FORMULA 1

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VETTEL: WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF POTENTIAL TO UNLEASH

Now that the dust has settled it is fair to conclude that Ferrari, particularly their number one driver Sebastian Vettel, underdelivered in the Germany-Hungary doubleheader in which they were expected to bag maximum points with two victories as their car clearly has the edge over Mercedes this season.

But Vettel blew it famously while comfortably leading his home race, a week later they again fumbled – Vettel making a mistake while leading and then his crew botching the pitstop. What should have been a 50 points haul was only 18 and as a result the eight points lead he had over Hamilton before Hockenheim is now a 24 points deficit with nine rounds remaining.

But the Ferrari driver remains bullish, “This year has shown so far that our car is more efficient, our car is stronger and still has a lot of potential to unleash. So I’m quite confident with what’s sitting in the pipeline that we can improve.”

“Compared to last year, we lost the championship I think because our car wasn’t quick enough to be a match in the final part of the season. I am happy to see that the car is fast, it has worked well on every track so far.

“I think this is the most important thing. Our car has a big potential, so I feel relaxed, going on holiday, for the races to come.”

“I am confident that if we have a car to fight with we can put them under pressure and make things happen in the second half,” added Vettel.

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George Russell revels in 'unbelievable' Mercedes F1 test experience

Mercedes youngster George Russell revelled in an “unbelievable” test experience in Hungary, despite his run plan being compromised by a gearbox issue.

Russell took the reins of Mercedes’ W09 for Tuesday’s in-season test day at the Hungaroring, his first taste of this year’s car, and will remain in the car on Wednesday.

Russell finished fifth on the leaderboard and completed the fewest laps, racking up only 49 compared to the 126 amassed by Brendon Hartley, but nonetheless exuded confidence.

“It was fantastic to get back out behind the Mercedes car,” said the Formula 2 title leader.

“It’s unbelievable how quick and how much grip this car has got. Just an unbelievable experience to get back there.

“We had a few issues which limited our running but nevertheless it was a good day for myself.

“I was pleased with my performance and I think the team got some valuable information in the limited laps we did. 

Russell added: “I think F1 time is very limited for a young driver so it’s always extremely important to make the most of that chance when you have it.

“Obviously the more I can get the better but I think it will not be the end of the world if we had another day like today because I believe there will be more opportunities in the future.

“It’s just part of the game really, you can’t predict the weather, you can’t always get it perfect from the team’s point of view and F1 is so complex and it’s incredible there’s not more issues in the whole championship so it just goes to show the level everybody runs at. “

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Ferrari's Antonio Giovinazzi sets unofficial track record at Hungaroring F1 test

Ferrari reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi set an unofficial track record at the Hungaroring on the opening day of the second in-season test, before heavy rain struck.

Most of the day’s action took place in hot and sunny conditions but heavy rain struck the circuit with 90 minutes of the afternoon session.

It was during the afternoon in which morning pacesetter Giovinazzi gradually lowered the benchmark, eventually dipping into the 1:15s once equipped with a set of Hypersoft tyres.

Giovinazzi emerged again on the new-for-2018 pink-banded rubber – that was not available during the preceding race weekend – and wound up with a lap of 1:15.648.

It was just over half a second up on the previous track record posted by Sebastian Vettel in the SF71H last Saturday, albeit on softer tyres and a theoretically more rubbered in circuit.

Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson also used Hypersofts to emerge as Giovinazzi’s nearest rival, though he wound up 2.5s behind the Italian, who will take over the reins of the C37 for Wednesday’s running.

Brendon Hartley amassed the most mileage as he racked up 126 laps in the Toro Rosso-Honda to finish third, a mere 0.043s in front of McLaren reserve driver Lando Norris, the pair both setting their best time on Ultrasofts.

F2 title leader George Russell was fifth for Mercedes, and completed the fewest laps, his best coming on Supersofts, while Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo (Ultrasofts) was sixth, ahead of Nicholas Latifi (Soft).

Latifi, along with ninth-placed Williams young gun Oliver Rowland (Softs) ran with prototype 2019 front wings early in the morning, as teams look ahead to next year’s regulations.

They were split by Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg (Mediums), who missed the afternoon session due to an electrical fault, while Sean Gelael finished at the foot of the 10-driver table after carrying out tyre testing in association with Pirelli.

Gelael, though, brought his running to a premature end when he crashed at Turn 11 with just over two hours left in the afternoon session.

Haas has opted not to participate in this week’s test.

Only Norris and Ricciardo opted to take to the circuit after the rain fell, providing minimal action across the final 90 minutes of the session.

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Mercedes admits strategy asked too much of "valiant" Bottas

Mercedes Formula 1 technical director James Allison believes Valtteri Bottas put in a “valiant” performance in the Hungarian Grand Prix but its strategy asked too much of his tyres.

Bottas ran second to teammate and race winner Lewis Hamilton for most of the grand prix but fell to fifth late on as his tyres faded and he made contact with Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo.

His stint on the soft tyres was 10 laps longer than Hamilton’s after an early stop to cover the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen.

Allison, speaking in Mercedes’ post-race Pure Pitwall video debrief, said Bottas “had driven an utterly brilliant and valiant race, but we asked him just a little bit too much from rubber that couldn’t really go that long final stint”.

Bottas needed to pit in response to Raikkonen to ensure he retained track position against a car on the same strategy – Hamilton, Bottas and Raikkonen started on ultrasofts, while Vettel was running a long first stint on softs before switching to ultrasofts.

That meant Mercedes reacted to Ferrari stopping Raikkonen on lap 14 so Bottas did not get jumped by his fellow Finn on fresh tyres.

Ferrari then committed Raikkonen to a two-stop strategy, which gave Mercedes a window to pit Bottas again – but this would have dropped him behind Vettel and also freed up the German to try to chase and pass Hamilton on better tyres.

Allison said Mercedes had considered a second stop for Bottas under the brief virtual safety car (VSC) period but decided to push for second instead of taking a safe third.

He explained that the team believed the “worst-case scenario” was Bottas fading and dropping behind Vettel and Raikkonen, and that the prospect of a short VSC period could also have played against it.

“It would’ve been bad for us to find ourselves in no-man’s land where we started a VSC stop and it ended up being halfway between,” said Allison.

“So, in the end we decided to cling on for our risky second-place strategy, thinking worst case we would finish fourth.

“As it happened, second place didn’t work out and it ended up a little worse for Valtteri and for us as a result of those collisions.”

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How teams chased 'dirty downforce' gains in Hungary

Formula 1 teams were willing to pay the price for having draggy cars in their pursuit of 'dirty downforce' for the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
The Hungaroring is a challenging place for both drivers and engineers alike, and is often described as 'Monaco without the walls'.

It is indeed a high-downforce circuit, very much like other street circuits, but it rubbers in much more like a traditional track.

To further add to the complications, temperatures are often high and that means cooling the brakes and the power unit become a critical factor, resulting in aerodynamic efficiency being sacrificed.

It is a track where extra grip pays off more than straightline efficiency – which is why teams focus more on finding what is known as ‘dirty downforce'.

Here we look at how a few teams approached the challenge.

Williams updates

Williams FW41 Rear Wing, T-Wing and Cooling, Hungarian GP

The Williams FW41 may still be lacking some performance, but the front wing introduced at the last round in Germany has at least made the car more predictable for its drivers.

Keen to push on and add some more performance, the team arrived in Hungary with a new, rather large, T-wing (blue arrow).

The winglet featured two main horizontal surfaces either side of the engine cover, which are hooped together by endplates.

The lower of these two surfaces helps to drive the performance of the airflow travelling over the top of the sidepod’s surface, and the hot air exiting the enlarged cooling outlet that was last used in Bahrain (lower left inset, red arrow).

The upper surface works the airflow a little harder, sitting in relatively the same position as the regular T-wing, and features a slot along its length.

The rear wing also had changes. The mainplane swapped out for a conventional shaping, rather than the ‘spoon’-shaped wing seen elsewhere (green arrow).

This drive to create more downforce had the consequence of more drag, so the team added an extra open-end style louvre to alter the tip vortex being created (purple arrow), reducing drag.

Red Bull gains

Red Bull RB14 rear wing monkey seat

Red Bull more usually has to think about its aero efficiency ratio more than the others, given its power deficit to the other frontrunners, but when it comes to the high-downforce tracks we see the team throw caution to the wind.

Just like in Monaco, the RB14 was fitted with a high downforce rear wing and complemented by a T-wing (red arrow) and a small monkey seat winglet (blue arrow).

The role that the monkey seat can play has been drastically curtailed by the FIA for 2018, with the governing body keen to reduce the impact that aerodynamic devices can have on the exhaust, which lies in close proximity.

Nevertheless, Red Bull has, when the need arises, turned back to the aerodynamic appendage in order to overcome any instabilities that may occur when running such an aggressive rear wing.

Most of the field runs a T-wing in one form or another at the majority of the races, teasing a little more downforce and stability from the surface for a negligible quantity of drag.

Eyeing any straightline boost in its quest to beat Mercedes and Ferrari, Red Bull only opts to run one when absolutely necessary.

Force India keeps up the fight

Force India VJM11 high downforce rear wing comparison

Starved of budget in the opening phase of this season, Force India has slumped back a little, especially when compared with the success it has enjoyed over the last two seasons.

A lack of budget can have a significant impact on the delivery of updates at key points in the season and so it has had to be more cautious about the timing of bringing new parts that help performance.

With aerodynamic efficiency less worrisome at the high-downforce circuits, the team bolted on a pair of double T-wings in Monaco and Hungary, whereas elsewhere it has opted to use just a single element (inset, red arrow).

It also toyed with, but never raced, a small monkey seat winglet hung from the rear wing centre pillar over the exhaust (inset, blue arrow).

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Strategy Report: How wet qualifying opened the door for Mercedes

James Allen analyses the Hungarian Grand Prix, as rain – this time in qualifying – once again came to help Mercedes snatch victory away from Ferrari.
There’s nothing quite like a wet qualifying session to make things interesting for a Grand Prix, and in Budapest we had just such a scenario.

It means everyone can choose their starting tyres; it opens up the strategic possibilities from the start, rather than only the cars starting outside the Top 10 having some fun with tyre choices.

In Hungary the rain caught out title contender Sebastian Vettel, as it had the week earlier in Germany, and swung it towards his rival Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes driver started on pole thanks to the rain in qualifying with Vettel down in fourth.

And what we saw on the hot and dry race on Sunday was dictated by clear air strategy – the imperative was to run in clear air and not in traffic (look at the Race History Chart at the bottom of this piece for a graphic illustration of it). 

This is the dominant factor in Budapest and it is why Hamilton, Pierre Gasly and Kevin Magnussen all had great races and why Carlos Sainz lost places to the McLaren cars by being overcut. It’s also why Vettel struggled through to second place as a best case outcome. He just couldn’t make it happen for himself to get a run in clear air.

He almost managed it, but an overlong first stint and a slow pit stop brought him out behind Valtteri Bottas. 

Without that he would have certainly been able to use the clear air to catch Hamilton in the second stint. Whether he would have been able to pass him is highly debatable given the struggle he had passing Bottas who was on much older tyres. But it would have made for an exciting duel. 

What was the effect of Ferrari’s split strategy?

As mentioned above the start of the race was fascinating as both Vettel and Sainz were outliers, they chose to start on the more durable soft tyre rather than the ultrasoft tyre that the others were running.

For Vettel it was a reasonable decision; the team put the better placed car of Raikkonen on the ultrasoft tyres with a mission to mix it with the front row Mercedes on the long run down to Turn 1. With Gasly and Sainz on row three of the grid behind him, Vettel could afford the small risk of less grip off the line from starting on softs, but would do his best to get any benefit from Raikkonen disrupting the Mercedes cars. 

If all else failed and he was third in the opening stint – he would then be able to extend the first stint and use the clear air running later to catch and attack Hamilton at the end. A Safety Car could intervene, as has happened quite a bit recently.

The main risk with this strategy is the amount of time it takes to cut through lapped traffic, if the drivers in question don’t observe the blue flags. That certainly cost Vettel precious time here and his stint was probably a couple of laps too long.

This all increased the pressure on the pit crew for his stop; it had to be perfect somewhere close to two seconds, in order to come out ahead of Bottas, who had been pulled into making an early stop by Raikkonen committing to a two stop strategy early. Interestingly Ferrari have tried this with Raikkonen on Bottas a few times this year, including Germany where the Mercedes team didn’t bite. Here they did and it opened the road up for Vettel.

But now with everything hanging on the pitstop, the execution wasn’t perfect and he lost 2.5 seconds, enough to come out behind Bottas. Ferrari’s first stop of the day with Raikkonen had been slow too, costing Raikkonen around three seconds and a position to Magnussen.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1 W09, leads Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari SF71H

Bottas did a wonderful job of blocking Vettel from start to almost finish, something team boss Toto Wolff described as a perfect ‘wingman’ role for team leader Hamilton. That description could certainly be applied to Raikkonen, who has performed the role for Vettel and Alonso before him since his return to Ferrari. But it’s not how Bottas sees himself.

Either way the execution by Bottas was almost perfect – aside from an overly dogged defence when the cause was already lost, tapping Vettel’s rear wheel but without puncturing it, fortunately for the German. It broke Bottas’ front wing, however and led to a more costly collision with a charging Daniel Ricciardo at the end.

Raikkonen scored a fifth consecutive podium, despite a compromised strategy, a sign of how fast the Ferrari is. When he was running in clear air on softs and Vettel was stuck behind Bottas on ultras, Raikkonen’s relative pace showed that this was a winnable race for Ferrari. 

But track position, plus Mercedes’ tactics, as much as any race strategy, won the day. And it all came back to that wet Q3 on Saturday.

Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso STR13

Getting it right in midfield

In Sainz’s case, starting on soft tyres from fifth on the grid was a mistake as he lost two places on the opening lap and effectively undid the good he’d done with his exceptional fifth place qualifying performance in the wet. 

Contrast that with Gasly, who started sixth on ultrasoft and as the quick cars ahead drove away, he ran his race in clear air, while the cars behind all lost a second or more per lap relative to their potential pace, in traffic. 

The pair’s skills in the wet qualifying had put them alongside each other on the third row of the grid, ahead of even wet weather specialist Max Verstappen.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB14, leads Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso STR13 & Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault Sport F1 Team

The Dutchman cleared them both at the start, but retired soon after with engine problems. Gasly was able to clear Sainz and run at his pace, while Sainz also fell behind Magnussen.

He pitted on Lap 25 but found himself being overcut by Alonso and Vandoorne, who went 15 laps further on their soft tyres in the opening stint. He finished ninth from fifth on the grid.

The UBS Race Strategy Report is written by James Allen with input and data from several F1 team strategists and from Pirelli.

Race History Chart

Kindly provided by Williams Martini Racing, click to enlarge

The number of laps is on the horizontal axis; the gap behind the leader is on the vertical axis. 

A positive sign is an upward curve as the fuel load burns off. A negative sign is the slope declining as the tyre degradation kicks in.

Look at how much more pace the cars running in clear air have compared to those in traffic. Hamilton, Gasly and Magnussen have clean races, for example. 

Tyre Usage Chart

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Latest F1 tech updates in post-Hungarian GP testing

Our photographers showcase the latest Formula 1 technical developments on show in Budapest in the post-Hungarian Grand Prix test session.

Williams FW41 front wing detail

As F1 embarks on a new regulatory framework for 2019 some of the teams took the opportunity to test a more simple front wing, akin to the one set to be used next season, at this test. Here we can see just how uncomplicated the endplate design is.

The rest of the wing follows suit, with the anticipated five-element-only wing lacking in complexity when compared with those we’ve come to know over the last decade. Also note the use of a kiel probe array behind the left-front wheel assembly gathering data on how the wing is performing.

Williams also placed chequered-style stickers on the front wing endplate, which are monitored by a hi-speed camera in order to see how much the wing moves under load.

Force India VJM11 front wing detail

Force India was another team to test the simplified front wing, but opted for even more simplicity than Williams. You’ll note the front brake duct is also barren when compared with current designs and is part of the sports scaling back on their use for aerodynamic purposes.

Nicholas Latifi, Force India VJM11

A forward view of the simple five-element front wing trialled by Force India. Note the kiel probe array mounted behind the front wheel which is used to gather baseline data on this new design.

A rear view of the 2019 style front wing being trialled by Force India shows that the design features only two underside strakes, which is expected to be enforced as part of the new regulations.

Nico Hulkenberg, Renault Sport F1 Team R.S. 18

Having introduced a new front wing in recent races, Renault opted to switch back to its old design in the morning session and outfit the RS18 with kiel probe arrays for aerodynamic analysis.

George Russell, Mercedes AMG F1 W09

George Russell at the wheel of the Mercedes W09, which was outfitted with a kiel probe array on the left rear side of the car to collect aerodynamic data. You’ll note that the team is also testing a new front wing, which features an additional slotted ‘r’ shaped cascade designed to turn flow across the front face of the tyre.

Antonio Giovinazzi, Ferrari SF71H

Antonio Giovinazzi at the wheel of the SF71-H which has a kiel probe mounted out of sight behind the left side of the front wing. There’s also a pitot stack mounted within the central channel of the airbox to collect airspeed data.

Oliver Rowland, Williams FW41 with aero paint

The FW41’s developmental front wing for 2019 was doused in flo-viz paint ahead of the lunch break as the team looked to gather some important information on the behaviour of the wing and where the airflow would move downstream (note the convergence of the red and blue paint used on the left hand side of the car).

Another great view of the Williams 2019 focused front wing with flo-viz on it showing how the airflow is performing.

Williams FW41 front wing

A mechanic adjusts the amount of flap angle available to the driver on a 2019-specification front wing.

Renault Sport F1 Team front wing

A look at the detail on the underside of the nose and front wing of Renault’s RS18.

Nico Hulkenberg, Renault Sport F1 Team R.S. 18

A rear view of the framework and multiple kiel probes mounted to the Renault RS18.

Scuderia Toro Rosso STR13 nose and front wing

This great view of Toro Rosso’s front wing as the mechanics move it around the pitlane shows how the various upper elements of the wing are directed outward in order to encourage airflow to move out around the front tyre

Mercedes-AMG F1 W09 engine cover

This top down shot of the Mercedes W09 shows not only the fully open chimney outlet but also the kiel probe array that’s mounted around the back of the car.

Red Bull Racing RB14 rear floor detail

An overview of the elongated floor gills introduced by Red Bull in Germany.

Nicholas Latifi, Force India VJM11

Force India, not to be outdone, also sprayed its 2019 developmental front wing with flo-viz to gather information about how the airflow was performing.

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‘Lots asking’ about Haas seat for 2019

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has said there have been lots of enquiries about a potential drive with the team in 2019.

An opportunity could arise for one driver should Haas decide to part company with Romain Grosjean, who did not score a single point for the team in the first eight races of the 2018 season.

Although the Frenchman has showed some signs of improvement with three points finishes in the last four races, including a P4 in Austria, the damage may already have been done.

Steiner said that Haas are not actively looking to replace Grosjean at this stage, but that has not stopped the calls coming in from potential suitors.

“I wouldn’t say we are shopping around. A lot of people are shopping with us, put it this way,” Steiner said.

“There are people asking for obvious reasons and they want to see what we are doing. If somebody is asking that doesn’t mean they want to come, in my opinion, they might just be asking to see what other people are doing.

“We will decide after the holiday what we are going to do, but at the moment we don’t think about it.

“There are a lot of people asking, and it is part of my job to know what is happening in the marketplace.”

Steiner also revealed that the likes of Ferrari and Renault could see new options appear once they have made their decision.

“One of the first moves is to decide what Ferrari is going to do for the future, what Renault is going to do for the future, and then we small guys come in,” Steiner added.

“I wouldn’t say we have to wait on their decisions, but that could trigger the market. I didn’t say that I want to decide after they do because maybe we have decided already without knowing what they are doing.

“I’m just saying them deciding will trigger the market because then we have the facts of what somebody is doing.

“It’s not just asking around and presuming then we have got facts. If someone announces something then we have actual facts to work with. At the moment everyone is staying the same, because no-one has done anything.”

Haas are widely expected to trigger their option on Kevin Magnussen for the 2019 season, while Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc have both been linked with becoming K-Mag’s new team-mate.

[Lotusguy]

That track, like most Tilke tracks, should be retired from the calendar. Terrible.

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7 hours ago, Lotusguy said:

That track, like most Tilke tracks, should be retired from the calendar. Terrible.

The mention of TILKE is forbidden on this thread!  

 

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LAUDA IN INTENSIVE CARE AFTER BOUT OF SUMMER FLU

After running our get well soon Niki piece earlier this week, we have learned that Niki Lauda’s condition is far worse than reported with the Formula 1 legend admitted into intensive care to treat a severe case of “summer flu” however, indications are that he is now on the road to recovery.

A severe cough was the apparently the reason why the three times F1 World Champion was not present at the last two races in Hockenheim and Budapest.

Mercedes told GrandPrix247 that “Niki has had a bout of flu and was advised to take some rest by his doctors during the German and Hungarian weekends. We hope to see him back in Spa!”

But reports in Austrian media indicate that the “summer flu” he suffered was far more dramatic than initially revealed. Lauda is said to have contracted the bug during a short vacation in Ibiza, upon which he jetted to Vienna where he was immediately admitted into intensive care at a local hospital where he has been since the end of July.

Speedweek report that summer flu attacks the immune system of the body and because Lauda already suffers from a kidney weakness he is regarded as a high-risk patient.

Additional reports confirm that the Mercedes F1 chairman “is being well looked after” and after 12 days in hospital, he is “almost back to full health, thankfully there were no complications with kidneys and heart ” and could be discharged this week.

A friend of Lauda said, “The doctors say that after this severe flu Niki must stop playing with his health, urging the Austrian to reduce his commitments.”

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ANDRETTI: INDYCAR IS PRIMED AND READY FOR ALONSO

Andretti Autosport chief Michael Andretti has issued an ultimatum to Fernando Alonso to sign up with his Indycar team for a whole season or forget about driving for the American team in 2019.

Alonso’s future is somewhat uncertain, fed up with Formula 1 the Spaniard is already committed to the World Endurance Championship (WEC) Superseason and has hinted that he will not tolerate another season in the bowels of the midfield, and of course his quest for the rare Triple Crown of Motorsport.

Andretti revealed, “It was put to Alonso if he wants to do a partial season and he said no. If he does it, he wants to do the whole thing or not at all.”

Although Alonso-to-Indycar has lost momentum, with reports from the F1 paddock suggesting the double F1 World Champion has dropped the idea.

But according to Andretti, McLaren chief Zak Brown is set to revisit the project during the summer break, “There are still a lot of things in the air; a lot of things still have to happen. We are getting to a critical time and we have to get some things done in the next week or so.

“They have to get their driver situation settled. Is Fernando going to stay? Is he going to go? Is he going to come here? Is he going to stay in Formula 1? Is he going to retire? What is he going to do?”

“Zak has to work on his Formula 1 plan and he has a lot to work out there, but we’ll see what is going to happen.”

“For me, I would love to have Fernando because he was a joy to work with. We had a lot of fun at Indy and I think we would have a lot of fun doing this all year long.”

“It would create a buzz, and a buzz is something you can’t buy. It would go back to like it was when Nigel Mansell came over. It feels like the early 1990s when things started to go for IndyCar. The timing of Fernando coming to IndyCar could help set it off.”

“I think IndyCar is primed and ready for something like that to happen,” added Andretti.

The last Formula 1 World Champion to ditch F1 for Indycar was Nigel Mansell who went on to win the title in 1993, a year after winning the Formula 1 world championship.

But Andretti sees little similarity between the two drivers, “Fernando Alonso is the complete opposite of Nigel Mansell. Everybody thought Nigel was so great and so nice and Fernando is the complete opposite.”

“But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Fernando is the nicest guy you would ever want to meet, but he has the perception of being a certain way and that is so wrong. You really don’t know the person you see in front of the camera.”

“It will be good for everybody. It would be good for the whole team and the whole team could help him a lot. If he comes over here, there is a lot he will have to learn. I think the team helped him a lot at Indy and if he comes here, he will have pace from the first race.”

Andretti revealed that the deadline for a decision needs to be made by McLaren and/or Alonso by the Indycar round at Pocono on 19 August, so that they can put together a competitive package for the Spaniard.

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HÄKKINEN: VETTEL REMINDS ME OF SCHUMACHER

One of Michael Schumacher’s greatest rivals, Mika Hakkinen, has likened Sebastian Vettel to the great driver that led Ferrari to unprecedented glory at the turn of this century and believes that this predicting this year’s title winner is impossible to predict.

Hakkinen, who was Formula 1 world champion in 1998 and 1999, recalls Schumacher his nemesis and sees many similarities with his former rival, “I first think of Sebastian’s driving style as unique, but the similarities to Michael are there. He always braked at the same point, always drove the same line, accelerated very sensitively, everything controlled,

“It’s a very good, clear, clean and aggressive driving style. Even over the curbs, he always has the car under control,” Hakkinen told Speedweek.

Regarding Vettel’s rival Lewis Hamilton, Hakkinen said, “Lewis always tries to drive a bit more extreme. Very controlled, but he pushes the car more to the limit and risks much more. But it is not careless, he makes conscious decisions. If he does not go off track, a super lap comes from his effort. You can take that risk, but not always, otherwise you’ll spin sooner or later.”

From what he has seen so far this season Hakkinen is reminded of his days at McLaren,

“We put a lot of emphasis on keeping the rear stable on the track. A nervous tail makes it hard for the driver, especially if he is driving the car to the limit. Ferrari is in a good position for the title, unless unpredictable things happen…”

He continued, “Formula 1 has not been as exciting for a long time now. Rosberg against Hamilton was anything but boring, but the number of fans was reduced by the duel within one team. Now Mercedes against Ferrari, plus the young talents like [Max] Verstappen – now it’s exciting.”

The championship this year has swung like a pendulum, with Vettel versus Hamilton and Ferrari versus Mercedes swinging one way and the other during the first 12 rounds of the season. Hamilton lies 24 points ahead of Vettel with nine rounds remaining.

Championship prediction?

“It’s impossible to predict that. Hamilton and Vettel are so very different. It’s interesting to see how Vettel’s nerves sometimes take over, on the other hand, Hamilton takes more risks,” added Hakkinen.

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DE LA ROSA: ‘BEAST’ ALONSO WILL DESTROY SAINZ AT MCLAREN

Talk of an all Spanish driver line-up for McLaren has been doing the rounds in the Formula 1 paddock for some time now, but one Spaniard who thinks this is a bad idea is Pedro de la Rosa who knows both drivers very well.

The prospect of Carlos Sainz teaming up with Fernando Alonso may sound great on paper, but according to De la Rosa, the younger of the two Spaniards will come out the worse for wear as the veteran he is up against is traditionally merciless against his teammates.

Currently, Stoffel Vandoorne is being comprehensively outperformed by Alonso in the sister McLaren, the score 12-0 in qualifying alone – the Belgian’s future uncertain already at this point of his second season with the Woking outfit.

Asked about the Alonso-Sainz ‘dream team’ during an interview on Cadena SER, De la Rosa replied, “A dream? I think it would be better if they were not together. Being Fernando’s teammate is very difficult, so I prefer that some other driver suffers, not Carlos.

“Fernando is an old dog, the best driver in the history of Formula 1. So I would prefer that Carlos accumulate two or three more years of experience in the sport and then face a beast like Fernando.”

De la Rosa and Alonso are more than colleagues, they are mates. The pair worked closely together during their spell at Ferrari, so few are better placed to analyse a scenario in which the two Spaniards share a pit garage.

“When I say Fernando is the best, people tell me that I am his friend,” added 47-year-old De la Rosa. “But I have worked with some of the best and Fernando has something special.”

Silly Season chatter is that Renault are keen to secure the services of young Frenchman Esteban Ocon to partner Nico Hulkenberg at the team next year, which would mean Sainz would have to find work elsewhere.

But De la Rosa believes that Sainz has done enough to guarantee himself a place on the grid, “If Renault makes the mistake of letting Carlos escape, we must not go crazy because he has earned a place in Formula 1.”

Regarding young drivers, De la Rosa is impressed with Sauber rookie Charles Leclerc, “He is the new jewel and I hope they give him a chance at Ferrari in 2019.”

As for the current championship battle, De la Rosa observed, “Mercedes is winning when Ferrari should be doing so, the great drama for them and [Sebastian] Vettel is that they have the best car but are still 24 points behind.

“There is still a long way to go and I think everything will be decided only at the last race,” predicted De la Rosa who made 104 grand prix starts, driving for Arrows, Jaguar, McLaren, Sauber and HRT during that period.

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Sergio Perez relieved to have break after 'mentally tough' phase

Sergio Perez says he is relieved to have a break from Formula 1 after a “mentally tough” period, in which he has been involved in the future situation of the Force India team.

Force India entered administration on Friday and Perez, along with his backers, were one of the creditors who opted to commence proceedings against the team.

Perez stressed that he was prompted into the action in order to save the team, rather than motivated by any financial desires, and added that he was heart-broken at having to do so.

Force India’s off-track difficulties were matched by its on-track showing at the Hungaroring, an event at which is typically struggles, as Perez dropped out in Q1 and took only 14th in the race.

“It hasn’t been an ideal race for us, but we knew it was going to be a tough Sunday all along,” he said.

“We started from the back and chose to go with an aggressive strategy, but in the end we just didn’t have the pace to make it work.

“I had a good start but lost some places after touching with [Charles] Leclerc and after that it was always going to be difficult to recover on a circuit where overtaking is very difficult.

“I am glad we have the summer break now. The last few months have been tough mentally but I’m still here and I’m in the top 10 of the Drivers’ Championship.

“We will come back stronger after the holidays – all the off-track issues will have been settled down and we can come to Spa with the right approach and a stable environment around us.”

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Kimi Raikkonen leads Wednesday morning F1 test session in Hungary

Kimi Raikkonen kept Ferrari on top of the timesheets as he set the quickest time on Wednesday morning during Formula 1 testing at a hot and dry Hungaroring.

Ferrari reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi headed both sessions on Tuesday and Raikkonen vaulted to the front early on, before working his way down to a 1:16.171, as he also finished with the most laps under his belt, amassing 69, one short of a full race distance.

Raikkonen’s best lap left him 2.280s quicker than Williams’ Robert Kubica, who returned to action aboard the FW41, a year on from his return to the paddock with Renault.

Lando Norris continued testing duties in his role as McLaren’s reserve driver and finished third, three-tenths behind Kubica, and held a similar gap over Sean Gelael.

Gelael switched from the Pirelli-run Toro Rosso STR13 over to the car entered by the team itself, with Brendon Hartley taking over tyre testing duties.

Mercedes-backed Formula 2 title leader George Russell was fifth, while Tuesday pacesetter Giovinazzi switched to Sauber’s C37 and placed sixth.

GP3 race winner Nikita Mazepin caused the only red flag of the four-hour session when his Force India VJM11 stopped at Turn 11, and he finished seventh on the leaderboard.

Renault test and development driver Artem Markelov had his first experience in a current-spec Formula 1 car and placed eighth, in front of Red Bull simulator driver Jake Dennis.

Tyre tester Hartley rounded out the field; Haas is not present at this week’s test.

Formula 1 testing will resume for a further four hours at 14:00 local time.

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Can Liberty save Force India from F1’s civil war?

Formula 1 owner Liberty faces the biggest crisis of its leadership to date, with three teams blocking its initial rescue plan to save Force India.
Despite all its efforts so far, Liberty has failed to convince Renault, McLaren or Williams to sign up to an agreement that would effectively hand Force India a cash lifeline.

Under terms of the bilateral agreements between the teams and F1’s commercial rights holders (still commonly referred to as the Concorde Agreement), a team emerging from administration (Force India’s current status) is regarded as a new entity and can only retain its prize money rights of its former guise if all teams agree.

As of now Renault, McLaren and Williams steadfastly refuse to do so.

On the surface, this looks a shameless piece of opportunism, to kick a rival when it’s down. However, word in the paddock is that neither spite nor money is at the heart of this matter, but their real concern is that Force India is being teed up by Mercedes to become a so-called ‘slave team’.

They feel this would serve to increase the power base of one of the sport’s two major manufacturers to their detriment and that of the sport in general.

Some within the paddock believe that Ferrari and Mercedes have pushed the boundaries of second-string teams far enough, and that Mercedes playing a central role in a Force India takeover would add further strength to the dominance of the German manufacturer in F1 matters.

The $70million problem

Force India’s recently strong on-track performances haven’t been matched by its financial situation. Owner Vijay Mallya has faced well-documented legal issues in India, as has his investment partner Sahara Group.

A technical supplier recently launched a winding-up order against the Silverstone-based team, which could have triggered insolvency.

So the move into the safety net of administration followed an action led by driver Sergio Perez. A High Court judge ruled in favour of that on Friday, with FRP Advisory being appointed to see what can be done for creditors and secure the future of the team.

The last two F1 teams to fail – Caterham and Manor – both went into administration, but failed to emerge with a credible buyer. Although the most recent Manor effort was born after Marussia was rescued from administration at the start of 2015 (you might also recall that Force India attempted to block it from using a 2014 car).

Force India’s value – having finished fourth in the past two seasons in the constructors’ championship – is much higher in the eyes of potential purchasers. 

Unless Liberty can get unanimity from the teams, something in the region of $70million in prize money will be precluded from any deal. To put that in context, that’s at least half of the team’s entire yearly budget.

Worse than that, the way that F1’s prize fund works is that the team would need to finished in the top 10 for two of the next three years to qualify for any money at all. That in effect means no prize income until 2021 – unless, again, the other teams agree.

You might think that, as the owner of F1, Liberty could simply appropriate the funds as it sees fit. But the Concorde bilateral agreements are complex documents that allow no room for manoeuvre, so perhaps its only recourse would be to make a one-off ‘bail out’ payment to make up for the shortfall. However, this would set a dangerous precedent.

One F1 insider has likened the scale of this crisis to the global financial crash of 2008, and points out that it took for banking giant Lehman Brothers to collapse before emergency plans were put in place that prompted an industry-wide recovery.

As of today, it seems that Renault, McLaren and Williams are ready to play hardball in defence of their own positions in the sport – and that a Lehman-style collapse of a rival may be viewed as a price worth paying to achieve that.

It’s an unpleasant spot for them to be in too, but it’s clearly a case of fighting your own corner or rolling over and risking your own demise. To complicate matters yet further, Williams is a customer of Mercedes – and just last week was reported to be discussing an increase to its deal to include gearboxes. 

But the prospect of Force India (or whatever name it takes on in future) having concrete ties to the works team would surely weaken Williams’ position. Unless there’s some more bargaining to be done…

Ron Dennis famously welcomed Eddie Jordan to the ‘Piranha Club’ when he joined F1 in 1991. Throughout the sport’s history, the paddock predators have seemed ready and willing to turn on one of their own for the sake of what they see is the greater good.

This time, however, the cost wouldn’t be small fry – but Jordan's 'old' team, the most successful midfield outfit of recent times.

Can Liberty really allow that to happen?

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Gasly now "a mature driver", says Tost

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost reckons Pierre Gasly is now "a mature driver" after he scored his third significant Formula 1 result of 2018 in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
After finishing fourth in Bahrain and seventh in Monaco, Gasly earned sixth place at the Hungaroring - the same position where he had qualified in the event's wet qualifying session.

The 22-year-old has now scored 26 of the team's 28 points so far this season.

"From FP1 we were competitive," Tost told Motorsport.com. "Pierre was nearly always within the first 10, and I was quite convinced that we could do a good job, and that we could score points.

"That we could finish in sixth position in qualifying, I was not sure about this.

"But we did a very good qualifying in difficult conditions, which showed that the car in the wet was very competitive. Both drivers did a very good job, I must say.

"Pierre had a good start, and defended his sixth position, and brought it home without any troubles.

"He controlled the race - when he had to go a little bit faster he did it immediately - and he had no problem with the tyres or fuel saving.

"He showed a fantastic performance, and he's become a really mature driver.

"He's improving his performance, his understanding. F1 is complicated, but he's using all the tools to his advantage, and I'm really impressed."

Tost was relieved that Toro Rosso was able to get good results in Monaco and Hungary, two tracks where the power deficiency of its Honda engine is less obvious.

"We took the chances - these tracks fit to us," he said.

"The next two races are completely different - Spa and Monza are high speed races - and we will see how we look there.

"From our side we have improved the performance, but the main problem for us is that our direct opponents like Haas and Sauber have improved even more.

"They are really strong, very competitive, and [in] the next two races it will be difficult to get them under control. But for Singapore I'm quite optimistic."

Tost is confident that Toro Rosso can make more progress within in 2018.

"We knew from the very beginning that this season will not be an easy one," he said.

"It's a preparation for next year, and up to now I must say we are going in absolutely the correct way.

"Stuff is coming, but the others will also bring new parts. It depends which team is developing in a more efficient way."

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RICCIARDO: EXCITED FOR WHAT LIES AHEAD WITH RENAULT

The ‘toughest decision’ of Daniel Ricciardo’s life, in opting to leave Red Bull and join Renault next season, could be good news for some Formula 1 drivers but at the same time leaves others facing an uncertain future.

Ricciardo said in a social media message, “It was by far the toughest decision I’ve made in my racing career but in 29 years living on this Earth, it was actually one of the toughest life decisions I’ve made.”

“I felt it was a time now where it was good for me to move on and have a fresh start somewhere else. I think it will be healthy for me – so excited for what lies ahead with Renault.”

“I realise there is a lot ahead in order to allow Renault to reach their target of competing at the highest level but I have been impressed by their progression in only two years, and I know each time Renault has been in the sport they eventually won.”

The immediate questions to be answered are who will be the Australian’s replacement alongside Max Verstappen and what will happen to Spaniard Carlos Sainz, whose place he has taken?

The two go together, with 23-year-old Sainz loaned to Renault by Red Bull for 2018 after the French manufacturer needed a replacement for under-performing Briton Jolyon Palmer.

Sainz could slot in at Red Bull but the previous pairing of him and Verstappen at Toro Rosso was far from smooth and the Dutch 20-year-old is now the senior team’s clear focus.

French rookie and 2016 GP2 champion Pierre Gasly has meanwhile impressed at Toro Rosso and, with previous experience racing for Red Bull’s new for 2019 engine partners Honda, could be in line for a promotion.

Until Red Bull decide, Sainz’s hands are tied and any other move — and McLaren have expressed interest — must remain on hold.

Gasly’s promotion would leave Red Bull with a headache at Toro Rosso, with no as-yet qualified youngster seemingly in a position to step in from the ranks of Red Bull junior drivers and Sainz unlikely to return there.

That could mean Gasly’s 2018 team mate, New Zealander Brendon Hartley, gets a reprieve just as the exit door had appeared to be opening.

McLaren are meanwhile waiting to see what double world champion and Le Mans 24 Hours winner Fernando Alonso, now 37, decides to do next.

That big decision will also affect the futures of struggling Belgian teammate Stoffel Vandoorne and up-and-coming British reserve Lando Norris.

Toro Rosso expressed an interest in Norris when a replacement for Hartley was mooted earlier in the season but McLaren did not play ball.

Whether that might change if there is no 2019 seat at Woking available remains to be seen.

Renault’s surprise signing of Ricciardo, which came as almost everyone in Formula One assumed his staying at Red Bull was a done deal, also has a knock-on effect on the plans of Mercedes, Force India and Williams.

Force India are in administration with their future uncertain. It had been widely assumed that the team’s Mercedes-backed French driver Esteban Ocon was bound for Renault.

The speculation was that Canadian Lance Stroll was in turn poised to switch from Williams, bringing also some sort of investment from his billionaire father.

The vacancy at Williams could then have gone to another Mercedes protege and Formula Two leader George Russell, whose route now looks less certain — unless Force India’s Mexican driver Sergio Perez also moves.

There could also be openings at U.S.-owned Haas, with Frenchman Romain Grosjean having an erratic and costly season, and at Sauber where Monegasque rookie Charles Leclerc is tipped to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari.

The Finn could then become another player in the game of musical chairs.

Once that is all decided only time will tell whether Ricciardo has made the right move, as four-times world champion Lewis Hamilton did at the end of 2012 when he left McLaren for as-yet unsuccessful Mercedes.

Formula One has plenty to contemplate and speculate about as the August break starts and the ‘silly season’ shows no sign of abating.

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SAINZ FROM YELLOW TO ORANGE AS RED BULL DOOR SEEMS SHUT

Oddly Carlos Sainz is out of a drive as this report was being written, Renault orchestrated a surprise move to sign-up Daniel Ricciardo to partner Nico Hulkenberg and spearhead the French team in 2019 and 2020, leaving the Spaniard out in the cold and seeking a drive.

In an ideal world, Sainz would return to Red Bull and slot in alongside Max Verstappen in the team, but word is that this is not what the fizzy drinks management want which leaves the driver from Madrid on the fence and looking for a drive.

Marca reports that Verstappen has vetoed Sainz’s possible return, as the young Dutchman (and his team) want to avoid a confrontation between the pair which would certainly ramp up should they opt for the Spaniard.

Toro Rosso rookie Pierre Gasly is looking like the likely candidate to get promoted to the big team… but this is no certainty as team chief Christian Horner revealed that they have “numerous driver options” to consider.

However, increasingly it is looking like Sainz will be heading to McLaren, and reality is that he has very few other attractive options to consider as Silly Season speculation hits high gear, inconveniencing everyone’s summer break.

The 23-year-old will be a free-agent come 30 September and the Marca report adds that negotiations with McLaren are “at an advanced stage.”

Meanwhile, the Fernando Alonso situation is key to what goes on at Woking. Right now no one really knows what the Spanish veteran has in mind for next year, with word in Spain suggesting (again) that he may quit F1 at the end of this season to focus on other racing projects.

More info is only expected only when the F1 circus sets up tent for the Belgian Grand Prix and action resumes at Spa-Francorchamps at the end of this month.

McLaren team chief Zak Brown rates Sainz highly and told Sky recently, “If he were free, and we had a seat, he would definitely be very high on the list for a seat at McLaren.”

“We think Carlos is an excellent racecar driver. Of course, Carlos is potentially on the market, I don’t know his exact situation at Renault and Red Bull but he’s certainly someone as you go down the shortlist of drivers that you’d consider putting in your car.”

“If he was free, and if we had a seat, he would certainly be high up the list for a racing seat. We will make the decision of our drivers when we are ready and anticipate what it will be after the summer vacation,” Brown added.

Sainz is now free so it will be interesting to follow what will transpire, but doubts will remain until Alonso makes his decision and Brown confirmed, “We do have a long-term agreement with Fernando and Stoffel but in these contracts, there’s a variety of elements to them.”

“We will make our driver decision when we’re ready, and anticipate that being some time after the summer break. We’re still reviewing, analysing, what we think is ultimately the best line-up for McLaren moving forward,” concluded the McLaren team boss.

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RAIKKONEN: THERE IS NO BULLSHIT BETWEEN VETTEL AND ME

With Kimi Raikkonen set to be confirmed by Ferrari for another year, the Iceman has revealed how he and Sebastian Vettel get on well in the cauldron that is Maranello, suggesting that the pair are well suited to continue as teammates beyond 2018.

In a rare interview, Raikkonen told Sport Bild, “At a certain point in the world championship fight, the team takes precedence. That has always been clear to me. I’m not around just since yesterday.”

Vettel always speaks highly of Raikkonen, and it is well known that the German wants to keep the Finn at his side in 2019 amid speculation that Ferrari may promote their young rookie Charles Leclerc in place of the veteran.

The four times F1 world champion said recently of his teammate, “We’re a good pair, a good match. There’s no problem at all between us, ever. I think that’s a really big bonus for the team and for us to just enjoy our job.”

Of Vettel’s kind words, Raikkonen said with a laugh, “It’s definitely better than him calling me an idiot! Seriously, we’ve always got along well. With him, there is no politics or other bullshit, but a normal male friendship.”

“He is very straightforward and success has not changed him. Even after our crash in Singapore in 2017, there were no arguments or silence. He’s a guy who can say it was his mistake, and I’m the same. It is much better to work in this nice atmosphere. That also helps make the car faster!”

The word from Italy indicates that Raikkonen and Ferrari are in the throes of finalising another year-long deal which will keep their 2007 Formula 1 champion with them for another year.

Apparently, he got the nod from the new management just before the Hungarian Grand Prix, hence the unusual smiles and family entourage at Hungaroring.

Apart from Vettel’s support, Raikkonen also has the ear of team chief Maurizio Arrivabene who is big fan of his drivers and keen to retain stability at Maranello, in the wake of a destabilising month of June which included the death of their chairman Sergio Marchionne.

Raikkonen makes no secret of his desire to continue, “Of course I would like to stay, but that’s Ferrari’s decision alone. I’ll wait just as much as you do.”

“We both have the same goal: to make Ferrari Formula 1 World Champions and we complement each other very well in the way we drive for the team,” he added.

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BROWN: REALITY IS THAT WE HAVE TWO OPEN SEATS

McLaren team chief Zak Brown has all but confirmed that Fernando Alonso might not be in Formula 1 next year when he revealed that the Woking outfit have two race seats available for 2019, neither filled as yet.

Mercedes and Renault have now confirmed their driver line-up, which in turn has triggered a flurry of Silly Season speculation, with McLaren – despite their woeful form at the moment – still big players in terms of coveted race seats.

McLaren are still a team with huge pedigree and few drivers (other than those confirmed by the big Big Three) would turn down an opportunity to race for the great F1 organisation.

According to Brown, currently Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne are tied to the team, “We do have a long-term agreement with Fernando and Stoffel but in these contracts, there’s a variety of elements to them.”

Vandoorne has not impressed this season, Alonso has pretty much destroyed the once highly rated Belgian driver, but Brown insists he still has faith in his driver claiming he is “very much part of that consideration” but this may well be lip service to pacify the 26-year-old.

We reported that Carlos Sainz is high up on the team’s wishlist, but there are a number of other options, none less than 18-year-old Lando Norris who reportedly has a deal with the team whereby they need to guarantee him a drive in Formula 1 should he win the Formula 2 championship. He lies second in the standings with eight points scoring rounds remaining.

Brown is obviously keen to keep his young charge within the fold, “We want to keep Lando in the family. We’re waiting to see ultimately what Fernando wants to do because it’s also about the package – experience and youth – especially in the situation we’re in where we’re rebuilding.”

“To have two young drivers with a difficult car wouldn’t be a good place to be. If we had a better car, then you might take a risk with two younger drivers.”

“In situations like this you need to keep every door and every avenue open and wait for some dominoes to fall. You’ve got to watch them all.”

“We’re not prioritising one over the other. We know our situation with Stoffel and we’re seeing what other opportunities may or may not be available.”

“Reality is that we have two open seats, and it’s our job to get the best driver situation possible and that requires talking to other drivers up and down the pit-lane,” added Brown.

This confirms that no one really knows what Alonso’s plans are for next season – not even his current paymasters – what is certain is that his decision will have a domino effect in this intriguing period of F1 musical chairs.

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DOCTOR KLEPETKO: MR. LAUDA WAS KEPT ALIVE ONLY BY A PUMP

Doctors are optimistic about Formula 1 triple world champion and living legend Niki Lauda’s recovery following a six-hour lung transplant while revealing how he was kept alive by a pump that acted like a lung-machine.

The 69-year-old Austrian motor racing great underwent the surgery in Vienna on Thursday. His condition at the time had been “extremely critical”, the head of the department that performed Lauda’s surgery said.

“In the last seven days, Mr. Lauda was kept alive only by a pump, a sort of heart-lung machine,” head of the Department of Thoracic Surgery Walter Klepetko said in a television interview released by Austria’s Oe24 on Friday.

Without a transplant, life expectancy in such circumstances would be limited to days or weeks, he said.

“Considering the not very easy circumstances we are very, very happy with the developments,” Klepetko said, adding the hospital would release a comprehensive update about Lauda’s condition at a later time.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff on Friday wished chairman Lauda a safe and speedy recovery and hoped the Austrian would be back at the races before long.

“The world knows Niki as an F1 legend with incredible power and resilience,” Wolff, also Austrian, said in a message before the August factory shutdown.

“For all of us at Mercedes he is our chairman, our mentor and our friend,” he added. “We have missed him by our side in Hockenheim and Hungary and can’t wait to have him back with us on the grand prix tracks of this world.”

“The recovery he now faces is not a race. But knowing Niki, I’m sure he will soon be telling every nurse and doctor that he has had enough of the hospital,” Wolff said.

Four times world champion Lewis Hamilton, who is leading the championship for Mercedes, also sent Lauda – who was instrumental in signing the Briton from McLaren at the end of 2012 – a message on Instagram.

Lauda, who was badly burned in a near-fatal Formula One crash in 1976 and later became an airline entrepreneur, was taken ill recently. He won his titles with Ferrari and McLaren in 1975, 1977 and 1984.

He recently agreed to sell control of his Laudamotion airline to Ryanair.

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JUDGE WANTS PROOF MALLYA CELL IN MUMBAI IS NOT INHUMANE

Indian authorities are tightening the noose around failed business tycoon Vijay Mallya as they seek to extradite him to face a plethora of legal charges, promising that the Force India owner will be kept behind bars in the best conditions available for lawbreakers in that country.

Mallya has stood defiant against the charges brought against him, claiming avendetta of sorts by Indian authorities, “I have become the ‘Poster Boy’ of bank default and a lightning rod of public anger.”

He has also cited inhumane prison conditions in India, claiming he would be kept in a cell with no light and poor ventilation, but according to Indian Home Affairs Ministry officials, Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail, where fugitive Mallya will be kept after extradition from the UK, was one of the best in the country.

The prisons in India were as good as in any other country in the world and prisoners’ rights were fully protected in Indian jails. Mallya’s apprehension about a threat to his life was “misleading”, a Home Affairs Ministry official insisted.

The comments came after a court in the UK requested the Indian authorities to submit a video within three weeks of Barrack-12 where they plan to keep Mallya post-extradition to face the law in connection with loan default cases amounting to over a billion of dollars.

The official said that adequate medical facilities were available to treat the prisoners in Arthur Road Jail, where Mallya would get full security cover as an undertrial prisoner and it was highly secured as per international standards.

During a brief hearing in London earlier this week, Judge Emma Arbuthnot asked the Indian authorities to submit a “step-by step-video” of Barrack-12 for “the avoidance of doubt” over the availability of natural light in the cell where the businessman was expected to be detained pre-trial, during the trial and in the event he was convicted by the Indian courts.

While each cell in a barrack can normally house 10-15 inmates, specialised barracks like Barrack-12 at Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail have cells that house only a single individual. High-profile or especially dangerous prisoners — mostly those facing terror charges, who are perceived to be facing a threat or who could pose a threat to others.

Each cell has an attached toilet, a washing area and a courtyard. While prison barracks ordinarily have Indian-style toilets, some cells in Barrack 12 have western-style commodes.

Inmates are provided with a mattress, a pillow and a bedsheet, and a melamine glass, plate and two bowls in which to have meals and water. Melamine utensils are preferred because prisoners can’t use them to attack other prisoners or jail staff or to inflict injuries on themselves.

The cells are covered by CCTV cameras, and guards posted inside and outside the barrack watch over inmates round the clock. Meals are served four times a day in an earmarked area of the barrack where inmates are asked to gather. The food is prepared in accordance with nutrition requirements fixed by the jail food committee.

In response to Mallya’s assertion that Barrack-12 lacks natural light or ventilation, prison officials claim that each cell has a window, and cross-ventilation is provided by bars on the opposite wall. Barrack-12 also has a courtyard, which provides “direct sunlight” to inmates, they say.

TV presenters, Bollywood stars, bankers and businessmen have been jailed or are currently jailed in the Barrack-12 complex.

Meanwhile, Force India the Formula 1 team that Mallya formed in 2007, when times were good for him, was put under administration late last month riddled with debt and seeking a saviour to ensure the future of 400 or so jobs at the Silverstone based team.

The Formula 1 paddock, headed by Liberty Media, are working behind the scenes to prevent another team tumbling out of the top flight due to lack of funds. HRT, Caterham and Manor have all disappeared from the grid in recent years.

Losing Force India, should a buyer not be found, will reduce the F1 grid to 18 cars.

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RICH ENERGY: WE’VE GOT THE MONEY TO SAVE FORCE INDIA

While Force India is in administration, behind-the-scenes efforts are being made to save the team, among potential buyers are Rich Energy whose chief William Storey is adamant his company has the means and commitment to save the beleaguered Formula 1 team.

Speaking after Rich Energy’s bid to save the team was rejected, Storey said in a TV interview with Peter Windsor, “We’ve got the money to do so, the business model and the reasons to do it. Having spent six months working on Force India we’re not going to relinquish that overnight.”

The plan was to inject around $40-million in two instalments into the team to save approximately 400 jobs and allow the team to continue racing in the big leagues.

But these overtures have been rejected despite assurances that the backing is solid, supposedly supported by billionaires including West Ham United Football Club owners David Sullivan and David Gold

Storey has remained defiant despite the setback to his bid, but insists that Rich Energy will “be in Formula 1 sooner or later.”

And added, “There’s an awful lot of senior people in the sport who have seen our money.”

Potential buyers are looming and looking to pounce when the time is right, these supposedly include Lance Stroll’s billionaire father Lawrence Stroll and Nikita Mazepin’s super-rich dad Dmitry Mazepin.

Also watching with interest from the sidelines are a couple of American consortiums including IndyCar team boss Michael Andretti and his driver Alexander Rossi’s father Pieter, as well as ex-baseball franchise boss Jeff Moorad.

Mercedes and main sponsor BWT supported Force India driver Sergio Perez who triggered the administration, with a claim of $4-million which the Mexican is owed by the team, in the belief that the process will speed up the sale of the team.

Rich Energy has to convince the creditors that they have deep enough pockets not only to pay the team’s existing creditors but also to sustain the investment to ensure the team survives and is financially healthy in future. So far his assurances have fallen on deaf ears.

Storey insists that Rich Energy, which was launched six years ago, has the liquidity to embark on the project and should be taken seriously.

This story is set to drag on until a proper buyer is found and Formula 1 can ill afford to lose another team, so watch this space!