Category Archives: Grand Prix News

McLaren boss Ron Dennis says that Fernando Alonso’s radio comments during the Japanese GP resulted from frustration – but added that he regarded it as lacking “professionalism.”

Alonso likened the Honda power unit to a GP2 engine after he struggled to fight with rivals at Suzuka.

“That is just frustration,” said Dennis of Alonso’s comments. “Anything that is coming out of our drivers at the moment has its origins in frustration and disappointment and demotivation. We are all demotivated. I still cannot understand why everyone doesn’t appreciate the simple fact that you are not going to win the world championship if you have a second string engine. It is just not going to happen.

“And therefore we have to go through the pain, go through this learning curve and get a competitive engine. That is not a derogatory comment against Honda. Honda had the president of company, the president of R&D, the president of Honda Motor Company, all of these people are here totally committed.

“They understand what has to be done, and of course they are resourcing and increasing resources and putting more money and effort in to it and we will get there. It is just a bit painful at the moment. But we will get there.”

Pressed on Alonso’s comments he said: “I am not going to condone those sorts of things, because it doesn’t show the professionalism that I would like all our drivers to show, but he is in the car, he is frustrated and of course his exposure to the technical staff, maybe it was not a particularly constructive way to communicate with everyone at Honda.

“But the way for me to deal with drivers is either through the appropriate management channels which is Eric or in certain circumstances myself. Whatever I choose to do, or however it is done, it remains a team matter, not a matter for the media.”

Bernie Ecclestone could now be looking at starting the season two weeks earlier than originally planned, sources have indicated – potentially leaving teams with a massive logistical headache as they prepare their new cars.

Ecclestone had been considering moving the Australian GP from the currently scheduled April 3 to March 27. However, that is the Easter weekend it, and it seems likely that the Melbourne organisers found it unacceptable given that many locals would be out of town – affecting both spectator numbers and staffing.

Ecclestone may have been left with no choice but to go back a further week to March 20. It’s understood that the race will be a standalone event, with nothing following on the Easter weekend. It remains to be seen what other events Ecclestone is shuffling around at that end of the season.

Sources indicate that he has not moved Malaysia back to the start of the year, as the organisers preferred a late season date. Instead it’s understood that he has split Singapore and Malaysia by a week, moving the latter event from September 25 to October 2 so that it becomes a back-to-back event with Japan.

Ecclestone has also been trying to create a three-week summer break, and it’s believed that he has also achieved that by moving European races around.

If March 20 is confirmed as the first race teams will have to do some serious reorganising. At the moment they all have carefully planned schedules of R&D, car build, crash testing and spare manufacturing with a view to a first test in Barcelona on March 1, followed by Friday practice in Australia some 31 days later.

It’s inevitable that the first and second tests will both have to be brought forward, and thus teams will have to adjust their schedules to be ready in time.

“It’s not ideal,” said one team insider. “Even at this stage we will have to make compromises to reach that deadline. Production times are the biggest challenge. We’re planning to build cars for the first tests then go to the first race the first weekend in April, so we’re scheduling production runs to have spares ready for that time. So we’ll probably go to Australia with fewer spares than we’d be hoping to have. A one-week gap after it will give us time to catch up.”

Toto Wolff says that plans for Mercedes to supply Manor next year are currently on hold until it becomes clear what’s happening at Lotus.

Although Wolff has indicated that Mercedes could in fact supply five teams, the situation would be much easier if Lotus moves to Renault power, and Manor slips into its spot. Lotus claims that its Renault sale will be sorted out next week, which would allow the Manor deal to proceed.

“We like Manor a lot,” said Wolff. “Because there is a competitive edge to the whole story, that if Manor gets the right chassis and the right engine, it would be a pretty interesting narrative, how the team develops. But for us at the moment we are a little bit on standby because we need to understand what happens with Lotus as one of our customers, and move from there. So this is where we are.”

Wolff said there no deadline, but that a decision had to be made soon: “We are not in a position to give Renault a deadline or Lotus a deadline, but you’re right, there needs to be a moment where Manor needs to know what’s happening, and we need to know what’s happening, and to whom we’re supplying engines. And we’re very close to that decision. And if they [Lotus] don’t take that decision, we will decide.”

Wolff admitted that a Mercedes young driver such as Pascal Wehrlein or Esteban Ocon (also linked to Renault) could be part of the Manor deal.

However, he suggested that whatever discount Mercedes gave to get a driver a seat could be trumped by an outsider with a big budget, given that a Manor-Mercedes would be a more competitive package than the current car. A supply of year-old engines could cost as little as $8m next year, if a price cap is agreed.

“That could be an interesting scenario, but the harsh financial reality is that Manor needs to refinance themselves and raise the budgets and I’m not sure that we would prepare to place a driver with budgets they could probably raise in the driver markets if we were to supply engines, because it could be an attractive offer for young drivers.

“It’s a bit of a tricky situation. We haven’t got a dedicated driver programme, we have Pascal, who is with us, whose main focus is DTM, and I don’t want to take him away from that focus. He has done a great job for us and he is a very exciting young driver, but I’d rather like to see how DTM pans out. So yes, that’s a possibility, but it needs many pieces of the jigsaw to come together, and it could well not happen.”

Wolff indicated that should GP3 star Ocon want to take up a Renault offer, even for a reserve role, Mercedes would not stand in his way.

Dany Kvyat will start the Japanese GP from the pitlane after emerging unhurt from his huge crash in qualifying at Suzuka.

The Russian got a wheel on the grass at a fast lefthander and plunged into the tyre wall, before rolling over in the gravel. The team changed his chassis as a precaution, and that automatically leads to a pitlane start.

“I put my rear wheel just slightly on the white line on Turn 10 entry,” said Kvyat. “And once you go on the marbles, it went straight into the wall, and then it was a bit of a rolling procedure.

“You always try to straighten the braking for that corner and I just did a bit too much and I just touched the piece of grass there and basically it happens sometimes, it is my mistake, a rookie error.

“I think they told me it was about 20G, I am not sure. I thought I could do better than that to be honest! It is a shame this crash, disappointed about the missed opportunity. During qualifying I had to keep learning as our FP3 didn’t go completely to plan, these things happen unfortunately.

“I am mostly sorry for the guys who will have to do quite a job, I would have said the car looked great, so I will be supporting them tonight. I am not as good as them at building the car but I will try to stay with them as long as I can tonight. I mainly feel sorry for them – but it was a lost opportunity, because the lap wasn’t looking too bad until then.”

Kvyat said it was the biggest crash of his career to date: “Quite far the hardest for sure. I never had a car crash until now – maybe in karting. I never rolled. Unfortunately there is first time for everything and it felt the hardest one of my career.”

Bernie Ecclestone is considering moving the Australian GP forward by a week as he attempts to finalise the 2016 F1 calendar.

The race is currently scheduled to open the season on April 3, but it’s understood that there is a good chance that it could be moved to March 27 when the World Motor Sport Council ratifies the calendar in next week’s meeting.

The complication is that that date also happens to be Easter Sunday, when many Melbourne residents would normally be going away for the weekend. It remains to be seen what impact that might have on attendance.

There would also be an impact on teams, who have already commenced with their carefully planned schedules of R&D, car build and crash testing, with the aim of being ready for a first test in Barcelona on March 1.

Either that test will have to move forward or the gap between it and Australia will have to shrink, leaving less time to finalise a Melbourne spec. Either choice will create some compromises.

It’s not yet clear how other races will be moved around to make the calendar work and create a summer break – which a task which has apparently been achieved. Ecclestone is also believed to have looked at a triple header in Europe

One of the key issues is that Singapore does not want to be twinned with Malaysia, while the latter does not want to return to the start of the season. It looks likely that several early season races could shuffle around.

Esteban Gutierrez says he’s learned a lot from his season at Ferrari, despite his limited time in the car.

Gutierrez, who is set to continue his relationship with Maranello by driving for Ferrari-supported Haas in 2016, has conducted only two test days in Spain in Austria. However, he has spent a lot of time in the simulator and with the team on race weekends.

“So much, if I bring you the whole list it will probably take two hours to do the interview!,” he said when asked by BBC TV what he’d learned. “It’s been a great experience. I feel very grateful that Ferrari has adopted me and given me this opportunity to be here, having the reference of two World Champions, the best mechanics and engineers, an amazing team principal. I learned a lot from him as well.”

Meanwhile the Mexican continues to duck questions about his future.

“It’s not the right time to announce my plans for next season yet. We are working very hard, for the moment things are going positively, but still we need to wait and see.

“Of course, this is no secret, my intention is to be racing. As I said I put all my bets to go through a different line. The decision which was made at the end of last year was pretty risky, but things are going in a positive way. It’s a matter of patience.”

Jenson Button declined to say anything about his future today, despite speculation that he is on the verge of retiring from F1.

British media have even suggested that Jenson could become part of the Top Gear TV show team.

McLaren has an option on Jenson for 2016. It’s understood that his salary was due to make a big step up next year, but that the team has offered him the chance to stay but only for the same money that he is receiving this year. That would presumably entail a new contract being drawn up. However even if the team wants him to stay on Jenson could clearly make the decision to walk away of his own volition.

Meanwhile GP2 star Stoffel Vandoorne is waiting in the wings and currently appears to be a more likely choice than Kevin Magnussen, should Jenson not drive.

“I can’t give you anything else,” said Button. “Since the last race there’s no more information to give you. You’re going to have to wait for a little while I’m sorry to say but we’re in good talks, the team and myself so, that’s it.

“We’re here to concentrate on this weekend. It’s a big weekend for us. McLaren-Honda in front of Honda’s home crowd at their circuit. We hope that we can have a good weekend. Obviously the weather mixes it up a little bit which I think is what we need to be properly competitive so yeah, we’re focussing on this weekend and hoping for a reasonable result.”

Inevitably Jenson was pressed on the subject, but he remained tight-lipped.

“There’s so many possibilities of what could happen next year. So many possibilities but I’ve got nothing else for you I’m sorry to say.”

The speculation about Button was fuelled in part by comments he made after retiring in the Singapore GP, when his disappointment was clear.

“I don’t think any driver has joy when they’re not fighting for victories. That’s what we’re here to do, that’s what we love. It’s the challenge of fighting at the front and the possibility of fighting at the front. So, no. I don’t like finishing 14^th. I don’t like finishing tenth. That’s not what gives me joy, that’s not what excites me – but there are so many other things that, if they work in your favour, or if you see a future, there’s the possibility of joy coming back and that’s exciting. That’s a challenge. But no, after the Singapore Grand Prix I wasn’t joyful.”