October 12, 2015 · 7:00 am

Throttle problem prompted Rosberg safety concerns

Nico Rosberg admits he had safety concerns when he started experiencing throttle pedal problems early in the Russian GP.

The German was heard asking the team what would happen if the pedal struck open, but shortly afterwards the issue forced him to pit and retire, all but ending his title hopes.

“That was concerning,” he said when asked by this writer how worried he was. “A throttle [problem] is never a nice thing, especially when it was sticking. So I was definitely concerned. So that was why I asked the team what should I do if the throttle sticks, I am full on the brakes. They said there was an automatic fail safe on the car, which removes the throttle in that case when it sees a big overlap, brake and throttle – it will cut the throttle. So that was reassuring at that point.

“I had a throttle stick once in Monaco in a similar way actually, in a Williams in 2006. It brought back some memories of that a little bit.

“The change happened during the safety car already, so right after the start actually, and from then on I couldn’t come off throttle, so I was doing all the corners with throttle on and then eventually it the throttle on was so much that I couldn’t get around the corners any more.

“It was one big step on the safety car already as it came towards me, and just another small one afterwards which meant that it was the end of it. I was trying to take my leg off the pedal, but then the knee would come up and I couldn’t steer any more, and so it was different problems coming in there.”

Rosberg said that recent reliability problems at Mercedes have been frustrating.

“It is a strange one, this year it looked like we were looking so good on reliability. To then have still quite a few issues, it is surprising and it has gone worse and worse now through the season, especially in the last couple of months we had loads more issues and race stoppers and things like that. We must look into that again, and continue to improve that area. It seems we haven’t made as big steps as we thought.”

Rosberg conceded that his title chances are now remote: “You have to be realistic now. It is a lot of points. It doesn’t change my approach. I am still pushing to the maximum, and committed, and going for it mentally. So it doesn’t really change much. Disappointing in that respect today, because I was looking to close the gap today, and then anyways, going to the next race and I want to win there. That is the goal at the moment.

“It is tough. So much go into a weekend like that. The preparation starts at the beginning of the week with being at the factory, discussing everything and coming here, having an awesome weekend, qualifying, race start, first corners and everything really going to plan and then to lose it in such a way is very tough.”

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October 11, 2015 · 6:55 pm

Carlos Sainz: “If we had finished, we would have been heroes…”

Carlos Sainz was hugely frustrated after being forced to retire with brake issues after his impressive drive from the back of the field in Sochi.

From 20th Sainz rose as high as seventh and destined to finish even higher when he suffered problems with the front left disc, which led to his retirement with just eight laps to run.

“We did such a great job after only doing 15 laps the whole weekend in the dry,” he said. “To turn up, start 20th and be seventh, with a great rhythm, a great pace. It was looking good for P6 at the end. The whole race saving brakes, saving tyres, saving fuel, and still managing a good pace. I must be pretty happy and thank the team, because without them I wouldn’t have been out there today.

“Mixed feelings, but I’m a positive guy, and I’d like to keep the positives. With only 15 laps we were having a great pace. We were running P7 after starting last, if we had finished, we would have been heroes. It’s a shame.”

Sainz admitted he felt dizzy in the early stages of the race: “I’ll rest for a couple of days for sure. Today was demanding out there, especially the first laps, and mentally also it was quite a demanding weekend as you can imagine. We need a bit more luck to put everything together because the results are nearly coming.”

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October 11, 2015 · 6:17 pm

Kimi Raikkonen: “I don’t think it was something completely stupid…”

Kimi Raikkonen was demoted from fifth to eighth place in the Russian GP results after being penalised for causing a collision with Valtteri Bottas.

The two Finns collided while battling for third on the last lap. Raikkonen managed to crawl across the line in fifth, but was subsequently given a 30 second penalty, and three points on his licence.

His demotion also meant that Ferrari was finally out of mathematical contention for the constructors’ title, leaving Mercedes confirmed as champions.

“I went inside and I think he never realised that I was there,” said Raikkonen. “Obviously at the last point I knew that he was just turning in so I tried to go more inside and I had brake harder to try to avoid it, but I was next to him already, so obviously there was contact.

“I don’t think it was something completely stupid. I want to try, for sure I would have made the corner, but obviously there were two cars. There are many ways of looking at the incident. I was there but obviously he didn’t know that I was there, and then you will have a contact. Unfortunate thing, not just for us for them also. You never want to have accidents, but things happen.”

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October 11, 2015 · 5:53 pm

Sergio Perez: “I was confident going into the race…”

Sergio Perez was one of the stars of the Russian GP after a bold strategy call by Force India helped the Mexican to an eventual third place.

Perez was the best placed of several drivers who gambled by putting under an early safety car and attempting to get to the flag while others waited and pitted under green.

He held third for many laps only to lose out to Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen on the penultimate lap after his tyres finally gave up. However the two Finns then collided, and Perez regained the final podium spot.

“I was confident going into the race, obviously not expecting a podium at all, but the race started quite well,” he said. “Obviously Nico [Hulkenberg] went out quite early, the safety car came out. Then we had a second safety car and we decided to box. We were one of the few cars to box.

“The restart going behind Felipe [Massa] and Nasr, I was just stuck there and couldn’t get them, so I decided to save my tyres together with the team, to look after them at the end of the race, and it worked really well.”

Perez admitted his tyres were finished in the closing laps: “I think we lost a podium one lap before the end, but it was just very difficult to hold them back, to hold Valtteri and Raikkonen back.

“At the stage I couldn’t brake very hard, very late because I was at risk of flat-spotting my tyres and retiring from the race, so there was a certain level of risk that I was able to take and I thought OK, if it’s not a podium, let’s really come back with the points. And then in the last lap they had contact and it was very good to come back and give a second podium to the team.

Perez said he’s excited about the future: “I think we’re going into a great momentum. It’s great news that I’m staying with the team. so we have a lot of momentum going through us and hopefully we can maintain it for the end of the year.

“Definitely I’m going through a great moment in my career. From where we are it’s difficult to realise but people who look at my performance, they can see that I’m at my best moment in my career, and that’s something that makes me confident.”

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October 11, 2015 · 9:34 am

Carlos Sainz: “If I cannot move my neck or something I will stop…”

Carlos Sainz says he feels fine heading into the Russian GP, but admits that he may be forced to stop if he encounters a physical problem such as a sore neck.

The Spaniard has been passed fit by the FIA and the team has rebuilt the car around the original chassis, so he can start from 20th on the grid rather than the pitlane.

“No bruises, just obviously as you can imagine a bit stiff and a bit sore from yesterday, but nothing that a painkiller cannot kill,” he said when asked by this writer. “I will start the race and if I cannot move my neck or something I will stop. I feel perfectly capable of doing the start and participating in the race.”

Sainz insisted that he has no concerns about getting back in the car so soon.

“It’s just one race more. Obviously the accident was a tough one, but it’s already on the back. Obviously Turn 13 on the first lap will be a bit emotional, but from there on it will be all back to normal. I’m more than ready to race and my mind is telling me all the time to race, to race, to race and I think it’s the best thing I can do at the moment. I will remember for sure the first time when I go in Turn 13, but it will be just one time, and I will forget for sure.”

He admitted that the way the car went under the Tecpro barrier will likely be discussed by the drivers and the FIA.

“It will come out for sure in the next drivers’ briefing. It’s something for sure that we need to keep looking at. I was for sure lucky that nothing happened to me. It took a while to get me out, but just to let you know, I was always conscious, I was always knowing what was going on. Obviously my main concern at that point was to let everyone know I was fine. I was even downshifting and putting neutral on the car to let my engineers know I was moving and I was doing everything.

“But just the radio was not working, and I think that’s why everything was so tense and so hectic at that moment. To let you know my main concern at that point was to let my parents know, or all of you guys, that I was completely fine, I had no injuries.

“The first thing I did when I got to the hospital was to look at the crash to see what exactly happened, even though I could remember perfectly what had happened. I remember perfectly changing my brake shape [balance] before Turn 13, and just when hitting the brakes I lost the rear of the car and hit the first barrier, and then the approach to the next barrier. I remember everything perfectly, fortunately or unfortunately!”

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October 10, 2015 · 5:43 pm

Sainz out of hospital and keen to race on Sunday

Carlos Sainz could yet start the Russian GP if he is passed fit by the FIA on Sunday morning, and the Toro Rosso management agrees that he is ready to get back in the car.

Sainz was supposed to be spending tonight in hospital as a precaution, but the team says he has now been released. The FIA stewards have already said that the Spaniard will be allowed to start despite not participating in qualifying, and Toro Rosso is building up a car for him.

“As you can see I am fine,” he said in a video sent from hospital. “My back and my neck are just a bit sore from the accident, but I’m totally ready. Hopefully tomorrow I will wake up in a good shape and maybe I can try and race – this is definitely the intention! Obviously we need to be cautious… I’ve always been conscious.

“As soon as the accident happened I tried to talk to the team on the radio, but it wasn’t working and those must have been some scary moments… I’d like to thank everyone for their support, it’s really nice to receive all your messages at a moment like this one! I hope to see you all tomorrow out there!”

Meanwhile team boss Franz Tost explained that the crash may have been caused when Sainz was caught out by a change of brake balance.

“I hope he will have a good night’s sleep and tomorrow morning he will have to go through the FIA medical checks to decide if he will be able to take part in tomorrow’s race. Now, just to clarify what happened, prior to the accident, Carlos had completed a long-run on the Option tyre, before changing to the Prime to do two further laps.

“On Primes the grip level is lower. In addition he had changed the brake [balance] on the steering wheel, which meant he had more braking rearwards. A combination of these two factors might have been the cause of the rears locking, which made the car uncontrollable.”

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October 10, 2015 · 2:23 pm

Horner on Renault: “This is F1, and nothing is impossible…”

Christian Horner has dropped the biggest hint yet that Red Bull could yet end up staying with Renault power in 2016.

The team always had a contract that run into next season, but has been trying to negotiate its way out of the deal in recent weeks. However Renault now seems to be the only realistic option, and Bernie Ecclestone has been trying to smooth the waters.

“At the end of the day nothing as we stand here is fixed,” Horner told Sky TV. “We’re working on lots of different scenarios. Obviously Bernie is actively involved as well, he’s keen to find a solution, and we need to. This team is too good not to be involved in F1, and there’s an awful lot of staff members whose futures depend on this decision, and therefore it’s important that we make the right one.

“I believe we will find a solution, and hopefully one that’s right for the team for the future.”

Pressed on what the realistic options were he said: “There’s lot of rumours at the moment, everybody’s got an opinion on what we should or shouldn’t do, and so on. In many respects we are a victim of our own success, and you can understand the trepidation that other manufacturers who have their own teams have in terms of supplying us.

“But we’ll find a solution, we’ll work our way through it, and hopefully we’ll find something that gives us the opportunity to fight for race wins and victories in the future. Everything’s open. Well, pretty much everything.

“Nothing is officially finished with Renault yet. Again there’s lot of speculation. It’s difficult to envisage how we go forward. But this is F1, and nothing is impossible. We are still waiting to hear what are Renault’s plans for the future. Are they going to buy Lotus, are they going to stop themselves?”

In stark contrast to the criticism he’s heaped on Renault recently Horner indicated some support for the French manufacturer.

“What you don’t see is what happens behind the scenes, and the commitment that’s gone in to trying to make this power unit work, the investment that’s been made, and the solutions that have been provided.

“My priority is seeing Red Bull in F1 next year, I want to see our cars with our drivers on the grid, That means taking to all parties that have a potential interest in us being here next year.”

He confirmed that in the end, it will be Dietrich Mateschitz’s call.

“That ultimately will be his choice. All I can do is present some good options in front of him for him to make that final call. He’s passionate about this team, Red Bull have probably invested more in F1 than any company over the last 10 years. He cares about the employees, he cares about what the future of the company is.

“He’s been around F1 for 20 years now, firstly as a sponsor, then as a team owner. He just wants to see us in a position where we can compete. Hopefully we can come to some conclusions which will enable us to do that.”

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October 9, 2015 · 7:02 pm

Renault sale still not done says Lotus boss Carter

Lotus F1 CEO Matthew Carter says he still doesn’t know when the planned takeover by Renault will be finalised.

After Suzuka both sides announced that a letter of intent had been signed, but cautioned that the deal would only go through if certain conditions were met.

“I honestly don’t know,” Carter told this writer when asked about the likely time scale. “We’re working on things. It’s clear that all the parties involved want to get this resolved as quickly as possible, and we’ll work thing through as quickly as we can.

“It’s the same for us anyway, it really doesn’t make a helluva lot of difference. We get on with doing our job on the race track. We’ve been confident for a long time that things are going to be resolved. It’s just taking a long time.”

However, he admitted that the delay was not positive: “It’s not helping, but at the end of the day as we’ve always said we’re here, we’re racing, we’ll be at all the races. What happens behind the scenes or what happens above our level will happen.”

The letter of intent has bought Lotus more time with its ongoing legal case, and Carter admits that some of the pressure is off: “The legal process was the legal process, we were always confident that it was going to be resolved and we were going to get through it. But it’s hard to say too much and talk too much when you’re in the middle of things.”

Carter insisted that Renault’s attempt to get a better deal with Bernie Ecclestone is not the cause of the hold up.

“To be perfectly honest I don’t think there’s a sticking point. I think it’s just a case of everyone working as hard as they can and as fast as they can to get the thing resolved as quickly as possible.”

Meanwhile when asked by Motorsport.com why the process was dragging on Ecclestone himself claimed he didn’t know.

“No idea,” said the F1 boss. “They say they’re going to buy it, I’m sure it’s not that they’re running out of money, I’m sure there are other reasons. Maybe the sellers aren’t really sellers.”

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October 9, 2015 · 11:41 am

Toto Wolff: Mercedes won’t back down on Red Bull decision

Toto Wolff has reiterated that Mercedes will not supply engines to Red Bull next season, and says that no new discussions have taken place.

Wolff and Niki Lauda had a lengthy meeting with Bernie Ecclestone today, but Wolff denies that the F1 boss was trying to twist his arm and reverse the decision.

“It was a conversation about general topics – life!,” Wolff told this writer. “Bernie doesn’t twist arms, Bernie makes it very subtle. Honestly, we didn’t discuss the topic. It might sound strange, we have every day a discussion and this was a very public one, but there was nothing spectacular we discussed.

“We really took some time to analyse the situation over the summer. We tried to understand what Red Bull’s situation was, and expected or waited for some feedback, and finally when things didn’t move we decided to pursue our current strategy by supplying Williams and the independent teams, and not pursue the Red Bull option.

“We didn’t change our opinion. It got a bit confused at the beginning of the week with certain statements, but it didn’t change. We have three customers teams plus us, and this is the structure that we want to work with.”

Yesterday Ecclestone made it clear that he was frustrated that Red Bull had started to talk to Mercedes before Manor, and yet the latter managed to secure a deal. However Wolff sees no connection between the two.

“The Manor deal has no link whatsoever with Red Bull. There were many other factors which led to the decision to not pursue what were really early stage discussions.”

Wolff said that he doesn’t believe that Mercedes or Ferrari will be painted as the bad guys for not helping Red Bull.

“I don’t think that anybody put us in that bad guy situation. Every team is responsible for how you manage your business, and this is why I don’t see at all that that happened.”

Meanwhile Toto downplayed the third car option, despite having sounded enthusiastic about when asked in Suzuka.

“We need to all try and do our best to keep Red Bull in the sport, Red Bull and Toro Rosso, because Red Bull is a great brand and has done a lot for F1. If it were to happen the fall back solution would be three cars. But I’d rather have the first thing solved and have Red Bull and have three cars on top of that and have a really full grid of 24, 26 cars.

“It’s clear that not a lot of people have an appetite for three cars, for valid or not valid reasons. If Red Bull and Toro hopefully stay in the sport we’ll have 22 cars anyway next year.”

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October 8, 2015 · 8:18 pm

F1 sale not so close after all, says Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone has downplayed the possibility of a chunk of the F1 business being sold, just a couple of days after suggesting to a televised business forum that a deal could happen before the end of this year.

CVC’s 35.5% shareholding is potentially up for grabs, although Ecclestone said today that its boss Donald McKenzie is still not keen to sell

“I said there are three people that are interested in buying,” Ecclestone commented in Sochi today. “They have been talking a little bit, but now they are a lot more interested. If the shareholders want to sell, they will sell.

“I am not selling. That is what the problem is. Mr McKenzie, who is the controlling shareholder, also doesn’t want to sell. If someone wants to buy and someone doesn’t want to sell it is difficult.”

Ecclestone also made it clear that a deal was no nearer than it has been in the past.

“Anyone that does follow F1 will know we have been here a million times.”

He also scotched suggestions that he might retire and leave F1 any time soon: “I don’t need to leave it at the moment. But the three people who are interested in buying it asked me to sign a contract to make sure I stay with them.”

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