Williams has played a key role in helping the team reverse its fortunes after finishing ninth in the constructors' championship in 2013 with third-place finishes in each of the last two years.

"Today is a very proud day for me, but this is also a bit of a surprise," she said.

"To be recognised in this way is a tremendous honour but one everyone at Williams can take credit for.

"I'm extremely lucky that I get to do a job that I love.

"To be able to play a role in a family legacy is an enormous privilege and one I don't take for granted.

"Formula 1, and Williams, are great success stories for the UK and I will continue to use my role to help showcase what a great sport Formula 1 is, what a brilliant platform for this country's expertise in high class engineering it is, as well as a place that welcomes women across all of its disciplines."

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Oil leak forced Button to change Honda engine in Canada F1 practice

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Jenson Button had to switch back to the Honda Formula 1 engine he used for the Monaco Grand Prix due to an oil leak on his McLaren in Canada practice.

Button left the garage amid plumes of smoke in first practice and hastily returned to pits at the request of Honda.

In the gap between sessions, Honda reverted to the internal combustion engine Button used in Monaco - which has done four races - but fitted a fourth updated turbo, MGU-H and MGU-K as a precaution.

Following investigations, it will make a decision late on Friday or early Saturday morning as to which unit Button will run from third practice onwards.

"We put the old engine back in and we had no issues with how it was running," said Button. "The guys did an amazing job.

"We just have to decide tonight what engine we use tomorrow - whether it's the one we put in on Friday or the engine we've used for the last few races - but I think either way it will be fine."

Button, who finished seventh in second practice, was pleased with the pace McLaren has demonstrated so far this weekend and was hopeful the team could have a strong weekend despite expectations that it would struggle on the long straights in Montreal.

"I said before that people were going to be a little bit surprised at our performance here and we weren't going to be any worse than Monaco," said Button.

"It's very close in the middle of the pack.

"If I went half a tenth quicker I would've been fourth, and two tenths slower I would have been 11th or 12th."

When asked if Q3 was possible, Button said. "I think so.

"You've got to aim reasonably high and try and get the best qualifying we've had all year, and doing it here would be great."

Speaking about the update to the turbo, which involved Honda spending two development tokens, Button said: "It's not for outright pace, it's more for efficiency and it only benefits us in the race.

"We also have new fuel here from Esso which is about a tenth of a second, which obviously helps."

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Canadian Grand Prix: DRS fault caused Massa crash in F1 practice

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Felipe Massa's crash in opening Canadian Grand Prix practice was caused by the DRS on his Williams Formula 1 car failing to close properly.

The Brazilian had a heavy impact with the Turn 1 barriers early on Friday morning.

The team is still investigating what caused the DRS to malfunction, but confirmed to Autosport it had not fully closed when Massa lost control and spun under braking.

"The accident was nothing to do with me, it was a problem with the rear wing and the DRS," said Massa.

"I even switched off the DRS myself before the braking, but it didn't close so when I braked the DRS was almost 100 per cent open and that's why I crashed.

"It's a shame because crashing like that at the beginning of the day is definitely a pain for everybody."

Although the rear wing was not a new specification, Massa was running it in the lowest downforce configuration Williams had tried for that design so far.

Having been a long way off the pace at the previous event in Monaco, Williams ended Friday in Canada an encouraging sixth fastest with Valtteri Bottas.

"We already managed to get the car balanced in FP1 to a very good level and I was very pleased with the car today, but tomorrow it's going to be a different story," said Bottas.

"It's going to be very close here, but it's certainly a much better feeling than what we had in Monaco and Barcelona."

Massa was back in 13th, which he said was largely a legacy of his crash.

"The afternoon was OK. I didn't have everything we could have on the car for performance for the afternoon because of the crash, so I'm really looking for that tomorrow," he said.

"Everything will be on the car and we can be competitive.

"The car's showed reasonably good pace straight away so that's positive and I hope it can be even more positive for tomorrow."

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Verstappen reprimanded for Bottas block

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Max Verstappen has escaped with nothing more than a reprimand after impeding Valtteri Bottas in Friday’s first practice in Montreal.

Bottas was unhappy when the Red Bull driver hampered him on a hot lap.

The stewards investigated the incident and although they declared that Verstappen had “slowed unnecessarily”, he escaped with a reprimand.

Verstappen will be happy to have avoid a grid penalty as Red Bull fell behind both Mercedes and Ferrari in Friday’s running.

The 18-year-old finished fourth fastest in FP2 as his 1:15.156 was 0.944s slower than Lewis Hamilton’s P1 time.

“Ferrari look like they have bit better pace, so we still need to do some work,” he acknowledged on Friday afternoon.

“Everybody wants to improve, so we have to see tomorrow. For sure, we need to improve, but I would say it is a positive day.”

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