Formula 1 - 2017

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Lance Stroll: Useful to 'experiment' during F1 test runs

Williams rookie Lance Stroll says any additional track time in Formula 1 is useful, allowing him to ‘experiment’ with different aspects of the sport.

Stroll graduated to Formula 1 as the reigning European Formula 3 Champion, but the 18-year-old has endured a difficult start to his career in the championship.

Stroll suffered a brake failure in Australia and was pitched into the gravel on the opening lap in damp conditions in China, following contact with Force India rival Sergio Pérez.

The Canadian failed to finish again in Bahrain, after being hit by Carlos Sainz Jr. following the first round of stops, meaning he has completed just 52 of the 170 racing laps in 2017, the fewest of any driver this season.

Williams handed track time to Stroll during in-season testing in Bahrain and the youngster explained how additional experience aids his cause.

“I used multiple sets of tyres trying different little things, nothing special, just tweaking bits and more driving for myself, which is always good,” he commented.

“I need to try small changes to see how the car feels. It really is about the simple stuff.

“For me all the seat time I can get is good, as there is always something I can gain from being in the car. When we are not limited on what we can do, it is just good to experiment.

“That is something Williams knows I have to do and also I know that myself.

“For sure I am out there competing and trying my best, but it is also about understanding and learning before I can reach the maximum of my capability as a racing driver.”

Williams simulator driver Gary Paffett is in action in the FW40 at Sakhir today (Wednesday).

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Mario Andretti livid over critical Alonso Indy 500 column

Four-time IndyCar champion, Indy 500 winner and Formula 1 World Champion Mario Andretti has angrily refuted a recent opinion column in the U.S. media that suggested Fernando Alonso entering the Indy 500 is not a big deal.

Last week, it was announced that two-time F1 World Champion Alonso would skip the Monaco Grand Prix this year in order to drive an Andretti Autosport-Honda in the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500.

However, a recent opinion column by Jenna Fryer in the Associated Press, titled “SO WHAT THAT ALONSO IS RACING THE INDY 500?”, suggested that the presence of Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick, Ricky Taylor or Jordan Taylor would have been more beneficial than Alonso to the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Mario Andretti, who explained to Motorsport.com last week why he expects Alonso will excel as a rookie at Indianapolis Motor Speedway believes Fryer’s opinion showed “a basic misunderstanding of the motives of everyone involved in this project.” 

He told Motorsport.com: “I really resent the fact that the story is giving the impression that this is just a publicity stunt. Don’t get me wrong, it is great publicity for IndyCar, but that is just a by-product of a totally legitimate and valid attempt by a great champion, Fernando Alonso, to try and win the second part of the Triple Crown.”

Andretti said that his son and team owner Michael Andretti and McLaren CEO Zak Brown, “would never have agreed to this project without 100 percent confidence that Alonso will be a strong contender” at Indy in May.

He said: “Quite honestly, I think she [Fryer] owes Alonso an apology, because the initial motivation for this whole thing came from him; he wants to do it, and would never do it just to help any series gain publicity or to gain publicity for himself. He doesn’t need it.

“He’s doing this as a pure racer and follows a great tradition of some of the best F1 drivers trying to win Indy – some succeeded, some didn’t – and I find it reassuring that Indy still carries that aura, a feather in the cap, as it were.”

Andretti said that circumstances had provided a rare opportunity for a current F1 driver to compete at Indy.

“Fernando may not have this opportunity again while he’s at the top of his game,” he said. “He’s not retired from F1, he’s not some kinda has-been or reject who can’t find an F1 ride. This has arisen at the right time because he’s still one of the very best.

“I mean, that story said he hadn’t won for three years. Well, come on! Everyone knows that’s how Formula 1 works – you can’t win if you don’t have one of the very best cars, and right now he doesn’t. But I bet you every single one of his peers in F1 would say Alonso is one of the best if not the best in F1 right now.

“And now here he is with an opportunity in arguably the best team for Indy because of its policy of openness and data-sharing, and a team that’s won two of the last three Indy 500s.

“So given his F1 situation, where this season is looking like it’s lost already, he and the team are saying, ‘Let’s get something out of our partnership and continue our work together.’ That’s how serious Alonso’s shot at Indy is – it has the backing of not only Honda, of course, but McLaren. Shame on anyone who questions the objective, the motivation behind this deal.”  

 

Alonso “a great champion”

Andretti said that he’s confident Alonso’s actions over the next five weeks would prove that criticisms of his motives are without foundation.

He stated: “He’s so enthusiastic about this chance that he’s going to be at Barber this weekend just to integrate with the team, learn what IndyCar is all about, and so on. His determination is to – just like we said – maximize this opportunity. He’s not just arrive-and-drive. If this was just a publicity stunt, it would not be handled so professionally.

“No one is denying that if Tony Stewart came back, that would be big news. If Jeff Gordon at last was able to take a shot at Indy, that would be big. And Danica, too – I know she’d attract fans.

“But to denigrate what Alonso is trying to achieve is inappropriate and ignores the facts. He’s not going to be there to 'sell some tickets for Indianapolis Motor Speedway,' as that story says.

“It’s an unjust and, quite honestly, very parochial view to say, ‘Who is he? What’s he done on an oval?’ He’s got better credentials for racing at Indy than any rookie for the past couple of decades!

“Give this great champion some credit rather than question his objective or his judgment.”

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Garage power cut added to Ferrari's test troubles

Sebastian Vettel has revealed that a garage power cut added to Ferrari's woes on the final day of in-season testing in Bahrain, as the team failed to get the mileage it wanted.

Having lost most of the morning while the team worked on fixing some minor hydraulic leaks that had been discovered during a configuration change, Ferrari found itself further confined to the garage in the afternoon when its garage systems went down.

Vettel was able to get going again before the end of the day – ending up second quickest overall – but was left slightly annoyed at the missed opportunity to get through all he had wanted.

"It was a bit mixed, not ideal," said Vettel about his day. "We lost a lot of time, as we had an issue with the car that we could fix. And then also we had a power supply issue.

"The whole garage shut down, I think we lost another two hours trying to fix it before it came back."

Vettel said that in the end Ferrari's two days of running had not been too bad though, with third driver Antonio Giovinazzi getting through a good programme on the opening day.

"When we got on track we were able to at least try a couple of things," added Vettel. "Yesterday was good for Antonio, he got most of the programme done and we could reconfirm a couple of things. Ideally we would have liked to run more today but it was still good to get some laps."

Vettel said that he had not paid too much attention to what Mercedes had been up to, as the German car manufacturer ran through an extensive tyre programme to better understand its long-run form.

Asked about his rivals, Vettel said: "I don't know what they did. They obviously ran the whole day and didn't get to follow much in the afternoon when we started running.

"Before that I followed a bit, but you don't know what people are doing, so it doesn't really matter where you are on the timesheets.

"But I was reasonably happy with the car. We had a good balance at the weekend and we were able to carry that over for the test."

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Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen meet the fans in Bahrain

BAHRAIN, SIGN US UP! Some fan time with Daniel and Max in Bahrain? Sign us up! The Bulls head out to meet the fans in Sakhir ahead of the 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix

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Raikkonen taking "way too long" to find form in 2017

Kimi Raikkonen admits it is taking him “way too long” to get to grips with the new Ferrari SF70H and start challenging teammate Sebastian Vettel.

Raikkonen looked a match for Vettel late on in the 2016 Formula 1 season, but has struggled to replicate that form in the new year.

He has been outqualified and outraced by the German, in all three grands prix of 2017 so far and, while Vettel has won two races and leads the championship, Raikkonen has yet to stand on the podium.

After the third round in Bahrain, the Finn admitted his disappointment at having yet to make up his early-season gap to Vettel.

“To be honest, it takes way too long,” Raikkonen said. “You know, we're supposed to get it right straight away, and obviously we haven't.

“A lot of reasons but it didn't help last race [China], not driving the first day. At least when you're going through some issues, you want to get track time.”

Raikkonen, who struggled with understeer in Australia and in China, says the problems holding him back were “much less” prevalent in Bahrain.

“I'm pretty happy with the car now,” he said. “I feel that we are doing the absolutely right things.

"And in the race [on Sunday] I felt the car was very good, but I made a mess in the first lap, putting ourselves in a difficult position.”

Having now gone through another underwhelming grand prix weekend since his form was publicly questioned by Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne in Shanghai, Raikkonen insists he has made progress – even if the results haven't reflected it.

He added: “It's just the small things now, in the big picture we are pretty much where we want to be - it's just that we need to fine-tune a few things.

“I don't think it's the big things but obviously it has cost us. [It's] taking too long, but nobody to complain [to], it's my job.

“Overall, yes, we are much happier with the things, but I cannot be very happy with the result even this weekend. It's all big picture - when you look, it's been disappointing.”

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F1 DRIVERS SUPPORT TEENAGER INVOLVED IN HORRIFIC F4 CRASH

The motorsport world including Formula 1 drivers, led by triple F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, have rallied around British Formula Four driver Billy Monger who had his lower legs amputated after an horrific crash at the Donington Park circuit on Sunday, series organisers revealed.

The 17-year-old, who smashed at speed into the back of another car that had halted on the track during a Formula 4 race, was trapped in the wreckage for more than 90 minutes before being extricated and flown to hospital.

“Due to the injuries sustained and despite every effort, Billy has sadly had both lower legs amputated,” the FIA sanctioned junior series, the first step on the single-seater ladder after karting, said in a statement.

“He has been kept in an induced coma while undergoing surgery, from which he is expected to be woken in the next few days.”

A crowd-funding site was set up to raise funds for the teenager’s medical treatment and recovery, with Formula One drivers joining the motorsport community in expressing support on Twitter.

“I have only just seen the news of this tragic incident. Thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, @BillyMonger” wrote Hamilton.

“Just watched the crash of @BillyMonger and can only say that life is so cruel…let’s all help this young lad,” commented former F1 racer Johnny Herbert, who suffered severe foot injuries in a junior series crash at Brands Hatch in 1988.

More Formula 1 reaction:

• Sergio Perez: “Let’s help our fellow and his family thru this tough times! @BillyMonger.”
• Mercedes AMG F1 Team: “Our thoughts and prayers are with fellow racer @BillyMonger and his family.”
• Felipe Massa: “Hey guys, This boy Billy Monger had a huge accident and had to amputate both legs,let’s help him.”
• Jenson Button: “Hey guys this fellow racer Billy Monger had a big shunt this past weekend at Donnington and sadly Billy has had amputations to both legs. This guy needs our help so if you can please donate, I will be doing as much as I can to help this dude out. The donations will be used to fund the care, treatments and therapies required by Billy in the immediate future and going forward, helping him to return to a full and active life.”
• Force India: “The horrifying accident of @BillyMonger touched everyone in motorsport. Help this young racer in his battle.”
• JolyonPalmer: “Shocked and saddened to hear about @BillyMonger injuries. Let’s all get behind him now.”
• Marcus Ericsson: “All my thoughts with @BillyMonger and his family. Please donate and support.”

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Red Bull chassis ‘revamp’ for Spain

Red Bull Racing will introduce a “revamped” chassis at May’s Spanish Grand Prix having acknowledged that they did not deliver with the RB13.

Despite hoping that this year’s new aerodynamic regulations would allow them to close the gap to Mercedes, Red Bull have instead fallen behind Ferrari as well.

The Milton Keynes’ squad has yet to join their main rivals on the top step of the podium while Ferrari have two wins and Mercedes, one.

And while in the past Red Bull’s main problems related to their Renault engine, Marko admits the chassis is also lacking.

Speaking to the official F1 website, Marko said: “At the first test we were pretty optimistic that the three teams were pretty even, but already at the second test we had to swallow the fact that we were behind.

“So Melbourne and Shanghai were not really the wake-up calls they probably were for outsiders: we knew what the situation was.

“We have two problems: Renault had some reliability issues, which have slowed them down in the development; and we didn’t deliver the chassis that we should have done.

“But we are working day and night to pick up our shortcomings. We are pretty optimistic that we will make a significant step forward in Barcelona where a big change of parts is coming. So sometimes patience is the best virtue a driver can have!

He added: “The chassis will be ‘revamped’ in Barcelona and Renault is planning something for Montreal.”

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STEINER: A SIGNIFICANT GAP TO THE BIG THREE

A talking point in the Formula 1 paddock that has been bubbling since the start of this season is the gap between the front runners and the midfield, which Haas team chief Guenther Steiner describes as “significant” and warns that it may stay that way throughout the season, if not increase.

Speaking to the official F1 website, Steiner said, “Well, the big teams, especially Mercedes and Ferrari – I think Red Bull is a bit behind – are pretty much ahead of the rest. The four midfield teams are pretty close together.”

“But yes, there is a significant gap to the big three – take the qualifying times, multiply the gap by the number of race laps and there you are. Will that change? I hope so – but my fear is that it will stay that way for the whole season.”

Though the gap between the top three big teams and the rest is wide, the midfield is tighter than ever and thus strategy has become a bigger factor in terms of obtaining strong results.

“For all the teams that are pretty close together, strategy is a differentiator. You see that with Ferrari and Mercedes, but also in the midfield sector. In China it was the conditions and the safety car. In Bahrain, again the safety car – one virtual and one real.”

“So whoever gets it right in these unforeseeable situations is at the front in the end. And there strategy plays a huge part. In a normal race with only one pit stop, the race result is, of course, more predictable. But we haven’t had such a ‘simple’ race so far. That is good news.”

With regards to the ongoing development of their car, Steiner explained, “I don’t know what the other teams are doing, but we have a good plan. In reality I think we are in the range of our midfield opponents in terms of quantity – then, of course, you have to make sure that the quality also delivers. That is called competition!”

“We will have a substantial upgrade for Barcelona – and the next step is still in the wind tunnel! Once we find the gains we will start producing. There is a good plan in place. And of course bits and pieces we will bring at any other race,” added Steiner.

The American team has had a reasonably solid start to the season, despite a few costly mishaps, with Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean tied on four points in the drivers’ championship standings and Haas seventh on the constructors’ points table.

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MARKO: SOMETIMES PATIENCE IS THE BEST VIRTUE A DRIVER CAN HAVE!

Despite a mighty driver force in Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, the Red Bull RB13 has not been a piece of kit that does justice to their skills and abilities and has prompted Helmut Marko to call for patience while acknowledging that there are problems.

Marko told the official F1 website, “We have two problems: Renault had some reliability issues, which have slowed them down in the development; and we didn’t deliver the chassis that we should have done. But we are working day and night to pick up our shortcomings.”

“We are pretty optimistic that we will make a significant step forward in Barcelona where a big change of parts is coming. So sometimes patience is the best virtue a driver can have!”

The outspoken Austrian pointed out, “In Australia we were 1.8 seconds behind, in China it was 1.3 seconds and in Bahrain something in the range of nine-tenths. So we are improving and step by step closing the gap – but it is, of course, not enough.”

“Looking at qualifying where the cars show their sheer speed, we know that Mercedes has a qualification mode – and to a certain extent also Ferrari – and that helps them a lot. And by constantly closing the gap to them I would say that the direction we are moving in is promising.”

“And as you don’t get any points in qualifying, it is good news that in the race we are usually stronger if problems don’t stop us like on Sunday when Max suffered a brake issue.”

It is accepted in Formula 1 circles that increasingly it is becoming unlikely that a customer team can take on and beat the manufacturer teams. Red Bull are aware of this and are expecting Formula 1 to make it possible (and attractive) for independent engine suppliers to win in the future.

Marko said, “The latest must be 2021 that an independent engine supplier comes into F1. This is more than necessary – and the engine has to be simple, noisy and on the cost side below ten million.”

“We are talking about a much less sophisticated engine to what we have now – a simple racing engine. There are enough companies around that could supply. So we expect from the new owners together with the FIA to find a solution at the latest by the end of this season. If that doesn’t happen our stay in F1 is not secured,” he added.

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Getting Technical: A look at Force India's Bahrain bargeboards

Force India brought a host of new parts to Bahrain which are aimed at reducing the VJM10’s weight and bolstering its aerodynamic performance. 

The team have a solid reputation for rapidly improving their car during the mid-season before their budget eventually runs dry towards the end of the year, so seeing developments from them at this stage is encouraging for what should be a great fight with Williams and Renault.

Having identified that the bargeboard region has a lot of potential in 2017, the team have wasted no time in optimising their existing concept by adding a series of serrations to both the primary bargeboard [highlighted yellow below] and also the triangular section of floor behind [see arrows below]. 

Ten (yes, 10) aerofoil elements are staggered along the top of the main bargeboard, allowing the air to filter between both sides of the vane and entwine to form a spiralling torrent of airflow. 

The board’s trailing edge sits on the axe head part of the floor and is set quite far forward from the sidepod, which means the air has to be worked with in a much shorter space. 

Introducing more slots helps turn the airflow around the sidepod more sharply as the low pressure region behind the board is less likely to separate. Although holes are allowed in the floor ahead of the sidepod this year, Force India have opted to serrate the periphery of the exposed triangular section. The lipped surface around each serration encourages the air to dive underneath the car and mingle with the high velocity stream. This area of the floor is critical to the car’s centre of pressure as there is a concentration of lowpressure that must be managed carefully.

The floor serrations and indeed the revised bargeboards will help reduce disturbances across a wide flow speed range.

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Red Bull… or just bull

If Red Bull’s engine strategy for the future is to campaign for an independent engine supplier, the company is in more trouble in F1 than I thought. In its current situation, Red Bull Racing ought to be out there, doing whatever is necessary to get a manufacturer deal. If that is not possible, then they ought to be paying someone to build them an engine, as TAG did with Porsche back in days of yore. If you want to win races in the modern world of Formula 1, you need to have a factory engine. If you want evidence of this, it is very clear. Ferrari customer teams have won only one race in the modern era (since 1980). That was Sebastian Vettel’s win at Monza in 2008 with Toro Rosso. Mercedes customers have yet to win a race since the start of the new formula in 2014. Independent customer engines would seem to be a thing of the past. One can bring back the idea, but how does one make them competitive with the factory motors that are being developed all the time? That did happen in the 1970s, when Cosworth engines battled with Ferraris and Matras, but after the arrival of the turbocharged engines of the 1980s, Cosworth faded away as a force in F1. There were some other customer engine arrangements, such as the Megatrons, Playlifes, Supertecs, Mecachromes, Asiatechs and Acers, but these were all rebadged manufacturer engines rather than proper independent engine suppliers – and none of them won a race.

Red Bull’s theory is, it seems, that if the importance of horsepower is neutralised again, Red Bull ought to emerge ahead, as was the case when F1 was stuck with its frozen V8s before the current engine formula began in 2014. That old formula did nothing for the image of the sport as being technologically advanced. Red Bull was fortunate in many ways because it had Renault engines at a time were dominant and Renault had blown its own ambitions with the cataclysmic Singapore Scandal in 2009, which drove the company from the sport, red-faced in embarrassment at having its employees get caught cheating disgracefully. It took the firm five years to come back, giving Red Bull a window to become a lead team for a manufacturer. The team seized the opportunity and it paid off handsomely, although in the end Renault felt the need to return, irritated by the fact that Red Bull was getting all the publicity. The new rules helped Renault come back, but the resulting engines have not yet been great and Red Bull made a serious mis-step by complaining too loudly about the engine supply. Renault was happy to see the back of the team, when Red Bull cancelled the contract and stomped off in the summer of 2015, under the misguided impression that Mercedes was going to give it engines.  The team discovered that no one else was interested in supporting those who bite the hand that feeds them, and it was all rather embarrassing for Red Bull and they dressed the engines up as TAG-Heuers to avoid the reality that they were really only a Renault customer again. As the Renault F1 team is now beginning to get up to speed, Red Bull needs a new idea and as no manufacturers seem to be interested so the choice is rather limited: build your own engine (and why would a fizzy drink company do that?) or argue for an engine that might work out in your favour.

Ross Brawn has made it clear that he thinks that an independent engine supplier is a good idea, which is not a real surprise as it cuts the power of the manufacturers, who otherwise have considerable influence over their customers. But is it realistic in the modern day and age, with the technology we have today?

Cosworth did design an engine for the new formula but that was a long time ago and the company does not have the funding to pursue its F1 ambitions. It has turned its attention to other work. To get the whole thing up to speed would require a great deal of money – and the only way that could really happen if if there was a manufacturer willing to make the investment. Back in the 1960s Cosworth did manage to pull off just such a stunt by getting money from Ford to build the DFV. That was one of Ford’s greatest investments as it won a string of races without having any huge financial involvement in the engines. Getting another manufacturer (or Ford, come to that) to do the same thing might be a good way to get the independent engine that FOM wants – while also offering the investor great value in branding, but the engine development race would need to be slowed down in order for that to work. There is another engine out there somewhere because the original PURE project may have died, but the engine that it was developing was inherited by its supporter TEOS Powertrain Engineering, located in Montigny-le-Bretonneux, not far from Versailles. The PURE Corporation itself was liquidated at the end of 2015.

Teos is a joint venture between Mecachrome and the IFP Investissements, a French public company which is dedicated to research in energy and hybrid development. With the change in rules in 2017, Teos did approach some F1 teams, hoping to find some interest and indicated at the time that the project was still being headed by two old stagers in the F1 world Jean-Pierre Boudy and Jean-Francois Nicolino.

If money can be found, this engine could be developed as an independent supplier.

It is still a bit of a long shot, but it seems that this is the best idea Red Bull has at the moment.

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Brawn: I couldn’t work with Bernie

Although Ross Brawn says he “couldn’t work with Bernie” Ecclestone, he insists that was never a condition to him taking the role of F1’s sporting boss.

When Liberty Media took control of Formula 1 at the start of the year, former Mercedes team boss Brawn was appointed to the role of head of sporting matters. He forms part of a three-man team headed up by CEO Chase Carey.

Carey’s appointment as CEO signalled the end of Ecclestone’s reign with the F1 supremo recently claiming that Brawn would not have taken the job if he stayed on.

The Englishman has denied this.

Autosport reports Brawn as having said in an upcoming issue of F1 Racing magazine: “That is not true.

“I mean, I couldn’t work with Bernie, but I never made that a condition.”

He added: “It would have been very entertaining to work with Bernie.

“It wasn’t impossible, but Bernie has done things in his own way over the years and very effectively has done things in his own way over the years.

“But I’ve never seen Bernie with any serious partners, certainly not in terms of running the business.

“He’s had people who’ve helped him with aspects of the business, but I’m not sure that my philosophy of how I think it could go forward necessarily aligns with Bernie’s.

“Bernie was very adept to a reactive approach; mine is the opposite, I want to have a planned and a long-term approach.

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Hamilton: McLaren and Williams F1 revivals would be "magical"

Lewis Hamilton hopes McLaren and Williams can revive their flagging Formula 1 fortunes and fight him for world championship titles before he retires.

Hamilton, 32, left McLaren at the end of 2012 and has gone on to win 33 F1 races and two world championships in four seasons with Mercedes.

McLaren hasn’t won a race since Hamilton departed Woking for Brackley, while Williams hasn’t fought for the world championship since 2003.

McLaren-Honda is struggling to even score points so far in 2017, lacking power from the engine and reliability overall, while Williams is trying to rebuild again with former McLaren and Mercedes technical director Paddy Lowe at the helm, having also not won a race since 2012.

Hamilton has spoken repeatedly of the extra satisfaction he feels from fighting against multiple drivers, rather than simply his own team-mate, and hopes both McLaren and Williams can find a way to join the fight at the front while he remains in Formula 1.

  

“What’s sad for me watching Formula 1 is you see the depth of teams, Williams, McLaren, and they’re not back there,” Hamilton said.

“Williams hasn’t been right in the fight for years - they had that real slump, and now McLaren’s having it.

“There’s a passion with Ferrari, there’s a passion with Mercedes, passion with McLaren - because of the drivers, experiences and championships they’ve had while I’ve been watching Formula 1.

"I hope in my time left in Formula 1 there is a period of time where Williams is up there with us and McLaren is up there with us and there’s a real strong front line of the top teams – which I think is magical.

“I hope that comes back into the mix at some stage.”

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Renault confident it knows how to fix race pace problem

Renault chief technical officer Bob Bell says that the Enstone team knows what it has to do to improve the race day form of the RS17 – and it’s now a question of updated parts coming through the system.

Nico Hulkenberg has qualified seventh in the last two races, but on both occasions the German has struggled for pace in race conditions and ultimately lost places, finishing 12th in China and ninth in Bahrain.

The German's teammate Jolyon Palmer meanwhile has yet to score points this year, finishing the last two races in 13th place.

“We need to find more pace on Sundays, we just lack race pace,” Bell told Motorsport.com. “We knew that going into the race.

"We’ve got a reasonable view on where we’re losing and why it’s happening, so we’ve just got to deliver on the bits that will restore that. It’s a combination of tyres and aero, and getting them to work under all circumstances.

“We know what we need to do. What we haven’t been able to do is demonstrate it on track, deliver the bits to the track, and deliver on that upgrade. That’s the next step.”

Bell is encouraged by the one-lap pace seen thus far: “The basic pace of the car is there. You couldn’t put it where we put it in qualifying if it wasn’t.

"What we don’t have is a flat operating envelope where we can get that same level of pace short run and long run, and that’s what our objective is.”

Bell is also confident that all the changes made at Renault's respective chassis and engine bases at Enstone and Viry have worked as planned, and the team is going in the right direction.

“We’re in much better shape than we were a year ago," he continued. "We’re not where we want to be, we’re not where we planned to be, but we are getting there, one step at a time.

“There’s an ongoing engine development programme which will bring bits to the track, with different engine tranches when we feel comfortable. At the moment the engine performance isn’t the issue, it’s the chassis performance that’s holding us back.”

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Vettel: No fears Russian cold will hold Ferrari back

Sebastian Vettel says there is no reason to believe that Ferrari will be left on the back foot against Mercedes at the Russian Grand Prix because the conditions will be cooler.

With Ferrari’s 2017 car appearing better suited to warmer weather, the prospect of a chilly Sochi weekend has lifted hopes from rival Mercedes that it can bounce back from defeat in Bahrain.

Mercedes’ belief is further boosted by the fact that the track surface in Russia is very smooth, which means that tyre degradation will not be as much of an issue as it was in Bahrain last weekend.

Indeed, Lewis Hamilton said after his day of testing in Bahrain this week – which was focused on improving tyre understanding – that the Russian GP would be a different type of weekend.

“Sochi is a smoother track and less abrasive on the tyres, so they can go quite a long way,” said the former world champion. “Hopefully we can rely on the pace of our car there rather than our use of the tyres.”

But although Ferrari is well aware that Mercedes’ single-lap pace advantage is likely to remain for some time, Vettel does not feel that losing a potential edge on long-run form will cost his team too much.

Asked after testing in Bahrain this week if he was bracing himself for a hard weekend, Vettel said: “I don’t think so, I think we will manage. We managed as well in China and it was quite cold, so I think it will be OK. We’ll see.

“I don’t know the forecast yet, but usually they change. We’ll see when we get there.”

  

Sochi surface

Haas driver Romain Grosjean thinks that the low degradation in Sochi will allow drivers to push for a very long stint in the race – and the real challenge of the weekend will be switching the tyres on for qualifying.

“Push every single lap!” he said about his predictions for the weekend. “It will 50 laps first stint, then five laps on supersofts!”

Asked about qualifying, he said: “It's going to be tricky. The out-lap is key. With the downforce we have this year, we have a bit less problem to switch them on. That was a concern initially, but we didn't have any problem in China or in Melbourne.

“In Bahrain we needed a very slow out-lap so that made it a bit of a mess before the last corner. Russia we may need a bit of a harder out-lap and hopefully it's going to be fine.”

[MIKA27]

Ricciardo: Alonso has picked a good time to skip race for Indy 500

Red Bull Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo believes McLaren's Fernando Alonso has "picked a good time" to skip a race and make his Indianapolis 500 debut.

Alonso will miss the Monaco Grand Prix at the end of May to contest the Indy 500 in a McLaren entry run by Honda squad Andretti Autosport.

Given Honda's struggles since returning to F1 in 2015, the street circuit has been McLaren's best track on the calendar, with fifth in last year's race equalling Alonso's best result since leaving Ferrari at the end of '14.

While Ricciardo says he "wouldn't want to miss Monaco", he thinks 35-year-old Alonso has picked a good window to branch out.

"Fernando is missing a good one," he said. "Then again, if you're not fighting at the front, it can be a long race around there. 

"It's cool that he's doing it. He's picked a good time to do it. 

"It's an opportunity and he can do it with a good team as well. I sense his frustrations, his position in F1 at the moment. 

"If he's been given that opportunity, I probably would take it as well, in his position, at his age."

NASCAR fan Ricciardo says he would be more inclined to try the Daytona 500 over the Indy 500, but does not have any extracurricular racing on his mind just yet.

"It could open up some doors," he said of Alonso's move. 

"I guess, probably more at the tail end of my F1 career, I'd be looking more at my options. 

"Now, nothing seems that attractive. Now I want a faster F1 car, as opposed to a fast IndyCar or something."

F1 world champion and Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti, who remains closely involved in his son Michael's IndyCar team, agreed that Alonso has picked a great time to make his Indy 500 debut.

"The timing couldn't be better, this is the perfect opportunity for Fernando because he has nothing really going on in Formula 1 currently," Andretti told Autosport.

"McLaren are not contenders at the moment, but he is still in his prime.

"So while he's still so vibrant, this shot at Indianapolis is truly awesome for him, for McLaren, Honda, for Michael's team, for IndyCar.

"Even though Monaco is probably the most suitable circuit for McLaren this year, by being in Indy, Fernando is going to come away from that weekend happier than if he was over there in his usual car.

"I think that's what he's hoping and expecting, as well."

[MIKA27]

WOLFF: IT FEELS SH*T RIGHT NOW!

After three years of heading a team that totally dominated Formula 1, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff admits that losing to Ferrari in two of the three races so far this season has been a bitter pill to swallow.

Speaking about the state of play, Wolff told Racer, “Losing feels much worse than winning feels great – unfortunately that is at the moment it feels really wrong. Bouncing back and winning feels even better, and we have enjoyed winning in China, a lot, and in hindsight it’s a good motivation as well.”

“And probably for Formula 1 it’s good as well if there’s a fight between Ferrari and Mercedes, so we have to see it like sportsmen – we have a fight that’s on and that is how it is, even though it feels sh*t right now!”

“It’s a different situation. In the last three years we had an internal fight – of course you set your mindset in that direction – and this is a new situation which I’m sure the team will handle well.”

“I’m seeing positives [with the] change of regulations, and we’re in the fight for race wins and we’re in the fight for the titles at the moment, you can say that, but I think there’s just generally good news.”

Despite Ferrari taking the fight to them, Wolff insists that the relationship with the Reds is healthy, “[The relationship] doesn’t change. We’re getting on well with Ferrari, there’s great respect between the two teams and between the two brands. I’m getting along with [Sergio] Marchionne very well as well as [Maurizio] Arrivabene and [Mattia] Binotto.”

“It doesn’t change anything, we have great respect for the humans, and they’ve done a good job which we have to admit. I’d rather have our mindset or philosophy similar to what you have in rugby – it’s hard, fierce competitors, and trying to beat each other but we are able to drink a beer afterwards,” added the Mercedes boss.

[MIKA27]

WOLFF: FOR A DRIVER FORMULA 1 IS NOT A TEAM SPORT

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff believes the DNA of a Formula 1 driver is such that for them motor racing is not a team sport and he points to the feud between Lewis Hamilton and retired World Champion Nico Rosberg as proof.

In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, with reference to the decisive 2016 season finale in Abu Dhabi where Hamilton deliberately backed Rosberg into pursuing rivals, Wolff said, “[Hamilton] had said before that he would not do such a thing. We were naive.”

“The guys are calibrated in such a way since their early karting days, conditioned to deal with their fears and self-preservation from when they are children, alone. Then [later] some Formula 1 team chief comes along and tells them that they are responsible for a global brand and more than 100,000 employees worldwide and they should be team players.”

“But for a driver Formula 1 is not a team sport,” added Wolff.

Indeed with three races run so far this season, Mercedes ‘new boy’ Valterri Bottas was on the receiving end of orders from the Silver Arrows pitwall to allow Hamilton to pass on two occasions during the Bahrain Grand Prix, which the Finn resented but accepted for the better of the team.

The non-confrontational response is exactly why Bottas was hired as Wolff explained, “We have consciously decided for a driver who does not bring any animosities into the team, but also a fast driver who can push Lewis.”

Despite the challenges of managing Hamilton, the Mercedes boss is clearly still enthralled with the triple F1 World Champion, who the team signed from McLaren in 2013. Since then the Briton has notched up 33 grand prix victories and won two world titles for the Silver Arrows.

“Today we are dealing with an inflation of superstars through the Internet and the digital media,” said Wolff. “Shooting stars, big-brother phenomena – that come and go. Everyone imagines he is a brand and needs to position himself via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Few actually bring true performance. Lewis Hamilton, however, I think is really the best racing driver of the new generation.”

“[Apart from driving] you also need a pinch of social competence. With Lewis it is always surprising what social competences he has and how he deals with people. The impressive thing about his personality is that he is constantly evolving, he absorbs things that are good for him like a sponge,” revealed Wolff.

MIKA: So it is pretty clear the Bottas is a No 2 driver and will always play second fiddle at Mercedes because he "Won't complain"... What a load of BS!

Bottas won't stand for it eventually because in the end, every driver wants to win.

[MIKA27]

RENAULT ANNOUNCES GOODWILL DEAL

Press Releasee: Renault Sport Formula One Team is proud to announce the take-off of an exciting new partnership with one of the world’s leading private aircraft and jet charter companies, Goodwill.

The Goodwill brand now appears on the livery of the team’s car, the R.S.17, the relationship having commenced at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director, Renault Sport Racing:
“Since its successful take-off in 2000, Goodwill has seen a dramatic assent to become one of the world’s leading private aircraft companies and this rapid rise for pre-eminence echoes what we want to achieve with Renault Sport Formula One Team. In addition to providing a precious support in our logistic challenges, we are looking forward to sharing some interesting marketing initiatives and harnessing their experience of other sports activations. We’re proud to welcome Goodwill on board and are looking forward to reaching some great highs over the course of the 2017 season together.”

Samuel Bucciacchio, President and founder of Goodwill:
“For Goodwill, this partnership aims to match the values of our company – Better, Faster, Higher – with those of the Renault Sport Formula One Team, which is aiming to become one of the very best F1 teams. In both our fiercely competitive environments, nothing is left to chance; it’s the details that make the difference. Goodwill will put its know-how at the service of Renault Sport Formula One Team, to enable the team to concentrate solely on the race for performance. Teamwork, competitiveness, perseverance and performance are common values that we share and utilise on a daily basis. As a French company, we are very proud to partner with the flagship brand of French industry that is Renault in its return to the highest level in Formula 1.”

[MIKA27]

MICHAEL COLLIER JOINS MCLAREN APPLIED TECHNOLOGIES

Press Release: Michael Collier has been appointed by McLaren Applied Technologies, the innovative technology company, to establish the McLaren Human Performance Centre of Excellence.

The Centre will be the first of its kind for the global sports and technology brand, based at the company’s world-famous McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England.

Michael’s appointment to Applied Technologies coincides with the company’s continued investment in driving the development of new products and solutions across health and wellness.

Michael will lead the development of the Centre in his new role as Head of Human Performance, reporting to Chief Medical Officer, Dr Adam Hill, and working alongside Rodi Basso, Motorsport Director, as the company increases its capabilities across health, elite sport, wellness and motorsport.

McLaren Applied Technologies’ Human Performance Programme combines cutting-edge medical technologies and data analytics to create unique insights, allow strategic interventions and ensure peak human performance.

Michael will work closely with Dr Adam Hill to access the latest scientific research and innovations through a vast spread of cross-industry and academia collaborations, including Oxford Medical School and Imperial College London.

Michael will also align with Rodi Basso to further expand McLaren Applied Technologies’ driver development offering.

Michael transfers across the McLaren family bringing with him over 15 years of extensive industry experience working in human performance. His previous roles include elite sports, the National Health Service and, most recently, supporting 2009 Formula 1 World Champion and McLaren-Honda driver Jenson Button for almost a decade.

More details of the new McLaren Human Performance Centre of Excellence will follow in Autumn 2017.

Dr Adam Hill: “Michael’s extensive experience developing championship winning human performance in the world’s most technologically advanced sport will help drive growth of McLaren’s Human Performance Programme. His appointment signals a key point of inflection in our expansion across health, wellness and human performance: central to the McLaren Applied Technologies vision to improve lives.

“We’re excited about our plans for the new Centre of Excellence, which will enable us to continue to provide cutting-edge technology solutions for McLaren’s growing customer base across health, elite sport, wellness and motorsport.”

Michael Collier: “I’m extremely proud to be joining McLaren Applied Technologies, a company driven to improve lives through rapid innovation. Our experience combining cutting-edge technologies and data-analytics to elicit peak human performance is central to our mission to increase health and wellbeing the world over. I’m excited to work closely with the whole McLaren Applied Technologies team to support our vision for data-driven life-improving health solutions.”

Jenson Button, McLaren-Honda driver, said: “I’m delighted to see Michael transition through the McLaren family to take up his new position leading the McLaren Applied Technologies Human Performance Programme. I’ve been lucky enough to have personally benefitted from his expertise for almost a decade and, while we’re not together in Formula 1, it’s fitting that he’s now running the Human Performance Programme. The new Centre of Excellence will provide the perfect platform to enable Michael to further expand McLaren’s capabilities to develop, nurture and deliver game changing innovations across health, wellness and elite performance. I’m excited for this new era of talent development at McLaren.”

Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren-Honda driver, said: “As a graduate of the McLaren Young Driver’s programme, I’m thrilled McLaren is establishing this Centre of Excellence, as it will provide a great pathway to foster young talent in motorsport. Being part of the McLaren Applied Technologies Human Performance Programme was a pivotal part of my trajectory into Formula 1 and I’m excited about the opportunities the Centre will provide to new and existing talent. I’m proud to be part of the McLaren family, a company committed to supporting the development of young talent through motorsport.”

[MIKA27]

Formula 1 to ditch halo in favour of ‘shield’

Formula 1 has elected to abandon proposals to introduce the halo for 2018, instead preferring to concentrate efforts on a protective ‘shield.’

Formula 1 has strived to increase head protection in recent years, with the halo, a device which wraps around the cockpit area, emerging as the preferred option.

The halo was trialled extensively in 2016 but its introduction, planned for 2017, was delayed until 2018, as further tests were carried out.

However, it was announced following a meeting of the Formula 1 Commission and Strategy Group on Tuesday that the FIA will further develop the ‘shield’ protective system, rather than the halo.

“A number of more integrated solutions for additional frontal protection have been studied, and the decision has been taken to give priority to the transparent ‘shield’ family of systems,” read a statement.

“The FIA aims to carry out track tests of this system during this season in preparation for implementation in 2018.”

Further details on the visual aspects of the shield have not yet been provided by the FIA.

T-WING/SHARK FIN CLAMPDOWN

Measures have also been taken in order to outlaw the ‘shark fin’ and ‘T-wings’ from the 2018 regulations.

Revised technical rules for 2017 pushed teams towards using the shark fin engine cover, last seen in 2011, while additional aero devices, dubbed T-wings, have been present atop several engine covers.

Red Bull chief Christian Horner urged the sport to ban T-wings, after Max Verstappen’s RB13 sustained £50,000 worth of damage when he struck the device which fell off Valtteri Bottas’ Mercedes during practice in Bahrain.

“Changes in the [2018] regulation boxes around the engine cover have been made so that designs incorporating the ‘t-wing’ and ‘shark fin’ will be strictly limited,” the FIA confirmed.

OTHER CHANGES

Moves have been made in order to increase driver identification for spectators, starting from next month’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Information was given to teams that, from the start of the European campaign, regulations will be strictly enforced to ensure that visibility of drivers’ names and numbers on the cars will be clearer.

From 2018, any race which is suspended will be resumed from a standing start; currently red-flagged races recommence behind the Safety Car.

GREATER TRANSPARENCY

Formula 1’s Strategy Group has come under fire for its lack of transparency, as, unlike the Formula 1 Commission, not every team is directly involved in its meetings.

However, Tuesday’s meeting in Paris was the first to feature new Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey, who arrived in the wake of Liberty Media’s takeover of the sport.

It was decided in the meeting to make a move towards greater transparency in the future.

“Representatives from the non-member teams will now be invited to meetings of the F1 Strategy Group to have access to the discussions, demonstrating the effective commitment of both the FIA and the Commercial Rights Holder to improve transparency in the sport,” concluded a statement.

Toro Rosso, Renault, Haas and Sauber do not currently sit on the Strategy Group.

[MIKA27]

Haas hesitant over Brembo brake switch

Haas are undecided whether to switch their brake supplier from Brembo to Carbone Industrie after seeing a recent improvement.

Romain Grosjean has been particularly critical of the Brembo brakes and tested new Carbone Industrie brakes at the two-day test in Bahrain.

But the switch will not be made for the Russian Grand Prix as the Frenchman revealed that the team have finally seen a positive response from their current suppliers.

"They feel very similar," said Grosjean to Auto Motor und Sport.

"But we can see from the telemetry that a few things are already working better. They behave more in the way I like at the end of the braking process.

"But there was an update in China and since then it [the Brembo brakes] has worked better. We had to wait a year and half to get it.

"We should be completely sure that we are improving [before changing].

"We cannot sacrifice practice sessions to continue working on brakes."

[MIKA27]

Sauber to complete Honda deal ‘in coming days’

Sauber's strongly rumoured deal with Honda is set to be confirmed imminently, according to reports.

Motorsport.com believe that a multi-year contract between the pair is now in place and Honda will start to supply Sauber with latest spec engines from next season onwards.

Sauber currently use one-year-old Ferrari power units, but have been on the lookout for a new supplier as they look to continue their progression following new investment last July.

Honda have also been preparing to supply a new team by expanding their base in the Milton Keynes, while McLaren boss Eric Boullier revealed that they would be willing to help Honda in their search.

""I think in this specific case it's better," Boullier said.

"I think more teams is better and more engine running is better. But there is a price to pay for that, which is deviating more resources into building more engines.

"Whatever happens, we are partners, so at some stage there will be a second team supply question, and I think we'll have to support this. But we want to make sure it's not detrimental to our partnership."

Teams have until May 8 to notify the FIA which engine manufacturer they intend on using for the 2018 season, but Sauber are set to announce the new deal ahead of the deadline.

Russia plays host for this weekend’s Grand Prix, which means we have another betting preview live for our friends over at Betsafe.

MIKA: Surely this is a massive mistake considering Honda are no closer (If not worse) to sorting out a competitive and now, very unreliable engine. 

[MIKA27]

Mercedes could play role in Honda F1 recovery plan

Mercedes has emerged as a potential ally in Honda's efforts to turn around its efforts in Formula 1, as the Japanese manufacturer seeks to get on top of its current troubles.

Honda had hoped to make good progress in the opening part of the campaign after its difficult time in pre-season testing, but it has been hit by a run of reliability problems in the first three races of the season and also in the post-Bahrain GP test.

Sources have revealed that Honda has recently begun discussions with Mercedes about a plan for the German car manufacturer to provide consultancy assistance to help it make rapid progress with its power unit.

Although it is understood the specifics of the deal have yet to be signed off, the main focus could be on help with the electronic and hybrid area of the power unit.

  

Outside input

Talk of the Mercedes plan comes against the backdrop of Honda having made moves in recent weeks to ramp up the use of outside help – which is understood to include using renowned engine consultants Ilmor.

Honda's F1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa has declined to confirm exactly who is involved in its plans, but said that his company was leaving no stone unturned in efforts to improve matters.

"Actually we have been doing everything we can do," he told Motorsport.com. "We are utilising every source from outside. From the beginning of March, we are almost changing our organisation [completely]. I think it works better, but it was too late to modify our development [so far]…

"Of course it is not easy, because engine modifications take time which is an issue. We have seen some good elements, but still the whole package is not ready."

When asked specifically about the Ilmor situation, Hasegawa said: "We don't disclose any consultants or supplier, but we are using lots of outside resource."

Hasegawa also did not elaborate on the Mercedes plan, but said that Honda had made use of experts who have worked previously with all current F1 manufacturers.

And he joked that their insight had been valuable in helping Honda better understand what it had been missing.

"Of course we have many people from Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault – so from that point of view we are 'spying' on their ideas," he said.

Mercedes declined to comment on the situation when contacted by Motorsport.com.

  

Red Bull opposition

Not all of Honda's rivals are happy with the idea of Mercedes helping out its effort, however, and it has been suggested that Red Bull is against the move (Of course they are!).

Its argument is that a potential transfer of intellectual property rights on the engine front is as bad as teams using a rival's chassis.

However, Mercedes and Honda do not necessarily need the approval of other teams to go ahead with the scheme, which could be put in place imminently if both parties can agree on the scope of co-operation.

The issue of Honda being given room to catch up is likely to be a talking point in Tuesday's F1 Strategy Group meeting, even though it is understood the issue has not formally been put on the agenda.

[MIKA27]

Fernando Alonso targets double car finish for McLaren in Russia

Fernando Alonso says the aim for McLaren at this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix is to get both cars to the finish line for the first time in 2017.

The Woking-based outfit has suffered a difficult start to the 2017 Formula 1 season, due to a variety of reliability issues.

McLaren is one of just two teams yet to score a point in 2017, with Stoffel Vandoorne’s 13th place in Australia the best result so far.

Alonso retired from the first two races and was classified 14th in Bahrain, but failed to reach the chequered flag due to an engine issue.

He expects another tough weekend in Russia but hopes both cars reach the finish.

“Sochi Autodrom is an interesting circuit – a mixture of challenges, and ones which I think will be tackled quite differently this year with the new regulations for 2017,” he explained.

“There are two long, slightly-curved straights and high-speed corners, which means this circuit will be challenging for us with the package we have.

“But our car is also very well-balanced, so I hope we can get the most out of the many 90-degree corners that make this circuit so unique.

“A positive result for us in Sochi will be to finish the race with both cars, first of all, as we’ve suffered a few reliability issues over the past couple of weekends.

“I followed the test in Bahrain and I’m pleased that we were able to secure a lot of valuable data from both the car and the power unit.

“The season is long, but there isn’t much time between races for development, so the laps we managed on the final day of the test were a big positive for us and hopefully will be beneficial to us over the next few races.”