Formula 1 - 2017

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Renewed confidence aids Bottas bid to overhaul Vettel

Valtteri Bottas has firmly set his sights on Sebastian Vettel’s second place in the World Drivers’ Championship now that his confidence in the handling of his Mercedes returned in the Japanese Grand Prix.

After admitting to a slump in form recently, Bottas finished a close fourth at Suzuka – just failing to beat Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull in the closing stages for a place on the podium.

As Vettel racked up his second DNF in three races, Bottas has now closed to within 13 points of the Ferrari team leader with four races remaining.

“The race was good, I think the weekend overall was a lot better – I felt better in the car and I had the fastest lap in the race, which is always good,” said Bottas. “So looking forward to Austin, and I just want to win again. I’ll keep pushing.

“[Second place] is definitely a good target. It’s not like fighting for the championship win, things are looking pretty good for Lewis, but I’ll do everything I can to get second.”

Bottas said he simply ran out of laps to make a move on Ricciardo, having earlier compromised his race to allow teammate Hamilton past him on his alternate strategy after taking a grid penalty for a gearbox change.

“I got very close [to Ricciardo],” rued Bottas. “The pace was really good in the end, and that was what we expected with the strategy choice, so there was opportunities at the end, but not enough laps left. Which was a shame, I think it was a pretty decent race. Fourth place is not that much reward for that.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot this year, and learned something from this weekend, and I’m going to focus on these late few races and make the most out of them.”

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Mercedes has no concerns about Hamilton's Japanese GP F1 engine

Mercedes has dismissed worries about the state of Lewis Hamilton's Formula 1 engine, despite the world championship leader expressing concerns about a vibration after winning the Japanese Grand Prix.

Hamilton came on the radio following the chequered flag to say that he had experienced a vibration with his power unit in the latter stages of the Japanese Grand Prix and had been short shifting.

On a weekend when title rival Ferrari suffered more engine reliability problems, Hamilton's issue prompted suggestions that Mercedes could have hit trouble too.

But speaking after the race, Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff said the telemetry indicated there was no problem.

"We didn't see anything on the engine," said Wolff. "We looked at all the metrics. We need to really understand what he meant.

"My assumption is that when you are in the lead, and your main competitor has DNF-ed, you hear things.

"The same applies for us in the pitwall or in the garage. You just want the race to finish."

Hamilton later suggested his radio message was more to his team to double check the engine, rather than because he was unduly concerned.

"I don't honestly think there's anything wrong with the engine," said Hamilton. "I just felt a couple of things so you just point out things that you might forget to tell them.

"You make lots of different switch changes and the turbos make strange noises and different vibrations come in, so I'm hoping there's nothing.

"I don't think there is anything, I think it was just low... short shifting which the engine doesn't like so much."

With Sebastian Vettel's race wrecked by a failed spark plug, it has emerged that Mercedes had to change a faulty spark plug on Hamilton's car after qualifying.

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MARCHIONNE: THE SEASON IS NOT LOST

Ferrari big boss Sergio Marchionne appears to have gone soft on his team after another technical issue – this time a 59 euro spark plug – sidelined title contender Sebastian Vettel early on during the Japanese Grand Prix, and with it virtually ended his title aspirations.

In the past, Marchionne has been scathing of his team’s below par perfromances accusing them of “screwing up” and “embarrassing” him at Monza, but after another ‘shot to the foot’ defeat at Suzuka he has urged his team not to give up and dismissed the technical issues as nonsense.

Speaking to CNBC, Marchionne said, “Without being arrogant I think Ferrari is at the same level, if not superior, to Mercedes today. Red Bull has also made progress, but I do not think they are challenging Ferrari’s position in the race.”

“I do not want to talk about luck because I do not believe in it, things are happening to all of us especially in the race. The important thing is to not lose the confidence that has brought us so far.”

“The season is not lost, there is still time to rebuild. With all the modesty we have at Ferrari, the car has made tremendous progress.”

Then, with reference to the faulty spark plug that compromised the race in Japan, Marchionne said, “It was technical nonsense, a component that costs 59 euros blew our race.”

Echoing statements he made after the race in Malysia when a technical issue sidelined Vettetl in qualifying and Kimi Raikkonen on the grid, Marchionne added, “We need to renew commitment to the quality of the components we are producing for F1.”

“”This is a problem that we ignored over time and that was not of importance. But now, at least on three occasions it has had a devastating impact on the performance of the Scuderia. We need to fix that.”

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TORO ROSSO IN QUANDARY OVER WHO WILL DRIVE IN AUSTIN

Toro Rosso apparently made a mistake in a press release which claimed that Daniel Kvyat would rejoin the team alongside rookie Perre Gasly for the United States Grand Prix, but Red Bull driver chief Helmut Marko has denied that this has been decided as yet.

In the press release announcing the news that Carlos Sainz would join Renault for the race in Austin, the team wrote: “At the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Daniil Kvyat will drive for Scuderia Toro Rosso alongside Pierre Gasly.”

Kvyat is sure to be back in the cockpit, but Gasly is in contention for the prestigious Japanese Super Formula title, where he is half a point shy of top spot and could clinch the title during the season finale double-header at Suzuka on 22 October – the same day as the United States Grand Prix.

Marko told reporters at Suzuka, “”It’s only correct concerning Kvyat. Gasly is a decision that hasn’t been done yet. [The press release] was a mistake and there was a misunderstanding.”

Team Mugen, the Honda backed Super Formula team, are keen to have Gasly race on the above-mentioned weekend and have a shot at winning the title. Honda will power Toro Rosso next season.

The Japanese manufacturuer’s motorsport chief Masashi Yamamoto told reporters in Suzuka, “Before the Sainz move, we said we wanted Gasly to race for us in Super Formula. But now it’s a fact that Gasly has to drive in the United States instead of Sainz.”

“We think the priority is Formula 1, obviously. It’s the top category. If there is any case that someone else can race instead of Gasly, then obviously we would by happy to have him in Super Formula but Formula 1 is the priority.”

“There is a potential driver who could drive in Austin who is under discussion. We are not really sure if he can do it or not, so if he can then we’re happy to have Gasly in Super Formula, but if it’s not possible then Gasly should drive in Austin.”

Gasly, who was drafted into the Toro Rosso team in place of under-performing Kvyat in Malaysia and Japan, is indifferent regarding where he will be on the weekend of the grand prix at Austin or the finale at Suzuka.

He said, “The two options are exciting for me. If I go to Super Formula, fight for the title and come back to Mexico and finish the season with Toro Rosso that would be great, because a title is a title. But if I can go to Austin and race with Toro Rosso and end the season with them I will not complain because it is a fantastic opportunity.”

“Also it’s a good experience for me to be in F1. At the moment, we need to wait and I’m pretty sure we will find out next week or the week after and everything should be confirmed.”

Gasly is expected to be part of the Honda powered Toro Rosso team in 2018, his teammate for next season is not yet known but it is expected that Kvyat will remain with the team.

The Red Bull junior driver programme this year consists of Gasly, Niko Kari, Dan Ticktum, Neil Verhagen and Richard Verschoor. Apart from Gasly none of the other four drivers are ready to step up to Formula 1.

This is a tricky situation for Marko who has to decide if Gasly will skip the United States Grand Prix and please Honda, but at the same time create a situation whereby the second seat alongside Kvyat will need to be filled.

This week Red Bull and Toro Rosso are expected to announce the driver who will partner Kvyat in Austin.

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TEAM ORDERS PREVENT FORCE INDIA CIVIL WAR IN JAPAN

Force India implemented team orders, during the Japanese Grand Prix, when Sergio Perez was told to hold station and not to attack Esteban Ocon for sixth place, a decision taken by the team in the wake of several costly on track altercations between their drivers.

Speaking after the race at Suzuka, team COO Otmar Szafnauer explained, “The team always comes first. If they can prove to us after this year that they can sensibly race together, then I am sure we will consider that. Hulkenberg and Checo sensibly raced together and they didn’t crash into each other. If we had that scenario again then there is no reason to always have team orders.”

“They are both smart guys and hopefully the lessons will be learned very quickly and I think they have. Our philosophy here is always to maximise the team potential, and we have to do what it takes. Usually, letting them race and go as fast as they can maximises the team potential.”

“But when they start crashing into each other a lot then it doesn’t maximise the team potential, so we have to do something different in order to maximise the team potential. That is exactly what we have done. When we are happy to let them race, and we believe letting them race is better than holding them back, then that is when we will do it. But we are not there yet,” insisted Szafnauer.

Deputy team principal Rob Fernley added, “Sergio pretty much shadowed Esteban all afternoon and, once the pit stops were completed, we asked the drivers to hold station and bring home the points. We take further encouragement from the speed we have shown here, which has taken us a step closer to confirming fourth place in the championship.”

In the race, Ocon continued to impress as he ran as high up as third early on in the race before slotting into sixth with his teammate large in his mirrors.

Ocon said, “I was running ahead of Checo, we had nothing to gain from the cars ahead and a comfortable margin to the cars behind. So the priority was to bring the car home and score the big points.”

Perez made it clear that he could have gotten past his French teammate but accepted the call from the pit wall, “I felt I was quicker than Esteban in the second stint and I had an opportunity to overtake him at the final restart, but we followed the team’s instructions.”

“We knew this would be the case so it wasn’t a surprise, and swapping us wouldn’t have made a difference in terms of points for the team, so I understand the team’s perspective. In the end, Esteban did a great job during the whole weekend,” conceded Perez.

Force India lie comfortably fourth in the championship, well down on Red Bull in third but well up on Williams behind them in fifth.

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MCLAREN LEAVE HONDA´S HOME RACE EMPTY-HANDED

Honda´s last home Japanese Grand Prix as McLaren’s engine partner ended in disappointment without a point for the third year in a row at Suzuka, a stark reminder of the fruitless years of their second association.

Double Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso put on a characteristically dogged drive through the field to finish 11th but was handicapped from the start by a 35-place engine-related grid penalty.

The Spaniard was also handed a reprimand and two penalty points for ignoring blue flags instructing him to get out of the way of front-running cars.

His young team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne started ninth but dropped down the field after contact on the opening lap to finish 14th.

“This is our home grand prix, so we obviously have very strong feelings for this race,” said the Japanese manufacturer´s Formula One chief Yusuke Hasegawa at the Honda-owned Suzuka circuit.

“I want to say a huge thank-you to all of the fans that turned out to support us and also to the team who worked tirelessly throughout the weekend. It is a shame they weren’t rewarded with any points, but we still have four races left this season and we´ll continue to battle to the end.”

McLaren and Honda, who dominated Formula One in the late 1980s, are separating at the end of the season.

The pair have failed to recreate the glory days of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost and the three seasons since they rekindled their partnership have been marked by dismal performances, largely due to a lack of engine power and reliability.

McLaren, ninth out of 10 teams in the overall standings, will switch to Renault next season with Toro Rosso, currently powered by the French manufacturer, picking up the Honda supply.

McLaren chalked up consecutive points finishes in the last two races in Singapore and Malaysia, with Vandoorne seventh in both, and would have hoped to equal their previous best streak of three successive points finishes.

“Still, on the whole, this Asian triple-header has been a positive one for the whole team,” said McLaren racing director Eric Boullier. “We´ll definitely put that momentum to good use in the final four races.”

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FIVE TALKING POINTS FROM JAPANESE GRAND PRIX

Five talking points from the Japanese Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton’s victory at Suzuka.

How many Ferrari mechanics does it take to change a spark plug?

The sight of Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene looking glumly at the floor after Sebastian Vettel’s early retirement told a story in Suzuka. A week after a fuming Ferrari president Sergio Marchione spoke of “organisational changes” for a string of costly mistakes in recent races, it would be little surprise if heads roll at Maranello. The fiasco surrounding Vettel’s retirement after just four laps — caused by a humble spark plug — sounds like the punchline to a bad joke.

Get a room!

After sharing the podium with Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo in Suzuka, race winner Lewis Hamilton noted the banter between Red Bull pair and smiled: “I’ve never seen drivers such great friends. Do you guys share a room?” Hamilton’s relationships with his own team-mates have largely been more fractious (honourable mentions: Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg). Verstappen, who had given Hamilton a late fright in the race, didn’t bat an eyelid. “Yeah we actually share a bed,” he replied.

Seb keeps his cool

Vettel would have been well within his rights to throw his toys out of the pram after Ferrari’s latest mechanical failure. The German may have been hopping mad as his title hopes were frazzled by a faulty spark plug but he coolly held it together in his TV interviews. “I need to protect (the team) — they’ve done an incredible job,” said Vettel. Compare that to Hamilton’s histrionics last year when he suggested Mercedes could be conspiring against him after an engine fire in Malaysia.

Over and out For Palmer

Jolyon Palmer admitted he may never return to Formula One after completing his final drive for Renault with a 12th-place finish in Japan. The Briton, who makes way for Carlos Sainz, faces an uncertain future and may need to explore options outside of F1. “On the plane back home it will probably sink in,” he said, despondently, although the sight of Sainz crashing his Toro Rosso into a wall on lap one will surely have made him feel a little better.

Naughty Fernando

You just can’t keep Fernando Alonso away from controversy. This year, he managed to avoid turning the airwaves blue over team radio at Suzuka, home of McLaren’s engine suppliers Honda, after a profane outburst 12 months ago. But the Spaniard got into hot water for interfering with the battle between Hamilton and Verstappen in the closing stages of the race. Alonso, who was fighting for 10th with Felipe Massa, ignored blue flags ordering him to get out of the way, earning him a couple of penalty points.

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Nico Hulkenberg: 'Small metal component' responsible for DRS failure

Nico Hulkenberg has confirmed that his DRS failure at the Japanese Grand Prix was a result of a 'small metal component' breaking on the rear wing on his Renault.

Hulkenberg qualified in 12th place at Suzuka and was running inside of the points for much of the race. Being on the faster supersoft tyre for his final stint, the 30 year old had a good chance to get a large haul of points and improve Renault's standing in the Constructors' Championship.

“That was frustrating as a good points haul was possible," said Hulkenberg, reflecting on his afternoon in Japan which ended in retirement.

“I had fresh Super Soft tyres for a short final stint. I was able to overtake a Toro Rosso straight after my pit-stop to then set about attacking the Haas."

Hulkenberg confirmed that the failure of a small component on his rear wing was responsible for his DRS remaining open after it was used.

 “It’s a shame, but a small metal component broke on the DRS mechanism which left it stuck open. We’ll look at why it broke as we missed a good opportunity.

“I’m sure we can fight back, the car was pretty decent in the race and there’s plenty more to come from us in the final four Grands Prix,” he added.

As a result of Hulkenberg's DRS failure, Renault failed to secure any points in Japan, with Jolyon Palmer finishing down in 12th place. A doube points finish for Haas F1 means that Renault has been dropped to eighth in the Constructors' Championship, only one point behind the American outfit with four races remaining. 

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Brawn sympathises with "painful" Ferrari situation

Formula 1 chief Ross Brawn says he feels the "pain" that Ferrari must be going through right now, after the reliability disasters it has suffered in the last two races.

Ferrari has seen its title campaign fall apart in dramatic fashion in the last three races with a combination of crashes and reliability failures.

In Singapore, Sebastian Vettel got involved in a start-line crash that helped put him out on the first lap, before he suffered an engine problem in qualifying in Malaysia and then a spark plug failure in the Japanese GP.

Having fallen 59 points behind main rival Lewis Hamilton in the standings, Vettel's championship hopes are all but over, which is a huge disappointment to his Ferrari team.

Brawn, who was one of the architects of Ferrari's dominance during the Michael Schumacher era, believes now is the time for the team to remain calm rather than engage in a push to find scapegoats for what has gone wrong.

"Having experienced reliability woe of this kind at first hand with various teams, I know how painful it can be to see the hard work of so many people undone in a moment," he said in an official F1 newsletter issued on Monday.

"I have some sympathy for Ferrari at this difficult time. The team comes under incredible pressure, especially at home, and it's easy for heads to drop. But the key is to stay calm and focus on immediate goals."

Brawn believes that even if Ferrari fails in its championship ambitions, it should still feel hugely encouraged by how it as performed this year – as it is the first time in the turbo hybrid era that Mercedes has been put under proper pressure for the championship.

"However the season ends, Ferrari should be pleased with what it's achieved in 2017," added Brawn. "For the first time in the hybrid era, Mercedes has come up against a rival capable of fighting for the title.

"It's been a long time since Ferrari have been as competitive and the problems of recent weeks haven't erased that fact."

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Red Bull wants 2020 deals for Ricciardo, Verstappen

Red Bull is determined to extend both Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen's contracts until the end of 2020, amid ongoing speculation about their future.

F1 teams are bracing themselves for a potentially big shake-up in the driver market at the end of next year, with a number of top drivers including Ricciardo, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton not yet under contract for 2019.

But although Ricciardo has been linked with both Mercedes and Ferrari, his Red Bull boss Christian Horner has explained that his outfit is eager to keep hold of its current pairing.

Speaking about Ricciardo, Horner said: "He's technically out of contract at the end of 2018 because he will have completed a five-year contract.

"But what is absolutely clear is that it's our intention to retain both of our drivers, I would say until 2020."

As a fallback in case Ricciardo does leave Red Bull at the end of 2018, the team can recall Carlos Sainz, who has been loaned out to Renault.

Although the loan option is a sign that Red Bull is not sure about both its drivers staying, Horner says that in an ideal world there will be no shifting around.

"Carlos, I wanted to keep under contract as an option should one of the [existing] drivers past next year not be with us," he said.

"But the absolute intention is we want Ricciardo and Verstappen in Red Bull Racing cars going forward. They both enjoy being in the team.

"I think the difference with Daniel is for the first time in his career at Red Bull he's got an end in sight to his contract."

In response to remarks from Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko that Ricciardo was "on the market", Horner said that the comments were not intended to suggest his team was resigned to losing him.

"Helmut likes to state the obvious, and it's obvious he's on the open market But it doesn't mean we don't want him."

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Double trouble! | The team celebrates double podium in Japan

Getting into Max mode! | Max Verstappen's Japanese Grand Prix race warm-up

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen post race interview Japanese GP 2017

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When Daniel Ricciardo Took My Phone! ? Suzuka Grand Prix Japan | Lewis Hamilton Vlogs

 

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Autosport F1 Podcast: Mercedes' Hamilton closes in on fourth title

The latest edition of The Autosport Podcast looks back at the Japanese Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton moved to the brink of a fourth Formula 1 title.

Edd Straw is joined by Scott Mitchell and podcast returnee Andrew van de Burgt to discuss Ferrari's latest failure, and the end of Sebastian Vettel's realistic world championship hopes.

As well as Hamilton's narrow victory over Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Vettel's spark plug failure, there's also a look at the unique characteristics of Suzuka that make it such a challenging track.

The end of Jolyon Palmer's stint with Renault raises the question of whether the 26-year-old was treated harshly, or didn't make the most of his big break.

There's also a look at the imminent Williams evaluations of Robert Kubica and Paul di Resta, and the successful seasons of newly-crowned Formula 2 and GP3 champions Charles Leclerc and George Russell.

The Autosport Podcast is available to subscribe to free via iTunes and other podcast suppliers - simply search for 'Autosport'.

 

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Mercedes F1 team urged to sort 'diva' car rather than celebrate

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says his team has no reason to celebrate in Formula 1 yet, because it needs to get to the bottom of its troublesome 'diva' of a car.

Although Lewis Hamilton has opened up a 59-point advantage in the F1 drivers' standings following Sebastian Vettel's retirement in Japan, Mercedes insists that there are no grounds for it to relax.

Wolff believes Mercedes needs to knuckle down and use the final races of the campaign to work even harder to get to the bottom of why its car's pace fluctuates so much.

"There's no change in approach," said Wolff, when asked by Autosport about how the championship situation would alter Mercedes' attitude over the final races.

"We still have a 'diva' that needs to be understood.

"Also for the midterm, and the way we look at things, is our performance relative to our main competitors.

"I wouldn't say that we are utterly dominant against the Red Bull or Ferrari.

"We've benefited from Ferrari's misfortune and reliability woes in the last three races, but it doesn't mean that we are clapping ourselves on the back.

"On the contrary, I think we need to continue to push."

Wolff concedes that holding such a good points margin over Ferrari with only four races to go is a huge boost, but says that the way Ferrari's championship challenge has collapsed means that Mercedes must be mindful not to suffer the same fate.

"If everyone runs at normal, it is a huge advantage," he said. "But you can see how quickly it goes with Sebastian.

"He had a wipe out in Singapore, lost 25 points, wasn't competitive in Malaysia, didn't score a lot of points and had another problem here.

"You can see quickly it can swing. Therefore you need to have a humble attitude towards motor racing. It is what makes it exciting.

"There is always a certain degree of the unexpected that can happen and we won't take our foot off the throttle until it is done."

[skalls]

Disagree with Marchionne, the likelihood of them winning either the Manufacturer's or Driver's title is about as likely as me going out with Kate Upton.  Can't believe the rotten luck that's befallen them in the last couple races.

Looking forward to the US GP.  I'm going on Friday for FP1 and 2.  I will post up a whole bunch of pictures of the race and random food my brother and I feast on there.  So excited =)

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30 minutes ago, skalls said:

Disagree with Marchionne, the likelihood of them winning either the Manufacturer's or Driver's title is about as likely as me going out with Kate Upton.  Can't believe the rotten luck that's befallen them in the last couple races.

Looking forward to the US GP.  I'm going on Friday for FP1 and 2.  I will post up a whole bunch of pictures of the race and random food my brother and I feast on there.  So excited =)

I really wish Ferrari didn't have Marchionne running the show. 

As for the US GP, it's one of my top 3 races of the season, I'm looking forward to watching this one. So jealous bud, wish I were there with you! Enjoy!! 

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Michael Buffer to announce drivers

There will be a little bit more glitz and glamour at the United States Grand Prix as legendary announcer Michael Buffer will introduce the drivers ahead of the race.

The usual race procedure will start 15 minutes than usual to accomodate the introductions, which the teams voted unaminously in favour of when approached by the FIA.

“Having received a request from Formula 1, we have made some changes to the current Sporting Regulations for this race only, which will allow more time on the grid with the cars and drivers,” said the FIA’s race director Charlie Whiting.

“The period leading up to the start of a Formula 1 Grand Prix is always very spectacular and we are pleased to be able to make it even more exciting for the general public watching both at and away from the track.”

Sean Bratches, managing director of commercial operations at Formula 1, welcome the news as an "amazing opportunity" which will "elevate" the drivers.

“We are delighted to welcome Michael Buffer as part of our ongoing commitment to our fans to build the entertainment factor in Formula 1,” said Bratches.

“We know that the F1 United States Grand Prix is the best place for a globally-recognised star like Michael to take the spectacle to the next level.

"This is an amazing opportunity, I’ve known Michael for over 30 years and there is no one better: he will elevate the driver brands and shine a light on Formula 1.”

Buffer, meanwhile, cannot wait to give them a fitting introduction.

“I’ve been involved in some of the biggest sporting events around the world and have introduced most of the greatest boxers of the modern era, and now is my time to introduce the world’s finest racing drivers,” added Buffer. “

"They are the stars of the show and I want to introduce them with the energy and adrenalin they deserve before they fire up their engines and get ready to race.”

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Bottas ‘understands’ Japan GP position swap

Valtteri Bottas has no issue with Mercedes’ call for him to move over for Lewis Hamilton in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Despite pitting before Bottas, Hamilton closed right up on his team-mate’s rear wing.

Stuck behind the Finn it allowed Max Verstappen to close the gap to Hamilton as the two battled for the lead, and ultimately the victory.

As such Mercedes asked Bottas to move over for his team-mate, which not only gave Hamilton breathing room from Verstappen but also meant Bottas could briefly hold up the Red Bull driver.

“For me, there was not a lot [discussion], maybe internally there was more,” Bottas explained.

“They just told me when to do it really and I kind of got the point, I understood completely the situation.

“When I let Lewis by and went between him and Max, for sure I lost a bit of race time and that compromised my race a little bit.

“But obviously it was good for us as a team.

“It was not ideal for both of us, he lost time and I think I lost quite a few seconds at that point as well which would have helped me massively at the end of the race.

“So for sure we will look into everything if it could have been done better, but I understood the situation.”

Hamilton won the grand prix with Bottas was P4 on the day.

[Bartolomeo]

Very frustrating weekend for us Ferrari fans....

[Schumi5]

1 hour ago, Bartolomeo said:

Very frustrating weekend for us Ferrari fans....

The last month or so has been brutal for us Tifosi! Everything that could go wrong has. Shame because the car has the pace right now in my opinion. Got to think our run of bad luck has to turn eventually.

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1 hour ago, Schumi5 said:

The last month or so has been brutal for us Tifosi! Everything that could go wrong has. Shame because the car has the pace right now in my opinion. Got to think our run of bad luck has to turn eventually.

 

3 hours ago, Bartolomeo said:

Very frustrating weekend for us Ferrari fans....

Indeed, a turn for the good would be great to see but it's too late I dare say... It's a shame because the car is mega quick this year.

If only Kimi at least could be quicker, he had the reliable car over the weekend a shame it wasn't Vettel.

I actually thought we'd see a Ferrari WDC or constructors winners this season, I say this and I'm a Mercedes fan, but it would have been great for the sport for a different winner.

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SAINZ: IT WILL NOT BE EASY TO MATCH HULKENBERG

Carlos Sainz will start a new chapter of his Formula 1 career when he dons the black and yellow overalls of Renault after three Formula 1 seasons with Toro Rosso, and the Spaniard knows he will have his work cut out keeping up with new teammate Nico Hulkenberg.

Looking ahead to his debut for Renault, at the forthcoming United States Grand Prix, Sainz said, “It will not be easy to match Hulkenberg. He has completed 16 races with a car that I have never driven. It’ll take me a while to get used to it.”

“My goal, of course, is to get to his pace as soon as possible. But that does not come by itself. You have to work hard. This is mainly about analyzing the data and learning how to drive the car.”

Sainz’s move to Renault was expected as early as the Belgian Grand Prix, then at one stage it seemed that he would not get to drive for his 2018 team until next season.

But a flurry of behind the scenes negotiations resulted in Jolyon Palmer agreeing to walk away from the team, after the Japanese Grand Prix, and free up the seat for Sainz.

The Spaniard admits that the decision caught him off guard, “I learned about it from my manager only half an hour before the announcement. That came quite unexpectedly for me. I was just as surprised as everyone else.”

“I did not really have time to allow it to sink in as I was in the middle of race preparation [at Suzuka]. That’s why it was not a particularly emotional moment, but when I went to bed that evening I knew it was a good chance for me. It’s an opportunity get used to the car, the engineers and the mechanics.”

As for replacing Palmer, Sainz said, “Of course I’m sorry that he has to leave Renault and Formula 1, but that was not my decision and not my fault either. I do not have to apologise for anything.”

Ironically Renault and Toro Rosso (as well as Williams) are in a fight for sixth place in the constructors championship, with Sainz having scored the bulk of Toro Rosso’s points this season.

Either way the Spaniard is comfortable with his fate, “I would not have minded finishing the season with Toro Rosso. But the early start [with Renault] can be very important. These four races will help me next year. And if I can add a few points extra, that would be great.”

Unfortunately for Sainz his 56th grand prix weekend with Toro Rosso was one to forget as he shunted heavily during Friday practice and then crashed again on the opening lap of the race in Japan.

He explained, “I needed to risk something after the penalty put me on the last row of the grid. I was making up places but got on the slippery part of the track. Of course, this was not the end I had imagined. I would like to apologise to the team, but I will not allow this to cloud my good memories with the team. I am proud of what we have achieved together in these three years.”

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Nico Rosberg: Fernando Alonso only to blame for bad career choices

Reigning world champion Nico Rosberg says Fernando Alonso can only blame himself for his career decisions, which have seen the Spaniard unable to secure another world championship following his two triumphs at Renault more than ten years ago.

Alonso often finds himself in the right place at the wrong time. He left McLaren after the 2007 season, whilst team-mate Lewis Hamilton went on to secure championship success the following year. In 2010 he joined Ferrari and finished 3rd on three occasions, runner-up in 2012 and then 4th in his final season with the team before leaving for McLaren.

He's spent the last three years at the back of the grid with the Woking team and has hinted at leaving, but it's expected he will remain following McLaren's switch to Renault power next season. Only time will tell if that's the right move.

But Rosberg says it's not down to "bad luck", insisting a top driver knows where they need to be to win.

"It's not bad luck," said Rosberg. "It's not bad luck when you choose the wrong teams to be at, because that's all part of being a top driver.

"You can be the best driver in the world, but you won't win in a bad car."

Rosberg insists Alonso's only option now is to stick it out with McLaren, particularly as no other top seats are available, and says a Le Mans attempt wouldn't offer enough of a challenge.

"It's [McLaren] his only option," before adding, "It's [endurance racing] not Formula 1 – and Formula 1 is the maximum."

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Kubica return hindered by insurance issue

Robert Kubica is not an option to make a one-off return with Toro Rosso because of an issue with his insurance, according Auto Motor und Sport.

Following Carlos Sainz's early move to Renault, Toro Rosso are set to see the season out with Daniil Kvyat returning alongside the driver who replaced him: Pierre Gasly.

But the United States Grand Prix next weekend clashes with the Super Formula finale, a series where Gasly finds himself just half a point off leader Hiroaki Ishiura.

While Toro Rosso want him to focus on his Formula 1 commitments, new engine suppliers Honda are eager for him to compete for the Super Formula title instead.

This ongoing dispute means there is potentially an open seat at Toro Rosso in Austin, Texas, with Kubica thought to be one option.

However, that does not appear likely after it has emerged that it would trigger a reimbursement of a substantial lifetime insurance payout Kubica received for being permanently unable to race in F1 following his horrific rally accident.

A full-time return, however, is more financially viable and new manager Nico Rosberg has said that is Kubica's main and only priority.

"If you are thrown into deep water in a strange car without a test, you can only lose," said Rosberg.

"It is better to keep going for the Williams opportunity."

Kubica will test alongside Paul di Resta for Williams at the Hungaroring before the end of the month.

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Marko: ‘It would be better if Massa retires’

Dr Helmut Marko has called on Felipe Massa to retire after the backmarker got involved in the scrap for the race win between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

Verstappen was closing in on the Brit in the latter stages at Suzuka, but his progress was halted by Massa and Alonso in their own battle for P10.

Massa, who believes he still has a lot to offer Williams as they mull over who will be Lance Stroll's team-mate next year, claimed he had no room to let Verstappen through.

But Marko simply dismissed this explanation and said Massa would be better away from Formula 1 with his feet up.

"Max had the pace to attack Hamilton," Marko told ORF broadcaster.

"It cannot be that when the leaders approach you only move over after so many corners. Without the episode we would have had an exciting end.

"It would be better if Massa retires."