Formula 1 - 2017

[MIKA27]

BOULLIER: HONDA ARE THREE YEARS BEHIND MERCEDES, RENAULT AND FERRARI

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says it is still early days to pass judgement on his team, but admits that the first test of the season in Barcelona was a disappointment to all concerned and explains why Honda are failing to deliver.

Boullier has never experienced his team’s huge successes, having joined the legendary outfit 2014 he only knows heartache, nevertheless his post race and post testing debriefs are gems of diplomacy… and he was at it again in an interview with the official Formula 1 website.

Asked about the state of affairs at McLaren ahead of the second test in Spain this week, Boullier said, “It is still early days. We had slightly higher expectations coming to Barcelona, but then the week didn’t start exactly as we wanted.”

“I think there is a bit more work to be done in Japan to investigate why we had those issues: issues that we absolutely did not expect to have and for sure neither did Honda.”

Asked where the team is now compared to last year this time, Boullier insisted, “In a much better situation. But to be frank, it is not good enough for our expectations and the expectations of our fans – after three years.”

“The power unit is driving the performance much more than ever before. In the past when you had a difference of 30, 40 or 50 horsepower you could compensate for that with a good chassis.”

“But with these power units we don’t speak only about power: we speak about deployment quality, recovery quality, strategy deployment – something we didn’t know in the beginning and only discovered last year.”

“And it is there where Mercedes is still ahead, because they are discovering things before everybody else. And that is why you have a much bigger performance differentiation than you had in the past.”

Asked to pinpoint the problems Honda are having with the new technology, “Because they are still three years behind in time to the others: Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari started in 2010 – and all these three started with an existing organization, as all three were already doing F1 engines.”

“In 2013 Honda decided to come back to Formula One and started from scratch: empty buildings! They had to buy everything – and find the right people. So to be fair you have manufacturers who had seven years and are still struggling – and Honda started four years after the others.”

“These units are so complicated that you have to be really process driven and go step by step. Unfortunately there is no short cut,” added Boullier.

[MIKA27]

MAGNUSSEN: SOME TEAMMATES TRY TO F@CK YOU

Kevin Magnussen has a distrust of teammates, believing that some try and deliberately mislead and create animosity, thus he is not looking to be best mates with his Haas teammate Romoain Grosjena but does expect that they will work well together for the benefit of his new team.

Magnussen told BT, “There are some teammates who deliberately try to f@ck you by supplying incorrect information and so on, to cause problems within the team.”

The Dane spent his rookie season in 2014 with Jenson Button as his teammate at McLaren. The Dane says although the Briton did little to help him that year, at the same he time did not try and mislead him or play mind games.

Magnussen recalled, “I remember there were many who thought Jenson helped me a lot in 2014, but he didn’t do anything specific. However Jenson did not play [mind] games and I have great respect for that.

Of his new teammate, notorious (much like Magnussen) for not getting on with his teammates, the new Haas driver said, “I do not know Romain particularly well yet, but I expect that it will be a bit like with Jenson. Of course it’s important to beat him, as it is important to beat every teammate.”

“The relationship so far is as it should be. We must of course be open and work to bring the team forward, but we also have the freedom to race against each other and don’t have to be best friends.”

“But that doesn’t mean we’re against one another: not at all!” added Magnussen who in three years of Formula 1 has driven for McLaren, Renault and now Haas.

[MIKA27]

BOULLIER: WE ARE NOT HIDING ANYTHING FROM ALONSO

Arguably the biggest story that emerged from the the first Barcelona test was that McLaren-Honda appear to be in deep trouble and the focus is on how their star driver Fernando Alonso is dealing with the prospect of another year struggling at the wrong end of the grid.

Alonso has made no secret of the fact that he needs to feel the ‘wow-factor’ again this season to remain interested, for sure he departed Circuit de Catalunya without that emotion he chases.

How is McLaren dealing with Alonso amid a trouble packed start top the season?

Racing director Eric Boullier explained, “We are not hiding anything. I always said that the track would be the judge. Fernando knows what we’ve been told, so he knew what to expect. Can we get back on track with what we’ve expected? I don’t know. We have to investigate what is wrong.”

Asked by media in Barcelona if he felt that the Spaniard would remain committed to the project, Boullier replied, “I hope so, but I’m not sure. For sure Fernando is still at the top. The way he has prepared for this season is incredible. He is an example and an inspiration for many drivers.”

Alonso has been keeping a low profile and publicly making all the correct sound bites in support of his team and Honda, but he did let slip to The Telegraph, “Disappointed, yes. You have been working for three months on your fitness and in the simulator. Then, in the space of one installation lap, you break down and you lose a day.” 

MIKA: Fernando will certainly either quit F1 altogether by end of this season or move on to Mercedes should they offer him a seat... Perhaps even Ranault should they show promise. IMO

[MIKA27]

TOST: I’M CONVINCED THAT RENAULT IS AROUND IT

Mixed signals are coming out of the Toro Rosso camp ahead of the second Formula 1 preseason test in Barcelona this week, team chief Franz Tost and technical boss James Keys are convinced that Renault have made a step forward with their power unit despite issues that impacted their testing negatively in the first test.

Toro Rosso ditched Ferrari engines in favour of a return to Renault power, but during  the first test was the team racked up only 183 laps, which was less than any other team.

But Tost is not concerned and told ESPN, “I’m convinced that Renault is around it, all these small problems is nothing major and I’m quite optimistic that we will be very well prepared for the second test and for the races.”

“Fortunately the first two days we could do a number of laps, so we got many datas on the aerodynamic side as well as the mechanical side but we are still missing some information regarding the compounds, regarding the soft tyres.”

Key echoed his boss, “I think the reasons for the issues need to come from Renault, we’ve had some dramas. I don’t think it’s installation-related, from what we can tell. Anything that’s happened on the power unit side we’ve had discussions on that but they don’t appear to be to do with anything specific on our car.”

“I think the good thing with Renault is on the performance side, since we’ve been with them, they’ve turned a huge corner. Our impressions are positive – exactly where it stands in the order is impossible to say at this stage, but there’s definitely a vast improvement from what we saw in the past.

“You can see that, that’s real, it’s not just a value coming out of a dyno, I think it’s real. So from a performance point of view we’re happy with what we’re seeing so far,” added Key.

[MIKA27]

BARCELONA TEST 2: A CLEARER PICTURE WILL EMERGE

After four days of preseason testing, the Formula 1 picture is starting to come into focus with some details already clear (Mercedes good, McLaren bad), on others we can at least see the outlines (Ferrari on the up), yet many more remain blurry (ho good are Red Bull really?)

Thankfully, starting Tuesday we’ve got another four days of F1 testing at the Circuit de Catalunya, and while we’ll by no means have the full picture come Friday, there’s a lot that will be revealed in that time.

Read on for a look at some of the questions we hope to have answered this week in Barcelona.

Will Red Bull start making some noise?

Lost amidst the hubbub of Ferrari’s impressive showing and Lance Stroll’s ongoing duel with the barriers, Red Bull were something of the forgotten team in the first test. By no means were they unimpressive, but they didn’t exactly set the world on fire either.

To a degree that was probably intended, but with so much innovation going on this season, they’ll want a clearer picture of where they stand before Melbourne. If it’s to be believed that the team has yet to debut the latest bit of Newey genius, expect it sometime this week, and therefore a much fairer assessment with Mercedes and Ferrari.

What now for McLaren?

So much for 2017 being the year it all comes together for McLaren-Honda, a week in and it’s already apparent there’s a better chance Liberty reinstall Bernie than the Woking outfit scoring a race win.

Indeed, if that was the goal prior to the season, now the challenge is just to not completely embarrass themselves in the opening races. Still down on reliability and power, it’s hard to see what gains can be made in time for this week in Barcelona – expect more struggles to accumulate mileage, and Fernando Alonso to start lobbying Sauber for a race seat.

Can Ferrari continue to match Mercedes?

Considering all the rumours coming out of Italy prior to testing that Ferrari had major problems with their 2017 challenger, their performance last week in Barcelona was the perfect response. The SF70-H looked like a legitimate match for the Mercedes W08, but whether they can keep it up in the second test is another question entirely.

Like the stereotypical villain in every anime, Mercedes love to lull their opponents into a false sense of confidence, only to reveal their “final form” when it really matters, so it’s entirely possible this is just more sandbagging.

The headline grabbing times on the ultra and super-soft are sure to muddy the picture, but keep an eye on their soft and medium times – if they’re as close as they were last week, it’s full steam ahead on the Ferrari hype train.

Who will shine in the midfield?

At the back-end of the midfield last year, Renault and Haas are the two teams looking like making major gains in 2017. The first car produced completely under works-backing, Renault’s RS17 was the fastest team outside the “big 3” last week, and with a stated goal of fifth in the championship, are certainly off to a good start.

Likewise, Haas were fourth in mileage even with a few technical niggles, and had decent pace to back it up. With Toro Rosso struggling, Force India yet to impress, and Williams deprived testing time, Renault and Haas will start Tuesday’s proceedings with a definite leg up.

Can Stroll and Williams put dismal first test behind them?

With the possible exception of Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, no one will be as desperate to erase the memories of last week as Lance Stroll. Not only did he crash more often than a preview build of Windows, but he cost Williams considerable testing time while doing it.

He might be the son of a billionaire, but he simply can’t afford any more mishaps if Williams and teammate Felipe Massa are to get the track time they need before Melbourne.

Is Bottas already pushing Hamilton?

Four days into their working relationship, and Lewis Hamilton has already branded his partnership with Valtteri Bottas his “best ever”. The question now is, is this a Machiavellian ploy to keep his enemies closer, or is Hamilton just taking his cues from a 14-year-old girl?

In either case, you have to wonder just what impact the Finn has had on Hamilton in his short time at Mercedes, but he’s certainly impressed on track, setting the fastest time of any driver last week in Barcelona.

Perhaps Hamilton has already realised he can’t use the same approach he had with Nico Rosberg, but expect the old competitiveness to come out in short order – it may be another two weeks until Melbourne, but from the looks of it, the battle for the driver’s championship has already started.

[MIKA27]

Haas: Big boys deserve more money

At a time when F1’s smaller teams are crying out for fairer distribution of prize money, Gene Haas has bucked the trend as he believes the big boys deserve extra.

With Formula 1 under new ownership, Liberty Media are expected to make changes in the sport one of which is the fairer distribution of revenue to teams as governed by the Concorde Agreement.

Added to that, Liberty Media has already spoken about dropping the bonuses paid to some team such as Ferrari’s bonus for being the oldest marque in the sport.

Haas, however, believes some teams deserve the extra that they receive.

“I have a lot of respect for Mercedes and Ferrari and Red Bull because they’ve put a lot of money into the sport,” the Haas team owner told Racer.

“To sit here and say, ‘I as a smaller team deserve more money in the sport’… I’ve never thought that way, even in NASCAR and that pays a lot less than Formula 1 does.

“I have to give Ferrari the benefit of the doubt. To say Ferrari doesn’t deserve that Column 3 money, which is because their name is Ferrari… but Ferrari brings an awful lot of customers to these races.

“So they’re just taking a small portion of the ticket sales for themselves, but I won’t sit there and say they don’t deserve it.

“If it was just Haas, Manor and Sauber showing up for these races, I don’t think anyone would come! I think you need those big names.”

He added: “If you think about Ferrari, an iconic name, been around forever, that’s a perfect example of someone who achieved stardom because of racing.

“Their primary purpose was building the cars but the racing was what made them famous. I’m kind of trying to follow the same path; I build machine tools but it’s the racing that makes you famous.

“If you have a Mercedes or Red Bull, those are the guys that really bring the fans in. I think that they’re necessary.

“We need to be careful that we don’t take money away from them to give to a team that maybe doesn’t deserve it…

“Our challenge is to show that we can compete with those guys and I think if we can do that, it gives us an aura of invincibility that I think people will respect.”

MIKA: I like HAAS but of course Gene will agree that Ferrari earn more money as it's in HAAS best interest being the sister team to Ferrari....  Give HAAS a dismal season like Sauber has endured and they might change their way of thinking.

[MIKA27]

Hembery: One-stop, even non-stop

Such is the lack of degradation with Pirelli’s new-for-2017 tyres that Paul Hembery believes drivers would finish an entire grand prix on one set of rubber.

Although Pirelli tested their new wider tyres last season on cars that had been adapted to mimic this year’s regulations, it wasn’t until last week that they tested with the 2017 challengers.

The Italian tyre manufacturer covered a total of 3185 laps during the opening four-day Barcelona test, amassing 14.826kms.

And the one fact that became abundantly clear is that the 2017 tyres suffer with very little degradation.

“There’ll be maybe some more extreme things if you had really high temperatures here [Circuit de Catalunya], maybe Silverstone, but you’re essentially looking at one-stop races,” Hembery, Pirelli’s motorsport boss, told F1 Fanatic.

Asked whether this opens Formula 1 to the possibility of dropping the mandatory one pit stop run to allow for varying strategies, he replied: “They’ll just go non-stop.”

MIKA: That's not a good sign IMO.... "Non stop, no Pit stops = Zzzzzzzzz

[MIKA27]

Rosberg helps charity with signed prints of iconic F1 photo

Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg is helping raise money for charity through the sale of signed prints of the iconic shot of him at last year's Japanese Grand Prix.

A photograph of Rosberg's Mercedes bouncing through the Degner curves at Suzuka last year became a hot talking point – with leading F1 figures marvelling at the image.

Rosberg himself said at the time: "It is seldom that you see the forces in an F1 car so clearly on a photograph. It was a special capture – very impressive.

"Even the tyre was deforming and everything. It was amazing – and it was a normal lap. It wasn't like something specific happened – it was just like a normal lap."

Rosberg has now teamed up with the photographer, Peter J Fox, to make available a limited edition run of A2 prints – which come with a certificate of authenticity signed by both of them.

A share of the profits will be divided between Rosberg's chosen charity – Viva Con Agua – which helps provide drinking water and basic sanitation for the world's poor, and also Water Aid.

Further details of the Rosberg print can be found at peterjfox.com or email directly at [email protected].

[MIKA27]

Red Bull suspicion prompts FIA clarification on oil burn

Formula 1's engine manufacturers have been reminded by the FIA that they are not allowed to 'burn' engine oil as fuel, after Red Bull suspected rivals Mercedes could have been employing such tricks in qualifying.

There has been much focus over the past 12 months about how Mercedes has been able to extract a decent step from its engine in qualifying, with its power advantage not so obvious in the races.

One idea that emerged from rivals was that Mercedes could have been cleverly burning excess oil – with added power-boosting or anti-knock additives – to help deliver a boost when it was needed in Q2 and Q3.

With F1 engines now operating on a closed system – the engine sump breather having to vent in to the main engine air intake system – the possibility of using oil as fuel has increased as it is more likely to get sucked into the chamber.

But such an action would in theory be in breach of the rules, because manufacturers are strictly limited in terms of the chemicals that can be used to power the engines.

Mercedes denial

Mercedes insists that it was not employing such tactics and has always complied with the rules, but that has not helped the suspicions go away.

Subsequently, the matter came up for discussion over the winter in meetings between technical figures with Red Bull especially eager to ensure that the situation was clear.

In response, it is understood Mercedes was willing to impose a 5kg limit on oil use, but such a figure was viewed as above what could have been being used anyway.

With no conclusion to the matter, it has emerged that Red Bull wrote to the FIA to seek clarification on what was and was not allowed.

In a response from the FIA's technical department, it was confirmed that any burning of oil as fuel would be a breach of the regulations.

However, the FIA acknowledged that it was impossible to rule out some 'consumption' of oil to take place when the engine was used.

Fuel flow limit

Ever since F1's turbo hybrid rules came in, there has been a big focus on ways for teams to eke more power from the limitations on both fuel flow and the fuel limit.

Back in 2015, there were suspicions that teams had been cleverly storing fuel beyond the fuel flow limiters so it could be used later.

Furthermore, there was an investigation by the FIA about whether nor manufacturers had been adding additives to oil that would help boost power if it was burned.

At the 2015 Canadian Grand Prix, the FIA conducted detailed tests of some cars to ensure that no wrongdoing was taking place.

MIKA: Red Bull at it again with their usual pre-season whining....

[MIKA27]

Honda to part company with F1 engine consultant Simon

Honda is parting company with consultant Gilles Simon, Motorsport.com has learned, as pressure mounts on the Japanese manufacturer to turn around its fortunes in Formula 1.

Simon, who is most famously known for his work on Ferrari's engines during the dominant Michael Schumacher era, had joined Honda in 2013 after previous spells at the FIA and the stillborn PURE project.

Amid reluctance from Honda to employ too many outside consultants, Simon's involvement was viewed as key in ensuring that the Japanese car maker could make quick gains.

Under current F1 project leader Yusuke Hasegawa there had been more openness to employ engineers from rival manufacturers, but it is understood that there was still a desire from McLaren for an ever greater push on this front.

But against the backdrop of Honda's troubled first 2017 test, and amid rumours of disagreements between Simon and other senior management about the direction the engine project needed to go in, it has emerged that they have agreed to part ways.

Simon is currently serving a six-month period of gardening leave prior to the possibility of returning to an F1 role with another manufacturer later this year.

A Honda spokesman would not confirm the reasons for Simon's departure but did state that his contract was being terminated.

"It is true that we are ending the contract with him sometime this year, under each other's agreement," he said.

"However, as it is a contract issue between him and Honda, we do not disclose further details.

"Honda appreciate very much his great support and contribution to our fourth era Formula 1 project."

     

Test engine

The news of Simon's departure comes ahead of a key week for Honda as it bids to recover from the difficulties of the first Barcelona test.

With it understood that McLaren's patience with Honda's efforts is wearing thin, is it vital that signs of progress emerge this week with the Melbourne-specification engine that is scheduled to run from tomorrow.

But there is still no answer from Japan yet about the exact cause of the engine failure that blighted the second day of running last week, and some effort will be made this week to try to understand the situation better.

A Honda spokesman added: "It is still under investigation but it [work] is also proceeding day by day. We need some more runs in the test, with some changes in the power unit, to clarify the root cause."

The engine specification tested this week will feature some updates based on early analysis of last week's failure, but Honda has declined to elaborate on what the specific changes are.

[MIKA27]

Mercedes F1 team planning big update push for second test

Mercedes is set to bring a heavily-updated Formula 1 car to this week's second pre-season test, as it bids to build on a strong start to 2017 running.

The German manufacturer delivered impressive mileage and strong pace during last week's first test at Barcelona, showing no signs that its advantage had been eroded by F1's all-new regulations.

Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton completed race simulations on the second and third days respectively, and Mercedes' new recruit set the week's fastest lap, a 1m19.705s.

Teams are expected to bring new parts to the second test, which starts on Tuesday, and focus more on performance, and it has emerged Mercedes will be one of the outfits bringing a more extensive development package.

There have already been suggestions that the developments - allied to it pushing more on engine maps - could deliver a further two-seconds of performance, with times in the 1m18s region tipped.

"We are definitely hoping we can make good steps forward," Bottas said of the second test.

"From the running [in the first week], it's tricky to make a detailed analysis of where we are compared to the other teams, and we don't know what other teams are bringing, or for Melbourne.

"We are aiming to improve day-by-day, and now we need to work on all the things we tried.

"For me also, I need to take everything in I learnt, which was a massive amount.

"We'll try to analyse all that and try to make myself better."

Bottas conceded at the end of the first week of testing that his late shift to Mercedes from Williams for 2017 was a bigger deal than he anticipated.

He played down the significance of setting the fastest time, on ultra-softs on the third day, as the most important thing was understanding the car.

"It does not have a special meaning, because it is only testing and there is no reward for that," he said.

"We weren't particularly focusing on the lap times; the priority definitely for us all week was to get mileage in, plus work on any issues with the car if there's anything to come - because better here than in the races.

"The times for me are what they are; maybe [in the second week] we can do a bit of lap-time analysis on where we are.

"But what matters then is what people are bringing into Melbourne for their cars and what the performance is going to be there."

[MIKA27]

BARCELONA DAY 5: MASSA TOPS AND DOES MOST MILEAGE

Williams’ Felipe Massa surprisingly topped the timesheets at the end of the first day of Formula 1’s second pre-season test in Barcelona on Tuesday.

Massa posted the second fastest time in five days of testing so far in 1:19.726 and did a mammoth 168 laps on the day, equivalent to close on three grand prix race distances. The Brazilian set his best time using Pirelli Super Soft tyres.

Massa’s lap was just a tad slower than Valtteri Bottas’ fastest time from last week, when he clocked 1:19.705 with Mercedes.

“Very good day for us,” Massa tweeted, adding that it was “not bad” for an old and former retired driver.

Red Bull’s promise to up their speed from last week’s first test was also fulfilled as Daniel Ricciardo recorded the second fastest lap, albeit with Ultra Softs bolted on to his RB13.

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas shared duties in the Mercedes W08, with Hamilton completing 49 laps in the morning session and the Finn racking up 86 laps in the afternoon. The pair ended the day forth and fifth quickest respectively. Both used Softs to set their fast laps.

Sebastian Vettel kept a lid on the promising pace showed by the new Ferrari last week, as he remained on slower medium tyres in posting the fourth fastest time and 168 laps on his chart

Esteban Ocon had a good day in the Force India with 142 laps to his credit and the sixth fastest lap of the day, on Super Softs, albeit over a second and a half down on the top time.

Renault also opted to split their drivers with Jolyon Palmer doing the morning work, but was hampered by an engine sensor issue that curtailed his track action to 15 laps and the slowest lap time of the day. 

In the afternoon Nico Hulkenberg, with a fresh power unit bolted to the back of the RS17 managed 57 laps and the seventh best time.

At the other end of the paddock, McLaren’s troubles continued as Belgian rookie Stoffel Vandoorne could only register 34 laps before more problems with the team’s Honda engine halted his morning session early. He nevertheless managed to complete 80 laps by the time the day ended, but nearlt three seconds of Massa’s best.

Sauber ‘new boy’ Pascal Wherlein got his first taste of 2017 Formula 1, after missing the first test due to injury, completing 47 laps with his new team and ending 11th fastest.

The German shared the cockpit with Marcus Ericsson who did 53 laps and ended up twelfth.

All but three drivers – Massa, Ricciardo and Ocon – opted to use the Pirelli Soft tyres.

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON: FERRARI ARE POSSIBLY THE FAVOURITES

Lewis Hamilton believes that Ferrari may now be the favourites for the upcoming Formula One season.

Hamilton’s Mercedes team boasted greater mileage than any of their rivals and posted the fastest time at last week’s first winter test in Barcelona.

But Ferrari, who failed to record a single victory last year, were evenly matched with the sport’s all-conquering team.

And the famous Italian constructors continued their impressive form on the opening day of this week’s concluding test after four-time champion Sebastain Vettel completed a marathon 168 laps – more than two and a half race distances of the Circuit de Catalunya.

Vettel also posted a faster time than Hamilton who completed 49 laps for Mercedes before handing over testing duties to team-mate Valtteri Bottas after lunch.

Felipe Massa was fastest for Williams ahead of Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, with Vettel third and Hamilton fourth.

“I think Ferrari are possibly the favourites,” Hamilton, 32, said. “We can’t take our eyes off them because they have been doing such a great job at the moment.

“Red Bull look like they are have gone quite quick today as well. We’ll see over the next days and, most importantly, over the next weeks, but it’s going to be close in the first race, that’s for sure.

“Just on times it looks like Ferrari might be quickest, and maybe we’re very close with the Red Bull behind.”

Ferrari have not claimed the constructors’ title since 2008 while Kimi Raikkonen was their last driver to win the individual championship one year earlier.

The Italian team finished a distant third behind both Mercedes and Red Bull last season following a disappointing season.

But while the Ferrari hierachy will be quietly optimistic following the opening five days of testing – with just three more to go before the opening round in Australia later this month – they are also likely to express caution having also impressed at this stage last year.

For Hamilton, his time in the car was disrupted by an issue with the floor of his Mercedes.

“It didn’t feel spectacular this morning,” said Hamilton, who was accompanied in the Barcelona paddock by his pet dog Roscoe.

“We had some issues with tyre temperatures and with some floor damage so I sacrificed some of my time so Valtteri could run in the afternoon.”

Hamilton will return to his Mercedes cockpit after lunch on Wednesday with team-mate Bottas kicking off Mercedes’ programme on day two of the concluding test. The season starts in Melbourne on March 26.

 

[MIKA27]

SAUBER: A CHALLENGING DAY

It was a challenging first day in the second week of testing for the Sauber F1 Team on the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona.

Pascal Wehrlein was able to get a first impression of the new car while completing 47 laps in the morning. As planned, Marcus Ericsson took over the Sauber C36-Ferrari from Pascal Wehrlein for the afternoon session – running 53 laps in total.

Programme: aero tests, set-up work, tyre work, race preparation

Pascal Wehrlein: “First of all I am very happy, to be back in the Sauber F1 Team as a race driver after my back problems. It was a real good feeling to be on track in the new car and getting back on the pace – and to get the first impression of the Sauber C36-Ferrari. During the session this morning it was just to get familiar with the procedures of the new car. Now I am looking forward to being back on track tomorrow.”

Marcus Ericsson: “I took over the car in the afternoon with some new aero parts, which made the car feel quite different compared to last week. We also worked on the set-up preparation for the season opener in Melbourne. Overall it was an interesting day, but not the smoothest one. We have to do some work overnight to analyse all the data to make the car more driveable for us drivers tomorrow.”

What comes next:
Tomorrow, for the second test day on the Circuit de Catalunya, Pascal Wehrlein will be behind the wheel of the Sauber C36-Ferrari in the morning session. Marcus Ericsson will take over the car in the afternoon.

[MIKA27]

RED BULL: A VERY PRODUCTIVE DAY’S WORK

Formula One’s second and final test of pre-season got underway today in Barcelona, with Daniel Ricciardo returning to the cockpit of the RB13. And it was a productive day for the team, with the Australian putting 89 laps on the board and recording the day’s second quickest time.

Daniel’s lap of 1:19.900 was set just before the lunch break on ultrasoft tyres as the team spent the morning focusing on shorter runs before longer stints in the afternoon.

“I felt we performed well on the softs this morning and we did quite a few good runs on that. We were also able to start doing some performance runs today. We tried the softer compounds and while my best time was on the ultrasoft it was actually not much quicker than the soft. I think we learned something from that. Generally I’m happy with what we got out of this morning and in terms of where we were last week I feel like the car is starting to come alive more. This afternoon we focused more on longer runs. We only got a few in, but it was enough to know how the tyres work after a few laps. We definitely feel we can still get more out of the car – I think everyone can – but it’s looking alright. It’s now my third day in the car and from day one to day two and now day three, I’m more and more happy with it.”

Head of Race Engineering Guillaume Rocquelin said: “I’d call that a very productive day’s work. In fact, it was pretty much working through the kind of programme we’d normally run on a Friday of a race weekend – so, shorter runs in the morning to focus on working with tyre compounds and then longer runs in the afternoon. Without the benefit of a shakedown before putting the car on track last week we were slightly at the mercy of whatever niggles presented themselves, and a couple did, but over the weekend we put some permanent fixes in place and that enabled us to have a really solid day today. Daniel went wide a couple of times – I think he was enjoying himself – so we had a few bits and pieces that needed repairing before the afternoon runs but they were purely cosmetic, so not a major issue. In terms of the times, they’re still not of great importance, but I’d say we may have slightly underperformed on the softer compounds, so there’s more to come I think.”

[MIKA27]

RENAULT: ANOTHER SOLID STEP

Renault Sport Formula One Team commenced the second week of pre-season testing with both Jolyon Palmer and Nico Hülkenberg taking to the wheel of the R.S.17 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Jolyon drove first, however his planned running was curtained after 15 laps due to a precautionary power unit change. Nico returned to the car for the afternoon and completed a reliable 58 laps, setting the seventh best lap time of the day, a 1:21.589secs.

Jolyon Palmer: “Today I had a short morning before we had to stop for a precautionary power unit change. It wasn’t ideal but it’s certainly a long way from being the end of the world. We’re still in a good position and I feel confident for the season ahead. For sure, it would be nice to get some more laps and you never want to lose track time. We have another three days left of this test and I’m looking forward to getting some more laps on the board.”

Nico Hülkenberg: “I had a decent run and we were able to complete a pretty much full afternoon programme today. Certainly, you could feel that it was quite windy at times out there and that does affect the feel of the car. We gained some further understanding of set-up and tyres and have plenty to consider before we head out again tomorrow.”

Bob Bell, Chief Technical Officer: “Overall, a useful day where we completed most of the tests we wanted to, despite running for fewer laps than originally planned. We did start with a disappointing morning for Jolyon, whose day was disrupted by a precautionary power unit change. This gave way to a more positive afternoon for Nico, especially with respectable pace shown on the soft compound tyres. Today was another solid step and we’re looking forward to making more progress tomorrow.”

[MIKA27]

TORO ROSSO: WE STILL HAVE MUCH TO DO

Toro Roso report from day one of the second pre-season test of the 2017 Formula 1 season at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

Daniil Kvyat: “It was good to finally complete such a big number of laps today. After losing a bit of track time in last week’s test, we’ve now managed to gather a lot of useful information after testing many things in one same day – which was also quite a smooth one, with no big issues. Now we can analyse all of this data overnight and keep working hard throughout the week in order to get ready for Australia.”

Jody Egginton (Head of Vehicle Performance): “Compared to the final day of T01, today has been a lot more productive but, in reality, we still have much to do in order to be happy and reach all of our targets before getting to Australia. The day started well, with Daniil conducting some aero and mechanical set-up work early on, before moving onto some tyre tests before lunch. We had a busy lunch break fitting some parts and getting ready for the afternoon session. These parts were important from a development and mileage accumulation perspective, yielding some useful data and set-up directions to explore further tomorrow. The last thirty minutes of the day were spent conducting live pit-stop practice and working on a few background test items. We will now spend the night going through the data in preparation for tomorrow, when Carlos will get the opportunity to continue where Daniil left off, including the evaluation of some further development parts which we anticipate will provide an opportunity for further steps forwards with the STR12.”

[MIKA27]

FORCE INDIA: WE DEFINITELY LEARNT A LOT

Sahara Force India completed a very busy day as testing resumed at the Circuit de Catalunya. Esteban Ocon covered more than two race distances, clocking 142 laps before the chequered flag.

Esteban Ocon: “I am very happy with our work today. To complete more than 140 laps without issues is a good effort and allowed us to cover a lot of ground. We did some long stints and also some performance runs, which were very interesting: we kept working on both the chassis and the tyres, but we managed to include aero and engine work too. I can see we are making progress compared to last week: every time we go out we get to try new solutions and I feel we are moving in the right direction.”

Tom McCullough, Chief Race Engineer: “It’s been a productive day and we managed to complete our entire run plan. We covered 142 laps and Esteban didn’t put a foot wrong all day. We definitely learnt a lot and this is something that will help us for the rest of the week. Our programme was varied: we continued our correlation work for the mapping of the car and did further work on the 2017 tyres. Today was also a good occasion to work with Esteban on some of our race weekend procedures: Melbourne is only one day in the car away for him, effectively, so it was crucial to make the most of his time in the car. Every lap we do helps us progress on what is a very steep learning curve with the new cars. We feel the analysis of the data from last week has set us in the right direction and we are aiming to continue on this path for the remainder of the week.”

[skalls]

168 laps for a retired guy?  That was impressive.

I don't you can call it sandbagging at all, but I wonder how much each team is holding back in terms of speed?  1:15 a lap in qualifying trim possible?  I really can't see either Ferrari or Merc not being 3-4 seconds quicker than they are letting on.

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON: IT WASN’T FEELING GREAT TODAY

Lewis Hamilton admitted that he did not have the best day in the cockpit of the Mercedes W08 during his stint on the first morning of the second, and final, preseason test at Circuit de Catalunya.

He told Sky Sport in the Barcelona paddock. “It wasn’t feeling great today, but that’s just with [the] set-up and it’s quite hot today as well so tyres degrading and things like that,” 

“I’m not particularly excited at the moment, just because it’s the first day of week two and I didn’t get a lot of running this morning, so I’m looking to the next couple of days.”

“And we had some damage to the floor, but I didn’t have any offs or anything like that, which is a good thing. I did see puffs of smoke from other people going off, but I managed to keep it on.”

“Just a bit of an awkward balance today and I think the temperatures are a bit higher today, so it’s harder on the tyres. Perhaps not having the car really in the window, but also having damage to the floor meant there was good corners and not-so-good corners.”

He did perk up when discussing what he expected from Mercedes at the first race in Melbourne, “At the moment there are bits coming in, and the car is improving overall.”

“But I am told that by Melbourne we will have the best car to date – all around great parts; we will have a better understanding of the set-up, and know where we need to put the car to make it comfortable.”

As for their rivals Ferrari and Red Bull, Hamilton insisted, “I have no idea. When we left here last week, it looked like Ferrari were our closest rivals. Or were very close, and then all of a sudden today Red Bull looks quite quick.”

“So I think these next days are going to be really, really interesting, and then [again] when we get to Australia,” added the triple world champion after completing 49 laps on his way to fourth on the timing sheets at the end of the day.

[MIKA27]

BARCELONA DAY 5: MORE MISERY FOR MCLAREN-HONDA

Misery for McLaren and Honda continues in Barcelona, during the second and final Formula 1 pre-season test at Circuit de Catalunya, as they were forced to change the power unit on Stoffel Vandoorne’s MCL32 during the course of the morning.

An electrical problem was blamed for what is now reportedly the sixth engine change the team have been forced to make in testing this winter.

It is the latest in a series of ongoing issues with Honda’s all new power unit package which will mean that McLaren start the new season on the back foot for the third year in a row.

Vandoorne ended the morning eighth fastest, 2.972 seconds off the pace.

A Honda spokes person said: “In the interests of maximising lap time, we sped to replace the power-unit and investigate the issue further once it is out of the car. The PU we are using is the same specification as the one run at the test last week.”

When interviewed by the BBC in the Barcelona after the latest setback, McLaren sporting director Eric Boullier said, “Not very much concerned yet, I would say. Obviously we got hurt in our job to understand the car, develop the car, validate some parts.”

“But the process today is more about generating data as much as we can. And feed the machine back in Woking and make sure the correlation is working with CFD or wind tunnel or anything else because everything else is based on our simulation.”

“So on this part obviously we would like more laps because we want to test more parts, but the few we have done were good. The correlation was good, so we can now build on predictions. This part is okay, so not concerned yet.”

“For the rest, obviously I leave the decisions in the hands of Honda to make sure they investigate properly, they address it properly, and we have to rely on our partner that they will do it, and we believe that they will do it.” added Boulier.

Tale of McLaren’s engine woes in Barcelona:

Day 1: McLaren start testing an all new Honda power unit package, but an oil-tank problem arises and an engine change is called for. The replacement engine runs until the end of the day before it is changed again overnight.

Day 2: A  failure in the morning results in a third engine change which runs to the end of the day. Not clear if there was an engine change overnight.

Day 3: Engine runs reliably throughout the day, but is well off the pace setters. The PU is changed overnight.

Day4: Engine that starts the day runs reliably, but again well off the pace.

Day 5: Honda claim the engine they had bolted on for the first day of the second test had already been run but before lunch an electrical problems forces another change.

BBC report fro  the paddock that “Honda are being very cagey about how many engines have been used in total – they say they don’t disclose the number of engines used in testing.” 

[MIKA27]

1 hour ago, skalls said:

168 laps for a retired guy?  That was impressive.

I don't you can call it sandbagging at all, but I wonder how much each team is holding back in terms of speed?  1:15 a lap in qualifying trim possible?  I really can't see either Ferrari or Merc not being 3-4 seconds quicker than they are letting on.

Not only 168 laps but from what we been reading, these cars really exert the drivers under G's so that's actually quite phenomenal IMO

[MIKA27]

LIBERTY MEDIA: F1 IN THE UNITED STATES IS A POPCORN FART

Liberty Media’s chief executive Greg Maffei has ridiculed the $3-million fee paid by NBC to broadcast Formula 1 in the United States, hinting that new broadcast technologies were on the cards to capture a larger audience and develop the sport’s existing fan base.

Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in San Francisco last week Maffei said of the US F1 market, “The US is, you know, it’s a popcorn fart. It’s nothing. The opportunity is good, certainly in percentage terms, not in absolute Dollar terms. It is very low. It is with NBC, and it’s not on the main NBC, it’s on their sports channel.”

In January Liberty paid $8-billion to acquire F1’s parent company Delta Topco. F1 has been broadcast in the US by NBC since 2013 when the Peacock Network took over from the former Speed Channel.

In 2013 SportsBusiness Journal reported that NBC spent only $3-million to acquire the rights to air F1, which Maffei had a stab at with his comments.

Liberty are determined to grow interest in the sport in the United States, but the target market will be attained through pay television and web based streaming portals.

Maffei also indicated that Liberty Media intend to invest in F1, “I think in the short-term we are unlikely to see margin expansion because even though there are some near-term wins around things like advertising, over the longer term, there’s going to be expense to achieve that.”

“There is an enormous opportunity in areas like sponsorship, in the short-term, there are longer term opportunities around digital including gamification, virtual reality. There are opportunities in broadcasting.”

Forbes reports that: Last year F1 announced that Pay TV operator Sky Sports will become F1’s exclusive broadcaster in Britain from 2019 in a deal estimated to be worth $150 million annually.”

It is an increase of around 50% on the current agreement which sees coverage split between Sky and free-to-air broadcaster Channel 4. NBC’s contract expires at the end of this year. Maffei’s comments could indicate that Liberty is looking for a sharp boost to the fees paid for screening F1 in the US.

Maffei pointed out, “We are going to do far better on those renewals to the degree a couple of things happen. First, we have passion, viewership etc and two, the extent there’s competition.”

“What drove the UK? You had BT and Sky and beIN all looking at it. That’s what you need. You need multiple guys finding it important to their business and then you’ll see a good result.”

“So some of it is our ability to create a great product but some of it is also the competitive environment in those respective markets for who wants these rights,” added Maffei.

[MIKA27]

F1 LEGEND JACK BRABHAM HONOURED

More than half a century after Sir Jack Brabham won his third formula one title, the motor racing legend has been featured on a special 50 cent coin, released on Monday by the Royal Australian Mint.

The commemorative coin features the iconic racing car in which Brabham became the only F1 driver in history to win a World Championship in a vehicle of his own construction, alongside a green and gold track, the colours of his original car.

Royal Australian Mint CEO Mr Ross MacDiarmid said Brabham’s ingenuity also allowed him to develop the rear-engined cars we see today, which came about as a result of his 1959 F1 victory.

“Sir Jack Brabham was not only a superb racing car driver but he was also an innovative engineer and pioneer, paving the way forward for motorsports,” Mr MacDiarmid said.

“As we enter the 2017 Formula 1 season, this coin celebrates one of the world’s motor racing greats and his remarkable achievements, on and off the track.”

Brabham, a former RAAF mechanic, passed away in 2014 at the age of 88.

[MIKA27]

Sahara Force India - Sergio Perez on the 2017 season

Sahara Force India ace Sergio Perez talks to Sky Sports F1's Natalie Pinkham about the new VJM10 and the 2017 season.