Category Archives: F1 News

Lewis Hamilton got his World Championship campaign back on track with a superb win in Italy – despite a glitch at the start dropping him to fourth place.

Lewis had to fight his way back to second place behind Nico Rosberg, and was then able to pass his team mate when the German ran straight on at the first chicane.

“At the start there’s a button that you press which engages the launch sequence and for the formation lap it didn’t work,” said Hamilton. “I thought ‘no problem, I’ll just put it on for the race,’ and then when I got to the grid I put it on and again it didn’t work. It’s very, very strange, I’ve never really had that happen before.

“Anyway, I tried to pull away as fast as possible. The RPM was all over the place, and fortunately I managed to not lose too many places. We never practice a start like that where you don’t have the launch sequence in; we always practice in a launch sequence to optimise it. So I had no idea really what I was supposed to do, so I just floored it and hoped for the best…”

After the pit stops Lewis was told by engineer to hang back by 2-2.5s and save his tyres for the end of the race, but instead he took the initiative and closed in on Rosberg, hoping to take advantage of his new rubber.

It worked, for just three laps later on lap 29 with the gap down to 0.7s Nico again ran straight on at the first chicane, having just adjusted his brake balance. By the time he had zigzagged through the escape road barriers Hamilton had got ahead. Lewis insisted that he hadn’t gone against instructions.

“I didn’t ignore the team’s orders. I have a great relationship with my engineer and he’s constantly in touch with me throughout the race and really guiding me. If I’m losing a bit of time here or there, he’s telling me so that I know how to correct it. They want to win just as much as me so they’re just trying to guide me to what they think but at the end of the day, I was the one out there and they had to really decide: OK, I can back off here and keep the tyres but the calculation might be better the other way. I knew that if I applied the pressure, an opportunity would eventually come.”

Regarding the turnaround in his fortunes he said: “I’ve generally felt like I’ve always been in good shape. But I came here with a positive attitude. Hoping just for no issues. I guess the cool thing about today is that I had another serious one and I managed to pull through it. Again, all those experiences I’ve had kind of have prepared me for it today and I’m still looking for one of those weekends where we don’t have any troubles. Clearly today I had the pace on everyone and on Nico and I felt that way all weekend. So, I’m going to make sure that’s the case moving forwards.”

Williams has confirmed that both Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas will be staying on for 2015, putting to an end to the hopes of any teams who had their eyes on the Finn for next season.

Bottas is under a long term contract, while substantial Brazilian sponsorship is attached to Massa, which has helped to cement his place.

“I’ve been a member of the Williams team for five years now and we have developed together throughout that time which is a great feeling,” said Bottas. “The team has also made some very impressive gains this season and I’m confident that I’m at a team that is moving in the right direction and can continue to be competitive. Sir Frank and Claire have put a lot of faith in me and I’m very grateful that they continue to do so. Felipe and I have a good working relationship and this early announcement will help us both input into the ongoing development of the FW36 and the FW37.”

Massa said: “Williams is such an iconic name in motor racing and I have a lot of pride when racing for this team. This season we have started to show our true potential and I’m driving a car that is looking strong and has improved a lot as the season has progressed which is very encouraging for the future. It’s important that we continue to push in the second half of the season and that we start 2015 with some really good momentum that we can build on.”

Sir Frank Williams added: “I’m delighted to confirm that Felipe and Valtteri will be racing for Williams once again in 2015. “Felipe is a pleasure to work with and combines raw pace with a wealth of experience. We have known for many years that Valtteri is a very special talent and in the FW36 we have given him a car that is allowing him to demonstrate his skills.

“The team is having a much improved 2014 season and the skill of our drivers and their feedback to our engineers has proved crucial in this. This announcement gives us excellent stability for 2015, but of course we are very much focusing our attention on maximising the full potential of the FW36 in the remaining seven races of this season.”

Gene Haas has finally confirmed a multi-year partnership with Scuderia Ferrari for supply of its power unit, gearbox and overall technical support, starting in 2016.

The team says the deal will allow it “to be competitive in its inaugural season and in the years following.” Rule changes for next year mean that teams can buy almost everything from a rival, although they must own the IP of their own chassis and bodywork.

In a statement Haas said: “There is no team in Formula One more accomplished than Scuderia Ferrari, and no team with more history. They’ve been a part of Formula One from the beginning, and now they’ll be a part of Haas F1 Team’s beginning.

“Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsports. It showcases the latest technology and is the most competitive form of racing in the world. Aligning Haas F1 Team with such a tenured and successful company in Scuderia Ferrari provides our team with the greatest opportunity for success in 2016 and beyond.”

“These are exciting times for everyone at Haas F1 Team and we are honoured to have a partner in Scuderia Ferrari supporting our efforts,” said team principal Guenther Steiner. “When it comes to Formula One, no one matches Scuderia Ferrari’s knowledge, technical expertise and sheer determination. We understand there is some heavy lifting ahead of us, but know that with their technical support, we will develop a team of talented people at an exceptional pace so that we’re ready to race competitively in 2016. We are focused on the future and look forward to what’s ahead for Haas F1 Team.”

Meanwhile Ferrari team boss Marco Mattiacci said. “A few months ago we joined forces with Gene Haas on a commercial level and this is the natural next step of our growing relationship. While our objective is to reinforce our power unit development program for all our customer teams, we believe this new partnership has the potential to evolve beyond the traditional role of supplying our power unit and all related technical services.

“The United States continues to be one of the most important markets for Ferrari and it offers many interesting opportunities. We look forward to supporting Haas F1 Team in its efforts to become a competitive player on the Formula 1 grid.”
 

Gene Haas has announced that his team will be called Haas F1 Team, and not Haas Formula, as had been planned. However the latter will remain the legal entity, as it is the name of the company that was granted the entry by the FIA.

A team statement said that the change was to better correlate his team with motor racing’s most prestigious series.” Haas is expected to make its debut in 2016, using Ferrari-sourced technology, although that has yet to be officially confirmed.

“Haas F1 Team automatically conveys our place among the pinnacle of motorsports,” said Haas. “When you hear ‘F1’ you know exactly what it is – a global racing series that showcases the latest technology and attracts the best talent in engineering and design. Haas Automation has an excellent reputation in the United States and I want that reputation to grow worldwide.

“Connecting Haas Automation with F1 in name and in practice when the Haas F1 Team debuts in 2016 is the best way to grow our business and elevate Haas Automation to a premium, global brand.”

Meanwhile the team says that construction on its new F1 facility in Kannapolis will be completed in November.