Adam Cooper F1

One of the ideas considered by the F1 Strategy Group for 2017 is a Saturday sprint race for third drivers.

The FIA said yesterday that  “several exciting and innovative changes to the qualifying and race weekend formats have also been discussed and are being evaluated by FIA and FOM for a 2016 introduction.”

The third driver sprint would involve one entry from each team, with up to 11 cars – with the addition of Haas for next season – taking part.

The idea is that the top four finishers would progress to the Grand Prix on Sunday, and would be allowed to start from the back of the grid. Clearly these cars would also have to practice and qualify, which would give the teams extra track miles.

The complication is that teams would have to take a fully prepared third car to each race, and with the extra freight and crew clearly huge costs will be involved.

However the intention is that the sprint race would not happen at every Grand Prix weekend, and it would be logical for example to miss the early flyaway races when teams might not have enough new parts to fully service three cars.

An alternative path could be a sprint race for the race drivers which determined the grid for Sunday.

“I think it’s very embryonic in its discussion,” Christian Horner told this writer. “It’s good that there’s a discussion going on about that kind of thing. I think it needs to be fully and properly considered. It’s just ideas floating around at the moment.”

Nico Rosberg says he’s keen to do well at Silverstone as it’s the home race of both the Mercedes race team and its engine department– and he also wants to attack the gap to title rival Lewis Hamilton.

Rosberg admits that he’s on a roll at the moment, and he wants that to continue as he chases down points leader Hamilton.

“It’s important for me to keep closing the gap to him,” he said at Silverstone. “And of course I’m going to try and do it here. It’s a good period for me in the season now, and I want to try and keep that going. He’s still 10 points ahead, and I need to keep digging at that way very quickly. Ten points is nothing if you look at the length of the season, so the chances are really good.

“It’s a little bit different for me as well, because I know how important it is for all my team colleagues. That means a lot to me, and I know that one of the best ways for me to give something back to them or say thank you for an amazing car that they built is to do a one-two here. A lot of their families will be here, and I’m very aware of that, so that makes it a special weekend.

“We were in the engine factory this morning, there were 400 or 500 people there, I’m not sure how many, and it was very obvious how excited they were about the weekend.”

Meanwhile Rosberg said that his Austrian GP win was an important step for him.

“It was a great weekend for me, for sure yes, especially because it was one of those that was not so difficult. And that was great to see, to really just be quicker in the race all the way through was cool. And especially it was great because that was the area where I needed to slightly work on after last year, race craft, and I made a nice step there. That’s been important for me to see.”

However he said he’s not been doing anything different relative to the start of the year to generate his recent success: “Unfortunately nothing, it’s just the way sport is. Sport goes in waves, and that’s the best explanation I have got it.”

He had an interesting response when asked if he faced any self doubts when times were hard.

“Doubt is always a part of it, but I’ve learned to always keep believing and push through and overcome the doubt. I think it’s very normal to have doubts. I think all of you have doubts that you are going to be able to deliver a great story this weekend, but you keep believing, and you push through, and you bang one out anyways, and do better than anybody else.”

The FIA has confirmed that changes to F1 rules will be implemented this season following yesterday’s meeting of the Strategy Group at Biggin Hill, which was a follow-up to discussions at the earlier May 14^th meeting.

Measures to increase the role of driver – especially with regard to starts – will be introduced as early as the Belgian GP, while the thorny issue of engine penalties will be addressed.

Honda has been given an extra “free” engine on the basis that all future manufacturers will also be allowed five engines in their first year, as Renault, Mercedes and Ferrari were in 2014.

Crucially the costs of engine supply to customer teams is to come under review. Prices went up considerably when the switch to hybrid power was made.

Work on 2017 technical regulations continues as the FIA seeks to make cars more exciting to drive and to watch.

The full list of measures outlined by the FIA is as follows: “Increased restrictions on driver aids and coaching received unanimous support and will be rapidly implemented, starting from this year’s Belgian Grand Prix – with a particular emphasis on race starts – and in 2016. These measures will bring back the driver in full control of the car, enhancing races excitement and unpredictability.

“Following the Austrian GP, an overhaul of the power unit penalties has been unanimously agreed and will be submitted to the F1 Commission via an express fax vote for an adoption at the World Motor Sport Council in Mexico City next week, together with changes to the exhaust system that will improve engine noise for 2016.

“Furthermore, it was agreed to allow an extra power unit per driver in the first year to any new manufacturer entering the championship and, for the sake of fairness, the measure will apply retroactively to Honda for the 2015 season.

“Mandate has been given to the FIA and FOM to propose a comprehensive set of measures for power unit development and cost of supply, including full review of the token system, increase in race fuel allowance, limits on the usage of engine dynamometers etc.

“Increased freedom of choice for tyre compounds has been confirmed and the modalities are being finalised with Pirelli for 2016.

“A new set of regulations aimed at achieving faster and more aggressive looking cars for 2017, to include wider cars and wheels, new wings and floor shape and significantly increased aerodynamic downforce has been outlined and is currently being assessed by the teams.

“Several exciting and innovative changes to the qualifying and race weekend formats have also been discussed and are being evaluated by FIA and FOM for a 2016 introduction.”

US investment company RSE Ventures is said to be teaming up with Qatar to take a major investment in F1, according to a report by the Financial Times today.

The report suggests that the two parties want to buy 35.5% of F1 from the CVC Group for a price of $7-8bn – and that the ultimate aim is for Qatar to own the whole of F1. However it adds that no formal bid has been made, and due diligence is still being undertaken.

Headed by 75-year-old Stephen M Ross, RSE describes itself as “a sports and entertainment venture firm building, operating, and investing in exceptional companies,” adding that it operates “sports, media and entertainment properties that deliver world-class experiences.”

It is best known for owning the Miami Dolphins. Its portfolio also includes soccer‘s Guinness International Champions Cup, various other sports and media properties, including Fanvision, the handheld TV device company that was involved with F1 until two years ago.

It’s worth noting that Chief Operating Officer Arne Rees has interesting background, having worked for UBS, ESPN and UEFA in the past. Indeed he was Head of Strategic Business Development at the football organisation, responsible for growing the Champions League and European Championship.

Meanwhile Qatar Sports Investments is part of the Qatar Investment Authority, the country’s sovereign wealth fund. QSI is best known for owning top French soccer team Paris St German, while intriguingly QIA also owns 17% of the VW Group – which has of course been eyeing an F1 involvement for years.

The suggestion is that the controversy surrounding FIFA and the 2022 World Cup has led to Qatar accelerating its F1 plans, which include hosting a Grand Prix.

In February the chief of the Qatari ASN (QMMF) Nasser bin Khalifa al-Attiyah, a rally driver who has been the FIA Vice-President for sport in the Middle East since December 2013, said that a contract was about to be completed for a third Grand Prix in the region.

“We are about to sign contracts to organise a Formula One race,” Al-Attiyah told agency AFP. “We have completed all the steps and there are only a few details before the official signature.”

In 2012 CVC sold part of its F1 stake to Black Rock, Norges Bank and Waddell & Reed.

Intriguingly some observers have suggested that some recent criticism of the sport has been fuelled by certain parties wanting to drive the price down, with some suggesting that Bernie Ecclestone, who still owns 5%, wants to buy it back.

It remains to be seen how that theory would get with the RSE/Qatari bid.

Meanwhile when I asked RSE about its interest in F1 I was told: “Unfortunately at this time we have no comment.”

McLaren and Honda insist that the 2015 project has not suffered because of the lack of a second team to help log mileage on the troublesome new power unit.

Honda F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai says that there is still no plan in place to expand to a second supply for next season.

“It’s a good idea but we don’t have any such kind of plan,” said Arai. “I concentrate on McLaren-Honda, one team, that’s it.”

“I do agree with Arai-san,” said McLaren team boss Eric Boullier. “I think the project is not mature enough to take over a second team. I think a lot of [the] job can be done on dynos before we think about having a distraction of a second team.”

Felipe Massa earned his first podium of the season – and the second for Williams – after he managed to keep Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari at bay in Austria.

The German had been in front initially only to lose time with a wheel issue in the pits. Massa then had to stay in front for the second half of the race, and he was able to so despite Vettel being less than a second behind in the closing laps.

“I think it was a great result today,” said Massa. “So we managed to get the opportunities, which was a mistake of another team or Sebastian, I don’t know what’s happened so I cannot say. But [it was] enough, and we managed to keep the pace, which was good – but maybe a little bit slower compared to him.

“I expected him to be close to me at the end of the race and he was, but I managed to keep him behind which was the most important thing.”

Massa admitted he wasn’t sure he could hold Vettel off: “I think he got very close with maybe 10 laps to go. I thought it could have been possible. We know that Ferrari manage the tyres very well, especially at the end of the race. We did maybe 40 laps, maybe more with these tyres, so I expected him to be strong at the end of the race, and he was.

“But you never know, I had to defend myself so I think when you are defending, you don’t know what’s going to happen, so you just need to try and do your best and not make any mistakes. I think that was the only point that I had in mind, so I tried not to make any mistakes and if he was going overtake me because he managed to get the right line or pass me, you don’t know. But I was trying, and we managed to make this happen.”

Although Williams is still a long way behind Ferrari in the championship, the gap has closed.

“I think it was very good for the team. It was important points against Ferrari, also, looking at what’s happened to Kimi today. So, we are not giving up, we will fight until the end. We understand that maybe they have a little bit of a quicker car compared to us, but we are working very hard to improve and to be there and really trying to get back the points that they are in front, which is not easy, but it is what we’re trying.”

Fiat and Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne suggested today that the Italian team would be willing to supply engines to Red Bull Racing, if it was asked to do so.

RBR last used Ferrari engines in 2006, before passing the supply on to Toro Rosso, and going with Renault.

“It’s in our DNA, we’ve done it before,” said Marchionne. “I think we can provide engines to any of the teams that want to race. As long as we keep control over the aerodynamic work on the car, I think there’s going to be enough distinguishing traits between us and the competition. We are more than glad to try and provide a level playing field, now that the engine is there.

“I talk to everybody. And I have a lot of respect for Red Bull. I think they’ve done a lot for the sport, they’ve had the world championship for a number of years. I think they will find their way again and if we can help them get there, we’d be more than glad to do it.”

Red Bull’s disatisfaction with Renault is well known, but its options are limited. While it doesn’t want to be another manufacturer’s second-strong team, Ferrari may ultimately be its only alternative, as historically the company does not have a good relationship with Mercedes.

However, RBR boss Christian Horner was keen to downplay the possibility of any such deal happening.

“It’s very generous of Sergio to make an offer,” he told this writer. “Obviously we would have to look at the details of it. I appreciate his generosity. I’m assuming it would be free of course! First of all we’ve got to sort out our own issues. We’ve got a contract with Renault to the end of next year, so let’s see what they can come up with.”