Formula 1 - 2017

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Ferrari offer Vettel $138.5m, three-year deal

Sebastian Vettel has reportedly been offered a three-year deal worth $138.5m as Ferrari look to resolve the four-time World Champion's future.

Vettel's current deal with the Scuderia expires at the end of the current season, prompting speculation that he may move to title rivals Mercedes.

But, according to Autoweek, Vettel has a new bumper contract on the table and Ferrari awaiting his decision.

The German has not been too forthcoming about his future when asked in the paddock, but is said to want team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who is also out of contract at the end of the season, to stay alongside him should Vettel decide to stay with Ferrari.

Vettel's future is also key to drivers' market for the 2019 season, too, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen having a year-and-a-half left on their respective Mercedes and Red Bull deals.

'Silly season' has sparked rumours of Hamilton and Verstappen being team-mates at Ferrari, with Vettel driving for the Silver Arrows.

Yet once Vettel's future is resolved, the rest of the puzzle will start to fall into place for 2018 and beyond.

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Force India begins Perez contract renewal talks

Force India has begun contract talks with Sergio Perez about extending his stay with the Formula 1 team into next season.

Perez left it until last October to confirm he would be staying at Force India for a fourth consecutive year, after the conclusion of commercial agreements with the team.

The Mexican was heavily linked with a move to Renault last year but committed to Force India, partnering Esteban Ocon, who joined for 2016 on a multi-year deal.

Perez is believed to be on the radar of at least two other teams on the grid for a seat next season, but Force India team boss Vijay Mallya is keen to retain him.

"We have already commenced talks with him for the renewal of his contract," said Mallya. "When I have to take a new driver I like to leave it late, when I returning a driver I like to do it early.

"Checo is a highly talented and experienced driver. There's no question about that and I'm glad Esteban is pushing him."

Seats at Mercedes and Ferrari are potentially up for grabs in 2018, with Valtteri Bottas, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen out of contract at the end of the season.

Mallya said he would not stand in the way of his drivers if a top team came calling, but if such an offer is not forthcoming, he sees little reason for his drivers to want to leave.

"I like to believe that my drivers are happy in this team," said Mallya. "We give them a good car to race. If there is a Mercedes or a Ferrari seat, they'll obviously jump at the opportunity.

"I'm not going to stand in their way but other than that I think we have the best car. We give them an atmosphere where they are comfortable, they enjoy the team, their colleagues and they enjoy working together. What's the reason to move?"

Mallya echoed the thoughts of chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer that Ocon has delivered quicker than expected since joining the team.

Ocon completed nine races for Manor last year before joining Force India, scoring points on debut and in nine of the 10 races so far this season, leaving him eighth in the drivers' standings.

"Esteban has come up to speed really well and is quicker than I thought - it's fantastic," said Mallya. "We had a tough call to make over the winter about who our driver was going to be.

"There were only rookies available and I think we made the right choice. He's only going to mature and get better. You know that experience is hugely important, and the more experience he gets the better he's going to become.

"He has the talent, which has showed already. I'm happy we have him signed up on a multi-year contract, so I'm expecting regular point-scoring finishes from him."

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Belgian GP set for sell-out thanks to 'Verstappen effect'

The Belgian Grand Prix is set for its biggest crowd since the Michael Schumacher era, as 'Max Verstappen mania' shows no sign of calming down.

For the first time since Schumacher's glory years with Ferrari, Spa has sold out all grandstand seats and only has general admittance tickets left for Friday and Saturday.

Belgian GP promoter Andre Maes said that predictions are for a sell-out crowd of more than 250,000 for the weekend, something that has not happened since 2001.

"It's correct that all the grandstand seats are sold out. Not just for Sunday, but for the entire weekend," Maes told Motorsport.com.

"At the request of the authorities, and for security reasons, we are forced to limit the amount of tickets sold. This number we have practically already reached, with over 260,000 spectators likely across the three days."

Belgium's ticket sales have been helped by arrival of Stoffel Vandoorne and the absence of the German GP from the calendar this year, although Maes says the impact of Verstappen is much bigger.

Last year many grandstands turned orange, with an estimated 25,000 Dutch fans flocking to the Belgian Ardennes to cheer on the Red Bull star.

"The Max Verstappen effect continues to be a reality. It's far more important for us than the disappearance of the German Grand Prix," Maes explains.

Schumacher car demo

The 2017 Belgian Grand Prix is the 50th edition held at Spa-Francorchamps, and fans have been promised a bigger show that before.

Part of the new on- and off-track entertainment includes a demo run of the 1992 Benetton B192, which Michael Schumacher drove to his first of a record six wins at the venue.

"Novelties are a fan zone which has two to three times the number of attractions compared to previous years", Maes adds.

Despite the increase in spectators, the grand prix made a 8.62 million Euro loss in 2016 compared to 6.78 million Euro in 2015.

According to Belgian business newspaper L'Echo, the deficit grew because of increased security measures and a contractual hike of the race fee, which grew by four million Euro due to a strengthening dollar.

Since 2007 the difference is paid every year by the regional government of Wallonia. A study by audit firm Deloitte revealed the economic benefits of the race are north of 27 million euro.

Motorsport.com understands the organisers have started early talks with Formula 1 on a new contract as the current deal runs out after the 2018 race, although Maes declines to go into further detail.

Asked about the state of talks, he said: "Our relations with Liberty Media are excellent."

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Gallery: The classic cars that will star in F1 2017

This is the full line-up of classic cars for the F1 2017 game, featuring four Ferraris, four McLarens, two Williamses and a car each from Red Bull and Renault. Enjoy!

 

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World’s First AR F1 Garage Tour with Epson Moverio!

Since their integration in 2015, Epson’s awesome Moverio smart glasses have allowed Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport to offer the only augmented reality tour in the Formula One paddock, giving people a unique insight into the fascinating world of F1!

As part of the Moverio experience, guests are guided around the garage with an interactive commentary of the anatomy of the Silver Arrows cars, the various roles of the race team, pit stop explainers, driver profiles and much more! #DrivenByEpson

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HAAS: GROSJEAN AND MAGNUSSEN WILL DRIVE FOR US NEXT YEAR

The Haas Formula 1 team will have the same driver lineup of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen next season, owner Gene Haas said confirmed today.

“We will run with the same drivers that we have this year again next year. That is a given,” he told the official F1 website.

“And given the other continuity aspects, we should be better racers next season.”

The only U.S.-owned outfit on the starting grid are currently seventh in the 10-team championship at the halfway stage with 29 points, the same amount that they scored in all of their debut 2016 season.

Experienced Grosjean scored all of the team’s 2016 points but Magnussen, who replaced  Esteban Gutierrez at the end of last year, has scored 11 points from the 10 races so far.

“My guess is that we will score at least another 29 points,” said Haas. “And next year, without a big car or engine change, and with the drivers the same, that should give us a nice continuity boost.”

Haas have Ferrari engines and a close working relationship with the Italian team, which has put them in the spotlight as a possible home for promising young drivers backed by the sport’s oldest and most successful team.

Antonio Giovinazzi, Ferrari’s reserve driver, tested with Haas in first Friday practise at the British Grand Prix a week ago and is due to make more appearances.

Ferrari-backed Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc is leading the GP2 feeder series and is another tipped to enter Formula 1 with a Ferrari-powered team.

Those options look limited, however, with Ferrari-powered Sauber due to switch to Honda engines next season — although recent management changes at the Swiss-based team have cast doubt on that deal.

If Sauber do switch to Honda, that would leave Haas as Ferrari’s only customer team.

This development impacts the silly season as Grosjean was being linked with Ferrari should Kimi Raikkonen quit at the end of this year, and a possible return to Renault was also speculated at one point.

It also puts to bed the option of Giovinazzi joining Haas for 2018, with the Italian then progressing to Ferrari in 2019.

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PALMER: I’VE BURNT THE UNLUCKY UNDERPANTS

Renault Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer says he has torched his ‘unlucky underpants’ as he seeks a change of fortune at the Hungarian Grand Prix next week.

The luckless Briton endured a new low at his home grand prix last weekend, sidelined by a hydraulic problem on the formation lap after qualifying a promising 11th.

The 26-year-old has yet to score a point in 10 races this season, finishing 11th three times in his last five starts and eclipsed on the track by new German team mate Nico Hulkenberg.

Last year, his rookie season, he scored just one point.

“I have burnt the unlucky underpants, so they are now out of the way,” Palmer said in a team preview for the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I´m not superstitious, but you have to say this run of bad luck has to end.”

There had been speculation even before Silverstone that Palmer could be replaced for the final race before the August holiday break, the rumours swiftly dismissed by Renault’s F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul when he heard them.

“I made it clear to everyone that there was absolutely nothing true in that, and I told that to Jo directly,” he told reporters this week.

Abiteboul made clear on Friday, however, that he expected Palmer to end his barren run at the Hungaroring.

Renault, who celebrated their 40th anniversary in Formula One at Silverstone, are currently eighth in the 10 team championship but only three points behind Haas and seven behind Toro Rosso.

“We have shown at Silverstone that we are continuing to improve. Chassis developments, in particular the new floor, proved to be positive,” said Abiteboul.

“It´s critical to back up this improvement with both cars finishing in the top 10 in Hungary — we want to finish the first half of the season on a positive note.

“Our targets remain unchanged; we want to be sixth by the end of play on 30th July and fifth by the end of the season. A double-points finish is well within our reach,” added the Frenchman.

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INSIDE LINE: HAS TIME RUN OUT ON KVYAT’S F1 CAREER?

It hasn’t been a good week for Daniil Kvyat… or month… or year, really.

Crashing out for the second race in a row at Silverstone, Kvyat finds himself once more wading through the familiar waters of controversy, with speculation ramping up that he won’t see out the season.

Certainly, it can’t have helped his case when he placed the blame on teammate Carlos Sainz for their incident on Sunday, despite the Spaniard clearly being the victim of his error. Instead of helping his cause, all he succeeded in doing was making it look more desperate.

With nine penalty points to his name, Kvyat is now just three points away from a race ban and presumably, the end of his Red Bull career – all of which begs the question: does he still belong in F1?

Simply from a disciplinary standpoint, the answer is no. Kvyat’s nine current penalty points lead all drivers, while he holds both the single-season (8 in 2016, equal with Max Verstappen in 2015) and career (16) records since the points system was introduced in 2014.

What makes this particularly troubling is not necessarily the number of points, but the way in which they’ve been consistently accrued. No, he’s not the first to gain a reputation as a troublemaker, but the fact that he’s still making these errors in the fourth year of his F1 career makes it seem like he can’t learn his lesson, and that moves him from Romain Grosjean-territory to the dreaded Pastor Maldonado realm of notorious drivers.

Add to that his war of words with Sainz, his outburst at the stewards in Canada, and the on-track reputation he’s earned with prominent drivers, and it seems like he’s fast running out of friends. It doesn’t help either that his performances since coming back to Toro Rosso have merely been so-so, with Sainz leading their head-to-head 18-13 in qualy, and 13-6 in races.

Sure, he’s just 23 years old, but it’s not like he can stay at Toro Rosso forever. At the end of the day, the Toro Rosso programme is there to develop drivers for the senior team, and even if Max Verstappen leaves for Ferrari, Sainz leaves for Renault, and Daniel Ricciardo leaves to develop his own brand of boot-shaped drinking utensils, would Kvyat be assured of a Red Bull drive? It’s a legitimate question, and one you could reasonably answer in the negative.

If anything is keeping him in the team, it seems to be as a measuring-stick for Sainz, but with a decent sample-size crowning the Spaniard the “victor” it’s fair to suggest that experiment has run its course. Also it doesn’t help that Red Bull has another hot prospect who needs a seat, in the form of 2016 GP2 champion Pierre Gasly.

There’s no denying Kvyat is fast, but he wouldn’t be the first legitimately quick driver that Helmut Marko jettisoned. Sebastien Buemi, Jean-Eric Vergne, Antonio Felix da Costa (who didn’t even make F1 after being beat-out by Sainz), hell, even Sebastien Bourdais are exceptionally talented racers, but didn’t make the cut. How Kvyat still makes it with all his problems on the side just seems an incredibly unlikely proposition.

That said you have to feel for him, recent tribulations aside. He was put in an almost impossible position from the moment the aforementioned Verstappen replaced him in 2015 at Toro Rosso, as the only way he could hold onto his seat long-term was if he unseated a driver in Ricciardo who just trounced a quadruple world champion, or if Verstappen didn’t turn into a superstar.

Those were always extremely long odds, and combined with the immense psychological pressure, it’s understandable he’s been in a free-fall ever since. Nevertheless, it’s a harsh reality of all professional sportspeople that their careers live on borrowed time. Sooner or later the bell tolls for all – unfortunately for Kvyat, it looks more like the former than the latter.

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MAX AND DANIEL PUSHING EACH OTHER FORWARD

Max Verstappen’s arrival into F1 has seen Red Bull Racing enter something of a new era of late and with 6 podiums between them in the opening ten races so far this season, Verstappen and teammate Daniel Ricciardo are brimming with confidence ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, as Mobil 1 The Grid found out.

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Esteban Ocon quicker than I expected says Force India's Vijay Mallya

Esteban Ocon has impressed Force India team principal and co-owner Vijay Mallya during his rookie season with the team, with Mallya admitting the Frenchman's pace took him by surprise.

Ocon has scored 43 points in the opening ten races of the season with a best fifth place finish at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Ocon has failed to score in only one race, in Monaco, and sits just nine points behind his far more experienced team-mate, Sergio Perez.

Mallya is therefore expecting a lot more from the 20-year-old as his experience grows over the coming races and seasons with Force India, having signed a multi-year deal, which Mallya says is the reward for taking a chance on the youngster.

"Esteban has come up to speed really well and is quicker than I thought – it’s fantastic," said the 71-year-old team boss.

"We had a tough call to make over the winter about who our driver was going to be. There were only rookies available and I think we made the right choice.

"He’s only going to mature and get better. You know that experience is hugely important, and the more experience he gets the better he’s going to become.

"He has the talent, which has showed already. I’m happy we have him signed up on a multi-year contract, so I’m expecting regular point-scoring finishes from him."

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Honda confident current engine concept has potential to match Mercedes

Honda believes its power unit concept, which was designed from the ground-up for the 2017 season, has the potential to match the leading power unit supplied by Mercedes, and therefore the manufacturer will stick with it and continue to develop it through 2018.

Honda currently supply only McLaren and has struggled to get on top of the new engine rules, with seasons one and two proving disastrous for the team. Meanwhile their third season together hasn't gone much better, in fact they have less points than they did at the same point in 2016.

But Honda chose to introduce an entirely new design concept this year, which Honda F1's head Yusuke Hasegawa compared to starting from scratch and considers this year to be 'Year One' of the project, therefore performance gains will take time, but he is confident they're on the right path.

"We introduced a new power unit concept this year, so I would almost call this Year One again,” said Hasegawa. "But our aim is to develop the 2017 concept into the 2018 season and hopefully 2019 as well.

"So the engine weight, centre of gravity and the combustion concept is all going in the same direction as the other three engine manufacturers.

"It was good for us to do that. We can modify the specification of some of these parts to catch up with the other three engine manufacturers. Last year the engine concept was completely different, so with minor modifications we could not duplicate the same type of performance. That’s why we really needed to change the whole engine concept this year."

Hasegawa says he's confident they're beginning to close the gap to the leaders following the introduction of their 'Spec 3' upgrade, meanwhile work continues on 'Spec 4' – with everything carried over to next year, unlike last year when development had to stop because it wasn't relevant for the new engine concept.

"I am definitely confident that we are closing the gap to the leaders so, from that point of view, our speed of development is good. But at the same time it is natural for the follower because you have a target that you know is achievable."

He added: "We don't stop developing, we need to keep updating. Of course the performance and results are the most important things but it’s all learning for the future too.

Compared to last year we needed to modify the engine concept, but next year we will keep the same concept.

"It’s good that we can use the same concept because this year’s development and improvement is directly connected to next year. So that means we don’t need to stop the current development, and from that point of view we have already started next year’s design."

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Daniel Ricciardo expects Hungary to be a physically demanding race

Daniel Ricciardo is expecting the Hungarian Grand Prix to be one of the most physically demanding of the year, given there are lots of high-speed corners and few straights to rest on, and ambient temperatures can be extremely high.

The 2017 cars are expected to easily set lap records at the circuit, which makes it a far more demanding challenge than in previous seasons, something Ricciardo is wary of and has been preparing himself for.

"The Hungarian Grand Prix is always at the point of the season where summer is approaching so I’m always in a pretty good place and the car is normally getting better as well. It all kind of comes good by the end of July," said Ricciardo.

"We’ve got lots more grip this year so it’ll be a bit more fun. The second sector is going to be amazing. That’s one of my favourite sectors in F1.

"If Sunday is hot it’ll definitely be a physically demanding race, so I can’t make the mistake again of eating too much meat on Saturday night," joked Ricciardo, as he tends to take his team out for a pre-summer break meal after qualifying.

"This track means elbows out for sure as there are three key places where you can overtake. I’ve made some good moves in Turn 1 in the past. Turn 2 you can go inside or outside, as both lanes work and the hairpin is fun too."

Team-mate Max Verstappen says the higher grip levels they're expecting means some corners may need to be approached differently.

"We do have more grip this year so maybe you have to do a few different lines compared to the previous year, but all in all that’s manageable and quite straightforward," he added.

"It’s always a bit too early to say how we’ll do in Hungary but we’re constantly improving, trying to get a better balance and more downforce on the car. Luckily there are not too many long straights.

"It’s a great track, especially in an F1 car. It’s actually quite narrow and with high speeds it’s really fun to drive so I’m very much looking forward to it. I wouldn’t say it’s Monaco without walls, but it’s definitely a bit more narrow than other circuits we go to."

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Sauber planning significant aero update for Hungary

The Sauber Formula 1 team is planning to introduce a big aerodynamic update package at next weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.

Sauber has struggled for performance at the last two races in Austria and Silverstone and did not bring any new parts to the car at the latter as expected.

But the Swiss team is set for an upgrade at Budapest, which is believed to be its most dramatic of the season, in a bid to counter the deficit of running a year-old Ferrari engine.

"I don't know exactly what the upgrade will be [but] it should be a good step," Marcus Ericsson told Motorsport.com. "Hungary is a track where any downforce we can get is going to help you and is not that efficient for engines.

"So it could be a chance for us, if we get another step from the upgrade, we could be in the mix."

The update will coincide with Frederic Vasseur's first race as Sauber's new team principal, taking over from Monisha Kaltenborn.

Sauber split its first big update of the season, which included a new floor, sidepod deflectors, rear brake ducts and additional bodywork elements, across the Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix.

But the team has not made the step forward in performance that it had hoped for.

"Hopefully this next update will work a bit better than the upgrade we got there as it didn't really give us the jump we had hoped," added Ericsson.

"When we got the car working, like at Silverstone in the race, we could keep similar pace to the Haas cars, and [Stoffel] Vandoorne wasn't much faster. We are not too bad, when we get our car together.

"Hopefully in Hungary, where it's a bit less engine efficient, we can be a bit more efficient."

Sauber has scored five points this season, leaving it ninth in the constructors' championship, three clear of McLaren-Honda.

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New Singapore GP deal “very close”, says promoter

Singapore race promoter Colin Syn says a deal for the race to continue in 2018 and beyond is “very close.”

Along with China, the Singapore race as marked as provisional in the first 2018 calendar that was published last month.

While its future has never been in serious doubt, a new deal has yet to be officially signed with the F1 organisation.

First held in 2008, the race is in the final season of the second of two five-year deals signed with Bernie Ecclestone.

Syn, the deputy chairman of the Singapore GP organisation, was at the British GP, where he met with the sport’s new owners.

Although he declined to comment on specifics, he made it clear that discussions are ongoing. 

“It’s a work in progress,” Syn told Motorsport.com. “It’s a serious matter, so we’re being very careful. Everything we do has to be together.

"It’s very close, and we’re very hopeful. We can only hope!”

Asked if the sticking point was the length of the new deal he said: “We’re just looking at a good deal.”

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REDBULL PREVIEW THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX

Red Bull drivers preview the Hungarian Grand Prix, Round 11 of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship, at Hungaroring near Budapest.

Daniel Ricciardo: “Hungary 2014 was a cool victory. Of course I love winning but that was an awesome race. In order to win I had to pass Hamilton and Alonso, pretty much the best two so that was cool. I love that track and it has always been a good one for me. I’ve had some great weekends there even before Formula One.

“The Hungarian Grand Prix is always at the point of the season where summer is approaching so I’m always in a pretty good place and the car is normally getting better as well. It all kind of comes good by the end of July.

“We’ve got lots more grip this year so it’ll be a bit more fun. The second sector is going to be amazing. That’s one of my favourite sectors in F1. If Sunday is hot it’ll definitely be a physically demanding race, so I can’t make the mistake again of eating too much meat on Saturday night.

“This track means elbows out for sure as there are three key places where you can overtake. I’ve made some good moves in Turn 1 in the past. Turn 2 you can go inside or outside, as both lanes work and the hairpin is fun too.

“On Saturday night I normally plan a meal with a few of the guys from the team. That’s always a good one as it’s the end of the first half of the season and the atmosphere is cool so I’ll definitely been seen on the streets of Budapest.”

Max Verstappen: “It’s always a bit too early to say how we’ll do in Hungary but we’re constantly improving, trying to get a better balance and more downforce on the car. Luckily there are not too many long straights.

“It’s a great track, especially in an F1 car. It’s actually quite narrow and with high speeds it’s really fun to drive so I’m very much looking forward to it. I wouldn’t say it’s Monaco without walls, but it’s definitely a bit more narrow than other circuits we go to.

“We do have more grip this year so maybe you have to do a few different lines compared to the previous year, but all in all that’s manageable and quite straightforward.

“We’re always staying in the city centre for the race week so we do get to see a little bit of Budapest. Unfortunately we never have time for a lot of sightseeing but I’ll hopefully have one day to walk around and get to know the city a bit more after the race.”

 

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RENAULT PREVIEW THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX

Renault team and drivers preview the Hungarian Grand Prix, Round 11 of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship, at Hungaroring near Budapest.

Renault Sport Racing Managing Director, Cyril Abiteboul: “We head to Hungary with a positive mood brought about by the recent performance gains we have seen to the R.S.17. Budapest is the final race before the summer break and this gives us added motivation.

“Silverstone had many strong positives, which occurred on the weekend of our 40th anniversary. We made a return to the points thanks to Nico’s impressive drive to sixth place; our joint best finish of the season. He drove well with few mistakes and we combined that with a good strategy and pit-stop, to finish over 30 seconds ahead of the Force Indias.

“However, this success is tinged with disappointment for Jolyon who unfortunately could not start the race after an issue with the hydraulic system. He was in a good position on the grid in eleventh at his home race and was well on course to be in contention for his first points of the season, thus it’s a disappointment.

“We have shown at Silverstone that we are continuing to improve. Chassis developments, in particular the new floor, proved to be positive exemplified from Nico’s eight points and both cars showing strong qualifying pace.

“It’s critical to back up this improvement with both cars finishing in the top ten in Hungary – we want to finish the first half of the season on a positive note. To achieve this, we need to put behind our reliability problems. We know our situation and the areas which require more attention.”

Chassis Technical Director Nick Chester explains the demands of the challenging Hungaroring circuit as the R.S.17 continues to demonstrate improved pace.

What are the challenges of the Hungaroring?
NC: It’s tight and twisty throughout, aside from a big long straight across the start and finish line. It has many low and medium speed corners, which demand stability on corner entry and strong traction on the exit. It’s quite hard on both the front and rear tyres so overall it can be characterised as a tough handling circuit. It’s not the most frequented of circuits, so the surface starts the weekend a bit green, then improves through the weekend.

What are your post-Silverstone thoughts?
NC: We had significant aero upgrades in Silverstone and we expected to see improvements in overall grip and stability. We made the car more drivable with more downforce. It took a big step forward and we could see that in the measurements made in the car, so we are reasonably confident this will carry forward.

What caused Jo to miss the race?
NC: It was something as simple as an O ring in the hydraulic system. We’ve been investigating thoroughly to determine why it failed to ensure we don’t see this again.

What new parts are there for Budapest?
NC: Both cars will have the new floor we validated. We will evaluate updated front bodywork and a modified cooling package.

Nico Hülkenberg made a welcome return to the points at Silverstone, and he wants to build on that positive weekend in Budapest on a physically demanding Hungaroring circuit.

What do you make of the Hungaroring?
NH: I like Hungary, it’s a good Grand Prix. The track is cool and technical with lots of good corner combinations which come one after the other. It feels like all of the corners combine, one error means you will suffer in another corner; you need a good flow and harmony. It’s a physical track, very hot too which is hard on us drivers. I like the track: it’s a demanding circuit, you don’t get too many breaks on the lap, so it’s a Grand Prix which comes down to fitness, more so than others.

And what about the Hungarian culture?
NH: I think the city of Budapest is pretty especially with all its architecture. In terms of food, they have the Hungarian goulash which is very popular. It’s certainly an interesting and pretty country and usually very hot there. There are lots of things to do and see, it’s a cool and buzzing weekend which means it’s usually good fun for the fans.

You must be delighted with your Silverstone weekend?
NH: I was happy with Silverstone, it was a very positive weekend. The new floor worked well and took the car a step forward. We managed to translate a good starting position into a strong finish. The pace was really good, we were faster than the midfield competition, so best of the rest which is nice. We rewarded ourselves with some points which is important. Sixth is good for me, and good for the team who have been pushing hard. Now it’s time to reboot and go again in Budapest.

A luckless British Grand Prix for Jolyon Palmer means he has extra grit to seek a change of fortune on a technical Budapest circuit.

What are your thoughts on the Hungaroring?
JP: I really like Budapest, it brings up some good memories such as when I won there in the GP2 Series in 2013. The track is different in nature to many others in terms of having a lot of slow speed corners. Once you brake for the first turn you don’t get much of a breather until you’re back round again and on to the straight. The entire circuit flows together and makes for an exciting lap, there is little room for error in terms of braking and turning points, everything has to go smoothly. It’s difficult to overtake there and it’s important to find a good rhythm. It’s fun to drive a lap, it’s usually good for racing, so hopefully I can have a change of luck and finally get some points.

How are you going to find that change of luck?
JP: I have burnt the unlucky underpants, so they are now out of the way! I’m not superstitious, but you have to say this run of bad luck has to end.

What were the positives from Silverstone?
JP: The big negative was obviously not being able to start the race. That was unbelievably frustrating, especially as it was my home Grand Prix and I had a lot of support. I couldn’t believe it. But, on the positives, there were certainly a couple of good things from Silverstone. My qualifying pace was decent and I managed my second best run of the season. I drove with the new floor in FP1 and it was working nicely, meaning I’m happy to have it for Budapest. Nico showed the benefit of the floor across last weekend with his strong qualifying and race pace. It’s exciting for the team as we looked competitive and ahead of our midfield rivals. That’s all I hope for in Hungary.

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MATSUSHITA TO TEST WITH SAUBER F1 TEAM

Honda protege Nobuharu Matsushita will have his first experience of driving a Formula One car when he tests with Sauber in Hungary next week, the Swiss-based team said on Monday.

The 23-year-old Japanese is currently a test and development driver with Honda-powered McLaren, focussing on work in the simulator.

Matsushita also competes in the Formula Two support series for the ART team, which is run by newly-appointed Sauber principal Frederic Vasseur.

“I am pleased that Nobuharu has this great opportunity. He deserves the experience of his first test in a Formula One car,” said the Frenchman Vasseur in a team statement.

“Ever since his debut in Formula Two with ART Grand Prix, I have been following his progress closely, and have watched him advance his performance from year to year.

“With this Formula One test, he comes one step closer to his dream of becoming an F1 driver one day.”

Sauber are due to switch to Honda power next season, although that deal has been thrown into doubt by recent management changes at the team and reports that no final contract was signed.

The two organisations are reportedly renegotiating the deal, while it is not a given that the Swiss team’s new owners will favour a move to Honda power units which have proven to be uncometitive and unreliable.

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VETTEL: NO PANIC AT FERRARI

With Mercedes turning up the wick as the 2017 Formula 1 season hits the halfway mark and Ferrari appear to falter, Sebastian Vettel is adamant that there is no crisis at Maranello despite the fact that his team is lagging in the constructors’ championship standings and his lead in the drivers’ points table is down to one.

Asked in an interview with La Repubblica if there was a sniff of panic at Ferrari, Vettel replied, “I do not think so. I think Mercedes has recovered a lot of ground. But we were fast. Especially on Sundays. While on Saturday we suffer too much.”

“And that is where we have to work more: qualifying. We have to try to take a shot at pole. Starting from behind makes it difficult to recover and it’s not always possible to do so.”

In the wake of Mercedes’ one-two at Silverstone and their own bad luck, the four times F1 World Champion said, “We have to be aware of what’s going on and try to do our utmost to react.”

Since Canada Mercedes have won three of the four races, Ferrari none, and Vettel acknowledged, “We have always known they are strong. They are on a winning loop and we were far behind last year.”

And ventured, “Last season must be the starting point of any analysis. This year we have always been able to compete with them and, indeed, we have often been ahead.”

The slip in fortunes has not escaped Ferrari big boss Sergio Marchionne who demanded after Silverstone that the team not “mourn this negative result but instead I expect an immediate reaction” which no doubt adds to the pressure the team is facing.

The F1 circus heads to Hungary for round 11 of the world championship, the final race before the month long summer break. Vettel was asked if the race would be decisive to Ferrari’s campaign.

He replied, “Decisive I do not know, I hope, indeed I think it will be very different.”

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YAMAMOTO: HONDA WILL REMAIN WITH MCLAREN

Honda Motorsport manager Masashi Yamamoto has put an end to reports that McLaren are looking to ditch their partnership or even temporarily run alternative Formula 1 engines, while confirming that the Japanese giant is committed to their project despite ongoing struggles.

Speaking to Japanese sports portal Sportiva, Honda Motorsport manager Masahi Yamamoto declared, “Honda will remain in Formula 1 and Honda will remain with McLaren.”

McLaren ramped up the criticism of their engine partner around the time of the Spanish Grand Prix, senior management and Fernando Alonso taking regular swipes at the inadequacies of the uncompetitive and unreliable power units that Honda have supplied this season.

There was even talk of the McLaren taking a ‘sabbatical’ from using Honda power, using an alternative supply, while the Japanese manufacturer got their act together, But recently, by design or not,, the tone from Woking is a lot more sedate.

Yamamoto added, “We have a contract with McLaren. And that mean that McLaren cannot work with another partner, even on a transitional basis. For us, this would not come into consideration anyway.”

From our side there will not be a withdrawal from Formula i. I’m always talking to company president Takahiro Hachigo. There is no intention to leave Formula 1.”

When approached for comment a McLaren spokesperson declined to do so: “We would not comment on this report. ”

In April Honda agreed a deal to supply Sauber with power units from 2018 and beyond. The deal was negotiated and signed when Monisha Kaltenborn was in charge of the team

Since then she has fallen out with the new management and has departed the team. As a result the new bosses are unsure if the Honda route is the way to go.

Yamamoto explained, “We are ready to equip Sauber with Honda power units. I built up a good relationship with Monisha Kaltenborn, and we would be happy to continue with this agreement. But in the meantime the leadership at Sauber has changed and now we are negotiating again.”

MIKA: Sounds like wishful thinking from HONDA - It's McLaren who they need to convince, contracts mean nothing in Formula 1, especially if someone has not delivered what they promised.

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RENAULT CONFIRM KUBICA FOR TEST IN HUNGARY

Following two days of testing with a V8-powered 2012 Formula 1 car, the E20, on 7 June in Valencia, Spain and again on 12 July at Le Castellet in France, Robert Kubica will drive the RS17, on 2 August at the test session taking place at Hungaroring.

The team said in a press release: “This day is a new phase in assessing Robert Kubica’s capabilities.”

Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director, Renault Sport Racing added, “The first two days of testing allowed both Robert and ourselves to gather a great amount of information. The upcoming session with the RS17 at the Hungaroring will allow us all to obtain detailed and precise data in a current car and representative conditions.”

“After this test, we will carefully analyse the collected information to determine in what conditions it would be possible for Robert to return to competition in the upcoming years,” added Abiteboul.

The in-season test in Hungary will be Kubica’s first time driving a current F1 car and is the clearest sign yet that he is being considered for a race comeback, amid speculation that he could replace Britain’s Jolyon Palmer, who is yet to score a point in 10 races this season.

Before the announcement Kubica told Corriere della Sera last week, “If Renault are keen to continue this madness, then I know I have the confidence to match it.”

“It will take training and proper preparation, but I now know that I can get back to being the driver who I was. And my level of that in 2010 was high, I say this without false modesty,” he added.

A few days before his freak rally accident in February 2011, he drove the Renault R31 in Valencia during Formula 1 preseason testing and on the final day he set the fastest time of the session.

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VASSEUR: I’VE GOT A LARGE BUDGET TO REVAMP THE TEAM

According to Sauber’s newly appointed team chief Frederic Vasseur, he has the long term backing of the team’s new owners – Longbow Finance – to turn the Swiss them into a regular points scoring outfit, while continuing their reputation as a young driver friendly team.

Vasseur told L’Equipe, “I’ve got the means to revamp the team and put it back in the points on a regular basis. It’s exciting.”

“Longbow is investing a large budget in the project. They’ve got a precise plan over several years. I have free rein to run this project. The team is motivated and has often proved its skills in the past.”

The question regarding the switch to Honda engines (orchestrated by ousted former team chief Monisha Kaltenborn) or tearing up the contract with the Japanese engine supplier is high on the Frenchman’s agenda.

He could also decide to renew a deal to keep the team with Ferrari power or pursuing a customer engine supply with Mercedes. He is also known to have close ties with Renault.

Vasseur acknowledged, “The Honda question is on the table. It’s the first one I’m going to work on. We need to take care of this quickly. In light of what I hear from McLaren, it can be scary.”

The new Sauber owners are closely linked to the team’s current driver Marcus Ericsson, but Vasseur insists that the two are separate issues, “You can’t link the project of a team to a driver. It’s not healthy.”

“If Marcus wants to have a career, which I do not doubt, and wants to win races quickly, he’ll probably have other ambitions than Sauber.”

“The team might want other drivers, too. For now, there are two converging projects that make sense and allow us to run together. Nobody feels tied. I’ll make the final decision on the drivers. Sauber’s goal is to bet on the future with young drivers,” added Vasseur.

This year Ericsson is partnered by Mercedes backed Pascal Wehrlein who has scored all of Sauber’s five points. The team lie ninth in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship standings ahead of Honda powered McLaren.

Sauber were instrumental in the launching the Formula 1 careers of the likes of Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez.

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Mercedes engine boss expects Honda to 'come good pretty quicky'

Mercedes engine boss Andy Cowell has warned against underestimating Honda, despite their current woes, and has tipped the Japanese manufacturer to "come good pretty quickly".

McLaren's engine supplier Honda has struggled to get on top of its performance and reliability issues this season, despite it being their third term since returning to the sport under the current power unit regulations.

Cowell, who has been in charge of Mercedes' engine development during their dominant period, says Honda and McLaren shouldn't be written off.

"I think collectively we’ve helped with convergence in Formula 1 in the opening season, performance development through the year,” said Cowell.

“But then the opportunity to do a big change with Honda coming in, we all agreed that Honda could have that same opportunity to change everything in the first year and then the request came from manufacturers in addition to Honda saying ‘please can we take this crazy token table away because it’s bad for the sport?’

“It’s bad if somebody can’t train to get better and so we agreed, yeah, take the table away because it’s better for the sport because it means that you can innovate, you can introduce whatever you like.

“I think none of us should underestimate the technical prowess of Honda and of McLaren and I think my money is on that combination coming good and coming good pretty quickly."

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Honda deliberately took penalty to help Alonso in Hungary

Fernando Alonso says his massive grid penalty for the recent British Grand Prix was taken deliberately to allow him the maximum chance of a big result in the next race.

Alonso copped a 30-place penalty at Silverstone, after Honda elected to fit a new engine and turbo plus MGU-H and MGU-K recovery systems to his car after Friday practice.

The Spaniard headed into the British GP weekend already facing a five-place penalty for needing a new battery, but added 25 extra spots to his fine thanks to those extra changes.

Alonso says the extra new components were fitted with the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix in mind, a race that teammate Stoffel Vandoorne has identified as one of McLaren-Honda's best opportunities to score points this season.

Alonso said: "We made some big decisions in Silverstone in terms of taking grid penalties in preparation for this race, and hope that's paid off so we can put ourselves in the best possible position for points this weekend.

"On paper, the Hungaroring presents one of the best opportunities for us this year - the short, twisty circuit means we are less reliant on outright power, and the drivers have to really depend on the capabilities of the chassis to get the best out of the lap.

"The important thing for us, as always, is reliability. Even if our car could perform better in Hungary, we need to have a trouble-free weekend to take advantage of every opportunity for points."

McLaren-Honda currently sits bottom of the constructors' championship, with two points for Alonso's ninth-placed finish in Azerbaijan.

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Red Bull's new front wing under scrutiny from rivals

Formula 1 teams have been long known to push the limits when it comes to flexible bodywork.

The benefits to be had if they can streamline bodywork on the straights for reduced drag but keep it well placed for more downforce in the corners are very clear.

This year has been no exception, with one of the recent areas of intrigue surrounding Ferrari's slot in the floor – which had been spotted flapping earlier this year.

It was suggested that the design was intended to help feed air into the diffuser, thereby increasing downforce without the downside of drag.

For the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ferrari was forced to make modifications to strengthen this area of the car – with a new metal attachment preventing it flexing.

One of the consequences of this move was seen at Silverstone, a circuit with high-speed corners, where Ferrari had to run with a monkey seat and a higher angle of attack on its wings to recover downforce that may have lost from its diffuser. This resulted in it struggling to match the straightline speeds of the Mercedes.

Red Bull RB13 front wing, detailed, British GP

But while the floor changes at Ferrari have stopped rivals inquiring about the SF70H design, attention has now shifted to some clever work that Red Bull did at Silverstone with its front wing.

It was well known that Red Bull went down a wrong path with its aerodynamic concept at the start of the year, as it chased a low-drag configuration in a bid to help achieve top speeds despite the power deficit that its Renault engine faced against Mercedes and Ferrari.

But having realised this approach was incorrect, and since pulling Adrian Newey back more on to the RB13 project, Red Bull has made some strong progress. Some of that has come from straightforward downforce-producing updates, but rival teams are paying particular attention to a new front wing concept.

Their interest has been prompted by photographs of the RB13 that show the small curved lower sidewall of the front wing main element appearing to curve down at high speed (below).

This low angle is in contrast to when the car is back in the pits or in slow speed corners, where it is in a more upright position (below).

Has this behaviour been deliberately engineered to help improve performance?

Looking closely at exclusive images of Giorgio Piola, the RB13 front wing has an additional flap proliferation – which in the new specification features six elements in the inner part which grows to eight in the outer part.

The new wing has been conceived with a main profile and then a separate lateral panel (indicated by yellow). Both of these elements are rigid enough to pass all the FIA flexibility tests in the garage – so there is no question the car is legal.

It can also be observed that there is also an anchor point (red arrow) that keeps the whole wing profile in position, while the side element can then get pushed down when loads increase as the car runs on track.

The action appears to be progressive and looks like it will allow an increase in downforce by helping seal the front wing more.

With rival teams looking closely at the design, will we see other similar concepts appear on the opposition's cars soon – or will there be some questions put to the FIA about what is and isn't allowed when it comes to front wing flexibility?

The answers to that are likely to come this weekend in Hungary.

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FIA imposes fresh F1 engine oil burn limits from Italian GP

The FIA has continued to pursue the controversial issue of oil burning by telling Formula 1 teams it will impose a new limit on consumption from the Italian Grand Prix.

There has been season-long intrigue about oil burning, with teams reminded that using oil as fuel was illegal before the campaign.

Further limits were then imposed from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in relation to the use of combustion chemicals in oil.

Although new rules to outlaw oil burn have already been agreed for 2018 the FIA has continued its push to ensure teams are not getting around the limits this season too.

In a technical directive issued to the teams ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, it has reminded teams that an oil consumption limit of 0.6 litres per 100km was deemed to be acceptable - and would now be 'strictly enforced' from 2018.

However, mindful that some manufacturers could struggle to get within that limit with current engines, there has been no push to strictly limit oil use up until now.

Having analysed the engine situation over the first half of the year, the FIA has now ruled that any new power unit introduced from the Italian GP will have to adhere to a limit of 0.9 litres of oil use per 100km.

"We have accepted that some competitors may have difficulties in adhering to the 0.6l/100km limit this season and a tolerance is being applied to all power units currently in use," wrote FIA technical delegate Marcin Budkowski.

"However, we will expect the oil consumption of any ICE [internal combustion engine] element of the power unit introduced from the 2017 Italian GP onwards to be less than 0.9l/100km, any consumption above this will be considered suspicious and hence investigated as a potential breach of the technical regulations."

The FIA also made it clear that it will be keeping a close eye on the situation, so could not rule out further limits being imposed.

"We will continue to monitor the oil consumption of all competitors and carry out physical inspections and/or measurements on a regular basis," the note added.

F1 teams still have the opportunity to introduce a new V6 to their pools of usable elements in either Hungary or Belgium without having to adhere to the new limits.

However, with the run from Monza to the end of the season comprising nine races, manufacturers are likely to have already scheduled the introduction of performance upgrades later in the year, and will now be forced to ensure that they comply with the new restrictions.