FORMULA 1 - 2016

[MIKA27]

MERCEDES WITHDRAW ROSBERG APPEAL

Mercedes have decided to accept a British Grand Prix penalty that leaves Nico Rosberg just one point clear of team mate Lewis Hamilton at the top of the Formula One world championship, the team said on their website.

The champions had given notice at Silverstone after the race that they intended to appeal the 10 second penalty that was imposed after the race and dropped the German from second place to third. The grand prix was won by triple champion Hamilton.

The penalty was incurred for a breach of the rules governing what can be said over the radio. Mercedes had advised Rosberg on how to deal with a gearbox problem that had emerged in the closing laps.

The team released the following statement: “The Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team today decided to withdraw its notice of intention to appeal against the decision of the Stewards of the British Grand Prix.”

“We were able to prove to the Stewards that a car-stopping gearbox failure was imminent and, as such, were permitted within the rules to advise Nico of the required mode change.”

“However, the advice to avoid seventh gear was considered to breach TD/016-16, and therefore Article 27.1 of the Sporting Regulations. The Team accepts the Stewards’ interpretation of the regulation, their decision and the associated penalty.”

“During the coming weeks, we will continue discussions with the relevant F1 stakeholders on the subject of the perceived over-regulation of the sport.”

That has led to a crackdown on radio communications, with a detailed list of what teams can and cannot say to their drivers during a race, and drawn increasing criticism from the teams, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner saying the radio rule was ‘rubbish’.

In Austria, the race before Britain, Mexican Sergio Perez crashed his Force India after a brake failure that the team felt unable to tell him about even for safety reasons.

“Poor old Perez in Austria, how ridiculous,” commented Williams’ technical chief Pat Symonds. “You’re going to do tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage to the car, because you can’t tell a guy his brakes are about to fail? It’s negligent. It’s not just wrong, it’s negligent.”

“It is a team sport. If a driver has to drive the car alone and unaided, should he change his own tyres? Imagine that; pitstop, climb out, change the tyres, back in. Where do you draw the line? And where they’ve drawn the line, in my opinion, is hardly a good place,” added Symonds.

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ARRIVABENE: OF COURSE THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER

While Sebastian Vettel is urging Ferrari not to panic, boss Maurizio Arrivabene says the team must quickly resolve its issues before Hungary as the title fight is by no means over.

Ferrari’s slide in the pecking order continued at Silverstone, where the fabled Italian team was clearly outpaced all weekend by Red Bull.

“We are not even half of the season gone,” Arrivabene insisted after the British grand prix. “Of course the fight is not over. But I do not hide the fact that if we want to keep this dream alive, we have to get some things under control.”

Arrivabene said the main problem is the car’s aerodynamics, but he also acknowledged multiple recent reliability problems with the gearbox.

Asked if it is a design or quality problem, he said: “I cannot answer that in detail yet. I believe it is the material and I hope that it is not the basic design. The first objective must be to once again put Red Bull Racing behind us. Only then can we attack Mercedes.”

“In Hungary we will know where we stand and that Britain was the exception. We cannot afford a defeat at the Hungaroring,” Arrivabene added.

Speaking to journalists after the race at Silverstone, four times world champion Vettel said, “In the race we were quick, just not quick enough to compete with Red Bull and Mercedes. But there is no need to panic, it’s just a bad day.”

When told by a reporter that the whole weekend at Silverstone had been disastrous, Vettel hit back: “You’re always so negative, even when things don’t go well once or twice.”

But some say Silverstone was a sure sign that president Sergio Marchionne’s title target is now definitely gone.

[MIKA27]

SAINZ: AM I A CURRENCY NOW?

Carlos Sainz and Toro Rosso have rejected the latest speculation doing the rounds regarding the Spaniard’s future in Formula 1.

Although the energy drink company recently took up the 2017 option on Sainz’s contract, many suggested it occurred suspiciously early in the season.

It triggered rumours in the Spanish press that Red Bull might in fact not keep the 21-year-old at Toro Rosso next year, but instead trade him with the Renault works team in exchange for cheaper engines.

“Am I a currency now?” Sainz was quoted by Speed Week when asked about the speculation at Silverstone, adding that such a deal would be “strange”.

Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost agreed, declaring: “This is a completely groundless rumour which I can summarise in two words — utter nonsense.”

[MIKA27]

DID THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX NEED TO BE STARTED BEHIND THE SAFETY CAR

The Formula 1 paddock is split over whether the 2016 British Grand Prix really needed to have started behind the safety car.

A growing trend in F1 is that significant pre-race rain means the race will not be started from the grid but instead only after several laps behind the safety car.

Nico Rosberg backed race director Charlie Whiting’s call at Silverstone.

“Yes, for sure,” he said. “There were some big, big rivers in places so it’s important to let us have a look at least where they are before getting going.”

But Max Verstappen said he thinks the length of pre-race safety car period was too long, “I was ready to race after maybe two laps.”

Lewis Hamilton agreed, going so far as to say a start behind the grid would also have been safe, “For sure there were patches (of water) all over the place and it would have been tricky,  but that’s what motor racing’s about. For sure we did stay out (behind the safety car) for far too long.

“There was more water on the track when we started in 2008 from the grid, that’s why I say that,” added the world champion.

Sections of the media also criticised Whiting’s decision, as The Sun newspaper called it the “dullest [race] launch in history”.

Red Bull’s Christian Horner said: “The decision to start behind the safety car was fully justified because of the standing water. But in my view, the safety car stayed on the track for too long.”

McLaren’s Jenson Button had similar thoughts,“It was definitely the right decision to start the race behind the Safety Car – it was super-wet and there was loads of standing water, but I think it should have been recalled two laps earlier.

Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz agreed, “The safety car was necessary at the start because we could see nothing, but after the first two laps, once we saw the condition of the track, it was no longer necessary.”

[MIKA27]

FORCE INDIA TARGET FOURTH BUT SWITCH FOCUS TO 2017 CAR

Force India principal Vijay Mallya hailed a big step forward for his Silverstone-based Formula One team on Sunday even if their main focus of development has shifted to next year’s car.

Mexican Sergio Perez and German Nico Hulkenberg finished sixth and seventh in the British Grand Prix for the team’s best result at the circuit just over the road from their factory.

The points left the dream of finishing fourth overall in the championship, which would be a record high for the team, looking far more possible. Force India were fifth last year, a position they currently occupy.

“We will try and finish fourth in the constructors’ try and catch Williams,” Mallya told Reuters in his team’s paddock hospitality after the race.

“We gained 14 points on them today and with another 11 races to go we are only 19 behind. So I think it’s a major step forward, and I’m absolutely delighted with the result.”

Former world champions Williams, with Brazilian veteran Felipe Massa and Finland’s Valtteri Bottas in their lineup, failed to score for the first time this season and have 92 points to Force India’s 73.

British-based Mallya, attending his first race of the year after being unable to travel abroad due to the Indian government revoking his diplomatic passport, said it had been a ‘superb weekend’.

He will not be at the coming races but has video links installed in his house so he can keep in close contact with operations at the track.

The beer baron said Mercedes-powered Force India would have no further upgrades this season after the one that they brought to Silverstone.

“There’s some work in progress which we couldn’t bring to Silverstone but which we will introduce over the next couple of races, but that’s it,” he said. “We’ve now shifted our focus of development entirely onto the 2017 car.

“If we continue to develop the 2016 car, there’s no way in the world we are going to catch the Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari. So it’s academic.

“We might as well devote all our resources to 2017 where everybody has a level playing field, start afresh and hopefully do a good job.”

Formula One is due to go through a major technical overhaul next season, with wider wheels and chassis, and a more aggressive look with revised aerodynamics aimed at making the cars faster and harder to drive.

[MIKA27]

RAIKKONEN: WE NEED DOWNFORCE TO BE FAST

Kimi Raikkonen toiled his way to a distant fifth place in the British Grand Prix, claiming that the lack of downforce on the Ferrari is hampering the team as they struggle to keep pace with both Mercedes and Red Bull

Speaking to media after the race in which the Maranello outfit were ill at ease, Raikkonen said, “Obviously the whole weekend has been difficult and I think this was as good as we could get. We seem to be missing a little of downforce and in a place like this, with these conditions, it’s not easy because of that.

“We need downforce here to be fast, especially with mixed conditions, the wind and everything. You take a big penalty for that but that’s how it was here.”

After the high speed nature of Silverstone, Raikkonen believes that forthcoming tracks will suit Ferrari better, “The next circuits are much more normal for us.”

“Downforce will help in any place, it doesn’t mater where we go, so that’s definitively what we need to be able to challenge in every kind of circuit and beat the Mercedes,” added the Finn whose teammate Sebastian Vettel incurred a penalty on his way to ninth place.

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Pirelli confirms nominated tyre compounds for US GP at COTA

Formula 1’s tyre supplier Pirelli has announced the compounds it will take to the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.

The medium, soft and super-soft compounds will be used at October’s race in Austin, Texas. It is the first time the super-soft will be used at the track.

One set of the soft and one set of the medium tyre must be made available for the race, with at least one of those being used.

Meanwhile one set of the super-soft tyre must be set aside for Q3. It will be returned to Pirelli after the session.

The US GP’s tyre nominations will be the 10th time this combination of compounds has been used in the F1 2016 season.

Pirelli must nominate the compounds for fly-away races 14 weeks beforehand, while the European race deadline is eight weeks.

[skalls]

So far this year Ferrari and Red Bull have had some seriously bad strategy.  Ferrari also seems to be way less reliable leading to a double whammy of them under performing  Williams is also way off the pace too and that's really surprising.

I don't miss some of the team chat about lift now blah blah blah, but I'd like the engineers to be able to tell the driver to switch to x or y because your gearbox is stuck.

Not sure who's going to win the driver's championship.  Nico was back to his pouty self that he was most of last year.  If he can get that swagger back Lewis has a hard time matching him,

[MIKA27]

Haas team suffered power outage during British Grand Prix

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner revealed after the British Grand Prix that the team suffered a complete loss of power to all of its systems for around 10 laps during the race, which it believes cost it a better result.

The power failure resulted in the loss of GPS track data, telemetry and radio communication during the second round of pit stops and the engineers went into "panic" mode according to Steiner.

"We had a problem with our electricity," he said, "everything went down, we had no data, nothing available to the engineers because everything went down.

"You cannot concentrate on the car anymore but you try to fix it to get your telemetry back. We lost a bit of time there because Esteban [Gutierrez] then came in a lap late for going to dry [tyres], because it was [during] that period.

"We couldn’t speak properly because we had no GPS, we lost radio then we had transmission failure with Romain [Grosjean]."

The team managed to find the cause of the problem and swiftly resolved it, but the damage to their race had already been done with Gutierrez losing time, eventually finishing 16th.

"It was loss of power with the system, it just went down, we found out what exactly happened and then we were switched on again," added Steiner.

"I think we were about 6-10 laps without electricity, engineers start to panic when they have no telemetry."

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16 minutes ago, skalls said:

So far this year Ferrari and Red Bull have had some seriously bad strategy.  Ferrari also seems to be way less reliable leading to a double whammy of them under performing  Williams is also way off the pace too and that's really surprising.

I don't miss some of the team chat about lift now blah blah blah, but I'd like the engineers to be able to tell the driver to switch to x or y because your gearbox is stuck.

Not sure who's going to win the driver's championship.  Nico was back to his pouty self that he was most of last year.  If he can get that swagger back Lewis has a hard time matching him,

I completely agree regarding Rosberg, I hope he doesn't lose composure and give away the WDC, it's his if he really wants it. About time Hamilton and he both grow up IMO and be sportsmen. 

Williams is the biggest surprise for me, watch Force India surpass them in the next 4-6 races.

[MIKA27]

Lewis Hamilton urges fans not to boo Nico Rosberg

Lewis Hamilton has called on his fans not to boo Nico Rosberg after his Mercedes teammate's negative reception on the podium at the British Grand Prix.

Hamilton claimed his third straight Silverstone win at the weekend ahead of Rosberg, who was eventually demoted to third due to banned radio messages given to him by Mercedes late in the race. When the pair took the podium, there were loud boos for Rosberg -- the opposite situation to Austria, where Hamilton was booed following his last-lap collision with his championship rival.

Hamilton, who attempted to cool the booing on the podium, later said people should rise above the urge to jeer another competitor.

"I was asked up front," Hamilton said. "I tried to like calm it down because ... I feel like it has been such a great day. I feel like we are better than that. I didn't really hear a lot of boos. But what you have to understand is they are mad passionate fans and something wasn't right in the last one.

"I imagine when we get to Germany, maybe we will have the same thing. I hope not because I think in sport in general, it is not the done thing. If I went to a football game and the other team won, I wouldn't boo the other team because they did a better job and that is real sportsmanship."

Hamilton experienced a vastly contrasting reaction to Rosberg, lapping up the adulation of a frenzied home crowd. The reigning world champion said it was difficult to stay focused in the final laps as he moved closer to a fourth Silverstone victory, a record which started with an emphatic win in 2008.

"Honestly I approached the race with an incredibly positive attitude and approach, so I didn't at any point think 'I hope the car doesn't fail on me', it was only positive energy rather than any negative energy coming and of course those last few laps the car was doing good, my engine I had turned down in the last 10-15 laps and those last three laps I knew I had a good buffer between me and the cars behind so I didn't have to lean on my tyres.

"It became just really nicely flowing and trying not to take too much notice of the crowd and let them get carried away with it, that's generally the feeling. But it wasn't until I came into the last corner that I knew that I had it. I was like I'm going to roll across the line if anything and again I could see the crowd cheering from Stowe onwards, I could see them already beginning to stand up and cheering the excitement and I felt exactly what they felt.

"On that down lap, once you come across the line, it's just the most amazing feeling as you come across the line as the winner of the British Grand Prix, and I'm sure it's the same in Germany for Nico for example, so you just want to go jumping but you are obviously just strapped into the beast still."

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ANALYSIS: YOU CAN’T HAVE HELP FROM TEAM RADIO BUT WE’LL TELL YOU WHEN IT’S OK TO GO RACING

Despite the euphoria of the home fans at Lewis Hamilton’s victory and his crowd surfing antics, there has been considerable frustration over other aspects of the British Grand Prix, not least the Safety Car start and the fuss over radio bans.

This is understandable, as they both feed into a fundamental contradiction that the sport is wrestling with.

The radio ban was brought in this year because it was felt that the drivers did not appear enough like ‘heroes’ during races, because they were being told by engineers what modes to use and how to drive certain corners. So a widespread ban was introduced, which left only scope for emergency and safety messages.

That was then subtly changed in Australia to allow strategy messages, as drivers would look very foolish if they didn’t know that a massive opportunity was staring them in the face.

But on the other hand, we had a scenario on Sunday, not for the first time, where the race was started behind a Safety Car due to standing water on the track and the Safety Car stayed out so long that the first thing half the field did at the restart on Lap 5 was pit for intermediate tyres, making a mockery of the drivers’ ability to master tricky conditions.

The radio ban is to ensure that drivers drive unaided and that their fundamental skills as drivers are tested. That is a noble aim.

Racing in wet conditions is also a fundamental skill of a driver and while accepting that the conditions were on the edge at 2pm, after a couple of laps behind the Safety Car most drivers were ready to go racing, knowing which patches of standing water to avoid.

So the drivers, who are supposed to be heroes with exceptional skills, were treated like trainees as they followed like ducklings behind the Safety Car until it was dry enough for intermediates.

So are they heroes, with amazing skills, or not?

Why do they not need help with radio messages, but they do need help in starting to race in the wet?

And even before that during the weekend, we had Nigel Mansell and the other stewards, penalising drivers for exceeding the track limits at Copse, Stowe and other corners. Fair enough, there were gains to be made from going wide and the rules say you have to stay on the track between the white lines. But what came across to the public in the stands and on TV was essentially the stewards telling the drivers over and over again how to drive.

F1 used to be an extreme sport, but it is in danger of becoming more about regulation than competition.

The anxiety in the voice of Tony Ross, Mercedes’ engineer on Nico Rosberg’s car, when instructing Rosberg what to do to solve the gearbox problem, told us that it was a serious problem.

Red Bull’s Christian Horner is of the view that Ross should not have given any instruction to Rosberg and that the stewards should penalise him by assessing where Rosberg would have finished without any help. Mercedes say he would have retired, so Horner thinks he should have been disqualified.

Telling him to shift straight from 6th to 8th is what cost Rosberg 10 seconds and three championship points. That sets the precedent.

It means that any team now in a similar position will look at the timing screens and work out the trade off between a 10 second penalty and whatever points their driver is headed for. In all but the lowliest points paying positions that will be considered a no-brainer, so they will deliberately break the rule and we will have more stewards’ enquiries and penalties post race for ‘radio infringements’; unless the teams and FIA bring in another layer of regulation about deliberately flouting rules and a whole new set of regulations for the fans, teams, media and broadcasters to wrestle with.

On a day when Verstappen and Rosberg fought like dogs, when Hamilton won in front of his home crowd and Andy Murray won Wimbledon for the second time, the day should have been all about great sporting moments, not backroom arguments about what is and isn’t allowed on a radio message. It makes the sport look opaque and out of touch.

Lewis Hamilton had a problem in Baku with his engine modes, but there we had the farce of the team telling him they couldn’t help him with any advice.

The radio ban is a classic piece of F1 nonsense, like the short-lived engine penalties rule that saw McLaren given 120 place grid drop for changing engines.

It also comes at a time when sports are putting more radio communications into their coverage, not less. Think of rugby, with fans able to hear discussions between the referee and the players and the adjudicator over disputed tries and foul play. It provides richness and insight.

F1 should do away with the radio ban altogether or – for those who think it’s important that the drivers get no help – do away with radios altogether and just use pit boards.

What we have at the moment leaves the sport open to ridicule and with the precedent now set, we are set for more of it until something changes.

* Just after this post was published Mercedes withdrew its appeal on the Rosberg penalty saying,
“The Team accepts the Stewards’ interpretation of the regulation, their decision and the associated penalty.

During the coming weeks, we will continue discussions with the relevant F1 stakeholders on the subject of the perceived over-regulation of the sport. ”

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INSIGHT: INSIDE MCLAREN’S SECRETIVE F1 OPERATIONS ROOM, “MISSION CONTROL”

“Formula 1 is the probably the world’s most secretive sport and McLaren is known as one of the most secretive teams,” were the opening words on a tour down the McLaren Technology Centre’s history lined boulevard.

During FP1 for this weekend’s British Grand Prix, JAonF1 was offered the chance to take a look behind that secrecy and inside McLaren’s famous “Mission Control” centre at its Woking factory.

A few months earlier, the British team had opened a small viewing gallery next to the private communications room that live monitors the system’s of the McLaren cars competing in Grand Prix events around the world.

Viewed from the adjacent room are three banks of desks, staggered upwards in height from front to back, which are manned by 13 McLaren engineers, with several screens at the front of the room showing the various FOM TV feeds of the on-tract action at Silverstone. Although a Grand Prix practice session is only 90-minutes long, during the long hours of winter testing these engineers will work in shifts to cover the duration of the day’s running.

We’re told to think of Mission Control along the same lines as NASA’s famous set-up in Houston, although the F1 equivalent is obviously smaller. The first row of engineers is dedicated to checking the health of the two cars as they traverse Silverstone’s 5.891-km layout and they will alert the race team to any problems they see occurring from the data.

The back row of three engineers is dedicated purely to race strategy. Both Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button have one strategist each, and they are separated by another, who is purely concerned with picking the best plan for the overall result of the team.

A Grand Prix Friday is the busiest day for the engineers inside Mission Control as they chase the best set-ups and strategy for their drivers to use during the race. It’s quiet inside – none of these analysts will speak to the drivers directly and to avoid unnecessary radio clutter, a lot of the communication takes place via a secure instant chat messenger system.

McLaren has a similar set-up known as the “war room”, where a separate team of engineers study the aerodynamic data sent back by the cars to check it is matching what the team’s simulator and computer systems have indicated.

Inside the viewing gallery, which will mainly be provided to McLaren’s partners, three screens are divided to show the pictures of the action on track, live timing and a visualisation of the reams of data coming from the cars.

On the third screen, two maps show the position of all the cars on the circuit – one large circle and one map of Silverstone. The circle is deliberately simple to show exactly how many seconds separate the cars currently running, while the track map is there to make sure the engineers only talk to the drivers when they on the straights and not in the corners. During a race, the circular map will show the engineers precisely when a pitstop window is opened.

Visitors to the gallery can listen in via headphones to the team’s communications at any track. During FP1 at Silverstone, when the drivers are sent out of the pits, the majority of radio calls are to inform them of gaps to other cars – “Fernando, plus six to Palmer on a timed lap.” Button is warned he will be near to Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes when he leaves the pitlane and the short gap between the labels on the circular map is translated into the length of Silverstone’s National pit straight on the track guide.

When the drivers return to their garages after a ten-lap run mid-way through the session, both Button and Alonso spend time giving detailed feedback about the handling of their cars. “The circuit is very bumpy this year,” reports the Briton, “it’s unsettling the car.” Alonso suggests the team prepares a “special toggle” for Turn 3, presumably to help his passage through the tight right-hander.

Although F1 team radio has been massively restricted in 2016, McLaren’s engineers can still be heard giving orders in codes. These are changed for every event, just in case another team is listening in – secretive indeed.

McLaren announces new data partnership

Every F1 team sends a vast amount of information across the world from a racetrack to their own live monitoring set-ups at their own factories, and this requires a safe, reliable, and above all, fast data transfer network.

McLaren recently revealed a new technology partnership with the NTT Communications Corporation, the ICT solutions and international communications business within the Japanese NTT Group.

The initial three-year deal will provide McLaren with network, cloud, data connectivity and systems for the team’s IT strategy, which it says is concentrated on “cloud, mobility and people centric services”.

Speaking when the partnership was announced, McLaren boss Ron Dennis explained how data transfer systems were invaluable to the worldwide operations of an F1 team.

He said: “Data plays such a key part in motorsport. Our team could be anywhere in the world, it happens to be at Silverstone [this weekend]. But one thing that is very apparent is that the heart of our team is our partnership with Honda.

“We have to have the right people in the right places and inevitably, if we were not blessed with high-speed communications, these people would all have to be collectively hubbed around Silverstone.

“But they’re not, they are connected in real time and Mission Control is a very imperative entity. We have a duplicate version of it at the circuit and [another] at Honda’s R&D facility.

“We are simulating something approaching 300,000 races per second during the course of a Grand Prix and that data provides us with the ability to optimise the strategy and optimise the configuration of the car.”

Dennis also illustrated the huge amount of information that is measured by every F1 car as he described the processing power of an MP4-31’s wheel hub, which he called “small beer” compared to that of the complex ERS systems in today’s V6 turbo power units.

He said: “Each wheel hub has its own processing power, we don’t even take data from the sensors that surround the wheel [that measure] brake temperatures, brake wear, tyre pressures, G-Forces – all of this gets processed actually in the wheel hub – it doesn’t even get transmitted to the central ECU, the Electronic Control Unit.

“If driver locks a brake or the wheel throws itself out of balance, we’re monitoring the vibration that creates against a model that says, “if the driver continues with this level of vibration the suspension will fail,” or the opposite, “we can cope with this vibration”.

“And that is small beer – very insignificant compared to the Energy Recovery Systems on the car.”

Speaking alongside Dennis was Tetsuya Shoji, President and CEO, NTT Communications, who said: “I am thrilled that NTT Communications is now a Technology Partner for McLaren-Honda, a symbol of innovation for motorsport fans worldwide.

“The NTT Communications technology repertoire is wide and deep, and McLaren’s excellence in Formula 1 is world renowned. With innovation a part of the DNA of both companies, this partnership will help McLaren-Honda transform how it manages the data generated during Formula 1 races and transcend hitherto established boundaries in motorsports racing.”

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SILVERSTONE TEST DAY 1: ALONSO FASTEST

Fernando Alonso set the fastest time the day as Formula One’s final in-season test got underway in mixed conditions at Silverstone.

Alonso’s table-topping time of 1:31.290 was set on the supersoft tyres in the largely dry morning session and was good enough to see 1.5s clear of Mercedes’ Esteban Ocon on a day when just four Formula One race drivers took to the track. Ocon in turn finished over 1.5s ahead of third-placed Williams tester Alex Lynn.

Alonso’s morning time was 0.450 quicker than his best time in qualifying for last weekend’s British Grand Prix but there was no chance for anyone to improve on the benchmark as shortly before an early lunch break rain began to fall across the circuit meaning that the rest of the day’s running would see teams migrate to full wet and intermediate tyres.

Mercedes junior programme driver Ocon has been loaned to Renault this year as the team’s third and reserve driver and tested for the French squad at 2016’s first in-season test in Barcelona but today he returned to the Silver Arrows’ fold for his first taste of the W07.

The French youngster posted the day’s largest lap total of 123, completing 80 laps in the morning before putting in another busy shift in the afternoon on his way to a best time of 1:32.833.

Third-placed Lynn, meanwhile, posted just 54 laps, with the Briton doing his morning running on the medium tyres before spending much of the afternoon in the afternoon.

Williams’ tally wasn’t as poor as Ferrari’s, however. Ferrari Driver Academy member and GP3 title leader Charles Leclerc was getting his first taste of F1 machinery at a test but the young Monegasque only managed 17 laps all day as he was restricted to the Ferrari garage for long period of the morning session and then he completed just a single lap in the afternoon.

Leclerc did manage to set the day’s fourth-fastest time, however, just over one hundredth of a second behind Lynn.

Behind Leclerc was nother F1 debutant, Russia’s Nikita Mazepin who was driving for Force India. The 17-year-old set the fifth fastest time, eight hundredths of a second behind Leclerc but like others Force India sat out the afternoon session.

After a clutch of ne talent came the comparatively superannuated 21-year-olod Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard had a busy morning posting 77 laps before a quieter afternoon session that resulted in him adding just 14 more laps to his total for the day before the Italian squad ended its running early.

Haas, meanwhile, gave a debut to US racer Santino Ferrucci who finished ahead of Pascal Wehrlein, who was piloting a 2014 Mercedes car in order to test 2017 tyre constructions for Pirelli, but all the German’s work was done in the morning as the Italian tyre manufacturer has brought just dry compounds for its test.

Wehrlein still managed to finish ahead of Manor team-mate Rio Haryanto and Renault’s Sergey Sirotkin.

The order was propped up by Red Bull Racing’s Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman, fresh from a GP2 win at the weekend at Silverstone, endured a frustrating morning as he was restricted to the garage for most of the session while his team fixed electronics issues.

He completed 52 laps in total with the vast majority being turned in the wet conditions of the afternoon, leaving him in P11 at the end of the day.

Formula One Testing – Silverstone Day One

F. Alonso McLaren 1:31.290 105
E. Ocon Mercedes 1:32.833 123
A. Lynn Williams 1:34.433 54
C. Leclerc Ferrari 1:34.446 19
N. Mazepin Force India 1:34.521 35
C. Sainz Toro Rosso 1:34.643 91
S. Ferrucci Haas 1:34.866 55
P. Wehrlein Pirelli 1:34.982 48
R. Haryanto Manor 1:35.631 64
S. Sirotkin Renault 1:36.575 48
P. Gasly Red Bull 1:43.891 52

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CALLS MOUNT TO END F1 RADIO CLAMPDOWN

There are growing calls for Formula 1 rule makers to scrap the stringent restrictions regarding pitwall-to-cockpit radio communication after two embarrassing race weekends where the absurdity of the ban was highlighted, and consequently ridiculed by many in the paddock.

Although initially intending to appeal, Mercedes has now decided to accept the stewards’ decision to demote Nico Rosberg from second to third place at Silverstone, after the German was told by his engineer how to solve a gearbox problem.

But the team said in a statement: “During the coming weeks, we will continue discussions with the relevant F1 stakeholders on the subject of the perceived over-regulation of the sport.”

Indeed, one Mercedes engineer said on Twitter that the current rules are “nonsense”, adding: “If Nico gets a penalty for that radio communication, we might as well whip the radio out the car and save the weight.”

Former F1 driver John Watson agrees, and told told the Guardian newspaper, “They should look at banning it all. Ban the whole bloody lot. Take the radio away from them altogether.”

But Williams’ Pat Symonds thinks that in a technical sport, it is self-evident that teams should be allowed to talk to their drivers.

“You’re going to do tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage to the car because you can’t tell a guy his brakes are about to fail? It’s not just wrong, it’s negligent.”

F1 veteran David Coulthard said he even departed the British grand prix feeling angry.

“I have no view on whether it should have been a penalty because I have no interest in this and it has no place in sport,” he wrote in the Telegraph.

“Bernie Ecclestone takes the view that any publicity is good publicity, but talking about something in frustration, is that really the scene setter we need?”

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RED BULL WOULD VOTE AGAINST HALO SAFETY DEVICE

Red Bull would oppose the introduction of a proposed ‘halo’ cockpit protection device in Formula One next season if it comes to a vote, team principal Christian Horner has said.

Former champions Red Bull had the device installed on their car at the start of the sport’s second in-season test at Silverstone on Tuesday, becoming the second team to try it out after Ferrari.

The ‘halo’ concept, more like a wishbone with a central pillar supporting a protective loop above the driver’s head, has been promoted by Ferrari and Mercedes, whereas Red Bull prefer their own ‘aeroscreen’.

The latter device, more attractive to some, did not perform as well in testing by the governing body and the halo is now the main focus.

“Personally I’m not a big fan of the halo,” Horner told reporters after last weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone. “I think it’s an inelegant solution to the problem that it’s trying to deal with.

“I’d prefer there to be more research time taken to do the job properly, rather than rushing something through that may have other consequences. So I’m not a big fan of the halo and the limitations that it has. I certainly wouldn’t vote in favour at the moment.”

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) is keen to introduce the halo next year but that would normally require a unanimous vote by top teams in the core Strategy Group, including Red Bull, as a change to the technical regulations.

The FIA could impose it on safety grounds, however, while approval for 2018 would acquire only a majority vote.

Ferrari tested a second version of the halo last Friday at the start of British Grand Prix practise but four times world champion Sebastian Vettel, who did a lap with it, said visibility in some areas remained a concern.

The device was modified from an earlier version, removing some weight and reducing the risk of the driver’s head striking it in the event of an impact.

Improving head protection has become a priority after the deaths last year of Briton Justin Wilson, who was hit by debris in an IndyCar crash, and Frenchman Jules Bianchi who suffered ultimately fatal injuries at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

The halo aims to protect the driver’s head and deflect large debris and objects, such as bouncing wheels that have broken free from tethers.

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VERSTAPPEN IS THE NEW SENNA?

A season and a half into his meteoric Formula 1 career so far, Max Verstappen is continuing to impress with his mighty performances and is being likened to the late great Ayrton Senna.

In his sixth race since switching from Toro Rosso, the 18-year-old Dutchman finally outqualified his highly-rated teammate Daniel Ricciardo at Silverstone before racing to the podium.

Not only that, he secured yet another official ‘driver of the day’ fans plaudit, and the press was also impressed.

“Verstappen was brilliant,” said El Pais newspaper. “The world championship is lucky to have this 18-year-old genius. Verstappen is the new Senna.”

As for his move on Nico Rosberg around the outside of Becketts, Red Bull team boss said: “Max continues to surprise us.”

F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart told the Swiss newspaper Blick: “How he passed Rosberg around the outside can only be described as world-class. We already know who the world champion of the future is.”

It’s all great news for the Dutchman, but not quite as comfortable for the established Australian star, Ricciardo.

Horner noted: “Nobody likes to be behind his teammate, but Daniel also had bad luck with the virtual safety car. He has already shown in 2016 what a class driver he is, and to have two fully competitive drivers is great news for us as a team.”

But former F1 driver Robert Doornbos sees the momentum clearly on Verstappen’s side.

“Since Max has been on the team, the car has gotten better and better,” he told the Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport Totaal.

“Whether it’s a coincidence or something to do with Max I don’t know, but in any case the smile on Ricciardo’s face is smaller and the one on Max’s face is bigger.”

Jacques Villeneuve has his own view about the teenager,  “You always want to say OK, that’s the new  Senna. That’s the new Michael. But he is Verstappen.”

As for the Dutchman himself, when told about the comparison he smiled and replied, “That’s a nice compliment.”

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ITALIAN MEDIA REPORTING FERRARI IN CRISIS AGAIN

The Italian mainstream media is reporting thinks Ferrari has entered another period of crisis in Formula 1.

Despite earlier looking a likely title challenger for Mercedes in 2016, the Maranello team has fallen clearly behind Red Bull in both performance and reliability.

It has left the partisan Italian media wondering what has gone wrong.

“One wonders if hasty decisions such as the dismissal of the great aerodynamics expert Nicholas Tombazis were correct,” La Gazzetta dello Sport mused.

Corriere dello Sport added: “Vettel cannot do much with a slow car.”

And La Repubblica said: “The Ferrari crisis is deepening as even Red Bull now sails past. Maranello’s performance was as grey as the sky above Silverstone.”

But Sebastian Vettel urged against panicking, while boss Maurizio Arrivabene indicated that Ferrari’s performance simply looked worse on the British layout.

“We came knowing that we would not find an easy track for the characteristics of our car, although we know that to be at the top you may not have difficult circuits,” he added.

There has also been criticism about Ferrari’s vision when it comes to the driver lineup, with younger talents like Sergio Perez overlooked in favour of sticking with Kimi Raikkonen for another year.

“Yes, it is a shame none of the youngsters are getting a chance but we know why, don’t we?” a source close to Arrivabene told The Times newspaper. “Sebastian is the reason why.”

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SYMONDS: PIRELLI TESTING GIVES BIG TEAMS 2017 ADVANTAGE

Pat Symonds thinks F1’s three top teams will get an advantage by spearheading the track development of the new, bigger Pirelli tyres for 2017.

A 24-day separate track programme on specially-modified older cars will begin in August, shared equally between top teams Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.

F1’s fourth-quickest team is Williams, whose technical boss Symonds thinks the Pirelli programme will advantage the top three.

“Lotus went through its golden era when Pirelli was using their car,” he is quoted by UOL. “It’s a huge advantage and I think something we need to consider.

“They are blind tests but what guides the direction of development are the comments. When Lotus was testing they would say what they liked and what they didn’t like, and based on those comments, Pirelli developed,” Symonds added.

“So those who will do the (2017) testing have an advantage, and we can’t participate. It’s very expensive,” he revealed. “Pirelli is paying for it in part, but not covering all of the expenses, so we can’t be a part of it.”

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NASR: AT SAUBER EVERYONE IS EXCITED AGAIN

Sauber has leapt back into contention to retain Felipe Nasr beyond the 2016 Formula 1 season, after it had looked like the Brazilian was losing patience with the plight of the team.

The Swiss team has struggled financially in 2016, but rumours are now abounding that Sauber will shortly make official a buyout or rescue deal.

“It’s a big change,” Nasr, whose personal backer Banco do Brasil is Sauber’s most visible sponsor, told Globo when asked about the change in fortunes.

“Everything that is happening is very positive and an extra motivation for everyone in a moment that seemed to have no more light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

Nasr said he is not sure who the new investors are, amid speculation they are linked with the backers of his teammate, Swede Marcus Ericsson.

“I don’t know who it is but we expect an official announcement,” said 23-year-old Nasr.

The situation also affects Nasr’s future, as it had appeared clear he would take his Banco do Brasil backing elsewhere for 2017. “My manager is talking to teams, seeing the options, so we’ll see. But with this change in Sauber, staying here has become a possibility because I know everybody and I have my place.”

Nasr said that, under the circumstances, Sauber has done a good job in 2016, “Strictly speaking, this car is almost the 2015 machine so to almost score points, as we have in the last three races, is only possible because everyone is working hard.”

Having said that, Sauber is the only team that is sitting out the Silverstone test.

“We have a new aerodynamic package,” Nasr explained, “but it’s not ready yet so we won’t test. The plan is to use the package in Hungary or Germany.”

“At Sauber everyone is excited again as we see that there is potential for us again, which was not the case until a few days ago,” said Nasr.

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MCLAREN WANT ALONSO TO STAY BEYOND 2017

McLaren boss Eric Boullier says he has no doubt about wanting Fernando Alonso to remain a part of the Honda-powered project.

While the future of Jenson Button is up in the air, Boullier said in an interview with Spain’s AS sports newspaper that Alonso should still with the Anglo-Japanese team.

“I don’t think Fernando is ready to retire,” said the Frenchman. “I am sure that if he trusts the McLaren-Honda project he will end up champion again.”

Alonso’s current contract runs until the end of 2017, but Boullier said he wants the 34-year-old to sign another one.

“Yes, of course,” he insisted. “I really believe in the project and I see our progress.

“McLaren is ready, and as soon as we have the total package, we will be at the top. For sure. And I hope it’s with Fernando, of course.”

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Vandoorne: Good feeling about 2017 chances

Although Stoffel Vandoorne’s discussions about a 2017 race-seat are ongoing, he says he has a “very good feeling” about it.

The 24-year-old Belgian racer is in line to replace Jenson Button at McLaren for next year’s championship.

However, at present talks are still taking place and nothing has been set in stone.

“Discussions are ongoing I think; it’s pretty normal at this stage,” he told GPUpdate.net.

“I still want to be in Formula 1 next year, it’s definitely my target, and I have a very good feeling about it, that I will be there – hopefully that will be with McLaren.

“I have a contract here and it’s definitely the place I want to be, [but] if for some reason this can’t happen then I’m confident that there are other options available.”

The McLaren test driver, who filled in for the injured Fernando Alonso at the Bahrain GP where he finished in 10th place, downplays suggestions that next year’s rule changes could influence McLaren’s decision.

“I don’t know, I’m a racing driver, I feel I can perform in any car,” he said.

“I’ve won almost in every car I’ve driven, so I’m pretty sure I can guide the team and I feel ready to do that. I feel 100 percent ready for it, it’s just I need to wait and get the time now.”

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Brundle: Expect fireworks at Red Bull

With Max Verstappen getting the better of Daniel Ricciardo at Silverstone, Martin Brundle reckons there are “fireworks” on the horizon.

Verstappen is the only Red Bull racer to have won a grand prix this season as he triumphed on debut in Spain.

But while the Dutchman has shown great race craft, it is Ricciardo who has led the way in qualifying.

That, though, came to an end at Silverstone.

Verstappen pipped his team-mate to third on the grid and followed that up with a podium finish in Sunday’s 52-lap race.

“Max Verstappen was my driver of the day,” Brundle told Sky Sports F1. “In challenging conditions he gave Mercedes a run for their money.

“He’s so remarkably mature for his age, it’s as if he’s 28 and not 18. His race craft, his pit-stop choices and his wheel-to-wheel combat were outstanding.

“I still think the team should have given him fresh tyres to make a charge at Mercedes over the last few laps and prevent Hamilton from babysitting his engine. They had nothing to lose.

“On Saturday we also saw Max out-qualify Daniel Ricciardo for the first time. Daniel has a challenge on his hands, but it’s a challenge which I believe he is more than up to.

“He has all the tools he needs for a fight with Max, and that will mean more fireworks for us to enjoy.”

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Gasly "surprised" by Halo visibility

Pierre Gasly says he was surprised by the visibility from the cockpit after testing with the Halo protection system at Silverstone on Tuesday.

The Frenchman completed two installation laps with the device attached to his Red Bull RB12, as the team tested it for the first time.

Red Bull had pioneered the Aeroscreen system, but that has been ruled out by the FIA for 2017.

While Gasly said the visibility did not change much, he admitted the view from the cockpit was "weird".

"Actually I was a bit surprised, it doesn't change much," said Gasly, who drove with a camera in his glasses to record eye-line footage.

"But it looks a bit weird from the inside.

"You see something on top of the helmet and also the vision when you look straight you kind of see this triangle on top. It's different."

Gasly said, however, that he was not a fan of any cockpit protection systems.

"I don't really like it, because for me F1 always looked like open cockpit. We'll see.

"From the inside point of view it doesn't change much so we'll see what they will say about it."

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Mercedes: Red Bull pace not limited by engine power

Downforce levels, not engine power, are behind Red Bull's straightline speed deficit, according to Mercedes technical chief Paddy Lowe.

In the aftermath of the British Grand Prix, in which Red Bull ran Mercedes close in the wet conditions, Lowe asserted the Austrian team was not being hampered by the performance of its Renault power unit.

"Silverstone is a circuit which is undoubtedly a real test of a car, power and aerodynamics," Lowe told Motorsport.com.

"It’s interesting that Red Bull are constantly peddling a story about the low power they’ve got, but just to set the record straight at this event as they often do, they chose to run a higher level of wing than we did.

"Therefore they look like they have less power and they’re quicker in the corners, because that’s the choice they make.

"The reality is there’s not a huge difference between the engines these days, but there are still differences between the downforce you can run."

   

No explanation for variations in Mercedes gap

Meanwhile, Lowe said that it was night impossible to explain the ebb and flow of the performance gap between his pacesetting team and its main opposition from circuit to circuit.

“It’s one of those things that if you understood it fully you would rule the world,” he said. “It’s the same as people who say how easy it is to buy and sell shares, all in hindsight.

"I must admit, in all the time I’ve been in F1 I’ve never fully understood the vagaries of circuit specific performance. That’s something that we continually try to understand further. But we have seen some very interesting variations in the gaps.”