Category Archives: Grand Prix News

May 12, 2015 · 1:39 pm

Ecclestone: Engine will be big challenge if Audi enters F1

Bernie Ecclestone says he will be happy to see Audi come into F1, but cautions that the German manufacturer will – like Honda – struggle to catch up with Mercedes.

Audi/VW continues to be linked to either a future co-operation with Red Bull, or the more likely scenario of an eventual takeover and re-branding of the Milton Keynes facility, as recommended by consultant Stefano Domenicali.

“It’s good if any of these manufacturers come in, it will be super,” Ecclestone told this writer. “But it’s difficult for them to come in with the rules that are already there, and a competitor of theirs that’s already been for four or five years with an engine, and then they’re going to come in. It will take them a couple or three years to catch up.”

Asked if he thought Audi would finally make its mind up about F1, he added: “The problem is the engine situation. I believe Honda thought it wasn’t a problem. I told them it would be…”

It’s long be said that Audi has been sitting on the fence because Ferdinand Piech – recently ousted as chairman of the supervisory board of the Volkswagen Group – did not want to deal with Ecclestone. However Bernie insists that wasn’t an issue from his side.

“I don’t have any problem, really. It’s nothing to do with me.”

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May 12, 2015 · 9:52 am

GP2 star Lynn aims to impress Williams on only test day

Williams test driver Alex Lynn faces a big challenge on Wednesday in Barcelona as he has to make an impression on the team in what is his only scheduled outing of the season.

Lynn, who won the GP2 sprint race on Sunday, is obviously hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow GP3 champion Valtteri Bottas, and ultimately graduate to a race seat with the Grove team. His only previous F1 experience was a day with Lotus in Abu Dhabi at the end of last season.

“It’s my only time in the car this year so I need to make the most of it,” Lynn told this writer. “I have to do the job the team wants while also showing that I’m a good driver and hopefully what they want for the future. So that’s going to be the main aim.

“The Lotus day was so last minute, and I felt so out of my depth. I couldn’t have had a harder first day in an F1 car! This time I’ve had so much more preparation. The best thing was driving three days straight at the same track in a car that’s just a little bit slower than an F1 car. It was great preparation.”

The timing of his Barcelona GP2 victory was perfect as it gave him a boost before his F1 outing.

“This weekend was important just to get a good grounding in the championship. Obviously devastated to come away with no points after Bahrain where we showed such promise, this weekend we needed to get some points on the board and get the confidence of myself and the team back up to where it was in pre-season testing. It’s great for my confidence. I hope to have a strong F1 test, and then that snowballs into Monaco and then we start to put a nice year together.”

Lynn was the only driver able to stay ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne in the Barcelona sprint race, as the Belgian jumped from eighth to second: “I think a lot of people give him an easy time! They see him in their mirrors and they believe he’s genuinely quicker, the way he came through the traffic after stopping early in the feature race. So the win was an important one for me and the team. We’re not going to lie down, we’re going to take it to him every race.”

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May 11, 2015 · 12:45 pm

Ferrari can still reach target of three wins, says Arrivabene

Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene insists that the update package that the team introduced in Spain was successful – but he admits that there is much work to be done to close the gap to Mercedes that opened up again this weekend.

Sebastian Vettel ran the new package in the race, whereas Kimi Raikkonen went back to more proven elements. Vettel dropped back on the hard tyre in the final stint to finish 45s behind winner Nico Rosberg.

“The comparison between the two cars is clearly there,” said Arrivabene. “Sebastian was going very well, we need to improve of course the new solution. Here in Barcelona it is not an easy track, but it was not easy for all the others too. The gap with Mercedes is there; now we need to analyse all the data we collect to understand what is clear.

“We are not blind, it is the fact that in the last sector we were losing half a second. I am not escaping the reality, it is there – we need to understand and we need to find out how to improve the new package. The new package is better than the old one.”

Regarding the gap to Mercedes he added: “We need to understand if it is related to this track, which for us is difficult, or it is related to us. This is good to know in the next few days where we are, Tuesday or Wednesday, to finalise the comparison.

“If something was wrong, I am not criticising anybody, I am taking my responsibility because I am here at the head of the team, if something is wrong and we have gone back, we have to have humility, we have to say we made a mistake. At the moment the numbers that we have in comparison are telling us that the solution is good, but the reality is it is not good enough, so we have to work.”

Arrivabene is adamant that the team can achieve his stated target of winning three races in 2015.

“I still believe that this is achievable but there is nothing is life that you can achieve without working hard and this is what we have to do. I don’t really care about being on the podium. If you look at the situation that we had last year, now every race weekend we are on the podium, but what I care about is the gap. If we want to win two or three races we have to be able to be there, at the moment we are not.”

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May 11, 2015 · 9:31 am

Toto Wolff: “They are mentally very strong, both of them…”

Toto Wolff says that Nico Rosberg’s win in Barcelona on a day when Lewis Hamilton faced frustration doesn’t necessarily signal a shift in the balance of power within the Mercedes camp.

While the consensus from outside observers is that victory for Nico will be a big boost for the German, Wolff insists that it’s not that simple.

“They are mentally very strong, both of them,” said Wolff. “And I think as much as we would like to find a dynamic that is pro or against a driver, they come out very strong even after a bad weekend or a defeat. After the debrief is over, they concentrate on the next one. We’ve seen it last year. We have spent time talking, is that now Nico on the run, has the balance swung more towards him, or is it now Lewis?

“I think you are probably going to see the same thing again this season, two drivers who are matching each other, trying to outperform each other. For us as a team it’s really a good situation, because it lifts the performance of the whole team, and it’s the best case.”

Wolff said there was no single reason why Rosberg had the upper hand over the course of the weekend.

“It’s difficult to see. If you are on such a level playing field it’s about feeling comfortable in the car, it’s about feeling comfortable on the track. I think before the weekend Lewis mentioned that Barcelona wasn’t his favourite one. I don’t know if that is the reason.

“It was difficult this weekend to get it right set-up wise, with the gusty winds and the lack of grip from session to session. And then obviously going into the race the minute you are able to control the race from the front it gives you an advantage. This is just want Nico did today, in a very controlled way.”

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May 10, 2015 · 7:09 pm

Lewis Hamilton: “It’s kind of damage limitation for me…”

Lewis Hamilton says second place in Spain was “damage limitation” after a poor start and a bad first pit stop combined to make his afternoon a difficult one.

From second on the grid Hamilton slipped behind Sebastian Vettel at the start, and then his chance of getting past the Ferrari at the first stops was ruined when a delay with the left rear wheel cost three seconds. He eventually had to use a three-stop strategy to find a way past, although it was too late to challenge leader Nico Rosberg.

“Obviously I had quite a poor start,” he said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a poor start. I tried my best to recover – I nearly dropped back to fourth at the start so I was very fortunate to keep third – and then it was just trying to fight… Unfortunately, this track isn’t very good for overtaking.

“Actually it’s the worst for overtaking. It’s impossible to follow here, which is a shame. It doesn’t matter what you do, you cannot get close enough even with the DRS, which is a shame.

“Nonetheless, I did everything I could behind Sebastian and did enough, I think, in the first stint but then I had a very long pit stop and then had to kind of do it all again. But fortunately towards the end it was enough to get it done on a three-stopper, I was able to get by. If I was behind him in traffic I wouldn’t have got past. I’m grateful I could gain those points for the team and it’s kind of damage limitation for me, so it’s not bad.”

Hamilton admitted it hadn’t been easy to get the car right this weekend.

“You can’t change the car in qualifying but throughout practice I was tinkering, trying to get it ready for qualifying and ultimately it wasn’t ideal. It wasn’t bad in the race but yeah, today was a very very tough day, obviously, because I had to make up from the bad start and perhaps my true pace… I wasn’t really able to show it compared to Nico, as I was further behind.”

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May 8, 2015 · 4:19 pm

GPDA promises F1 drivers will work to connect with fans

The F1 drivers have agreed to work together to get closer to fans of the sport via social media and other channels.

The plans were discussed at today’s meeting of the Grand Prix Drivers Association in Barcelona, and more details will be revealed in Monaco.

“We always said that we are primarily for safety,” GPDA chairman Alex Wurz told this writer. “But we’re also for the fans of the sport, and we want to connect to them in a more interactive way. And that’s what we’re planning, and I think in Monaco we’ll be able to say much more and give details on what we’re going to be doing.”

Asked if the focus would be on social media rather than autograph sessions or Q&A appearances he added: “Let’s put in this way, we’re not going to write postcards to the fans, because of the carbon footprint! Obviously speaking about physical interaction with fans on race weekends, that’s something that has to go via the team, the promoters and Bernie, that’s not our part of the business cake. I think everyone is here that the sport is here because of the fans, and we’re going to connect in the way we can and the way we want to do it. I think Monaco will be interesting.”

Wurz says he isn’t worried about the GPDA facing problems for moving away from its traditional area of safety.

“We are not getting into someone’s territory. The GPDA is not at all political, the GPDA does not do anything like that. I think we have millions of fans around the world, and why shouldn’t we connect with them in a more appropriate way. The meeting was also with the non-members. It’s cool, and you’ll see more in Monaco.”

Meanwhile Romain Grosjean said on Twitter: “Great GPDA meeting today! At the Monaco GP we will announce big plans on how to properly connect with you, the fans.”

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May 7, 2015 · 10:15 am

Mercedes confirms Ocon has “support” deal

Mercedes has finally formally confirmed that Euro F3 champion Esteban Ocon will be “supported by the brand” this season – and that he could have a big future with the marque.

The Frenchman beat Max Verstappen to the F3 crown last year and did some testing for Lotus, but the team did not find a role for him. He is now racing in GP3 with ART, and is the Mercedes DTM reserve driver.

The company noted that “as part of the package of Mercedes-Benz support, Esteban has signed a contractual option that could see him become a fully fledged Mercedes-Benz driver in the future.”

“Esteban is a mega-talented young guy and one of the stars of the future,” said Toto Wolff. “I’m pleased we’ve found a good path to continue his relationship with Mercedes-Benz, because we have a strong tradition of supporting the best young drivers with a view to their long-term potential. We will be watching Esteban’s progress with a lot of interest and I hope this year will be the first of many working together.”

“I’m really proud to have the support of Mercedes-Benz this season and that the Mercedes AMG DTM team has trusted me with the important role of test and reserve driver,” said Ocon. “I spent last weekend with the DTM team in Hockenheim and hope that I can play a valuable role this year. But my main focus is on the opening races of the GP3 Series this weekend.”

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May 5, 2015 · 1:45 pm

McLaren confirms chrome livery dropped for Spanish GP

McLaren has now formally confirmed that the livery of the MP4-30 will change for this weekend’s Spanish GP.

As reported here on Saturday, the chrome/silver look that the car started the season with has now been replaced, after it caused a few problems with reflections in sunlight and under the Bahrain floodlights.

A McLaren spokesman told this blog: “We have revised our car’s livery, improving its visual impact, optimising it for not only bright sunshine but also for the floodlights increasingly used in twilight and night races.

“The result is a dynamic, predatory, graphite-grey colouration, complemented by McLaren-dayglo ‘Speedmarks’ and keylines, reducing the reflection issues caused by our latest chrome-silver treatment.”

Saturday’s story, including what Ron Dennis had to say about liveries earlier this season, can be found here: https://adamcooperf1.com/2015/05/02/mclaren-to-debut-new-livery-in-spain/

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May 4, 2015 · 10:06 am

Nico Hulkenberg on the WEC: “Everything has been a première this weekend…”

Nico Hulkenberg says his future is still open after he enjoyed his WEC debut with Porsche in Saturday’s Spa 6 Hours.

The third works LMP1 entry was delayed when starting driver Nick Tandy tangled with a Porsche GT car early on, and had to crawl back to the pits for repairs. Hulkenberg, Tandy and Earl Bamber eventually finished sixth.

“To be honest I’ll do this race and I’ll do Le Mans and then after that I’ll assess how much I like it,” Hulkenberg told this writer. “If there’s a future or not here or in F1… I think my future is completely open, and it’s too early to say at this time of year.”

Hulkenberg was pleased with the way the race went, despite the frustration of having to play catch up.

“I enjoyed it. My time in the car was good. Obviously we lost quite a bit of time in the beginning, which is a shame. But that’s what we’re here for, to get that kind of experience. It was good that we all got our time in the car.

“We didn’t change tyres, we were so far back we were trying to get information for the other cars, so we elected to keep me out on the same tyres to see how that went. It went well, although at the end we were running out of tyres a little bit.

“Obviously Le Mans is more of a power track, but we still have some homework to do in the mean time. You saw we had some issues on some cars, so there’s still work in front of us.”

Hulkenberg said the whole weekend was a learning exercise in preparation for the 24 Hours: “Absolutely. It was obviously my first time getting in touch with this format of racing, everything has been a première this weekend. Considering everything I think it went fine, although obviously not the final result that we hoped for.

“Anyway, it was not about getting the main result here, it was about getting the experience. The traffic wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Better than expected, I really enjoyed the traffic to be honest.”

Nico said it will be easy to get back into the F1 groove in Spain next weekend: “I think I have the F1 feeling inside my body. You take the different software from the drawer in my desk and install that again in my brain!”

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May 3, 2015 · 11:00 am

After Sauber saga Van der Garde sees a future in WEC or the DTM

Giedo van der Garde says he’s looking at a future in the WEC or DTM after accepting that he has little chance of ever getting back to F1 after his legal fight with Sauber in March.

The Dutchman was at the Spa 6 Hours on Saturday – where he chatted with old pal Nico Hulkenberg – before heading to Hockenheim for today’s DTM event.

“You never ever know what’s happening in F1 but at the moment my targets are DTM or WEC for next year,” he told this writer. “For this year it’s already tough to jump in somewhere, because we were very late with everything. So I’m looking around a bit.”

Regarding F1 he said: “Of course you never give up, you always keep a little bit of hope, but after what happened to you you are a little bit fed up with everything, in the beginning especially. But the more you think about it, the more it gives you a bit of a relief. Of course it’s always what you wanted, and there’s still a little bit in me that says ‘maybe’. We’ll see.”

Van der Garde said he’d had a generally positive reaction to the outcome of his action against Sauber, and the statement he made after it about contracts and the rights of drivers.

“I got very positive feedback, from teams, team bosses and drivers even. So I’m quite happy with that. Now it’s a bit more calm and relaxed and I’m looking to get a nice drive for next year.”

His only scheduled race thus far in 2015 is at the Goodwood Revival.

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