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Bottas avoided clash in "brutal" Ricciardo pass - Mercedes

Bottas avoided clash in "brutal" Ricciardo pass - Mercedes

Some clever driving from Valtteri Bottas was all that avoided a race-changing clash with Daniel Ricciardo in the closing stages of the Chinese GP, according to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.
Ricciardo stormed to an unlikely win in China, making the most of a set fresh of soft-compound rubber in the closing stages thanks to a strategic gamble from his Red Bull crew.

It was a spectacular charge too, with impressive moves on Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel before an inch-perfect play for the lead down the inside of Bottas into Turn 6 with 12 laps to go.

Having conceded that it was an impressive drive from off-contract Ricciardo, Wolff was keen to point out that the "brutal" pass for the lead only worked thanks to some clever cooperation from Bottas.

Had the Finn not left just enough room, Wolff is convinced they would have collided given how committed Ricciardo was to the corner.

"Daniel is one of the very good drivers, and he proved it again," said Wolff. "He was very efficient, he was able to wait for his opportunity, he was aggressive when it was needed. Overall [it was] a very good race for him.

"Maybe the manoeuvre on Valtteri was a bit... brutal. But it proved to work. He had Valtteri helping him with that, to avoid a collision. But that is racing and great."

Wolff added that Bottas' performance in the race was the silver lining on a difficult weekend for the Mercedes crew.

"The only thing I see positive is Valtteri's race," he said. "That was really awesome. No mistakes. Unlucky with the Safety Car.

"Even with the Ricciardo overtake, if Valtteri wouldn't have opened the door last minute Ricciardo would have taken him out.

"He's the only one who was without fault [in the race]."

According to Bottas, the door being left ajar was a combination of not wanting to compromise the exit of Turn 6, and a sense of inevitability that Ricciardo was going to get by anyway.

"He was really closing in quickly and a big pace difference," said the Finn.

"They had a really strong car today and on top of that fresh tyres at that point so seeing the pace he disappeared afterwards, it think it was only a matter of time.

"By that situation I was going to defend into Turn 6, so it was a bit of a compromise how extreme you go with it, you go very extreme, he's definitely going to get you at the exit if he can choose the line behind you.

"He tends to find space from inside even while you defend and it was just a matter of time."

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I have said it many times over the years, the FIA need to appoint stewards that are the same people for EVERY race. I have always felt that some stewards are biased toward "some" drivers (Of cour

F1 needs a Friday program including testing or the race tracks are going to lose a lot of ticket sales.  As a TV viewer, I find the Friday practice sessions quite enjoyable.   On par with the rest of

WILLIAMS CONFIRM SIROTKIN TO RACE AND KUBICA RESERVE Russian rookie Sergey Sirotkin will race for Williams this season after being chosen ahead of Polish rival Robert Kubica on Tuesday in wh

FIA TWEAK RULES FOR 2019 AND REVEAL 2021 PU PROPOSAL

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The FIA have announced Formula 1 rule tweaks for 2019 which include an increase in fuel allowance while setting a May-end deadline to rubber-stamp the engine rules for 2021 and beyond.

Drivers will be allowed more fuel next season to race at full speed from start to finish rather than having to worry about keeping enough in the tank to get to the chequered flag.

The governing FIA said the rise from 105kg to 110kg was among a number of issues agreed by the Strategy Group, which includes the top teams, and Formula 1 Commission in Paris on Tuesday.

Under current regulations, with the cars heavier and thirstier due to aerodynamic changes and the addition of the ‘halo’ head protection system, some fuel saving is necessary to the frustration of fans and drivers.

Engines, however, are also limited at present to three per driver per season, with teams also concerned about putting too much stress on them.

Other measures for 2019 were for the weight of the car to be separated from that of the driver in future and for all drivers to wear biometric gloves to increase safety and facilitate medical rescue.

The gloves contain sensors to gather personal data, such as heart rate, to help assess a driver’s condition in the event of a crash.

The minimum weight of drivers is expected to be set at 80kg, with ballast required for anyone weighing less. At present taller drivers are at a weight disadvantage.

The FIA said discussions would continue about aerodynamics, with the aim of taking a decision by the end of April once research carried out by the governing body with help from the teams had been concluded.

Formula 1’s commercial rights holders Liberty Media want to see increased overtaking with more teams having a chance of winning races.

The FIA also presented its proposed engine regulations for 2021, with current deals expiring at the end of 2020, and beyond.

They were for a 1.6 litre V6 turbo hybrid engine, as is currently used, but without the MGU-H exhaust energy recovery system.

The governing body said it would meet current and potential power unit manufacturers to discuss the proposals in more detail and hoped to reach an agreement by the end of May.

Formula 1 currently has four engine providers – champions Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda — but others such as Aston Martin have expressed an interest in coming in if the rules are right for them.

Ferrari have warned, however, that they could walk away if they don’t like what is on offer.

FIA statement:

The Formula 1 Strategy Group and the Formula 1 Commission met today, 17th April, at the FIA headquarters in Paris, in the presence of Jean Todt, FIA President, and Chase Carey, Chief Executive Officer of Formula 1.

Positive and constructive discussions were held regarding the future of Formula 1.

Firstly, regarding technical regulations for the 2019 season, the following changes were agreed, subject to World Motor Sport Council approval:

  • Increase the fuel allowance for the race from 105 to 110 kg, in order to be able to use the engine at full power at all times
  • Separate the weight of the car from that of the driver
  • Require all drivers to wear biometric gloves to increase safety and facilitate medical rescue.

Discussions will continue on proposals relating to aerodynamics, with a view to taking a decision by the end of April, once research being conducted by the FIA, in consultation with the teams, has been concluded.

Secondly, the FIA presented its proposals for the 2021 power unit regulations:

  • 1.6 litre engine
  • V6 Turbo Hybrid
  • Deletion of MGU-H exhaust energy recovery.

The FIA Technical Department will now meet with current and potential power unit manufacturers to discuss in more detail, with a view to concluding the 2021 regulations by the end of May.

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BARRICHELLO: A MIRACLE THAT I AM ALIVE

Rubens Barrichello

Ex-Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello revealed during an interview aired on Brazilian television how he nearly succumbed to cancer earlier this year and believes that only a miracle kept him alive.

During an interview with Globo TV presenter Pedro Bial, 45-year-old Barrichello revealed, “I had a benign vascular tumour in my neck and it is really a miracle that I am alive.”

“One Saturday [in January] I woke up and had a shower, suddenly I felt a terrible headache – on the scale of zero to ten it was a nine – next thing I found myself on the floor. I did not want to wake anyone, so I dragged myself back to bed but the pain was excruciating.”

“Luckily Silvana (his wife) was there and she called a doctor friend who immediately sensed the gravity of the situation. I’m lucky, I was immediately taken to hospital and within two hours I was operated on whereupon they found the malignant vein and sorted it out.”

“They took really good care of me and when I was discharged they explained that only 14% of patients with similar symptoms ever recover. I am feeling great and still undergoing therapy and so on. The difficulties in life are the ones which show us how to grow and how to be a better person.”

“I am so thankful and I thank God for the opportunity,” added the popular Brazilian driver who made 322 grand prix starts, winning 11 of those before quitting after the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix.

He was Michael Schumacher’s teammate at Ferrari for six years during an era of dominance for the Italian team and during his 18 year career in F1 also drove for Jordan, Stewart, Honda, Brawn and Williams.

Since the health scare Barrichello has returned to racing in the Stock Car Brazil series where he was champion with Full Time Sports team in 2014 and lies third in this year’s championship after three rounds.

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WOLFF: NO POINT FIXING SOMETHING THAT’S NOT BROKEN

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Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has likened Formula 1 to football where there are good games and bad games, pointing to the Chinese Grand Prix which was a race of two halves, the latter half exploding into an action-packed spectacle.

This season, and indeed in past years, there have been calls to ‘spice up the F1 show’ while the designs and nuances of the current era cars apparently do little to allow for close racing.

But this all went out the window as the race in Shanghai evolved from an early first-half procession of sorts to a riveting contest with a thrilling climax.

Wolff told Motorsport Network, “This is how Formula 1 always was. [In Shanghai] we had a first stint that you could have judged as being boring. And we had a second half of the race, a second 60 percent of the race, that was unbelievable motor racing.”

“And we just have to accept it. There are good football games, and there are bad football games. [In China] the first half was not good, the second half of the match was great excitement. And the penalties were fantastic!”

“It shows that we are a little bit erratic with our decisions, and one race makes people try to do things that maybe are sometimes not necessary.”

“I think we should let it roll a little bit longer, and see where we go. I think there are other things that we could look at and start introducing leading towards the 2021 programme.”

“Fundamentally we’re very close to it being there. The focus should be on how we can start to bring in the 2021 programme and start getting the benefits of that rather than fixing something that’s not really broken,” added Wolff whose drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton finished second and fourth on the day.

MIKA: Makes me laugh being able to "Just" see Niki Lauda in the background behind Wolff and Arrivabene :D

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BOULLIER: IF IT WAS ONLY ABOUT DRAG WE WOULD HAVE FIXED IT

Fernando Alonso

The plight of McLaren this year may not be as dire as in the three previous seasons, but they are still nowhere near where they predicted they would be on the Formula 1 grid, prompting racing director Eric Boullier to admit his team are struggling to unlock the required pace from their current car. 

Speaking to Sky Sports after the  weekend, Boullier conceded, “We need to understand why we are slow in qualifying, why we are better in the race and why we are behind the other Renault teams.”

With Red Bull as a benchmark, McLaren began their Renault-power era  that they would be able to go toe-to-toe with the energy drinks outfit, but it has not panned out as they dreamt.

Qualifying is their Achilles heel with their star driver Fernando Alonso’s best qualifying in three races being 11th place on the grid at the season-opener. In Bahrain and China, he started from 13th.

However thanks to the Spaniard’s tenacity and gutsy performances he has scored points in all three races, but comparisons to Red Bull and even Renault’s own works team show that the current McLaren chassis is seriously lacking. Their preseason predictions way off the mark.

Indeed the Woking outfit were on the  and as a result have been playing catch-up ever since. The roll-out of updates has been delayed as a consequence. Their next big update is now scheduled to break cover during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

With that in mind, Boullier added, “From that point, we will see performance-wise where we are.”

But he also hinted that the team underestimated the task at hand, “The car has matched all the targets, so maybe that means the targets were not the right ones and we need to revise in terms of ambitions what we need to achieve.”

Last year as the only team with Honda power they did not have a benchmark to compare their car with. But they insisted, even boasted, that they had the best chassis on the grid and only the engine was letting them down.

Not everyone bought their theory and this year the MCL33 has been a massive disappointment, suggesting that they were deluding themselves.

It has emerged that the aero package is not up to scratch or at least they are struggling to find an effective and efficient balance between downforce and outright speed.

Boullier admitted, “This is obviously one of the issues but it’s not the only one. If it were a question of just drag in the car it would be easy to fix so we have to address – I’m going to use the word fundamentally – all aspects of the car to make sure we are where we should be.”

Thus the importance of their Barcelona upgrade package is huge and the effectiveness of the bits they bolt on to their car, that weekend, will determine if they have found that elusive ‘magic button’ that will catapult them up the grid into Red Bull territory, their target when they ditched Honda for Renault.

For now, Alonso has been in good spirits, although far from the sharp end of proceedings he is now battling in the heart of the midpack where he has shown why he is so highly regarded.

The Spaniard has overshadowed the less experienced Stoffel Vandoorne in the first three races, the young Belgian has yet to sit in a decent F1 car produced by his team and simply does not have the experience of his veteran teammate to emulate him.

Nevertheless, in the wake of Daniel Ricciardo’s , with Renault power, Alonso remains positive, “It shows us the potential of the power unit.”

“It gives us confidence that with this power-unit we will be able to fight if we do a good job on the chassis side. We are not quite there and we need to close the gap and work hard and bring some updates in the next races,” added the two times F1 World Champion.

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McLaren's true 2018 car to debut at Spanish GP

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McLaren has admitted its current 2018 car is in fact an evolution of last year's MCL32 and the team won't debut its actual 2018 car until the Spanish Grand Prix in May.

The British outfit made a late switch from Honda to Renault power and had to therefore completely redesign its new car around the new power unit that impacted its schedule heavily, forcing the team to run a compromised chassis in Australia, Bahrain and China, as well as the upcoming Azerbaijan GP.

However at the first official European event in Barcelona next month, Racing Director Eric Boullier admitted the team would debut its true 2018 car, which should have raced in Australia save various development delays.

"The 2018 car is coming to Barcelona, and obviously we hope that’s the car we expect it to be,” Boullier told Autosport.

"We missed the schedule targets with it, which means the car we’ll have in Barcelona should have been in Australia.

"So we are running actually with an evolution of last year, and not the new car. And this car hopefully will be the one that we expect."

Boullier refused to be drawn on specific targets for the new chassis when asked: “No expectations, no need," he said.

"I’ve been long enough in F1 to know you just celebrate when you’re on the podium, or on top of the podium.”

McLaren currently holds fourth position in the Constructors' Championship, having secured points in each of the events held so far.

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Ross Brawn: Daniel Ricciardo like an unpredictable centre forward

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Formula 1’s Managing Director of Motorsport Ross Brawn has likened Daniel Ricciardo to a skilful centre forward, in the wake of the Red Bull driver’s Chinese Grand Prix win.

Ricciardo held sixth position during the Safety Car phase at Shanghai but carved his way forward, equipped with fresher and softer tyres than his direct opponents.

Ricciardo picked off Kimi Raikkonen, out-braked Lewis Hamilton into the Turn 14 hairpin, breezed past Sebastian Vettel along the backstraight, and grabbed the lead from Valtteri Bottas into Turn 6.

The charge earned Ricciardo widespread plaudits and Brawn added his voice to praise of the Australian – and reckons Max Verstappen can learn from his team-mate.

Verstappen had been in front of Ricciardo at the restart but went wide while battling Hamilton before making contact with Vettel, for which he received a time penalty.

“Once again, Daniel demonstrated an uncanny ability to make the most of any opportunity that comes his way during a Grand Prix,” said Brawn.

“Indeed, all six of his Formula 1 wins have come in races in which he has started fourth or lower.

“His perfect timing and overtaking skills really are impressive. Daniel is like a centre forward with incredible ball control.

“When defenders come up against him they simply don't know what to expect.

“In Shanghai, the level of his skill was even clearer to see as it was contrasted by team-mate Verstappen, who let slip what looked like a sure-fire win.

“Max simply got his timing wrong when it came to attacking Hamilton and then again with Vettel.

“However, we shouldn't forget that Max is still only 20 years old. There's a lot about the art of overtaking he could learn from a team-mate such as Daniel.”

Brawn also praised Red Bull for its race-winning tactic when the Safety Car was deployed, comparing it favourably to the “prescriptive” approach adopted by Mercedes.

“Red Bull called in both its drivers for a second stop, double stacked, taking a gamble, which the other two teams fighting for the lead were not prepared to do,” said Brawn.

“It seems in this early part of the season that Mercedes is sticking to a more prescriptive approach when it comes to managing the race.

“Red Bull, on the other hand, seems to have a more flexible approach to race management, and it definitely helps having two drivers like Ricciardo and Verstappen who are willing to buy into and adapt to their team's quick-thinking approach.”

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F1 teams load up on Ultrasofts for Azerbaijan GP

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Formula 1 teams have loaded up on Ultrasoft tyres for next weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Sole supplier Pirelli has nominated the Ultrasoft, Supersoft and Soft compounds to cope with the demands of the Baku City Circuit, which has switched from a June to an April date for its third Formula 1 event.

Both Ferrari drivers will have 10 sets of Ultrasofts available from their weekend allocation of 13, with Mercedes having nine sets and Red Bull eight.

Renault has been the most conservative operation, choosing seven sets of the purple-ringed compound.

As per usual, one set of the softest option (Ultrasoft) must be cast aside for use only in Q3, while either the Supersofts or Softs must be run for one stint of the race, assuming dry conditions prevail.

Selected tyre sets for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix:

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Marko warns Mercedes over Ricciardo swoop

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Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko has warned Mercedes boss Toto Wolff that he will fall "flat on his face" if he tries to sign Daniel Ricciardo.

The rumour mill has been fired up again following Ricciardo's dramatic victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, the win potentially strengthening his bargaining power as he continues to assess his options in Formula 1.

One potential destination could be Mercedes, given that a seat could become vacant should they decide not to renew Valtteri Bottas' contract.

But Marko has drawn his battle lines, saying Mercedes have failed to snap up one Red Bull driver in Max Verstappen and will experience the same outcome if they persue Ricciardo.

"Herr Wolff already fell on his face with Max Verstappen, and he'll fall on his face again with Daniel Ricciardo," Marko said.

Wolff, meanwhile, is still not giving much away when asked whether a move for Ricciardo is on the table.

"Niki Lauda may come back, so we can have a third option," Wolff joked with Finland's Turun Sanomat.

"No, Ricciardo is one of the good drivers, as we saw again [in China]."

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F1 set for pitstop tweak to combat unsafe releases

F1 set for pitstop tweak to combat unsafe releases

Formula 1 is set to alter pitstop procedures after the spate of unsafe releases this season has exposed a weakness in some teams’ systems.
An unsafe release from McLaren in practice for the Chinese Grand Prix was the fifth such problem in three grand prix weekends and came a week after a Ferrari pit crew member suffered a broken leg in Bahrain.

The unsafe releases have occurred despite all 10 teams employing a semi-automated system that is supposed to stop drivers being given the green light to leave their pit box before the pitstop is complete.

FIA race director Charlie Whiting has revealed he has a possible solution he will present to teams in the coming weeks.

“I think we can introduce a few things to improve, to decrease the likelihood of mistakes, yes,” Whiting said when asked by Motorsport.com if there were still concerns about the pitstop procedures after an incident-free Chinese Grand Prix.

“I think we have learned something. We need to again analyse things to ensure that what we do, we do it precisely to make sure everyone is able to follow that.”

Automated elements in F1 pitstops have advanced to include wheelgun sensors that help the gun operator signal when their wheel change is complete.

When this process is complete on all four wheels, the driver is shown the green light.

A confused sensor measuring the tightness of the wheel nut was to blame for Ferrari’s early release of Kimi Raikkonen in Bahrain that broke Francesco Cigarini’s left leg.

Neither the rear jack operator or pitstop controller, who could have overridden the system, saw the rear-left had not actually been changed and Whiting wants to beef up the process so there are more parameters for the automated part of the system to satisfy.

This is likely to be mandating all teams utilise two wheelgun sensors: one to ensure the right torque has been applied to tighten the nut, and one to check its position in case it has been cross-threated by mistake.

The likes of Haas, which lost a big Australian GP result thanks to two unsafe releases, and McLaren do not utilise dual sensors and released their cars with cross-threaded nuts.

“So, you’re using two sensors to tell the operator it’s actually done up, he presses a button, both jacks drop and the car goes,” said Whiting.

Renault chief technical officer Bob Bell suggested in China that the FIA could standardise the automated system as part of its 2021 rules package to gain greater control over safety.

Whiting said individual systems were fine as long it is not possible for a gun operator to declare their wheel is secured without being completely sure.

“I don’t think we need to standardise it,” he said. “We need to make sure that among other things there is no possibility for the guy to give the OK until those two conditions have been met.”

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TUG OF WAR BEGINS FOR LANDO NORRIS

lando norris

If any proof is needed that 18-year-old Lando Norris is the hottest property on the fringes of Formula 1, they will be dispelled by the fact that Mercedes and Red Bull are courting McLaren’s test and reserve driver.

Norris has a had a stellar junior career, his collection of championship titles impressive:

  • 2015 MSA Formula with Carlin;
  • 2016 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 with Josef Kaufmann Racing
  • 2016 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC with Josef Kaufmann Racing
  • 2016 Toyota Racing Series (New Zealand) with M2 Competition
  • 2017 FIA European Formula 3 Championship with Carlin

This year he is tackling the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Carlin and in the wake of the first two races, in Bahrain, he leads the championship after winning his debut race from pole position and finishing fourth in the second race.

In February last year, McLaren signed Norris to their junior programme after the youngster had discussions with Mercedes, Red Bull and Renault.

McLaren team chief Zak Brown said at the time, “Lando is an outstanding young talent. At McLaren, we are all extremely keen to help him achieve his goal of racing in Formula 1.”

So keen are they on the youngster that they have apparently dangled a carrot in front of Norris and fellow McLaren young driver Nyck de Vries.

According to 23-year-old De Vries, a McLaren seat in 2019 will be the reward for either him or Norris, depending on who wins the Formula 2 title, “That was literally said to me by director Zak Brown and it is in black and white. So I have it in my own hands.”

“Lando has a certain preference because of his good relationship with Zak Brown. His father pays Brown to manage Lando. But if I live up to expectations this season, I will be in F1 in 2019.”

But Brown has denied any such arrangement, “That is not an accurate reflection of the conversation but Nyck’s a very good driver”

“McLaren will always look to put the two best drivers that it can in the car and no one has any promises from McLaren verbally or contractually as to who is going to be in our car in 2019.”

“We won’t comment on our contracts but I can tell you that no one has a guarantee to be in our seat for 2019, regardless of any race results,” insisted Brown.

Whatever the case, it has emerged in recent weeks that Norris is again being courted by Mercedes with Red Bull apparently also showing an interest in the teenager.

Adam Norris, Lando’s father who is worth over €200-million, was spotted in a lengthy conversation with Toto Wolff during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, suggesting that a Plan-B for his son is being formulated.

According to a source close to Norris, his contract with McLaren does stipulate a Formula 1 drive with the team in 2019 if he wins the Formula 2 title this year. Sand should McLaren fail to honour the F1 promise, then the contract they have with him would have to be renegotiated or alternatively he could leave the Woking outfit.

Step in Wolff and Mercedes who would no doubt be very keen to add Norris to their own young driver programme which already includes George Russell, Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon.

But Mercedes would have a problem luring Norris to the team because they simply have no seat to offer him on the Formula 1 grid next year.

Pascal Wehrlein had to step down and return to DTM as no seat was available to him on the F1 grid, while Ocon is now established at Force India and unlikely to be ousted to make way for Norris.

This is where Red Bull come into the picture because they could slot him into a Toro Rosso in 2019 if need be.

Right now the pipeline of Red Bull Junior Team drivers ready to step up to is dry. Pierre Gasly was the last of the ‘ready-to-race in Formula 1’ drivers on their payroll and he is in his rookie season with Toro Rosso.

Norris himself is  keen to move up and said in an interview after testing for McLaren last year, “I’ve been given a chance in Formula 1 to prove what I can do, and a point now where I feel reasonably ready for it.”

“I think I did a reasonably well, and I hope it opens up more opportunities, and I think it’s better to do that earlier rather than later,” suggesting that the youngster and his minders are keen to step up to the top flight asap.

Earlier this year when quizzed by Marca about his future, Norris said, “You could say it depends on what Alonso does. We’ll have to wait to see what Fernando wants to do because I think [McLaren] are also happy with Vandoorne.”

“I can develop a lot and definitely improve as a driver in 2018. Obviously, my goal is to be at McLaren but if I cannot get a place here, then I’ll have to look for other opportunities.”

What the future has in store for Norris is pure speculation, for now will focus on winning the Formula 2 championship and as his shares sky-rocket McLaren will be hard pressed to hold on to his services as Mercedes and Red Bull, both with very deep pockets, sniff for an opportunity to nab the lad.

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RAIKKONEN: PECKING ORDER MAY CHANGE FROM RACE TO RACE

Kimi Raikkonen

Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen has found good form in the first three race of the season, mixing it at the sharp end and his pace closer to Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel than it has been for some time, but the 38-year-old believes that the pecking order is hard to nail down and could well vary from race to race.

After finishing third at the  Raikkonen was asked for his take on the current F1 pecking order, he replied, “It’s very hard to say. I think if you ask anybody, it’s a bit tricky to give you an answer.”

“[In China] a lot of the end results depended on whether you had better tyres than others when you could offset yourself to the others. Obviously, it’s part of the game. A big part of the game. And here it made a big difference. And the safety car playing in there.”

The current state of play and unpredictability is healthy for the sport claims the veteran Finn, “So, like pure speed, with everybody on the same tyre… it’s difficult, very difficult to say in a race.”

I think it’s nice like that, for everybody to watch because nobody really knows, everybody would love to know, nobody really has because it changes from race to race.”

“And such a small difference makes a big difference in the end results. I think you just have to wait and see. I think it might change from race to race and who runs what tyres,” predicted the Ferrari driver who heads to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for his 275th grand prix start.

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RICCIARDO: IDEALLY I’D SIGN A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - OCTOBER 02:  Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Red Bull Racing gets a congratulatory hug from Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner after winning the Malaysia Formula One Grand Prix at Sepang Circuit on October 2, 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool  // P-20161002-01448 // Usage for editorial use only // Please go to www.redbullcontentpool.com for further information. //

Daniel Ricciardo says he does not want his next Formula 1 contract to tie him down for the next four years due to the uncertainty over the sport’s future and instead is seeking to sign a two-year deal.

The 28-year-old Australian, winner in China last weekend is one of the hottest properties on the market, is out of contract with Red Bull at the end of the year.

“I don’t want to sign anything too long because I don’t know where the sport’s going,” The Times newspaper quoted him as saying on Wednesday.

“I feel like life is happening pretty fast. Each year something might change so I don’t want to tie myself down for four more years and then I’m like, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’.

“Ideally I’d sign a two-year contract. I think two years I can definitely be comfortable with and then see it from there,” he added. “That third year will be the rule change so I will probably wait and see what happens then.”

Formula One’s current engine regulations last only to the end of 2020, when team agreements also expire, and the sport is deciding how the future should look and what kind of engines will be used.

Ferrari have already warned that they could walk away if they do not like what is on offer.

Red Bull could have a new engine partner as early as next season, with the team weighing up whether to stay with Renault or switch to the improving Honda units used by their Toro Rosso team.

Mercedes have yet to announce a new deal for four times world champion Lewis Hamilton, who is also out of contract at the end of this season and has said he wants to see what the future holds before committing.

While Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen have long-term deals, there is uncertainty about the futures of Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari and Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes.

Ricciardo would be a strong replacement for either but the Australian told the newspaper that neither team had been in touch so far.

“I kind of feel like if they want me to race for them they should contact me, but they haven’t,” he said.

Ricciardo has said consistently since last year that he just wants to be in the fastest car and would be happy to stay at Red Bull if they can provide it.

“If we win this year then I’m staying with Red Bull. It’s pretty simple. It’s really just about performance at the moment,” he added.

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ROSBERG: LEWIS ALWAYS COMES BACK STRONGER THAN EVER

nico rosberg lewis hamilton

Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 rivals should beware the backlash because the four-times world champion’s dip in form will not last long, warned his former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the 2016 F1 world champion said that the Chinese Grand Prix showed the Briton, who finished fourth, was struggling.

The German, whose once-friendly relationship with Hamilton grew increasingly frosty in their time together, saw that as just one of those “typical phases” that his old rival goes through.

“When it doesn’t go perfectly, he starts to lose that edge a little bit and a touch of motivation or whatever and then just struggles for a while,” said Rosberg.

“And those are the races you have to maximise… because Lewis always comes back, and when he comes back he comes back so damn strong that he’s almost unbeatable. And so let’s see when that happens.”

The next race is at Azerbaijan’s Baku City Circuit on 29 April.

Hamilton has not won since last year’s United States Grand Prix in October, a run of six without standing on the top step of the podium.

In the three so far this year, the 33-year-old has finished second, third and fourth and been beaten twice by Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel won in Australia and Bahrain and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in China — the first time since the V6 turbo hybrid era started in 2013 that Mercedes have lost three races in a row.

Hamilton had a longer winless run at the end of 2015 and early 2016 when Rosberg won seven in a row before Max Verstappen triumphed for Red Bull in Spain. Hamilton then won six of the next seven.

The Briton went on another five-race run without a victory after that before winning the last four races, but the damage had been done and Rosberg was champion.

Hamilton said after Shanghai, where Ferrari swept the front row for the second race in succession, that he felt he was in ‘no-mans land’.

“Obviously it’s a tough battle ahead of us. I would say on my side but also us as a team, we’ve been underperforming,” he added.

“I have got to try and rectify that and get myself back into normal performance mode, otherwise more valuable points will be lost.”

Team boss Toto Wolff agreed Hamilton’s form had dipped, “Like the car, he was maybe not in the best place this weekend. He’s the best driver, in my opinion, but also the best ones have days where it’s just not 100 percent.”

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Williams warns F1: ‘We could close down’

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Williams' deputy team principal Claire Williams has cast doubt on the future of the team if Formula 1 bosses fail to introduce a budget cap in 2021.

Following a meeting on the future of the sport in Bahrain, Williams strongly welcomed the idea of a budget cap to help them compete with likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull at the very top of the grid.

But not all teams are happy with the proposed changes laid out by Liberty and the FIA and Williams has warned that it could spell the end of the iconic team if an agreement on budgets cannot be reached.

“If I look at it from my perspective, if we don’t do this, then Williams will close, the whole of the company,” Williams told racefans.net.

“[In Bahrain] I was very positive about it, but then there are some of the people that are very negative about it.

“We are lucky that this works for us, but it think it probably demonstrates the fact that our team, track performance aside, is a good model of how a Formula One team should be operating in our sport.”

A budget cap would likely mean job losses at teams with huge resources at their disposal, but Williams thinks it is a move that is necessary for the greater good of the sport.

“It pains me to say, but sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture for the sake of the sport,” she added.

“I don’t know the exact numbers and yes, of course it’s going to be difficult for teams to restructure and reorganise, and yes, of course the thought of anybody losing their job as a result is not something we welcome in any way, shape or form.”

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How Force India is tackling its tough start to the 2018 F1 season

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Force India has struggled to match its performance levels of the past two Formula 1 seasons, scoring just one point in the first three races of 2018.

One of the problems it has admitted to is a lack of correlation between the windtunnel/CFD and the racetrack, with technical director Andy Green saying "the tunnel and CFD match, but unfortunately they don't match reality".

This problem was only detected after pre-season testing was completed, meaning the first three race weekends have been all about trying to understand and fix the issue.

This is always very difficult to achieve, as anything running near the ground will always suffer from different airflow separation characteristics to what the research tools predict.

Sometimes you can live with it, but sometimes it masks the car's true performance.

In Bahrain and China, Force India introduced a few variations on the diffuser, with this drawing showing the latest version.

Every team's diffuser will stall to some degree when the rear of the car is close to the ground, which reduces the drag and allows higher top speeds.

But with that it reduces the downforce, and it is vitally important that this airflow reattaches the moment the rear of the car starts to rise. Otherwise, the braking area becomes a bit of a nightmare for the driver.

The upper rear wing and how the wing's airflow reattaches when the DRS is closed will also affect the diffuser airflow reattachment, as will some of the other aerodynamic components further upstream.

So when you have a problem, it is not easy to identify what area is instigating it.

And with any problem, it is vitally important to rectify it at source otherwise it is just a temporary bandage with the issue still waiting to bite you.

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MERCEDES: WE HAVE US AN ARMS RACE

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Mercedes have reviewed their  performance and conclude that we have us a Formula 1 arms race this year between the World Champions, Red Bull and Ferrari that is set to go on the rest of the season, as the Big Three seek to eke out an advantage over one another from race-to-race.

James Vowles, Mercedes chief strategist, said in the team’s Shanghai debrief, “Ferrari and Red Bull are fierce opponents, they are World Champions they are developing the car and they are working day and night tirelessly to beat us, we are doing the same but it is an arms race of who can develop the car the fastest and who can produce the fastest car.”

“What we can’t ignore at this point in time is that, in Shanghai, Ferrari had a faster car than us. It is our duty and job to keep working tirelessly to go through to Baku and do our best to fight back against them.”

Tyres and how the respective cars treat them in varying conditions is proving to be one of the key factors of the early races and sure to have a significant influence on how the season pans out.

“The tyres this year are having an impact,” declared Vowles. “But more so than that there is a second aspect as well which is that you have three teams Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull that all, depending on what tyre it is and track it is, are able to have different levels of performance to each other.”

“In the case of Melbourne we were very fast on both compounds, in Bahrain were very fast on that Supersoft tyre but had more degradation and in the case of the Chinese Grand Prix, Red Bull were extraordinarily fast on the Soft tyre.”

“What that is creating is different cars with different levels of performance, depending on what the track temperature is, what the conditions are and what tyres they have fitted to the car,” explained the Mercedes man whose team have yet to win a grand prix in the first three races of the season.

 

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WHY IS HAMILTON STALLING OVER NEW MERCEDES CONTRACT?

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Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have apparently reached a stalemate over signing a new contract extension to keep the four times Formula 1 World Champion at the team, with rumours floated in the paddock claiming the Briton is holding out for more money.

Auto Motor und Sport report that Hamilton and Mercedes were intent on concluding a new deal before the start of the season, but negotiations have dragged on. The report claims that talks, in Bahrain, to finalise the deal were inconclusive.

They also cite “mischievous paddock rumours” apparently spread by Red Bull that the reigning world champion may be holding out until his team accept a demand of $10-million annual wage increase that would see Hamilton bank close to $55-million per year.

Hamilton himself said in Bahrain: “I’m in no hurry and will take my time. First of all, I want to know which direction Formula 1 is heading for. That can also influence my decision.”

The Briton referring to new plans mooted for Formula 1 in this Liberty Media era. Many questions remain regarding the future of the sport: Will there be a budget cap or not? Who will benefit? Who will suffer? Will the big manufacturers (Mercedes and Ferrari) remain?

Hamilton has also pointed out that this could well be the last contract of his Formula 1 career, “The next contract will be the most important one of my career.”

Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda, instrumental in luring Hamilton to Mercedes, was typically candid regarding the stalemate, “It all depends on the moods, sometimes he is more expensive, sometimes cheaper. It always depends on how the last race went…”

Beyond his current team, the only other option would be Ferrari, but this would hinge on the Italian team’s big boss Sergio Marchionne wanting to turn a decidedly one-man team, where the focus is predominantly on Sebastian Vettel, into a double-pronged outfit with two drivers capable of battling for the title and both getting equal treatment at the same time.

Should Ferrari countenance such an option the Reds would have two drivers with eight world titles among them as teammates – the most formidable pairing in the history of the sport.

A hefty $100-million plus would be required to fund both these drivers in the same team without any guarantees that the partnership will be successful, and indeed not destructive. But it is well known that what Marchionne wants, Marchionne gets…

The question is: Would such a scenario benefit Ferrari and fulfil Marchionne’s ambition to topple Mercedes?

The  has not slipped Hamilton who, like most of his peers, has huge respect for the legendary team and said in the past, “I’m a big fan of Ferrari, it’s a fantastic team.”

But at the same, the driver who has only raced with Mercedes power during his F1 career, added, “I love where I am. The atmosphere in my team is incredible and there are something like 1,800 people in my team just to build those two cars. It’s pretty unbelievable. I love the environment and the work.”

Amid all the conjecture Lauda remains optimistic that Hamilton will remain in silver, “Don’t worry, money is not a problem. We have agreed in principle. It’s just about details. Lewis will continue to drive for us.”

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Ferrari's Antonio Giovinazzi completes 124 laps in Pirelli wet tyre test

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Ferrari reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi signed off on a successful day of wet tyre testing for Pirelli on Thursday as he completed 124 laps behind the wheel of Ferrari's SF71-H.

It marked the first time the Italian driver has driven Ferrari's latest car after the team gave him and development driver Daniil Kvyat the nod for the test, conducted by Pirelli at Ferrari's Fiorano track.

Under current regulations, Pirelli is permitted up to 25 days of running per season in order to develop its tyres for future campaigns.

The running is split between all 10 current teams, who supply current-year cars, with action taking place at various venues across the year. Teams are not permitted to run any upgrades, whilst data from the test is shared between all ten teams.

Pirelli's programme focussed on the Intermediate tyre, with the track artificially watered throughout the day, with warm and sunny weather prevailing.

A Pirelli spokesperson told Motorsport Week that everything was "achieved as planned".

Kvyat is due to take over duties on Friday and is expected to run the full wet tyre.

It will mark the Russian's first time in Ferrari's current-spec car, having joined the operation in the wake of his departure from Red Bull.

Kvyat started 72 Grands Prix for Red Bull and Toro Rosso between 2014 and 2017, scoring two podium finishes.

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Renault says 'substantial' engine upgrades will close gap to frontrunners

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Renault says it has plans to introduce "substantial" developments to its power unit throughout the 2018 season which it's confident will allow it to completely close the gap to rivals Mercedes and Ferrari.

Renault chose to focus on reliability over performance during the off-season following a spate of failures last year but is now confident it has tackled those problems and can instead focus on boosting outright power.

According to Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul, the planned developments could be worth upwards of half a second per lap in race conditions, prompting hope that it can edge closer to its opponents.

"We are talking about a substantial amount of in-season development," Abiteboul is quoted as saying by Autosport. "It is more than the gap we have now, in my opinion, from the top teams, certainly in the race at least."

The first developments are set to be introduced at next motnh's Spanish Grand Prix, focusing on power management and qualifying, though the major hardware upgrade won't happen until Renault introduces its second engine of the season, potentially in Canada.

"We have more stuff coming in terms of engine power from race five onwards," he added. "There are a couple of improvements in the way we are operating the engine and that’s more in qualifying.

"There will be more coming, but obviously the next proper improvement will be with hardware upgrade [but] that’s not going to be before we introduce power unit number two, which I hope will be as late as possible."

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Brawn: Highly unlikely midfield teams will get a podium

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Midfield teams will struggle to break the podium dominance of the top three this season, according to Ross Brawn.

Unsurprisingly, Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull have dominated the podium spots so far this campaign as they have made it nine out of nine.

You have to go back to the 2017 Azerbaijan GP for the last time a driver from a different team finished inside the top three as Lance Stroll from Williams claimed his maiden podium on that occasion.

In 2016, it happened three times as Sergio Perez in the Force India and Valtteri Bottas in the Williams made it into the top three, but chances of that happening again are pretty slim.

"In less than two weeks, we'll be racing in Baku," Brawn is quoted as saying by F1i.com. "Which last year saw the only podium appearance of a driver from outside the top three teams.

"Could the return to this very different street circuit throw up a result outside of the top three teams?"

"On current form it looks highly unlikely."

Brawn explained that the gap between the top three and the rest of the pack is "far too big" that not even the deployment of a Safety Car could upset the apple cart at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.

"As was the case in Bahrain, and again in China, the gap between the first three and the rest of the pack was far too big," he said.

"On lap 16, prior to the run of pit stops the gap from leader [Sebastian] Vettel to seventh-placed Kevin Magnussen was over 35 seconds.

"The Dane was already trailing Ricciardo, the next man in front, by 20 seconds."

He added: "The safety car mixed things up. But not enough to see a driver from the second group join the fight for podium places."

MIKA: Never say Never Ross... ;) 

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Sainz: My future could be at Renault

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Carlos Sainz has said he is open to continuing his career with Renault beyond his initial year-long loan spell.

The Spaniard is on loan from Red Bull until the end of the 2018 season and is waiting for Daniel Ricciardo’s next move before his own future is clarified.

Sainz has long stated his desire to drive for Red Bull, but is refusing to rule out staying with Renault.

“Definitely the future could be with Renault and I’m ready for it if it comes,” Sainz told Sky F1.

“I’m loving it, especially because the team is just moving forward. Investment is coming, all the mechanics and engineers just feel this vibe.”

Renault advisor and four-time World Champion Alain Prost has labelled Sainz’s move to Renault as a “risk” – but one that has paid off.

“We knew that it was a risk,” Prost admitted. “It’s important for the team to make a progression.

“It was a decision that was good for the team and good for Nico because you can see that it made his level even higher now.”

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Sainz vs Verstappen shows Hulkenberg's strength - Renault

Sainz vs Verstappen shows Hulkenberg's strength - Renault

Renault believes the quality of Nico Hulkenberg's performances in Formula 1 this season is best exemplified by his teammate Carlos Sainz's previous form against Max Verstappen.
Sainz has been on loan at Renault from Red Bull since moving across from Toro Rosso late last year, and his stint in the energy drinks company's junior team included being paired against Verstappen for 23 races.

Though Verstappen outscored Sainz considerably in that spell, Sainz's qualifying form was excellent and he was often let down by poor reliability.

Renault Sport boss Cyril Abiteboul told Motorsport.com that was a good illustration of how impressive it is that Hulkenberg has beaten Sainz in each of the three grands prix this season and scored 22 points to his teammate's three.

"It's fair to say he [Sainz] has a bit of a margin compared to Nico, but that does give an indication of how strong Nico is," said Abiteboul.

"It's always interesting to follow the change of team for drivers, because by comparing one to the next you can establish an overall comparison between the grid.

"If you remember what Carlos was doing against Verstappen, that does give an indication of how strong Nico is actually."

Sainz was outqualified and outraced by Hulkenberg in the final three grands prix of 2017, after his Renault debut in the United States coincided with Hulkenberg suffering a grid penalty and then race retirement.

He was faster than Hulkenberg in the 2018 opener in Australia until the final part of qualifying, and Hulkenberg has been ahead when it counts ever since.

"He has a bit of a margin but there is absolutely no panic – both on Saturday and Sunday," said Abiteboul.

"I'm completely confident that he can, in our environment, in our landscape, continue to learn, continue to develop, and hopefully equal Nico.

"But he's also pushing Nico. The Nico we have this year is different to the Nico we had last year."

Hulkenberg has been the most consistent performer from the group of drivers battling behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, and has qualified seventh for the past six races.

Abiteboul said he "definitely" deserves the title of 'best of the rest' and has been "frankly fantastic" in races.

"We will be in Baku next, where I remember he made a mistake, hitting a wall which maybe cost him a podium," said Abiteboul.

"That is really his target. I can feel this record of number of races entered without a podium [138] is not going to stand for long."

Asked by Motorsport.com to rate his own performances this season, Hulkenberg said: "I feel pretty confident and happy. With these cars, since last year, it probably favours me more.

"I do feel that with all the seasons I've done, the experience, I'm doing amongst the best driving I've ever produced. So far I'm happy, but don't praise the season too soon."

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HAAS: WHEN WE DO BAD WE ARE STUPID, WHEN WE DO WELL WE ARE FERRARI

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Gene Haas has slammed critics of his Formula 1 team for giving them a hard time when they are down and not giving them the credit they deserve when they are doing well, while believing that a budget cap would benefit his team.

Haas have endured ups-and-downs since they arrived on the F1 scene in 2016. Most recently they have a strong car in the Ferrari-powered VF17, perhaps the best of the rest behind the big three but which has prompted cynics – including Fernando Alonso – to label it a Ferrari replica.

Speaking to the official F1 website, Haas said, “When we’re doing badly, people will say that we’re just another stupid American team and when we’re doing well, it’s the Ferrari team.”

“That’s not giving credit to the guys who work here. If you look at our car or anybody else’s car, our car is significantly different. Our radiator layout is different. The way our bargeboards work is completely different. Those things are definitely not copied from anybody. They are all designed in house.”

Of the team’s close ties with Maranello, Haas explained, “If you look at other teams – Force India, Williams, Toro Rosso – they all have relationships with different engine manufacturers, transmission suppliers and component suppliers. We just happen to have a relationship which is more with a single supplier.”

“It works, but I don’t think there’s any other way for a team to start up. These cars are unbelievably complex and to sit there and say I’m going to build one in the back of my workshop and go race with those guys, that’s just silly.”

“Those days are long gone, you can’t do that anymore. In years gone by, you’d buy a chassis, you’d get yourself an engine and you’d basically buy the bits and pieces and go racing. We’re probably doing something akin to the original Formula 1…”

“It works if you’re transparent and you pay your bills. We have a clear contract in place. We do what we promise to do and they do what they promise to do.”

“We talked to Mercedes and Ferrari and they were both open to the exact same idea, we’ll sell you anything you want. That’s available today. If you want to go to Mercedes and buy components from them, I think they are more than happy to probably sell them to you. It’s good business for them. Ferrari makes good money.”

With regards to the future of the sport and the proposed budget cap which Liberty Media, with the FIA, are intent in establishing in Formula 1 in an attempt to level the lopsided playing field, Haas said, “The budget cap is a game changer.”

“It will create a new raft of different winners, and I guess there will be some losers on the other side. Our biggest advantage is we’re adaptable to change quickly, because we’re new at it. The bigger more established teams have a harder time, they are like a big boat, they just don’t move quickly. We feel like that’s our advantage, we can adapt quickly.”

“We didn’t invest a lot of money in infrastructure, R&D and design. The stuff we get has been designed over 20 years so we can take advantage of that. We don’t have any history tied to that so we can move on. All of a sudden, if a different part becomes available that is better, we can change immediately if we have to. Flexibility is our advantage,” added Haas.

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STEINER: WE NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO DUMB DOWN F1

Guenther Steiner

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner warns that Formula 1 must not follow the one-make Indycar route and says that the pinnacle sport has the right people in charge but needs to now find the right direction for the future.

Formula 1 is at a crossroads and the next few months will be vital in mapping out the future of the sport and already two camps have emerged: those supporting  to reduce costs while making F1 more affordable and attractive to lure more manufacturers.

Steiner said in an interview with Motorsport Network, “I think F1 should not go to spec cars. If F1 goes to spec cars I think it is the end of F1. It’s the pinnacle of motorsport, technology is still important.”

“We need to be very careful not to dumb down F1. As much as we don’t think people are interested, a lot of people are interested in technology, not only in racing, and I think F1 is a good showcase for technology,” explained the Haas team chief echoing what Ferrari big boss Sergio Marchionne has been saying for the past year.

Haas have been Ferrari powered since they arrived on the scene in 2016 and have a close partnership with Maranello, while their chassis build is outsourced to Dallara who produce the cars for Indycar.

While agreeing with Marchionne, Steiner also believes that Liberty Media’s plans to embrace and appeal to a larger audience is important for the sport.

“We need to make it more, I would say, accessible then at least people know what we are doing. That is one of the goals we should try to achieve but we should not dumb Formula 1 down like IndyCar, because then you have got ‘GP1’ and we know where that one is going.”

“As great as we think IndyCar is, if [other] series like what it’s done, it’s not like we should focus on that one, we should focus on ourselves and make our sport better.” I think F1 has got a good structure in place with Ross [Brawn] on top of it to know what Formula 1 is and where to go.”

“For me, to speak with anybody, even speaking with IndyCar [and] what their experience was is not wrong. I never say don’t speak with anybody, they all made good experiences but what I mean is we don’t need to listen to somebody to tell us what to do.”

“The people in F1, they are pretty clever, and we know where we need to go. It’s how we get there, that is the bigger problem for us than what we need to do,” concluded Steiner.

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