FORMULA 1 - 2016

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FIA TO USE ELECTRONIC SENSORS TO ENFORCE TRACK LIMITS

Formula 1’s governing body has turned to technology to enforce the thorny topic of ‘track limits’ this weekend in Hungary.

Keeping all four wheels on the track has been a controversial topic of late, and Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg acknowledged the problem.

“Charlie Whiting is in a difficult situation,” he is quoted by Speed Week in Budapest.

It emerges that the F1 race director has ordered the installation of electronic sensors on the outside of corners 4 and 11 at the Hungaroring to police drivers who are edging their cars off the track for advantage.

Hulkenberg said: “It’s the same sort of technology we use on the grid to detect a jump start — now it’s being used to put an end to this (track limits) discussion.”

The German driver said he would prefer that barriers were on the outside of corners to really ensure drivers stay on track, “but of course there are safety considerations”.

“Charlie also mentioned last time that there is a compromise between MotoGP and Formula 1, because the organisers want to welcome both championships if possible,” he added.

 

MIKA: Why not place the old gravel traps?? That would slow them down for sure

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HORNER: I IMAGINE VETTEL WILL SWITCH TO MERCEDES IN 2018

Sebastian Vettel’s former boss thinks the four times world champion may soon run out of patience for Ferrari and the political pressure that is part of driving for the Scuderia.

Christian Horner, who oversaw Vettel’s four consecutive world championships for Red Bull, told Sport Bild that he senses a lack of calm in the 29-year-old’s current disposition.

“I have the feeling that Seb is a bit rattled,” Red Bull team boss Horner told the German newspaper. “I know from personal experience that he has to feel good in order to perform well. And I’m not sure whether he likes Sergio Marchionne’s pressure.”

“I can well imagine that in 2018 Seb will switch to Mercedes if he doesn’t start making progress with Ferrari,” Horner added.

The Italian press is currently characterising Ferrari as being in ‘crisis’, having failed to capitalise on its progress and being out-performed in recent races by Red Bull.

But Gerhard Berger does not agree with Horner that Vettel is becoming rattled by the pressure.

“I know him from the Red Bull days,” the former Toro Rosso co-owner told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, “and he is a true leader. He never loses heart.”

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MASSA: JULES HAD A DIFFICULT TIME IN TALKS WITH FERRARI

The late Jules Bianchi was enduring a difficult time in his relationship with Ferrari when he crashed at Suzuka in 2014.

That is the claim of F1 veteran Felipe Massa, as the sport this week marks the one year anniversary of the tragic death of the former Marussia driver.

Bianchi, 25, was widely regarded as a Ferrari driver of the future when he speared off the track in fading light during the 2014 Japanese grand prix.

Massa agreed: “He was a driver who should have had the chance to race for Ferrari. At the time, there was talk that he could go there and that they were talking.”

“He was having a difficult time in his talks with Ferrari,” the Brazilian, who drove for Ferrari for eight years until he was dropped at the end of 2013, told UOL Grande Premio.

“But his talent was clear. I always thought he was a driver who could be very successful in F1,” added Massa, who was close to Bianchi as they shared a manager in Nicolas Todt.

At the time of his ultimately fatal crash, Bianchi was the leading member of Ferrari’s driver development academy.

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BERGER: ARRIVABENE AND HIS BOYS NEED TO BE LEFT TO WORK

Former Ferrari F1 driver and team owner Gerhard Berger says Ferrari needs time to recapture its glory days.

The Italian press is currently reporting that Ferrari is in a crisis, having failed to capitalise on its progress and being out-performed in recent races by Red Bull.

Technical director James Allison is said to be departing, Ross Brawn has denied rumours he will replace him and Red Bull’s Christian Horner is predicting Sebastian Vettel will soon lose patience and switch to Mercedes.

But Berger, who drove for the Maranello marque during two separate tenures in the 80s and 90s, told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: “Ferrari is always in my heart. I spent the best years in Italy.

“They [Ferrari] need time,” he said. “Last year was better than expected, but it made expectations grow too much. Everyone expected a comeback and instead the gap is even bigger.”

Asked if Ferrari needs yet another transition year, he answered: “Arrivabene and his boys need to be left to work.

“Probably in 2017 they will be able to fight on par with Mercedes, but it will not happen in the next three or four races. The closer you get to the summit, the harder the climb becomes,” he added.

Earlier this month, Ferrari’s former technical chief Ross Brawn said the great strength of the Michael Schumacher era was that president Luca di Montezemolo successfully shielded the team from the typical Ferrari turmoil.

When asked about Ferrari’s current ‘crisis’, the now departed Montezemolo said this week: “For people like me who deeply love Ferrari and spent the most important years there, sometimes the best way to demonstrate that love is to keep quiet.

“I have proposed for some time not to talk about formula one, but I’ll be very happy to do it again later, given the passion that I have,” he is quoted by Tuttosport.

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VERSTAPPEN AIMING FOR THIRD IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Max Verstappen is enjoying a fairy-tale season, apart from an error packed weekend in Monaco the prodigious teenager has done no wrong since his promotion to Red Bull and is no targeting third place in this year’s world championship.

Speaking ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Verstappen said, “We will see where we end up at the end of the season. It will be between third or sixth – hopefully. You try to do the best possible race every race and we see after Abu Dhabi where we are.”

After a hard fought second place at Silverstone, Verstappen believes Hunagororing will play to the strengths of the Red Bull RB12, “Here the car can be very strong and I’m looking forward to the weekend because so far the car has been pretty strong, even on tracks where we didn’t expect it to be that strong.”

“We just have to wait and see. It’s all about the set-up now and how we can improve during the sessions. Hopefully we can be very close,” added the Dutchman.

[skalls]

Com rules don't make any sense.  No one is going to willingly make an unscheduled Pit stop.  Just let the teams tell the drivers what engine setting they should be in.  It's just simple to let them do that.  

I really don't like gravel traps.  Remember what happened to Alonso earlier this year when he went into.

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FIA considering solution to unpopular safety car starts

The FIA is reportedly considering a solution to the unpopular Safety Car starts when the track is considered too wet for a regular "lights out" start, as happened most recently at the British Grand Prix earlier this month.

According to Auto Motor und Sport, Charlie Whiting will meet with teams ahead of the German GP next weekend to discuss a proposal which would appease fans who view safety car starts as robbing them of one of the most exciting parts of a grand prix.

At the last race in Britain, a short but heavy shower swamped the circuit minutes before lights out, with race control calling for a safety car start. That sees the cars lap behind the safety car until the track is considered safe enough for the racing to begin.

However the cars are simply released in single file when the signal is given, massively reducing the potential for overtakes.

It's believed the increase in safety car starts is in response to Jules Bianchi's accident, which has forced the FIA to take a more cautious approach to poor conditions.

The proposed solution would see wet races start under the safety car as normal, but once conditions are considered "safe", the pack would line up on the grid in qualifiying order, essentially for a standing restart.

Although laps behind the safety car count toward the race, drivers wouldn't be allowed to pit for tyres until the restart has taken place.

The matter will reportedly be discussed next Wednesday and if majority support is given by the teams, then the matter will go before the World Motor Sport Council to be added to the 2017 Sporting Regulations.

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Video: Factory to track - Manufacturing the McLaren MP4-31

Formula 1 pushes a driver's skill to the limits on track, but the demands of racing don’t end at the finish line. Mobil 1 The Grid caught up with Simon Roberts, McLaren-Honda’s Operations Director, to find out exactly what it takes to maintain and run the MP4-31.

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Vettel: Radio rules complete bulls**t

Sebastian Vettel has made his thoughts on Formula 1’s radio ban very clear, calling the rule “complete bulls**t”.

Last time out at Silverstone, Nico Rosberg was slapped with a 10-second penalty as Mercedes were deemed to have broken the rules when they coached him on how to avoid a repeat of his gearbox problem.

This led to the FIA issuing a directive ahead of the Hungarian GP that clarified what may or may not be said.

Vettel is not impressed.

“It is complete bulls**t, I think all the radio issues we have is a joke,” GPUpdate.net quoted him as having said.

“I watched the race [at Silverstone] afterwards and I found as a spectator it was quite entertaining to hear a driver a little bit panicking and a team panicking at the same time.

“I think it was the human element [which made it entertaining] in a sport that is arguably very complicated and technical so I think it is the wrong way.

“There’s a lot of boring stuff on the radio that got banned so I don’t see the point.”

That, though, is not the Ferrari driver’s only issue this weekend.

He has also hit out at the decision to use an electronic system to police the track limits at Turns 4 and 6 at the Hungaroring.

“I think it is the FIA to blame [as they] build circuits to make it faster to run off track than on the track,” he said.

“I went around the track this morning and it’s quite disappointing.”

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Hot race expected but rain could hit practice

Friday practice is at risk from thunderstorms but after that drivers can expect the usual Hungary heatwave.

First practice should take place in warm but cloudy conditions. However the second session, which starts at 2pm local time, is under threat from a series of showers which could turn thundery and are expected after noon tomorrow.

After that the conditions will settle down and the heat crank up under cloudless morning skies. Air temperatures are expected to exceed 30C on both days.

Last year’s sizzling weekend saw track temperatures hit 55C in qualifying and second practice. A significant factor this year will be how well the new track surface copes with the baking heat.

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Sauber to start running updates after Longbow deal

The Sauber team will start introducing updates to its Formula 1 car now its future has been secured.

The Swiss squad, which has struggled financially all year, announced a change of ownership on Wednesday, with Longbow Finance taking over the squad.

Felipe Nasr said that the new funding has already allowed the team to introduce updates that have been on hold.

"We're going to have a new rear wing to evaluate tomorrow," said the Brazilian. "If it works, it's beneficial, we're going to keep it for the weekend. That's on both cars.

"As I said before we had all things in plan, let's say, updates planned, but we were missing the green light to have them. Things are now coming.

"It takes a bit of time, we cannot do it all at once. But looking at this season we still have 11 races to go.

"If we can add performance to the car, every now and then, I'm sure we can feel the difference until the end of the year. Hopefully we will still have enough time to fight for a few points if we can."

Both Nasr and Marcus Ericsson welcomed the confirmation of the team's new ownership.

"It's good news for the team, for everybody really," said Nasr.

"It's been a while that we've been trying to find a solution. It at least gives a new perspective for everyone on the short and the long term. So far, all positive."

Nasr admitted that he harboured concerns about the future in recent months.

"There were always rumours. I never knew the whole picture, but I could see the whole team was struggling.

"For everybody, including myself, mechanics, staff, employees it gives them security, the stability to work with what they have.

"I am sure there is a brighter future to look at it. I'm sure having the resources we can develop the car, we can make the car more competitive."

"I think it is great news for the team," said Ericsson. "It is not secret it has been difficult year for Sauber financially, so we were not able to update car as we want – for the team it is important it happened.

"What it means for the future, I don't know, we have to wait and see, but very good news for everyone at Sauber."

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Renault to run Monaco suspension again in Hungary

Renault will give a second chance to the suspension it tried in Monaco at this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.

The French team, which has struggled at the back of the grid all season, introduced a revised suspension for the Monte Carlo race, but the drivers thought the changes had actually made the car worse and the suspension was removed for the following races.

However, Renault worked with it again during last week's test at Silverstone, and the suspension will return to the car for tomorrow's practice at the Hungaroring.

"We've shifted back to what we tried in Monaco," said Jolyon Palmer on Thursday. "We did a lot of back-to-backs with that and we are going to run again with it again tomorrow.

"I think it could work. We tried it in Monaco but we didn't like it so much there.

"At Silverstone last week we felt there was a small gain with it, so we'll try it again on a non-street circuit," he added.

Palmer admitted the Silverstone test failed to boost the team's performance for this weekend's race.

"We didn't unlock a huge amount on the car. I think it's going to show this weekend. Hopefully in a few races' time we can find something," Palmer said.

Despite that, the Briton reckons the Hungarian GP will be Renault's best chance to do well in a while.

"I think this could be a good opportunity for us, to be honest. The best one for a number of races, really. We never really know until we drive the car on Friday and see where we are at, but it could be a good chance."

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Bottas: It's "not normal" for Williams to be out-developed by Force India

Williams driver Valtteri Bottas says the team is "dissatisfied" with its recent race performances, as Force India closes in on its fourth place in the constructors' points.

Despite upgrades with new front wing designs, Williams has struggled for pace in recent races.

Fellow Mercedes-powered team Force India is now just 19 points behind in the fight for fourth place.

Bottas is seventh in the drivers' points, seven points ahead of Force India's Sergio Perez.

"The team is working absolutely flat out at the moment," said Bottas. "We can see that some other teams, for example Force India, have managed to improve more during the season than we have done.

"That's not normal for us, normally we get gains from every single update in the past two years.

"I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we find solutions, but of course the focus for sure for everyone is already on 2017 – but it's something we need to understand [this year]."

Bottas will use a new floor that Williams has brought to Budapest, in an attempt to cure its inconsistencies and excessive tyre wear.

"It's definitely been up and down," he added. "For sure as a team we were hoping for a stronger first half but this is where we are now. We need to try and fight our way out of this position.

"We have Force India pretty close to us, they have quite a good car and have made some good improvements, so hopefully the update we have here is gonna boost us a little bit.

"In the Silverstone test we really focused on race pace, better tyre wear – which has been the main issue in the last few races.

"Let's see, but we're definitely not satisfied with where we are at this point."

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Remembering... Damon Hill's broken Arrows

Formula 1 can be a cruel sport. 

For as many fairytales with a happy ever after, there are dreams-turned-nightmares to earn their place in F1 infamy and forever remain a footnote in moments of sporting bitterness. 

Whether it is the precise moment Felipe Massa and his adoring fans realise their 2008 title celebrations are around 40 seconds premature or Mika Hakkinen watching victory slip with his temperamental clutch on the final lap of the 2001 Spanish Grand Prix, F1 has the potential to strike all the feels when it so desires. 

For many though, 'unlucky' in motorsport is no better typified than by Damon Hill coming to within a lap of clinching a long awaited and wholly unexpected win for the Arrows team in the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix and rarely does the annual visit to Budapest pass without a moment to reflect on the almost-David-and-Goliath tale. 

Indeed, while the credentials of Hill – a world champion only a year earlier with Williams – were not to be argued, his arrival in Hungary, round 11 of the 1997, came against the backdrop of an otherwise dismal campaign that questioned the wisdom of his decision to join the minnow outfit. 

Jettisoned from Williams in favour of Heinz-Harald Frentzen even before he would go on to win the 1996 title in the dominant FW18, Hill wasn't short of offers for 1997, but typified his dilemma by refusing to take his champion status to McLaren in return for a mere 'salary-by-results' contract. 

Instead, Hill would offer his hallowed #1 plate to a team that managed just a single top six finish in 1996, explaining it was the only outfit willing to meet certain demands, not least a one-year deal. 

Regardless, Hill was nonetheless also putting his faith in new owner Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR), but the A18 with its underpowered Yamaha engine and unproven Bridgestone tyres did not represent a competitive package, even with a champion at the wheel. 

With just one point from the opening 10 rounds to show for his efforts, largely the result of woeful reliability, Hill had rapidly faded from high-profiler to a background player. Nevertheless, Arrows recognised its strengths and had long considered the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring as its best opportunity to prove its capabilities on a leveller playing field. 

However, even with a proven driver on board, a more reliable car and the lack of engine power being less of a hindrance at the tight and twisty circuit, Arrows knew the key to an upset would ultimately remain dependent on temperatures… specifically temperatures high enough for its Bridgestone tyres to flourish. 

New for 1997, Bridgestone had shown flashes of promise in its inaugural season with four partners (Prost, Stewart, Arrows and Minardi) to challenge Goodyear's monopoly, its tyres' ability to work particularly well in high temperatures and on abrasive surfaces giving the otherwise steady midfielders the occasional chance to hit the front when the circumstances allowed. 

This had already been demonstrated at a punishing Spanish Grand Prix when Prost's Olivier Panis went from 11th on the grid to finish second as Goodyear-shod rivals struggled with unusually high wear, a feat Arrows believed it could mirror in Hungary if the sun came out and the car stayed together. 

The seeds of potential were sown during a suitably warm Friday practice as Bridgestone drivers infiltrated the leading positions, with Hill snatching the headlines in fifth despite completing just one flying lap due to earlier technical issues. 

Buoyed by the car's instant pace, Hill furthered his intentions by placing the Arrows on the second row of the grid in third. Better still, it was not solely down to the tyres since no other Bridgestone-shod car had made it inside the top ten and many agree to this day driver skill was the predominant factor in his lofty result. 

Racing at a circuit with notoriously scant overtaking opportunities, Hill found himself in a good position to at least take some much desired points away from the race but few expected him to ascend. 

Ascend is exactly what he did though, Hill making the most of starting from the cleaner side of the rarely-used circuit to get the jump on second place Jacques Villeneuve down to the opening bend before tailing leader Michael Schumacher as they escaped from the chasing pack. 

From here Hill began to sense an advantage, the Ferrari blistering its tyres and becoming a handful compared with the more resilient Bridgestone-shod Arrows that shadowed Schumacher's every move. What followed on lap ten was the move few would have anticipated pre-race as Hill tucked into the slipstream, pulled up alongside his former title rival on the run to turn one and used his superior grip to pull the nose in front into the turn one right-hander. 

Though it was not the first time an Arrows had led a race in F1, it was far from a familiar sight for a team that - since its debut in 1978 – managed a fairly meagre eight podiums, none of which had been on the top step. 

Furthermore, Arrows was now daring to dream as Hill simply surged clear of Schumacher, the German's desperate tyre situation worsening enough to send him back to the pits. Indeed, the Bridgestone tyres were holding up well compared with their Goodyear counterparts, while a fairly high attrition rate was nixing the challenge of others.

With just three laps remaining, Hill was a mammoth 35secs clear of new second place man Jacques Villeneuve and seemingly on course for a famous and long awaited maiden win for a team that could now almost taste the winners' champagne. 

And then, cough. 

Slow. Pick up. Slow again. 

Backmarkers un-lap themselves. 

Three laps remaining and it was becoming apparent the Arrows was in trouble. Though initially seen as Hill being supremely cautious with such a sizeable advantage, the loss of 10secs to Villeneuve in a single lap demonstrated this was more than simply playing safe. 

As the urgency in the voice of the commentators grew and heads began to fall into the hands of the Arrows pit crew, Hill radioed in that he did indeed have a problem and the prognosis wasn't good. 

The 'problem' was an intermittent throttle and a gearbox stuck in third. There was little Hill could do than to nurse the car as best he could, making the occasional weave in a heartbreakingly futile attempt to get the A18 to pick up. Remarkably, Hill was still leading as he dragged his car across the line to start the final lap, but Villeneuve was now just a few seconds behind and poised to pounce. 

The cruel inevitability would ultimately unfold at turn four as Villeneuve – approaching almost too fast such was the disparity in the performance – jinked by on the outside of turn four. As Villeneuve flicked up the dust, hearts across the F1 world sank and while few would begrudge the future champion his (and what would be a crucial) win, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone outside Williams who wasn't wishing the race was just a lap shorter. 

Though perhaps no consolation at the time, Hill would later remark that he was just relieved to see the chequered flag having expected to park the car as soon as it began to splutter. Instead, he would nurse it home still securing a second place finish – Arrows' best result in 18 years. 

Gallingly, it was later revealed that the broken part that cost Arrows victory was a mere washer costing little more than 50p… not enough for a cup of tea but enough to ultimately cost Arrows a well-deserved victory. 

Indeed, though it is the factor of champion-turned- underdog Hill that continues to get fans misty-eyed about what could have been to this day, he remains a driver with a world title under his belt that would go on to win again with Jordan the following year. 

For Arrows, however, this was the closest it would ever get to the top of the rostrum, the plucky – if ultimately cash-strapped - privateer team persevering until 2002 having entered 368 races without ever tasting the winners' champagne. 

Instead, that 1997 race would become the bittersweet legacy of its unenviable reputation as the longest-serving F1 team never to win a race, yet it remains proof that Davids can very occasionally take on the mightiest Goliaths (on the right tyres at least). 
 

 

 

 

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Hungarian GP: Mercedes ‘optimistic’ Rosberg will avoid gearbox change

Mercedes says it is 'optimistic' Nico Rosberg's gearbox has been repaired and won't need to be replaced for the Hungarian Grand Prix following its issues at Silverstone. 

Rosberg lost seventh gear in the closing stages of the British Grand Prix but was able to nurse the car home to retain his second place on the road, only for a 10secs time penalty to drop him to third as punishment for Mercedes' illegal radio communications. 

Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Mercedes has confirmed it will test the gearbox in FP1 and is confident there will be no lasting damage. 

“We will be running the race gearbox tomorrow to make sure it is OK and are optimistic that it will be,” confirmed a Mercedes spokesperson. 

Rosberg comes into the Budapest event with a mere one point lead over Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the overall standings. 
 

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MERCEDES EXTEND ROSBERG CONTRACT UNTIL END OF 2018

Mercedes have announced that they have extended Nico Rosberg’s contract with the Formula 1 world champion team until the end of 2018.

The team released the following statement on their website:

“Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team and Nico Rosberg sign contract extension.”

“We are delighted to announce that the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team has signed a two-year contract extension with Nico Rosberg for the 2017 and 2018 Formula One seasons.”

“Nico has been a core member of the Silver Arrows since the team returned to the sport in 2010 and has played a crucial role in the team’s success in that time.”

“He has scored 19 Grand Prix wins and 25 pole positions so far with Mercedes-Benz and is currently leading the Drivers’ World Championship.”

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HUNGARORING FP2: ROSBERG FASTEST AS HAMILTON SHUNTS

Nico Rosberg went quickest in second practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix after Mercedes team-mate and main title rival Lewis Hamilton crashed out early in the session.

Hamilton was on his fourth lap of the 90-minute session when he lost control as he headed into the 210km/h Turn 11. He spun across the run-off area and hit the barriers side-on.

Surprisingly there was little outward damage done and Hamilton was able to get going again. He nursed his car back the pit lane but Mercedes quickly reported that it would need to be stripped back and that the3 champion would take no further part in the session.

It was left to Rosberg to carry the Mercedes standard during the session and the German obliged, using supersoft tyres on his quick run to set a session-best time of 1:20.435. That was almost a second quicker than Hamilton’s table –topper from FP1 and 1.8s quicker than Hamilton’s pole position time of last year.

However, while Mercedes had enjoyed a 1.6s advantage over closest challenger Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari in the morning session, the Silver Arrows’ advantage was cut in the afternoon by Red Bull Racing, with 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo getting to within six tenths of a second of Rosberg’s time.

In the morning Red Bull opted to only run with soft compound tyres but in the afternoon the team bolted on supersofts to edge closer to Mercedes.

After finishing third in the morning session, Vettel repeated the placing in the afternoon, setting a best time of 1:21.348 31 to split the Red Bulls, with Max Verstappen fourth, four tenths of a second behind Vettel.

Hamilton was fifth fastest, his opening lap being good enough to second him a placing just under two tenths of a second behind Verstappen but ahead of the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen.

McLaren, meanwhile, repeated its positions from the morning session, with Fernando Alonso seventh and Jenson Button eighth.

The session wasn’t without issue for the team, however, with Alonso requiring a power unit change on his car in advance of the session after Honda noticed an “anomaly” on the data coming from it’s powerplant.

In the morning session P9 was taken by Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz ahead of Force India’s Sergio Perez. In the afternoon Perez again finished 10th, but this time Sainz was bounced out of ninth by Perez’s team-mate Nico Hulkenberg.

Sainz, meanwhile, dropped to P13 behind Haas’ Esteban Gutierrez and Williams’ Felipe Massa.

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RENAULT CELEBRATE 110TH ANNIVERSARY OF MAIDEN GRAND PRIX WIN

Renault Sport Formula 1 Team tjhis week celebrated the 110th anniversary of its maiden Grand Prix win with a glittering event in downtown Budapest, Hungary.

Renault won the first-ever official Grand Prix held in 1906 with its revolutionary Type AK car. Held at Le Mans, Hungarian driver Ferenc Szisz took victory for the marque, ensuring both driver and manufacturer a unique place in the history of Formula 1.

The first Grand Prix was held on public roads outside Le Mans on 26 – 27 June 1906. Run over two days, Renault participated with its Type AK, a lightweight chassis fitted with a 12.9-litre four-cylinder engine. Thirty-two cars started the two-day long race, but many failed in overwhelming temperatures.

Szisz however came home 32 minutes ahead of the runner-up, reaching a sensational average speed of 100.9kph and covering 1,238.16km in total. The victory was facilitated by technical innovation of his 90 horsepower car and the Michelin brothers’ new tyres on easily replaceable wheels.

Ferenc Szisz was born in a small town in the Békes county of the Hungarian part of the former Austro-Hungarian empire. Initially he trained as a copper caster before starting to work with mechanical parts in the early 1890s. Dissatisfied with his craft, he hit the road and headed for the grand capital cities of the time, Budapest and Vienna.

He found employment within the growing fields of automobiles and aviation before moving to Munich to work for Bosch, where he became familiar with electrical equipment for motor vehicles.

From Munich Szisz moved to Paris, working in a factory that produced turning machines. When Renault bought one of these turning machines, Szisz joined the company as an engineer to set up and calibrate.

The relationship with Renault was to be a long and successful one. He started work in the machine tool division, but was transferred to the car manufacturing section where meticulous and refined work was needed for piston, main axes and bearing chiselling, all of which were hand finished at the turn of the century.

Szisz’ skills were quickly recognised and he became Marcel Renault’s race mechanic. Back in those days the mechanic sat next to the driver and also tested his cars to prepare for the gruelling city to city races.

In 1902 he was also chosen to be Louis Renault’s mechanic and, following the tragic death of Marcel in the 1903 Paris-Madrid race, Renault’s race driver. He was immediately successful, finishing fifth in the 1905 Gordon-Bennett Cup at the Circuit d’Auvergne near Clermont-Ferrand.

In October of that same year, along with other French and Italian automobile manufacturers, Renault sent a team to the United States to compete in the Vanderbilt Cup on Long Island, New York.

In a field that included many luminaries of the day such as Felice Nazzaro and Louis Chevrolet, Szisz finished fifth behind the winner, fellow Frenchman Victor Hémery driving a Darracq.

With the sport burgeoning, the first Grand Prix was organised in 1906 on the roads of Le Mans. Szisz’ victory ensured him 45,000 francs – a huge sum for the time – French citizenship and a state award in France.

However, his win also secured the Hungarian, and Renault, a place in the annals of motor racing history.

[skalls]

All qualifying needs to start in the wet and dries by q3.  so damn entertaining

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HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX: HAMILTON WINS AND LEADS CHAMPIONSHIP

Lewis Hamilton powered to a controlled victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix – his fifth at the Hungaroring – and with it took the lead in the 2016 Formula 1 World Championship standings for the first time this season, with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in second and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo claiming the final podium spot.

Victory for Hamilton catapults him to the top of the championship standings with 192 points to his credit, with Rosberg dropping down to second place with 186 points. In early May, Hamilton trailed his teammate by 43 points in the title battle.

Starting from second on the grid, Hamilton did all the hard work in the drag race to Turn 1 where he overcame pole sitter Rosberg, thereafter the Briton established a comfortable early lead before taking full control of proceedings.

When required he had the pace to keep Rosberg’s attacks at bay by simply going quicker when it mattered. The win was the 48th grand prix victory of his career, and also makes him the driver with most wins at the venue near Budapest.

Hamilton said afterwards, “The start was everything, I got a good start and one of the Red Bulls was in the inside of me so I was pressured a lot into Turn One. This is a great result for the team – what a day. Traffic was difficult today to navigate through but it was amazing.”

Rosberg fluffed his start and was forced to watch Hamilton grab the lead, heading out of Turn 1 the German had the rear-end of Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull in front of him and did well to muscle his way back into second through Turn 2.

Rosberg reflected, “It was all down to the start in the end. With Daniel on one side and Lewis on the other I was out of space and that was it really. It is not possible to pass on this track. We have the next race coming up very quickly and it is my home race.”

He made some tentative stabs at Hamilton’s lead but it would be fair to say he had no answer to the reigning world champion, and had to settle for second.

Ricciardo was feisty at the start but was soon in third where he remained all race long. Nevertheless the Australian was pushed hard by Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel right to the flag. But in the end he did enough to bag third place and with it third place in the drivers’ championship table after 11 rounds. Vettel was fourth.

It was a big smiling Aussie who said on the podium, “It’s great to have another podium this year. The first one was a bit bittersweet but this one I can definitely enjoy – the smile is definitely back on my face.”

One of the highlights, of a somewhat mundane race, once again involved Red Bull teenager Max Verstappen who spent the latter half of the race defending fifth place from a concerted attack by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

Verstappen on aging soft tyres and Raikkonen on fresh supersofts slugged it out, with the veteran trying everything in his arsenal to get by the young Dutchman. But to no avail as Verstappen defended aggressively – too aggressively according to Raikkonen – the pair making contact at one point to the detriment of Raikkonen front winglets.

In the end Verstappen kept Raikkonen at bay, as he did at the Spanish Grand Prix – this time however it was for fifth place where he finished, ahead of Raikkonen who had to settle for sixth.

Fernando Alonso did well to finish in the McLaren, ahead of Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz in eighth, Valtterri Bottas ninth in the Williams and Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg claiming the final point for tenth.

Jenson Button had a forgettable afternoon at the track where he won his first grand prix. His McLaren suffered a loss of hydraulic pressure early on, but he continued until an oil leak eventually led him to retire form P19 after 60 laps.

The Briton was also incensed by a drive-through penalty he received for unauthorised radio communication between him and his pit wall.

The 2009 champion questioned the sanction as he insisted that his message that his brake pedal was “going to the floor” and the response it elicited was a safety issue.

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BOTTAS FUTURE UNCERTAIN AT WILLIAMS

Toto Wolff has played down the uncertainty surrounding Valtteri Bottas’ future on the Formula 1 grid, amid reports that he may be on his way out from Williams.

Reports suggest that Williams is considering a full shake-up of its current driver lineup for 2017, with development driver Lance Stroll’s billionaire father said to have put together $35 million in backing.

And Jenson Button is currently the other favourite to slot alongside Stroll to help mentor the teenager and use his vast experience to help develop next year’s all new Williams FW39.

“I hope that he’s in formula one next year,” technical director Pat Symonds said in Hungary, “whether it be with Williams or elsewhere.”

Bottas also admitted the uncertainty in Hungary, saying that his outlook for 2017 “is still open at this point”.

The 26-year-old’s career is co-managed by Didier Coton, Mika Hakkinen as well as Toto Wolff, who is also Mercedes’ team boss.

Wolff told the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat in Hungary: “Valtteri is an integral part of the Williams team at this time.

“It is about team stability there, as it is with us (Mercedes). No Finns have to be concerned about Valtteri’s future,” Wolff insisted.

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MARKO: LAUDA DROPPING BY ON OUR NEWEY IS BY CHANCE?

Helmut Marko is confident Red Bull will be ready to challenge Mercedes for the title in 2017, but is wary of teams poaching their staff including design guru Adrian Newey.

He said that with Mercedes now under attack and Ferrari struggling, bids to attract Red Bull’s staff are in full force.

“Of course, it’s always like that,” revealed Marko. “Also from Mercedes. Or do you think that Niki Lauda dropping by on our Adrian Newey is by chance? But we have our top people tied to Red Bull until 2020.”

And by ‘top people’, Marko said that starts with the drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.

“With the long-term contracts of our drivers we wanted to say: Hello, you can’t graze with us. We are well positioned for 2020.

“Ricciardo is now 27, Verstappen is 19 in September. By 2020 he will probably be at his best. One can only imagine what will happen by then,” Marko added.

He insisted that Ferrari will not be fixing any of its current issues with one of Red Bull’s highly-rated drivers.

“No. We recognised their problems and made long-term contracts with our people. We have taken away all of the games and speculation.”

“Mercedes also has no chance to get our drivers. There are rumours that Hamilton says: Screw you guys, now I’m an actor. What do they do then?” questioned Marko who has never been shy to call it as he sees it.

Told that Mercedes is counting on a future with Pascal Wehrlein, Marko scoffed: “The course with Wehrlein, I believe, is incorrect. Toto Wolff saw what Red Bull does with its young drivers and believed he could do the same.”

On track this season the energy drink-owned team has taken over from Ferrari as F1’s second-fastest team and now Marko is looking ahead to a proper title charge next year.

“It is crucial that for next year Renault brings a completely new engine with the same performance as Mercedes,” Marko told Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “Since our chassis is normally the best in formula one, we will be well positioned.”

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Kimi Raikkonen brands Max Verstappen's defensive driving 'questionable'

Kimi Raikkonen says he was disappointed to finish sixth in the Hungarian Grand Prix after failing to pass Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the closing stages.

The two drivers were involved in a feisty, intense battle in the final laps of the race and at one point they made contact on the run to Turn 2.

The incident damaged Raikkonen’s front wing and the Finnish driver branded Verstappen’s defensive driving as “questionable”, adding he had seen people penalised for much less. Verstappen said he felt the battles were fair.

“Today my car was really good and behaving well, we had the speed, but obviously this is not the easiest place to overtake,” he said.

“Unfortunately, after yesterday’s qualifying, today we were not in a position that would allow us to get the result we deserved, and this is the most disappointing thing.

“Regarding the battle with Max, it’s not for me to decide but I think that his manoeuvres are questionable.

“The first time he started to move on the right and I went left, but he moved back there too, so I had to try and get out of it because I was hitting him hard on the rear and I lost my front wing, which didn’t make it easier to attack again.

“Then later, every time I managed to make a move and I was committed to somewhere he decided to turn afterwards, and at that point I had nowhere to go.

“It’s not my job to determine if he was correct or not, but I have seen people being penalised for much less.

“Today we did our maximum, I’m disappointed because I couldn’t get past Verstappen and go catch the rest.”

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Ricciardo admits third the maximum, pleased with Hungary podium

Daniel Ricciardo says third place in the Hungarian Grand Prix was the best possible result for Red Bull Racing at the Hungaroring.

The Australian started from the second row of the grid and challenged the Mercedes drivers into the first corner.

He went around the outside of Nico Rosberg but then lost the position at the next corner. He initially dropped back from the two leading cars but found himself closing on them in the closing stages.

However, Ricciardo also had to keep an eye on his mirrors, with Sebastian Vettel right behind him during the final laps. The 2014 Hungarian GP winner just held Vettel off to claim the final podium spot.

“I’m really pleased with a podium today, I don’t think we could have got a win,” he said.

“We tried at the start; we had a good run off the line and at the apex the Mercs were in my blind spot, so I thought I was in the lead, but on the exit I was done by Lewis (Hamilton) and then Nico (Rosberg) got me around the outside of Turn 2.

“I think even if we had got the lead, their pace was good so they could have even over-cut us if they stayed out an extra lap.

“Third was the best we could do and Seb (Vettel) got really close in the last three laps; my tyres were getting towards the end, so coming over the line in third was good. Three podiums in a row here is great, it’s a good place for me.

“It was important to put it together from Friday to Sunday this weekend and I believe I did that. And now we’ve got another in seven days, so that’s another chance to be happy again.”

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Jenson Button: 'You shouldn't be penalised for fixing a safety concern'

Jenson Button insists the radio restrictions have gone too far in penalising a driver for getting assitance with a problem that could lead to a crash, after he was handed a drive-through penalty during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver reported that his brake pedal was "going all the way down to the floor" during the race and quickly dropped down the field from ninth to last as a result.

He was then given some information to resolve the problem, which infringed the radio communication rules, resulting in a drive-through penalty, despite the Briton already making a trip through the pits.

"To be fair the problem resolved itself," he explained. "Basically the brake pedal went to the floor. It's never nice for a driver to get that feeling and the brakes weren't there.

"It's a safety concern, a safety problem. It resolved itself and the guys gave me a switch change to do so it wouldn't happen again, so the pedal wouldn't go to the floor again.

"We got penalised for that - a drive-through for that - even though I was already last.

"We pitted but because, if you have information on track, you have to drive through the pits. We did that. I don't think it really matters that I was last and got a drive-through," he added. "If you have a problem you have to pit, I guess earlier than we did."

Whilst Button agrees that some radio communication should be banned, he believes anything relating to safety should be permitted.

"There are certain things you shouldn't tell drivers because we should be able to deal with some things ourself," he said.

"When you have a power unit that is so complex, a driver can't figure out eveyrthing for themselves and when the brake pedal goes to the floor I think of that as a safety concern. You shouldn't get punished for fixing a safety concern when it could lead to an accident."

Button later retired with an oil leak, which could cost him a power unit: "It was an oil leak. Not sure if it's salvageable. I don't think so," he concluded.