FORMULA 1 - 2016

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Jenson Button: Sixth in Austria 'the maximum' for McLaren

Jenson Button says McLaren got the “maximum from everything” at the Austrian Grand Prix, after the British driver finished sixth at the Red Bull Ring.

The 2009 world champion lined up in third place on the grid and was running second in the early stages before gradually dropping back.

He finished in sixth place, after losing out on a top five result to Daniel Ricciardo in the final laps of the race.

While Button was pleased with points and felt McLaren got the maximum possible from his race weekend, he does not expect the team to be challenging so high up the order at Silverstone.

“I knew the race was going to be difficult – starting near the front definitely helps because you can race in clear air and do your own thing a little bit more, but, with two DRS zones around this place, we couldn’t keep the other cars behind,” he explained.

“While our pace was okay, once a car came past, they could overtake in places we never knew were possible.  

“Nonetheless, we beat the Williams cars on sheer pace, and I think we did a great job with our race strategy. We really got the maximum from everything.
“Through every session, we’ve been improving; every run we’ve done, we made the car better and better.

“We did a great job all weekend, but we know that we head to Silverstone not expecting to be in this position next week.”

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Horner: Merc line up could become untenable

Christian Horner reckons Mercedes' driver line-up could become untenable if Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg continue at the team.

The team-mates clashed in Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, resulting in a victory for Hamilton and a broken front wing for Rosberg.

The German was blamed for the crash and hand a 10-second time penalty while Mercedes say they could introduce team orders to prevent further antics.

But whatever the immdiate consequences, Red Bull team boss Horner says Mercedes have to look at their line-up.

"Longer term, how tenable is it for that pairing to continue as a team?" he told Autosport.

"While they are in the situation that they are in, with the competitiveness they have, they are obviously going to have….these issues are not going to be isolated to this race.

"But then that is an attractive element for the sport.

"When you do have a dominant car, it's great to have the guys going head to head."

Horner also feels that Mercedes should not impose team orders as their driver feud is going a long way to create interest in the sport.

"They have sufficient margin on the rest of the field, why do they need to consider that?

"It actually creates interest in Formula 1, it's good for Formula 1 to have two team-mates that may not be the best of mates."

The Brit, though, understands how trying it can be to manage two feuding drivers have had to deal with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber at Red Bull.

He added: "It's enormously difficult, because no matter how much those guys say they are team players, they are contractors and they are racing for themselves.

"They are going for the biggest prize in motorsport so inevitably, they will do what is right for them at the end of the day.

"I haven't seen a replay of it, and I'm sure it won't be the only one during the rest of the year."

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Honda considering British GP engine upgrade

Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso could get an engine boost for McLaren's home British Grand Prix, with Honda now considering an upgrade as early as this weekend.

In the wake of the growing pace of the McLaren-Honda package, in Austria the team produced its most competitive showing since it renewed its partnership as Button raced near the front early on before finishing sixth.

Honda has been open that it has plenty of design ideas to bring on board this season, but it was holding fire on introducing them while it worked out how best tactically to spend its remaining engine development tokens.

But when asked by Motorsport.com about the impact the Austria performance would now have on its plans, Honda F1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa said: "I don't want to wait.

"So as soon as they are ready we will introduce them, even in Silverstone. But I haven't got the information yet so I need to check that we can do that.

"It could be next weekend! But actually every race I am expecting to introduce a new update."

 

ICE focus

Honda spent two of its engine development tokens on a new turbine at the Canadian Grand Prix, but its focus will be on improving its internal combustion engine.

It believes its energy recovery performance is good enough for now, which is why it must concentrate on bring out-and-out horsepower improvements.

"Yes, it will be the engine," he said

Hasegawa also pointed out that improvements were also necessary because Honda had had to make some compromises with the Montreal turbo changes.

"To create enough power, we spent a little of the engine power for the exhaust, and we sacrifice some engine power with the new turbine," he said.

"I think since we have introduced the new turbine [things have improved]. Canada and Azerbaijan are too competitive from a power point of view.

"We've come back to a normal circuit and I think that is the reason why we can prove that our update was working well, I think."

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Austrian Grand Prix 2016 Recap

We take a look back at a fantastic Austrian Grand Prix weekend with Red Bull

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Williams F1 chief admits team was 'pretty mediocre' in Austrian GP

Williams was "pretty mediocre" in Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, the Formula 1 team's performance chief Rob Smedley admits.

Valtteri Bottas and polesitter Felipe Massa finished third and fourth for Williams in the Red Bull Ring's return to the F1 calendar in 2014, then third and fifth last year with Massa leading the way.

The circuit had been resurfaced before last weekend's race, with Bottas ninth and Massa failing to finish.

Bottas struggled with tyre graining while Massa started from the pitlane, after the team changed his front wing pre-race, then retired due to high brake temperatures.

"It was not where we need to be," said Smedley.

"It was just pretty mediocre throughout, we didn't have the pace in the car itself.

"Valtteri wasn't able to make the tyres last, which is a little bit strange for him, but even without that, the pace in the car just wasn't there.

"With the asphalt changes they have made here, I think it's a different circuit.

"We need to try and understand it, we need more expertise in that area and to improve our knowledge of tyre science."

Williams brought a new front wing to Austria, which Massa ran, but found structural damage on Saturday evening and chose not to run it, forcing a pitlane start.

"We noticed that there was some structural damage to it, on the mainplane," said Smedley.

"We may have been able to do some of the race on it, but we weren't prepared to take that risk.

"The safety of our drivers and our people is paramount so we took the decision we would change that front wing and upon doing that, we rolled back to the old spec.

"Even though we had a downgrade in performance, we had broken the parc ferme rules and we had to start from the pitlane."

When asked what he though caused it, Smedley said: "I'd be fairly sure that the running over the kerbs, probably on the exit Turn 2 from what we see in the data.

"It's a fatigue issue, it's certainly not an impact failure as he didn't run over any of the very high kerbs on the outside of the circuit."

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LAUDA: LEWIS LIED

Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda has revealed that a furious Lewis Hamilton destroyed his private room inside the Mercedes offices following his European Grand Prix qualifying crash.

Hamilton started the race from tenth after hitting the wall during qualifying, but had been quickest in all previous sessions. With the Briton out of action in Q3, it was team-mate and championship leader Nico Rosberg that took pole and the race win, whilst Hamilton had to settle for fifth.

On the Saturday evening after qualifying, Lauda claims Hamilton - who was furious about his mistake - destroyed his private room which sits inside the Mercedes offices in the Baku paddock.

"He did it because he had crashed. He’ll have to pay for that [damage]. You can count on that," he told Servus TV in an exclusive interview broadcast on Monday, but filmed prior to the Austrian GP.

"He told me I couldn’t come in [to his room] because he was going to destroy everything. This is how it was."

Lauda also revealed that Hamilton and Rosberg's relationship isn't as happy as Hamilton claimed in a recent interview with the Mail on Sunday, in which he claimed things were "really good at the moment".

"Lewis lied about that, simple as that,” added Lauda. "He just said something. He wanted to be the softener in order to have his peace last weekend.

"He does what he can. The fight gets hotter the longer Nico is in front [in the standings]."

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WEHRLEIN: NOT MY AMBITION TO DRIVE AROUND AT THE BACK

Paddock reports are linking Pascal Wehrlein with a potential move to Force India for 2017, and the highly rated youngster admits he is not planning on spending too much time at the back of the F1 pack.

In Austria, after the rookie German qualified his Manor in 12th place and then secured an ultra-rare point for the backmarker team, Toto Wolff said any lingering doubts that Wehrlein is “very special” had been erased.

Wolff, the Mercedes chief, had negotiated the reigning DTM champion’s Manor seat for 2016 and now the 21-year-old German says he wants more.

“It is not my ambition to drive around at the back,” he is quoted by Laola1.

But he suggested that connecting the dots of his good performance in Austria and a step into a higher Mercedes-powered team for 2017 would be premature.

“The most important thing is for me to learn and for the team to stay in front of Sauber,” said Wehrlein.

Still, his future looks bright, and there may be some interesting options for 2017.

Force India’s Sergio Perez could vacate his seat and go to Ferrari, while Nico Rosberg is yet to sign on the dotted line of a new Mercedes contract beyond 2016.

“You’re only as good as your last races,” said Wehrlein. “So I have to prove myself here first and hopefully in the future I will get the opportunity to drive for Mercedes.

“It would be wrong at this point in the year to be thinking about changing teams. Mercedes will do any talks for me but at the moment there is still so much to do,” he added.

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RAIKKONEN SET FOR NEW ONE YEAR FERRARI CONTRACT

Kimi Raikkonen looks set to keep his place at Ferrari in 2017, according to the latest specialist reports from Italy.

Although other drivers have been linked with the Finn’s place, his podium in Austria and Sebastian Vettel’s DNF means the pair are now equal on points after nine races run this year.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Ferrari will take its decision on Raikkonen within the month of July, indicating that it is likely to fall in the 36-year-old’s favour.

Ferrari test driver Marc Gene told Movistar, “It is likely that Kimi will continue. I believe it anyway, in part because there don’t seem to be any clear replacements for him on the market.”

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WESTSCHLEIFE WON’T BE READY FOR 2017 SAYS MARKO

Helmut Marko has played down rumours next year’s Austrian grand prix could be held on a new layout at the Red Bull Ring.

Heading into last weekend’s race at the picturesque Spielberg venue, reports emerged that team owner Dietrich Mateschitz was looking into reviving the old and audacious ‘Westschleife’ section.

But some reports suggested the renovations could be ready for the 2017 race, prompting world champion Lewis Hamilton to enthuse: “I think that’s the best news I’ve heard in formula one for a long time.”

However, Marko – Mateschitz’s right-hand man on F1 matters – slammed on the brakes.

“No, certainly not,” he told Laola1 when asked if the Westschleife can be ready for 2017. “In the time that would be simply impossible.

“I don’t know where all that came from. Even the planning hasn’t been completed,” Marko insisted.

Marko also admitted that track owner and promoter Red Bull was not happy with the low attendance at last weekend’s Austrian grand prix.

“But that was due to the fact that in the last two years, only negative things have been said about formula one. That is now reversing and the races are much better,” he said.

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Homecoming - Jenson Button on Silverstone

Speaking ahead of the British Grand Prix, McLaren-Honda’s Jenson Button shares his thoughts on the historic Silverstone Circuit – aptly nicknamed 'The Home of British Motorsport', at which Button is yet to record a career win.

 

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British Grand Prix preview - Formula 1's home gig

There is something special about the British Grand Prix. In contrast to many 'prestige' F1 circuits which seem to fit quintessentially into their surroundings, Silverstone even all these decades on, retains a feel of being rather imposed on a barren, windswept wartime airfield plain. It lacks the postcard scenery and undulations of Spa, the intensity of Monza and certainly the glamour of Monaco. The late Christopher Hilton once noted, possibly harshly, that "people get emotional atSilverstone but not emotional about Silverstone. Even when they're trying to save it, they're doing it because they want the British Grand Prix to survive, not because emotion dictates Silverstone."

Chief among these is that it is F1's home town gig. Eight of the 11 F1 teams are based (or in Haas's case have a base) in Britain, and seven of these are within a few miles of the Silverstone track, as are a myriad of companies that supply them in this sport's equivalent of silicon valley. Most of their staff will be present at the circuit this weekend.

It's also because it was at Silverstone that it all started for F1 back in 1950. And despite inevitable and sometimes extensive changes in the meantime it retains much of its character of then: flowing, rapid and with many long and mighty turns that challenge and entice the drivers.

Eddie Cheever, in the dark but recent days that this race looked to be under threat, summed it all up by stating "F1 not having a British Grand Prix is like the Pope not going to the Vatican".And in an age wherein such core support has had its back turned on it by the F1 itinerary, to be replaced more and more by rounds that owe to the host Government's desire to 'brand' the country and boost its tourism rather than to local motorsport passion, Silverstone's crowds remain both numerous and possessed of an inimitable organic feel. It is almost alone on the entire modern calendar in that several tens of thousands can be expect to come through the door even for Friday practice. And while of course we can point at exceptions when the side has been let down, the public here also has a good record of respecting all-comers rather than only the local favourites.

Thankfully this absurd peril around the race's future has since receded; the contract to keep the race at Silverstone all the way to 2027 is in place and in recent years the venue has undergone its most extensive revision since its early days. A significant detour has been added and in 2011 the start line was moved to between Club and Abbey, in deference to the new 'wing' pit and paddock complex there. The move added to the place's curiosity as it lent it a strange, out of context feel, almost like the paddock and fraternity had been picked up and moved away from where everyone else is, especially as most of the infrastructure around the 'wing' while promised has even a few years on still to arrive (there even is a shuttle bus to cart the paddock folk back and forth from the car park at the other side of the track all weekend). But it did mean that no longer can Bernie claim that Silverstone is the sport's straggler facility. He's now found a few other classic venues to threaten instead, at least for the next while.

And these aren't the only ways in which Silverstone is a break from norm. Its long, fast corners mentioned provide a very different challenge from the more technical and fiddly last few stop-offs of Monaco, Canada, Azerbaijan and Austria. Indeed the sort of challenges faced at Silverstone sadly are rather scarce on the calendar as a whole these days.

As for its drivers, Lewis appears to have inherited Nigel Mansell's habit of finding extra resolve for his home race. He of course won here in either of his last two visits, while his 2013 drive through the field to fourth after an early puncture possibly was the drive of anyone of all of that season. Then we have him clinging to Mark Webber's coat tails in 2012 as well as his 2008 win here which was one even of his finest. Despite all of this and his home hero status though there will also be much attention on his team mate Nico Rosberg this time, given what went on in the final lap in Austria and that after the last occasion on which he was blamed squarely for a clash with his team mate, at Spa in 2014, his form took a while to recover.There are some reasons to expect a close battle this weekend. Mercedes of course is favourite, as its chassis is strong in high speed turns, there are a few opportunities here for its sweet engine to stretch its legs and its strong energy recovery is rewarded well here also, as Silverstone has few big braking zones making energy harvesting a challenge. The silver cars also have disappeared into the distance here (at least eventually) in the last two visits. While rewinding to the previous similar-ish circuit this season in Barcelona the Mercs placed a comfortable one and two in qualifying. Before, you know, that.

But as intimated there are reasons to expect a fight to be taken even to the Mercs this time. Perhaps particularly so by the Red Bull machine which is reckoned to be the best of the lot in high speed stability which will serve it well around Silverstone. Its relative lack of grunt and harvesting from its Renault unit will be more of a concern but as witnessed last year from Williams if the Bulls can get ahead of the Mercs, perhaps in qualifying, then the Mercs' Sunday becomes far less simple.

Strategy may conform to the recent pattern of aiming for a one-stopper in advance, but some as the race situation unfolds deciding to switch to two. In the prior two Silverstone visits one-stoppers have been the thing (though rain spoiled the plan last year) as the medium and hard compounds brought ran all day and had little between them on the stopwatch. It's tricky to overtake at this circuit, what with there not being a big braking point anywhere plus it can be hard to follow in another's turbulence through the long corners, so this could further nudge competitors towards a single stop.Ferrari could be in the mix too, as its car seems to have gently improved in raw pace at least in recent times and Sebastian Vettel reckoned in Austrian qualifying that without rain he'd have been right there at the sharp end. Of course, Austria's race indicated that just like Red Bull with its tyres theScuderia hasn't quite yet licked its strategy problems entirely.

As for the rest, Williams has an encouraging recent previous here including of course leading in a 1-2 throughout the first stint of last year's race and some thought they might even have won with a ruthless strategy and the rain staying away, while Valtteri Bottas's race here in 2014 to second from starting 14th was astonishing. Force India has been in good form lately, while the Toro Rosso like its A team has a chassis known for being super-stable in high speed turns and therefore will be worth keeping an eye on also.

This year of course there is a softer tyre option brought too - the soft compound which most will qualify on and the top ten will start on presumably. This could push them towards stopping twice, though last year some did what was supposed to be their solitary stops after only 19 or 20 laps, so many this time may try to stretch out the soft tyre to then to make their sole halt.

Set-up can be tricky at this track too given as noted it's a sort of layout not really encountered much on the F1 calendar these days. It also shows up aerodynamic instabilities rather ruthlessly as well as can give bum steers on the tyres. The exposed track expanse means the wind and its changing direction can also befuddle drivers and engineers, by destabilising cars and altering braking points. Long range forecasts suggest that the legendary British summer weather won't quite hit this time, as it'll be cool but dry. Then again we all thought there was no chance of rain for last year's race...

With so many teams close to home they will be tempted to shuttle back and forth from their factories to try out new pieces on track. Not everything about being at home is comfortable in F1. That rain isn't likely to disrupt practice running and will help a little bit on all of these matters though.

It is a high fuel consumption track also, so the dreaded 'lift and coast' may be put into practice if there is not a safety car period, and this characteristic too will further scrutinise the cars' energy recovery.

But whatever is the case, just be glad that this one still exists. Even if you're not much of a patriot.

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Grosjean: We’re as fast as McLaren

After returning to the points at the Austrian Grand Prix, Haas driver Romain Grosjean has claimed their Ferrari-powered car was as fast McLaren-Honda.

Finishing one place behind sixth place Jenson Button, Grosjean was delighted that they were able to prove that their VF-16 can perform in cooler conditions.

Trailing McLaren by four points on the Constructors’ Championship table, the Frenchman is also confident that they claim seventh place on the table by the end of the season.

"They opened a few points on us today, but we had pretty much the same pace," he revealed.

"I think if I had been in front I could have opened up the gap a little bit. But in the end it was great.

"They were conditions that were not ours, it was cold and grey, so normally we're not so good, but we managed to get everything to work."

The Former Lotus driver also added that it was still a good race for them and was pleased with the performance, despite receiving a five-second timed penalty at the Red Bull Ring for speeding in the pitlane on Sunday.

“It was a very good race for me and the team," he added.

“There have been a few races where we were unlucky and we had problems, we couldn't make it. But today everything worked well. We made a very aggressive strategy, staying out for 26 or 27 laps on supersofts, but that worked.

“We pitted for softs and then we knew we were going to the end. I didn't know until the last few laps that I had a five-second penalty, so I was asked in the last few laps to open the gap, and then Perez spun, so that made my life easier.

“Just not fast enough to get close to Button, and when you follow another car you lose quite a lot of downforce. That was a bit tricky.

"Yesterday [after] quali I was a bit disappointed with what happened, but I knew the car was good, and actually said to my guys 'today it's P7'. So I'm pretty pleased with that."

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How much did brake-by-wire contribute to the Mercedes clash?

While the stewards concluded that Nico Rosberg was at fault for the collision with teammate Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix, opinions among fans remain divided about who was to blame for the crash.

And while that debate will focus on racing lines and who turned when in those crucial milliseconds at Turn 2, there are several technical issues surrounding tyres and brakes that played just as big a part in the incident.

One of the key aspects was the Brake-by-Wire (BBW) failure that hit Rosberg on the penultimate lap – and almost certainly kicked off a chain of events that allowed Hamilton to get a run on him.

Tyre scenario

But before we analyse the BBW issue, it is important to understand how the varying tyre strategies meant that it was Hamilton coming from behind on a faster tyre in the closing stages.

Hamilton's 'Plan A' was to perform a one-stop race, switching from a long first stint on the ultra softs and finishing on an even longer second stint with the soft tyre.

However, the safety car really brought Rosberg into play, locking the Mercedes pair into a battle for the lead that meant Hamilton would have to make the move work on track as he could no longer make the stint length work and a two-stop was deemed the safer bet.

As both drivers moved onto a two-stopper it was another strategy element that cropped up in the last stint of the race – revolving around the available tyres left.

Hamilton only had a set of used super softs or used softs available to him, whereas Rosberg's allocation left him without the option of the softs, having run them in the previous stint, so the German and his engineers were forced to use a new set of super softs.

Mercedes seemingly avoided the super soft tyre where possible over the weekend, with the red-walled tyre in the low working range (85-115C).

It put Rosberg in a position at the end of the race where he'd suffer from much more thermal degradation than his teammate, who was now shod with the higher working range soft tyre (100-125C), which could be worked harder by the Brit and still give a similar performance delta.

But the final factor that shifted things in Hamilton's favour for a last-lap move involved brake issues, with both drivers struggling with brake temperature problems.

This could be seen when a dark carbon dust cloud was regularly expelled from the wheel rim under braking.

Brake-by-wire

The final nail in this coffin was Rosberg's brake-by-wire failure which allowed Hamilton to close in turn one and almost certainly played a part in their collision in turn two.

Speaking about what had happened, Rosberg said: "It went into BBW mode on the second to last lap, going into the last two corners.

"But then it was constant. I had 1/2/3 corners before that to get a feel and get used to it and in braking for Turn 2 I had a good feel and had everything under control."

So what does this mean?

BBW is the system that proportions the amount of braking force conducted by the rear brakes relative to the amount of energy harvesting being undertaken by the MGU-K.

If the driver is using too much rearward bias it can lead to the overheating of the brake pad material as it is overworked, and the air entering the cooling duct cannot fulfil the task at hand.

At the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix, both Mercedes drivers suffered MGU-K failures which meant the BBW no longer properly worked. This resulted in the drivers having to rely entirely on their normal brakes.

In Austria the failure was in the BBW itself – which had gone in to 'passive' mode – so was no longer modulating the balance between the MGU-K and the front/rear discs.

It was the same kind of failure that had hit Rosberg at the 2015 Bahrain Grand Prix - and had caused him to run wide on that occasion. 

Even accounting for its past failure, Mercedes still opts to utilise a smaller disc and four-piston caliper at the rear of the W07. This saves weight but presents more of an issue when the mechanical braking system is put under strain.

The impact on Rosberg would have been that his car was stuck with a set brake balance – as the BBW was no longer automatically modulating things for him depending on the type of corners or braking forces at play.

Hitting him at the end of the penultimate lap – with two quick corners – meant that the first time he leaned on the brakes with relative force was at Turn 1 on the final lap.

Did that hurt him then through Turn 1, when he clouted the kerb on the inside and lost a bit of traction on the exit which allowed Hamilton to chase him down?

And how much did it cloud his thought process as he picked his braking point and angle for Turn 2? It would have been the first time he needed to come down from maximum speed to a slow speed corner, so he would have been mindful not to get it wrong, lock up and run wide – opening up the door for Hamilton to slide down the inside and on to victory.

Only Rosberg will know the true answer to that.

Whilst Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda have their hands full deciding how to take things forward with their warring drivers, Paddy Lowe and the rest of the Mercedes engineers will be pouring over the data to try and better understand what unfolded during the race and how they can improve things going forward.

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Williams gives all-clear for new wing return at Silverstone

Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas will get use of Williams' new front wing at the British Grand Prix, despite the problem that came up in Austria last weekend.

Massa had run a new design of front wing at the Red Bull Ring, which showed an improvement in downforce to help lift the team's performance.

However, damage to the wing was discovered after qualifying and the decision was made on Sunday morning to remove the wing and revert to the older specification – forcing a pitlane start.

Williams performance chief Rob Smedley made it clear that the issue was not a result of any design fault, but was related to kerb damage picked up at Turn 2, causing the central section to come away.

“It is nothing to do with the aerodynamic surfaces we have introduced, and it is not an aerodynamic phenomenon that we have seen with cars in the past,” he explained.

“It is more cars running over the kerb and having a high-G amplitude on the outboard type of the front wing which causes structural damage to the inboard part.”

Having checked on the design, Williams is satisfied that the new wing is good enough to be fitted to both its cars at the British Grand Prix.

Chief technical officer Pat Symonds said: “Silverstone is another strong circuit for us and even though Austria did not deliver what it promised, there is no reason to think that our home race won’t give us a strong result.

“We’re confident that we have overcome the problem that forced Felipe to start from the pitlane and expect both cars to be running the latest front wing, which showed a positive result during testing in Austria.”

Tech analysis

The new Williams wing was a heavily-revised design with a new endplate fin [1], which abruptly curves upward. Inside the main cascade is a new vertical control vane [2], which has a slot toward the leading edge to improve flow distribution around its surface.

The cascades mounting leg [3] has also been furnished with a slot for much the same purpose, whilst the 'r' cascade [4] has been reprofiled with a much less angular leading edge and tilts over toward the the main cascade to work with its surface, too.

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Ferrari set to be first to run Pirelli 2017 tyres

Ferrari is set to be the first team to try Pirelli's wider 2017 tyres, Motorsport.com can reveal, as work ramps up on evaluating the new designs coming in next year.

With early testing so far having focused only on compound ideas, the first actual laps with the wider specification 2017 rubber have been provisionally agreed for August 2 at Ferrari's Fiorano track with a modified SF15-T.

It is understood the car, which helped Sebastian Vettel to three race victories last season, is being modified at Ferrari's Maranello factory – with revised suspension to take account of the wider track coming for next year.

Furthermore, the car will be fitted with aerodynamic skirts and additional wings to simulate the kind of downforce levels that are being delivered to reduce lap times by up to five seconds.

As part of the tyre testing agreement for the Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes teams that are conducting the running, they are not allowed to run wings that conform to the actual dimensions of the 2017 regulations – as that could give them an unfair advantage.

Ferrari has not yet decided which driver will be used for this first test, but it is unlikely to be either Vettel or Kimi Raikkonen as they will be on vacation following the punishing run of six races in eight weekends ahead of the summer break.

Following the Ferrari test at Fiorano, Red Bull is likely to test at Mugello a few days later while Mercedes will conduct some running at a location that has yet to be finalised.

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Haas picks development driver Ferrucci for Silverstone test

Santino Ferrucci will drive for Haas in both days of the in-season F1 test at Silverstone next week after the British Grand Prix. 

The Haas development driver, who currently competes with DAMS in the GP3 Series, will be behind the wheel of the VF-16 on both the 12th and 13th July at the Silverstone test after Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez drove in the Spanish test in May. 

F1 testing rules state two days of each in-season test schedule must be completed by a young driver – a driver who has competed in two Grand Prix or fewer – meaning Ferrucci will be required for the full Silverstone test. 

“Becoming a Formula One driver is my ultimate goal and I can't thank Haas F1 Team enough for this opportunity,” Ferrucci said. “Nothing beats seat time, and the experience of driving a Formula One car and working with Haas F1 Team will be invaluable.” 

With Haas confirming it is beginning to shift its focus on to its 2017 car, Ferrucci is expected to help the American team aim to find the full potential of its existing car as well as giving the 18-year-old valuable F1 experience. 

“We brought Santino on with Haas F1 Team because he's done a very good job of proving himself in each of the racing series he's competed in,” Guenther Steiner, Haas team principal, said. “We see Santino as a young, American driver with a lot of potential who has earned this opportunity.” 
 

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Red Bull F1's Newey 'excited' by new 2017 technical regulations

Red Bull designer Adrian Newey is "excited" by the new bodywork regulations to be introduced for the 2017 Formula 1 season, according to Christian Horner.

Newey stepped back from day-to-day involvement with Red Bull's F1 operation last year, performing more of a consulting role.

This year, he has been splitting his time 50-50 between Red Bull and the Aston Martin road car project, which he began working on at the start of 2015.

Horner says Newey's F1 interest has been piqued by the incoming regulations for faster cars, different aerodynamic packages and wider tyres.

"He's excited by the regulation change for '17 so he's splitting his time between the two projects," said Red Bull team principal Horner.

"Once the Aston Martin project is into a detailed design phase, he tends to stand back at that point.

"He's very much about the concept, about the aerodynamics, about the layout of the car.

"He's very heavily involved obviously in the '17 car as well."

When asked if Newey will return to F1 full-time once his work on the Aston project ends, Horner said: "His time during any week or month varies.

"It depends on what the priorities are.

"He has a tremendously high work rate.

"But we have some enormously capable people on the F1 team who have had that little bit of breathing space as well, that have used that to great effect with for example the current car."

Despite Red Bull teaming up with Aston Martin on the hypercar project, codenamed AM-RB 001, Horner says his team's primary focus remains F1.

"Our priority is grand prix racing," he said.

"This project is an excellent way of showcasing our engineering skill and realising an ambition of Adrian, as well as the commercial benefits that come from being involved in a brand such as Aston Martin.

"We're providing a service to Aston Martin that was within a bespoke department and this has been going on for 18 months now.

"RB12 is the first car to come out of that way of working and it's obviously been a pretty successful car."

 

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Ferrari already working on 2018 Formula 1 programme

Ferrari has already started working on its 2018 Formula 1 project, according to team principal Maurizio Arrivabene, as it looks to end its long title drought.

Kimi Raikkonen was the last Ferrari driver to win a world championship in 2007, one year before its last constructors' title.

After winning three races in 2015 with Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari has shown similar pace again this year, but has failed to put a strong enough grand prix weekend together to win.

Arrivabene has previously said that Ferrari has no intention of giving up on 2016, but it has now emerged it is splitting resources across this year and the next two.

Ferrari's engine improvements last year and into this year has been one of its strengths, however it has already used all but three of its development tokens in its push to catch Mercedes.

From next season, the token system will be abolished, opening up development opportunities in the hope F1 will edge closer to power unit equality.

"I have always said the team that is working here is focused on this year because the gap is quite big," said Arrivabene, when asked by Autosport when it planned to shift focus.

"I think we can fight, I'm sure we can fight.

"In the meantime, we have a different methodology to work so we have a team that is focused on this year's car.

"We also have a little team that is focused on next year's car and another that is looking after 2018, especially on the engine."

Arrivabene said Ferrari has lacked luck in 2016 but remains convinced that the team can turn its results around.

"When you're going to win, we are going up to the sky because i'm very emotional, I'm passionate," he said.

"But in this role, you have to forget about this, you have to keep calm, look at the season and the next races and keep the team motivated.

"I've always said I don't trust bad luck or good luck, but I think we have a big debt not with luck but with us."

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HORNER: NEWEY IS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN 2017 F1 CAR

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has revealed that the team’s ace designer Adrian Newey is inspired by the 2017 Formula 1 rules and the scope they have for engineering innovation.

Speaking at the launch of Red Bull and Aston Martin’s new AM-RB 001 hypercar, Horner told media: “I think he’s excited by the regulation change for 2017 so he’s splitting his time very much between the two projects.”

“Once the Aston Martin project is into a detailed design phase he tends to step back at that point. He’s very much about the concept, about the aerodynamics, about the layout of the car. He [Newey] is very heavily involved obviously in the 2017 F1 car as well,” confirmed Horner.

It is well known that Newey was no fan of the current rules package, and took a sideways step away from Formula 1 and ploughed time into the hypercar project.

Horner said, “Adrian over the last couple of years has been spending probably about 50% of his time focused on Formula One. We’ve geared ourselves around utilising his time accordingly.”

“I think his time during any week or month varies. It depends what the priorities are. He has a tremendously high work-rate.”

“But we have got some enormously capable people on the Formula 1 team that have had that little bit of breathing space as well. They have used that to great effect with for example the current car,” explained Horner.

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LAUDA: ANOTHER CRASH BETWEEN THE TWO IS NO LONGER ACCEPTED

Toto Wolff will sit down with Mercedes’ two drivers to decide the next steps after their Austria run-in — whether Lewis Hamilton wants to or not.

That is the claim of team chairman and F1 legend Niki Lauda, after the Bild quoted Hamilton as saying he had no intention of discussing the matter as “There is nothing to discuss”.

But when asked by Osterreich newspaper about Hamilton’s apparent refusal, Lauda said: “Toto Wolff will sit with them both. This nonsense must stop.”

“Toto and I are working on a new concept that is better for all. But this much is already clear: a new crash between the two is no longer accepted. We will tell the drivers that clearly before Silverstone.”

The big risk for F1 is that, as a result of Wolff’s meeting with the drivers, Mercedes might decide to put a stop to the free racing policy, imposing a rule that drivers must hold position.

“We need to let them race,” F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone told The Times. “Imagine if we get to the final race of the season and one is told they can’t overtake and that decides the championship? It’s not good for formula one and it won’t be good for Mercedes either.”

However, even Lauda – a staunch racing ‘purist’ – is coming around to the idea that Hamilton and Rosberg might need to have their racing freedoms curtailed, “We want to be world champion with two top drivers, but the championship must be won without accidents.”

“Lewis will not give up, neither will Nico, and logically there is a crash. This is unacceptable,” said Lauda. “I would expect from two adult and intelligent drivers that they manage to do it without accident.”

“Toto is talking with Lewis and Nico on Thursday. We want them to race freely, but if it doesn’t work and you add up the two and half accidents in Barcelona, Montreal and Spielberg, re must reserve all the steps.”

Lauda told Bild newspaper that he thinks the latest saga is predominantly Rosberg’s fault, “For two years he was more reasonable, now he wants to be world champion and goes flat out. But he may not engage in such actions as Spielberg when he wants to win the title.”

“As a racer he must ask himself ‘Am I a world champion or a crash driver?’. He should think of his father, Keke, who was world champion with only one win. It must be that the drivers can switch on their brains in such a situation.”

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MCLAREN PREVIEW THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX

Silverstone is one of the oldest and most iconic circuits on the F1 calendar. A former WWII airfield, the track hosted the first world championship grand prix on 13 May 1950 and it’s been the permanent home of the British Grand Prix since 1987.

The track was the scene of F1’s first 160mph (257km/h) lap, in 1985, and it remains one of the fastest and most challenging circuits in the world.

• What makes it unique: The number of fast corners, many of which are linked. To watch an F1 car through Copse-Maggotts-Becketts is a sight to behold.
• Grip levels: Good. The asphalt is old and the cornering speeds are mostly high, a combination that provides good levels of grip.
• Run-off: Plentiful. The one thing this former airfield doesn’t lack is space. Having said that, Michael Schumacher broke a leg when he crashed at the end of the Hangar Straight in 1999.
• Watch out for: Turn Nine, Copse. This is one of the fastest corners in F1: in qualifying it’s taken flat-out in top gear, whereas in the race it gets faster as the fuel load burns off.

Fernando Alonso: “The British Grand Prix is one of the highlights of the year for every driver. The fans are very knowledgeable and very fair, and the circuit is a fantastic high-speed challenge. It’s one of the few places where the drivers feel like they’ve been let off the leash because you can really feel the aerodynamic grip at Silverstone, which makes it very pleasurable to drive. This is also the home race of McLaren. A lot of the factory-based staff come to watch us at the track, which is special and it would be fantastic to get a good result for all of them. My victories at Silverstone were very special. Both were exciting races and I’ll never forget the reception I received from the crowd when I came onto the podium. It was fantastic and it’s that generosity towards all of the drivers, and not only the British ones, that gives the race such a special atmosphere. From a performance point of view, it’s important that we get through the whole weekend cleanly, efficiently and without problems. We’ve had a couple of tricky races, but, through it all, there have been some genuine glimpses of progress. For me, I want to make progress through Friday and Saturday, then be able to deliver a performance on Sunday that justifies all our efforts. We can do it, and to be able to turn that corner in front of thousands of McLaren-Honda fans would be a fantastic reward for the whole team.”

Jenson Button: “I’ve been going to Silverstone for almost as long as I can remember. I raced there in karts, in Formula Ford, in Formula 3 and, of course, in F1 for the last 16 years. It’s a wonderful track and the British fans are something else. They’ve given me unflinching support during my career, through the good times and the bad, and for that I’m hugely grateful.

“The high-speed corners are great fun, and, whatever your car’s level of competitiveness, you can’t help but smile as you drive through Copse, Maggotts and Becketts because it’s so fast through there. Silverstone is one of my highlights of the year. Finishing on the podium at the British Grand Prix is top of my ‘to do’ list in F1. I’ve achieved pretty much everything else that I set out to do in F1, but I’ve never stood on the podium at Silverstone. I really want to do that and it would feel like a victory if I were to achieve it. Of course, the result in Austria last week really motivates everybody, and it raises everyone’s expectations, too. It would be lovely to be able to claim that a podium this year might finally be possible, but, being realistic, that won’t be possible this time. But I head to Silverstone feeling hugely encouraged by our progress, and just what we can achieve as a team when the variables are thrown into the air and all the teams are left to somewhat improvise: we can do great things. It goes without saying that I’ll be giving it everything at Silverstone this weekend.”

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FORCE INDIA PREVIEW THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX

Force India preview the British Grand Prix, Round 10 of the 2016 Formula 1 world championship, at Silverstone.

Team Principal, Dr Vijay Mallya: “Leaving Austria empty-handed was very disappointing. We showed good form throughout the weekend, but various factors prevented us from realising our true potential. We’ve understood what went wrong and I’m confident we can bounce back this weekend at Silverstone. We shouldn’t let one unlucky race overshadow the great results we have been achieving recently. We’re sitting fifth in the championship and the battle for fourth remains wide open with twelves races still to go. We’ve got some extra performance coming for the VJM09 this weekend and that should help us for the races leading up to the summer break. There is no denying that Silverstone is one of the most special races of the whole season. Being so close to our factory, just across the road, means our staff can be close to the action and we enjoy incredible support from our fans. The British Grand Prix is one of the classic races on the calendar and the atmosphere is unique: the supporters are brilliant and knowledgeable; there is a party atmosphere in the campsites and the weekend is a true celebration of our sport.”

Nico Hulkenberg: “I’m still feeling disappointed with the result in Austria. When you start on the front row you obviously have big hopes for the race, but things just didn’t work out for us. Fortunately we have Silverstone this week so I can get back in the car and focus on getting a good result. The team’s home race is always a busy weekend because our factory is next to the track. It’s one of those special races because the grandstands are full, there’s a buzzing atmosphere and the energy of the fans gives you a real boost. We usually visit one of the campsites and it’s great to meet the fans and have a chat – you always see how much they love the sport. I love driving at Silverstone and the circuit is a real challenge. The fast sections are very enjoyable and corners such as Maggots and Becketts are some of the best of the season where you feel the true performance of an F1 car.”

Sergio Perez: “The last race was very exciting, but sadly it was one lap too long for me. I may have lost some points, but there were a lot of positives from my race and I feel confident for Silverstone and the rest of the season. Silverstone is one of the best tracks of the year. I think all the drivers say it’s one of their favourites. There is so much history and all the great drivers have raced and won there. For me it’s very important that we keep going back to these historic circuits because they helped make Formula One what it is today. Silverstone is a track that really tests aero performance. We’ve made good progress with the car in this area so I think we can be competitive once again. Another big factor for Silverstone is the unpredictable British weather. I remember in 2012 when it rained so much on the Saturday and qualifying had to be delayed, but the fans never lost their enthusiasm. They always help create a great atmosphere.”

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WILLIAMS PREVIEW THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX

‘The home of British motorsport’ is naturally a treasured place in Williams’ heart, and not only because the team won both its first and 100th grands prix at the circuit. The track consists of long, sweeping corners and fast straights, making it one of the quickest laps on the calendar. The race at Silverstone is the joint oldest consecutively staged grand prix along with Monza, and is a race Williams has won 10 times, including four consecutive years from 1991-94. Williams was once again on the podium with Valtteri Bottas in 2014.

For Silverstone, Pirelli has made available the soft, medium and hard compound tyres.

Pat Symonds: “Silverstone is another strong circuit for us and even though Austria did not deliver what it promised, there is no reason to think that our home race won’t give us a strong result. The weather in Britain has been quite unpredictable over the last month and may well play a role in the outcome of the weekend ahead. We’re confident that we have overcome the problem that forced Felipe to start from the pitlane and expect both cars to be running the latest front wing, which showed a positive result during testing in Austria. We always look forward to racing at our home circuit, particularly as it gives our factory-based workforce, who contribute so much to the overall performance of the car, the opportunity to see the product of their work race in anger. We’ve enjoyed good performances here over the last couple of years, which also adds to the enjoyment of this challenging track.”

Valtteri Bottas: “Silverstone is a special event. It’s a home race for Williams and it’s one of the good tracks for our car. It’s also one of the most enjoyable tracks to drive a Formula One car because of the high-speed nature of the circuit. My favourite part of the track is Becketts, which is a lot of fun because it has a really nice flow to it. The crowd at Silverstone is amazing as well. I’m always impressed by how much support the motorsport fans in the UK give to us.”

Felipe Massa: “Silverstone is the home grand prix for the team, which is really special, and it’s truly an amazing track to drive. It’s a circuit with a lot of high-speed corners, so you need to have a very good car in that respect. Typically British, it’s a circuit where the weather changes very quickly! It can be wet, dry, or completely mixed – anything can happen, which we’ve seen many times over the last few years. As Williams’ home grand prix, it’s an important place for the team to get a good result, especially as we have so much history there. Plus, it’s one of the oldest races on the calendar, so I’m really looking forward to what will be a special race.”

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HAAS PREVIEW THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX

It is fitting that a track with silver in its name allows drivers to be pedal to the metal for long periods of time.

Silverstone Circuit, a 5.891-kilometer (3.660-mile), 18-turn track that is roughly a two-hour drive from London, is the host of Sunday’s British Grand Prix. It is the third longest circuit in the FIA Formula One World Championship, behind only Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (7.004 kilometers, 4.352 miles) and Baku City Circuit (6.003 kilometers, 3.730 miles).

The majority of Silverstone’s layout is comprised of medium- and high-speed corners, allowing drivers to run at full throttle for 65 percent of their lap. This provides an average speed of around 225 kph (140 mph), making the track a true power circuit and one of Formula One’s fastest venues. It is excellent timing then, that Haas F1 Team gets the latest Ferrari engine package, combining greater efficiency with increased performance.

Teams run medium to high levels of downforce in their racecars to better assist with the impressive cornering speeds achieved at Silverstone. These downforce levels are obtained because the circuit has relatively few long straights. Its sweeping corners provide overtaking opportunities, albeit tricky ones because of the speeds drivers are carrying.

With the amount of downforce pushing these cars onto the racetrack, tires endure forces from all directions. It’s why Formule One tire supplier Pirelli has brought the hardest compounds in its lineup, beginning with the P Zero Orange hard and then transitioning to the P Zero White medium before finishing with the P Zero Yellow soft. It’s only the second time this season Pirelli has chosen this lineup, the first being for the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya.

Grip remains the utmost need for drivers, which is why Haas F1 Team pilots Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutiérrez have each selected seven sets of Yellow softs from their respective, 13-set allotment. But they differ in their remaining selections. Grosjean opted for two sets of Orange hards and four sets of White mediums, while Gutiérrez took only one set of Orange hards and five sets of White mediums.

It is likely Sunday’s 52-lap race will force teams into a two-stop pit strategy as Silverstone offers high levels of grip, which combined with the high downforce levels, works the surface of the tire even harder. And, of course, the softer the tire, the quicker it wears.

It is also likely the British Grand Prix will be affected by weather, ping-ponging between bright sunshine and heavy rain or cool, breezy weather and hot, muggy conditions. Perhaps it is this variable that accounts for the pole winner of the British Grand Prix having gone on to win only four times in the last 18 years.

While Sunday will mark the 67th British Grand Prix, it will be the 50th British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Silverstone is home to the first British Grand Prix of the modern era, where in 1950 Nino Farina took the checkered flag ahead of fellow Italian Luigi Fagioli. It remained the host venue through 1954 before it began sharing the event with Aintree Circuit in Liverpool from 1955 to 1962 and Brands Hatch in Longfield from 1963 to 1986. But since 1987, Silverstone has been the home of the British Grand Prix.

And home is what Silverstone represents to many Formula One teams, for it is in England’s motorsports valley where eight Formula One teams have a base within an hour-and-a-half drive from the circuit, including Haas F1 Team. Its European logistics center is in Banbury, only 30 minutes west of Silverstone.

Fresh off its fourth point-scoring finish last week in the Austrian Grand Prix, Haas F1 Team is honed in on another point-scoring run at Britain’s home track.

Silverstone Circuit

• Circuit Length: 5.891 km (3.660 miles)
• Laps: 52
• Race Distance: 306.198 km (190.263 miles)
• Broadcast: CNBC – 7:30 a.m. ET (Pre-Race Show) / 8 a.m. ET (Lights Out)

About Haas F1 Team

Haas F1 Team debuted in the FIA Formula One World Championship in 2016, becoming the first American-led Formula One team since 1986. Founded by industrialist Gene Haas, Haas F1 Team is based in the United States on the same Kannapolis, North Carolina, campus as his championship-winning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, Stewart-Haas Racing. Haas is the founder of Haas Automation, the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America, and he is chairman of Haas F1 Team.

Q&A Guenther Steiner, Team Principal

Silverstone is a home race for most Formula One teams, as even Haas F1 Team has a European base that is approximately 30 minutes from the track. NASCAR’s home race for teams is Charlotte, and for those races, each crew member arrives on his or her own, driving and sometimes even cycling from home. Is this possible for our crew members, or do you treat it the same as any other race and put everyone up in a hotel and they ride together to the track?
“Travel is a little bit mixed for the team members. Some stay at home and then take a bus to the track since there is limited parking, while others will stay at a hotel and then also take a bus to the track. If they arrive at our Bunbury location at a certain time, they can catch a ride to the track as well.”

Silverstone is a fast track where drivers are able to run full throttle for long periods of time. How do you help them find that edge to determine when they can be flat out and when they can’t?
“It all depends on the comfort level of the drivers. You can take some downforce off on the straight line as long as they are comfortable with it.”

How much downforce do you want in the car at Silverstone? As much as the driver can get, or do you want him to be able to slide the car a bit and have a little less drag?
“The car must be stuck to the ground. As soon as you take away too much downforce, the tires won’t last and you begin to have graining, which the drivers do not like. We have to take off just enough downforce so that the car doesn’t slide and start going through the tires too quickly. It’s less about the driver feel and more about tire preservation. The driver may be more comfortable when the tire is going away, but then you risk the chance of the tire going out.”

Will we see any updates to the VF-16 from an aerodynamic standpoint at Silverstone?
“No, there will be no changes to the aerodynamics.”

Haas F1 Team gets the upgraded Ferrari engine package at Silverstone. What makes it better from the previous-generation package you used from the start of the season through last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix?
“The car will be getting an engine package upgrade, which will be a combination of being more efficient and having better performance.”

Ferrari has run the upgraded engine package in its cars since Canada in early June. Why the wait before Haas F1 Team installed it in its cars?
“It is quite normal that we get the upgrade a couple of races after Ferrari. We are very happy with that since we don’t have to test it and they get to experience it first and make changes, if needed.”

At most circuits, pole position is critical. But for some reason, not as much at Silverstone, where the pole winner has only gone on to win four times in the last 18 years. Is this happenstance or is there something about the track’s layout that provides more opportunity for those a little deeper on the starting grid?
“I don’t think there is a specific reason. I know that it is, for sure, possible to overtake at Silverstone, but I think so few people not winning from the pole is more happenstance than anything.”

Weather tends to be a large variable at Silverstone, with hot weather interspersed with cool, blustery and even raw conditions. How do you prepare for temperature swings and weather changes, be it at Silverstone or anywhere else?
“Other than having data together for the tires and how they work in the different temperatures, it’s honestly hard to prepare. The best we can do is keep our eye on it and go with what the weather gives us.”

Is there a track we’ve been to so far this season that emulates what you’ll experience at Silverstone, thereby allowing you to start with a more detailed baseline setup?
“We are able to gain experience and knowledge from every track, but it doesn’t necessarily benefit us for other tracks. Sure we have the same tires as in Spain, but the weather and temperature could be completely different, which could lead to a different outcome. The best thing for us to do is get as much information as we can from each track and apply it to others and try to get the best out of it.”

It seems that when the weather is warmer, it’s easier to get the tires into their proper working ranges. Is this accurate?
“It is difficult to find the window where the tires work the best. There is a very fine line and it is easy to overdo it. It might be either too cold or too hot. We just have to find the happy medium, same as the other teams.”

Q&A Romain Grosjean

Silverstone is one of the fastest tracks in Formula One, but it’s not necessarily from long straights but rather from long, flowing corners. Can you describe the feeling of speed you experience at this power circuit?
“It’s a really cool track, especially the fast part through Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel corners. When you have the grip in the car there, you really get the sensation of the g-forces. Everything’s pushing down. You really want to get the first part of the flowing corners right. If you don’t, you just lose a lot of time. When the car is very stable and has good balance, you can go flat out and really push it to the limit. That’s where F1 is at its best.”

Is Silverstone the track where you’re able to run at full throttle for the longest periods of time?
“I think probably Baku we were flat out for longer periods of time, but Silverstone is a power track as well. You need good power to get a good lap time there. There are a few straight lines and a few overtaking opportunities but, mainly, Silverstone is about the grip of the car through the high-speed corners.”

How do you find that edge to determine when you can be flat out and when you can’t?
“Well, you find out quickly when you’re wrong.”

With speed playing such a role at Silverstone, how difficult is it to overtake? And if the opportunity presents itself, where can you overtake?
“There are a few spots. On the straights and through the high-speed corners, you have an opportunity if your car is much better balanced than the car in front of you. After turn three or turn four, there’s the long section after the slow-speed corners, and that’s a good opportunity as well. But the thing about Silverstone is really the difference between a well-balanced car and an unbalanced car, that’s where the opportunity lies.”

At most circuits, pole position is critical. But for some reason, not as much at Silverstone, where the pole winner has only gone on to win four times in the last 18 years. Is this happenstance or is there something about the track’s layout that provides more opportunity for those a little deeper on the starting grid?
“Silverstone is in the UK, and the UK weather is known to be sometimes rainy, sometimes dry. That plays a part. It can change a lot between qualifying and the race, and then even in the race itself. You can also have a good car in qualifying, but if it’s not quite perfectly balanced for the race, you’ll pay the price. That’s where success lies, and probably why most of the winners didn’t start from pole position.”

Is there a track we’ve been to so far this season that emulates what you’ll experience at Silverstone, thereby allowing you to start with a more detailed baseline setup?
“I think Silverstone is a track that the team knows very well and it’s in line with Barcelona. We can use the knowledge from Barcelona and use it at Silverstone for the normal baseline setup and, hopefully, get it right from the beginning.”

How much downforce do you want at Silverstone? As much as you can get, or do you want to be able to slide the car a bit and have a little less drag?
“You want as much downforce as you can get.”

This year’s race marks Silverstone’s 50th Formula One race. Is there one from the previous 49 races at Silverstone that stands out for you?
“I’ll go for the one from 1983 when Alain Prost won the British Grand Prix driving for Renault.”

What is your favorite part of Silverstone?
“The high-speed corners at Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel.”

Describe a lap around Silverstone…
“You start off on the new main pit straight before taking the first turn flat out. Then you come into two hairpins. The first one is more open than the second one, and the second you really want to go for as early as you can. Then you go through the old last couple of corners –very tricky braking here – before going along the old pit straight. It’s very tricky here on power, as well. Then you get to the very high-speed section. It’s a great sensation in the car here. You stay flat out as much as you can into Maggotts and Becketts, and then downshifting every corner a gear, and then you’re onto the Hanger Straight to Stowe corner. This is another tricky one where you enter very quickly. You want to go on the power as quick as you can, but the corner is closing down more than you think. Then you go to the last chicane – heavy braking and it’s very bumpy. Then you’ve got your final throttle application with a lot of g-force on the right-hand side and you cross the finish line.”

Q&A Esteban Gutierrez

Silverstone is one of the fastest tracks in Formula One, but it’s not necessarily from long straights but rather from long, flowing corners. Can you describe the feeling of speed you experience at this power circuit?
“Silverstone is one of my favorite tracks because it has a lot of fast and flowing corners, and it’s really one of the best tracks to drive in the wet. I’ve had great memories there. I’ve won many races there, so I’m really looking forward to coming back and getting the maximum from myself and the car.”

Is Silverstone the track where you’re able to run at full throttle for the longest periods of time?
“It’s one of the longest. You have plenty of fast corners and you have a lot of medium-long straights – not extremely long but more straights than usual. It’s quite a fast circuit in general.”

How do you find that edge to determine when you can be flat out and when you can’t?
“It’s about practice and experience. You go into the corner and sometimes you take the risk and you lift a little bit, or you go the next lap and you say, ‘OK, this time is flat out’ and you stick your foot on the throttle. It’s as simple as that. It’s one of the most exciting parts of driving a car. Finding the challenge to go quicker also depends on the tires, on the wind direction, on the track conditions.”

With speed playing such a role at Silverstone, how difficult is it to overtake? And if the opportunity presents itself, where can you overtake?
“I would say the main section is where you can really overtake, between turn two and turn three. Approaching turn three is a high-braking zone coming from a fast section. Then another one is after Becketts, where you have a straight, which usually is a good part to overtake. Overall, Silverstone has a couple of good sections where you can overtake.”

At most circuits, pole position is critical. But for some reason, not as much at Silverstone, where the pole winner has only gone on to win four times in the last 18 years. Is this happenstance or is there something about the track’s layout that provides more opportunity for those a little deeper on the starting grid?
“I think it’s a matter of Silverstone being a track that offers different track conditions. Very often, it’s raining or just changing conditions, so it can put a lot of variability into the results. But it’s also quite demanding for the tires, and if you ask too much of the tires, it’ll change your strategy, and that can play a role in the results.”

Is there a track we’ve been to so far this season that emulates what you’ll experience at Silverstone, thereby allowing you to start with a more detailed baseline setup?
“Silverstone is a pretty particular track that has a lot of fast corners and just a few slow-speed corners. You try to put more emphasis into the car for high-speed corners, and protecting the tires with the aero balance is important. As a new team, it’s always a challenge to get there for the first time.”

How much downforce do you want at Silverstone? As much as you can get, or do you want to be able to slide the car a bit and have a little less drag?
“It’s important to have as much downforce as possible at Silverstone. Even though it’s a pretty fast track, you have a lot of corners and you want downforce, especially when it’s raining. If you have a lot of changeable conditions, you really want to make sure you have as much downforce as possible.”

This year’s race marks Silverstone’s 50th Formula One race. Is there one from the previous 49 races at Silverstone that stands out for you?
“I’ve had pretty good races in the past when we had the old layout in different categories. I’ve won many times, but definitely being a part of the 50th Formula One race at Silverstone gives higher significance to everything. I’m going to give everything and do my best to get a good result there.”

What is your favorite part of Silverstone?
“I would say Becketts is my favorite part. It’s a part of some very amazing corners.”

Describe a lap around Silverstone…
“You approach turn one after the main straight, which is usually flat out and on the limit. You go into turn two, which is important to prepare the line for turn three. It’s a high-braking corner, pretty slow, but then goes into another hairpin – a very slow-speed corner. After exiting turn four, you have turn five, which is also flat out, and it’s important to have a good balance and good traction. Approaching turn six is a medium-speed corner and you enter with a lot of speed. Entry is more important than exit. Then you have turn seven, which is a pretty long corner and pretty challenging for the tires because you arrive with the tires warmed up on the surface and you’re trying to get good traction out of there. Then you come into the backstraight before turn nine, which is one of the nicest corners on the circuit. It’s a very high-speed corner and then it starts my favorite section, approaching into the series of corners which is 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. It’s very important to have a good rhythm. You enter with a lot of speed and you can’t lose the line. You want a good exit out of the last corner. Then it’s down another straight. You approach turn 15, which is a very nice corner, very fast, braking very late and with a lot of lateral while turning into the corner. Then you approach the last part of the track, which is the chicane, and a very long exit after the chicane, which obviously makes traction very challenging.”

[MIKA27]

Sebastian Vettel tyre failure was caused by debris, say Ferrari and Pirelli

Formula 1 tyre suppliers Pirelli and Scuderia Ferrari have concluded that Sebastian Vettel's tyre failure at Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix was caused by debris.

Vettel was leading the race up until lap 27, when the right-rear tyre exploded on the start/finish straight, sending him into the pit wall, and forcing his retirment.

"The issue appears to be caused by an item of debris, which led to the breakage of the tyre," read Pirelli's official statement.

"The few remaining parts of the tyre in question, together with an in-depth comparison to other tyres used in the race, reveal no signs of fatigue or structural failure in the right-rear tyre itself."

The Ferrari driver suffered a similar high-speed failure at last year's Belgian Grand Prix, while on the Medium-compound tyre, which was determined to be caused by a combination of debris and prolonged use.

However, Vettel's long stint in Austria, this time on the Supersoft tyre, was not determined to be a factor in the failure.