FORMULA 1

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FIA tells Ferrari to stop using camera cooling bag

Ferrari has been told by the FIA it must stop using its camera cooling bags, following a wave of intrigue about what was behind the team’s tactic.
For several races now, Ferrari had been spotted with the small bag of dry ice fitted over its camera while the car was in the pits before a run, and also when on the grid.

Ferrari claimed that it was doing so to keep the camera electronics cool, but other teams believed the real motive was to cover the television lens so rivals could not see its steering wheel or other car settings.

F1 race director Charlie Whiting has looked into the matter and, following some unease from FOM about how its cameras were being treated, Ferrari was informed before the race in Italy last weekend to cease its behaviour.

The move did not stop Ferrari from continuing to close off the view of the camera, though with it opting to use an umbrella to block the view on the grid at Monza. 

A spokesman for the FIA confirmed the governing body had acted, and said it would continue to monitor any concerns there may be about internal car electronic temperatures.

“We did ask Ferrari to stop using these ice packs,” said the spokesman. “The main reason was that FOM were not happy with them doing it. The issue is one of internal ECU temperature which the FIA will continue to monitor with FOM.”

The FIA added that theories that Ferrari was trying to hide settings that could be outside the regulations were also wide of the mark.

“It [the camera bag] prevented television seeing the dashboard, which inevitably led to several conspiracy theories, but the reality is that the FIA know everything we need to know about the dashboard software and it is entirely legal.”

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Tonio Liuzzi on beating Schumacher and his up-and-down F1 career

Some think Vitantonio Liuzzi was the most underrated driver in F1, others that he should have been working in a disco. In Monza, David Tremayne met up again with the man who beat Michael Schumacher to the world karting title in 2001, and overtook him twice on the first lap of his F1 debut at Imola in 2005…

There was a poignant moment in the paddock on the Sunday morning, just after Tonio and I had hooked up. Daniel Ricciardo was cruising by and they shared a fist bump. The Australian has won seven Grands Prix in his time with Red Bull, and is heading off to lead Renault next year. Yet when they were team mates at HRT in 2011, Tonio – himself once a Red Bull protégé – had him covered.

Tonio’s smile never wavered, and at no time in our conversation did he ever seem morose or, worse still, jealous of how the wheel of fortune had rolled for him in a career now characterised by ‘What Might Have Been’.

In F1, of course, it’s fashionable to dismiss those who never made it because obviously they never really had The Right Stuff.

But Tonio did.

“I know that I did not come into F1 from the main door, like [Lewis] Hamilton or Jenson [Button] who straight away stepped into a great car,” he once told me. “It’s always frustrating when you come into F1 this way, but we all come from the same school and when I was young I think I always showed that I was stronger, or at least as good as them. So I have always felt positive and I know what is inside. But it is hard when you cannot show that.”

On his graduation to F1 in 2005, as Red Bull took over Jaguar, he was specifically requested by Helmut Marko to present a party boy mien to the world, because that suited the energy drink company’s edgy image.

It was something which would damage him, as it deluded some into thinking he was not serious about his racing. But those who bothered to get to know him quickly saw behind the façade of bright clothes, facial hair and the kitsch jewellery to a dedicated racer who had a high but quiet level of self-belief.

Of course, the first thing we touched on was that Imola debut. A caption in Autocourse had made me laugh, when it mentioned that he had driven there in his first Grand Prix with “restraint and maturity”. In truth, he’d qualified only 0.172s off Red Bull team leader David Coulthard, and ran ahead of him throughout while becoming the only man ever to overtake Schumacher twice on his first racing lap. He scored a point with eighth place, just as Sebastian Vettel would on his debut two years later.

 

“It was definitely an amazing time,” he laughed, “because at the time Michael was already the hero that we all know. I had basically him and Coulthard just ahead of me on the grid, and to be racing in front of my own crowd was amazing too. Michael was ahead of me before the first corner and then I passed him at Tosa, and then he passed me again. Then I passed him again at Acque Minerali, and he overtook me again. So, it has been quite a happening first lap!

“I always had a lot of respect for Michael, for the champion he is. We always had a good relationship. Definitely, I knew he thought I was an aggressive driver, but maybe he didn't expect me to be quite like that, fighting with him. He was definitely surprised! But obviously then I didn't want to bother him anymore because he had the pace to win, as he’d had a problem in qualifying. I knew that he was fighting for a win and I didn't want to disturb his race any more. But I have to say, that the first lap with Michael, for me, you know, it was an orgasm!

“When you arrive to F1, you realise your dream. You're debuting in front of your own crowd, and then you are fighting with Michael Schumacher…”

Michael, of course, knew Tonio well. The German really wanted to add the karting world championship to his burgeoning tally of drivers’ titles, and trained with everything he had for the 2001 finale, which was held at his home track at Kerpen. But despite running the best equipment, he didn’t succeed. Liuzzi beat him fair and square.

Rather than giving him a full-time drive alongside established star Coulthard for 2005, however, Marko made Liuzzi share with Austrian Christian Klien. He did only four races, and was switched to Toro Rosso for 2006, where he scored a single point by beating Coulthard’s Red Bull and Nico Rosberg’s Williams to the final points-scoring place in the US Grand Prix.

Liuzzi was heavily blamed for Monaco 2007 shunt

In 2007, he had a spell as fastest in the wet on Saturday morning in Monaco before gearbox trouble intervened, and narrowly missed the chance to qualify within the top 10, having been an astonishing fourth fastest in Q1 behind Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, before being sent out late, and thus into traffic, in Q2.

In the race, he crashed at Massenet on the second lap and was heavily criticised for an “elementary error” – until it transpired he had been hit from behind by Coulthard.

His best race came in China in 2007, when he was by then partnered by Vettel after Scott Speed had been unceremoniously dumped. Since Vettel’s arrival in the team in Hungary, the qualifying score had been four/two in Liuzzi’s favour by the time they lined up on the grid in Shanghai, though Vettel was coming off a great race in the rain in Japan in which he had accidentally taken out Red Bull’s Mark Webber as they battled Hamilton for the win. Now it was Liuzzi’s turn to shine. He ran fifth by the 19th lap when he made his first pit stop, and was back up to seventh, right behind Vettel, when the latter stopped on the 26th. But by then it was beginning to rain, so Liuzzi had to stop again for wets five laps later. Vettel, already on them because of the timing of his stop, thus finished fourth, Liuzzi sixth. Typically, he was the first to congratulate his team mate, but on such things can careers turn. Vettel was the victor, Liuzzi the vanquished, as far as most were concerned.

“Entirely," he said. "Seb is showing always an amazing championship fight now, but I have to say that in my year together with him, I had a good time and a good fight, in terms of performance. I couldn't complain because I was really competitive and I was always really fast. Actually, that race, I remember I did an amazing qualifying lap in the dry - P11. And then basically in the race, all the luck went against me and he did a one-stop strategy, getting away with that as he took wet tyres. I was unlucky for the rain. It rained, like, four or five laps after my first stop and before my second. So I lost loads of time and finished sixth. Obviously, these are the things that change the perception of you.”

In his time with Toro Rosso, he was also caught up in political infighting between team owner Franz Tost’s partner Gerhard Berger and Helmut Marko. And his progress was blighted by a falling out with Tost in Canada, who accused him of losing fifth place by making a mistake and crashing into Champion’s Wall on the 54th lap when chasing podium finisher Alexander Wurz’s Williams. Liuzzi was adamant that damage from driving over “40 per cent” of Robert Kubica’s BMW Sauber after the Pole’s huge accident eventually caused a suspension breakage.

“It was not so nice at the time, when they said I was only interested in the parties, but obviously Red Bull came into F1 with a different approach compared to a lot of other teams," he said. "They had to work on their marketing strategy and they were organising a lot of events, parties, and they always wanted us to be involved. And after that, suddenly they changed their approach and their image and they switched from one way to the other and, for their new target, somehow I was not in their plan. All the parties were one of their weapons to use against me.

“A lot of people tried to be the right arm of (Dietrich) Mateschitz but Marko always showed the consistent approach and I have to say that I always had a good relationship with him, even with what happened after.

“I always have had an amazing relationship with Red Bull, and I have always to thank Mr Mateschitz for what he gave me.

“Gerhard had, let’s say, different targets for his team, and I was not part of them. His objectives were more political than others and I was the one that was too much in the group, so he fired me to give space to Sebastian Bourdais for 2008. Gerhard always had his own interests, and at the end, that didn't work well for him, either.”

Liuzzi sat out 2008 as Force India’s test driver, then qualified an impressive seventh on his return to racing with them at Monza in 2009. He qualified sixth in Canada the following year, and repeated his best finish with sixth place in Korea, as he and Adrian Sutil proved well-matched as the team fought in the midfield.

But by 2012 the F1 dream was over. He won in other categories such as Speedcar and International Superstars, and raced V8 Supercars, WEC, A1GP and Formula E before things wound down last year.

For a man who had dominated F3000 with nine poles, seven wins and nine podiums as his springboard to F1 in 2004, stopping was hard. But as he handled driving chores for Pirelli’s Hot Laps experiences in Monza, he was nevertheless happy.

Does it make him feel sad or jealous that he was team mates with both Sebastian and Daniel, with whom he was at least as quick and sometimes quicker, when he looks at what they subsequently achieved?

“Yeah," he said. "Sometimes you think, ‘What did I do wrong?’ But my problem has always been being too straight and being myself, and that's how I live. I never went with compromise, and maybe that was the problem for me – I was always too real. I remember the first thing that they told me, that I was too realistic. Not too negative, or too optimistic, I was too realistic. Unfortunately, I am not a dreamer. I aim for dreams and I always wanted to win, but I would never say our car could be on pole if it couldn’t be.”

Likewise with Force India, it could hurt when he looks at what the team are doing today...

“It’s fantastic,” he said immediately. “I loved working with that group, because they are a good family. There are really good technicians and the way they work is really good. And they are showing every year that, even with the lower budget compared to competitors, they can achieve really great results.”

Liuzzi beat Schumacher in a kart on the German's home turf

Liuzzi married his long-time girlfriend Francesca six years ago. They have an 18-month-old daughter called Sole, “like the sun, and her second name is Shiabuya", he said. "That is the name of the most famous crossing in Tokyo. I love Tokyo, and when I did Super GT I lived there one and a half years. I loved the Japanese environment. I always promised myself, even if Sole would have been a boy, that he would have been ‘Tokyo’ because everybody calls me Tonio Liuzzi so Tokyo Liuzzi would have been really nice…”

Sole is already into cars.

“I'm trying to keep her away, but every morning when she wakes up she jumps on her little Cinquecento and off she goes around the house," he said. "Already, at one and a half year's old. So, I'm scared.”

Sideways?

“No. At the moment, she's under control. Not like her father.”

Back in his native Pescara, he and Francesca run a beach club restaurant which they opened six years ago. A second followed in the commercial area of Pescara, and a third will open in Milan in a month.

It’s a very different life to racing, of course, but they are doing well and they’re happy.

But you remember things. Such as that after his accident in 2011, Robert Kubica suggested to Lotus that Tonio would be the perfect replacement, but instead they opted for Nick Heidfeld. For me, Robert’s suggestion made perfect sense and evokes more feelings of what might have been – because of all the drivers I’ve seen since 1988, I’d say that he and Tonio were the two most outstanding who never had the careers they deserved.

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BOTTAS: DISAPPOINTING AND AMAZING

Valtteri Bottas is now firmly entrenched as Mercedes wingman to help Lewis Hamilton win his fifth Formula 1, world championship title leaving the Finn to rue the chances that went begging as in his opinion he is quite close to his title fighting teammate.

Since finishing 2017 on a high with victory at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Bottas has not tasted victory while his teammate has six to his name in 14 races.

He said in an interview with MN, “For me, it’s quite disappointing and amazing that I haven’t won a race this year. It’s been quite close many times, especially in the first third of the season. I really want to win races, that’s why I’m here.”

“I don’t think the only way the next few races is that Lewis is secure in the title. If I have a good pace, a good qualifying, I’m strong in the race, I think I can definitely win – but for sure it’s a bit more simple if Lewis secures the title.

“I don’t really want to think about it too much. As long as I perform well, then hopefully I will get the results I deserve.”

Heading to Singapore he hopes that he can capitalise and break the non-winning streak, “You never know. You saw what happened last year!”

Bottas referencing the three car pile-up that eliminated Max Verstappen, Sebstian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, before adding, “It’s racing, and we go there with the mindset that anything can happen. Hopefully we can be more competitive there than we were last year, compared to other teams. It is tricky at the moment.

“The Ferrari is quick everywhere. Red Bull will be quick in Singapore. For us, we don’t really know how competitive we are going to be, but we are going to go there, try to get more points than Ferrari.”

“[The difference] is not much. I think they have a little bit more power, more straight-line speed, and in the corners the difference is minimal. It depends on the corners, it depends on which team gets the tyres working better. In Spa, we were blistering the tyres, [in Monza] Ferrari was and we weren’t.”

“It is very close – there is not much in the cars, so it definitely will be interesting seeing in Singapore if we have made improvements for that kind of track, but I think all the tracks coming up it really depends how good the upgrades we are bringing are going to be, and which upgrade they are going to bring.

“Any small gain is going to be a big benefit,” added Bottas who lies fourth in the F1 drivers’ championship standings with seven rounds remaining.

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WOLFF: HAMILTON BEST BUT VETTEL CRITICISM UNFAIR

Mercedes F1 team chief Toto Wolff has come out in defence of his team’s title rival Sebastian Vettel, calling for the Ferrari driver to be respected for his status as a four times F1 world champion.

Wolff told Die Welt, “Of course, I am not completely neutral but for me, Lewis [Hamilton] is the best driver of recent years. Even so, I find the criticism of Sebastian not very fair.”

“Whenever there is a possibility to win, he has the ambition to do it with the necessary aggression, which requires a great deal of courage and his style of driving sometimes leads to collisions.”

“But let’s not forget that he won four world championships. As I do with Lewis, you have to accept that.”

Most recently, on the opening lap of the Italian Grand Prix, Vettel and Hamilton tangled with the Ferrari driver, expected to win the race, the German spun out and the Briton swiped the victory from Ferrari on their home turf.

But Wolff had another take on the incident, “It could easily have been Lewis instead of Sebastian who spun, then the whole Grand Prix would have been different. In the high tech world of Formula 1, everything is not decided linearly and rationally, but also with luck, misfortune and coincidence.”

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BROWN: CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT UNIQUE TO EACH DRIVER

In recent years a move to McLaren has been a bad mistake for young drivers, but in the Zak Brown led era he believes that Fernando Alonso os a better example of how drivers can thrive with the once mighty team.

Kevin Magnussen, Sergio Perez and Stoffel Vandoorne – all promising young drivers when they walked in the door at Woking – did not last wrong. All departing the door with reputations in tatters and forced to resurrect their careers.

But talking to media at a recent event at the team’s HQ, Brown believes he has bucked the trend within the team he now leads, “I think Alonso is a better example of how McLaren operates today. Obviously, when Fernando was here ten years ago that relationship didn’t work.”

“Now here we are, having a pretty poor three years, and I think you’d all say, Fernando, you’ve never seen him with a smile on his face as often as he has had. That’s because we’re letting him operate in a manner in which I think he enjoys the environment and we get the most out of him.”

Next year the team fields an all-new driver line-up of Carlos Sainz and teenager Lando Norris, replacing veteran Alonso and Vandoorne.

Brown continued, “I think each driver’s different, some respond to you being very difficult to them, others respond because they need an arm around them. I try and create an environment which is unique to each driver and how they best operate. That’s what we’ve done with Fernando, that’s what we will do with Lando.”

The McLaren team boss is part of Norris’ management team, and clearly sees something special in their new kid on the block, “He’s very mature for his age in the racing environment. He’s quite relaxed, you don’t see him get nervous, I don’t see any anxiety out of him.”

“The way I saw him do free practice on in Monza, his build-up to that was kind of no different than I’d seen in Formula Three. I think he’s got a really good temperament for Formula 1. What that tells me is I don’t think he’ll be rattled easily by adversity which no doubt he will have at some point.”

At the same time Brown is wary of expectations, “If you look at someone like [Charles] Leclerc he was in trouble the first couple of races, maybe because expectations were too high, he made a couple of mistakes and there were stories two races into the championship that maybe he isn’t who we all thought he was. And now it looks like he’s going to Ferrari.”

“So I think we have to be very careful not to set the bar of expectations so high that free practice one in Australia we’ve all come to conclusions about whether [Norris] is the next superstar or not. We need to give him some time to settle in. He’s going to tracks he hasn’t seen before like Australia. He’s going to have some shunts. And so we need to just give him space.

“It’s one of the things Gil de Ferran has been brought in for is kind of human performance of the team and drivers. I think maybe historically we’ve not been great with young drivers because of the environment that we’re in so we’re looking for Gil to make sure we learn from some of the mistakes that we’ve maybe made in the past,” added Brown.

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MICK SCHUMACHER ON WINNING STREAK AT NURBURGRING

During the 2016 season finale, current Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll was the last FIA Formula 3 European Championship participant to date score three wins in one weekend.

Now, Mick Schumacher (PREMA Theodore Racing) achieved this feat as well.

At the 3.629 kilometres long Nürburgring sprint circuit, Schumacher crossed the finish line almost five seconds ahead of second-placed Robert Shvartzman (PREMA Theodore Racing). In the 200th race of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, third place went to Alex Palou (Hitech Bullfrog GP).

With his sixth season win, in the presence of FIA president Jean Todt, Schumacher moved up to within three points from leader Daniel Ticktum (Motopark) in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship drivers’ standings.

Mick Schumacher started the race from pole-position and managed to take the lead from Robert Shvartzman. Meanwhile, Daniel Ticktum had to admit defeat to Alex Palou in the duel for third place. Schumacher quickly pulled a gap of around two seconds to his teammate Shvartzman.

The 19-year-old then extended his lead to 4.985 seconds at the finish and drove an undisputed victory home. Jean Todt handed over the winner’s trophy.

Shvartzman finished second behind Schumacher. For the Russian rookie driver, it was his third second place of the weekend. He is heading home from the Eifel as the leader in the rookie classification. For Palou, third place was his fifth podium finish of the season, his first year in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. Ticktum, Marcus Armstrong (PREMA Theodore Racing), Jüri Vips (Motopark), Sacha Fenestraz (Carlin), Ralf Aron (PREMA Theodore Racing), Enaam Ahmed (Hitech Bullfrog GP) and Guanyu Zhou (PREMA Theodore Racing) rounded out the top ten.

The thrilling battle for the FIA Formula 3 European Championship title goes into the next round at the Red Bull Ring in a fortnight.

Mick Schumacher (PREMA Theodore Racing): “This weekend was the best of my career in motor racing to date. My start for this race was okay, I was first going into the first corner and then was able to maintain the lead. Then, I tried to keep my advantage consistent. In the drivers’ standings, I am now closely behind Daniel Ticktum, but I am not looking at the standings in the championship too much. Now, I am focussing on the two final race weekends. With Spielberg and the Hockenheimring, they are taking place at two tracks that I like very much.”

Robert Shvartzman (PREMA Theodore Racing): “My weekend was very good as well, better than I had expected. The team had already worked hard in preparation to ensure we have a fast car here. Compared to Mick, I was still lacking something, so he really has deserved the three wins. In this race, Alex was behind me, but I was able to keep him at bay. Keeping such an experienced driver like Alex behind me is never easy and I am glad that I have managed to do so.”

Alex Palou (Hitech Bullfrog GP): “Being on the podium is always nice. This weekend, we have managed to improve from session to session, which makes me happy. Congrats to Mick who managed to win all three races here. Even though he has a great car, winning all three races during one weekend is never easy.”

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F1 rivals question Mercedes' third car idea

Rival Formula 1 team bosses have questioned Mercedes chief Toto Wolff's suggestion that third cars could solve the problem of finding seats for junior drivers.
Wolff is struggling to find homes for Mercedes juniors Esteban Ocon and George Russell in 2019 as teams are reluctant to hire drivers who are tied to their competition.

During the Italian Grand Prix weekend Wolff proposed a third works entry for a rookie driver as a cheaper solution than backing a two-car "junior team," as Red Bull does with Toro Rosso.

Third cars have been discussed many times before, particularly in the context of the grid shrinking if more than one team closed down.

"It's an interesting one," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told Motorsport.com. "But the practicalities of running three-car teams – there's things like pitstops – it's a very complicated thing to do.

"Interesting on concept, but once you get into the practicalities of it, it's very, very complex. I can't see the midfield being particularly happy with it."

The major concern of teams outside the big three is that would potentially find themselves fighting for 10th place, rather than seventh.

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams confirmed that she would oppose any move to a third entry.

"We wouldn't be in favour of three cars," she told Motorsport.com. "You've got team collaborations and then you're going to have three cars. Where does this end? It's another step in the wrong direction."

McLaren boss Zak Brown – who could potentially have employed two experienced drivers and kept rookie Lando Norris in 2019 – indicated that he didn't object to the concept.

However, he acknowledged that it would be hard to implement.

"I like the idea of third cars, but how do you manage that?," he told Motorsport.com. "I think there's room on the grid, but not for everyone to have one. Maybe you have them at certain races, but it's got to be equal and fair."

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Sainz: Renault can match Mercedes, Ferrari engines in 2019

Carlos Sainz believes Renault will "finally make an engine at the level of Mercedes and Ferrari" next season after its latest Formula 1 upgrade made its debut in Italy last weekend.
Renault customer team Red Bull used the new ‘Spec C’ engine at Monza, with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen reporting satisfactory gains in line with Renault’s 0.3s estimate. 

Sainz, who will leave the Renault works team to join its other customer McLaren in 2019, says the manufacturer should be encouraged by the Spec C’s debut. 

“The C-spec is the baseline of next year's engine,” said Sainz.

“It looks to be working well in the Red Bull, and they look pretty pleased with that. 

“That's a good step. It's a shame that we didn't have it this year because it would make our life a lot easier against the Haas and against the Force Indias. 

“I have faith that Renault is going to finally make an engine at the level of Mercedes and Ferrari.

“Together with that partnership with McLaren I hope to have a better year than this one.”

Verstappen almost scored a podium at Monza after keeping Valtteri Bottas’s Mercedes behind on-track through the entire grand prix. 

However, the Dutchman also declared earlier in the weekend that Renault was costing Red Bull about a second in performance at the Italian circuit. 

Sainz, who like team-mate Nico Hulkenberg is sticking with the Spec B engine because Renault has reliability concerns over the Spec C, said anything Renault can learn from Monza will not be applied during the current campaign. 

“We won’t have many more developments on the engine side, we need to focus on the car,” said Sainz. 

“It’s good that they [Red Bull] run it because the engine guys can learn from that and put the findings into next year’s development.”

The Renault team holds a slender lead in the fight for fourth in the constructors’ championship, but only because it protested the Haas of Romain Grosjean at Monza. 

Grosjean was disqualified from the results for running an illegal floor, giving Renault a 10-point lead. 

Asked if the Spec B will be enough to defeat Haas, which has beaten Renault on-track at the last three grands prix and has an upgraded Ferrari engine, Sainz said he hoped Renault’s chassis developments would help. 

Renault will bring upgraded bargeboards and turning vanes to the next race in Singapore next weekend. 

“I know the chassis department and the aero department are pushing flat out,” he said.

“We're obviously stuck with this type of engine until the end of the year. 

“If the aero parts work and we make it to the finish in P4, everyone will be proud, everyone will be happy.”

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RED BULL DRIVERS PREVIEW THE SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX

Red Bull drivers preview the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, Round 15 of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship, at Marina Bay Circuit.

Daniel Ricciardo “I have learnt to love the challenge of Singapore. For me, the first year I raced there in 2011 was one of the worst races I have been involved in. Physically it was so intense, I just underestimated how hard it would be. I wasn’t in a happy place after that race, it gave me a feeling I never want to experience in a race car again, so I made a promise to myself that I would always come to Singapore over-prepared. In a way this is now something I take pride in; I always get there feeling really sharp and well prepared. I now really like that challenge and I also thrive in the heat. In a strange way, the pain has become pleasure over the years. As everyone knows, I love street circuits. The feeling of driving on the edge, so close to the walls, is something you just can’t get enough of. It’s the original night race and the schedule is always pretty hectic but there is something kind of romantic about going to the track at night and then to bed at four or five in the morning. It’s a place where I also have good races and finish pretty strong. I’ve had four podiums and three second places in a row there, so it’s about time I win the damn thing.”

Max Verstappen “I think the whole team is looking forward to Singapore because we know we have a real chance to have a good result there. The race has been a strong one for us in the past and I think we should be able to challenge for a podium this year. I really enjoy driving there; the track has a lot of corners and is quite bumpy but it makes it all the more interesting to find a good set-up for the car. The night race and hot temperatures really test you to the limit, for me Singapore is physically the hardest race of the season. I have been preparing for quite a while. A night race in general is a bit different with the lights, it adds an extra aspect that we don’t have at the majority of races. The atmosphere around the whole weekend creates a great buzz and is a perfect way to kick off the fly away races.”

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TORO ROSSO DRIVERS PREVIEW THE SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX

Toro Rosso drivers preview the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, Round 15 of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship, at Marina Bay Circuit.

Pierre Gasly: “My only experience of Singapore is when I attended the race as third driver for Red Bull Racing. So at least I got to see the race at first hand and it gave me an understanding of just how hot and humid it is and what it’s like having a night race, getting up in the afternoon and going to bed in the early hours of the morning. I found it quite straightforward, sticking on European time and you just have to get used to driving under the artificial lights. It’s a different rhythm, but I quite enjoyed it when I was there.

“The super-sticky conditions mean it’s the most physically demanding race of the year. Even if I’ve never driven the track, looking at the layout, I can see it’s the sort of circuit I like, where you can get into a rhythm with a lot of corners. It turns a lot and it’s very technical. We knew the last two races in Spa and Monza were going to be complicated but, on paper, Singapore should suit our car a bit better. I’m looking forward to seeing how we go. I’ve been training for the heat, wearing lots of clothes and sweating a lot, making sure I felt much too hot and I will be doing that sort of training right up until the weekend, as well as spending time in the sauna. Marina Bay is one of my favourite tracks to drive on the videogames, so I’m looking forward to experiencing the real thing.”

Brendon Hartley: “Singapore will be a new track for me and one that I have very much been looking forward to. All the drivers I have spoken to tell me it’s the most physical race on the calendar, partly because it’s a busy lap, but also because of the heat and humidity. Of course, I have done a lot of night racing throughout my career, at events like Le Mans, but with the floodlights it won’t be very noticeable, unless it rains.

“Historically, Toro Rosso has gone well here and while we knew the last two races would be tough, all of us at Toro Rosso see Singapore as a good opportunity to perform well. Last week, I drove the track on the simulator, which, as usual, is half for the benefit of the team and half for the driver. The track is accurately 3-D mapped so it was an opportunity to learn every bump and kerb. It allows me to get all my reference points and hit the ground running when practice starts on Friday. From a team point of view, it means we can do a lot of set-up changes before even getting to the track, trying them out to see if the driver gets a good feeling from them in the car. It’s not quite 100% the same as actually driving the track itself, as it’s not as hot and you don’t have the same forces going through the body. All the same, it’s a perfect way to prepare as you get some visual markers and an idea of where you are going. Apart from that, I have also done some heat training by exercising with a few more layers on. I am feeling fit and healthy, which can give you an edge come Sunday night and I’m really looking forward to the weekend.”

[MIKA27]

RENAULT PREVIEW THE SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX

Renault Sport Formula One Team previews the fifteenth race weekend of the 2018 Formula 1 season, the Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix.

Ahead of their 150th and 75th Grands Prix starts, drivers Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz share their thoughts on their career milestones, as well as the challenges of the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Cyril Abiteboul and Nick Chester, meanwhile, give the latest on the team and on the Renault R.S.18-R.E.18 package.

Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director, Renault Sport Racing: “We are looking forward to Singapore, a track we believe should suit our package. You can never tell what the competition is going to do, but we know we have another few updates coming that should further enhance our performance for this race and also going forward. It’s also one that the drivers particularly enjoy and performances are generally good there, so we have confidence in their ability to get the job done.”

Nico Hülkenberg: “The circuit itself is very physical and puts a lot of strain on the body. It’s up there as one of the toughest circuits of the season. It’s a long lap with corners coming thick and fast, with not many straights to have a break. The humidity makes it hard combined with all the action we’re doing at the wheel with non-stop corner combinations and frequent gear changes.”

Carlos Sainz: “Last season’s Singapore Grand Prix was probably my best-ever race in my Formula 1 career. Everything clicked on the day and we ended up in fourth place. It was a very difficult race starting on the Intermediate tyre and then picking the right time to go onto the Supersofts, which took a bit of getting used to in the early running. But, it was an incredible day, an amazing race and one which I’ll never forget. That said, every time I’m in the car, I’m gunning to better it.”

[MIKA27]

Toro Rosso will have ‘very close cooperation’ with Red Bull for 2019 – Tost

Although they’re the Red Bull junior team on paper, Toro Rosso are very much their own entity. But with Honda power set to be used by both Red Bull and Toro Rosso in 2019, the Italian team are ramping up to increase their collaboration with the senior outfit for next year.

Toro Rosso announced in September of last year that they would move to Honda power for 2018, with Red Bull opting to take the same route for 2019 earlier this year. And while the two teams have used the same power units before – both running rebadged Renault items in 2017, for example – 2019 will see the Red Bull and Toro Rosso cars sharing an entire rear end, including a complete gearbox, as well as some front suspension parts.

“We will have a very close cooperation with Red Bull Technology next year because we will have the same rear part,” said Toro Rosso Team Principal Franz Tost, “which means the power unit, gearbox and the suspension – everything within the regulations [that we’re allowed to use].

“The front suspension as well," he added, "the inner parts, not the outer parts. But that’s a lot, because the complete rear part means also the hydraulics, the electronics, all this kind of stuff.”

The move will see Red Bull and Toro Rosso move closer to the Ferrari/Haas technical partnership model, whereby Haas benefit from using all the Ferrari parts that the Scuderia are legally allowed to make available for other teams, including power units, transmissions, suspension components, hydraulics and electronics.

It’s a model that’s clearly helped Haas, with the American team currently angling to overtake Renault’s fourth place in the constructors’ championship in only their third season in F1.

Toro Rosso, meanwhile, have never finished higher than sixth in the constructors’ race since their debut season in 2006. Could closer ties to Red Bull see that change?

[MIKA27]

SINGAPORE - free digital race programme

To check out the digital version of the programme available to race goers at this weekend's Formula 1 2018 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix...

[TheGipper]

I have resolved not be late to turn on the TV for Singapore this year.  Not going to miss Turn 1 of Lap 1 this time.

[avaldes]

Bummer about Kimi. I can't figure out what Ferarri is thinking hiring a second year driver to pair with Vettel. Just seems all kinds of wrong.

[MIKA27]

4 hours ago, TheGipper said:

I have resolved not be late to turn on the TV for Singapore this year.  Not going to miss Turn 1 of Lap 1 this time.

You sure missed last season double Ferrari DNF  

[MIKA27]

3 hours ago, avaldes said:

Bummer about Kimi. I can't figure out what Ferarri is thinking hiring a second year driver to pair with Vettel. Just seems all kinds of wrong.

Kimi's on form these days and maybe Ferrari realise that if the same form continued into 2019, they'd have to pick one over the other, leaving Driver 2 disgruntled?

Clearly Sebastian is their driver 1.

[MIKA27]

BRUNDLE: THERE IS A CHANGING OF THE GUARD IN FORMULA 1

Let’s call today ‘Mad Wednesday’ when a remarkable set of announcements resulted in Formula 1 veteran and crowd favourite Kimi Raikkonen swapping seats with highly rated but inexperienced rookie Charles Leclerc for next season, which Martin Brundle believes signals the changing of the guard at the pinnacle of the sport.

Speaking in the wake of Tuesday’s developments, at Maranello and Hinwill, Brundle mused, “There is a changing of the guard going on in Formula 1 with the likes of Verstappen and co. There is an army of young drivers coming through who are well prepared in every way.”

“I’ve got mixed feelings. I’m pleased Kimi is staying on but mostly I wish that Kimi had stepped aside at the top when he was revered, letting a young guy take his seat on the grid.”

“Raikkonen has scored around 60 per cent of Vettel’s points in recent seasons. If they are going to take a world championship, which is very important to Ferrari, they need to move it on from there.”

With regards to 20-year-old Leclerc plugging into the Scuderia, Brundle predicted, “It will energise Vettel, it will energise the team. Being a works Ferrari driver isn’t for the faint-hearted, especially against Vettel.”

“I think he will be a revelation but we will have to see how he copes with the pressure. Ferrari will have to protect him and give him breathing space.”

Raikkonen’s move caught the entire F1 world by surprise, including Brundle, “Moving to Sauber will take him to his 41st year. It’s a bit surprising but l do admire him wanting to carry on racing.”

“There are a lot of great young guys without a seat in F1 right now: Esteban Ocon, Stoffel Vandoorne and George Russell, who is winning the F2 championship.”

“Kimi has been great for Formula 1 and Formula 1 has been great for him. I hope it isn’t a step too far for him. But he has a gift with any machinery and last week he was on pole position with the fastest lap ever, so he still has the speed.”

“I just hope he doesn’t regret hanging on too long,” added the former F1 driver turned Sky F1 pundit.

[MIKA27]

INSIDE LINE: MAKING SENSE OF THE FERRARI MOVES

What a day 11 September 2018 has been! Now that the dust has settled in the frenzy of Ferrari and Sauber announcements that woke everyone up this morning (Berlin time) and I for one must admit am somewhat taken aback by what has gone down so unpredictably and hence these musings.

Rewinding the past few months, it became increasingly clear after the summer break that Charles Leclerc was high on the Ferrari priority list for next year, contrary to universal support to keep Kimi Raikkonen in the team.

But the 20-year-old and his minders are said to have a pre-agreement in place which guaranteed Leclerc a place on the grid, a deal inked with the late Sergio Marchionne when he was at the helm of Maranello.

During the Italian Grand Prix weekend, there was an interesting sub-plot as FIA president Jean Todt and son Nicolas Todt were seen in the Ferrari compound. Did the visit have anything to do with the recent developments? Only they know…

Until this supposed “Marchionne Deal” surfaced, expectations were that Charles would spend another year at Sauber, or perhaps Haas, with Kimi spending another season in red.

The first hint that Kimi was on his way out was when Ferrari chief Louis Camilleri blew a little too much smoke up the Finn’s ass at Monza, a couple of weeks ago, and then delivered a failed swerve: “It’s a team decision. As Maurizio [Arrivabene] is our team principal, ultimately he’ll take the decision.”

No Sherlock Holmes required to piece this little puzzle out. When the boss has an underling – in this case, Maurizio – to deliver the news, you know it won’t be good. Red flags!

So with Kimi out the door, it did not take long for the one-liner to pop on the Scuderia’s website: “Scuderia Ferrari announces that in the next Formula 1 racing season, Charles Leclerc will drive for the Team alongside Sebastian Vettel.”

A little before that Kimi went on Instagram: “Guess who’s back?! Next two years with @sauberf1team ahead! Feels extremely good to go back where it all began!”

Now that was the jaw dropper! Who would have thought?

Let’s face it, in recent years (make that a decade!) the Iceman made it clear for all and sundry he was dreadfully unhappy with his sullen podium ‘celebrations’ clear evidence of a man wanting to be anywhere but in Formula 1.

But despite the long faces Kimi and still has it in him to toil around in midfield oblivion for another two years! Returning to Sauber after all these years, there is poetry in their somewhere.

It makes no sense unless, of course, you follow the money and discover that Kimi has engineered a deal that gives him a share in the Swiss team and hence a plaything for when he quits the sport at the age of 41…

Well, that’s the word as Formula 1 media as pundits jet into Singapore with this story – make that stories – bursting on their mobile phones as they wait for their luggage impatiently.

Beyond Kimi’s shocker is the other reality of what has just descended on all at Maranello, including their ‘star’ driver Sebastian Vettel, namely the changing of the guard may have just begun.

The new management, led by the young Agnelli heir John Elkann are sure to have weighed in despite the sentiments of Tifosi who want Kimi to remain and even petitioned the Scuderia, but clearly to no avail.

The powers that be – Elkann to Camilleri to Arrivabene – have been contractually obliged or decided that they will bank on youth and in Leclerc, they have signed up one of the youngest drivers in the team’s history – only the late Ricardo Rodriguez was younger when he drove for the team at the age of 19 back in 1961.

Ferrari have made a statement: Charles is the future and he is expected to take the fight to Seb.

Thus, an intriguing duel lies ahead as the four times F1 world champion takes on the team’s future star who will be only too eager to do what race drivers have to do first: beat your teammate!

How Ferrari manage the pair will be a riveting sideshow as it may trigger the changing of the guard in Formula 1. Seb needs to win to retain his status and huge salary, while Charlie boy will be looking to become the stallion in the stable with his eye on the piles of money that Ferrari are known to throw at their drivers.

Today the balance of power shifted dramatically away from Seb at Ferrari, perhaps not at the behest of Camilleri and Arrivabene but rather that of the late boss Sergio who, as written previously, may have pulled strings from his grave to give Charles his dream.

Winners are of course Charles as well as Kimi and Sauber. Losers without doubt Seb and only time will tell if Ferrari have made the right call, while other potential losers are the team’s current driver Marcus Ericsson or their Ferrari backed reserve Antonio Giovinazzi.

As it stands, the Reds have little to lose: Seb needs to be pushed and Charles could well be the kid to do it, but if he ‘Does-A-Vandoorne’ they can swap him back with Kimi, at Sauber he is still part of the famiglia. If he succeeds then they have backed the right horse and that in turn will have countless imaginable repercussions.

Of course, right now it’s not worth delving into the myriads of scenarios this pairing will have at Maranello but, for some reason, I am wishing away this season to see how things pan out with this wacky but salubrious 2019 driver line-up that must make this the silliest Silly Season of all-time.

[MIKA27]

LECLERC: DREAMS DO COME TRUE…

Charles Leclerc will become the second youngest driver to be hired by Ferrari as it became public today that the 20-year-old will replace Kimi Raikkonen at Maranello next year.

Ricardo Rodriguez still holds the record as the youngest ever driver to race for Ferrari, after competing at the 1961 Italian Grand Prix aged 19 years and 208 days. But Leclerc is certainly the youngest by far since the late Mexican.

Amid a flurry of email statements and press releases, Leclerc was quick to acknowledge his well deserved good fortune when he wrote on Twitter that “Dreams do come true”:

Leclerc also went on to honour his late father and good friend Jules Bianchi who passed away from injuries suffered during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

Leclerc, who has previously tested for Ferrari and was groomed through the team’s young driver development programme, continued: “I will work harder than ever to not disappoint you. But first, there is a season to finish with an amazing team that gave me the opportunity to fight and show my potential. Let’s go!”

Sauber wrote in a statement: “The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team would like to congratulate Charles Leclerc on his fantastic step of joining the Scuderia Ferrari from 2019, and wishes him the best for his future in our sport.”

“During his first season in Formula One, the twenty-year-old Monegasque driver has given the Swiss team great satisfaction. Together they will continue working to make further progress in the final part of the season.”

Team chief Frederic Vasseur added, “It has been a great pleasure to support Charles Leclerc in his rookie year in Formula 1. Since his arrival, he has given the team great motivation.”

“We have constantly improved and we will work hard until the end of this season to achieve the best possible results together. We are aware of Charles’ talent and are confident that he will have a bright future. We will keep on following him closely and we wish him the best on his path.”

[MIKA27]

Mercedes braced for 'one of our trickiest tracks'

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says the close nature of the 2018 title fight means predictions are “meaningless” but is wary that Singapore presents a stern challenge.

Mercedes dominated Formula 1 between 2014 and 2016 but missed out on victory amid struggles in 2015, and a year later Nico Rosberg only narrowly fended off Daniel Ricciardo.

Mercedes was firmly third-best 12 months ago but Lewis Hamilton claimed an unexpected win in the wake of the dramatic first-lap clash that eliminated both Ferraris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

"The result in Italy was a great reward for everyone in the team who has been working tirelessly to improve our performance,” said Wolff.

“However, we also know that we've been strong at Monza in recent years and the track characteristics make the Italian Grand Prix a bit of an outlier.

“Singapore, on the other hand, has features that we've struggled with in the past.

“The short straights, the slow, tight corners and the bumpy surface all make the Marina Bay Street Circuit one of the trickiest tracks of the season for us.

“In 2015, we endured one of our most painful experiences in recent years there. Last year, we started the race from the third row – and came home with a win and a third place.

“On paper, the track should favour the Ferraris, but the championship fight is so close that predictions are almost meaningless.”

Mercedes' mixed Singapore outings

Mercedes’ dominance of Formula 1 in the early years of the hybrid era is such that Singapore is one of only three venues on the current calendar at which the marque has failed to take a 1-2 finish.

The others are Azerbaijan, which only joined the roster last year, and France, which returned to the schedule this season.

Only in 2014 have they exerted an element of control over the event – and even then Nico Rosberg’s hopes were over from the start due to a steering wheel wiring loom failure pre-race. Lewis Hamilton duly controlled proceedings with his team-mate absent. 

A year later the paddock was stunned when Mercedes’ W06 simply lacked pace. The car that had topped every qualifying session and won 10 of the 12 Grands Prix was quick enough only for the third row of the grid. Rosberg came home a low-key fourth, while Hamilton retired due to a power unit problem, his only failure to finish in 2015, as Sebastian Vettel dominated for Ferrari.

Mercedes was back on form in 2016 – or at least Rosberg was. He took pole and went on to win, though divergent strategies meant he only narrowly fended off a spirited late charge by Daniel Ricciardo, the pair split by a mere half a second after 61 laps of racing. Hamilton, meanwhile, was an off-colour third.

Last season Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas qualified a subdued fifth and sixth but the rainfall pre-race proved decisive as the Ferrari drivers and Verstappen collided off the line. Hamilton, having also passed Ricciardo off the line, was able to ease away from the Red Bull driver to chalk up a remarkable win, while Bottas took third.

[MIKA27]

Esteban Ocon: Rivals getting top F1 seats acts as motivation

Esteban Ocon says seeing his contemporaries receiving top Formula 1 drives acts as motivation, amid his uncertain future in the championship.

Mercedes-backed Ocon spent half a year at Manor in 2016 before stepping up to Force India, where he has emerged as a regular points scorer.

But his immediate route to a Mercedes seat was blocked when Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were retained, while a potential Renault move fell through when the marque signed Daniel Ricciardo.

Ocon is poised to lose his Force India, potentially before the end of the season, following the Lawrence Stroll-led takeover, which is set to result in Lance Stroll moving from Williams.

Ocon’s options elsewhere appear limited, while in the last few weeks Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc, whom he competed against from a young age in karting, have secured 2019 seats with Red Bull and Ferrari respectively.

“I have to thank everyone for all the kind messages and support I receive every day,” Ocon posted on social media.

“We have been in tough situations before and we’ve always overcome those, there was no easy way throughout my career as you know.

“I can promise you that it’s not at this moment I will give up.

“Motivation is high and my old time rivals are in top cars, and this makes me hungrier than ever.

“I dream F1, I train F1, I eat F1, I play F1, I think F1…

“I’m born to race and my only goal is to be champion and will always be. See you all this weekend!”

[MIKA27]

Singapore confirms minor tweak to F1 circuit layout

Singapore Grand Prix officials have confirmed a minor tweak to the layout of the Marina Bay Street Circuit ahead of this year’s event.

The circuit has been realigned around Turns 16 and 17 due to construction works in the area, straightening the short section of circuit between the corners.

The circuit length has been reduced by two metres to 5.063 kilometres, though this does not affect the race length, which will still run to 61 laps (assuming the distance can be covered in the time limit).

The track has also been resurfaced around Turns 1, between Turns 5 and 7, between Turns 15 and 17, and around Turn 23.

Marina Bay has been altered on a handful of occasions since it joined the Formula 1 calendar in 2008.

The Singapore Sling, a narrow chicane with high kerbs, was reprofiled once and eventually removed prior to 2013, instead replaced by a shallow left-hand kink.

The Turn 11/12/13 complex was amended for 2015, with drivers now flicking left before passing on the left-hand-side of the Anderson Bridge, while the hairpin was also marginally widened.

[TheGipper]

1 hour ago, MIKA27 said:

You sure missed last season double Ferrari DNF  

Haha I know, I picked up the broadcast at about lap 5, noticed the VET VER RAI at the bottom of the scoring graphic and thought, WHAT HAPPENED?  Lucky for online replays I got to go back and see the whole thing.

Actually went back and re-watched it again this week.  Was kind of weird to see Stoffel running so strong.  That seems like a lifetime ago.

[MIKA27]

47 minutes ago, TheGipper said:

Haha I know, I picked up the broadcast at about lap 5, noticed the VET VER RAI at the bottom of the scoring graphic and thought, WHAT HAPPENED?  Lucky for online replays I got to go back and see the whole thing.

Actually went back and re-watched it again this week.  Was kind of weird to see Stoffel running so strong.  That seems like a lifetime ago.

It is a real shame about Vandoorne. Not his fault McLaren are falling on the wayside of Williams.

Too much talent slipping through F1 right now and seats being offered to rich kids versus talent.