Ferrari's third driver Antonio Giovinazzi will join the Haas Formula 1 team in seven grands prix to run in the opening practice sessions with the VF-17 car
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
Wednesday, 31 May 2017
Ferrari F1 third driver Antonio Giovinazzi gets Haas FP1 outings
Ferrari's third driver Antonio Giovinazzi will join the Haas Formula 1 team in seven grands prix to run in the opening practice sessions with the VF-17 car
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
Sergio Perez not a 'reckless' F1 driver insists Force India
Sergio Perez is not a "reckless" driver, his Formula India team insists, after Formula 1 rival Daniil Kvyat accused him of a "desperate" move in the Monaco Grand Prix
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
GPI Magazine: 2017 Monaco Grand Prix
Sebastian Vettel powered to his third victory of the season when he took top honours for Ferrari at the Monaco Grand Prix, his teammate Kimi Raikkonen was second and thus the Reds scored the first one-two at the Principality since 1999 and victory at the fabled street circuit for the first time since 2001.
But the win sparked conspiracy theories claiming that Ferrari engineered the result in favour of Vettel at the expense of Kimi Raikkonen, who a day earlier qualified on pole position for the first time in 128 races.
Mercedes looked sharp in FP1 but then appeared to go AWOL from the street party, neither of their drivers finishing on the podium on race day.
Third went to Daniel Ricciardo who drove a gutsy race, while Red Bull threw in some canny tactics to engineer a podium finish for the big smiling Aussie.
Their other driver, Max Verstappen was not smiling. The teenager was livid with his team who he believes botched his strategy.
That was the story at the sharp end of proceedings, but it was drama and intrigue up and down the pit lane. Plenty bent metal and of course Jenson Button’s return to Formula 1 action after a six months lay off. We have it all!
Read GPI with your favourite browser on PC, Mac or optimised for iPad or similar tablet. Click here>>>
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
'Historic' first F1 points double for Haas due to more maturity
The Haas Formula 1 team's "historic" first double points finish in the Monaco Grand Prix was down to growing maturity and not just luck, according to team boss Gunther Steiner
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
Horner: More to come at Red Bull
Christian Horner anticipates more improvement from Red Bull as the season progresses, but admits he's a "little worried" about their prospects prior to the summer break.
Read the full story at SkySports | News
Lando Norris testing McLaren F1 car in Portugal this week
McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner Lando Norris is testing a McLaren Formula 1 car this week in Portugal
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
Why Mercedes could face more headaches in upcoming F1 races
The Mercedes Formula 1 team will face more headaches in the upcoming Canadian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix if it does not get on top of its problems from Monaco
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
Arrivabene: We did not give team orders
In the wake of the Monaco Grand Prix one-two victory for Ferrari, team chief Maurizio Arrivabene has denied suggestions that team orders were issued during the race amid allegations from some media, as well as fans, that the result was manipulated to favour Sebastian Vettel at the expense of Kimi Raikkonen
Vettel powered to victory over teammate Kimi, after the veteran Finn qualified on pole and led the opening laps of the race. Then Ferrari called him in for an early pitstop at which point Vettel put in a string of very fast laps in clear air.
When the pitstops were completed, Vettel led after achieving the over-cut, with Raikkonen trailing in second. They stayed that way until the chequered flag, and immediately sparking team orders conspiracy theories from various quarters.
Arrivabene responded, “We did not give team orders. Apart from being a Ferrari driver, Kimi is also here to win races.”
He added in his official summary of the race, “One-two is a great result for the entire team, on a track that highlights the qualities of the car and the person driving it.”
“Both our drivers performed like champions. Starting from pole, Kimi led the race up until his pit stop, which took place on the planned lap. Seb stayed out for a few more laps to cover Ricciardo. Vettel’s times were exceptional on ultrasofts that had done a lot of laps.”
“As for Kimi, unfortunately he lost a bit too much time behind a backmarker. The most important aspect of [the race] is that all the hard work carried out by the guys at the track was rewarded, as was the fact that our car was so well conceived back in Maranello.”
“Now, it’s already time for us to think of the forthcoming Grand Prix in Canada,” added Arrivabene.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
Eric Broadley and Lola etched in motorsport history
Eric Broadley passed away earlier this week, but behind him he left an important and impressive legacy which etched the Lola marque in the history of motorsport, the Briton died at the age of 88.
The Lola appeared on the British racing scene in the fifties, and quickly established itself in various racing series and over the years was responsible for some of the most memorable designs in racing.
Broadley’s first self-constructed car dates back to 1957. He made his breakthrough a year later with the Lola Mk1, which he himself raced at Brands Hatch breaking the lap record in the process and thus attracting interested buyers.
The Lola brand was born and became one of the largest racing car manufacturers in the world,branching into single seater racing in the early sixties.
According to respected F1 journalist and historian Joe Saward the name was inspired by the song: “Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets.”
In 1962, Lola made its debut with the Mk4 in Formula 1. Reg Parnell’s Yeoman Credit team ran John Surtees and Roy Salvadori in the cars built by Broadley.
Surtees secured pole position in the teams first race of that season. At the end of the year, however, the team disbanded due to financial problems. For Broadley, however, this was just the beginning.
In the late sixties Broadley worked with Honda to produce their Formula 1 car. In 1967 the Honda RA300 won the Italian Grand Prix with Surtees at the wheel and gave Honda its first Formula 1 victory.
Broadley also worked with the Graham Hill owned Embassy Lola team in the seventies and supplied Larousse with chassis in the late eighties. At the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, Aguri Suzuki scored the team’s best result with third place.
Amid the F1 adventures, Lola was most successful in America. Graham Hill was the first British driver to win the legendary Indy 500 driving a Lola T90 in 1966. In 1978 and 1990, further victories followed.
From 1960 to 1990 Lola was the most succesful international marque at Indianapolis. In addition, Broadley’s sports cars also proved to be fast. The 1969 Lola T70 powered by Chevrolet won the Daytona 24 Hours.
But the Formula 1 dream remained, and in 1997, Broadley broke the bank to become a Formula 1 entrant. However it was a disaster for his illustrious organisation. The team completed one grand prix well off the pace. The company folded shortly after.
Broadley remained involved in various automotive projects and enjoyed his retirement at his farmhouse in Broughton.
The impact Lola had on the sport was massive, and although Formula 1 success proved to be illusive, success in most other categories of the sport for Broadley’s marque was legendary.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
Alonso: My only goal is to get a third F1 world title
In the aftermath of the Indianapolis 500 highs and lows, Fernando Alonso returns to his ‘real job’ for the forthcoming Canadian Grand Prix determined to keep on improving with McLaren.
Speaking after scooping the Indy 500 Rookie of the year, Alonso told Marca, “I want to be F1 World Champion again, but being in Monaco fighting for a seventh, a sixth, or even a fifth, is incomparable to being here. I have not missed Monaco in terms of results.”
“For the future, in Canada, we will try to keep improving again, the car seems to perform better every time, with seventh on the grid of Barcelona and with both cars in Q3 this weekend [in Monaco]. For the second half of the season we will be more competitive.,” added Alonso.
In the aftermath of his high profile foray to the Brickyard, Alonso said, “For the short term my only goal is to get a third Formula 1 world title. Next year I hope to be battling for it.”
As for another Indy 500 foray, McLaren team chief Zak Brown said, “If there is no change of dates, so that it does not clash with Monaco, it will be difficult for us to return soon. I hope next year we will be fighting for victories in Formula 1.”
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
Is Sainz a future F1 champion?
Carlos Sainz is a future F1 world champion and Red Bull will be left with a big decision over his future at the end of the year, according to the guests on this week's F1 Report.
Read the full story at SkySports | News
Jos Verstappen: I can understand why Max is angry
Max Verstappen left Monaco aggrieved and accusing his team of blundering his strategy, during the Monaco Grand Prix, and costing him a podium finish.
Verstappen said after the race in which he finished fifth, “I am very disappointed, but I cannot do anything more to change the race. That my pit stop came so early was something I really did not expect. I really didn’t get it.”
He added, “That I eventually finished is positive, but I am not happy. Hopefully the next race will be better.”
The young Dutchman’s father Jos Verstappen has come out in defense of his son and told Ziggo Sport, “I can understand why max is angry. The thing that got Max angry the most was the fact that he came back on track behind of Sainz and was not able to control his own pace anymore.”
“After the race Helmut Marko and Christian Horner went to see him and they all had a chat about the whole situation. That is also up to Max, he needs to take care of things like these himself.”
“Max can get over this pretty easily, but wants to get to the bottom of this together with his engineer. He wants to watch the race again and then, when it’s over, talk about it and it will be case closed.”
“It sucks for Max what happened, but it will make him stronger. It didn’t work out for him and that’s just tough luck.”
“I think Max has been very good over the last few races, very strong in qualifying, not a single mistake and also here in Monaco, half a second faster than Ricciardo in quali. He is in good spirits and needs a moment to take this all in, but his time will come,” added Verstappen senior.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
Renault keen to sign Perez as soon as possible
Renault are very keen to acquire the services of Sergio Perez according to a report in L’Equipe, the reputable publication claims that talks are in advanced stages between Renault and the Mexican driver to replace under-performing Jolyon Palmer.
Word is that the French team is keen to poach Perez from Force India as soon as possible, even for this season if an agreement can be negotiated with the Silverstone based team.
However it appears that Perez is not too keen to jump ship in the middle of a strong season with Force India. He lies seventh in the point s standings and has a had a good run of results so far this season, although in Monaco he was out of the points for the first time this year.
Perez is also said to be on the Ferrari radar should Kimi Raikkonen not continue with the Maranello outfit beyond 2017.
He has strong links with Ferrari, having been part of their driver academy and has been linked with the Scuderia on a number of occasions in recent years.
Should he decide to accept the Renault offer, it means he will re-unite with Nico Hulkenberg, the pair were teammates at Force India from 2014 to 2016.
Cyril Abiteboul said in an interview, after the Monaco Grand Prix, “We must have results. Nico Hulkenberg shows that the car is good for the top ten, and thus we can score points.”
“Jolyon will also have to contribute. We are extremely supportive of him. But we are in an ultra-competitive environment and everyone is put under the pressure to deliver results.”
“For now, it is up to us to give him the optimal conditions to score. We will give ourselves time to analyze the situation,” added the Renault F1 chief.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
Tuesday, 30 May 2017
Haas against 'socialist' approach to F1 team payouts
Gene Haas believes the "teams at the top deserve more" income than smaller outfits like his, as Formula 1's new owners evaluate the redistribution of funds
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
Sauber boss can't understand Button Monaco GP move on Wehrlein
Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn says she can't understand Formula 1 returnee Jenson Button's attempted Monaco Grand Prix passing move on Pascal Wehrlein that ended both drivers' races
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
Alonso awarded Indy 500 Rookie of the Year
McLaren Andretti Autosport driver Fernando Alonso scooped the Rookie of the Year award for the 2017 edition of the Indianapolis 500.
Despite retiring from the race with a smoking Honda engine failure and finishing 24th, Alonso got the nod over the race’s top-finishing rookie Ed Jones who took the chequered flag in third, finishing 0.528 of a second off race winner Takuma Sato.
Alonso-mania dominated the build-up to race day and attracted enormous interest from fans who do not commonly follow the Indycar series, while winning the hearts of die-hard fans with his enthusiasm and impressive pace.
The Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honours were decided by a media vote, based off of four criteria:
- the driver’s skill
- sportsmanship
- accessibility and conduct during the month
- finishing position
Two-time Formula 1 champion Alonso qualified fifth for his Indy 500 debut and led 27 laps and was running in the lead pack in seventh when the Honda engine on his Dallara DW12 failed.
22 year old Jones, the reigning Indy Lights champion, was contesting his first campaign in IndyCar with Dale Coyne Racing-Honda this year. He ran much of his first Indy 500 outside of the top 10, but was in contention for victory late on, following Sato and runner-up Helio Castroneves across the finish line.
He was gracious in accepting that the award had eluded him, “Appreciate the support from everyone. At the end of day Rookie of the Year would have been nice but having fought for the overall win is truly special!”
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
WATCH: Future female F1 star?
Jamie Chadwick is far from your average teenage girl. The 19-year-old from Bath is being tipped as a potential F1 star of the future.
Read the full story at SkySports | News
Ferrari go aggressive with tyre choices for Canada
Ferrari and Mercedes are deploying different tyre strategies for the Canadian Grand Prix on 11 June, as Pirelli offer up a softs, supersofts and ultrasofts for teams to use in Montreal.
Ferrari have opted for the exact same selection for their drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, who will each have a set of softs, three sets of supersofts and nine ultrasofts sets.
Mercedes drivers have chosen to go serparate ways with Lewis Hamilton choosing one set of sifts, four sets of supersofts and eight sets of ultrasofts while Valtteri Bottas Bottas will have two sets of softs, three supersoft sets and also eight ultrasoft sets.
Red Bull drivers, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, have opted for identical allocations of one soft set each, five supersoft sets and seven ultrasoft sets.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
Mercedes F1 boss Wolff puzzled by Hamilton's Monaco GP weekend
Lewis Hamilton's inconsistent performance across the Monaco Grand Prix weekend is still a mystery, says Mercedes Formula 1 team boss Toto Wolff
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
Formula 1 title rivals Ferrari and Mercedes split on Montreal tyres
Ferrari and Mercedes have chosen different Formula 1 tyre strategies for next month's Canadian Grand Prix
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
Red Bull F1 team defends Max Verstappen Monaco strategy call
Red Bull says Max Verstappen's fury about losing a Monaco Grand Prix podium shot was quelled when the Formula 1 team explained the decision to him
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
Gustav Malja to test for Sauber at Hungaroring
The Sauber F1 Team has announced that Gustav Malja will be in the cockpit of the Sauber C36-Ferrari for one test day during the second in-season test at the Hungaroring following the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend (28.-30. July).
It will be the first Formula 1 experience for the 21-year-old Swede, who is currently racing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship and has been a competitor since 2016 (former GP2 Series). As with many other racing drivers, Malja began his career in karting when he was eleven years old, switching to single-seater racing in 2011.
Gustav Malja said, “The prospect of driving a Formula 1 car is exceptionally thrilling, and a childhood dream come true. I can’t wait to experience that sensation; I’m sure it will be a very surreal moment. I will do everything in my power to make the most of the test day and learn as much as I possibly can. Wholehearted thanks to the Sauber F1 Team for giving me this fantastic opportunity.”
Monisha Kaltenborn, CEO and Team Principal added, “It will be a great opportunity for Gustav to make another step in his racing career and to fulfill his childhood dream. Driving a Formula 1 car for the first time is always a special moment for race drivers – and so it is for Gustav. We have followed him in previous years, especially last year in the GP2 Series where he consistently made progress.”
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
Monaco Grand Prix Startegy Report
Monaco GP F1 Strategy Report Podcast – our host Michael Lamonato is joined by Matt Clayton, Australian Motorsport Editor, RedBull.com.
The 2017 Monaco Grand Prix was far from a thriller, but with the new breed of Formula 1 cars, was that really much of a surprise?
Kimi Raikkonen lined up on pole position but it was Sebastien Vettel who claimed victory, extending his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton to 25 points.
Hamilton’s recovery to seventh place came after a disappointing qualifying session, where traffic and yellow flags saw him eliminated in Q2.
Despite high temperatures, the low-grip track surface and durable nature of the Pirelli tyres limited strategy. Nevertheless, there was still some scope to do something different and plenty of strategic headlines to delve into:
How Raikkonen lost the race
He was starting from the best place on the grid after a stunning qualifying lap, but Raikkonen wasn’t quite so happy (let’s be honest, when’s he ever that smiley?) after the Monaco GP. Qualifying is even more crucial around the streets of Monte Carlo and with a strong start, the battle for the win came down to the pitstops.
Some have suggested Ferrari directly favoured Vettel by giving him a stronger strategy, in order to maximise track position. Of course, this was denied, but the Raikkonen pitstop call doesn’t make a whole lot of sense really – maybe it’s just another one of Ferrari’s occasional strategy errors.
Raikkonen pitted just after Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas, who were both doing solid but not spectacular sector times on super-softs. Ferrari must’ve known traffic could play its part too, but still stopped Raikkonen. It wasn’t a super-quick pitstop, so maybe they just missed the window they wanted, but it still cost him time and (most importantly) track position.
His pace was comparable – but not quite so as consistent – as Vettel’s, but when he realised he was behind him, he backed off. Definitely a missed opportunity and no wonder he was even more downbeat than usual afterwards.
And how Vettel won it
Keeping in touch with Raikkonen through the first stint put Vettel in a strong position, with the ‘overcut’ working much better than many expected. The ultra-soft had very little degradation and around a seven tenth advantage, so it was surely going to be the best tyre to be on. Vettel stayed out five laps longer than Raikkonen and pitted on lap 39.
He picked up his pace with some impressive in-laps, which were traffic-free (as Raikkonen was caught up behind some slower cars), and a good stop meant he emerged clear of his team-mate in first place.
Ricciardo’s long first stint
Daniel Ricciardo put in a very similar strategy to Vettel, utilising the ‘overcut’ and pitting several laps later than his closest rivals Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas. The ultra-softs kept a good pace for some time, enabling Ricciardo to do some fast laps and pit on lap 38. He emerged ahead, much to Verstappen’s frustration…
Mad Max vs Flying Finn
What made things even worse for Verstappen was than he not only lost a place to Ricciardo, but he also dropped behind Bottas too. This was after Mercedes aced the in-lap and pitstop for Bottas, who pitted one lap earlier and did a nice out-lap as well. The ‘undercut’ worked well for Bottas and this cost Verstappen. Had he done something similar to Ricciardo, it might have been a very different result. In the end, though, he stopped for a second time at the safety car.
Hamilton stays out
As mentioned earlier, surely a smart move was to stay out as long as possible on the incredible durable but quick ultra-soft tyre. That’s what Hamilton did and it worked very well, he used the Mercedes W08’s strong pace (not shown in Q2) and the ultra-soft to move up the order as others pitted.
Then, when he decided to stop on lap 46, from sixth place, he only lost one position. The strategy played out very well in getting Hamilton up the order, helped by a few incidents and drivers getting caught in battles, which cost them time in the process. Maximum damage limitation for the three-time champion with a ‘super-overcut’, you could call it.
Vandoorne does the same
Stoffel Vandoorne looked on course for a point in 10th place after doing the same as Hamilton and staying out for a long opening ultra-soft stint, pitting on lap 43. It looked to have worked as he gained a few spots but crashing out just after the restart put pay to his race.
Unscheduled stops
A number of drivers should really have scored better results had it not been for unscheduled trips to the pits. Sergio Perez ditched his ultra-softs fairly early for super-softs (in part due to a front wing change) and this dropped him down to P16, which put him in slower traffic. A point may have been possible without a “PlayStation” move on Daniil Kvyat which required another stop for repairs.
His team-mate Esteban Ocon’s impressive run of top 10 results came to an end due to a puncture, which denied him a possible point as he had to stop for a second time – which was no-one’s plan, really. Kevin Magnussen also picked up a puncture, which prevented him from beating his team-mate Romain Grosjean.
Barely any degradation
Monaco’s low-grip track surface really is unique, presenting a completely different set of conditions. Pirelli took the three softest compounds to Monaco but even the ultra-soft had barely any degradation or wear, the tyre manufacturer admitting it could probably last the entire race.
Pascal Wehrlein did the most ultra-soft laps with 56 before he was pitched into the barrier, his Sauber on its side, by Jenson Button at Portier. Perez did the most super-soft laps with 47, while the soft wasn’t used in the race and barely made an appearance all weekend. This meant a one-stop was always going to be the only strategy call.
Jack Leslie @JackLeslieF1
Longest Stints
Ultrasoft: Wehrlein (56 laps)
Supersoft: Perez (47 laps)
Stints by Driver
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