Formula 1 - 2017


Recommended Posts

Toto Wolff hails 'faultless' Lewis Hamilton after Spa victory

jm1727au285.jpg

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described Lewis Hamilton’s performance at the Belgian Grand Prix as “faultless”, after the Briton held off Sebastian Vettel to take his fifth win of the year.

Hamilton led away from pole position and kept a buffer back to Vettel, only to come under pressure following a Safety Car period.

Mercedes, without fresh Ultrasoft tyres, fitted a set of the slower, Soft compound to Hamilton’s car, whereas pursuer Vettel was able to take on another batch of the purple-ringed rubber.

Hamilton preserved his lead at the restart, unintentionally benefitting from being in the correct engine mode, meaning Vettel was too close as the pair rounded La Source.

Vettel, carrying greater speed, was forced to back off as Hamilton eased to “90 per cent” throttle, before the Mercedes driver stayed ahead on the run to Les Combes.

From there, Hamilton went on to keep Vettel at bay to move to within seven points of his rival in the standings.

“That was a fantastic drive from Lewis to finish off a perfect weekend from him,” said Wolff.

“It was a great result for the championship and a faultless performance. He defended well on the opening lap then it was a battle lap by lap to stretch out the gap to Sebastian.

“After the pit stop, we saw a small blister on one of his rear tyres and we had some question marks about whether they would last to the finish.

“Then the Safety Car came out and made the decision easier for us.

“We had a discussion about which tyres to fit – we didn't have a new set of Ultrasoft remaining, and the team on the pit wall knew that the Soft would be the better tyre over the stint - if we could defend in those first laps after the restart.

“As Lewis showed, it was the right decision, and he delivered a great win.”

Hamilton’s team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, came home a low-key fifth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 2.5k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

Formula 1 - 2017 - Why The Hell Not! Yeah, yeah.... @OZCUBAN will no doubt be saying "I told you so" and I really was going to leave Formula 1 at 2016 for at least a year but I figured being

Ugh.  Long long day here.  3 flights followed by a 4 hour drive home and 2 near crashes on the way home.  Love it when the idiots close down one lane of the interstate, back traffic way behind the lan

Hi all. Just advising you all, in a few hours, I'll cease posting for a couple weeks as I am off on break with my son being school holidays here. I most likely won't post anything as the first pa

Honda find no issue with Fernando Alonso's engine in their data

jm1727au187.jpg

Honda says that there was nothing in its data to suggest that Fernando Alonso suffered a power unit problem during the Belgian Grand Prix.

Alonso surged up to seventh on the opening lap but gradually slipped down the order, his efforts hampered by a lack of straight-line speed.

Alonso, once running outside of the top 10, radioed McLaren to ask whether any rain was on the way, only to be told that dry conditions should prevail.

The following lap Alonso reported an engine failure and coasted back to the pits before retiring.

Honda chief Yusuke Hasegawa, though, said the manufacturer’s data did not indicate there was any issue.

“After starting brilliantly, Fernando then had a tough race overall,” said Hasegawa.

“He radioed in with what he thought was a problem with the car, and although there was nothing showing in the data, we decided to stop the car as a precaution.

“This weekend was definitely a bag of mixed fortunes.

“We were able to show some decent pace in qualifying, but we still have work to do with our race pace, and we will continue to accelerate our development in order to improve our PU further.”

Stoffel Vandoorne started from the back amid a 65-place penalty and came home in 14th spot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mercedes "easy" amid fresh oil burn intrigue

Mercedes "easy" amid fresh oil burn intrigue

Mercedes has played down talk of fresh tensions between itself and Ferrari over Formula 1's ongoing oil burn controversy, after its move to introduce a new engine at the Belgian Grand Prix.

The FIA has been pushing hard all season to clamp down on teams burning oil for performance gains, with a series of technical directives being published.

The latest move came in July, when the FIA informed teams that any new engine introduced from the Italian GP would be allowed a maximum consumption of 0.9 litres of oil per 100km.

However, engines brought in before then would be allowed to use up to 1.2 litres per 100km, handing an advantage to anyone able to get engines ready before Italy.

Mercedes duly introduced its fourth and final power unit of the campaign in Belgium, prompting intrigue about whether or not the timing was related to the Monza oil burn limit.

It is understood that Ferrari in particular was not happy with the situation, because it had been under the impression Mercedes would not introduce a new engine in Belgium, so was caught by surprise.

Suggestions that there had been some form of gentleman's agreement between Mercedes and Ferrari not to introduce an engine in Belgium are understood to have been wide of the mark, however, with sources at both outfits confirming that there had been no discussion between the teams about the matter.

Even so, with the performance gain of the new power unit helping Lewis Hamilton to pole position and victory, the issue of oil burn and any potential extra advantage Mercedes can get will likely mean the topic remains a talking point for now.

Speaking after the Belgian Grand Prix, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was confident that oil burn would not become a source of conflict between his team and Ferrari – and said he would be more than happy to discuss any issues with his rival.

"We are fierce competitors and the relationship we have is that we stick our heads together if there is a problem, and we discuss it behind closed doors," he said, when asked by Motorsport.com about the oil burn situation.

"It hasn't come up. We need to be careful that things are not made up in the public that are just not right, and not true. So far, I'm easy about it."

Sources have suggested that Mercedes' new engine was worth around one tenth of a second around Spa, so it did play a crucial part in Hamilton's success.

Wolff said, however, that it would be wrong to state it was the essential component that helped it win.

"I think now as it stands you need to extract every single bit of performance, and it was particularly difficult, because we had to balance our qualifying performance versus the race performance," he said.

"And we've given up qualifying performance in the second sector in order to have that advantage in the race. So you have to add all those bits, those milliseconds that add up, to one number.

"That was good enough for us to win today. So everything adds up but I couldn't pick out one element that is responsible."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Renault "can't afford" to stop pushing - Hulkenberg

Renault "can't afford" to stop pushing - Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg has urged Renault to keep on working on the RS17 after the team again demonstrated that it has the fourth-fastest car at some venues.

Hulkenberg qualified seventh at Spa behind the six drivers from the three pace-setting teams, and gained a place in the race when Max Verstappen retired.

This was the second time in three races that Hulkenberg's Renault finished as best of the rest behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, following his sixth place at Silverstone.

"It's given me good confidence," said the German. "I think we can't afford to stop working, we need to keep on making steps and improvements, because I'm sure the others are pushing still.

"And looking ahead to the future, we want to close the gap to the top three teams.

"We need to keep that development coming, it's very crucial for us. I'm not so sure about Monza, but after then I think we can have a couple of really good ones."

Hulkenberg admitted that he had not expected to have such a strong race at Spa.

"Obviously we gained that position with a DNF [for Verstappen], but these are the days when you have to be there, and you have to make it stick as well. 

"I'm happy and positively surprised, to be honest.  Fourth best team with my car pace once again, so pretty good."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ferrari has no more circuits to fear, says Vettel

Ferrari has no more circuits to fear, says Vettel

Formula 1 championship leader Sebastian Vettel says Ferrari has no circuits to fear over the remainder of the 2017 season after challenging Mercedes in the Belgian Grand Prix.

Although Toto Wolff tried to play down his team's tag as the favourite in the build-up to last weekend's race, the high-speed Spa-Francorchamps circuit was expected to suit the Mercedes W08 in similar fashion to Silverstone, where Mercedes dominated.

Lewis Hamilton won from pole position at Spa to cut Vettel's advantage to seven points in the title race, but Vettel beat the other Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas to second on the grid and ran within a couple of seconds of Hamilton for almost the entire grand prix.

Vettel could not make the most of his one opportunity to attack Hamilton, after the safety car in the second half of the race, but said "the positive thing is that we had very good race pace".

"Overall the car was very good," he added.

"We didn't change too much compared to Silverstone, which shows on the one hand that Silverstone was just a bad weekend, but we improved also the car, especially in race pace.

"I mean we were, on average, a second off, or nearly a second off in Silverstone, so it's a big step. I'm very, very happy.

"I think we are on the right track and I don't think we have a circuit we should fear, going from now."

Vettel was on ultrasoft tyres to Hamilton's soft for the eight-lap sprint the safety car set up, but Hamilton held on at the restart and then eased clear over the remainder of the race.

"It's normal, as a racer you always look at what you could have done better," said Vettel. "But you also need to appreciate the fact that it was a very, very good weekend for us, all the way.

"Both cars very quick, competitive and closer than I think one could expect before the race."

Vettel's teammate Kimi Raikkonen had performed strongly through the trio of free practice sessions, but was hampered by "vibrations" in qualifying that left him fourth on the grid.

Raikkonen had to serve a "pointless" 10-second stop-go penalty in the race for failing to slow under yellow flags, but still recovered to fourth.

The Finn admitted "it feels like we're not up there in the straight line" against Mercedes, but agreed with Vettel that Ferrari's performance at Spa boded well.

"We have to do what we feel is the fastest for us," said Raikkonen. "We're also [trying] to improve in more areas, not just the engine, it's a combination of things to go fastest.

"I think people expected that it would easily be a Mercedes circuit but it wasn't so easy for them, so we're doing the right things."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Verstappen set for grid penalties at Monza

Verstappen set for grid penalties at Monza

Max Verstappen will take Formula 1 grid penalties for next weekend's Italian Grand Prix after he suffered an engine failure at Spa, says Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

Verstappen was running fifth when he shifted from third to fourth out of the last corner and straight away lost power as his Renault engine went into a safe mode.

It came after Verstappen swapped to his fourth internal combustion of the year ahead of final practice, meaning any further change will spark grid penalties.

He is also on the limit with MGU-Hs, having used four, but has so far used three turbochargers and only two MGU-Ks, energy stores and control electronics.

"I can understand his frustration but the majority of them have been beyond our control," Horner told Motorsport.com.

"He's now staring down the barrel of a bunch of penalties in Monza so it is really frustrating for him."

He added: "Our engine partners have apologised and are quite aware that their reliability and product isn't where it should be."

It was Verstappen's sixth retirement, four of which have been mechanical, in 12 races this season, leaving him on 67 points, 65 adrift of teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

"He's just been desperately unlucky," said Horner. "The issues haven't been car-related, it's been engine-related.

"We don't know what happens behind the scenes, but Renault has always supplied equal equipment to both drivers in all the history we have had.

"It's bad luck the failures on a Sunday seem to be happening on his side of the garage.

"Daniel has had as many failures, but they have tended to be on Fridays and Saturdays rather than Sunday afternoons.

"That was another podium he has missed today, which must be the fourth or fifth that he has missed through no issue of his own."

Though Renault has struggled in all three-and-a-half years of the V6 era, Horner believes it is possible for it to turn things around.

"You always live in hope," he said. "Ferrari managed to get their act together.

"They were in a worse situation than Renault in 2014 and by investing in the right areas, bringing the right people, they have got themselves into a competitive position.

"It demonstrates it is possible with the right people, the right will, the right desire and the right funding."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOWE: NOT RULING ALONSO IN OR RULING HIM OUT

Paddy Lowe, Fernando Alonso

Williams technical chief Paddy Lowe is not giving much away when quizzed about mounting speculation that is linking double Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso to the Grove outfit.

Alonso’s discontent with the McLaren-Honda project is well documented, with Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari and most recently Renault closing the door on him Williams remain his best option to remain on the Formula 1 grid.

Talk in the Spa-Francorchamps paddock suggested that a deal for 2018 has already been inked and is merely awaiting signatures from both parties.

When asked by Sky Sports if Alonso was part of Williams’ plans beyond 2018, Lowe responded, “We haven’t announced who’s driving for us next year. It’s something we’re still working on. I’m not going to rule him in or rule him out.”

“There are lots of great drivers out there and we will always try to get the best ones we can,” he added, without elaborating on who these ‘great drivers out there’ actually are.

For 2018, well financed rookie Lance Stroll is sure to remain with the team, while Felipe Massa is also itching to prolong his career for yet another year, but for now Williams are not committing to the Brazilian just yet.

Alonso’s desire to move to a team with a winning car won’t happen, and although Williams are enduring a well below par season they do have championship winning pedigree.

They also have re-energised leadership in the form of Lowe, coupled to proper infra-structure to develop the team into a force once again. But perhaps most importantly from Alonso’s perspective is that they have Mercedes engines which he craves.

Lowe acknowledged, “You need great drivers and great cars to win races. You have to build a car that attracts a great driver and vice versa. The better the car you have, the better the drivers you can attract.”

Lowe has worked with some great drivers in his years with McLaren and Mercedes, thus knows the dynamics required to be successful, “I’ve seen how important the driver is in a team. A good team needs a good driver as much as a good driver needs a good team – they lift each other.”

“With a greater driver in the team, everybody is motivated to work that bit harder for performance because they know it’s going to be exploited and deliver great results. But it can go the other way if you have drivers that are not performing,” added Lowe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RICCIARDO: NOT SURE FERRARI BOSSES WANT ME 

Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo

From the moment Daniel Ricciardo started making his mark in Formula 1, around 2014 when he shone during his first year with Red Bull, he has been linked to Ferrari.

Perhaps the fact that his family is originally from Italy made this a story worth drumming up, and since then every time the question of Kimi Raikkonen’s replacement is being speculated upon, Ricciardo’s name inevitably comes up as a possible option for the Reds.

Like most drivers the big smiling Aussie admits that Ferrari is a team he would love to drive for, but at the same time has his doubts they want him at Maranello, “When I do get asked the Ferrari question I feel it is more coming from fans or media but not necessary from Ferrari.”

“Maybe people want to see it, some people, but the people that matter I am not really sure if they do. We will see,” mused Ricciardo.

Right now Ferrari driver speculation for is no longer a hot topic as both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen have had their deals extended for three years and one year respectively.

Ricciardo admits that he expected Vettel to sign an extension, “Once I saw that they had extended Kimi’s deal, I was not surprised. I knew that was a bit of insurance for Seb, having Kimi there, I know he is comfortable with that. So once Kimi was signed, I knew Seb would be on a few-years deal.”

“At the same time, he is leading [the championship] and they are in a really good position, so it was fairly obvious. The only other place he would have gone was Mercedes, and I think they are going to keep what they have by the looks of it,” predicted Ricciardo.

Come what may, when speculation on Raikkonen’s replacement arises again next year (or sooner), inevitably Ricciardo’s name will be thrown into the red hat for consideration.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ABITEBOUL: I DON’T WANT A FRUSTRATED FERNANDO IN A RENAULT

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso’s season of gloom got even drearier when he retired his McLaren after struggling all afternoon with the woefully under-powered Honda engine during the Belgian Grand Prix – a depressing story that has prevailed since the start of this season.

Thus it comes as no surprise that those close to him are predicting that he will walk if the Woking outfit do not find another solution for their engine crisis. Problem is there are few, if any, alternatives for McLaren to pursue and time has almost run out on finding a replacement for Honda power.

However, should he opt to depart, the future in Formula 1 looks increasingly bleak for Spain’s double Formula 1 World Champion as the sport’s top three teams say they don’t want him. Now another door has closed with Renault indicating that they are not likely to sign him either.

Renault team chief Cyril Abiteboul told Motorsport Network, “My answer on Fernando will always be the same. First, he is part of a great team which I think is in the middle of a number of strategy considerations.”

“Secondly, I think he has to obviously look at his timing, and look at other teams’ timing. Things have to be compatible, so that it can be a successful association, and not just because it has been a successful association in the past.”

“It’s the future that we’re worried about. He has his dynamic, I think he has urgency to be in a position to be fighting for championships again.”

“We know that it’s going to take us a bit of time to have a car that can offer that, so clearly the one thing that I would not want is to have a frustrated Fernando in a Renault car, that’s for sure,” added Abiteboul.

One option that has emerged recently for Alonso is Williams who are said to be interested in his services and some pundits suggest a deal simply needs to be inked between the two parties.

The Grove outfit are going through a slump at the moment, their current car a handful for Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll.

However work is well underway with the 2018 car, which designed and developed under technical boss Paddy Lowe’s leadership. He is adamant that the FW41 will be vastly different and will address the current problems, while the pedigree of the team is said to be of interest to Alonso.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Niki Lauda says Mercedes must back Lewis Hamilton for the championship

jm1726au302.jpg

Lewis Hamilton is Mercedes' best chance at beating Sebastian Vettel to the 2017 title and therefore he must be prioritised over team-mate Valtteri Bottas according to Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda.

Hamilton's latest victory at Spa has put him just seven points adrift of leader Vettel, whilst Bottas sits 41 points down on the lead.

Although Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is keen to continue treating both drivers equally, Lauda says the time has come to prioritise Hamilton.

"This giving away of points must stop now," the Austrian three-time champion said, referring to Hungary when Hamilton let Bottas back past, which cost him three points.

"I was champion by half a point, so I know exactly how important every single point is when you count them in the end.

"I know exactly what we need to do. Bottas did not have a strong weekend at Spa so it is already clear that Lewis has a better chance for the championship.

"If Lewis had not given away those three points in Budapest, he would now be only four points behind Vettel," Lauda added.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haas factory has switched 'main focus' to 2018 says Guenther Steiner

jm1725au379.jpg

The Haas Formula 1 team has already switched its main focus to next season, which means upgrades will be few and far between for the remainder of 2017.

The American outfit has already beaten its 2016 points tally with eight races of the current season remaining, and although they're locked in a tight battle for fifth in the standings – fifth to eighth is covered by just 11 points – development of the VF-17 has been slowed to focus on next year's car.

Team principal Guenther Steiner is confident their performance won't drop off as a result, but is cautious that those around them may still improve as the season goes on.

"We’re working toward next year while still focusing on this year to make as many points as possible," Said Steiner. "The main focus now back in the factory is next year, but at the racetrack we’re always trying to get the best out of this year’s car and try to get points.

"I don’t think our performance will drop off [as a result]. I think the performance of some of the other teams will go up because there is no reason why we should drop off.

"If the other teams get better, we stay the same and that’s how we fall behind. I think the bigger teams will perform well and while we’ll still put effort into this year, the amount of development work we’re doing for 2017 is getting smaller and smaller.

"Everybody is now trying to focus on 2018. I don’t know what other teams have in the pipeline that’s still to come for this year, but I think the focus for mostly everyone in the midfield is 2018."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Valtteri Bottas adamant he is still in F1 title battle

jm1726au409.jpg

Valtteri Bottas insists he is still in the fight for the Formula 1 championship, despite his sub-par showing at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

Bottas entered the summer break as the sport’s in-form driver but admitted post-qualifying that he was slightly confused by his deficit to Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

While Hamilton went on to triumph at Spa-Francorchamps, Bottas – on Soft tyres – was overhauled at the restart by Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Räikkönen, the pair equipped with Ultrasofts.

Bottas trailed home in fifth, slipping 41 points behind title leader Sebastian Vettel, and 34 adrift of Hamilton.

“If I perform well because it's still eight races to go that is a big amount of points," said Bottas.

“The guys in front of me in the championship haven't had any DNFs, hopefully of course not for us, but maybe it can happen.

"But I don't think that way. I don't let those negative things come to my mind.

“For sure at some point I understand if the team wants to go for the championship and really make sure that at least one of the guys wins it but it's a bit early.

“We need to go race by race and every race there are different situations.”

On his overall performance in Belgium, Bottas said: “This has been the most difficult weekend for me, so I need to learn a lot from it because I wasn't quick enough.

“I need to analyse my mistakes quickly, and then hopefully come back stronger this week in Monza.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kvyat says Toro Rosso development slower than expected

Kvyat says Toro Rosso development slower than expected

Toro Rosso's development of its Formula 1 car has not been "as fast as expected", its driver Daniil Kvyat has admitted.

The Red Bull junior team has scored 40 points this season, although 29 of those were notched in the opening six grands prix and only 11 in the six since.

In that time it has slipped from fifth in the constructors' championship to sixth, behind Williams, and has been outqualified by the improving Renault and McLaren – and Haas – in recent grands prix.

Asked by Motorsport.com how he felt about the second half of the season and Toro Rosso's development prospects, Kvyat replied: "To be completely honest it hasn't been as fast as expected, our development.

"We are lacking a little bit in that respect. I remember being an easy Q3 car in the beginning, the first few races, and now it's quite hard.

"Qualifying is very important this year, so we need more. The guys know what to do and other tracks which are a lot more favourable to us are coming anyway."

Kvyat's teammate Carlos Sainz says Toro Rosso is being outgunned by operations with bigger budgets.

"I don't think it's fair for my team to be compared to a manufacturer like Renault," said Sainz when asked by Motorsport.com if Toro Rosso was losing development direction.

"Renault was also going to improve the way they are improving. If we compare ourselves to Force India for example, in places like Hungary where the engine is not so important we had the better of them.

"What I can see here on the data they are not faster than us through the corners. McLaren and Renault are the ones who are bringing loads of downforce into their cars and making the difference in the corners compared to us."

Renault introduced a new floor for the British Grand Prix, which Sainz said meant "all of a sudden this half a second [gap] appeared".

Sainz believes Renault and McLaren will edge clear but reckons Haas and Force India, which both beat Toro Rosso at Spa, can be matched.

Asked if he feared his season petering out like 2016, Sainz replied: "I don't know. I tend to think that from now onwards, McLaren and Renault are likely to be ahead of us in qualifying.

"Especially when we go to tracks less engine-dependent, McLaren will take a big step forward. Renault is half a second in front, but on the other hand Force India, Haas we can control them.

"Force India scored a lot of points at the start of the season so they are out of reach in terms of points, but not pace. We have still an upgrade to come, so hopefully this will help us."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Weird Pirelli tyre vibrations could continue at Monza

Weird Pirelli tyre vibrations could continue at Monza

Pirelli thinks it possible that the mystery tyre vibrations that occurred at the Belgian Grand Prix could return in Italy this weekend.

Formula 1's tyre supplier is still seeking answers this week as to why the rear tyres of several cars were seen to deform in a strange way on the exit of low-speed corners.

It was the first time such a phenomenon had been witnessed and, although it posed no risk to the structural integrity of the tyres, the vibrations did contribute to damage to Lance Stroll's Williams in qualifying.

Pirelli's F1 racing manager Mario Isola suspects that the effect could return at Monza, although he does not think it will be as extreme this time.


"It is possible because you have big braking and big traction on the exit of the low speed chicanes," he said.

"But we have also to understand the effect of the grip, and the roughness of the tarmac. I am not sure we have the same at Monza."

Isola said that work would take pace at Pirelli's Milan factory this weekend to better understand what was happening at the Belgian GP.

"We are checking the frequency of the vibrations and we continue to investigate," he said. "It is a new effect, similar to what we have had on the sidewall [in the past] but it is on the tread.

"When we spoke to the teams they were confident it didn't create an issue and the race was okay, so they were right. And in our investigation, we cut a lot of tyres during the race weekend and we didn't find anything to support any conclusion.

"So we need to carry on investigating and checking. It is at low speed traction so it is an effect of the traction, and then we will look at the data from the race as well."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What re-signing Kimi tells us about Ferrari

Related image

Scuderia Ferrari has re-signed Kimi Raikkonen for 2018 and while the Finn’s fans think this is just peachy, others have concluded that this reveals a lot about how Ferrari thinks and works.

What it tells us most of all is that Ferrari wanted to keep Sebastian Vettel happy. It took a few days after the Raikkonen announcement, but then came confirmation that Vettel would be staying on. In other words, the first announcement triggered the second. What Vettel wanted – and has got – is to have a team-mate who does not give him too much trouble, just as his hero Michael Schumacher did in the old days, when Eddie Irvine, Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa were all expected to play second fiddle to the number one violinist.

Vettel has shown in the past that he gets a bit wobbly when he is under pressure [as did Schumacher] and that it is best for him to know that he can beat his team-mate, or that the team-mate will do what the team tells him to do, as Raikkonen has shown himself willing to do. Being a compliant number two driver can be a lucrative career move for a driver who is past his best or not quite there.

From Vettel’s point of view, it is best to have Kimi than an aggressive young lion, who wants to get to the top of the F1 tree.

Image result for kimi raikkonen ferrari 2018

The fact remains that Raikkonen has under performed significantly in recent years – and the numbers are interesting in this respect: 

In 2014, against Fernando Alonso, he scored only 55 points to Alonso’s 161. Vettel joined Ferrari in  2015 and scored 278 points, compared to Kimi’s 150, a moderate improvement. In 2016 Vettel collected 212 points and Kimi managed 186, which was much better, but this year it has been downhill again with Vettel’s 220, making Kimi’s 128 look rather anaemic. Kimi has not won a race since the start of 2013, while his team-mates have collected seven victories between them.

The statistics are most startling when expressed in percentage terms. Overall Raikkonen has averaged just under 60 percent of the points scores of his team-mates. The figure was 34 percent in 2014, 54 percent in 2015 and 88 percent in 2016. This year that figure is back to 58 percent.  This is a significant weakness when compared to Mercedes Benz’s figures and it must be pointed out that Ferrari has not won a Constructors’ title in nine years. Having said that the team has not won a Drivers’ title since 2007 so the philosophy of concentrating on one driver may not be a great idea either.

It is clear that the Italian team does not seem to care much about the Constructors’ title, which is odd for a car company because drivers, as we know, are fundamentally selfish and look out for number one more than racing for the team. They all pay lip service to the idea, but when push comes to shove they are in it for themselves.

But there is another underlying commentary here. Because the team gets substantially more prize money than its rivals, it really does not need to worry where it finishes in the championship because it can win more than the winner if it keeps up a modicum of performance, at least using the current revenue split arrangements.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

HAAS PREVIEW THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX

Romain Grosjean

The fastest cars in the world are headed to one of the fastest racing circuits in the world. Autodromo Nazionale Monza, also known as the Temple of Speed, plays host to Round 13 of the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship this weekend with the Italian Grand Prix.

The 5.793-kilometer (3.6-mile), 11-turn circuit has hosted Formula One since 1950, with this year’s Italian Grand Prix serving as the venue’s 67th grand prix. The average winning speed in the first Italian Grand Prix was 176.55 kph (109.7 mph). Last year’s was 237.558 kph (147.612 mph). As Formula One technology has advanced, its display of speed has been most impressive at Monza.

The circuit’s long straights and flowing corners allow teams to bring a low-downforce package where their drivers are able to approach speeds of nearly 360 kph (224 mph) and average lap times of 259 kph (161 mph). In fact, the fastest lap ever recorded in Formula One took place at Monza.

Juan Pablo Montoya holds the record and the bragging rights at Monza, with his lap of 1:19.525 in his Williams BMW set during practice for the 2004 Italian Grand Prix delivering an average speed of 262.242 kph (162.950 mph). This came during the height of the V10 engine era, where seven suppliers – Ferrari, Mercedes, Honda, Renault, BMW, Toyota and Ford-Cosworth – engaged in an arms race where peak power output was approximately 940 horsepower with RPMs in excess of 19,000.

Engines only had to last a single race in that time, whereas now teams are limited to using four engines a year. But the march of time and technology means that in 2017 the all-time fastest lap in Formula One history might be in jeopardy.

At every venue Formula One has visited in 2017, the track record has been broken. This past Saturday at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps which hosted the Belgian Grand Prix, Scuderia Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen broke the all-time fastest lap at Spa by .587 of a second in final practice. The previous mark of 1:44.503 was set by Jarno Trulli in his Toyota during the second round of qualifying for the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. But a few hours after Räikkönen’s fast lap, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton set a new benchmark en route to the pole, besting Räikkönen’s time by 1.363 seconds and crushing Trulli’s eight-year mark by 1.95 seconds.

Spa is a power track steeped in history, and as the series heads to the even faster Autodromo Nazionale Monza, another track record beckons.

Despite current-generation Formula One cars being outfitted with turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 engines, engineers have wrung considerable power from these tightly packaged powerplants. And thanks to a drastically different aerodynamic and tire package that dramatically increased downforce and corner speeds, lap times have dropped substantially, by as much as five seconds in some instances.

The rub, however, is that these new Formula One cars are not as fast in a straight line, as their increased downforce creates increased drag. It’s in the corners where these cars shine.

Monza has 11 turns, which means that despite its long straights, there is speed to be found. Can Montoya’s 13-year-old mark survive this inevitable evolution of Formula One? Time will literally tell.

As the sport has evolved greatly over its 67-year history, Haas F1 Team has evolved greatly in its barely two-year history.

After scoring 29 points in 2016, the American team has already surpassed that inaugural season tally 12 races into its sophomore campaign. Drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen have combined for 35 points with still eight races remaining.

Haas F1 Team’s evolution has been aided by its partnerships with Ferrari and Dallara, where the two companies provide critical motorsports expertise in addition to some Italian lineage.

Maranello-based Ferrari delivers Haas F1 Team its power unit, gearbox and overall technical support, and famed racecar builder Dallara has Haas F1 Team’s design staff embedded in its Parma headquarters.

This unique relationship allowed Haas F1 Team to hit the ground running in 2016. The massive task of creating a Formula One team from scratch was made slightly less daunting by the more than 130 collective years of racing experience brought by Ferrari and Dallara. And when another new car needed to be built under a new set of rules for 2017 – all while Haas F1 Team was still competing in its first season – Ferrari and Dallara proved their worth again.

Currently in a dogfight with its midfield competitors, Haas F1 Team’s Italian alliance is again on display. Haas F1 Team is seventh in the constructors standings, only one point ahead of eighth-place Renault, but just five points back of sixth-place Toro Rosso and 10 points arrears fifth-place Williams.

It’s an electric battle that now moves to the electric atmosphere of Monza, and it gives a charge to Haas F1 Team and its Italian partners.

Image result for Guenther Steiner, Team Principal haas 2017

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal

What’s most important over these next eight races – maximizing Haas F1 Team’s place in the championship or working toward next year?
GS: “We’re working toward next year while still focusing on this year to make as many points as possible. The main focus now back in the factory is next year, but at the racetrack we’re always trying to get the best out of this year’s car and try to get points.”

As the factory shifts focus to next year, do you expect performance to drop off this year or do you expect all the teams around you to be doing something similar to where performance mirrors what it’s been so far this year?
GS: “I don’t think our performance will drop off. I think the performance of some of the other teams will go up because there is no reason why we should drop off. If the other teams get better, we stay the same and that’s how we fall behind. I think the bigger teams will perform well and while we’ll still put effort into this year, the amount of development work we’re doing for 2017 is getting smaller and smaller. Everybody is now trying to focus on 2018. I don’t know what other teams have in the pipeline that’s still to come for this year, but I think the focus for most everyone in the midfield is 2018.”

What are some of the more difficult aspects of next year’s car design?
GS: “It’s hard every year to make a better car, but this year one of the design challenges will be the weight. Putting the halo on adds around 10 kilos (22 pounds). We are not underweight, and very few teams are underweight by 10 kilos this year, so to not increase the weight of the car will be very difficult. Everyone is in the same boat, so you just have to do the best you can, just like every year. But there is no one specific challenge other than the increased weight because of the halo.”

How does Haas F1 Team improve both in the short term and the long term?
GS: “In the short term, we just try to get our processes better and introduce upgrades quicker. Long term, we just try to do more technical work, more simulation work and come better prepared to the racetrack. We’ve got more data now than we had last year, so we are able to make better predictions for the race. We’re using what we learned from last year and the first part of this year and applying it.”

The Italian Grand Prix is a quasi home race for Haas F1 Team as its technical partner, Ferrari, and its collaborator on chassis development, Dallara, are both based in Italy. Knowing the Haas VF-17’s Italian ties, how important is it to have a strong showing at Monza?
GS: “With Dallara’s headquarters only an hour drive from Monza, I’m sure that a lot of their people will be there. It’s always good to be there because of the passion people have for the racecars. The history of Monza and the passion of the Tifosi give the Italian Grand Prix a great atmosphere, and with it being close to both of our technical partners, we want to do our best.”

How has the technical partnership with Ferrari been and how has it evolved as Haas F1 Team went from designing a car to building it first racecar to building the current-generation car which featured a drastically different rules package?
GS: “Producing this year’s car was very similar to making our first car, because with the new regulations this year we again had that challenge of building a new car from scratch. The relationship with Ferrari is very good. We collaborate very well on all the non-listed parts and we do our own aero development. It’s a very healthy relationship which we are proud to have.”

How does Haas F1 Team differentiate itself from Ferrari?
GS: “We buy the non-listed parts from Ferrari, which are allowed by FIA regulations. What we have to do to be a constructor in Formula One is build our own chassis and do our own aero development. You have to manufacture all your own parts which go with the aero, like the front wing, rear wing, all the body work, radiators and chassis – we have to do all that ourselves from design to manufacture. All the parts like suspension, we buy from Ferrari to make it simple, but the rest we have to develop ourselves.”

Explain Dallara’s role with Haas F1 Team?
“Dallara is a contracted engineering company to us. They are the leader in racecar design and manufacturing for all the single-make series with F2, F3, GP3, Super Formula, Indy car – they do a lot of stuff and it would take too long to name them all. They’ve got an infrastructure in place with engineers and manufacturing capabilities. We sub-contract a team of engineers from their pool of engineers to work for us. We buy a lot of our composite parts from them. Their designers design things, but it’s under the leadership of Haas F1 Team and our chief designer Rob Taylor and our aero group with Ben Agathangelou.”

Haas F1 Team has evolved greatly from its inaugural season last year. How has Dallara helped in that evolution?
GS: “With the infrastructure Dallara has in place, they have a lot of very good quality people who are prepared to design and build racing cars. Everything is evolutionary and with evolution you want to do better than what you did before, and that is what we’re achieving here. We’ve learned a lot and they’ve learned a lot. In Formula One, the learning process needs to be quick because in no time you can be nowhere.”

How crucial was Dallara and Ferrari in allowing Haas F1 Team to be competitive in not only its first year, but its second year when another new car needed to be built?
GS: “Without them we wouldn’t be where we are. That’s the easiest way to put it. Ferrari’s been in Formula One for 50 years, so we get their expertise. Dallara’s been building racing cars a long time. They’re good engineers and racecar builders. It all helped us a lot. F1 is so complex, and without them we would’ve struggled quite a bit.”

Haas F1 Team’s setup is unique – headquarters in the United States, logistical base in England and car design in Italy. How have you been able to manage it and ensure that three facilities in three different time zones work together?
GS: “Good people! You need to have people that you can trust, and that is the only way to do it. It does include a lot of traveling from my side, but we don’t know any different, which makes it a bit easier for us. We just use technology to talk and it seems to be working. I suppose we could’ve done it differently, but I think that part of our success is that we have the right people in the right places. As of now, it seems to be working, even if it is a lot of work compared to everything being in one place. As long as it continues to work, we will continue to do it this way.”

Do you think other entities outside of Formula One are looking at Haas F1 Team’s model as a way to potentially break into the sport?
GS: “I think others could use it if they find a partner which can help them. Maybe there are even better ways to do it. I never said we found the best way. We looked at all the other people that had failed, and to just do it the way they did – when three teams fail doing it the same way, we didn’t want to be the fourth team which doesn’t score points for two or three years. We adapted a different model. As much as we were critiqued for it in the beginning, it seems to be working better than the other ones.”

Could the accomplishments of Haas F1 Team be emulated by another new entity wanting to join Formula One, specifically, an F2 team wanting to make the jump to Formula One?
GS: “I think an F2 team could use its people, but they would need to grow because the difference in size is tremendous. I’m not sure how many people now work in an F2 team, but I think it’s between 20 and 30. F1 organizations are huge. In F2 they get their car supplied by Dallara. In F1 you have to do everything yourself. It is a different task. There are a lot of good people in F2 who could be integrated into a team, but with the structure of F2, I don’t think a team would be ready to do an F1 car.”

Image result for Romain Grosjean haas 2017

Romain Grosjean

How has the technical partnership with Ferrari been and how has it evolved as Haas F1 Team went from designing a car to building it first racecar to building the current-generation car which featured a drastically different rules package?
RG: “The relationship with Ferrari is very good. We owe them quite a lot, to be able to be on the grid and performing with a good engine, gearbox, and suspension – all those parts come from Ferrari. That means a lot to us, and clearly going to the Italian Grand Prix we’re going to feel some of that fan support for ourselves, which is great.”

How crucial has Dallara and Ferrari been in allowing Haas F1 Team to be competitive in not only its first year, but its second year when another new car needed to be built?
RG: “It’s key to us to have Ferrari and Dallara behind us. Without them it would’ve been very difficult for us to be on the grid the first year and to be competitive, and again this year. We have a lot of Italian in our DNA.”

Monza is the fastest track Formula One visits. What are your expectations this year with the current-generation car?
RG: “I think it’ll be pretty good. It may be one of the circuits where we don’t improve the lap time that much compared to the past. It’s going to be fun though, with big straight lines and a lot of low downforce. The Lesmo corner and the Ascari chicane – they’re great fun.”

A 1:19.525 lap set by Juan Pablo Montoya during practice for the 2004 Italian Grand Prix is widely regarded as the fastest Formula One lap of all time, as his average speed was 262.242 kph (162.950 mph). Will that time be eclipsed this year at Monza and a new benchmark for speed set?
RG: “It would be nice. We love going fast, so I’m looking forward to see if we can go for it.”

Where are the overtaking opportunities at Monza?
RG: “The good thing with Monza is there’s lots of overtaking opportunities. There’s turn one, three, eight and then the Parabolica. It’s more or less every single braking event.”

Is overtaking at Monza a bit like a drag race where it’s about who can get on the power the fastest and most effectively?
RG: “I think qualifying’s going to be key to finding the right tow. The race is always fun to play with the tow and having some fun overtaking maneuvers. We’ll see where we are and how well we get the car to work. There aren’t that many corners so it’s very hard to get the tires to work properly, but we’ll be on it.”

Monza is a track with a lot of history and home to some of Formula One’s most passionate fans. Can you describe the atmosphere there?
RG: “The atmosphere is crazy in Monza. The Tifosi, the fans – they’re just great. The track is in the middle of a park. It’s like nowhere else. There are so many people coming and watching, cheering for the drivers and, of course, for Ferrari. The atmosphere is electric. I love it.”

Have you had the opportunity to walk around the old portions of Monza, specifically the oval? If so, what ran through your mind when you saw the banking and realized cars in the late 1950s and early 1960s actually raced wheel-to-wheel there?
RG: “It was crazy! You can barely stand up at the top of the oval. We still go underneath part of it at the Ascari chicane. It was definitely a different time, a different era of safety measures. I’m sure it was good fun, though.”

Would you have liked to have competed in that era just to see what it was like, or do you prefer to compete with the latest and greatest technology available?
RG: “I’d compete anytime. I’ve always loved Formula One racing, no matter the era.”

Do you have any milestones or moments from your junior career that you enjoyed at Monza?
RG: “My first race in Formula Renault 2.0 in 2004 – the Eurocup Series – was at Monza, and I was on the front row after qualifying. That was quite good. Certainly a happy memory.”

What is your favorite part of Monza?
RG: “I like the two Lesmos turns, the ‘Curva di Lesmos’.”

Describe a lap around Monza.
RG: “You cross the start-finish line going into the first chicane with big braking, dropping down to second gear. Then you’ve got important acceleration going into the second chicane, which is a bit faster, a bit more curb usage on the exit. You then try and carry as much speed through the two Lesmos turns. Then you go under the old oval and into the Ascari chicane. There’s big braking here, with a bump. It’s always tricky to get the car there. Then you really want to go early on power to get to the Parabolica. There’s another very long straight line, with very late braking to the Parabolica. Again, tricky throttle application heading toward the start-finish line to set your lap.”

Related image

Kevin Magnussen

After coming from a factory team in Renault, what has the technical partnership with Ferrari been like, especially as Haas F1 Team developed its current-generation car which features a drastically different rules package?
KM: “It’s been a great help for the team having this partnership with Ferrari. It’s obvious that Ferrari is one of the leaders in F1 technology and we’ve benefitted from that relationship.”

How crucial has Dallara and Ferrari been in allowing Haas F1 Team to be competitive in not only its first year, but its second year when another new car needed to be built?
KM: “I’ve only been a part of it since the second year, but I know the support we get from Dallara and Ferrari is extremely useful.”

Monza is the fastest track Formula One visits. What are your expectations this year with the current-generation car?
KM: “It will be fun, as every track has been this year with the new cars. It’s a lot more fun to drive and more challenging. Monza might be one of the tracks that we aren’t going to be that much faster, if at all. These new cars are strong in the corners, but not so much in the straights.”

A 1:19.525 lap set by Juan Pablo Montoya during practice for the 2004 Italian Grand Prix is widely regarded as the fastest Formula One lap of all time, as his average speed was 262.242 kph (162.950 mph). Will that time be eclipsed this year at Monza and a new benchmark for speed set?
KM: “I don’t think we’ll be strong enough on the straights, but we’ll see. Maybe it will.”

Where are the overtaking opportunities at Monza?
KM: “Everywhere. Monza is probably the best track for overtaking on the calendar. It’s always exciting racing there.”

Is overtaking at Monza a bit like a drag race where it’s about who can get on the power the fastest and most effectively?
KM: “No. Monza is like any track in that it takes a perfect lap in every sense, and a perfect balance in the car as well.”

Monza is a track with a lot of history and home to some of Formula One’s most passionate fans. Can you describe the atmosphere there?
KM: “Monza is all about the atmosphere. It’s got so much history and the Italian fans are really into it and they’re extremely passionate. It’s always a fantastic experience racing there.”

Have you had the opportunity to walk around the old portions of Monza, specifically the oval? If so, what ran through your mind when you saw the banking and realized cars in the late 1950s and early 1960s actually raced wheel-to-wheel there?
KM: “I have been around the old track several times. It’s crazy to think they used to race around that kind of track.”

Would you have liked to have competed in that era just to see what it was like, or do you prefer to compete with the latest and greatest technology available?
KM: “I’d prefer to be racing now, at least I think so. I can’t say for sure because I haven’t tried an older car from those years, though I’d like to. I think they had a lot of cool things back then that we don’t have today.”

Do you have any milestones or moments from your junior career that you enjoyed at Monza?
KM: “I’ve had many good races there. I can’t just pick out one.”

What is your favorite part of Monza?
KM: “Probably the Variante Ascari.”

Describe a lap around Monza.
KM: “Fast, long-straights and big braking zones.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MCLAREN PREVIEW THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX

Stoffel Vandoorne

Built in 1922, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza epitomises the history and drama of the Formula 1 World Championship.

Only once, in 1980, has the circuit not been included on the F1 calendar and the 5.793km/3.600-mile lap remains the fastest of them all, with an average speed approaching 259km/h/160mph.

The old banking – last used in 1961 – is still clearly visible, as are many of the old grandstands. Aptly, the track is called ‘La Pista Magica’ by the fanatical Italian racing fans

Fernando Alonso: “Like Spa, Monza is one of those legendary tracks where everybody loves watching cars going racing. With the new wider, faster cars this year, it will definitely be another circuit where we’ll see a new fastest lap and some incredibly high speeds on the straights. It’s the fastest circuit on the calendar in terms of outright speed, and for a driver it’s an incredible feeling racing down those iconic straights punctuated by the tight chicanes and big, fast corners that require a huge amount of commitment. We’ve always said this circuit wouldn’t suit our package, and we expect a tough challenge. Although it’s power-hungry like Spa, it’s also different in many ways. Spa is a long race; the Monza circuit is short and sharp and the race always feels like it’s over very quickly. The thing I love most about Monza is the fans. Even when you’re not dressed in tifosi red, the fans come out in force and they’re all super passionate about racing and motorsport. The Italian Grand Prix is a favourite for many people and it really deserves its legendary reputation as a magic circuit for race fans.”

Stoffel Vandoorne: “Monza is a really cool place. I’ve driven there in Formula Renault 3.5 and also in GP2, and I won there in both series, so I know the circuit well and have always really enjoyed racing there. The fans are great, they show a lot of passion, and you feel like you’re swept up by their enthusiasm the whole weekend. Spa was definitely a tough race for us, and we’ve always identified Belgium and Italy as two difficult weekends for us. It was hard to manage our pace with the rest of the pack on the straights, and we’re preparing ourselves for the same thing at Monza, but of course we’ll push hard every day throughout the weekend to try and give ourselves the best chance of a good result. As usual, the important thing is qualifying, but it’s in the race where we need to work on our pace and make sure we can maintain our position throughout Sunday afternoon. We worked really well as a team in Spa to try to we maximise our progression through qualifying and hopefully influence our prospects for the race, and I hope we’ll be able to do more of that this coming weekend.”

Eric Boullier, McLaren-Honda Racing Director: “The Italian Grand Prix is always a ‘must-see’ for any racing fan, and Fernando, Stoffel and McLaren all have very happy memories of great victories there. There’s a huge amount of history at Monza and the venue holds an important place in the calendar: scene of legendary drivers, hugely passionate fans and incredible racing. This weekend will also be the last time we’ll see the McLaren Brand Centre this year, as we conclude the final race of the European season and head east to Asia. The double-header of Spa and Monza are an incredible combination, but one which we knew we would find challenging. Spa was undoubtedly exactly that for us, and although we are certainly managing our own expectations for Monza, we also go to Italy with our usual fighting spirit, and will work together as a team to get as much as we can from the weekend. It’s clear to see there’s still a lot of work to be done before we can feel confident on these kind of power-hungry circuits. However, but we look forward to hearing and witnessing the support from the passionate Italian fans, and as usual will give it our all, not only to get the best possible result, but also enjoy our final racing sojourn in Europe of 2017.”

Yusuke Hasegawa, Honda R&D Co. Ltd Head of F1 Project & Executive Chief Engineer: “After a challenging weekend in Belgium, we’re now heading to Italy for our final race in Europe for this season. The layout is mostly long straights except for couple of chicanes and corners. It is a notoriously power-hungry circuit, with some of the highest average speeds on the calendar. With the nature of the track, we will doubtless face another tough weekend. Furthermore, this race will be the 50-year anniversary of Honda’s victory in the Italian Grand Prix in 1967. It was our second victory in F1, with the RA300 winning its debut race with John Surtees behind the wheel. We’re planning a demonstration run in Monza on Sunday before the race, and I hope everybody will enjoy the Formula 1 sound of old.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RENAULT PREVIEW THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX

Nico Hulkenberg, Jolyon Palmer

Renault team and drivers preview the Italian Grand Prix, Round 13 of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship, at Monza.

Foreword from Renault Sport Racing Managing Director, Cyril Abiteboul: The Italian Grand Prix caps the end of the European segment of the Formula 1 calendar as we begin to switch our attention to Asia in the early autumn months.

“Monza is a legendary circuit with an electric atmosphere to match and it seems to be a fitting way to end what has been an exciting summer of racing on some of Europe’s finest circuits.

“Previous to Monza, we enjoyed a successful weekend in Belgium and made a return to the points courtesy of Nico’s sixth place; his third of the season. Nico had a really strong and sensible race and did a lot right to get the team a number of points.

“We are, however, left with a taste of frustration as we couldn’t put Jolyon into the top ten. He had the pace in qualifying to be on course for a career best grid position but a gearbox issue forced him to start from fourteenth which meant Sunday would be difficult. We once again saw the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo on the podium for the sixth time this season which has included a win. The retirement of Max Verstappen and the enormous disappointment that followed lead us to react as early as Monza and the introduction of new components to improve reliability.

“But remaining on the positives and we have scored more points at the last three Grands Prix than the four teams above us in the Constructors’ Championship. We have managed 16 points since Great Britain in July with Force India on (14), Haas (6), Toro Rosso (7) and Williams (5). The latest updates have all worked as they should to help us increase performance and put us in the top ten on a regular basis.

“Monza is one of the most demanding races on the engine due to its frequent and prolonged high speed straights and curves; it really is the Temple of Speed! We have to approach the weekend with a sense of caution as we know the remaining races after this weekend should be more favourable for us. It will be about seeing how we go about this to get the most out of the car. Our aim remains to get both cars in the points to keep gaining ground on the teams above us.

“It will be an exciting weekend for everyone involved in Italy; the fans, the drivers and all the racing staff. We head there with momentum on our side and we look forward to getting out to Monza.”

Image result for Bob Bell renault

Speed arena

Technical Officer Bob Bell explains the balance between 2018 and 2017 car development as the R.S.17 heads for its thirteenth outing of the season in Italy.

What’s the outlook for Monza?
BB: Monza is a high-speed, low downforce track, the lowest we run on throughout the season. We can go there with a reasonable amount of confidence having shown in Spa, a high power track, that we can compete. We have a couple of new aero refinements with the aerodynamics packages and wing settings tailored for the low downforce demands with a low-downforce and minimal drag optimised package.

How do you sum up the performances in recent weeks?
BB: We can take heart with the step forward we have made across Britain, Hungary and Spa and I think it bodes well for the rest of the season. There aren’t too many surprises left with the circuits we’re going to and we have the capacity to keep development going for the rest of the year. We just have to get both drivers home scoring points.

Have we discovered the problem with Jolyon’s gearbox?
BB: Everything points to it being a one-off as opposed to anything endemic. We will address it for Monza and ensure it doesn’t occur again. Reliability is still a priority and we must ensure that Monza is a trouble free weekend. Pace is where we hoped it would be at this point in the season but reliability still needs to improve.

It was disappointing for Jolyon. His pace at the start of the weekend was a great confidence boost for him and I’m sure had he not had that problem he would have qualified seventh or eighth on the grid.

We’re closing in on the final stretch of the calendar, is there much to report with development?
We are already working on the 2018 car but some elements developed in the wind tunnel can be used on the R.S.17. We are continuing the development of this year’s car. We have the capability to do a good job in balancing the development of the 2018 car and transferring the concepts onto this year’s, so it’s a busy time in Enstone!

Image result for nico hulkenberg renault 2017

Keeping momentum

Nico Hülkenberg fired his way to a third sixth position of the season in Spa as he lines up more points on the high-speed and historic Monza circuit.

What do you make of Monza?
NH: It’s a very unique place; incredibly special and holds a lot of history. In terms of the actual track, it’s a high-speed layout which means a low downforce configuration for the car, to favour top speed. Having such low downforce becomes uncomfortable sometimes as the car feels light and quite floaty, which can be a bit of a struggle. Monza features a lot of hard braking zones and boasts some legendary corner combinations such as the Lesmos and the Parabolica. You can really feel the history, which is something I enjoy.

And what about the Italian atmosphere?
NH: Italy has a really good buzz, and that gets even better during the Grand Prix weekend in Monza. It’s a really special atmosphere. I love the whole park and area surrounding the track too. I like my food and, of course, eating a good pizza is mandatory during the weekend! The Italian lifestyle is really cool there and you can feel their passion around town.

What’s the summary from Spa?
NH: It was a good and successful end to quite a tricky weekend. We struggled a little bit on Friday and Saturday as we made changes to find the right setup and balance for my car. On race day I was much happier as once again we’ve shown we are the fourth quickest team, it’s looking very positive. Once we get the balance and harmony where we want it to be the results seem to follow. The team have been doing a great job, it’s more points in the pocket for us which is satisfying. It’s important now to keep the momentum going, rack up the points and close the gap to our competitors.

Image result for Jolyon Palmer renault 2017

On the pace

Jolyon Palmer is ready to tackle the famous Monza circuit after a disappointing weekend in Belgium which promised so much.

What do you particularly like about Monza?
JP: It’s a very special track, and one I absolutely love. It’s one of those races which carries so much history, especially when you think of all the great races and all the great drivers who have won there. The crowd carry so much passion – you can hear the fans when you drive round. The track itself is very old school and enjoyable to drive. We take off a lot of downforce so parts are flat out and there can be a lot of overtaking.

What are your results around Monza throughout your career?
JP: I won and took pole in GP2 plus I’ve won twice in F2, so it’s been a good one for me. I think it’s actually one of my best tracks. Things didn’t quite go to plan there last year but hopefully I can do better this year.

What do you think it takes to do well at Monza?
JP: Monza has some long, fast straights so naturally you need good straight-line speed and then stability under braking. Combined with the speedy straights there are some very slow corners so you need to balance out the low downforce with the need to be late and hard on the brakes. It’s all about finding a good top speed, with the optimum downforce level for the chicanes.

How do you reflect on Spa?
JP: It was a positive weekend with the car again looking competitive. If I had started seventh then I would have been in a position to score points, but down in fourteenth on the grid was hard. It’s positive, though, and I’m happy with the first race back, it would have been nice to get points but it has been a better weekend than in previous weeks. We need the same again in the next few races; it will happen, I just need to shake off the bad luck. Things are looking much better.

Image result for monza formula 1

Track Notes:

Monza is another one of Formula 1’s most prestigious races with its historic and antique feel. In terms of the actual circuit, Monza is fast and flowing with long straights and tricky chicanes. The most famous of turns comes last and reveals the long, 1.4 km start/finish straight. Known as the Parabolica, the sweeping right-hander has seen overtakes and drama across its 62 years of being on the calendar.

T1/2 Wide start and finish straight narrows down to the legendary Rettifilio chicane. The kerbs are used extensively here as drivers aim to find the shortest and most direct line through this complex.

T3 – Maintain momentum through the flat-out Curva Grande where a good tow can be exploited in readiness for heavier braking and an overtaking opportunity into the Variante Roggia left/right flick.

T4/5 – Again the kerbs are used to maximum effect, but it is much quicker than the first chicane, so too much kerb can unsettle the cars and create a loss of momentum up to the Lesmo sequence.

T6/7 – The Lesmo curves are approached at over 260kph, with a minimum corner speed of around 180kph in the tighter second Lesmo. The cars are often a handful here due to the relative lack of downforce on the car.

T8/9/10 – Taken initially in third gear but quickly changing up to fourth, precision of line is important at the Variante Ascari. There is a minimum speed of 170kph in the first left and then right hand flicks before the power can be increased for the final right where the cars can drift out on to the exit kerb before heading down the long back straight.

T11 – Peaking at approximately 335kph the drivers brake and change down to fourth gear for the constant radius Parabolica right hander. The run-off was changed in 2014 from gravel to tarmac, which is likely to see some deeper braking in to the first section of the turn.

Power Unit Notes:

Monza is the most power sensitive track of the season. More than 75% of the lap is spent at full throttle, more than any circuit of the season. There are four long periods of open throttle, each holding an average of 13secs bursts. The first is the pit straight, followed by the run through the Curva Grande, then from the Lesmos to the Variante Ascari and finally from Ascari to the Parabolica. The longest time the power unit will be at full throttle is the pit straight, which lasts 16 secs.

Despite the ICE being flat out for most of the lap, fuel consumption per kilometre is relatively low compared to slower tracks. This is due in part to the short length of the track and to maintaining a constant speed throughout, but also due to the high average speed with low downforce package that reduces the time spent to complete the distance.

The long periods of wide open throttle generate a steady stream of exhaust gas. The energy available in the exhaust due to the high percentage of full throttle time means that the turbo will be at maximum speed for over 80% of the lap.

Despite the heavy braking for the three chicanes, the MGU-K is not significantly stressed in Monza. Each braking event is very short and there are only three slow corners. In comparison to a corner-rich circuit such as Hungary, the MGU-K barely recovers the maximum energy allowed. To compensate, the MGU-K recovers energy at partial throttle through overloading the ICE, although it will be difficult to harvest the max energy allowed by the regulations. The MGU-H will also feed the MGU-K down the straights.

The chicanes will see the cars brake from well over 300kph to 80kph but accelerate back up to 300kph in less than eight seconds. This creates a braking event of around one to two seconds, or quicker than a blink of an eye. It’s important for the car to be stable under braking and acceleration so engineers will pay particular attention to the engine maps and how they interact with the low downforce aero configuration.

Tyres:

  • Medium (white) – Margherita – the most popular pizza going, quick and easy to make and can rarely go wrong.
  • Soft (yellow) – Capricciosa – boasts a bit more than the Medium, offers the best of both worlds with sturdiness and taste.
  • Supersoft (red) – Salamino Piccante – all out flare; an Italian favourite that requires the love for spice.

In Numbers:

  • 3.3 – (lbs), in 2007 a truffle weighing 3.3 pounds sold at an auction for $333,000 (USD), a world record for a truffle. It was discovered by a dog named Rocco.
  • 75 – 75% of Italy is mountainous or hilly.
  • 25 – The average Italian eats around 25kg of pasta every year.
  • 500- There are over 500 different types of pasta eaten in Italy.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

HAMILTON: I LOOK FORWARD TO TURNING VETTEL’S SMILE UPSIDE DOWN

LewisHamiltonSebastianVettelF1GrandPrix73HDmNMVeIjx.jpg

If Lewis Hamilton breaks Michael Schumacher’s record of 68 Formula 1 pole positions on Saturday, it will be quite an accomplishment for the Mercedes driver.

Hamilton’s ultimate goal, though, is to win the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday and replace Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel atop the drivers’ standings.

Hamilton recalled how he dominated qualifying at Monza last year then wasted the pole position with a poor start in the race and finished second to teammate Nico Rosberg. The German went on to win the championship and then promptly retired.

“So the race is the most important part of the weekend,” Hamilton said Thursday. “This weekend the ultimate goal is to win, to put a dent in that lead that [Vettel] has had all season.

“He’s had that smile on his face all year long being that he’s had that lead,” Hamilton added. “So I’m looking forward to turning that upside down.”

Vettel, however, will be looking to strengthen his bid to become the first Ferrari driver to win the F1 title in a decade – and put an exclamation point on the Italian automaker’s 70th anniversary celebrations this weekend.

Vettel won four F1 titles with Red Bull before joining Ferrari for 2015 and admitted, “It’s like a drug. You want to do it again, want to get that feeling again, want to stand on top of the podium. It’s been a while and I want to do it again. How it would feel with Ferrari I do not know. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

Hamilton needs one more pole to break his tie with Schumacher and claim his 69th pole position. Setting the mark in Monza, where Schumacher is still revered for having won five of his record seven drivers’ championships with Ferrari from 2000-04, could provoke a strange reaction from the throngs of red-clad Ferrari supporters that attend the race each year.

As would a victory on Sunday by Hamilton.

No matter who wins, though, the fans always rush onto the track for the most memorable podium celebration in the sport.

“It’s a unique design of podium for sure, because you’re towering or hanging over a sea of fans, which you don’t get to see anywhere else,” Hamilton said. “I think it’s amazing. I don’t know why the other tracks don’t design that.

“It’s always a sea of red,” added Hamilton, who has won the race three times. “I would imagine for a Ferrari driver it’s an incredible experience being so close to the fans. You can almost lean over and touch them. It’s also a very historic circuit so you think about all the greats who have been up there. Growing up watching TV and watching Michael stand up there and now you’re standing up there.”

Vettel leads Hamilton by seven points but could be hard-pressed to match Mercedes’ outright power on a circuit featuring long straightaways and high-speed curves.

Vettel pushed Hamilton to the limit in Belgium last weekend but the Briton ultimately won.

“There are some things I learned from Spa and we learned as a team and I as a driver,” Vettel said. “Here it’s a different track and generally it’s possible to overtake. The track layout suits Mercedes but the performance we showed last week gives us hope.”

Amid such a tight title race with Vettel, it will be interesting to see if Mercedes orders Valtteri Bottas, the team’s second driver, into more of a supportive role for Hamilton. Bottas stands third, 41 points behind Vettel.

“I personally have not spoken to the team. That’s not really my job and that’s not how I like to operate,” Hamilton said. “You would hope that at some stage the team makes a decision on their own.”

Not that Hamilton has any qualms with Mercedes. In fact, after Ferrari’s announcement last weekend that it was extending Vettel’s contract for three more years – longer than many expected – it means Hamilton will likely stay put for a while.

Hamilton said he plans to extend his contract, which expires after next season, by the end of this year, “It’s good that Seb signed there. I think all things happen for a reason. That piece of the puzzle is now in place so it makes my decision moving forward a lot easier.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ALONSO: WE COULD HAVE THE PACKAGE TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP

Fernando Alonso

Less than a week after declaring his embarrassment with the under powered McLaren-Honda during the Belgian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso has made a remarkable u-turn by telling reporters that he is happy where he is and confident that he may have a championship package next year.

Speaking ahead of the Italian grand Prix weekend, Alonso declared, “I am extremely happy here and l believe that here we could have the package to win a championship.”

Amid McLaren’s worst season in history, Alonso has previously made it clear that he available to a team capable of winning races. But the big four – Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault and Red Bull – are not interested.

However the Spaniard was adamant he had several offers on the table and that his stock in the sport was at the highest level since he entered Formula 1. More than once he made it known that Honda’s problems were unacceptable.

The Spaniard now claims that suggestions he would leave McLaren, unless they ditched Honda, were “absolute rubbish.”

Instead he says he is awaiting what McLaren have in mind for him beyond 2017, “We will see what the proposals are. If they are very good, maybe two years could work. Maybe one year, maybe three, maybe five – l am young enough.”

“I will start sitting down with the team, what are the prospects for the future, the expectation for next year,” Alonso told reporters. We do now have some ingredients to be champions.”

“The team has improved a lot in the last three years from the time l arrived here. We have the talent, we have the facilities, we just miss being a bit more competitive – which is the most important bit. But we will see what the numbers say for next year and after that l will make a decision.”

With Ferrari and Red Bull driver line-ups for 2018 sorted, Mercedes looking set to retain Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton looking to extend beyond his current deal which terminates at the end of 2018.

Most recently Renault have said they are not ready for the Spaniard, which he acknowledged, “Renault have already said that next year they will not be ready, so they are honest too.

Furthermore, at Monza, Alonso denied he has lost faith in Honda’s ability to become competitive, “You never know. It’s the same thing with Ferrari in 2014-2015 when they made a huge step with the engine.”

“If you get the right direction, everything improves and the results quickly show. It’s something l need to understand – what are the developments, the next steps. They have the experience of the last three years so it’s possible,” added the two times F1 World Champion.

Meanwhile Williams have denied they have even talked to Alonso with regards to a deal for next year, in the wake of numerous reports linking him to the team.

Regarding reports that he retired from the Belgian Grand Prix despite there being no problem with his car or power unit, confirmed by Honda, Alonso said, “I read that and was surprised the people forgot that I was racing for three years fighting to get out of Q1, fighting at the starts, pushing the car in Hungary up the hill in Q1 to get another run, I tried to race with a broken rib in Bahrain.”

“When I read that I thought people are not concentrating on the real things happening,” he added.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WILLIAMS: I READ ABOUT ALONSO WITH ASTONISHMENT

Claire Williams

Has another door to remain in Formula 1 closed in the face of Fernando Alonso?

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams has denied she has had any talks with Alonso regarding a deal for 2016, pouring cold water on reports that an offer has been made to the Spaniard by the Grove outfit.

Williams told Bild, “I’ve read those reports with astonishment. I know nothing about it at all. I have never negotiated with him, never even sat at a table with him.”

Alonso is actively seeking to leave the McLaren-Honda ‘project’ which has stunted his career for the past three years, making it clear that he has no faith in Honda who have become an embarrassment for the double F1 World Champion.

With a place on the F1 grid for next year unavailable for Alonso at Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and apparently at Renault, Williams has been bandied about as a possible destination for him.

Despite the fact that they are no longer a winning team in Formula 1, something Alonso has insisted he is seeking, they are looking to move up the order again and, apart from their impressive pedigree, have elements that are very attractive for a driver.

Thus Williams, with Mercedes power and headed by former Mercedes technical boss Paddy Lowe, is arguably the next best thing for Alonso to remain in Formula 1.

Reports linking him to Williams also suggested that billionaire Lawrence Stroll would finance Alonso’s hefty wage demans, guaranteeing his son Lance Stroll would have the best mentor possible for 2018 and beyond.

However, according to Williams, this is off the mark, “Forget that. Mr. Stroll is a very successful businessman and reasons for this is because he does not throw his money around like that.”

In a confusing twist in the tale, Alonso is adamant that his stock is as high as it has ever, been so far in his career, and even indicated that he has five firm offers to consider, despite turning down several in the process.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RICCIARDO: I DO NOT FEEL THAT MAX ECLIPSES ME IN ANY WAY

Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo was joined by Max Verstappen at Red Bull, five races into the 2016, and since that day the teenage Dutchman has hogged the limelight, but the big smiling Australian is not fazed by this and instead does his talking on track with results.

In the wake of an unexpected, but well deserved third place at the recent Belgian Grand Prix, Ricciardo spoke to El Confidencial about the dynamics in the team right now and his approach to racing alongside the sport’s fastest rising star.

“You have to be relaxed,” explained Ricciardo. “I’m very, very serious in the car, but when I have to talk, the press, the engineers or whoever I am , I always try to be calm, and besides, I have things that interest me out beyond F1. For example music, I usually go to many festivals. I try to seek balance to life.”

Despite a below par Red Bull package at his disposal this year – compared to Mercedes and Ferrari – Ricciardo has scored six podiums in 12 rounds thus far and going against the odds to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in the process.

Life on the other side of the Red Bull garage has been more complicated, with luck having deserted Verstappen for much of this season. He has six DNFs on his scorecard and only one podium to brag about. Of course the situation has grabbed countless headlines and generated heated debate. 

But this does not affect Ricciardo who gets on with his job, delivering on track as he did at Spa-Francorchamps when he turned fifth place into third in an astounding move on the brakes towards Les Combes – passing Valtteri Bottas on the outside and fending off Kimi Raikkonen at the same time.

A move that was hailed as the “best ever” by Red Bull billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz. Despite this, one of the biggest talking points in the wake of the Belgian Grand Prix was Verstappen’s run of bad luck and another DNF.

Ricciardo shed light on how he feels, “If I’m honest, I do not really care about what’s going on in the media, and I do not take that kind of comments from my bosses personally. I know I have a good relationship with Red Bull and I ‘ve always been loyal to the team.”

“They never seek to discriminate against me in any way, and from their point of view I understand why they are the way they are over Max. I am proving that I am a good driver. I do not feel that Max eclipses me in any way, the point is that he has a lot more coverage in the media.”

The pair have been getting on famously as teammates, even after Verstappen punted him out of the Hungarian Grand Prix on the opening lap. 

Of course Ricciardo was livid immediately after the race, but Verstappen was man enough to apologise to him face-to-face and harmony was restored within the energy drinks camp.

But he admits that he was angry after the incident at the Hungaroring, “When it happened I was really upset. I even insulted him over the radio. [Called his teammate a bad loser]. After the race we had a meeting, talked to Max alone and I was completely calm .”

Ricciardo has a knack for opportunistic drives, being patient and seizing the moment at the exact right time, “The key is in my mind, even if I do not make a perfect start, I learned that in the race anything can happen. I think the same thing even if the first pit stop is too long. I never think I am totally defeated.”

“I never finish the race regretting that I did not overtake someone or did not do something else. If I can do something, I do it,” insisted Ricciardo who heads to the Italian Grand Prix, at Monza this weekend, fourth in the drivers standings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BOTTAS: TOO EARLY FOR TEAM ORDERS

Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes chiefs Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda have both hinted that team orders favouring Lewis Hamilton’s title bid is seriously being considered as the 2017 world championship battles enters the crucial second phase of the season, but Valtteri Bottas suggests that this may be premature.

Speaking ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, “I think if I perform well and I manage to get pole position and escape, then it’s in my hands as well. So if I perform well, because it’s still eight races to go, there is a big amount of points.”

Heading to Monza, Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel leads the standings with 220 points with Bottas third and 41 adrift. Hamilton cut Vettel’s lead in half, to seven points, after a hard fought victory over the German last time out in Belgium.

With the Maranello outfit unconditionally backing Vettel’s title bid, it would make sense for Mercedes to take stock and decide to do the same for Hamilton. However, in the past the Silver Arrows outfit have tended to allow their drivers to race and such a decision would go against their racing philosophy.

At the same time Bottas is 34 points behind Hamilton, with the Briton on five wins in 12 races and Bottas with two to his credit. At Spa Hamilton comprehensively overshadowed the Finn, and his victory on the day will have given him good momentum ahead of Monza where Mercedes should be strong.

But Bottas argues his case, “The guys in front of me in the championship haven’t had any DNFs, so of course hopefully not for us, but maybe it can happen. But I don’t think about it that way, I don’t let those negative thoughts come into my mind.”

“I understand if at some point the team wants to really go for the championship and make sure that one of the guys wins it… but it’s a bit early. We almost have to go race by race, and every race we have different situations.”

It has not been easy to predict how this season has panned out and going forward it is becoming increasingly unpredictable. Ferrari have closed the gap and their cars should be contenders at the remaining eight races.

Bottas explained, “We never thought [Spa] wouldn’t suit their car, they have a strong car everywhere. I think our car is generally better on these kind of tracks compared to the high downforce tracks. They’ve shown they are quick everywhere, we, as a team, also showed we had a quick car too, that could win the race even.

“In Monza we will be running with even less downforce, so we definitively need to have a strong weekend there. But we also know that it’s on the high downforce tracks that they are slightly better but we still have a few high speed tracks to go to as well, so we just need to keep the development going on and find more downforce for the slower tracks,” added Bottas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sebastian Vettel insists Ferrari has no team orders

jm1730jy319.jpg

Sebastian Vettel has emphasised that Ferrari does not use team orders to favour him over Kimi Räikkönen.

Vettel currently leads the standings, having taken four wins, with his contract running through 2020, while Räikkönen has yet to triumph this season, holds fifth overall, and his extension is just for one-year.

Vettel responded ‘no’ when asked if he felt team orders were necessary at Ferrari, ostensibly to aid his title bid, and expanded: “I am a bit surprised by the way things are put.

“I think Kimi and myself, I can’t speak for other people, but Kimi and myself I think we have been racing each other all year.

“I read or I heard after the Hungarian Grand Prix that he was protecting me.

“I think if you speak to him he can make it pretty clear. He was, how can I say, I don’t think he was leaving anything behind.

“I think if he had the opportunity properly to pass me he would have tried and that’s fair enough. I think it would have been the same the other way around.

“I think we are racing for the team, we’re both trying to our best, if it happens that you race for the same spot then you might meet yourself on track.

“You’re both fighting for yourself but you’re also fighting for the team, so it’s something you need to keep in the back of your mind.

“I don’t know what other teams are doing, but for us, I think we both go flat out and see what happens.

“Normally you can always talk about a lot of things, scenarios and so on, but it always turns out to be a bit different from that.”

Vettel hold a seven-point lead over Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in the standings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ross Brawn hopes Formula 1 drops tech-related grid penalties

jm1727au143.jpg

Formula 1 sporting chief Ross Brawn says Formula 1 has to find a way of abandoning technical-related grid penalties which have an impact on a driver’s race.

Under current regulations, drivers receive five or 10-place penalties if they use more than four versions of any of the six components which make up the power unit.

Drivers are also handed a five-place sanction if their gearbox does not last for six successive events.

At last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, six of the 20 drivers received a grid penalty, with only Felipe Massa picking up his for a driving transgression.

Brawn believes that F1 has to “find a solution” to address the “very unpopular” sanctions.

“I hate the fact that we're having to affect the racing because of the technical issues," Brawn said in an interview with Autosport.

"I know you can say if a car breaks down in a race that's a technical issue and you've affected the race, but I think the fans understand that.

"For a fan to stomach that his hero is on the back of the grid because he had to change the engine, that's not great sport.

"We've got to find a solution to that, either through a different form of penalty or to remove the penalty altogether and just live with the problem that it was trying to fix."

Brawn reckons that Formula 1 could implement “more discrete” penalties, which would affect a team rather than a driver.

"One of the things that has been suggested is loss of constructors' points,” he said.

"There could be other more discrete penalties.

"We used to have the token system for the engine, and that wasn't bad actually.

“It got a little bit complicated, but you could remove the tokens for a while.

"It needs a lateral think. The grid penalties are very unpopular, and we should be finding a better solution.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Community Software by Invision Power Services, Inc.