Adam Cooper F1

Nico Rosberg says he didn’t know that Lewis Hamilton had already spun when he went off at the end of Q3 in Austria – but insisted that it would not have made any difference.

Hamilton’s spin obviously meant that he couldn’t improve with his last lap, but Rosberg said he still had to take risks to beat his Mercedes team mate’s earlier time, and was thus obliged to push.`Nico ran into the gravel at the final corner and had to settle for second.

“I had to beat Lewis’s time, that was the benchmark,” said the German. “That benchmark was two-tenths quicker than my time up to then. I was two-tenths up on my time just before the last two corners, which meant I was exactly equal with Lewis’s benchmark. So I knew I had to pull out one or two hundredths more. and that meant that I took that little bit more risk in the last corners, which was necessary, but I overdid it, unfortunately.”

Rosberg didn’t want to blame damp kerbs or astroturf: “I only saw the on-board of myself, I didn’t see from outside, so I don’t know, I’m not sure. But if there was some indication of spray when I went over the astroturf, then that would be the reason. If not then it’s unlikely to be the reason. The driver braking too late, that is probably the best reason!

“This track in general is very challenging, and we’ve never seen as many mistakes as this week in F1. Why? Because first of all the braking is very, very important here to do a quick lap, and it’s so difficult to get it right, and you have to attack to be quick, so that’s why we see a lot of mistakes. And then somehow it’s very nervous on the rear also, in the last sector. The last two sectors the rear will just step out, because of it dropping away, the track. It’s just the way it is. It’s a cool track, it’s very challenging.”

Rosberg is hoping that the tricky circuit will trip Hamilton up on Sunday: “That’s probably one of my best opportunities for tomorrow, I need to try and keep the pressure on as much as I can, like in Montreal, with a bit colder brakes tomorrow hopefully. Just push all the way if I don’t manage to get the start, keep the pressure on, and hopefully Lewis might make a mistake or something.”

The FIA has issued a provisional Austrian GP that takes into account the engine penalties handed out to the Red Bull and McLaren drivers.

Although they have 10 place penalties, Dany Kvyat only drops seven places from eighth to 15^th, while Daniel Ricciardo goes only four spots from 14^th to 18^th. That because the multiple penalties mean that drivers who go back then regain places as other penalties are applied.

The penalties were applied in the order of notification to the FIA that there would be an engine change. Red Bull told the FIA as long ago as 2.43pm on Monday, while McLaren’s message was sent at 4.25pm on Tuesday. It’s not a matter of when the new elements were actually used on the track.

The grid now reads: 1^st HAM; 2^nd ROS; 3^rd VET; 4^th MAS; 5^th HUL, 6^th BOT; 7^th VES; 8^th NAS; 9^th GRO; 10th MAL; 11th ERI; 12th SAI; 13th PER; 14th RAI; 15th KVY; 16th MER; 17th STE; 18th RIC; 19th ALO; 20th BUT.

Button, Alonso and Ricciardo will also have to take penalties in the race in respect of grid places that were not used up, with BUT destined to perform a 10 second stop and go penalty, ALO a drive through, and RIC a 5s time penalty as his first pit stop.

Daniil Kvyat will join team mate Daniel Ricciardo on a 10-place grid penalty in Austria after Red Bull boss Christian Horner confirmed that the Russian is taking a fifth V6 overnight.

Although it was always likely that both drivers would change, only Ricciardo took a new engine for today, while Kvyat managed to get through Friday practice with his fourth unit. However the team doesn’t want to push its luck into Saturday and Sunday.

“He’ll be changing tonight,” Horner told this writer. “Obviously it’s far from ideal in Austria, but it was unfortunately on the cards as soon as we got onto engine four very early on.”

McLaren’s Fernando Alonso already has a 20-place penalty so at least the Red Bull drivers can be fairly sure that they won’t be last on the grid for the company’s home race. Jenson Button is also expecting penalties.

Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso are the first drivers to be guaranteed engine grid penalties in Austria this weekend.

Ricciardo took his fifth V6 today, which means a 10-place grid penalty for the Australian. Although RBR team mate Daniil Kvyat is also on the bubble, having used four V6s, thus far he has not taken a fifth.

Meanwhile Fernando Alonso has taken a fifth V6, MGU-H and turbo. That means he gets 10 + 5 + 5 places for a total of 20. Given that he won’t be able to take all those places the likelihood is that he will also have a drive through penalty early in the race, as experienced by Jenson Button in Canada. Alonso has also taken his third MGU-K.

Button intimated yesterday that he could get another penalty this weekend. Jenson is already on his fourth V6 and fourth MGU-K.

The FIA has noted that it was informed of Ricciardo’s change on Monday, and Alonso’s on Tuesday. That means Ricciardo’s will be applied first when the grid is shuffled around.

Michelin has confirmed that it has submitted a bid to the FIA to become F1’s sole tyre supplier for the three-year period from 2017-2019.

Pirelli, currently in the middle of its second three-year contract, is also re-applying for a third term in the role. The deadline for the tender process is this week.

Michelin said on Twitter: “We have submitted our F1 proposal to the FIA 18 inch of course and #drivetothemaxtire for the driver pleasure.”

As the Tweet made clear Michelin is pushing for “racier” tyres, and it wants to have an 18ins low profile size, which would gel with what it does in categories such as Formula E and the WEC.

However, F1 insiders remain unconvinced about that route. The wheels would be heavier – Pirelli says its GP2 test car gained 4.5kgs per corner – and it would require all teams to undertake a total redesign of brake and suspension systems.

There are also commercial aspects to the decision, as Pirelli has been paying large sums for trackside advertising and so to the Formula One organisation, and clearly Michelin would be expected to match that commitment.

Michelin was previously involved in the sport from 1977 to 1984, and again from 2001 to 2006, winning a total of 102 Grands Prix. Bridgestone was the sole tyre supplier from 2007 to 2010, before its withdrawal led to Pirelli returning to the sport.

Former Williams technical director Patrick Head has received a knighthood in Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday honours list, which has just be announced.

The 69-year-old Head thus joins his longtime business partner Sir Frank Williams and the likes of Sir Stirling Moss and Sir Jackie Stewart on the list of motor racing people who have received the honour.

Williams said of Head: “My name may be above the door, but I have always stressed that the creation and subsequent success of Williams was very much a team effort. My co-founder Patrick Head was the design genius who turned us from a small upstart into a World Championship winning force.

“His engineering talent helped play a key role in establishing Great Britain as a leading force in global motorsport and the benefits of this are still being felt to this day, both culturally and economically. This Award is thoroughly deserved for his contribution to British engineering and motorsport.”

Head and Williams first hooked up in 1977 to found Williams Grand Prix Engineering after Frank’s orginal team had been absorbed by Walter Wolf.