Formula 1 - 2017

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Toro Rosso admits more work needed on Spain upgrade

The Toro Rosso Formula 1 team still needs to do a lot of work to make its Spanish Grand Prix upgrade work how it expected, admits technical director James Key.

The team had a difficult Friday practice at Barcelona last week, and then Daniil Kvyat was slowest of all in qualifying.

Carlos Sainz Jr was happier and made it to 12th, which he converted to seventh in the race, while Kvyat came through from 19th on the grid after Stoffel Vandoorne's penalty to ninth place with a bold strategy involving just one lap at the start on medium tyres.

Key believes there is much more to come when the updates are fully mastered.

"It was a tricky weekend actually," he told Motorsport.com. "There are a lot of changes on the car, and we had to work on it more than we thought to get the right balance windows.

"There are a few things which needed to be tweaked to work properly, a few things which perhaps weren't working in the way we thought, so we had to back-track.

"There's a bit of work to do with this new package to extract the most out of it, more than we thought we'd have.

"A lot of Friday was spent trying to do that, and recognising how we needed to set the car up to get the most out of it.

"On Saturday we just about got there, but Carlos was much happier with it than Dany. By the race it coalesced into something that was much closer to what we expected."

Unlike last season when it had year-old Ferrari engines, Toro Rosso now has a direct reference on its performance relative to sister team Red Bull as both have Renault power.

Key was encouraged that Sainz was within 0.237 seconds of Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull in Q1 at Barcelona.

"It basically shows you with the same engine what is possible to do," he said. "We're further behind than we want to be, of course.

"Excluding the qualifying dramas that we had with both cars, because I think we didn't quite get what we wanted out of either car in the end, if you looked at Q1 and Q2, it wasn't so far away.

"So that was quite encouraging, that we were closer to them than we were before.

"I think we have made a bit of a step, but the car needs a lot of work still to maximise it."

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Mercedes' long wheelbase no handicap for Monaco - Bottas

Valtteri Bottas is confident that Mercedes will not be at a disadvantage against Ferrari at the Monaco Grand Prix because of its longer wheelbase car.

Mercedes has elected for a slightly different concept to Ferrari this season, believing that a longer wheelbase is more beneficial over the course of a full campaign.

The design should be particularly advantageous in long high-speed corners, but it could make things more tricky at venues with tight and twisty corners like Monaco.

However, despite things being so close between Mercedes and Ferrari that small details count more than before, Bottas has faith that his team can still be strong challengers around the streets of Monte Carlo.

His confidence is based on the strong performance Mercedes showed in the tight final sector at the Circuit de Catalunya over last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

Asked by Motorsport.com if the team was braced for a tougher time in Monaco because of its long wheelbase, Bottas said: “No, I think here we have shown strong performance in the last sector [in Spain].

“That is all about slow speed corners and corner sequences, which is all about Monaco, so I think we have all the chances to be very strong there.

“We expect again being close to Ferrari, and potentially the grid will be tighter with less straight lines so maybe Red Bull can be strong as well.

“But I think we have all the opportunities for a good weekend, so I don't feel we are at all on the back foot going to Monaco."

  

Sector 3 times

The final sector of the Barcelona circuit is often viewed as a good indicator for potential of the Monaco Grand Prix – because it sequence of tight corners require the same change of direction, traction and braking demands at Monte Carlo.

A look back at qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix highlights just how Mercedes has little to fear from slow speed demands.

  

Personal progress

The Monaco GP will be a particularly fascinating one for Bottas, whose own hopes at the venue in recent years have been hampered by his previous team Williams never being particular well suited to the street track.

He added: “Monaco has been okay but, always as a team with Williams, we have always been struggling massively in Monaco, so I haven't had the car yet to be fighting for top three places like now. So I think anything is possible.

“It's a track with high importance for qualifying and race with no mistakes, so definitely I will again as always take whatever points and things I can learn from the last weekend and do the maximum on that.”

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MOTORSPORT WORLD MOURNS PASSING OF NICKY HAYDEN

American former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden has died of severe brain damage five days after he was hit by a car while cycling in eastern Italy, Italian media reported on Monday.

There was no immediate confirmation from his Red Bull Honda team or the hospital treating him. A spokeswoman for Cesena’s Maurizio Bufalini hospital said a statement was expected later.

Hayden, 35, was struck by a car while training on his bicycle along Italy’s Adriatic Coast, the force of the impact shattering the car windscreen.

The last medical bulletin from the hospital, dated May 20, said Hayden remained in a critical condition. The hospital had previously said he had suffered serious brain damage in the accident.

Doctors had placed the 2006 MotoGP champion, known as “The Kentucky Kid”, into a medically induced coma. Hayden’s fiancee Jackie was joined at his bedside by his brother Tommy and mother Rose who flew in from the United States.

Hayden last raced in the MotoGP championship in Spain in September 2016 as a stand-in for injured Australian Jack Miller at the privately-run Marc VDS Honda team. He started 216 races between 2003 and 2015, winning three.

Italian newspapers reported on Monday that investigators had found video of the accident from a camera on a house overlooking the road. They said the images suggested Hayden had failed to stop at an intersection and was hit full on by the passing car.

There was no immediate confirmation of the report from the investigators.

Meanwhile the world of Formula 1 is united in grief, with teams and drivers posting on Twitter:

HAAS F1 Team

Williams Martini F1 Team: We are saddened to hear of the loss of Nicky Hayden. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. #RIPNickyHayden

Sahara Force India: Terrible news about @NickyHayden. A member of the motorsport family has left us today. Our team's thoughts are with family and friends.

Red Bull Racing: A tragic loss of a Champion of track and minds. All thoughts with Nicky’s family and friends at this time.

Mercedes AMG-F1: Once a Champion, always a Champion. Godspeed Nicky.

Felipe Massa: R.I.P @NickyHayden . My thoughts are with his family. Muita Força a sua família @NickyHayden ?? dia muito triste para o esporte  !!!

 

MIKA: RIP Kentucky Kid.

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BUTTON: IT IS NOT A PROBLEM I HAVE NO PRESSURE

Jenson Button says he feels no pressure ahead of his one-off Formula 1 comeback with McLaren at the Monaco Grand Pirx this weekend because he has nothing riding on it.

“If I get to Turn Two and I feel totally out of my depth, I will drive off into the sunset and not come back,” the 37-year-old Briton told reporters on Monday, smiling as he said it. So it is fine. It is not a problem. I have no pressure.”

The 2009 world champion and former Monaco winner left Formula One at the end of last season, handing over his seat to Belgian rookie Stoffel Vandoorne, and has moved to California where he has focussed on triathlon.

He is returning for the showcase race as a replacement for Spaniard Fernando Alonso.

The Spaniard is missing the race around the streets of the Mediterranean principality in order to compete in the Indianapolis 500 on the same day, with the double champion qualifying fifth on Sunday.

McLaren are the only team yet to score a point this season, their Honda-engined car beset by engine problems and lack of performance.

But Button did not have to worry about that as he immersed himself in the McLaren simulator at the team’s Woking headquarters.

He said negotiating Monaco’s tight and twisty street circuit in the virtual world, which replicates every bump and curve and can be adjusted for different conditions, still had its difficulties, however.

“I also fell in the port twice today, and hopefully that’s not going to happen,” he said.

“After Turn One, you go up the hill and I fell off on the right hand side. And rolled. I’ve never rolled in the simulator before – but I rolled. Lucky enough, the impact isn’t as big as in reality but you still get a jolt and a bit of G-force.”

Despite McLaren’s problems, Alonso managed to qualify seventh at the previous race in Barcelona and Button saw that as a positive sign that the car could be competitive in Monaco with new updates coming.

“What a step forward,” Button said. “He obviously did a great lap but it shows how much improvement the team has made. It is massive.

“If Alonso can put it seventh in Barcelona then we should be looking sweet for Monaco,” he said, adding one caveat: “First of all I’ve got to see if I still know what to do when I get in the car on Thursday.”

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WOLFF: WE’RE ALL PROPERLY FIRED UP FOR THIS FIGHT

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff and his team are fired up to repeat the success they enjoyed in Barcelona on the streets of Monte Carlo as the Formula 1 circus sets up tent in the principality for the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

While Lewis Hamilton powered to a hard fought victory, Wolff laments the fate that befell Valtteri Bottas with a DNF and is adamant his team will do all to make up for the mishap.

Speaking ahead of Round 6 of the 2017 Formula 1 Wolrd Championship in Monaco, Wolff said, “It’s always good to come away from a race weekend with a points advantage, no matter how small. But the gap is just that: very small. We are in a massive fight with Ferrari. On one side, this is very exciting and challenging. But on the other side, it is going to stretch us to our limits. You cannot base your current assessment on the balance of power on just Barcelona.”

“It was painful to lose 15 valuable points with Valtteri retiring from P3. We’ve identified the root cause of the problem, which was the turbo. We haven’t seen that defect before, which shows you that you need to be double diligent. This is a technical sport and if you stretch your limits, you’ll encounter technical problems.”

Also on Wolff’s radar was the performance of the Mercedes junior drivers Pascal Wehrlein at Sauber and Force India’s Esteban Ocon, “If you look at the results, both Pascal and Esteban had a really good weekend. Pascal made the one-stop strategy work and could have been P7 – but P8 is still very good for him and very valuable points for Sauber. I’m happy to see how Pascal has fitted into the team. He speaks highly about the team and is on a great learning curve.”

“As for Esteban, Force India have been very successful in scoring regular points. Esteban is making a good contribution to that. He will really need to stretch himself to beat Checo (Pérez), who is the benchmark for him, but I’m interested to see how that battle develops. They’re pushing each other to new levels and Force India will be the beneficiary.”

“We expect Monaco to be a completely different ball game to Barcelona. The circumstances, working environment and driving challenges are completely different to anywhere else – and you need to get everything exactly right if you want to perform to your maximum around those streets. Not every factor is under your control, either, so you need to turn fortune in your favour at the right time if you want everything to come together.”

“Monaco is also one of our busiest races. We welcome many guests, executives and partners, who all contribute to our success in different ways. It’s extra special to have this group cheering for us, so we look forward to their support at the track.”

“Every weekend will push us to the limit; this is the new reality of Formula One in 2017. The last three years were extraordinary. But this season I have re-discovered why I love the sport. I love the intense competition. This competition means that you won’t be winning easily – but that you’ll have a fierce fight on your hands. Because of that, the feeling is even greater when you manage to come out on top, as we did in Spain.”

“If we get the job done in Monaco, I’m pretty sure we’ll bring down the garage roof. We’re all properly fired up for this fight, so let’s see what we can do…” concluded Wolff.

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ALONSO TO START INDY 500 FROM FIFTH WITH DIXON ON POLE

New Zealand’s Scott Dixon won the pole for next week’s Indy 500 when he posted the fastest average speed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso, the only rookie in Sunday’s nine-car shootout, will start from the second row in fifth position as the Spanish driver makes his Indy debut.

Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 winner, was joined on the front row for the May 28 race by Ed Carpenter and last year’s champion Alexander Rossi.

“It feels damn good,” the 36-year-old Dixon said after he posted an average speed of 232.164 miles per hour (373.632 kph) during his four laps.

“This is job one. Obviously the real deal is coming up in a week’s time. That’s when we’re going to push even harder and capitalise more.”

Alonso was competitive in the race, posting a 231.300 mph average speed that briefly put him in the lead, “This is the biggest race in the world. I’m looking forward to next Sunday.”

He said he was feeling more comfortable in the cockpit of an IndyCar and said participation in the race by European Formula One drivers like himself and Rossi was good for motorsports.

“I don’t think that we need to separate too much F1 or IndyCar or rally or stock car. I mean, at the end of the day, it’s just motorsports.”

Wind and track temperatures that reached 114 degrees Fahrenheit (45.6C) made for challenging racing conditions, which caused Japan’s Takuma Sato to brush up against the wall twice during his run.

The 40-year-old still posted an average speed of 231.365 mph, good for fourth.

Hot weather is expected again next weekend when over 300,000 fans will descend on the Speedway for the “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on the sprawling 2.5 mile (4.02 km) oval speedway.

France’s Sebastien Bourdais, who sustained multiple hip fractures when he crashed during qualifying on Saturday, underwent surgery Saturday night and is recovering, according to a statement.

“I want to thank everybody for the support and the messages, quite a few drivers have already dropped by,” he said.

“It’s going to take time, but I’m feeling pretty good since the surgery. I’ll be back at some point. Just don’t know when yet!”

Funny Bonus! Alonso On HONDA Engine change

 

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Tuesday Funny: Ricciardo laughs at Verstappen for holding Helmut's Microphone

At a recent interview in Vienna, during a press conference of sorts, questions were being asked a lot by media toward Helmut Mark.

Take a look at Daniels reactions every time Max holds the microphone for Helmut. Hilarious! 

Full Interview with Daniel answering questions also: 

 

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Valtteri Bottas retirement caused by never before seen turbo failure

Mercedes have identified the cause of Valtteri Bottas' Spanish Grand Prix retirement, which they say was caused by a new failure they've not witnessed before during a race or during testing.

Bottas was third when he retired from the race, won by team-mate Lewis Hamilton, and it was suspected that his 'old' power unit may have been the cause.

The Finn was forced to revert back to 'PU1' for the event after a water leak was found on his new unit ahead of qualifying. PU1 had already completed the opening four races of the season, and whilst it wasn't near its mileage limit, Bottas, like Hamilton, was scheduled to race with an upgraded unit in Spain.

However the cause of his retirement was actually turbo-related, according to team boss Toto Wolff.

"We’ve identified the root cause of the problem, which was the turbo," explained the Austrian. 

"We haven’t seen that defect before, which shows you that you need to be double diligent. This is a technical sport and if you stretch your limits, you’ll encounter technical problems."

Wolff says it was "painful" to lose out on Bottas' points when the championship fight is so close between them and Ferrari.

"It’s always good to come away from a race weekend with a points advantage, no matter how small," he added. "But the gap is just that: very small.

"We are in a massive fight with Ferrari. On one side, this is very exciting and challenging. But on the other side, it is going to stretch us to our limits."

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Formula 1 learning that small things make a big difference

F1 in 2017 is learning this – having spent years demonstrating the veracity of the Bob Dylan equivalent that nothing succeeds like failure… But both are true. Things create their own momentum; good things can create a virtuous cycle. And small things can make a big difference.

Bigger numbers, two-seater rides, interviews in front of the grandstands, crying young fans being taken to meet their hero… All small things in F1 this year making a big difference; things that really the sport should have been doing years ago.

Yet it’s not just about that. In a happy coincidence it’s applied on track too with something like symmetry. Just like in the previous few years there are two main men at the front most of the time this season. But, in a crucial departure, those two are not inside the same team.

And the difference from this is massive. Two protagonists from different camps can hardly fail to thrill. As for team mate battles, some in the past have thrilled us, not least the Ayrton Senna vs. Alain Prost epic at McLaren. But much more often they a have wet blanket thrown over them by their bosses – Fangio and Moss; Andretti and Peterson;

Schumacher and Barrichello…  And even Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg – that same tete-a-tete of recent times that we touched upon. The Mercedes management rightly got plaudits for letting its two dominant drivers race. But in one sense they kept things well under control.

And for our best illustration of the chasm between the two scenarios we can rewind roughly 18 months, to the Brazilian Grand Prix of 2015. It was a race that on track at least had little to recommend it. Nico led Lewis off the line, and that was that. But that’s a lot of the point. 

“Is there a different strategy you could give me?,” Hamilton asked after 10 laps in Rosberg’s wake and unable to get close enough to pass. And the answer – despite repeated asking – was in the negative. He pitted a lap after Nico every time; got the same tyre compound too. Thus they circulated to the end in formation.

On the podium Lewis returned to the subject. “I’m here to race, and when you have to do the same [strategy] it’s kind of set from the beginning.

“For sure, if there’s any other strategies, let’s do it, let’s take a risk, let’s do whatever, they’re [the Mercedes team] like ‘look after the tyres’, I’m like ‘no I’m racing!’. I think that’s what people want to see, but unfortunately today as I say I couldn’t get close enough to be able to put on a great race.

“It was relatively boring following in a tow.” We noticed, Lewis. We noticed.

He expanded on the subject in the press conference too. “It will be great to sometimes be able to do something different rather than ‘you’re in on lap 15 and you’re in on lap 16’. Have some options and see how it plays out.”

Nico’s comments in response to this sounded a little absurd, but also framed the team’s thinking. “It wouldn't be fair for the guy running second to go for another strategy and for it to turn out it was massively the better strategy. And you won the race just because of luck and the other strategy being so much quicker.”

It was the explicit Mercedes priority to keep everything even-handed. “If you start splitting the strategy, the controversy you create within the team is very bad,” boss Toto Wolff confirmed, “because first of all one might get the right call, the other one will get the bad call, then you have to discuss why one driver had Strategy A and the other had Strategy B”.

As for the point that they could have let go a bit as by this point the championships were sewn up, Wolff again spoke of keeping the balance even as doing that might create a “precedent” for the following season.

“It’s been like that here since 2013,” Wolff went on. “From the fan’s point of view I can understand that they might wish to see it different. But we could have done, like other teams, a number one and two driver where the number two is not allowed to fight at all. At least we haven’t done that and you have seen many good fights between them. But we don’t want to go this one step further.”

It wasn’t entirely true though, as in Merc’s early day of its recent era of pomp it did allow some constrained strategy variation. We recall the thrilling late laps in Bahrain in 2014; perhaps also Rosberg closing in on Hamilton late on in Spain a couple of rounds later. And both were set up by strategy splitting, wherein Nico against the grain bolted on the harder compound for the middle stint, allowing him to attack his team mate on softer tyres later on. But it seemed at some point between times – no doubt one of the instances of ‘controversy you create within the team’ that Wolff talked about – the squad lost its nerve on this one. And we watching on lost a lot of the entertainment.

And, to return the original point, what a difference comes from having two teams involved. In many ways the Spanish race just passed was identical to that in Interlagos in 2015. Lewis running in second and struggling to get close to the leading car. Perhaps Lewis was quicker in clear air; perhaps not.

But what we got could hardly have been more different. It all was down to having two different teams facing off.

No synchronised swimming was going down between Ferrari and Merc in Barcelona, instead it was no holds barred. Strike and counter strike. And it served to give us a thriller.

It started with a breathless Hamilton barely able to keep up with leader Vettel in the opening stint, despite his team imploring that it was vital to do so. And his team was right, as his eventual chipping into the Ferrari’s advantage in this first stint nudged Ferrari into pitting Seb earlier than ideal. It also involved the risk of having him emerge behind Daniel Ricicardo, though as it transpired that didn’t cost him much.

Then Merc put in part two of its plan, by running Lewis several laps longer before pitting in a classic ‘offset’ so he’d have fresher tyres than his rival later in the race (ironically an offset was one of the few options that Merc countenanced in Interlagos). In addition when the Englishman pitted Merc went contrary by putting the medium tyre on, setting him up to really attack on softs in the last stint when Seb would be on mediums himself. In a flourish also Merc kept Valtteri Bottas out even longer before pitting to hold Vettel up for a couple of laps.

The race looked hard to call anyway, but another twist came with a Virtual Safety Car period, thanks to Stoffel Vandoorne driving into the side of Felipe Massa. VSC periods can be pivotal in modern F1 as they can reduce the pit stop loss time to something like 10 seconds – around half what is usually lost. And by this point we were beyond half distance and pitting to run to the end was possible.

As outlined in James Allen’s as-ever excellent strategy review Vettel indeed radioed suggesting to the team that they pit, but the team apparently was still spooked by Canada last year when it lost control of a race from pitting in this scenario, and left Vettel out. Yet Merc had a conundrum too, as the only scenario under the VSC that would help it was Lewis pitting and Seb not. Two of the other ones – both pit or only Seb pits – would aid the German. Neither pitting would be neutral.

It looked to the outsider that the team ummed and ahhed, as Merc didn’t pit Lewis first time past then only did next time just as it was announced the VSC was about to end. Wolff insisted after the race that this was deliberate so to ensure Ferrari couldn’t respond by also pitting under the VSC. Whatever, the move gained Lewis around half of the eight second deficit he had to Seb.

He gained the rest on his out lap on fresh rubber, to the point that Seb expressed surprise that when he pitted next time round he emerged to find Lewis right alongside. He (robustly) held Lewis off at the pit exit, but Lewis on his softer tyres kept coming, and eventually got the deed done by passing to lead.

One more strategy twist was possible as Ferrari spoke of a ‘Plan C’, presumably stopping one more time to attack on soft tyres. But Lewis kept himself just far enough ahead to allow him to react to any such Ferrari stunt. Thus the point became moot.

And a galling thought is that simply replacing Vettel with Rosberg in another Merc in Barcelona’s race would likely have given us an afternoon a lot like that in Brazil in 2015. Straight from stupefying to soporific.

“This is the great thing about having two drivers fighting in rival teams,” noted Autosport’s Glenn Freeman afterwards on this very subject. “I think we’ve seen over the last couple of years, Mercedes I think backed away from letting anyone take strategic risks or doing anything too different. So it meant that every race did kind of play out in the same way.

“We’re not going to have that this year, and Spain was the perfect example of it, and that made it captivating. It’s another thing that bodes well for the rest of the season.”
Remember what we said about small things making a big difference.

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Hamilton: Monaco ‘all about mental strength’

Lewis Hamilton has said that "mental strength" is needed to be successful in Monaco and has already been out practicing the track.

The Brit is hoping to erase the six-point gap to World Championship leader Sebastian Vettel with his third victory of the season and believes he has all the experience needed to add to his tally of Monaco Grand Prix wins.

“It’s a circuit which is all about mental strength," said Hamilton.

"You need to be sharp and clear. Experience counts here too – that helps massively in setting the car up.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time now. I spend a lot of time at the factory with the engineers to understand past races.

"Just the other night, I was driving around the track in my Smart car, visualising the circuit. It’s not so easy, though, when there are lots of cars around!

“We have new cars this weekend which are wider and faster, so that’s going to be a massive challenge. In trying to push the car as close as you can to the limit, it’ll be a real test of your awareness of where the car is. I’m sure there will be some brushing of the barriers.

“The most important thing is that you have to learn to walk before you run. You have to build up to the pace so that, by the time you work up to that second run in Q3, you’re at 100 percent.”

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Toro Rosso preview the Monaco Grand Prix

Carlos Sainz: "Racing with the walls so close is something you're always alert of – you can't drive around Monaco like you do at any other track! You just need to really build your confidence up and make sure that your confidence levels for qualifying are at 100% and that you haven't risked too much or had any big shocks before that session. It's a track that, when it comes to qualifying in particular, is a very tense moment– it's the toughest session of the year and where I need to be more determined. It's the easiest track to make a mistake, but it's a challenge I really enjoy. Wow, I very nearly crashed into Ericssonlast year, but I managed to avoid it! It was a touch of skill combined with a bit of luck! I remember many other Formula 1 drivers crashing at that same point, losing the rear under braking, so my first reaction was to hold the car and hope not to crash, because I completely lost the rear when braking into the chicane after the tunnel. Then, once I recovered the rear, I suddenly saw that I was going straight into Ericsson and I had to avoid him… I don't know how, but I did! I remember my heart rate being really high at that moment! During that race weekend we use a scooter to go from the hotel to the track and back. It makes it a bit more of a different and special weekend. In Monaco we get to have the coolest Hospitality of the year: the Energy Station there is a boat in the sea, with a lot of people and guests supporting Red Bull and it's a great atmosphere.

Daniil Kvyat: It feels like another home race for me, as I live in Monaco and during the race weekend I get to sleep in my own bed. It's also not far to walk to the Paddock in the mornings, which is quite cool! It's an unusual feeling, but it's something I really like to do. The track itself is unique. I really like it and it's all about your reflexes and reaction time – you just drive following your feelings and you have to find the right flow and rhythm in order to do well at this track. There's many different things to do in Monaco, it's a fantastic place to live. You can go to different places in the city centre; close to the Casino there's also a lot going on and where it's all happening at night. Then there's the area of the port, on the other side of Monaco, which is calmer and a nice area to have a good dinner or somewhere I also like going for a run. I don't speak French, but I can now understand it after spending so much time in Monaco. Hopefully one day I will be able to do all my shopping in French without making any big mistakes! Yes, I do have quite a result's Pattern in Monaco: DNF in 2014, P4 in 2015, DNF in 2016… So this year it looks like it should be a good one! My Qualis have usually been quite decent in Monaco. Regarding the races, in 2015 I had a very good one, one of the best races of my career I'd say. This year I definitely want to put a good weekend together and see where we end up – a P4 would be good to continue with my result's pattern!

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Verstappen: Monaco crashes spur me on

Max Verstappen has said he will not be affected at the Monaco Grand Prix by his previous performances at the iconic circuit.

The Dutchman has retired had two retirements from two race starts, with his double crash in qualifying and then the race itself last year coming mere weeks after his historic victory at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Verstappen also crashed at St. Devote back in his Toro Rosso days in 2015, but he believes he has learned a lot about the track in the last couple of years.

"There is no such thing as a low risk lap in Monaco, it doesn't exist if you want to be fast because you have to be on the limit," he explained.

"Last year's crash was very unfortunate but it doesn't affect my confidence heading back there.

"It just makes me want to do better this year and learn from my mistakes. We still have a lot to learn from the car in terms of setup as it is always developing and we haven't driven it on a tight street circuit yet."

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Button: "Massive" McLaren upgrade can make Monaco a success

Jenson Button says the "massive" step promised by McLaren-Honda's upgrades makes him confident his Formula 1 return for this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix can be a success.

Fernando Alonso's decision to skip the Monaco F1 race to contest the Indianapolis 500 has opened the door for a one-off return for McLaren reserve Button, who stepped out of the cockpit at the end of 2016.

Alonso qualified seventh for the recent Spanish GP after McLaren brought the first part of an update package that will be completed for Monaco.

"It was great to see the performance in Barcelona in qualifying by Fernando," said Button on Monday during an event at McLaren's Technology Centre to promote its 'World's Fastest Gamer' contest.

"P7 – what a step forward. He obviously did a great lap but it shows how much improvement the team has made. It is massive. I can't say how many points of downforce but it was a lot, and there is another good step for Monaco as well.

"If 'Fonzy' [Alonso] can put it seventh in Barcelona then we should be looking sweet for Monaco."

Button declined the chance to test the 2017 McLaren in Bahrain last month, preferring to carry out all his preparations for his F1 return in the team's simulator.

He feels he has learned enough about this year's car that way, though he joked that his simulator runs had not been trouble-free.

"When I jumped in I initially didn't like the feel [of the car], and this was before the updates," said Button.

"So we made some set-up changes and it was much better and suited my style a lot more – and with the updates it is pretty awesome to drive.

"I also fell into the port twice today [on the simulator], and hopefully that will not happen. After Turn 1 [Sainte Devote] you go up the hill, I fell off on the right hand side. And rolled.

"I've never rolled in the simulator before – but I rolled! Lucky enough the impact isn't as big as in reality, but you still get a jolt and a bit of G-force."

He insisted that he would feel under no pressure in Monaco given the nature of his return.

"If I get to Turn 2 [Massenet] and feel totally out of my depth I will drive off into sunset and not come back!" Button joked. "So it is fine. It is not a problem. I have no pressure."

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F1 technical video: Why is the Red Bull RB13 so low-key in 2017?

After a winter of high hopes that Red Bull could be the team to take the fight to Mercedes in Formula 1 this year, the team has fallen short of those expectations so far.

While the team's launch-spec car in pre-season was considered a basic design that would quickly be updated, the changes introduced in the early races, including the most recent Spanish Grand Prix, have been relatively low-key.

What's behind this approach from Red Bull so far this year? In this clip from Motorsport.tv's The Flying Lap, Peter Windsor and Craig Scarborough take a more detailed look at the situation.

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Pirelli promises to look at softer tyres for 2018 Formula 1 season

Pirelli has assured Formula 1 drivers it is looking at making its tyres softer for 2018, following talks about its future development direction over the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

At Barcelona, F1 drivers used their regular Friday night briefing with the FIA to discuss their views on the 2017 rubber with Pirelli's F1 racing manager Mario Isola.

While one of the main items drivers raised was a push to avoid the current hard tyre being brought to further races this season, there were also talks about what Pirelli should prioritise for 2018.

Isola said that the discussions had been positive and that there was a consensus that Pirelli had been too conservative with its choices for this year, which had been based around uncertainty about just how quick 2017's F1 cars would be.

"It was a very, very interesting conversation because I was meeting with the drivers to understand what they think about the new products, and what they think about the direction we are taking for the future," Isola told Autosport.

"I have to say it was a very, very positive meeting.

"We also exchanged a lot of ideas, also beyond just the tyres.

"Plus most of the drivers were involved, because sometimes there are silent drivers [in these meetings], but all the top drivers were talking with interesting ideas."

While Isola think it too early in the development race to commit to a set plan for 2018, he thinks it important that Pirelli improves in lots of areas next year - and possibly goes one step softer with its compound choices.

"In general everybody has the feeling that we are probably one step harder than we need to be, but don't forget the rate of development of the cars will be huge, and we have to wait a little bit before taking decisions on the future," he said.

"We have to freeze the construction by September 1 and freeze the compounds by December 1, so now we are working both on construction and compound.

"But the focus for now is more on the construction, because it is the first part of the product to freeze. Then after that we will start developing new compounds.

"But the final decision will be later in the year when we have some indication coming from other circuits like Spa, Suzuka and Sepang."

Isola reckons one of the key targets for 2018 must be ensuring the gap between compounds was much more uniform.

"For next year we need a medium that is a bit quicker, closer to the soft, and a hard that is one step on the side of softer compounds, so we have to move a little bit the range," he said.

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F1 GRAND PRIX PHOTOS BY JOSHUA PAUL

Photography and the sport of vehicle racing have traversed a strange parallel path. And maybe that’s because technology has progressed at roughly the same speed for both. But we still see classic car races all the time, so we wonder why people don’t shoot modern races with older cameras? As it turns out, there’s someone who does.

If you’re looking at these old grainy photos and wondering why all the people are dressed in modern clothes and the cars in them look sleek and high-tech, it’s because racing photographer Joshua Paul shot them sometime between 2013 and now. He achieved this beautiful old look not through photo manipulation, but rather through the use of a 1913 Graflex 4×5 view camera. For those of you keeping score, that’s a film camera that’s 104-years-old. And while Mr. Paul can’t shoot even a fraction of the number of photos as a modern camera (a roll for the Graflex only holds 20 shots), every single shot he does take has a character and depth to it that we posit would be extremely difficult to otherwise replicate.

Over the course of the last four years, Joshua Paul has been compiling a collection of these photos and more – all inspired by and featuring formula one racing. His company, called Lollipop Grand Prix Media, now publishes his work in print in a magazine of the same name, which has been recognized for excellence in design by the Society of Publication Designers. If you want to get your hands on more work like this, you can find it on the brand’s website or by following their Instagram.

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HORNER: NEWEY IS TRYING TO BRING HIMSELF UP TO SPEED

While Adrian Newey has pointed to structures within Red Bull as contributing to the failings of the RB13, while team principal Christian Horner is playing down the comments and hinting that the design guru may have taken his eye off the ball.

Horner said, “Perhaps he hasn’t followed the regulation changes as he would have done previously. So now he’s trying to bring himself up to speed as well.”

“He’s had a huge involvement [in the RB13] and of course he’s got so much knowledge and experience for the guys to be able to draw on, and for him to implement. It’s an enormous asset for us.”

“The last couple of years, in particular the early part of last year, his involvement was significantly less. The team did a great job with the RB12 in developing it into a very competitive car.”

“The system is very similar, because he’s still been feeding into that system. He’s regularly sitting with the technical principals.

“I think communication across the departments is possibly what he’s referring to. It’s clear that everything evolves. Red Bull Racing has been an evolving organisation since day one,” added Horner.

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NEWEY: COMMITTEE APPROACH AT RED BULL HAS NOT WORKED

Red Bull guru Adrian Newey has declared that the team’s design by committee structure has not delivered as expected and as a result, right now, the RB13 is not on the same level as pace setters Ferrari and Mercedes.

Newey said in an interview, “I had stepped right back, but it became obvious that the car under a more delegated, or a committee way of operating, wasn’t performing.”

When it became evident that the team had a problem, after the first preseason test in Barcelona, Newey was tasked to sort out the problem.

He was forced to taper down his role in the Aston Martin supercar project to focus on the Formula 1 team.

He explained, “As a kind of a duty to the team, to try and bring things forward, I have been quite busy since the second test, getting back involved to see what I can do to help.”

“It’s not what I want to be doing long term, but I’m happy to be doing it for a period of time.”

“I think what’s clear is that my stepping back in a system of regulatory stability, then the system was working, but that kind of committee approach hasn’t worked when we’ve had a big regulation change.”

“So that’s what we need to consider for the future,” added Newey.

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PROST: RENAULT CANNOT OFFER ALONSO A WORLD CHAMPION CAR IN 2018

Fernando Alonso has made it clear that should McLaren-Honda not be able to provide him with a race winning car next year, he will seek a cockpit with another team… problem is he has virtually no options to choose from.

It’s generally accepted that Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull are not interested in hiring the Spaniard, as they have good enough drivers in their books or, as in the case of Ferrari, bridges were burned.

A return to Renault, with whom he won his two Formula 1 World Championship titles, has emerged as an option would Alonso decide to ditch McLaren.

But as romantic as the concept is, of him going full circle by returning to the team that groomed him into a champion, he has been warned that Renault are unlikely to be a title winning force next year.

The French team’s special advisor Alain Prost told Sky Sports, “Fernando wants to win races or championships. I don’t think we can offer him a car to be world champion next year – and also maybe in two years.”

“We have to be very realistic. I have been in this business for almost forty years and l know how difficult it is going to be.”

“We have to be really careful about that. We want to progress but we cannot have stupid objectives only because Fernando would be there,” explained Prost who won four F1 world titles, his final one in 1993 with Renault power.

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ABITEBOUL: RED BULL, AS ALWAYS, IS MAKING WRONG COMMUNICATION

Renault F1 chief Cyril Abiteboul has taken a swipe at Red Bull for trumpeting to media that they are expecting a major engine upgrade for the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.

Abiteboul is adamant, “Red Bull, as always, is making wrong communication about performance development. Frankly, what I want to play down is this sort of focus on the upgrade because the engine is improving every weekend.”

“We said reliability was the main issue to the performance delivery and improvement and that is exactly the case. I give you a clear example: we had better reliability. [Before Spain] we completed a programme on the dyno and on Saturday afternoon there was immediately map-ware for all three teams.”

“It’s not black and white, we haven’t suddenly jumped Mercedes in terms of power delivery, but that is small improvement. There will be more to come in Monaco and there will be more to come when we introduce power unit number three again.”

“But what I can guarantee you is, race-by-race, the engine will improve and overall in the season, if you look at the engine software, hardware and also the fuel and lubricants coming from our petroleum partner, I’m sure there is a very decent step to come.”

“The gap to be fully closed, it’s not going to happen this year. We think it’s something for next year, but having said that, we think the step we are planning to make, which we have on the shelf for this year, is going to almost close it completely in the course of the season.

“We already have a very clear idea of next year’s engine and the aim we have is to completely close the gap in the course of next season,” added Abiteboul.

Red Bull are customers with both their teams – Red Bull and Toro Rosso – powered by Renault power units, albeit the Red Bull version is badged as a TAG Heuer.

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LAUDA: ALONSO IS CERTAINLY NOT ON OUR WISH LIST

Niki Lauda has yet again poured cold water on talk that Fernando Alonso could move to Mercedes in the future, but admitted that he will be watching the McLaren driver at this weekend’s Indianapolis 500.

This year Valtteri Bottas joined Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes team and, although only on a one year contract, the Finn has slotted into the team well and has a win under his belt already.

Speaking to Blick, Lauda said of Alonso, “He is certainly not on our wish list. We are fully satisfied with Hamilton and Bottas. But as my partner Toto Wolff already said: Never say never.”

As for the Spaniard’s Indy 500 foray, Lauda said, “I follow Alonso’s adventure all the way. A victory in Indy is one for eternity. In my time, a team would never have allowed me to start there.”

Meanwhile, looking ahead to the Monaco Grand Prix, Lauda predicted, “At the moment, Ferrari will have certain advantages there, because our car with the longest wheelbase will be problematic through the tight corners. At Monaco it is even worse than in Singapore.”

“One thing is clear: whoever wins in Monte Carlo gets as much attention and exposure as the
world champion,” added the Austrian who won the race on the streets of Monte Carlo in 1975 and 1976.

Although the championship title race looks to have developed into a shootout between Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton and Lauda believes that they are in a league of their own right now.

And pointed out, “A four-time world champion and a three-time champion are fighting for Ferrari and Mercedes , the two best cars in the world. There is no better advertising for this sport. The rest can not keep up. As simple as that.”

But Lauda believes that Kimi Raikkonen, in the other Ferrari, and Bottas fill feature in the battle for the constructors’ title, “Raikkonen and Bottas will probably play a decisive role for the Ferrari or Mercedes in the constructors’ world championship. I can now say Bottas is as good as was Rosberg. And maybe a bit better than Raikkonen.”

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McLaren targeting first two-car finish of the season in Monaco

McLaren have yet to see two cars finish a grand prix this season, but the team are hoping that will change in Monaco this weekend, with Honda introducing reliability upgrades at the last event in Spain.

The team looked set for a two-car finish at the Spanish Grand Prix before Stoffel Vandoorne was involved in a clash with Williams' Felipe Massa which broke the Belgian's suspension, forcing him out of the race.

With Honda's upgrades seemingly delivering better reliability, McLaren's Eric Boullier is hopeful of seeing two cars cross the finish line on Sunday at a circuit which should suit their car as Monaco's streets put less focus on performance.

"From a trackside point of view, we’ll be bringing more updates to the car this weekend, which we hope will return positive feedback to mirror what we saw in Spain.

"Despite our result there, we‘re encouraged by the progress we’re making, and hope in Monaco we’ll have the opportunity to execute a more representative performance than those we’ve managed in recent races. 

"Of course, the first priority is to finish the race with both cars, and work through the best possible strategy in order to give ourselves any fighting chance of a decent result. In Monaco, you can’t take anything for granted, and it’s certainly all to play for."

Honda's Yusuke Hasegawa is very much eyeing their first points finish, adding: "In Spain two weeks ago we showed some positive steps forward, and in Monaco outright power plays less of a role, so we are hoping the race will be a big opportunity for us. It’s very technical and a real drivers’ track with no margin for error, so set-up will be key as will a strong qualifying session. 

"It’s our aim to keep pushing forward and give them both a car competitive enough to finish in the points."

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Hulkenberg: ‘Scary’ gap to Mercedes and Ferrari

Renault's Nico Hulkenberg has said there is a "scary gap" to the leading duo in Formula 1 and believes his own team's performance is where he expected it to be.

Ferrari and Mercedes have been exchanging blows in the first five races of the season, with the rest of the field – led by Red Bull – forced to settle for minor honours.

"It is a bit scary. The gap is massive from Ferrari and Mercedes even to Red Bull," Hulkenberg told Motorsport.com.

"And from Red Bull to Williams again there is half a second, so…

"I'm not sure if you could have expected that, but I think especially Mercedes and Ferrari, their developments, what they've done over the winter and the pace they have it's pretty special."

Hulkenberg has overshadowed Jolyon Palmer at Renault since joining from Force India, but believes it is still a tough fight every race weekend to collect points.

"I think the performance and where the car stands and where we are is pretty much is what I thought we would get when I signed up last year," he said.

"I did not expect any miracles, that we will be straight away in a top seven easily, I think pretty much what I thought where we are, where we find ourselves now.

"We can fight for points, we need a little bit of luck and to do a bloody good job and every decision has to be right, otherwise no points. But Renault has over the winter achieved to get the connection to the midfield straight away."

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"This is where a driver can make the difference" - Sergio Perez's Monaco GP preview

After finishing on the podium in 2016, Sergio Perez wants even more from the Monaco Grand Prix.

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CAN FERRARI WIN MONACO GRAND PRIX FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2001?

It may seem surprising for an F1 team so closely identified with the glamour of Monaco and its history, but Ferrari is winless on the iconic street track since 2001.

Sebastian Vettel has won the race, back in 2011 with Red Bull and he leads the drivers’ world championship, ahead of two time Monaco winner Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button are the other two Monaco winners in the field this year, with Fernando Alonso absent on Indy 500 duty, where he will start Sunday’s race from 5th on the grid.

Mercedes F1 Monaco GP

Mercedes has won Monaco every year since 2013, but their longer wheelbase car and its problems this season with the ultrasoft tyres raise question marks and give Ferrari some cause for optimism. Another is the car’s pace in the final sector of the lap in Barcelona, which is always a good indicator for Monaco. Although Hamilton pipped Vettel in qualifying, the Ferrari driver made a small mistake in the final sector; the pace was definitely there.

So why has Ferrari been unlucky at Monaco since the turn of the millennium?

Well pace, especially in qualifying is certainly a contributing factor. Since 2001 they have had only one pole position, which was Felipe Massa in 2008; a race he should have won, but Lewis Hamilton was able to make a pit stop at just the right moment, due to tapping the barrier and it swung the race his way.

The win has tended to go with pole at Monaco, although last year was a notable exception when Red Bull threw the race away for Daniel Ricciardo with a strategy error and then a pit stop mess-up. But Ricciardo has been on the podium twice in the last three years in Monaco.

The year before pole sitter Lewis Hamilton lost the race due to an unforced error by him and the team on an extra pit stop under the Safety Car.

Strategy wise, the race is a classic one stopper, with a long first stint of around 32 laps on ultrasofts and then a second stint on supersofts. The timing is everything as are the gaps you drop back into after a stop. It takes just under 20 seconds to pass through the pits, plus the time for a stop.

The Safety car is a huge factor; since 2012 there is a 100% record of Safety Car deployments. A stop under a safety car saves around 14 seconds compared to one at racing speeds.

The golden rule of race strategists when you have track position is “mirror the car behind”, in other words, you have track position, so don’t be the first one to make a move, mirror whatever move the ‘hunter’ makes and you should have him covered, barring a driving error.It is a tough track for overtaking, but nevertheless there were 21 overtakes in last year’s race, which is 21 more than we saw in the Russian Grand Prix this year!

Monaco GP in Numbers

The 64th Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix will actually be the 75th race at this prestigious circuit which ran its first race on April 14, 1929.

The oldest driver to start in F1 55 year-old Louis Chiron who finished sixth in the 1955 Monaco GP. He is is also the only Monaco native to have won a race at his home circuit.

Curiously, Chiron missed the first ever Monaco race as he had committed to race the Indianapolis 500 instead.

Back to the present, Ferrari has a 16 year drought in Monaco, and beyond that the Italian outfit has only won the race three times in the last 38 years.

16 years is the team’s longest winless wait at any circuit and since then six other teams have won in Monaco: McLaren, Williams, Renault, Brawn, Red Bull and Mercedes.

Deja-vu strikes again however, as Michael Schumacher broke a winless streak at Monaco in 1997 – 16 years after Gilles Villeneuve’s 1981 victory.

Nothing sets a driver up better for victory than track position here as in the 63 previous Monaco F1 races, the winner has started from the top three on the grid on 53 occasions.

Oliver Panis broke that trend by winning from 14th in 1996, but since then a driver’s only bet for a win has been to qualify third or better.Lewis Hamilton is going for a third Monaco GP win – equalling fellow British drivers Sir Stirling Moss and Sir Jackie Stewart – but still two behind Graham Hill, who has five victories.

2016 champion Nico Rosberg had three wins here also, and at this point in the season Hamilton has 41 more drivers’ championship points than he did last season. New team-mate Valtteri Bottas has never scored a point at Monaco.

Hamilton has never recorded a DNF here and hasn’t qualified lower than third since 2011. A pole here will see him equal Senna’s 65 career poles – three behind Schumacher’s record.

The race has been won by a polesitter 28 times, Senna having qualified on pole five times with six victories – more poles and wins than any other driver at Monaco.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has looked very fast, but has crashed out of his two previous Monaco starts and has never finished a race here.

Sebastian Vettel leads the drivers’ championship by six points and is seeking a 45th career win at a circuit he hasn’t led a lap on since 2012.

Ferrari’s Finn Kimi Raikkonen hasn’t outqualified a Ferrari team-mate since rejoining in 2014 and in 2017, Jolyon Palmer, Lance Stroll and Stoffel Vandoorne have also failed to outqualify their team-mates.

Raikkonen’s last top-five finish here came in 2009, when he finished third. His 257th start this weekend will move him up to fifth in the all-time list.

Force India, the only team where both drivers have scored points in every race this season is just 19 points behind Red Bull in the championship, 39 more points at this stage than last season which was its best ever. Sergio Perez finished third here in 2016.

Rival Williams are struggling as rookie Lance Stroll has no points and veteran Felipe Massa has half the points (18) he had at this stage in 2016. Massa hasn’t qualified in the top 10 in Monaco since 2010 and has only outqualified a team-mate once in the last seven Monaco GPs.

Returnee Jenson Button will make his 306th start, standing in for Alonso. This will put Button level with Schumacher, as the second most experienced F1 driver of all-time.

Button has scored points at Monaco in all of the last four races. His team-mate Vandoorne is last in the championship.

Both are driving for a last-place McLaren team which hasn’t finished at the back for the constructors’ championship in its 51-year history. However, McLaren has 15 wins and 11 poles, the most of any team in the history of the Monaco GP.

This should be McLaren’s best chance of points until Singapore in September (unless they get a miraculous engine upgrade in the meantime).