Tag Archives: Ferrari

May 9, 2024 · 2:39 pm

Piastri: McLaren’s Miami F1 race form was “unexpected”

Oscar Piastri showed great pace in Miami before his race “unravelled”

Oscar Piastri admits that his McLaren Formula 1 team’s impressive pace in the Miami GP was “unexpected” after the cars showed mixed form over the previous two days.

While team mate and race winner Lando Norris had the full update package Piastri had what Andrea Stella called only 50% of it, and was notably missing the revised floor and sidepods.

Despite not having all of the new kit Piastri ran third in the early laps of the race after jumping up from sixth on the grid, before passing Charles Leclerc for second.

However his afternoon was spoiled when he was hit by Carlos Sainz while battling with the Ferrari driver, and he had to pit for a new front wing. He eventually finished 13th.

“I think in these conditions on this track, the pace we had today was unexpected,” he said when asked by this writer about the value of the upgrades.

“I think we don’t fully understand why, we were a bit up and down on different days. But I think the fact that we can win a race on pace is a very, very encouraging sign for the rest of the year.”

Although obviously disappointed by the outcome of his own race Piastri was encouraged by Norris’s win.

“I think definitely a lot of positives to come from today,” he said. “I think, for both of us the car was really strong. I think for Lando to win the race on pace, and to pull away from Max [Verstappen] after the safety car, I think that’s a very, very encouraging sign.

“So very happy for him, and for the whole team. I think we deserve it. Our trajectory in the last 12 months has been towards this moment. And yeah, also for Lando, I think it’s been a long time coming. So I’m happy for him.”

Regarding his own race he noted: “I was happy with the start. And then the fact that I could get past Leclerc as well was unexpected coming into the race.

“So from that point, I was quite happy and was reasonably comfortable with him behind me there. Just the timing of the safety car wasn’t ideal, and it unravelled from there.”

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May 8, 2024 · 7:09 pm

Alonso: “Nice kid” Norris deserved Miami debut F1 win

Fernando Alonso says that “nice kid” Lando Norris deserved his debut Formula 1 win in Miami, especially after logging a string of podium finishes.

Alonso got to know Norris when the Englishman was a McLaren junior, and especially when he ran some Friday FP1 sessions at the end of 2018.

The following year they shared a car for Zak Brown’s United Autosports team at the Daytona 24 Hours.

Norris’s victory came 21 years after Alonso’s own debut win with Renault in the 2003 Hungarian GP.

“The first win after so many podiums,” said Alonso. “I’m really happy for him. Hopefully he remembers this day. The first of many wins.

“He’s a nice kid, he’s a nice man and a very talented driver. I know him very well. We did the Daytona 24 Hours in 2019 together. He started in McLaren as a test driver when I was there. We both live in Monaco, we see each other sometimes there in the city, travel together sometimes as well.

“And after so many podiums, I think he deserved his win. As I said, hopefully he enjoys this day, because sometimes you forget quickly, because you’re so focused on the next event. But yeah, I’m very happy for him. And for McLaren as well.”

Regarding the Woking team’s Miami form he said: “Well, they were close, and I think they were second in China.

“And they were again fast here, especially on the sprint qualifying, they were very fast. They brought a lot of updates here. Let’s see what will happen in the next few races in the championship.”

After a disappointing qualifying session Alonso enjoyed a charging race in Miami for Aston Martin, starting on the hard tyre and eventually working his way from 15th on the grid to ninth at the flag.

“I think we were lucky with the [virtual] safety car today, that really helped our race,” he said when asked by this writer about his afternoon.

“Starting on the hard, maybe we were thinking to stop a little bit later, but the safety car came in that lap, and we took the opportunity.

“And then the full safety car bunched everyone else. And we were with the mediums, the others were with hards. So we had a little advantage there.

“So all-in-all, we were lucky with the strategy and with the safety car, a little bit better on the race, compared to quali but we still need to improve and find more pace.”

Alonso enjoyed his fights on the way through the field, notably the one with former Alpine team mate Esteban Ocon for ninth place.

“Good battles, Esteban very hard fighting, as well,” he said. “As always, he’s a racer, but always with respect. I really enjoyed today the fight with him. It’s the first point for Alpine, I’m happy as well for them. But I think Esteban drove really well to take that point. So well done to them.”

Alonso created a stir in Miami by suggesting that nationality sometimes played a part in penalties. He subsequently had a conversation with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

“He’s always on board on every opinion that the drivers have, he knows that we are the ones driving the cars, and that we can have some suggestions on things.

“There are a couple of points that we need to address as a sport. And yeah, he always listens to us. Let’s see between if we make F1 a better sport, and a little bit more consistent.”

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May 7, 2024 · 2:56 pm

Perez admits he “nearly took Max out” at Miami F1 start

Sergio Perez locks up on the inside line at the start in Miami

Sergio Perez admits he was fortunate not to take out team mate Max Verstappen after what Red Bull team boss Christian Horner called an “optimistic start” in the Miami GP.

Perez took the inside line on the way into the first corner as he battled with Charles Leclerc and then locked up and went straight on, just missing the rear of Verstappen’s car.

He then ran wide and had to find his way back onto the racing line without making contact or losing too many places.

“I had a good start, Charles had a really bad start,” he said. “But as soon as I braked there was no grip, like with Lewis [Hamilton] yesterday. Offline there was no grip and I ended up locking. I nearly took Max out, so I had to come off the brakes.

“It was quite close. But as soon as I saw he was so close I came off the brakes, and I ended up going straight, and I couldn’t keep the position.”

Horner admitted that it was a tricky moment for the team.

“His start was optimistic,” he said when asked by this writer about Perez’s start. “I think that obviously Charles didn’t have a great start ahead, I think that caused Checo to lift for Charles.

“And then [Leclerc] left him a window into the first corner, he went for it, and then obviously got in very deep and was lucky not to collect Max at the first turn, and then collect the Ferrari coming back onto the track after the first turn. So I was pleased to see both cars survive that.”

The Mexican eventually finished fifth on the road, but he then gained a spot from a time penalty for Carlos Sainz.

“I think we were struggling for some pace today,” he said. “We just couldn’t manage to get the pace when we needed it. It’s something that we’ve got to work on to try and understand why.

“I was a bit too much front limited in the high speed, and then rear limited in the low speed, so there was such a big trade-off between low and high speed.”

He also lost time when stuck behind Esteban Ocon after his pit stop: “Yeah, on the hard it took me a few laps to warm up the tyre.”

Perez conceded that McLaren showed impressive pace over the Miami weekend.

“They were very strong already in qualifying,” he said. “I think they just messed up a bit their qualifying, they couldn’t make the soft tyre work. But I think they’ve been the fastest this weekend. And we were probably a little bit behind them. Lando [Norris] put me on a lot of pressure on that first stint towards the end.”

Regarding the future threat from McLaren he added: “It would be track dependent, in some places we will be a bit stronger, in others not so strong.  But yeah, certainly I think it will be a very close fight with them.”

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May 3, 2024 · 7:23 pm

Zak Brown: Newey “not the last” domino to fall at Red Bull F1 team

McLaren Formula 1 CEO Zak Brown says that Adrian Newey is just the first domino to fall at Red Bull Racing, and won’t be the last.

Brown suggested that Newey’s departure will trigger an exodus of talent from the Milton Keynes organisation, while indicating that McLaren has already received interest from its current employees.

He also made it clear that the Christian Horner controversy triggered Newey’s decision to leave the team.

“Am I surprised?,” said Brown when asked about Newey’s departure. “Six months ago, I would have been surprised. I think given everything that’s gone on since the start of the year and knowing Adrian pretty well, and he’s very high integrity individual. I’m not surprised.

“He’s moving on. I think the stuff that’s going on there is a bit destabilising. It’s probably the first domino to fall. I guess it’s not the last, based on the resumes that are flying around.”

Asked to elaborate on that claim he said: “Yeah, we’ve seen an increase in CVs coming our way from the team.

“I think Adrian is the most successful designer of all time. So in addition to the technical that he brings to the racing team, people want to work for people like Adrian Newey and work alongside him. So I think they’ll be missing what he brings to the team from a pure technical point of view.

“And then I think the leadership and the excitement people get from working with him will be missed.”

Brown insisted that McLaren is not in the race to sign up Newey.

“And as far as McLaren is concerned, I’m very happy with all the work the men and women at McLaren are doing,” he said. “I think we’ve started to show since last year, the second half of last year, that they know how to put performance on the car.

“So I’ve got all the faith in the world with the team that we have. We’re on a quest to get back to the front. And I think we have the people, the talent, the equipment, the drivers to get there. So we’re going to just stay the course.”

However Brown conceded that Newey would be a valuable catch: “With a resume and a track record like Adrian Newey, Adrian is going to add value to any racing team. But we’re very happy with the trajectory that we’re on.

“Never say never. But I’m very happy with the team, the technical leadership, the way Andrea [Stella] is running the racing team. And we’ve got a plan and we’re going to keep our head down.

“And of course, we always look for opportunities to make additive additions to the racing team.”

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May 2, 2024 · 8:25 pm

Leclerc: Newey at Ferrari would be “amazing”

Charles Leclerc says that it would be “amazing” if Adrian Newey joins the Ferrari Formula 1 team after leaving Red Bull.

The Maranello outfit looks to be the most likely destination for Newey, with some Italian media reports suggesting that the deal is already done.

If it is eventually confirmed it would put Newey at Ferrari just as Lewis Hamilton joins as Leclerc’s team mate.

“I will obviously be very happy,” said Leclerc when asked about the possibility. “I think Adrian is one of those guys in the paddock that you hope to be working with one day in your career.

“We have an incredible team in Ferrari at the moment. And in the last seven to eight months, we are the team that have progressed the most. However, adding Adrian to a team like this will be amazing.”

Asked if Newey’s departure would weaken Red Bull Leclerc said: “I was surprised, I did not expect it. So it was an interesting news, and one of those news that makes a lot of noise once it’s out, as I had it everywhere on my social media.

“But yeah, will it weaken Red Bull? I mean, obviously every team’s there are lots of people involved, but some figures of a team make more difference than others. And I think Adrian is definitely one of them, as he has shown it with his path, that’s every time he’s been in a team, they’ve been very, very successful.

“It’s difficult for me to comment, because I don’t know how exactly it works within the team. But obviously Adrian being on the market of the engineers is definitely someone to watch, and someone that everybody in the paddock will want in their team.”

Leclerc is adamant that even without Newey Ferrari has made good progress under team principal Fred Vasseur.

“I think I’ve said it, in the last eight to nine months already, I think we’re in a very good moment for the team. And we are in a good spiral. Fred has always shared with me what was his medium to long term vision of the team, I have shared with him what I thought also was the right thing, and it’s going really, really well.

“I’m really happy with how it goes. And I think we are in a good place to attract the best people in the world. However, I have said it already, but we are really, really good team already.

“And in the last seven to eight months, we’ve done incredible progress. But whatever and whoever can come to make it even stronger, is super important. And Adrian is one of those guys that can make a difference.”

Leclerc stressed that getting the right people on board is one of Vasseur strengths.

“I think Fred’s vision and his ability to put the people in the right environments in order to extract the best out of everyone is something really, really amazing,” he said. “And that has made the difference, together with a very clear vision on which are the main points on which we need to focus.

“Again, it’s very, very clear, which are the points that needs to be improved, and tackled in the next few months.

“And that helps the team to have a clearer vision, and to really put all the energy on one or two things only. But then you really see the gains straight away, which is a good thing. So clarity, and putting the people in the best environment possible to extract the best out of them.”

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April 24, 2024 · 6:14 pm

Allison: “No pleasure” for Mercedes F1 team in China

Mercedes Formula 1 technical director James Allison says that his team can take “no pleasure” from a Chinese GP weekend during which the tricky W15 simply wasn’t good enough.

George Russell finished sixth and Lewis Hamilton was ninth in Sunday’s main event as the Brackley outfit was outperformed by Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari, although second place for Hamilton in the Saturday sprint provided some encouragement.

Nevertheless overall it was a disappointing event for the Mercedes team, which is bringing an upgrade package to the upcoming Miami GP.

“It’s no pleasure at all to be taken from a weekend which even though competently executed and well driven by both guys, no pleasure at all when the hardware itself is not where it needs to be or should be,” said Allison in a team video.

“That’s of course the challenge that we face in the coming races, to try and move both the setup of the car and also the pieces that we bring to the car so that that’s improved.

“We’ve got upgrade packages coming to the car, but also components that we hope will rectify the underlying balance that is causing us difficulty.

“Much as it’s painful to talk in this way after a weekend like this, I just have to remember that there’ll be races in the future when we’ve executed those things, when we’re back more on the front foot, and when we’re progressing where the pleasure of talking about it will be massive. And that day can’t come soon enough.”

Allison said that the team continued to learn lessons about the difficult W15 in China.

“Every weekend you go to you learn things,” he said. “It’s one of the truisms of F1, it is a learning race, and although you have a factory full of tools, you have a load of computational power, a load of people who are thinking about it, there is no place to learn about the car better than with the car at the track, doing what it’s designed to do.

“We head from China, one of the most famously front-limited circuits, to Miami, a track that is more in the rear-limited end of the spectrum.

“And our challenge will be to make sure we don’t try and replay China at a Miami that is a very, very different beast, and wants different things from the car than China will.”

Intriguingly Allison says that the team has realised that the best way to make use of the new sprint weekend parc ferme rules is to take setup risks for the shorter event, and potentially then rein things in for qualifying and the main race.

 “We face the enjoyment of another sprint weekend with this second go of having two bites of the cherry,” he said. “And we definitely learned during this weekend that if you’re going to be ambitious, be ambitious in the sprint race, and then tune it down for the main race rather than the opposite way around.

“And hopefully we’ll land a car in a better place, that the upgrades that we’re going to bring to Miami serve us well in a grid that in qualifying at least is really close.

“Around the part of the battle we’re fighting a few hundredths can make a difference sometimes, and a couple of tenths would make all the difference in the world. So looking forward to seeing how that all plays out.”

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April 24, 2024 · 1:19 pm

Ferrari confirms HP title sponsorship deal

Ferrari has confirmed a lucrative title sponsorship deal with HP Inc as yet another US tech giant takes advantage of the sport’s growing profile.

Henceforth the Italian team will be known as Scuderia Ferrari HP, with the cars and drivers carrying the logos.

The team had already revealed that it will be using a special blue-focussed livery over the Miami GP weekend, where the new partnership will be formally launched.

The HP deal also encompasses the Ferrari Esports team, and the Driver Academy, including the F1 Academy car driven by Maya Weug.

HP or its subsidiaries have been involved with F1 on and off for decades, including recent deals with Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo/Sauber and Renault. It also had a long connection with Jordan.

The Maranello outfit says that “HP and Ferrari are committed to accelerate sustainable innovation whether through technology or sport. The companies will also work together to expand educational initiatives within their teams and communities, and create a lasting impact for generations to come.”

The deal is the latest of several to be put together on the watch of team principal Fred Vasseur, who worked with HP at Sauber.

“Our founder passed on to us his continuous will to progress,” said Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna.

“From this stems our drive to innovate on the road and on the track, as well as our commitment to a sustainable future, from carbon neutrality to the education of the younger generation.

“In HP we have found the same values, which make it an ideal partner. We look forward to starting our collaboration and facing new opportunities and challenges together.”

HP CEO Enrique Lores said: “With technology, performance and exceptional craftsmanship fuelling the future, the partnership between HP and Ferrari is a natural fit.

“Both brands are built on rich histories that have endured the test of time. Through this unique collaboration, we also have an opportunity to reach new audiences, drive business growth, and create lasting impact for our shared clients and communities.

“Together we will leverage the global stage of racing to accelerate sustainable innovation.”

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July 27, 2016 · 7:57 am

Ferrari confirms Allison departure

Ferrari has confirmed that James Allison is to leave the team, following weeks of speculation about the Englishman’s future.

Allison and the Maranello team have “jointly decided to part ways,” according to a Ferrari statement. Following the tragic death of his wife in March Allison had indicated his preference to return to the UK.

Mattia Binotto, the head of the power unit department, will take on the role of Chief Technical Officer.

“The team would like to thank James for his commitment and sacrifice during the time spent together,” said Maurizio Arrivabene. “And wishes him success and serenity for his future endeavours.”

Allison said: “During the years I spent at Ferrari, at two different stages and covering different roles, I could get to know and appreciate the value of the team and of the people, women and men, which are part of it. I want to thank them all for the great professional and human experience we shared. I wish everybody a happy future with lots of success.”

The 46-year-old Binotto is a Ferrari veteran, having joined the team in 1995, and progressed through the ranks of the engine department.

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July 9, 2016 · 6:50 pm

Sebastian Vettel: “It’s something we need to fix…”

Sebastian Vettel says that Ferrari has to get to the bottom of its gearbox issues after he picked up his third five-place grid penalty of the season at Silverstone, resulting in him dropping form sixth to 11th on the grid.

The German was most concerned about the fact that he had the same failure on Friday and in FP3 this morning.

“It’s difficult to remember all of them!,” said Vettel. “One was a consequence of what happened in China, the second one I don’t remember, and this one here obviously was after the failure this morning. It was something new we haven’t suffered before [Silverstone]. Obviously we need to understand, because we had the same failure yesterday and this morning.

“I think the problems that we had yesterday and today, that’s a weakness, and we need to stop it. Obviously I think the other occasions it was more a consequence of other things happening, especially the first one – if you crash, obviously it was a mild crash, but still a little crash in China, and we had to change it. You see other people crashing and they have to change it. They are not made for crashing, if you see what I mean. Surely the issue that we had yesterday and today was something new, and we need to fix it.”

Vettel said the fact that the problem did not occur for a third time in qualifying gave him some confidence heading into the race.

“I think we took some precaution going into qualifying. We didn’t have the failure in qualifying, we didn’t see the failure on Kimi’s car, so I’m fairly confident that we will be fine tomorrow. But surely we got caught out twice with the same problem. We didn’t have it before, so it might be something related to the track here. It happened also at the same place, at the end of the lap onto the main straight, so we need to have a look and really understand what happened.

“Rest assured that we are looking into that. It’s a very high priority, obviously it cost us five positions today, and if it happens again it will do the same again. It’s something we need to fix. Plus if it happens in the race, you don’t finish.”

Vettel admitted that he had not had a great qualifying session, and felt he should have been a couple of spots higher than sixth he earned before his penalty.

“I was on a good lap the first attempt, and then obviously lost the rear in Stowe. I was able to catch it, but the majority of lap time was lost. And then the second approach I started similar to before but just went in a little bit too deep and wide in Turn One, and then it was difficult to recover from there. I didn’t have good laps at the end of qualifying when it mattered. I think the pace was actually OK, we were able to split the Red Bulls, but we didn’t in the end, so that’s a shame.”

Vettel said he had no problem with the track limits rules imposed this weekend.

“We spoke about it yesterday, everybody was there, so we all agreed on it. That’s it. So it’s OK. I don’t personally care if we can go out or not, it just has to be clear, and it was made clear yesterday.”

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July 1, 2016 · 3:58 pm

Sebastian Vettel: “I think every race is an opportunity”

Sebastian Vettel says he had a “decent” first day in Austria, despite finishing the afternoon session in a gravel trap after a spectacular spin.

Vettel was third fastest in FP1 and fourth in FP2, with his time in the morning session standing as third fastest overall for the day.

He faces a five-place grid penalty, thanks to a gearbox change but he believes he still has a shot at winning on Sunday.

“Always, I think every race is an opportunity,” he said. “I think it was a decent day, I’m not entirely clear where we are, we didn’t have much running, in the afternoon in particular. But overall, we should be OK.

Regarding the spin he said: “We had an issue with the brake distribution [balance]. It caught me by surprise. It didn’t matter too much, we lost a couple of minutes, it didn’t make a big difference.”

Vettel says there’s no point fretting about his grid penalty.

“It is what it is. It’s obviously never great if you get plus five. Now we know, so we don’t need to worry any more.”

Meanwhile he didn’t join the chorus of complaints about the revised kerbs, which was led by Max Verstappen: “Maybe they need to build stronger front wings and they would stop complaining! I don’t know, I haven’t been on them, I haven’t experienced how harsh they are.”

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