FORMULA 1 - 2016

[MIKA27]

Renault plan to boost staff by more than 100 this year

Renault are hoping a massive boost to its staffing numbers at both its chassis base in Enstone and its power unit factory in Viry will drive performance forward next year and beyond, as it seeks to start delivering podiums soon.

Following its recent takeover of Lotus, which stuggled with its budget and had to keep staffing levels to a minimum, Renault have begun a massive talent drive which will see it employ an additional 130 people across its two facilities, according to Jerome Stoll, president of Renault Sport Racing.

He did however warn it could take some time to entice talent from rival teams to jump ship.

"We have the target of almost 100 extra personnel at Enstone this year as well as over 30 extra personnel at Viry," he told the official Formula 1 website. 
"This is not the work of a moment as we are targeting the very best people in their respective fields."

Stoll also announced a minor restructure of the management at Renault Sport Racing, with current racing director Frederic Vasseur taking on the role of team principal, which will see him responsible for "performance and results of the team" as well as "day-to-day activities in Viry-Chatillon where both Formula One engine and customer racing activities are based."

In addition, managing director or Renault Sport Racing Cyril Abiteboul, will "focus his time on the improvements that need to be made to Enstone as well as the alignment between the two sites of Viry and Enstone."

A consequence of this, will be that Abiteboul will relocate to the UK in the very near future.

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What did Austria's kerb-hopping tell us about modern F1 drivers? That they're just like old F1 drivers

“The danger? Well, of course. But you are missing a very important point. I think if any of us imagined – really imagined – what it would be like to go into a tree at 150 miles per hour we would probably never get into the cars at all, none of us. So it has always seemed to me that to do something very dangerous requires a certain absence of imagination.”

The words of a Grand Prix driver? Yes. Well, sort of. I cheated a little. It was actually said by Jean-Pierre Sarti, one of the protagonists in the 1966 John Frankenheimer film Grand Prix. A fictitious double world champion and senior F1 statesman driving for Ferrari. One that Frankenheimer said was based on a heady amalgam of Juan Manuel Fangio, Wolfgang von Trips and Jean Behra.

But clearly Sarti’s words apply to F1 reality, and still apply today. The latest evidence of this was in the Austrian Grand Prix weekend just passed. And I’m not even talking about, you know, that on the last lap. I’m talking about in qualifying and before.

F1’s Spielberg visits are known for giving us unusual outcomes occasionally as well as more often having that inimitable sense of being a place where things happen – which of course we got in spades this time. There are many factors contributing to this status, some tangible and some intangible. And this time there was another tangible thrown in. Very tangible it was too.

Notorious yellow ‘baguette’ kerbs, sitting proud on the outside of many turns and good for breaking F1 cars. A few aero parts had been snapped off in Friday running and in addition Max Verstappen busted his front suspension on them. Not everyone had sympathy with him afterwards, but his complaints in retrospect gathered a bit more gravitas when there was another suspension failure for Nico Rosberg the following morning which was followed by two more failures within the qualifying hour, first for Sergio Perez then with spectacular consequences for Daniil Kvyat. Yet even so as far as many were concerned the route out of this was disarmingly simple. Stay off the kerbs, stupid.

This was outlined by Johnny Herbert on TV, reflecting the opinion of most it seemed. “If the kerb is there, and a kerb is something that is a little bit aggressive for you, and you get on there and there’s a chance of breaking suspension, yes you’ve got to push yourself to the very limit, but you keep off it. Full stop” he said.

“We saw with Dany Kvyat there was four wheels off and then he still went further onto the yellow [kerb] itself and that’s where you get a problem” Herbert went on. “If there’s a wall [there] you don’t hit the wall.

“These are the best drivers in the world with the best judgement in the world, they drive through the streets of Monaco with barriers and don’t clang into the barriers all the time…”

I don’t quote Herbert to pick on him given as intimated he was far from the only one espousing this sort of view. There was something like a consensus behind it. And at the broadest level it’s correct of course, while to take an extreme example I’m fairly sure that Alain Prost never went near a kerb in his entire F1 career.

Herbert’s view indeed was among the more generous particularly in his assessment of modern pilots. Some on social media and elsewhere went further and suggested that it all said something about the decadent modern driver not knowing they’re born, not compared with their predecessor generations anyway. This does appear these days a default conclusion of modern sportspeople. See the fallout from the England football team’s recent early exit from Euro 2016, quintessentially.

But nevertheless even the more generous outlook of Herbert was in my view a touch simplistic. And not just because Jolyon Palmer pointed out that it wasn’t only the yellow kerbs more than a car’s width away from the track’s edge that were breaking the F1 cars, the closer and more ‘standard’ red and white ones had severe steps in them that were breaking cars too. Nor that Rosberg scarcely touched the kerb it seemed prior to his own failure. Most pointedly it all reckoned without F1 drivers as they are. And likely always have been.

What we saw from the pilots at the Red Bull Ring was in fact very different to what they were being accused of by some. Pretty much the opposite in fact.

For starters to nip one social media suggestion in the bud it wasn’t that F1 drivers tried and failed to avoid the kerbs. We had that confirmed almost immediately when in Q3 it rained and the kerbs, now slippery, had to be avoided for lap time’s (and not spinning’s) sake. All competitors managed to do this just fine. Monaco and its lining of barriers Herbert has mentioned too. There is no shortage of talent out there in other words.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff before qualifying instead got near the crux of the matter when he said that “if you want to qualify at the front you need to go over the kerbs". Quite – the drivers used the kerbs, even with there being such a known risk of hobbling their car on them or worse, purely because there was a lap time advantage from going over them – which of course is the racing driver’s ultimate aim – and they calculated that in that pursuit it was worth the risk. As Martin Brundle noted in his commentary of the wet and therefore suddenly kerb-avoiding Q3 mentioned, F1 drivers “look for the grip, they’re hard wired to do that”. He expanded on the whole matter later in his post-race online column: “The drivers’ response was largely ‘we can’t stay off the kerbs because others will use them and go faster’”.

And thinking in the cold assessment that we saw four suspension failures in total in two days from 22 F1 cars doing however many scores of laps each, in that pure sense of balancing probabilities the drivers’ logic seems sound. Add to that, to my knowledge, not a single lap time in Austria was scrubbed due to the well-worn rap of ‘all four wheels crossing the white line’, and their decisions presumably were sealed. Anthony Davidson indeed summed up the conflict. “The racing driver in me empathises with the guys out there today”, he said during qualifying. “The pundit in me kind of says well if this was Monaco…”.

It’s been that way for decades too. Faced with a competitive situation, a chance to win, drivers’ instinct it seems takes over and they go for it absolutely, even when there is a conspicuous overhanging shadow of a safety risk. When visors go down any thoughts of reining it in are sent quickly to some mental recess. Among other instances we can think of Montjuic in 1975 when there were severe doubts about the fitting of the barriers; Dallas in 1984 when the track crumbled; Monza in 2001 when there was a fuss about something-or-other to do with two of the chicanes; Silverstone in 2013 when the tyres were going pop. On each occasion the air was thick of drivers resolving or even being pleaded with to proceed well within their limits in order to boost safety, in the first couple mentioned of them perhaps even boycotting altogether. Yeah, right. In the event – aside from a paltry handful walking out in Montjuic – they all went pedal to the metal just like nothing at all was amiss.

“Look at them” grinned an observing John Watson in the Dallas case, encapsulating matters as the drivers pelted around the track that so much had been said about. “Show them a green light, and they can’t help themselves”.

In the most recent of these, Silverstone in 2013, those who were watching that day will likely recall the sense of creeping foreboding as one tyre failure followed another. Very rarely indeed do I ever recall willing an F1 race to be stopped ahead of time as I did then, nor when the chequered flag fell the overriding emotion being relief that the sport, and more to the point its pilots, had got away with it somehow.

After the first three tyre failures early in that race several drivers received radio messages advising them to keep clear of the kerbs in order to minimise the chances of a further tyre failure for themselves. But very little changed even so – still much kerb-riding could be seen throughout the field for the race’s remainder.

I recall sitting in the top three press conference afterwards, and asking the podium finishers what their thought process had been to discard apparently the safety instructions. The first two home, Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber, did try to suggest they’d sought to be careful (though as outlined it wasn’t clear what this additional care amounted to in practice). Yet the third-placed man, Fernando Alonso, probably with greater candour, made no bones about the fact that he simply didn’t heed the call for caution from his pit wall as he couldn’t afford to for the sake of his competitive prospects. “They kept telling me to go off the kerbs”, he said, “but obviously if you’re position 12 you need to attack, you need to change the racing line, you need the use the DRS...I didn’t change, I didn’t change lines.”

Max Mosley noted on another F1 film, 1: Life on the Limit, that for any driver given a choice between two cars, one two seconds a lap faster than the other but the faster one is less safe, it will for them be a no brainer. They will always choose the quicker one. F1 drivers therefore, he concluded, need coercion on safety matters. And it’s not as simple as a moral failure, it as Brundle touched upon also reflects human nature to an extent. Psychologists have various terms for such behaviour, such as the collective action problem as well as more specifically the prisoner’s dilemma. To put it in layman’s terms, and adapt it for our purposes, each individual driver will be afraid to be the one to make the initial move that promotes the greater good, as if others don’t follow their lead they will be at a disadvantage.

Perez indeed during Austrian qualifying after his own suspension failure and that of Kvyat, when asked for a solution immediately started to talk in such terms. “I think we have to put track limits or something [in place] if that’s the problem, because by [just] telling us [to stay off the kerbs] we won’t listen” he admitted. There was some exasperation at this, that as a friend suggested to me was akin to someone saying they’d only conclude they shouldn’t rob a bank if someone told them not to, but for the reasons given it likely is the only kind of solution.

Broadly as Brundle noted also during his Silverstone commentary three years ago, one is left half impressed and half disgusted by this. Yet also on some level Austria, just as Silverstone did, provided a latest reminder that driving in F1 is something that the vast majority of the rest of us couldn't do – which in itself is no bad thing, particularly given recent self-flagellating debates suggesting that observers would be forgiven these days for thinking they could hop in to drive an F1 car themselves almost uninitiated. Such an ‘absence of imagination’, prioritising speed and being able to somehow park the thought that their suspension could be the next to go – and if it did they could within a blink be a passenger on the way to hitting something hard – at some level surely elicits a sense of grudging admiration in most of us watching on. F1 drivers really are a peculiar breed. Therefore, all in, rather than F1 drivers being weak or sub-skilled in Austria, we in fact witnessed them at their most gladiatorial.

And last word goes to Sarti.

Jean-Pierre Sarti: “Before you leave I want to tell you something. Not about the others, but about myself. I used to go to pieces. I’d see an accident like that and be so weak inside that I wanted to quit – stop the car and walk away. I could hardly make myself go past it. But I’m older now. When I see something really horrible, I put my foot down. Hard! Because I know that everyone else is lifting his.”

Louise Frederickson: “What a terrible way to win.”

Jean-Pierre Sarti: “No, there is no terrible way to win. There is only winning.”

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Sauber to miss post-British Grand Prix test at Silverstone

The Sauber Formula 1 team has confirmed it will not take part in the post-British Grand Prix test at Silverstone.

The two-day event takes place from the 12-13 July, the Tuesday and Wednesday after the British GP – round 10 of the 2016 season.

The Swiss outfit said it plans to introduce its new aerodynamic package at a later date and felt completing the test would not be cost effective.

Sauber has struggled financially in recent years and had trouble with delayed payments to its staff at the beginning of the season.

The team also skipped the opening in-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after May’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Sauber is currently the only team yet to score a point so far in the 2016 season and finds itself at the very bottom of the constructors’ championship.

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Ecclestone opposes Mercedes team orders

Bernie Ecclestone has sided with Lewis Hamilton, saying that it would be wrong for Mercedes to impose team orders after the controversy of the Austrian Grand Prix.

Concerned over interest from fans, the F1 supremo urged Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolff to continue to let the two title contenders battle it out for the rest of the season.

He also added that if Rosberg and Hamilton do end up going overboard on the track, they have the stewards there to issue any punishment if need be.

Bernie Ecclestone has sided with Lewis Hamilton, saying that it would be wrong for Mercedes to impose team orders after the controversy of the Austrian Grand Prix.

Concerned over interest from fans, the F1 supremo urged Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolff to continue to let the two title contenders battle it out for the rest of the season.

He also added that if Rosberg and Hamilton do end up going overboard on the track, they have the stewards there to issue any punishment if need be.

Ecclestone believes that Wolff will be sucking the life out of an intense rivalry, which is good for the sport, if Mercedes decide to issue team orders on their two drivers.

"I think we need to let them race," the 85-year-old told Telegraph Sport.

"If they do anything silly we have the stewards there to sort it out. People don't want to see the team interfering. It's not good for the sport of for the fans.

“I spoke to Toto and I told him exactly what I've told you: let them get on with it.

"We've got stewards for all that, we don't need the team deciding the race. If Lewis is going to win, let him win. Or with Nico. Don't get involved.

"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."

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Sainz extends Toro Rosso contract

Carlos Sainz Jr. is delighted that he was able to extend his Toro Rosso contract into 2017 following unsettling rumours linking him with drives elsewhere.

Since his former teammate Max Verstappen got promoted to Red Bull, constant speculation has been surrounding the young Spaniard about whether or not he is happy at Toro Rosso.

However, debunking those rumours, the 21-year-old extended his contract at the Scuderia-powered outfit, saying that it is the best move in terms of his career in the sport and development as a driver.

“It’s a very positive thing for me because in such a tough programme like Red Bull, and with Toro Rosso such a tough team to remain and to keep going with,” he told Sky Sports.

“We all know their history with young drivers – to break this tendency and sign a contract so early in the year is a special feeling and a special case. I’m very happy about that.

“It means I have the full confidence and full trust of Red Bull and Toro Rosso and means we can have good stability for the end of the year and next year. It will be an important year for them and for me. It’s just the best news at the right time, so I’m very happy about it.”

Sainz was also pleased at the fact that for the rest of the season he will not have to worry about his immediate future and will be able to race without any distractions.

“Until you sign something, or until someone tells you [you’re staying], in this programme there’s always going to be a bit of a doubt because we all know how this works,” he added.

“So I must be very grateful to Helmut [Marko], to Christian [Horner] for committing so early to it and for giving me so much confidence and so much trust.

“I know there is also good young talent and people wanting to be in this seat, so I just have to thank them and tell them I will give my best to keep going.

“I understand they are very happy with their two drivers because they are two really good drivers, but in the end I have to create my own opportunities and chances and that’s by doing a strong end of the season and a strong 2017, which I am fully focused on.”

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Manor won't "sit back" after first point of 2016

Manor racing director Dave Ryan says his team is ready to push even harder now for better results after scoring its first points of the season at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Pascal Wehrlein was one of the stars of the Red Bull Ring weekend as he battled hard to secure his maiden top-10 finish.

The result could prove significant for Manor in the battle with Sauber for 10th place in the constructors' championship, which is worth millions of dollars in prize money.

But Ryan has told Motorsport.com there is no sense of the outfit thinking it has achieved its target.

“Sauber have gone through a bit of a tough time and I am sure they are going to bounce back,” said Ryan.

“We've got to go to every race with a view to finishing as high up as we can, and at the end of the year the points score will tell its own tale.

“We are not going to sit back now: this is only the start for us. We've got to push, and push, and push at every race.”

Track challenge

Ryan knows that Manor's recent strong form was helped by F1's run of power-sensitive circuits that played to the strength of the team's Mercedes engine, but he sees no reason to think more good results cannot come.

“The last three tracks have been pretty good tracks for us, and the next possible few aren't going to be too good for us,” he said.

“You've got to be competitive everywhere and you have to be in a position to take advantage of any situations that come your way. So we might find it a bit harder in the next few races, but that is life. We have to deal with it and figure out what we have got to to do to sort this out.”

He thinks that, having got that crucial first point in the bag, that the team will be extra motivated to deliver more in the future.

“Everyone is working very hard and that is fine, but occasionally you need a pat on the back or a result to come your way – and when it does, you go 'oh, that is pretty nice, let's push a bit harder and see what happens next'.

“It brings everyone together and shows you that everything is possible. That is what we are here for.

“We are not here to work unreasonable hours week after week. We are here to go racing, and try to get a good group of guys and a good atmosphere, a competitive car and we want to have a bit of fun as well – that is pretty important. If you get some results and things go your way you can do that.”

Speaking about improvements to the car, Ryan said: “We've got some good updates at Silverstone. A little bit of aero and some mechanical and a few more aero updates coming through after that. We've got quite a programme of stuff coming through.”

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Vasseur appointed team principal as Renault tweaks structure

The Renault Sport F1 Team has shuffled its management structure mid-season, with Frederic Vasseur taking on the role of team principal.

The changes, which will also see managing director Cyril Abiteboul move to the UK, were announced by Jerome Stoll, president of Renault Sport Racing, in an interview to F1.com.

"The redeployment of the management structure, based on the appraisal of the requirements of the two entities (Enstone and Viry), is underway," Stroll said.

"In our management structure, Cyril Abiteboul will retain his previous position of Managing Director of Renault Sport Racing but he will focus his time on the improvements that need to be made to Enstone as well as the alignment between the two sites of Viry and Enstone.

"The consequence is that he will move in the UK in the very near future."

Stoll also said that Vasseur, who had previously served as the team's racing director, "will be responsible for the performance and results of the team".

In addition, Vasseur will manage the day-to-day activities in the Viry-Chatillon facility, which is in charge of Renault's F1 engine programme.

Personnel intake

With the Renault team having been affected by a well-publicised shortage of personnel since its takeover of Lotus, Stoll has named targets for staff intake in 2016.

"We have the target of almost 100 extra personnel at Enstone this year, as well as over 30 extra personnel at Viry.

"This is not the work of a moment as we are targeting the very best people in their respective fields."

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Honda says no other Formula 1 teams want to be its second engine partner

Honda would benefit from a second Formula 1 team but no one is interested - claims the firm's motorsport boss Yusuke Hasegawa.

F1's other three engine manufacturers all supply at least two teams.

Honda was mentioned last year as a potential partner for Red Bull, albeit as a last resort as the team ran short of options when trying to split with Renault.

Having faced an uphill struggle since it rejoined F1 with McLaren in 2015, Honda has made no secret of the fact that for more rapid improvements to be made, and for better understanding of its power unit, linking up with an additional team would be ideal.

Both McLaren and Honda have to agree to such a union, but Hasegawa has revealed there are no takers at present.

"I think from a technical point of view it is good to have a second team, to have more chances to run the engines," said Hasegawa.

"Of course it costs a bit more, and we need to prepare the engineers, but in general I would be happy to have a second team if we have the opportunity.

"But also at this moment we are not strong enough.

"There is not any team that wants to have a Honda engine.

"We need to wait. I have to change the situation."

Hasegawa has confirmed updates to this year's power unit are due to be introduced "in a couple of races", with the focus of improvement on the internal combustion engine and significant lap time improvements targeted.

"We are aiming to have half a second [gain], but I don't know, I can't tell if we can achieve that. But we should do that. We need to improve," said Hasegawa.

He has also confirmed discussions are ongoing regarding next year's system, and which direction to take.

"So far we are researching many possibilities," said Hasegawa.

"Drastic change or a continuous one, we haven't decided yet which direction we will go. We are researching that.

"Maybe in August we will have to decide. McLaren has to decide the package."

In the build-up to the Austrian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso claimed that bar "apart from punching them", he was doing all he could to push Honda in the right direction.

Hasegawa accepts the pressure, but insists there is none greater than from within Honda itself.

"I saw Fernando's comments. Of course, he is not actually punching me but I'm very happy to have that pressure because it means he expects Honda to improve," said Hasegawa.

"The pressure is very big, huge, and it's not just coming from the two drivers.

"There is Ron Dennis, and of course Honda. The biggest pressure, for me, is coming from within Honda, from inside, the board."

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SUNSHINE AND SHOWERS: SILVERSTONE SET TO PRODUCE UNPREDICTABLE F1 SPECTACLE ONCE AGAIN FOR BRITISH GP

Silverstone is always an important milestone in the F1 calendar and this year’s race, set to play out in front of a race day crowd of 130,000 people, looks set to be as unpredictable as last year’s race, where Williams led until rain intervened.

The current Silverstone layout is a huge challenge for teams and drivers, with the fastest corner combination of any F1 circuit. It is a strange one for the hybrid systems as the track is the lightest of the season on braking, but with 70% of the lap at full throttle, it’s hugely demanding on hybrid Energy Recovery, which harvests braking energy. So you have the demand on the energy but not enough opportunities to harvest the energy in braking. A very efficient system is essential to be competitive.

Pirelli has once again brought the hardest compounds and the start of the weekend is likely to be quite political as the sport and its supplier digest another tyre failure for Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in Austria last weekend. It was at Silverstone in 2013 that Pirelli suffered a series of tyre failures, which changed the way the teams are allowed to run the tyres.

This year three tyre choices are permitted and those are the Soft/Medium/Hard. So the Soft will be the qualifying tyre but a poor race tyre at Silverstone, so the default of one stop is likely to be altered. Two stops may be needed this year and with a relatively fast pit lane time, this could make things quite interesting. We’ve seen several times now that the best strategy seems to be to rely on the tyres going further than you expect – this was true in Spain and Austria and could well be true at Silverstone.

But like last year, to complicate matters, there is rain forecast for Saturday and Sunday.

The key numbers from Austria to Silverstone:

The dramatic last lap collision between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at the Austrian Grand Prix was the first time the lead of an F1 race had changed on the final lap since Jenson Button passed Vettel for victory at the 2011 Canadian event.

Staying with Hamilton, his triumph at the Red Bull Ring was the 250th win for a British driver in F1 history, and as he also scored his 25th win for Mercedes. This means ten per cent of all British wins in F1 history have come from the triple world champion driving for the German marque.

Hamilton’s win at the Spielberg circuit was also the 22nd different venue he has won at in F1, which is just one behind the all-time record held by Michael
Schumacher. Hamilton can draw level with the seven times world champion if he wins at Interlagos or Mexico City later this season.

Heading into Silverstone, Mercedes has now led 3,157 laps in its F1 history, which is just nine behind the tally of Red Bull that is fifth on the all-time list. Only Lotus (5,623), Williams (7,588), McLaren (10,578) and Ferrari (13,920) have more.

While his Manor teammate Pascal Wehrlein qualified 12th and scored the team’s first point of 2016 last time out, Rio Haryanto is the only driver to not to have escaped the first segment of qualifying so far this season. However, the Indonesian driver only missed Q2 in Baku by 0.116s, and he is just one behind Wehrlein (5-4) in the Manor qualifying head-to-head.

Two other drivers who are currently enduring a tough time in qualifying are Jolyon Palmer and Marcus Ericsson. The Renault driver has not made it through to Q2 since the opening race of 2016 in Australia, while the Sauber racer has only reached Q2 once, at the Chinese Grand Prix, so far this season.

Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg heads to the British Grand with a record of not being outqualified by a teammate at Silverstone since the 2010 event, which is only bettered by McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, who hasn’t started behind a teammate in Britain since 2007.

Although Alonso has scored points in the last five Silverstone races, and he won at the 3.652-mile track in 2006 and 2011, the Spaniard hasn’t started higher than 16th on the grid since 2013. His teammate, Button, has never finished on the podium of his home event in 16 attempts.

Kimi Raikkonen will make his 100th Grand Prix start for Ferrari this weekend, and he will become the fourth driver in the team’s history to reach that milestone. Only Rubens Barrichello (102), Felipe Massa (139) and Michael Schumacher (179) have made more F1 starts for the Scuderia.

Raikkonen’s third place in Austria was his fourth podium finish of the season, which is already more than the three he chalked up in 2015. The 2007 world champion is now tied on points with Vettel in the drivers’ championship – they both have 96 after the latter’s retirement at the Red Bull Ring. The Ferrari pair also has the same number of career podium finishes, with 84 each, but Raikkonen has taken 73 more races to reach that total.

At Toro Rosso, Daniil Kvyat’s early retirement in Austria means he has only completed eight racing laps in the last two races. The Russian also has the unenviable record of completing the fewest racing laps of any driver so far in the 2016 season (372 out of 559, or 67 per cent), and he has only scored one point for Toro Rosso since his demotion from Red Bull.

Carlos Sainz’s eighth place in Austria pushed Toro Rosso over 300 points in the squad’s all-time F1 history.

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LAUDA: DRIVERS ARE NO LONGER TAKING RISKS LIKE WE DID

Niki Lauda thinks Formula 1 needs to learn lessons from its recent past, balancing safety against safeguarding “the DNA” of the sport by eliminating the element of risk.

The F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman told Servus TV that after a few difficult and less popular years for the pinnacle of motor sport, “We are now back on the road to the right direction. But it will take a while until people really believe it again.”

Not only that, the former triple world champion thinks F1 needs to be “careful” about its next steps.

“This ridiculous Halo system is one example, because the development is not finished for me,” said Lauda, referring to F1’s apparent determination to introduce it in 2017. “We have to get the FIA to decide only things that make sense.”

“For me, the increased safety has changed everything. The drivers today are no longer taking the risks that Helmut (Marko) and I did to succeed.

“In spite of all the dangers, we were all alone. The joy of driving and the fear of a potentially fatal accident predominated,” he added. “Today, all of that is blurred.

“Clearly it is better that we see fewer accidents, but we also have a very different generation of drivers, with few real characters.”

Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko agrees, saying that F1 has gone from an extreme sport to a more sanitised one.

“A skier lives considerably more dangerously than a racing driver,” he said. “But the risk has always been a part of the fascination of motor sports.

“The sport has become more safe, and that’s right, but if it is excessive, that magnetic draw is lost. You cannot take away every single risk,” added Marko.

 

MIKA: Niki Lauda states:  The drivers today are no longer taking the risks that Helmut (Marko) and I did to succeed. I don't get his comment about succeeding for Marko...? Helmut Marko was only in F1 for one season, to be more precise, 9 starts, that's all. No wins, podiums or points. 

Niki Lauda on the other hand is a Legend IMO.

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ALONSO: HONDA’S PROGRESS BEST IN FORMULA 1

Fernando Alonso insists he is happy with his life, despite the fact a full decade has passed him by without adding a third title to his tally.

Once, the Spaniard admitted he would give his right arm for another world championship, but ahead of the British grand prix he declared: “I’m very happy.”

Alonso was helping Honda to launch its new NSX road car with laps at the Estoril track in Portugal, prior to travelling to Britain for this weekend’s F1 race.

“Logically I would prefer to fight for the title but I am aware of the project and the challenge and the desire everyone has,” Spanish newspapers quote him as saying.

“I cannot complain about anything. I have a lot more than I ever dreamed of, I have the circuit project in Asturias, we have started the summer camp with 122 kids, I have health, family so I’m in one of my best moments,” Alonso insisted.

And not just that, Alonso said he now sees light at the end of the McLaren-Honda tunnel.

“As I said last weekend in Austria, we are the manufacturer who, a year and a half after starting a new project, has made the most progress with power,” he said.

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MALLYA: I AM GOING TO MAKE FULL USE OF SILVERSTONE

Vijay Mallya says he is determined to soak up the British Grand Prix this weekend, having been unable to attend a single race in 2016.

The former billionaire had his passport revoked by the Indian government amid the mess and huge debts associated with his failed airline Kingfisher.

It means he has been stuck in the UK, where the F1 circus will now race this weekend for the British grand prix — just across the road from Force India’s Silverstone factory.

“I have missed it so I am going to make full use of Silverstone,” said the team’s boss and co-owner.

But Mallya knows that once F1 starts packing up again on Sunday night, he will not be able to follow his troops to the next grand prix in Hungary.

“I have a huge defence on these irrational (Indian government) actions, but I am only interested in a legal settlement,” he told The Times. “If that means I can’t travel for another six months, then so be it.”

But that doesn’t mean he is not proud of his team, whose Sergio Perez has been on the podium twice in 2016.

And he says even better fortunes could await in the future, if Force India and Sauber’s plea to the European Commission for fairer income governance in F1 is successful.

“We are not asking for hundreds of millions,” said Mallya. “Just fairness and a level playing field.

“This is the year of the underdog — look at Leicester City. How many people wanted Leicester to win the Premiership? Everyone. But there can be no Leicester in formula one as it is now.”

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PALMER: HOPE THIS IS NOT MY FIRST AND LAST BRITISH GRAND PRIX

Jolyon Palmer says he will savour his home race at Silverstone this weekend, because it could be his only shot at racing in a British grand prix.

But the 25-year-old rookie said “crappy” recent rumours of his demise were actually been greatly exaggerated.

“It’s not nice to see but I know myself that the story’s rubbish and at the end of the day what’s said in the media is not going to affect the Renault bosses’ decision whether I get the drive or not,” Palmer said.

Indeed, shining in the yellow Renault – which was actually designed mainly by the cash-strapped Lotus team – has been difficult for Palmer due to its lack of competitiveness.

“It’s difficult when car is very difficult to drive and you’re fighting at the back with very little to gain and you’ve got cars coming past you that are so much quicker,” he is quoted by the Telegraph.

“Hopefully in coming races and end of the year we’ll be a lot stronger, I’ll be more experienced and can put it all together.”

But in the corner of his mind, he knows that amid the rumours and because of his one-year deal, he really needs to savour racing for his home crowd this weekend.

“Definitely,” Palmer said. “I have a one-year contract, so this could be my one and only British grand prix. I hope not but at the same time, I am not there to savour the moment.”

“I can enjoy some moments of it but I am 100 per cent focused on making sure this is not my only British grand prix. If it is my only British grand prix, it is because I am not doing a very good job,” he admitted.

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HAMILTON WANTS TO REPLACE JEERS WITH CHEERS

Lewis Hamilton need fear no boos or whistles at Silverstone this weekend but the Formula One world champion cannot escape the fallout from Austria as he chases a fourth British Grand Prix victory.

The Mercedes driver was jeered after he won in Spielberg last Sunday following a last-lap collision with team mate Nico Rosberg, who limped home fourth with his overall lead cut to 11 points.

The abuse could be explained by the German presence in the crowd, with stewards punishing Rosberg for causing the collision as Hamilton attempted to seize the lead.

Silverstone is sure to be different, with many of the 140,000 at the old airfield being there to cheer on the home hero who has won for the past two years.

The threat of ‘team orders’ hangs over proceedings, however, with Mercedes bosses meeting to discuss what to do after two costly collisions in five races.

Even if they decide on nothing more than another warning, the drivers can expect their every move on the track – and body language off it – to be closely monitored and analysed.

With the season approaching the halfway point, and a rush of three races before the summer break, passions are rising and the battle intensifying. If the drivers are ordered to hold station at a certain point, then the crowd may feel robbed.

As Hamilton said after Spielberg: “My fans feel what I’m feeling and it’s why I have such a connection with them. Team orders is not something that should deprive them.”

“Even if it’s the other way around and I’m racing and the other guy’s coming for me, that’s racing and why you turn up and you sit in the mud in the camper van in Silverstone and why you buy that cap because you’re with that passion and that fire.”

The solution, Hamilton suggested, is to give Rosberg as little chance as possible and he will aim to do that at a circuit where last year the Briton won from pole position and set the fastest lap.

“As a competitor I’ve got to get on pole and lead the whole way,” he said. “That’s what I have to do for the fans, that’s my solution. It’s a lot of pressure but that’s my goal.”

“I’m massively driven,” added Hamilton. “I want it as much if not more than I’ve wanted my other world championships, and I actually love that it’s even harder to get because that makes you appreciate it more.”

Rosberg will see it equally as a chance to turn the tables. Denied a hat-trick of Austrian wins, he can end Hamilton’s bid for three in a row at home. Both will have to watch out for Red Bull and Ferrari.

“The way the car has been working this year we should be pretty competitive at Silverstone,” said Red Bull’s Australian Daniel Ricciardo. “I think it will be really close with Ferrari so I’m excited.”

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MERCEDES CLASH A RACING INCIDENT SAYS MASSA

Felipe Massa has played down the furore surrounding the Mercedes drivers’ latest crash, saying what happened in Austria was just a normal racing incident.

Williams driver Massa can’t see what all the fuss is about and told Band News FM: “I think it was a racing incident.  On the last lap, who wouldn’t try to fight for position? It’s totally normal.”

“In my view it was a racing accident, but when it’s with two drivers from the same team it causes a big problem,” added the F1 veteran.

Before Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg headed to Silverstone on Thursday, they started the day at Mercedes’ nearby Brackley HQ for a stern meeting with boss Toto Wolff.

It is believed Wolff will warn them of strict and clear consequences if they continue to tangle, although team orders have been avoided for now.

“We will present them with a new concept,” team chairman Niki Lauda told Bild newspaper.

Marc Surer, a former F1 driver and now German-language TV pundit, said Mercedes has taken the right decision.

“Yes,” he told Germany’s Sky broadcaster. “Many people say formula one is already boring because of Mercedes, so to introduce team orders would only have made it worse.”

1996 world champion Damon Hill agrees, declaring that if Mercedes had brought down team orders, the drivers would probably have ignored them anyway and fans would rebel against the idea.

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Codemasters releases new F1 2016 trailer and game details

Codemasters has announced further details about its up-coming F1 2016 game, as well as posting a brand-new gameplay trailer.

It was previously revealed that the game, which is set to be released on the 19 August for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, will feature a 10-season career mode and the return of the safety car.

Now more details have been confirmed by Codemasters, including manual starts, formation laps and 22-player online racing.

The new trailer also gave further glimpses of the expanded paddock, hospitality and pitlane scenes, as well as the new time-of-day editor.

Alongside manual starts, players will also be put in control of the car in the pitlane and be handed penalties for speeding – including a new five-second pitstop penalty.

A major update compared to previous F1 releases is the increase in multiplayer racing to full, 22-car grids.

 

Meanwhile several smaller details have also been announced, with pitwall boards, improved penalty systems, increased car damage sensitivity, wheel tethers and modified physics adding to the realism.

“We strive to create a game that is as close to the actual sport as possible,” said principal game designer Lee Mather.

“We have listened to the feedback from our community and that has resulted in us introducing the safety car, Virtual Safety Car, formation lap, manual race starts and the host of other gameplay features that get us even closer to the real sport and add to the experience for the player.

“Increasing the multiplayer support to 22 players was extremely important to us. We want to be able to fill the whole grid with human players to create those great race moments and stories. It also provides greater support for online leagues.”

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Honda spends two tokens on British Grand Prix power unit upgrade

Honda will introduce a minor engine upgrade at this weekend's British Grand Prix, aimed at delivering an overall power boost as it seeks to build on its recent success.

Both Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button will receive the upgrade, though it doesn't require a new unit, therefore Button will use the same unit he raced with in Austria, whilst Alonso will run a new power unit for strategic reasons.

The upgrade, which has cost Honda two of its remaining 12 tokens, focuses on recovering the horsepower lost from the internal combustion engine following the introduction of an upgraded turbo in Canada, by improving combustion efficiency.

Therefore it isn't expected to deliver a huge step forward.

Honda now have ten tokens remaining, one less than Mercedes, whilst Renault have 21. Ferrari have spent the most, leaving the Italian outfit with just three.

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Rio Haryanto secures Manor Formula 1 seat for rest of 2016

Rio Haryanto has resolved doubts over his seat with Manor and is set to complete the 2016 Formula 1 season with the team.

Haryanto joined Manor at the start of the year, but with only enough funding in place to cover up to and including the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Manager Piers Hunnisett has been working hard behind the scenes to secure the amount required to see Haryanto through to the end of the year, which is close to being in place.

"At the moment I'm quite confident things are going to turn out well," said Haryanto.

"I've obviously been focusing a lot on doing the best job I can and getting the results I wanted, that I don't get distracted by things going on behind me.

"What happens now is all down to my management, and from what I've been told by my management, everything seems quite good.

"I just have to keep on pushing, to keep doing the best I can and get the best results for the team."

Asked by Autosport whether Hunnisett had expressed confidence regarding a drive for the second half of the season, Haryanto replied: "That's what I've been told. I'm happy.

"I now just have to focus on my job, and that's it."

Contacted by Autosport with regard to Haryanto's position, Hunnisett said: "The situation has taken a positive turn over the last couple of weeks.

"There are just a few things that need finalising, but it is now looking good for Rio to continue with Manor for the rest of the season."

MOTIVATION HIGH AFTER POINTS FINISH - WEHRLEIN

Manor heads into this weekend's British GP on a high in the wake of Pascal Wehrlein giving the team only the second points finish in its 126-grand prix history last time out in Austria.

"It's given everyone in the team a lot of motivation," said Wehrlein.

"When I was in the factory on Tuesday I saw many happy faces."

Pinpointing the reasons behind the performance, Wehrlein added: "The most important thing were the tyres because we could make them work.

"They were in a really good temperature window where they have not been before.

"Normally we have struggled to get temperature into the tyres, and this time they were a lot better, and we also had a small update as well from Williams.

"With the new surface at the track you could see in the lap times this year we were much quicker than last year, and when you go quicker you put more energy into the tyres."

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McLaren's radical rear wing to reappear at Silverstone test

McLaren's revolutionary rear wing that appeared in Austria will not run at the British Grand Prix, but will be tested again at next week's Silverstone test.

As part of an aerodynamic push by the Woking-based team, the outfit introduced a bold new concept on its Honda-powered MP4-31 at the Red Bull Ring.

Working in tandem with a new floor, the endplates featured some bold horizontal slots, which would help minimise drag without compromising downforce.

The wing ran briefly on Fernando Alonso's car in first practice in Austria but, with the second session being wet, there was not enough time to properly evaluate it.

 

With inconclusive data the team elected not to race it there. With Silverstone requiring different aerodynamic demands, it was not thought worth using it this weekend.

However, the second in-season test next week does provide an opportunity for some proper data gathering which could give the team a proper answer about whether or not it is worth introducing at a race soon.

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Mercedes' new rear wing for Silverstone

Mercedes has taken a leaf out of Toro Rosso’s book with its new rear wing for Silverstone, which features the same type of serrated louvres used by the Italian team since the start of the season (below).

In side view, the louvres look as if they are slotted on the endplate's leading edge, however, an angled wing shape profile deceives, with a small bridge present between each surface.

Four strakes (highlighted in yellow) have also been added to the endplate's outer surface, in order to break up the pressure and create an energetic upwash.

This type of strake can be found in many other challengers up and down the pitlane but ordinarily Mercedes only feels the need to shape the bottom section of the endplate to achieve this goal.

The new endplates are paired with a larger-than-expected mainplane and top flap as they look for a little more downforce, whilst reducing the drag with the new endplates. The top flap features the cut-outs at the outboard section that we have seen the team use on numerous occasions.

This specification wing is the latest in a long line of designs employed by the current world champions as it strives to maintain its gap to the opposition.

In Baku it introduced its viscerally appealing 'Spoon' wing, which was built on a similar design ethos to the one employed last season but was improved to maximise changes within this year's regulations, widening the centre section to increase the downforce it could generate.

This succession of new parts arriving at each GP for the W07 seems inconceivable when compared with other teams' development so far this season.

These are parts that need long lead times, not only in terms of CFD and wind tunnel testing but also in their build time too, which makes it altogether impressive that Mercedes is able to achieve it, given that at least some of its focus must now be on the challenges that face them next season.

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VETTEL: HALO TWO WAS NOT GREAT IT IMPACTS VISIBILITY

Ferrari ran an updated version of their Halo cockpit safety protection device on Sebastian Vettel’s car during the first free practice session of the British Grand Prix weekend, albeit for only one lap.

When asked about the brief trial, Vettel said, “It was not great. There is quite a bit of impact in terms of visibility. But it was just a standard check.”

The Halo safety device, which made its first appearance during pre-season F1 testing in Barcelona earlier this year, is the FIA’s preferred cockpit safety concept set for introduction in 2017.

Red Bull’s Aeroscreen concept was also considered, but for now is on the back burner as the Halo got the nod from the sport’s governing body instead.

Ferrari’s updated device, referred to as Halo Two, was fitted briefly on Vettel’s car. He did a single installation lap at Silverstone before returning to the pits where it was removed.

Halo Two is reportedly made of titanium and lighter than the previous version, while it also features a wider arc.

However, the concept of cockpit protection of this nature in Formula 1 continues to split opinion in the paddock and among fans.

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WEHRLEIN THE LITTLE PRINCE WHO WILL BE KING

Formula 1’s ‘Little Prince’ Pascal Wehrlein may one day rule the world but just scoring a point is a big enough deal at the moment.

The German rookie helped Manor, the smallest team on the grid, to move off the bottom and ahead of struggling Sauber in Austria last weekend with their first point of the season.

Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff fondly refers to Wehrlein as ‘our little prince’ and ‘a special boy’.

His 10th place, from 12th on the grid, might have been more of a talking point had dominant Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg not collided on the last lap and grabbed all the attention.

The 21-year-old Mercedes reserve might also have had a good claim to the Driver of the Day award that went to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished second.

“To arrive with a Manor in P10 is maybe a better result than to arrive with a Red Bull in P2,” Wehrlein said of that decision. “There’s Mercedes and Ferrari and Red Bull who are the first three teams and the chance to arrive with the Red Bull on the podium is quite big.”

Renault, with an engine that has already powered 18-year-old Verstappen to victory in Spain, are five points ahead of Manor in the championship and Wehrlein would love to take the fight to them.

The driver whose boyhood F1 idol was McLaren’s Mika Hakkinen, with his ‘Maximum Attack’ approach, is already ahead of Renault’s Jolyon Palmer as the highest-placed rookie.

“In Austria we benefited from a few problems from other people and were much more competitive than in previous races,” said the German. “We need to make sure we are competitive again in the next races.

“We also need luck to be in the position to score a point again. But why not?

“If we can hold this position, or maybe fight with the Renaults, it could give us so much more money for next year which helps us for development and improving the car.”

Wehrlein is seen as an heir apparent for the day when either Hamilton or Rosberg depart from Mercedes. He would jump at the chance but knows he has a lot to learn.

The youngest champion in the DTM [German Touring Car championship] has never raced at Silverstone before and Austria was the first circuit of the season that he knew from his previous series.

In Austria he showed he has a cool head on young shoulders. With the Williams of Brazilian Felipe Massa having to start from the pit lane, a space opened up on the grid ahead of him and Wehrlein drove straight into it.

The error almost cost him dear but he hurriedly managed to avoid a penalty by engaging reverse moments before the start lights came on.

“There were many thoughts in my head, like the team will be very upset and of course everyone will be angry. And I will be the most angry guy if I get a penalty,” he said.

“I needed to reverse, stop my procedure for the start. I was pushing so many buttons at the same time and then pulling the reverse gear and going backwards. But everything I did needed to happen within five seconds. I was like a DJ.”

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VETTEL: FERRARI KEEPING RAIKKONEN IS THE RIGHT THING

Kimi Raikkonen will spend his 15th year in Formula 1 as a Ferrari driver, after the Italian team confirmed that the Finn will continue with them in 2017, a decision hailed by teammate Sebastian Vettel.”

Speaking on the day of the announcement to media at Silverstone, Vettel said, “It’s the right thing to do. We are both pushing very hard. Our primary target is to catch the leaders, Mercedes, and there’s plenty of work ahead of us. I think it’s important, there’s been a lot of talk, and it now goes quiet.”

“Probably Kimi and myself have the least ego problems in the whole paddock, which I think is good for the team. We are working in the same direction and on the track we try to race hard – as we’ve shown in the past in the races where we have raced for position – but that’s normal. Outside of the car there is no problem,” added Vettel.

However, straight talking Raikkonen played down his relationship with Vettel, “I don’t think the reason I’m staying here is because we’re friends or not. If I wasn’t doing my job correctly I wouldn’t be here, and that’s not the case. They were happy, I’m happy, so that’s only what happens.”

Maurizio Arrivabene told media that confirming Ferrari’s 2007 F1 world champion for another year would take the pressure off him, “Actually it was confirmed [Thursday] in a phone call from the President [Sergio Marchionne]. We confirmed Kimi because, first of all, he deserves it.”

“We are looking for the interest of the team and the interest of the team is not looking for other drivers, but concentrating in the car’s development. We have two good drivers and now we remove all the pressure from Kimi,” explained Arrivabene.

 

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MALLAYA: HULKENBER AND PEREZ ARE SIGNED UP FOR 2017

Mexican Sergio Perez and Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg are staying at Force India next season, the Formula 1 team’s co-owner Vijay Mallaya told Reuters.

“I can confirm that both the drivers are signed up for 2017,” the Indian businessman said at the British Grand Prix. “They are a fine pair, both absolutely top class.”

“I’ve never believed in ‘pay drivers’ where talent or ability is compromised. “I always try to hire the best drivers we can afford. I am very happy with both Checo and Nico,” he added.

Perez has been on the podium twice this season, in Monaco and Azerbaijan, while Hulkenberg qualified on the front row in Austria last weekend.

Force India, who have Mercedes engines, are currently fifth in the championship.

Perez had been linked in media speculation to Ferrari but that possibility closed on Friday when the Italian team announced Finland’s 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen was staying for another season.

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KALTENBORN: THE FUTURE OF SAUBER IS SECURE

Sauber has finally found a solution to its financial predicament which almost sunk the Swiss Formula 1 team recently.

That is the news from team co-owner and boss Monisha Kaltenborn, amid rumours and reports that Marcus Ericsson’s Swedish backers are buying the team.

“I will not comment on rumours, but I can confirm that we have found a solution,” she told Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper.

“I will not name a time frame for the announcement but I can say that we have reason for optimism,” Kaltenborn added.

She said the Hinwil team’s situation since former owner BMW’s withdrawal in 2009 has been “very difficult”, often designing a car for the new year without knowing if it will be raced.

“Also with the economic environment of the global crisis,” said Kaltenborn. “From this view, it’s surprising how long Sauber lasted. Not only that, every rule change meant additional costs, while of course we didn’t always do everything right ourselves.

“But now it is about stabilising the team and primarily securing jobs. We have now succeeded at that,” she revealed.

So Sauber is now planning for the future, Kaltenborn declared, even though the team will not be running in the post-British grand prix Silverstone test.

“We have prepared a few innovations and are able to implement them now. But we must also look to 2017,” she said.

Kaltenborn said Sauber is staying with Ferrari power for 2017 while “the drivers will be announced in due course”.

“After the financial security we want to improve,” she explained. “We have put the pressure behind us now, let’s see how far we can get.”