FORMULA 1

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SAINZ: HONDA HAS SHOWN THAT IT IS POSSIBLE

Almost lost in the cacophony of headlines and side stories in the aftermath of the Japanese Grand Prix was the ongoing demise of Renault who, are now no longer only targets of criticism from traditional critics Red Bull, of late are also being slammed from within their own camp.

Red Bull are the benchmark team of the Renault powered brigade, easily quicker than McLaren and the Renault works outfit, yet they fall short of challenging Mercedes and Ferrari because they simply do not have the horsepower.

In Suzuka qualifying, Max Verstappen was quickest of the Renault powered cars with the third best time, finishing 1.3 seconds down on Lewis Hamilton’s pole-winning time in the weather affected final run in Q3, it would be fair to say that was an exaggeration of the gap, which was probably around seven or eight tenths of second.

With Daniel Ricciardo suffering technical issues early in Q2, the reality for Renault is that, other than Verstappen, they had no other car in Q3 while Honda had both their cars in the top seven!

On the day, Renault were 13th and 16th with Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg respectively, with Fernando Alonso 18th and Stoffel Vandoorne 19th, the McLaren duo slowest of the qualifiers – Marcus Ericsson crashed his Sauber early in Q1 and did not set a time.

For McLaren, the swap from Honda to Renault is proving to be a huge and costly mistake. The Japanese manufacturer they ditched last year appear to have closed the gap to their French rivals and at Suzuka they may have actually been better.

On Saturday in Japan, in a first public criticism of his team, Nico Hulkenberg aired his concerns about the performance deficit and apparent lack of development coming from Vichy, while the team’s ambassador Alain Prost backed the German and suggested something is amiss with the team in this final half of the season.

After a tough afternoon at Suzuka, behind the Red Bulls, Sainz in tenth ended best placed of the other Renault powered cars, but he too could not contain himself when he told reporters, “I just think we need more power, which we don’t have and we don’t get it for whatever reason.”

“If we wanted to be in Q3 in Japan we just needed more power, and Honda has shown that it is possible,” a low blow at Renault from the driver who will move to formerly Honda powered McLaren.

The young Spaniard was not finished, “I think there was a big setback with probably the engine side. We didn’t expect Ferrari and Mercedes to do such a big step through the year.”

“We thought that the B-spec was probably going to be just enough, but we’ve seen at the moment that it is not enough. We brought things to the chassis, probably the chassis is not that bad, but on the top speed side we are not where we want to be.”

The C-Spec engine has more power but Sainz explained why they are not bolting it on to the back of his RS18, “The team is fully sure that with our fuel it is just not reliable enough, so I fully back the team with whatever decision they take.”

For now, Renault are fourth in the constructors’ championship and thus Best of the Rest, albeit massively behind Red Bull in third.

With four rounds remaining in the championship, the French team face a down-to-the-wire challenge from a resurgent Haas team who are only eight points behind.

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ITALIAN MEDIA SAVAGE FERRARI AND VETTEL AFTER SUZUKA MESS

In the aftermath of their mistake littered Japanese Grand Prix weekend, Ferrari and their star driver Sebastian Vettel have come under vehement criticism from Italian media.

In qualifying on Saturday at Suzuka the team botched their strategy and Vettel compromised his race by messing up his final Q3 run. On Sunday, from eighth on the grid the German got involved in a well-documented scrap with Max Verstappen and the rest is now history.

After the dust settled, now Vettel trails Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ standings by 67 points, while Ferrari are 78 points behind Mercedes on the constructors’ table with four rounds remaining.

Italian media went to town on the Reds in editorials published on Monday:

La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Ferrari in ruins. Their strategists make mistakes, a weak driver learns nothing from mistakes, the team boss attacks his team and a car in decline. Before Monza, you could hardly have imagined such a collapse.”

Corriere della Sera: “The German adds to his collection of dreadful mistakes by destroying a fantastic start. These errors are an indication of a deep turmoil within the four-time champion, who is experiencing a severe crisis of confidence.”

La Repubblica: “Hamilton is close to Fangio’s record as Ferrari’s season collapses. Vettel chose the worst moment to capitulate and Ferrari crumbles under team boss Maurizio Arrivabene, who now criticises his own team.”

La Stampa: “Maybe it is bad luck, but it is also a fact that Sebastian Vettel can no longer do anything right.”

Corriere dello Sport: “The problem can only be the team and the drivers, Vettel is in a deep crisis.”

Beyond the obvious disdain for the poor result in Japan, more troubling for the Tifosi is likely to be revelations that all is not well in the corridors of power at Maranello.

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Trackside sports betting coming to Formula 1 soon?

Although Formula 1’s owners, Liberty Media, do not want to get into the gambling business, they have recently struck a sponsorship and rights deal with the Interregional Sports Group, which will negotiate and organise partnership rights to regulated betting brands.

Whether or not these agreements will see full on sports betting available trackside, a la bookies at the (horse) races, at future grands prix is yet to be seen, but the building blocks are being put into place.

These agreements will probably include trackside signage, on screen images, and online integration with F1’s social media platforms. And all of the betting activity will be monitored by Sportsradar, a Swiss-based data-analysis firm, which provides safety and integrity systems to monitor the gambling. The firm says it has a “Fraud Detection System” which is currently used by many of the world’s leading sports rights holders involved in gambling.

Not to be outdone by their single seat competition, NASCAR, has just taken a calculated gamble that by introducing live on-track legal sports betting will allow the sanctioning body to further engage its existing audience and also attract new fans and commercial partners to the currently embattled racing series which operates countrywide at various regional and national levels.

And last weekend Dover International Speedway, located in the eastern US state of Delaware, became the first venue on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series to offer sports betting on at the track!

As well as bets on who would win Sunday's race, odds were offered on various lines such as the number of drivers on the lead lap at the finish (12½) and the most laps led by any driver (188½).

This new approach to fan appeasement has come about after NASCAR has continued to suffer declining TV ratings, audiences and commercial interest in recent years, and sports betting – NASCAR hopes – could open the door to new revenues.

"From a sponsorship standpoint, I think sponsorship will definitely [bring] betting houses and different opportunities in sports betting," NASCAR president Steve Phelps said last Sunday. "They’ll gravitate to NASCAR as most sponsors do because of the return on the investment they can get because of the visibility that it has.”

As of time of writing this story, no official figures or trends had been released by NASCAR as to the betting volume or the take-up of the services by race fans at Dover.

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Ferrari & Mercedes take conservative approach to US GP tyre choice

Mercedes and Ferrari have taken a conservative approach regarding their tyre compound choices for the United States Grand Prix on October 19-21.

Sole supplier Pirelli has nominated the Ultrasoft (Purple), Supersoft (red), Soft (yellow) tyre compounds in order to cope with the demands of the Circuit Of The Americas race track.

Each driver is permitted 13 sets of tyres for each weekend, from which they are permitted free choice of the three nominated compounds for 10 of the sets.

The Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have each chosen to load up on seven sets of the Ultrasofts and three sets of the Supersoft and Soft compounds.

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen has also done the same, however, his team-mate Sebastian Vettel has opted to take one more set of Ultrasofts and one less set of the yellow-marked Soft.

Many of the midfield teams, including Force India, Sauber, Renault and Williams, have opted to take an aggressive approach more than the other teams on the grid by taking more of the purple-marked Ultrasofts.

McLaren has gone the most conservative with Fernando Alonso taking six sets of the yellow-marked soft and Stoffel Vandoorne five sets respectively.

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FIA: McLaren did not miss Japan tyre deadline

The FIA has backed McLaren’s claims that it did not miss the deadline to nominate its tyre selection for Formula 1's Japanese Grand Prix.
McLaren’s ultra-conservative choice of rubber left it on the back foot at Suzuka, with Fernando Alonso unable to run on the supersoft tyre prior to qualifying.

The left-field choice prompted rumours McLaren had been forced to take Pirelli’s default selection because it had missed the 14-week deadline to nominate its own selection with the FIA.

McLaren strongly denied the claims, but it did not prevent further conspiracy theories.

F1 race director Charlie Whiting said that the governing body had never been aware of any team missing its deadline, and that the FIA would have warned any team at risk of missing the deadline.

“I was not made aware of anyone being late,” said Whiting. “It is a long time ago anyway.

“What we would normally do is that if they haven’t selected it the day before, we would give them a quick call and say, ‘don’t forget you have to make your tyre choice’. But they are right on it.”

McLaren sporting director Gil de Ferran – who joined the the team after the tyre selection was made – said the Japan choice had been prompted by the team preferring harder tyres.

“Earlier in the year there was a general understanding that our car was working better with harder compounds," he said.

“Particularly on this type of track with very high Gs and a lot of sequence of corners, it would be a more suitable choice.

"Quite frankly as it transpires we got it wrong. We've been spending the whole weekend trying to deal with a non-optimal choice we've made.

"And that's all there is to it. It was a deliberate selection."

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Wolff admits current role a "mental setback" for Bottas

Toto Wolff believes that Valtteri Bottas has suffered a “mental setback” as Mercedes has inevitably focussed its efforts on winning the Formula 1 world championship with Lewis Hamilton.
After showing well in Sochi, where he had to hand victory to his teammate, Bottas struggled to match Hamilton’s pace in Suzuka.

“I think we have to remind ourselves that for a race driver who is channelling all his efforts into winning races and the championship,” Wolff said of Bottas' Japanese Grand Prix when asked by Motorsport.com.

“If you take that ability away from him, it will automatically cause a little bit of a mental setback. He says he hasn’t got that, but I believe that will play a little part of it.

“He’s a tremendous team player and we cannot re-emphasize that enough. To give you an example, after Sochi in the evening we had a discussion.

"He said, ‘I completely understand why you did it and where the team's coming from. If I were in your shoes, I would do exactly the same. I need to outperform Lewis in the beginning of the season, and score more victories, and put myself in a position to fight for the championship. So, don't worry about me.’

“And today he struggled in traffic, many drivers referred to being in traffic as difficult and he was certainly one that suffered from that a bit.”

Wolff remains convinced that the Finn will bounce back and will have every chance to fight for the title himself.

“I think Valtteri will get one victory [this year], and don't you worry, I think Valtteri will get many more victories in his life. He will go into his third season with Mercedes next year, and will make another step.

“He will have learned and improved and see himself as a strong challenger for the championship and it’s exactly what we want. So that will come.”

Bottas said that securing at least one victory within this season would make a big difference.

“Personally, for sure, it is important,” he said when asked by Motorsport.com. “At the last race [in Russia] I felt like I performed like a winner, but having not won...

"It is something in the end, because if your teammate wins however many races in the season, and you win zero, it’s not ideal. We have four races left, four opportunities. We’ll see.”

Regarding his Suzuka weekend, he said: “I’m always still racing for the team. We are here to win the championship. It’s not like we’re cruising around there.

"Lewis needs to win the championship. I can’t win, so I’m willing to help.

“I’d rather have my teammate winning the title than anyone else. Also for us as a team, I want to get maximum points. We could not have done better today.”

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Were Ferrari held back by their own upgrades in Suzuka?

Although the story of Ferrari’s qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix was dominated by the ill-fated choice to begin Q3 on intermediate tyres rather than the slicks of everyone else, this unfortunately had the effect of muddying the waters of how competitive Ferrari actually were going into Saturday.

Both drivers reported the car much improved compared to the previous day, following the overnight removal of two recent ‘upgrades’. These were the new rear wing introduced at Singapore and a new rear suspension that had been configured to take fuller advantage of the rake made possible by the new front wing and associated parts introduced in Sochi.

Both Vettel and Raikkonen opted to take off the Singapore rear wing that they ran on Friday in Suzuka

With neither Sebastian Vettel nor Kimi Raikkonen entirely happy with the car during Friday practice, Ferrari’s development driver Daniil Kvyat back-to-backed the old spec and the new in the Maranello simulator and reportedly confirmed that the old set-up was better. Both new parts were removed on Friday night in Japan and replaced by older, standard components, suggesting that the team’s recent development programme had rather gone awry.

The rear wing introduced in Singapore had big McLaren-like lateral slots in the endplates below the level of the flap’s underside, which were angled in a way that implied they would reduce the difference in air pressure between the top and underside of the flap at the outer edges and therefore reduce peak downforce.

A closer look at the Singapore wing. Note the McLaren-style vents indicated by the red arrow

Why would they be looking to reduce downforce? The idea would be to make a smoother, more progressive, transition to maximum downforce as the car is turned into the corner, even if the peak was slightly lower. It is a concept of endplate that McLaren have used all season and which Mercedes adopted from quite early in the year and have continued to develop further. However, it was the first time Ferrari had used it and it remained on the car through the Sochi weekend and into Friday at Suzuka. The feedback of all three drivers suggests it wasn’t behaving as intended, and the rear wing actually used in qualifying and race was the Silverstone-style one with standard endplates.

The Sochi front wing that Ferrari introduced

However, Ferrari’s extensive front wing and under-nose guide vane updates introduced in Sochi remained on the car. This wing (pictured above) featured a less aggressive profile of the main plane (1), but a more intricate and aggressive footstep area on the outside of the endplate as well as an extra outwash fin.

The way the lower edge of the wing arches upwards at the outer ends to form a more pronounced vortex-inducing arch (3) implies that the vortex of spinning air between the front wheels and sidepods that is created by these arches will be bigger and more powerful. These spinning vortices draw the airflow over the wing, past the tyre and down the side of the body faster, increasing downforce. The pressure they create around them also helps separate out the airflow down the outside of the body with that heading for the radiators and floor.

The new slotted guide vane (2), similar to that seen on the Red Bull and the Mercedes, will feed more airflow into the underfloor. This combination of changes would in theory facilitate a greater degree of rake to be run, this further increasing the underbody downforce created.

When rake is increased, the front wing itself is presented to the air in a more aggressive way – and it may be for this reason that the main, central part of the wing (which is the part that creates front downforce directly) is profiled less aggressively than before, so as to make it less stall-prone. The more the car is raked, the greater contrast there tends to be between the central and endplate parts of the wing, as the endplate is largely being used to accelerate the air as fast as possible around the tyre, hence the extra outwash fin and the reprofiling of the endplate flaps (5 and 6). So the endplate design becomes more aggressive with more rake, the main profile less so.

Ferrari lost 60% of their lap time to Mercedes in the last sector of Sochi

Details of the new rear suspension that was introduced with this front wing are sketchy, but it’s likely that the increased rake the new aerodynamics made feasible required slightly different pick-up points to facilitate the required increased rear ride height. It was notable that in Sochi, Ferrari were losing most of their time to Mercedes in sector three, where they were having difficulty keeping their rear tyre temperatures under control. Over 60% of the lap time deficit was coming between Turns 16 and 18 – i.e. at the end of the lap as the tyres became too hot.

The last time Ferrari suffered similarly was at Barcelona, and on that occasion it was found that rear suspension changes to improve airflow had a negative impact upon how the rear tyres were treated. The suspicion is that the recently introduced rear suspension was responsible for the tyre problems in Sochi and on Friday in Suzuka. Both Vettel and Raikkonen reported the car much improved into Saturday, but the tyre choice error rather disguised that improvement.

It all illustrated how intricately connected the mechanical and aerodynamic programmes have to be, and how easy it is – even for a team of Ferrari’s resource – to get blind-sided.

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Female single-seater series to launch in 2019

A single-seater championship for female drivers, backed by ex-F1 racer David Coulthard, is to launch in 2019, with a prize fund of $1.5m available.

The W Series will provide identical cars for 18-20 drivers in its first season, which will take place at several yet-to-be-named circuits across Europe, with events planned in America, Asia and Australia in future years.

The series will be free to enter and all participants will undertake a “rigorous pre-selection programme” that involves on-track testing, simulator appraisal and technical engineering tests.

Coulthard, design guru Adrian Newey and experienced F1 team manager Dave Ryan will all be involved in that process

The series will use identical Tatuus T-318 Formula 3 cars, powered by a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine, and will all be fitted with the halo device.

The champion will receive prize money of $500,000, with financial pay-outs down to 18th position in the standings.

The series outlined that it has the "firm believe that women can compete equally with men in motorsport, however, an all-female series is essential in order to force greater female participation."

“In order to be a successful racing driver, you have to be skilled, determined, competitive, brave and physically fit, but you don’t have to possess the kind of super-powerful strength levels that some sports require,” said Coulthard.

“You also don’t have to be a man. That’s why we at W Series firmly believe that female and male racing drivers can compete with one another on equal terms given the same opportunity.

“At the moment, however, women racing drivers tend to reach a ‘glass ceiling’ at around the GP3/Formula 3 level on their learning curve, often as a result of a lack of funding rather than a lack of talent.”

“That’s why an all-new all-female single-seater motor racing series is required – W Series – to establish a competitive and constructive motorsport habitat in which our drivers will be able to equip themselves with the necessary skill-set eventually to move on up to existing high-level mainstream racing series and compete with the best male drivers on equal terms."

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Sergio Marchionne's death has had 'major impact' on Ferrari's performance - Ross Brawn

Formula 1 Managing Director of Motorsports Ross Brawn has urged Ferrari to remain united through its current rough patch in the championship, part of which he has attributed to the death of "strong" leader Sergio Marchionne.

Ferrari had a strong chance of competing for both world titles this year, having led the way in the Constructors’ Championship, with Sebastian Vettel heading the Drivers’ standings at stages.

Vettel’s win in Belgium drew him to within 14 points of Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari locked out the front row of the grid for its home event in Italy.

But it allowed victory to slip through its fingers, with Hamilton snatching a win that proved to be the first of four on the bounce, a run that is still ongoing courtesy of his triumph in Japan.

Ferrari, meanwhile, has struggled to match Mercedes in recent Grands Prix, owing to a lack of pace and mistakes, and its chances in both championships are now slim. 

“As was the case last year, in September and October Ferrari seems to have gone off the rails,” said Brawn. 

“Up until Monza, the Scuderia had seemed capable of fighting for both titles all the way to the end, but the trips to Singapore, Russia and Japan put a stop to that, particularly in the Drivers’ classification. 

“As an outsider it’s always difficult to give a correct assessment as to why this has happened.

“It’s obvious from even a brief analysis of the way the car behaves that Ferrari has a very strong technical package, thanks to the efforts of the past few years which has seen the team close a technical gap to Mercedes that had developed since the introduction of hybrid power units in 2014.

“Compared to last year, even Ferrari’s reliability has improved. So where’s the problem? 

“There is no doubt the shock of the sudden death of its leader, Sergio Marchionne, who had been such a strong reference in the team, will have a major impact, and that is totally understandable.”

Brawn was part of Ferrari’s senior management through its dominant era in the early 2000s and feels that unity will be a strength moving forward.

“Having experienced many crises myself during my time with Ferrari, what I know is that this is the time to come together, stay united and look ahead, without resorting to recrimination and playing the blame game,” he said.

“Drivers, engineers and management all win and lose together, which is an unwritten rule in every sport, not just Formula 1. Everyone at Maranello knows that. 

“Now is the time to try and turn things around and finish in style a season that has many positives.”

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ABITEBOUL: WE MUST BE MORE AGGRESSIVE, FASTER AND SMARTER

As his drivers and team ambassador raise the alarm bells, Renault team chief Cyril Abiteboul is plotting strategy for 2019 while acknowledging that his engineers need to extract more power from their package, for qualifying in particular.

Speaking to Nice Matin after a below-par Japanese Grand Prix weekend, for the French team and their customers, Abiteboul said of the deficit to Mercedes and Ferrari, “The gap has not closed and has even increased a little. Thinking ahead to 2019, we must be more aggressive, faster and smarter, we need to think differently.”

“You know, Formula 1 is often portrayed as a sport where the human is second, where everything depends on the machines, but in reality, there is not a single sport that mobilizes so many, we are a team of 1200 people.”

Renault power, or lack thereof, has long been an issue between Red Bull and the French outfit, with Max Verstappen notably vocal about what is bolted on to the back of his car.

In response, recently Abiteboul chastised the Dutchman, claiming he as the only one of all the drivers that complained about engines.

A few days later his own driver Nico Hulkenberg declared “if you snooze you lose” with regards to lack of development to the RS18 and them went public with his concerns after a dismal qualifying, in which of all six Renault powered drivers only Verstappen made it into Q3 while the McLarens were slowest of all.

Hulkenberg’s sentiments were echoed by Alain Prost, while Carlos Sainz, who salvaged a point after a tough afternoon at Suzuka, also lamented the lack of horsepower at his disposal.

However, after the race, Abiteboul claimed it was “an important result for the team.” And added, “After Sochi, it is further evidence that our race pace is competitive at this stage of our development.”

“We’ve also shown that the power unit is capable of doing great things in race conditions at high-power sensitive circuits, like Suzuka, with Red Bull Racing fighting for second place in these track conditions. ”

“It’s clear what needs to be fixed and that’s improving our qualifying pace. We’ve seen that small differences can play a huge role in starting between seventh or fourteenth.”

“We absolutely need to get on top of this and get the car back where it belongs at circuits which should be better for us,” insisted the French team boss.

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BRIATORE: VETTEL’S BIGGEST ENEMY IS HIMSELF

Flavio Briatore believes that Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel, with the best car at his disposal, has only himself to blame for blowing a championship-winning campaign.

Speaking on Beyond Victory with Nico Rosberg, after a mistake-strewn Japanese Grand Prix weekend for Ferrari and Vettel, Briatore said, “Sebastian has made a lot of mistakes this year, his biggest enemy is himself. Ferrari at this moment is quicker than the Mercedes.”

“Vettel is not winning the championship, he’s winning races and it doesn’t work like that. If you lose out in three or four opportunities like that, it’s 25 points thrown away every time and it’s becoming very difficult after that mentally.”

“I believe the stress you have as a driver is enormous and if you’re in the position to handle the stress and do the job and not go out [retire from races], you’re winning. Because when you go out, it’s the worst possible scenario – we know that.”

During his time in the Formula 1 paddock, Briatore managed Michael Schumacher to his first two titles in the Benetton days, and then a decade later was in Fernando Alonso’s corner when the Spaniard broke on to the scene and bagged titles in 2005 and 2006.

The Italian has been there and done that over the years, thus has advice for Vettel, “You need to explain to him that the race is 53 laps, and not one lap. I remember we had the same experience with Fernando.”

“When you want to win the championship finishing third place is already bingo. It’s important to stay on the track.”

“[Vettel’s] accident in Monza made no sense, honestly. You know the car is better, you just brake and stay behind, finito. You have 50 more laps to recover it.”

“If you go out, you have zero laps to recover. Sure, with the car he has he could finish fourth because the car is better than the rest of the competition. But when you want to win the championship you have to be a master at that and do well and finish second and third also.”

“The target is to just get the points. You don’t need to win every race to win the championship. It’s not about the race wins, it’s about the points.”

“If you have a competitive car, you overtake somebody. If you are going to have an accident with the guy who has more points than you, the advantage goes to your competitor,” concluded Briatore.

Criticism of Ferrari, in the wake of Japan, has been vehement with Italian media particularly vocal while using the opportunity to expose a power struggle between team chief between Maurizio Arrivabene and technical director Mattia Binotto.

Vettel was also severely criticised for a series of self-inflicted mistakes that have marred his campaign this year.

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VETTEL FACES MISSION IMPOSSIBLE IN TEXAS

Even Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise would baulk at the task facing Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel after a dismal Japanese Grand Prix weekend for the German and his Italian team.

Vettel’s hopes of winning a fifth Formula 1 title this season moved away from slim and closer to virtually non-existent after Suzuka.

Lewis Hamilton’s pole-to-flag victory, the Briton’s sixth win in seven races and ninth of the season, delivered another hammer blow to a rival whose challenge has swiftly self-destructed.

Vettel is now 67 points behind his Mercedes rival with four races — worth a maximum 100 points — to go.

The battle between the two four-times champions looks effectively over, even if there is still fighting talk from Maranello.

“I know that the situation looks impossible,” Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said on Sunday. “But our job sometimes is to challenge the impossible. This is what we are going to do and we try to do for the future four races.”

In fact, it could all be over in two weeks’ time at the United Grand Prix in Austin, where a win with Vettel finishing lower than second is all Hamilton needs to seal the deal with three races to spare.

“You say nearly, so obviously there is still a chance,” said Vettel, cutting a resigned figure as he spoke to reporters.

“At the last couple of races we made it a bit too easy for them but also credit to them as they executed well, which is the name of the game.

“We need to look after ourselves and do our bit the next couple of races and then we see.”

Ferrari’s campaign has unravelled spectacularly as the season has worn on, with what appeared set to be a titanic battle of two four-time champions instead turning into a one-horse race.

Mistakes from both Vettel and the Italian team, as well as strategy blunders such as a failed tyre gamble in qualifying at Suzuka, have cost them dear.

They no longer have the fastest car, with Mercedes locking out the front row and finishing in one-two formation in the last two races.

Hamilton is also in the form of his life and has to be favourite for victory again in Austin, where he has won every race bar one since the Texan track joined the calendar in 2012.

Vettel’s highest finish since his win in Belgium at the end of August has been third and he will need to win at least the next two, with Hamilton failing to score, for any miracle to look remotely possible.

Still, neither Mercedes nor Hamilton are taking anything for granted.

“A DNF and the consequent bad result suddenly wipes off a large chunk of your points,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

“I know from the probability standpoint it doesn’t look likely, but this is motor racing.

“I’ve seen many black swans swimming across the pond in my life… that’s why I’d rather wait until it’s really done.”

How Hamilton can seal the deal in Austin on 21 October:

• If he wins and Vettel is third or lower;
• If he is second and Vettel is fifth or lower;
• If he is third and Vettel is seventh or lower;
• If he is fourth and Vettel is eighth or lower;
• If he is fifth and Vettel is ninth or lower;
• If he is sixth and Vettel is 10th or lower;
• However, if Hamilton is seventh or lower the fight goes on to Mexico.

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Sergey Sirotkin: Williams’ 2019 plans ‘a big step ahead’

Sergey Sirotkin believes Williams can avoid a repeat of its 2018 malaise next season, with its year-on-year preparation ahead of the corresponding situation from 2017.

Williams finished third across 2014 and 2015 before slipping to fifth in the standings through 2016/2017 and adopted an overhauled design concept for this season.

But its FW41 proved recalcitrant and it initially struggled to understand the car, leaving it on the back foot, substantially adrift of its rivals in the Constructors’ Championship.

Sirotkin, yet to sign a deal for 2019, is nonetheless optimistic that this year has acted as a wake-up call to the team.

“I don’t want to be too optimistic, but it [2019 plans] looked already quite a big step better than the situation was exactly this time last year about the current car,” he said.

“Even in terms of the time-wise, let’s say, it is a step ahead, which is always good.

“So again I don’t want to say that we will be immediately back and everything will be 100 per cent as we want.

“But for sure it looks like we learned a big lesson and did a good improvement based on the work we did so far this year.”

Sirotkin added that a different mindset will also enhance Williams’ prospects going forward.

“I think it’s based on fundamental understanding, let’s say, on the process to build the car, it started from there,” he said.

“That’s why it took us so long to understand it properly and get over it.

“I think now we learned many lessons about the very, very basics of all the procedure from zero to the end and I think the way we approach it with the new car is going to be already with quite a different process, [a different] system.

“So we can avoid the issues we finally found this year and obviously get more performance from it.”

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Raikkonen defends Verstappen over driving approach

Kimi Raikkonen says Max Verstappen is not the kind of driver who would deliberately drive a rival off track, despite their clash at the Japanese Grand Prix
Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty at Suzuka when he was deemed to have rejoined the track in an unsafe manner after he missed the chicane on the opening lap.

As he came back on the circuit, he ran wide and forced Raikkonen off the circuit, damaging the Finn's car.

While Sebastian Vettel has spoken out about the aggression of Verstappen's defensive moves after his incident later in the race, Raikkonen is more open-minded about Verstappen's driving.

"In the situation where I was with him, it is a bid hard to say because I know sometimes when you come back over the kerbs it is impossible to turn the car when you bounce over them," he said.

"I don't know if that was the case.

"I think if we were both on the circuit next to each other, I don't think he would squeeze because we all know what will happen from that.

"But it was obviously a bit of an odd situation where we ended up. I don't think he purposefully tried to hit anybody, but this is what happened."

Raikkonen did not seem too angry about what Verstappen did at the chicane, although is clear that he would have liked to have been given a bit more room.

"I tried to go outside and leave as much as I could," added the Finn. "But he obviously came kind of off the track over the grass kerb part.

"Maybe he could not turn more, and maybe he just ended up there. In an ideal world, he should have left a bit more. But I don't know…"

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JEAN TODT: I SEE MICHAEL, I LOVE MICHAEL

FIA president Jean Todt has revealed how he sees Michael Schumacher twice per month, thus one of few very people outside of the immediate family and carers that are allowed to visit the Formula 1 legend at his home in Switzerland.

Although little is officially known about the seven times Formula 1 World Champion’s condition, he is reportedly wheelchair bound and taken care of by a team of specialists, his family is militant in protecting Schumi’s privacy since the debilitating skiing accident he suffered in December 2013 while on Holiday in the Alps.

Todt, who was Ferrari team chief during Schumacher’s remarkable era at the turn of this century, is clearly one of the few that make part of the inner circle that still has contact with the 49-year-old German.

The Frenchman revealed in an interview with The Times that he sees Schumacher “a minimum of twice a month” but declined to give details, “I simply say it is private. I see Michael, I love Michael. I see his family. I wish the situation would be different.”

During the interview, Todt was asked about a framed photo in his presidential office depicting Schumacher standing next to his wife Michelle Yeoh, and his son, Nicolas.

He explained, “That’s my three darlings. Michael, Michelle and my son. I think this one was when I won the French award called Légion d’Honneur [in 2011]. They came to the celebration. They all love each other, which is something that is also special to me.”

While most remember the five glorious seasons – 2000 to 2004 – in which under Todt’s leadership Ferrari dominated the sport and added a hefty chapter to the Ferrari legend, but few recall the four years of toil it took to get the team to the top and winning titles as they did when they found the sweet spot.

Although 1999 was close, finally the title came at the 2000 Japanese Grand Prix when Schumacher powered the #3 Ferrari F1-2000 to victory and with it end a 21-year championship drought for Maranello. No surprise that Todt cherishes this as his fondest memory during those record-breaking glory years.

Again referring to a photo in his office, he points to a picture of himself lifting Schumacher on the Suzuka podium after clinching their first title, “When people ask me what is my best memory, it’s this one. That’s Suzuka in 2000. Michael is world champion [for Ferrari] after 21 years.”

“I remember [after winning the title] saying to Michael: On a professional level, things will be different for us. In fact, they weren’t different because we had so much passion for success that, when we got that, we wanted to win the next one,” recalled Todt.

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ARRIVABENE: VETTEL WILL BE WORLD CHAMPION IN A FERRARI

Maurizio Arrivabene is not a man of many words in the Formula 1 paddock, but out of the confines of the circus, he is understandably very passionate about Ferrari, the sport’s greatest team he has managed since 2014.

The team principal was a guest speaker at the Festival della Sport, on stage at the Teatro Sociale in Trento, where Arrivabene was questioned about the pressure he feels at the helm of the Scuderia.

He replied, “When we talk about Formula 1 we immediately think of Ferrari because it is in the DNA of this sport. Is there too much pressure? I wouldn’t say so, on the contrary, we have to thank everyone for the passion they have for our team. This love has to make us strive to do better and better.”

On being chosen to lead the Reds, the 61-year-old opened up, “It gave me great pride to be chosen for this role. I do not have the Prancing Horse only on my jacket, I also have it in my heart.”

As for the highlight of his season thus far, “Among the most beautiful victories I remember was at Silverstone, the home of Formula 1. I always try to be calm and cool on the pitwall, I try not to show my feelings but this time I could not hide the great emotion of winning that grand prix.”

Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel are the drivers currently under his watch, next year young Charles Leclerc joins the team. The veteran Finn. a long time soldier and Ferrari’s last World Champion when he won the title in 2007, departs at the end of the season marking an end of an era.

Many believe that the announcement Raikkonen would leave the team was premature and, for whatever reason, did coincide with the team’s dismal dip in form since their home Italian Grand Prix in early September.

Critics suggesting that the timing of the announcement did not do much to encourage Raikkonen to be a team player in their championship quest, particularly when coming to the aid of Vettel when it really mattered.

But Arrivabene explained, “I have worked with Kimi for many years, he is a great professional and wanted to know before Monza what our plans were for 2019. For that reason, we confirmed the arrival of Leclerc.”

“We replaced Raikkonen to allow a talented youngster like Leclerc to grow alongside a champion like Vettel. Raikkonen will race another two years with Sauber, with us he would not have gone beyond 2019. Despite the news, Kimi showed that he is a great professional at Monza.”

With four rounds remaining in this year’s championship, the chances of a first F1 title in a decade for the Reds is bleak despite ruling the roost earlier this season. Heading to next round, in the United States, Vettel trails drivers’ championship leader Lewis Hamilton by 67 points while Ferrari are 78 points adrift of Mercedes in the constructors’ title race.

After a below par Japanese Grand Prix, Arrivabene declared that their task was “mission impossible” and repeated it to the audience on Saturday, “It has become a mission impossible, but it’s not over.”

“In Austin, if we leave beaten I want to say clearly: I am sure that sooner or later Sebastian Vettel will win the world championship at the wheel of a Ferrari.”

“I think he has something of Schumacher in him, he is German but also very Italian and passionate about Maranello from an early age,” concluded Arrivabene referencing Vettel’s maiden victory at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix in a Ferrari powered Toro Rosso.

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VERSTAPPEN: I THINK HONDA HAS ALREADY PASSED RENAULT

Last Wednesday, Max Verstappen attended Exact Live, the largest one-day business event in the Netherlands and in addition to his presence at a number of presentations and guest appearances, the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing driver made time for a heart to heart interview with Verstappen.nl.

There are four races to go this year. How do you look back on this season after the race in Abu Dhabi? And how do you compare the season with last year?
Max Verstappen: “The start of the season was not really what I expected. Fortunately, things improved after Monaco. 2017 was a very different season, also with regard to the car. This year the car was good from the get go and that was not the case last year. In 2017 we ended-up winning twice. This year so far only once, that should have been three. I did, however, recover well and I am happy with the car, which is also important.”

What score do you give yourself and the car this season so far?
MV: “I do not like to give a certain score. I think you can always do better and I think that is very important. The car is actually very good, although there is always room for improvement. So, that’s how I feel about that.”

Did you expect after Monaco that you would come back this strong with as many as seven podiums?
MV: “Yes, I just did not expect to start like that. That’s the thing. I always expected that we would come back and just do what we had done the year before. That is being consistent, being fast and taking podiums. That has been the case after Monaco. And above all, do not listen to what other people say.”

What are your best moments this year so far?
MV: “The best experience so far was Austria. To win in a Red Bull car at the Red Bull Ring, with so many Dutch fans, makes it very special.”

What would you have done differently this year if you were allowed to do it again?
MV: “China and Monaco. Those two.”

Let’s jump to the cooperation with Honda next year: we have seen this fail with McLaren. How do you ensure that the collaboration will be a great success next year?
MV: “By telling Honda that they need to develop the best and fastest engine, but not as small and compact as possible. We indicate that we want as much power as possible and in return we will make it fit in the car. That is a very different approach than they had at McLaren.”

The fact that your team has a close relationship with their sister team Toro Rosso, is, of course, an advantage.
MV: “In the current situation you are always the second team, after the factory team. This, of course, is not the case with Honda. We are actually the only customer, since both are Red Bull teams. I think that is an advantage. If there is engine update, you receive it immediately and not a race later.”

In Japan, the Toro Rosso’s qualified sixth and seventh. Looking at pure speed, do you think that Honda has already passed Renault?
MV: “I think so. Q3 was of course a somewhat separate session, but then they are still in front of the Renaults which is the factory team. I think Toro Rosso’s car is not that strong in general, but you can see that Honda is making strides.”

The Toro Rosso’s dropped a bit in the race. Do you think they are at Renault’s level at race speed as well?
MV: “In the race it does not matter that much, but if the car is not at its best, it will not use the tyres as efficient. I don’t know exactly what went wrong, but if you look at pure engine power, it looks good. Of course, that will only be better in our car.”

Have you already exchanged experiences about the Honda engine with Pierre Gasly, your new teammate?
MV: “Of course. I always try to win as much information as possible and he is also really open in that regard. It all feels right and I think there are many benefits. Of course, there will also be a number of drawbacks, but hopefully the benefits will outweigh the drawbacks.”

Pierre Gasly recently said that during his season in Super Formula in Japan, he learned a lot about Japanese culture and that this is useful now. Have you already immersed yourself in that?
MV: “I do not think that is really necessary. If they just deliver a very fast engine, we will make sure that the rest will be fine. In terms of communication it is of course a different culture, but the people at the circuit all speak perfectly English. I think we have enough people in our team to take good care of that. You have to indicate what can be improved and what’s not going smoothly, but of course you can easily communicate this in English. You do not have to be Japanese for that.”

Have you been to the factory yet?
MV: “One time in Japan, but they also have a factory in Milton Keynes. That is just around the corner. Once we really work with Honda next year, we will probably return to the factory before the Japanese Grand Prix.”

What strengths of this year’s car will you bring to next year? And what are some areas for improvement?
MV: “I think the car in general is really strong. This year you could see at street circuits, where the engine power is not that important, that our car was really strong, especially in Monaco. As for next year, it is hard to say, because we get that new front wing. It affects the entire car in terms of downforce, so we’ll have to wait and see.”

Do you also have an explanation why the RB14 this year is doing less well in the rain?
MV: “There are reasons why the car is harder to adjust in the rain this year. I can’t say too much about that, but we know what the problem is and we should try to do better next year.”

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WOLFF: MICK CAN BECOME ONE OF THE GREATS IN OUR SPORT

Mick Schumacher secured the 2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship title on the final weekend at Hockenheim, notching up seven pole positions, eight wins and 13 podiums in his campaign this year – earning high praise from Mercedes F1 chief Toto Wolff.

Second place in the second race on the final weekend of the campaign at Hockenheim was enough for 19-year-old Mick Schumacher to claim his first title in a junior formula series.

At the end of his second season as a member of the Prema Theodore Racing squad, driving a car powered by a Mercedes-AMG Formula 3 engine, the 19-year-old German became the new champion with a points tally of 347.

“It’s a slightly unreal feeling – I’m absolutely delighted,” said Mick. “I still can’t quite believe it. All I can say is thank you to everyone in the team for your support during this incredible season.”

Mick was undoubtedly the standout driver of the second half of the 2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. His first win of the campaign came as late as the 15th round contested on the legendary Spa-Francorchamps rollercoaster.

After his maiden victory in the racing series at Spa, he then went on to win at least one race on each of the subsequent weekends, including Silverstone, Misano, the Nürburgring and Spielberg.

The impressive statistics behind this late surge to the top are eight wins in twelve races, five of them in a row.

“Congratulations to Mick on winning the FIA Formula 3 European Championship title,” said Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Toto Wolff. “Attention was focused on the youngster right from the start, and he was under a lot of pressure.”

“It’s not easy coping with all that, especially if the season does not get off to the best of starts, as in this case. His performance in the second half of the season was therefore all the more impressive. He has shown that he has what it takes and that he can become one of the greats in our sport.”

“We are also obviously delighted that he registered a 500th race win for Mercedes in F3 and that he secured the title in a Mercedes-powered car.”

The title win puts Mick in among a select band of racers. Previous winners of the F3 title in cars powered by a Mercedes-AMG Formula 3 engine include Lewis Hamilton, Esteban Ocon, Paul Di Resta and Daniel Juncadella.

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DOES WEHRLEIN HAVE THE RIGHT STUFF FOR TORO ROSSO?

Of the few seats that remain for 2019 in Formula 1, the Toro Rosso one is probably the most desirable, not only does it provide an opportunity for young drivers to shine, it also has the allure of a possible move up through to the Red Bull senior team should a driver deliver.

Although several names have been linked to the seat, including Lando Norris (McLaren) and Antonio Giovinazzi (Sauber) who have confirmed drives for 2019, Pascal Wehrlein has emerged as the front-runner.

As it stands, Pierre Gasly departs Toro Rosso for Red Bull and ‘prodigal son’ Daniil Kvyat return for another crack at the top flight leaving one seat, currently filled by Brendon Hartley.

And that’s where it gets complicated.

Hartley has not delivered at the highest level, relative to Gasly he has been mostly outperformed, the New Zealander struggling to make the transition from WEC, where he was double world champion, to the top flight.

Helmut Marko, who fired him years ago then rehired him, has been patient with the 28-year-old, but at the same time has made it quite clear that there are several drivers being considered for the drive. But it is not a certainty that Hartley will be dropped.

In qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, Honda territory, Hartley qualified sixth with Gasly behind him, prompting team chief Franz Tost to comment, “It was a fantastic achievement. [Brendon] was quick from the first moment he got here.”

“I think for him the most important thing is that he now understands how to use the tyres a lot better. Brendon does a good job, why should we change him?” added the team chief.

But a day later the #28 got off the start line badly and Hartley spent the afternoon in no man’s land and out of the points. At the end of the race, in which he started ahead of Gasly, the New Zealander finished 22 seconds behind the Frenchman. A stark reminder to his bosses why he may not be the real deal for F1.

Word is that, after the Russian Grand Prix weekend, Marko gave Hartley the ultimatum of beating Gasly in all remaining races – he faltered at the first hurdle at Suzuka.

No surprise that there is a queue of drivers knocking on the door to replace Hartley should his bosses decide to axe the likeable 28-year-old at the end of this season, Marko suggesting at one point that ten drivers were on his list

Most recently Wehrlein was added to this list, apparently joining the likes of Robert Kubica and Esteban Ocon as possible candidates. Other outsiders linked with the seat include Mick Schumacher (denied by Red Bull) and most recently Alexander Albon.

Of all the candidates, Wehrlein has made a good case for himself by extricating himself from the Mercedes driver programme and turning a down a three-year deal to lead Mercedes’ Formula E campaign.

Major decisions by him that clearly show his intent to cut it in Formula 1 at all costs.

And hence a Toro Rosso stint might not be far-fetched, after the German ended his contract with Mercedes Marko acknowledged, “It’s a different story now, yes. We have not decided yet, but Wehrlein is on a long list.”

Swiss Ex-F1 driver turned pundit Marc Surer said on a recent Starting Grid podcast episode, ” We have seen that Hartley has not delivered, even though there was the Suzuka qualifying highlight, but what followed was a below-par race.”

“I would say that Pascal would be worth a try. He still deserves another chance and, I think, with Toro Rosso led by Franz Tost it would be a different story, he can show what he has and what we have seen from him in the past.”

The German’s career to Formula 1 was unconventional in that he shone first in the tin-top DTM series, where he became the youngest champion in 2015, before Mercedes backed him into a Manor seat in 2016.

Wehrlein’s rookie season was solid, although he his Manor teammate (for the final nine races of 2016) but Mercedes colleague Esteban Ocon when it came to a shootout between the two for the Force India seat, the Frenchman got the nod.

Mercedes brokered a deal and Wehrlein was a Sauber driver for 2017. His stint with the Swiss outfit got off to a bad start as he had to miss the first two races after he crashed during the Race of Champions event in December. He injured his neck, far more seriously than he let on.

He returned for his Sauber debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Fast-forwarding to the Abu Dhabi finale and summing up his season “underwhelming” springs to mind, despite scoring all five points Sauber managed that year, teammate Marcus Ericsson was pointless.

Indeed, Wehrlein was better than journeyman Ericsson but not in the way rookie Charles Leclerc has trounced the Swede this year.

During that season, dovetailing between his Sauber duties, Wherlien also spent time testing the pace-setting Mercedes where his performances were impressive relative to the formidable talents of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

At one point Wehrlein was in line to replace Rosberg when he quit Mercedes at the end of 2016, but word is team chief Toto Wolff wanted to avoid another volatile scenario within the team, which would likely have been the case with Hamilton-Wehrlein, and instead opted for Valtteri Bottas.

With too many bums for seats on the grid this year, Wehrlein went back to DTM, but always kept an eye on a comeback to the top flight.

Surer, who had close access to Wehrlein within the Swiss team, recalled, “At Sauber, I noticed he was really fast in a good car, as soon as he had a car with quirks he struggled.”

“After clean running with Mercedes in testing, he was unsettled very quickly with the not-so-clean Sauber. As soon as the rear was unstable he would brake too early,” added Surer who would have been privy to the team’s telemetry.

“These are things that you can iron out of him, a Franz Tost will have a good talk to him and he will learn how to deal with these things. With Toro Rosso, he would have better leadership and guidance than he has had in the past.”

What impresses Surer most about Wehrlein is, “Pascal feels no pressure, he can handle that and deal with difficult situations very well.”

In a nutshell, Hartley has a lifeline of sorts but massive results are required from him in all the next four races and still, there would be questions asked.

Meanwhile, until Marko and the Red Bull gang make that call, Wehrlein at 23 is worth considering for Toro Rosso because it is fair to say the German has unfinished business in Formula 1 and time on his side.

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WEBBER: RENAULT MOVE HAS TO WORK FOR RICCIARDO

Daniel Ricciardo has taken a gamble at a very crucial time in his career, one which fellow countryman and former Formula 1 driver Mark Webber says must work for the Renault bound Red Bull driver.

Renault confirming Ricciardo as their driver for 2019 during the summer break came as a huge shock top the F1 paddock. The Australian is taking a big gamble on his future by aligning with the French team as the energy drinks begin a new era with Honda.

Ricciardo clearly gambled that Renault would get their act together, but so far this season they have disappointed and their team chief Cyril Abiteboul admits they have taken a step back.

Webber rates Ricciardo highly, and speaking to Fairfax Media he said hopes that the 29-year-old has made the right call, “He’s absolutely world class, we know that, he’s top notch, he is one of the best on Sundays, there’s no question about it.”

“Let’s see. I hope it’s an inspired decision, we’ll all have to sit back and watch, but the move is under a little bit of heat, it has to work for him.”

The reality is that he is leaving a team with recent winning pedigree, versus one which with a past legacy of winning but a dismal recent record. Not surprising that many believe it is a step back.

“He knows in the short term it’s going to be,” insisted Webber. “He’ll be behind Red Bull next year. He’s banking on the long term there. That’s the concern.”

The Australian, who spent seven seasons with Red Bull, knows how the team operates and believes that the balance of power shifted to Max Verstappen within the team, a fact that irked Ricciardo who went on to ink a lucrative deal, but an uncertain one.

Webber sees the positives, “That’s what you’ve got to do sometimes, you’ve got to be one step back, two steps forward. He has to be realistic about what’s possible there and find out what he can realistically do with the time he’s got left.

“He’s got a lot of time left… but we all would like to see him in a more competitive situation than he’s going to be in in the next two years,” reasoned the nine-time grand prix winner.

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WILLIAMS CONFIRM GEORGE RUSSELL FOR 2019

George Russell will join Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris in a trio of British Formula One drivers next season after former champions Williams announced on Friday they had signed the youngster on a multi-year deal.

The 20-year-old, who has a long-term contract with Williams’ engine providers Mercedes, looks set to win the Formula Two championship after taking a 37 point lead with two races to come.

“I feel 100 percent ready,” Russell, who will debut in Australia in March, told Reuters in an interview.

“I feel really motivated for the task ahead,” added the Briton, who has had to contain his excitement for weeks after being told at last month’s Russian Grand Prix that he had got the drive.

“Formula One has been my lifelong ambition and dream, so to finally get this opportunity… I’m definitely not going to take this for granted.”

Hamilton, who can clinch his fifth world championship in Texas next week, is at Mercedes while Norris, 18, will be making his race debut with McLaren in 2019 after competing against Russell in Formula Two.

Williams have had a slow and ill-handling car this year and are last in one of the worst seasons in the history of a proud British team with nine constructors’ and seven drivers’ championships.

The tall Russell follows in the footsteps of 2009 world champion and compatriot Jenson Button, who was handed his debut by team founder Frank Williams as a 20-year-old in 2000 and won the title with Brawn GP.

Britons Damon Hill, in 1996, and Nigel Mansell, in 1992, both took their championships with Williams, who have not won a race since 2012.

“We have always tried to promote and develop young talent at Williams, and George fits that ethos perfectly,” said deputy principal Claire Williams.

“He is already highly regarded in the paddock and a driver whose career we have been watching for a while. In the time we have spent with him so far, we believe that he will be a great fit for our team.”

Williams gave no details about who their other driver would be, but 19-year-old Canadian Lance Stroll looks certain to move to Force India – a team now controlled by his billionaire father Lawrence.

The future of Russian Sergey Sirotkin, who made his debut with Williams this year, remains uncertain with financial considerations possibly coming into play.

Mercedes have yet to secure a seat for young Frenchman Esteban Ocon, who also has a long-term contract with the reigning champions but is set to lose his Force India place to Stroll.

Poland’s Robert Kubica, a former grand prix winner, has served as reserve this season and is keen to make a race return after suffering serious hand injuries in a rally crash in 2011.

Press Release:

Williams Racing is pleased to confirm George Russell’s appointment to a race seat from the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship with a multi-year agreement.

The 20-year-old British racing driver will make his Formula One race debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix and joins Williams with an impressive racing résumé.

Following a successful start to his career in karting, George stepped in to single seater racing in 2014, winning the BRDC Formula 4 Championship at his first attempt as well as becoming the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner.

George progressed to the Formula 3 European Championship for two seasons, and then went onto win the GP3 championship in his rookie 2017 season with two races to spare. He stepped up to the FIA Formula 2 Championship this year, which he is currently leading, whilst also fulfilling a Test and Reserve Driver role for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport.

Speaking about the announcement, George Russell said; “It is a huge honour to join a team of Williams’ prestige and heritage. Formula One has been a life-long dream. From watching the races when I was a child, it feels surreal that I will now be lining up on the grid, alongside drivers whom I have admired for years. I would like to thank Claire and everyone at Williams for their faith in making this decision, as well as Toto and the team at Mercedes for their fantastic support throughout GP3 and Formula 2. I am incredibly excited to start working with everyone at Grove and to take my first steps as a Formula One race driver. I cannot wait for Melbourne next year and to join Williams at the start of what we all believe will be the start of an exciting new journey.”

Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal, commented; “I am delighted to announce that George Russell will be joining Williams from the 2019 season. We have always tried to promote and develop young talent at Williams, and George fits that ethos perfectly. He is already highly regarded in the paddock and a driver whose career we have been watching for a while. In the time we have spent with him so far, we believe that he will be a great fit for our team; his commitment, passion and dedication is exactly what we need to drive the positive momentum building at Grove as we focus on the future. We are extremely excited to welcome George and work with him moving forward.”

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HAKKINEN: A TYRE WAR WOULD BE GOOD FOR FORMULA 1

Mika Hakkinen believes that tyre war will be good for Formula 1, forcing competition in an area that has been shut for such in recent years, the double world champion adding that additional tyre competitors will be a boost for the sport.

Pirelli have been the sole tyre supplier to the top flight since 2011 until 2019, but the double F1 World Champion, speaking from experience of the tyre war that prevailed between Bridgestone and Goodyear when he won his first title in 1998, is convinced that another competitor or two would be a good thing.

Hakkinen told Globo at Suzuka, “There is no more competition. There should be more tyre companies out there so competition improves. Speaking to the drivers I understand that these tyres have peaks and limits, if you push they overheat and you pay.”

“This is not a criticism of what Pirelli’s doing, it’s just a fact that there should be competition in this area. If you only have one driver driving out there it’s the same thing, we need competition because that’s what makes it exciting.”

Tyre companies often footed the bill of testing when tyre wars prevailed in Formula 1, which in turn helped teams bleed young drivers through intensive testing programmes. Many drivers of that area first got their taste of Formula 1 during days of testing. They were well prepared to step up when called to.

The modern era is simulator driven, teams spending huge fortunes on never-ending development of simulation technology to do virtual testing.

Hakkinen argued, “It’s challenging for young drivers to step up to Formula 1 because there is no testing. In my opinion, it makes more sense and is more useful if young drivers can do more testing and development work before they move up.”

“Whatever sport you do, if you can’t practice, how will you improve? On the technical side, how do you develop the engine and chassis if you’re not allowed to test? Yes, of course, you can do it on computers and do the simulations but these are not in the real world,” insisted Hakkinen.

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Mika Hakkinen would be open to returning to competitive action

Two-time Formula 1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen says he would be open to returning to competitive action in motor-racing, but is wary that business and personal ventures could restrict any potential programme.

Hakkinen took a sabbatical from Formula 1 after 2001, that turned into retirement, but competed in DTM from 2005 to 2007, taking three wins and a best of fifth in the standings.

Hakkinen has undertaken demonstration runs in classic machinery since, but his last race appearance came at the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in 2011.

“I thought about it quite often actually if I would do some type of racing,” Hakkinen, 50, said after demonstrating his title-winning McLaren MP4-13 at the Japanese Grand Prix.

“To be a brand ambassador for McLaren, I think it would be exciting to do something.

“But honestly, it takes time. It’s a commitment. It takes time from your life, the preparation. I have to admit I’m quite busy with my brand ambassador work, what I’m doing with the company at the moment.

“[I have] five kids at home, that’s not a holiday either! So if I add something in my life more, it just takes time away from the family, or you can sacrifice some work. But it has to be balanced.

Hakkinen nonetheless feels he would have the ability – and competitive spirit – to make a race return.

“I think it could be quite possible for me quite easily, because I have the [muscles] for driving, I’ve done driving for so many years,” he said.

“I’m also a brand ambassador for Hintsa Performance, so I think they would help me a lot because they’re taking care of many, many Grand Prix drivers in the field.

“All that kind of aspects are in the right place, so it would not be too difficult.

“But of course when you go out there, you want to win. You’re not going to go there for second or third place. You want to win and kick some butt!”

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Massa: F1's old V8s lacked 'aggression' of current engines

Felipe Massa says Formula 1’s old V8 engines lack the power and 'aggression' of the current turbo hybrid power units, after driving some of his former Ferrari cars last weekend.
The Brazilian was invited to the Japanese Grand Prix to take part in an historic demonstration, putting in some laps with a 2006 F248 and a 2010 F10 which were both powered by V8s.

It was the first time that Massa had driven an F1 car since he retired from the sport at the end of last season, and he says that while he preferred the lighter cars to current machinery, the older engines were not as impressive.

“It is a big difference in the car,” he told Motorsport.com. “I would say I enjoy much more the old car because it is quite light, with the change of direction, the reaction.

“But the engine, while it is much more fun because there is more noise, there is much less power. So the engine that we have now is a lot more aggressive and more powerful than this old car.”

F1’s current turbo engines are among the most powerful in F1 history, and are believed to be close to the 1000bhp that engines in the 1980’s were able to unleash for single qualifying laps.

From 2021, when fuel flow restrictions are set to be lifted, F1 will almost certainly break the 1000bhp barrier.

Although citing the engine being not as impressive as the current version, Massa was revelling in the experience of trying out his old Ferrari cars once again.

“It was really fun,” he said. “It was really nice. Good to go back and really remember. Also the good thing is that I still fit – so I didn’t have any problems on that front! So you can still enjoy pushing the car. I didn’t want to stop.

“I had a lot of fun driving these cars, feeling the car, the engine, also a lot of downforce you can feel as well. It was really fun.”

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Wolff says he will not interfere in Mercedes strategy calls

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff says his team is continuing to tighten its radio communications after incidents this season, and is trying to stay out of strategy discussions himself.
Wolff admitted after the Russian Grand Prix that he had distracted chief strategist James Vowles at a critical time, causing the team to make a mistake by not calling Lewis Hamilton into the pits a lap after leader Valtteri Bottas stopped.

That helped Sebastian Vettel to get ahead, forcing Hamilton to damage his tyres while battling to get past and then setting up the controversial decision for Bottas to hand the Sochi win to his teammate.

Wolff cited a fatal Polish military plane crash in Russia in 2010 as an example of what can go wrong if experts are overruled by their bosses.

"It was two very, very experienced fighter pilots that were flying the plane, and they aborted two of the landing attempts because the fog was too thick and there wasn't an automatic landing system at the airport," Wolff said.

"When they were thinking about what to do, the head of the air force came into the cockpit and says, 'we are landing.' He overruled the two pilots because he's higher up the hierarchy. And they landed, executing his order, and killed people. They knew better.

"So when our plane flies in qualifying and in the race, James flies the airplane and all I can do is comment and give him feedback and input but ultimately it's his decision what to do.

"He's in command at that moment even though from my ranking I'm higher up. But I will not interfere. It is his call in the end."

Wolff admitted that his input can be a distraction, and that during Suzuka qualifying Vowles gave an order for "quiet on the radio" except for him and trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin, leading Wolff to think "he means me, I guess".

Wolff added: "There is the race support room back in Brackley that is engaged, and we have all the clever guys there.

"So I'm having my special button with James Allison where we're offloading all the crap and vice versa, just not to offload it onto the guys that are actually flying the plane.

"Unless I am 100% convinced that he's not spotted something, which is when I will give him the input, I will not interfere with the final decision."

He admitted that communication was still something where Mercedes was "trying to get better every weekend, we're reviewing that every weekend".

Wolff also made clear that the Russian GP team orders decision ultimately rested with him.

"The decision of inverting the cars which I took, and I take that on me, in Sochi, we knew what the outcome would be," he said.

"There was no variable in the outcome. If there is variable in the outcome, it's [Vowles'] call but there was no variable. We knew what would happen and we knew we would take some criticism."