Formula 1 - 2017

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ONE LESS F1 TEAM AS MANOR GOES BUST

Formula One could shrink to 10 teams this season after Manor, the sport’s smallest and least successful outfit, went into administration on Friday with more than 200 jobs at risk.

The British-based team, who entered Formula One in 2010 and previously competed as Virgin and Marussia, are now in a race against time to find new investors to stave off collapse.

FRP Advisory LLP said in a statement they had been appointed administrators to the team’s operating company Just Racing Services Ltd (JRSL).

Manor Grand Prix Racing Ltd, the sister company which holds the rights to participate in the championship, is not in administration.

“During recent months, the senior management team has worked tirelessly to bring new investment to the team to secure its long term future, but regrettably has been unable to do so within the time available,” said joint administrator Geoff Rowley. “Therefore, they have been left with no alternative but to place JRSL into administration.”

The team employ 212 staff at their Banbury headquarters. Rowley said all were paid in full to the end of December and no redundancies had been made. The season starts in Australia on March 26, with the first pre-season test at the end of February.

“The team’s participation will depend on the outcome of the administration process and any related negotiations with interested parties in what is a very limited window of opportunity,” Rowley said.

Manor are owned by Stephen Fitzpatrick, who runs the Independent British energy supplier Ovo and rescued the team at the 11th hour in 2014 after they went into administration as Marussia.

Fitzpatrick said a sale to an Asian investment consortium had been agreed in December but that time had run out before they could complete the transaction.

“Not wishing to repeat events of the past, we resolved in 2015 not to start any season that we did not know for certain we could complete,” he added in a note to staff.

“It was imperative that the team finish in 10th place or better in 2016. For much of the season we were on track. But the dramatic race in Brazil ended our hopes of this result and ultimately brought into doubt the team’s ability to race in 2017.”

Manor were 10th overall until the penultimate race in Sao Paulo at which Sauber leapfrogged them with their first points of the season, a result that slashed millions off Manor’s future revenues and made them less attractive to would-be purchasers.

Fitzpatrick also stands to lose millions, with Manor costing between $40-50 million per season to run and any potential investor unlikely to offer much.

The failing Lotus team were sold to Renault for just one pound at the end of 2015.

Manor have no confirmed drivers, with French rookie Esteban Ocon moving to Force India at the end of last season and Mercedes reserve Pascal Wehrlein set for a switch to Sauber.

The team’s demise would spell the end for any hopes that Brazilian Felipe Nasr and Mexican Esteban Gutierrez, discarded by Sauber and Haas respectively, have of being on the grid in Melbourne.

The failure of the last of the three newcomers that entered the sport in 2010 would also reduce the number of Mercedes-powered teams to three.

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Australian Grand Prix circuit tweaked for faster 2017 F1 cars

Melbourne's Albert Park circuit will undergo a number of track revisions ahead of the 2017 Australian Grand Prix, to accommodate the faster new-generation Formula 1 cars.

According to FIA data provided to the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, mid-corner speeds at the track will increase by 20-50km/h at mid-to-high-speed turns, braking points will be 20-30 metres later and lap times will be three to four seconds quicker.

That has prompted a number of safety-related revisions, with tyre wall reprofiling at Turns 1, 6, and 14, plus over AU$100,000 worth of Tecpro high-speed barriers at Turn 12.

"We took all the information we received from the FIA, and being a temporary circuit we had to manufacture additional tyre buffers and purchase 80 metres worth of the Tecpro barrier," Craig Moca, the track's division manager of infrastructure told Autosport's sister title Motorsport.com.

"That's a big step for us from being an old-school track where we've got tyres and conveyor belts, to having these high-speed barriers."

The Tecpro barrier will be used in an 80-metre stretch on the exit of the quick Turn 11/12 complex, where the 2017 cars are expected to reach around 140mph as they leave the corner - meaning a potential barrier impact speed of 80mph if a driver runs wide.

Elsewhere the focus has been on reprofiling tyre walls, with sections of the Turn 1 and 6 walls doubled in width.

The biggest overhaul is at Turn 14, where the entire run-off area at the end of the braking zone will be doubled from three rows of tyres to six, with tube inserts.

"When I did some research, watching Lewis Hamilton's qualifying on-board footage from 2015, it shows the speeds on approach to those corners, and you can clearly see why the FIA identified those corners," said Moca.

"Because our barriers are so close to the track, it's making sure that we've got enough protection that if a driver does go off track, it can stop without seriously injuring the driver or damaging the car substantially."

Despite the 2017 changes, Moca does not anticipate a widespread move from tyre walls to Tecpro.

"The Tecpro barriers are extremely expensive, so we will stick to using tyres as much as we can," he said.

"It does the same job, and the FIA still says that it is good for the job.

"And our circuit has a very good safety record - a good example of that is Fernando [Alonso's] accident last year. The fantastic thing is he got up and walked away.

"We had everything right; the gravel was the right height, the gravel trap was placed correctly, the tyre buffers were there, the barriers were in the right place...

"The main thing for us as the guys who build the circuit is that he walked away."

[cigaraholic]

So much great F1 news.....thank you so much!

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MCLAREN OVERVIEW OF NUTS & BOLTS FOR THE 2017 SEASON

McLaren-Honda’s technical director Tim Goss gives the nuts & bolts lowdown ahead of the 2017 Formula 1 world championship season, which will see a formidable list of new regulations designed so speed up the sporty while turning the cars into sexy mean machines.

All change for 2017

“Let’s be clear, we’re looking at some huge regulatory changes ahead of the 2017 season. We’ve had bigger changes in the past – the change between 1982 and ’83 from ground-effect to flat floors, for example, which had a massive impact on performance. But this season’s changes rank as some of the most significant we’ve ever had in the sport.

“That’s likely to change the competition order – because it’s such a big disturbance. Historically, that has changed the order – but then what normally happens is that the best, and most well-equipped, teams tend to rise to the top again.

“These new cars will definitely look different, and that was always one of the objectives of the rule-changes. The aim was to make the cars look more aggressive; to make them faster, so that F1 was very much at the pinnacle of motorsport in terms of outright speed, and to make them more difficult to drive. By that, we don’t mean that they’re more of a handful for the drivers, but that they’re more physically demanding for them, so that they get out of the car having had to work hard – like they did in years past.

“These 2017 cars are lower and squatter; they just look meaner. The lower rear-wing, big fat tyres and big diffuser look cool – they look mean. But for the engineering department, the changes to the aerodynamic and tyre regulations are the two most challenging areas to tackle.”

Tyres

“Understanding what the tyres are actually going to do has been a huge challenge. The 2017 tyres are slightly larger in diameter, but, more significantly, they are wider. Imagine the old 2016 rear tyre now going on the front of the car, and a similar-sized increase on the rear tyre to accommodate.

“Pirelli ran a very intensive test programme during 2016 to develop the new tyres, with the support of three teams. They got lots of mileage under their belts throughout 2016, and all that data has been provided to all the other teams. But, from all of that testing, trying to piece together what we think the tyres are going to do in terms of performance, degradation, thermal stability etc, that’s still quite challenging.

“And there’s a couple of reasons for that: even nowadays, it’s still quite difficult to understand tyre behaviour – even if you go track-testing. Additionally, the 2016 mule cars won’t behave in the same way as the 2017 cars – so what we’re trying to do is identify which areas of performance are attached to the tyre and which to the mule car. That’s a major challenge.

“We’re pretty close to knowing what we’re going to get from the tyres, but really understanding how they’ll sync with the new regulations will be quite a challenge. In pre-season testing, we will learn a lot.”

Aero

“The aerodynamic changes have been another challenge. A lot of the flow structures and physics on the car are fundamentally the same, how the flow is established at the front of the car and then travels back down the car, starts off in a fairly similar way to last year.

“Now what you’ll find is that, in the detail, things start to behave differently, which prompts you to change direction. The 2017 cars will look pretty similar to the layman, but the aero guys have been battling to correct flow-structures at different ride heights for months and months now. We’ve had to rethink lots of different areas on the car, because they’re behaving differently to how they did before.”

Wings

“The track width has gone out by 100mm per side – so the cars are wider. And because of that increased width, the front wing has also grown wider. And it’s now swept back in plan-view.

“The rear wing is also wider and lower – which helps make the whole car look lower and wider. And there are some visual styling cues that have been introduced: the rear is swept back in side-view, and the sidepod intakes are angled in plan-view. It’s definitely a ‘meaner’ look.

“And there’s a detail in the rear-wing endplate regulations; they step in – and that curviness is another styling feature that adds to the general ‘aura’ around the new shape.”

Bargeboards

“The new regulations allow us to run a much larger bargeboard. There’s much more freedom in that area – so you’ll probably see that every team has done a lot of detailed work in that area. In the 2016 regulations, the scope for bargeboard development was quite small. Now we can run them to the full height of the chassis, they can go a lot further forward and sit wider outboard. We can also stack devices within that area – so you’ll see a lot more complication in that area, a little like we saw in previous regulatory eras.”

Floor & Diffuser

“The bodywork and floor have both got wider for 2017. The leading edge of the bib area has been brought rearwards by 100mm, that’s not hugely significant, it’s a weight-saving concept, but, with the increase in the width of the car, there’s more floor area, which means more aerodynamic load.

“The most significant change in this area is the rear diffuser. It’s longer and higher – and that will create a lower pressure in the centre of the floor and create more downforce. The 2017 diffuser now starts earlier and goes to a higher height. It previously started at the rear-axle centre-line, it’s now 170mm further forward, around halfway towards the leading edge of the tyre. Last year, the height was 125mm above the reference plane, and it’s now 175mm.”

Engine

“The token system that was applied to engine development for the past few seasons has been discontinued. For 2017, the Honda engine architecture and layout have been altered to serve both for performance and packaging needs.

“The new power unit takes much of the learning from the past two seasons, but has been specifically redesigned for this season.”

Drivers

“The drivers say that these new cars will be more challenging to drive, and that they’ll have to work harder and concentrate more to get the best from them.

“One knock-on from that is that we’ll no longer classified some corners as ‘corners’. What we mean by that is that engineers define a corner as a point on the track where the driver has to lift and essentially drive and handle the car through it; if he’s going round a bend, and his foot is flat to the floor on the accelerator, we class that as a straight.

“As the new cars will be going faster, some of 2016’s ‘corners’ will be classified as ‘straights’. But because they’ll be going through them faster, they’ll be subjected to more g-forces – and that’s still tiring on the body.”

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Some corners will no longer be considered corners in 2017 - McLaren

McLaren technical director Tim Goss says some corners will no longer be considered corners by the engineers, as drivers won't need to lift off the throttle in the 2017 cars, like they would have had to in previous seasons.

The new breed of cars will have greater mechanical grip from the wider Pirelli tyres, whilst a larger diffuser and larger wings will increase downforce to the extent that cars will be able to take some corners flat as if they were straight.

"One knock-on from that [the new regulations] is that we’ll no longer classify some corners as ‘corners’," said Goss. 

"What we mean by that is that engineers define a corner as a point on the track where the driver has to lift and essentially drive and handle the car through it; if he’s going round a bend, and his foot is flat to the floor on the accelerator, we class that as a straight.

"As the new cars will be going faster, some of 2016’s ‘corners’ will be classified as ‘straights’. But because they’ll be going through them faster, they’ll be subjected to more g-forces – and that’s still tiring on the body."

Although there will be less corners for the drivers to navigate, their workload will still increase, particularly the strain on their body from the increased g-forces which are expected to push a driver to their absolute limit.

"These new cars will definitely look different, and that was always one of the objectives of the rule-changes. The aim was to make the cars look more aggressive; to make them faster, so that F1 was very much at the pinnacle of motorsport in terms of outright speed, and to make them more difficult to drive," explained Goss.

"By that, we don’t mean that they’re more of a handful for the drivers, but that they’re more physically demanding for them, so that they get out of the car having had to work hard – like they did in years past."

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Toro Rosso plans 24/7 shifts to complete 2017 F1 car

Toro Rosso is planning to have staff working 24 hours a day, seven-days-a-week for a four-week period leading up to the first Formula 1 pre-season test next month.

Following an overhaul of F1 regulations, more aggressive-looking cars with wider front and rear wings and bigger tyres will be introduced this year.

Testing starts at Barcelona on February 27, five days later than in 2016, but the dramatic changes mean teams face a battle to get their machines ready in time.

Toro Rosso adopted a similar around-the-clock approach last season but that was because its plans were severely hampered by the lengthy delay in securing its engine deal.

“From the production side, we will have to work 24/7 for a period,” said team principal Franz Tost.

“From the middle of January to the middle of February, we will run three shifts per day. It's a very short period because it's quite cost intensive.”

December and January are the most critical months for F1 teams as it is when production really ramps up. However, teams want to give designers as much as time as possible before committing to production to ensure performance is maximised.

This makes schedules very tight, but Tost believes Toro Rosso is well set to be ready. “It becomes tricky when the aerodynamic department do not want to release the drawings and they just want to gain another day,” he said.

“It becomes always very tight but it's a performance gain. It's every year the same story, nothing changes.

“As long as you can stay in the windtunnel and do research and development, there's more performance you can come up with.

“This is the difference with a small team, once we set up the deadline we must say 'stop now’, because otherwise we don't drive.

“We need to have the decision about the drawing release on a certain date and then they know it's absolutely latest, it's not possible any more because we're on the limit.”

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Senna/Prost era would be considered boring today - Alonso

Formula 1 reached its peak in the 2000s and the era of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost would be considered boring now, reckons Fernando Alonso.

The two-time world champion believes the 1980s title battles are viewed over-generously with hindsight.

A stern critic of F1's recent direction, Alonso reckons many of the 2014-16 regulations' problems also compromised what many consider as the championship's halcyon period.

"Formula 1 at that time, it was very boring," he said of the Senna/Prost era.

"If you see a race now from '85, '88 or '92, you will sleep through the race, because it was two McLarens, the fourth guy was lapped and there was 25 seconds between each car. There were 10 cars not finishing because the reliability was so-so.

"Television figures, spectators are going down [now], like it was in these boring years in the '80s where Senna, Prost and these people were saving fuel, saving tyres and things like that."

By contrast, he rates the manufacturer boom of the 2000s as F1's high point. "I think Formula 1 grew up a lot," Alonso said of that period.

"A lot of manufacturers came into Formula 1 in the 2000s - BMW, Toyota, and there were many people coming. Television figures and the spectators were at the maximum.

"We opened Formula 1 to new countries - we raced in Korea, we raced in India, we raced in Singapore, two races in Spain - and that was the maximum.

"And we didn't understand that situation, probably. The costs were very high, technology was very high, some manufacturers pulled out."

Alonso also believes it is common for drivers to be reassessed more favourably after they retire. "When you stop racing you transform into an idol, when you are racing you are criticised," he said.

"When you stop racing you are fantastic, it happened with Felipe [Massa], with [Mark] Webber.

"The people of the '80s - they're great champions, they are idols. And now in this generation [Lewis] Hamilton, [Sebastian] Vettel, they will be idols for the kids in go-karts now."

He added that his frustration with recent F1 regulations was that the performance available from the technology could not be fully exploited.

"The resources, the budgets of these teams, the technology we are using allows these cars to be fantastic machines and probably beyond any physics that the human being respects," said Alonso.

"Now we don't have that feeling. We have a car that is way too slow with no grip. So we are sitting in a single-seater but with the feeling of a GT."

But Alonso remains optimistic that the increased performance of the 2017 designs - which are intended to lap four-to-five seconds faster due to improved aerodynamics - will make F1 more to his taste.

"I think this will make that excitement of driving and this joy of driving, because we'll feel the grip and we can push in the corners," he said.

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Manor's fate sealed by Brazilian GP blow, says Fitzpatrick

Manor owner Stephen Fitzpatrick says the fate of his Formula 1 team was effectively sealed when rivals Sauber scored points at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Banbury-based outfit announced on Friday that its parent company was being put into administration after failing to find much-needed investment over recent weeks.

And although it has claimed that its talks got as far as a heads-of-term agreement with a group of Asian investors, Fitzpatrick suggests the situation was bleak as soon as it lost 10th place in the constructors' championship at Interlagos.

Having held on to that spot in the standings for much of the season, Manor was overtaken by Sauber when Felipe Nasr scored a ninth-place finish on home ground.

Fitzpatrick said: "When I took over the team in 2015, the challenge was clear; it was imperative that the team finish in 10th place or better in 2016.

"For much of the season we were on track. But the dramatic race in Brazil ended our hopes of this result and ultimately brought into doubt the team's ability to race in 2017."

     

Journey over

The administrators that have been brought in to try to save the team has admitted that time is short to find a fresh injection of funds.

Fitzpatrick equally seemed downbeat about the situation after claiming time had run out to get things sorted before the start of the season.

"Today's decision to put the team into administration represents a disappointing end to a two year journey for Manor," he said.

"Over much of the last year we have been in discussions with several investor groups, and had finally agreed terms of a sale to an Asian investment consortium in December. This would have provided the team with a strong platform for continued growth and development.

"Unfortunately time ran out before they could complete the transaction. Not wishing to repeat events of the past, we resolved in 2015 not to start any season that we did not know for certain we could complete, so we have taken the difficult decision to put the team's operating company into administration."

A statement from Manor said that the recent investment deal collapsed because an agreement was not possible to get sorted in time not to impact on its 2017 racing plans.

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Hill calls on UK government to help retain British GP

Damon Hill is calling on the UK government to help ensure the British Grand Prix remains on the F1 calendar after it emerged Silverstone could lose the race after 2019. 

It comes after British Racing Drivers' Club chairman John Grant circulated a letter to members suggesting consideration should be taken to activating its break clause or else it could put the venue at 'potentially ruinous risk'. 

Hill, who was actually president of the British Racing Drivers' Club when it signed the current 17-year deal with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone back in 2009, believes now is the time for the government to step in and assist as is common in other countries and with other major UK sporting events. 

“This is a much-loved national event but, for whatever reason, it has always been very difficult to get additional funding from government,” Hill told Press Association sport. 

“Maybe now is the time to look at the British Grand Prix in the context of what is happening elsewhere and realise that it is an extremely good shop window for waving our banner and pointing to our brilliance in this field.” 

“When you think about post-Brexit Britain, you must wonder if this is exactly the type of thing we need to invest in to show off what we can do,” he added. 

Speaking to ITV News, Hill also said the FIA could do more as well. 

“The FIA have got a responsibility to help promote the circuits and could do more in terms of cash. The owners of Silverstone have done a great job in carrying the load, but no one is making any money,” underlined the 1996 F1 World Champion. 

 

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Brawn: F1 needs a plan

Ross Brawn says one of his frustrations with Formula One is that the sport is too reactive and does not have any long term plans. 

Brawn – who masterminded title wins with Benetton, Ferrari and his own BrawnGP outfit – was linked to a new role in F1 last year, with rumours he could succeed Bernie Ecclestone as F1 chief. Although those reports were later denied, with Brawn insisting he is simply 'doing a little consultancy' for the Liberty Group, F1's new owners, he has long been pursued for a new role within F1 since leaving Mercedes in the wake of a managerial dispute with Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda. 

“F1 needs to have a plan and I think one of the frustrations for me, is that there never seemed to be a plan. Everything was reactive,” Brawn said during a recent interview with Jennie Gow for ESPN. “I think it would be good for Formula 1 to try and formulate a strategy and a plan of where it wants to be in three or five years. 

“This engine that exists now is incredible [for example], but it is quite expensive and makes it difficult for the smaller teams. So, can we achieve as equally an impressive technical challenge, but make it more viable for the smaller teams? It is those sorts of things, which I think if you set those objectives now, you won't do it next year, but in three or maybe five years time you will succeed.” 

Asked why Formula One doesn't have a plan at the moment, Brawn added: “I think Bernie care about the sport and obviously has the commercial requirements in mind as well. He wants to maximise the returns for the teams and for the shareholder. But it is not his style. My style might be too far the other way, maybe I am too structured, too pedantic and too pragmatic as an engineer, and maybe my approach is not correct.” 

Meanwhile, Brawn revealed that while has spoken to Ecclestone in the past about his views, he hasn't chatted to him now for some time. 

“I haven't spoken to him since I left the sport, but I told him plenty of times when I was there. We had an understanding and I think I probably rankled him on occasions because I stuck to my views and not everyone did. I think there were times when I irritated him,” Brawn concluded. 

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Hakkinen says Bottas in ‘dream situation’, confirms Mercedes negotiations

Mika Hakkinen says Valtteri Bottas is now in a “dream situation” given he looks almost certain to take over the prime Mercedes seat vacated by Nico Rosberg. 

Bottas has been heavily tipped to succeed newly retired 2016 F1 champion Rosberg at Mercedes since it became apparent the team had approached Williams about releasing him from their contract. 

Speaking in an interview with Finnish broadcaster MTV, Hakkinen confirmed negotiations have indeed taken place, although as yet no deal has been announced. 

“The situation for a driver cannot be any better than when you are wanted by a team, especially a team like Mercedes that has dominated Formula One,” said the 1998 and 1999 F1 World Champion, who helps manage Bottas' career, along with Didier Coton and Mercedes team boss, Toto Wolff. 

“It is a dream situation. We have to enjoy it and also take care that this continues into the future.” 

Asked if it is possible for Bottas to win a championship with Mercedes, Hakkinen replied: “Yes, I can see that. 

“When you get in that situation and in that team, which is at the top of a mountain and which has won championships and races, then it is a matter of developing yourself and getting those wins and the championship,” he underlined. 

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MASSA DITCHES FORMULA E DEAL AS F1 STAY LOOMS

Felipe Massa has reportedly backed out of “done deal” to compete in Formula E this season, adding credibility to the theory that he is prolonging his Formula 1 career for at least another year with Williams to allow his former teammate Valtteri Bottas to move to Mercedes.

In November last year, Massa bid a tearful farewell in what was expected to be his final Brazilian Grand Prix. But since then Nico Rosberg quit the sport and with it freed up a highly coveted seat with Mercedes who want Bottas to partner Lewis Hamilton in the team.

For this to happen Williams will release Bottas (for a hefty fee and certain criteria) but at the same time fill the conditions of Lance Stroll’s contract, which is said to stipulate that an experienced driver partner the teenager during his rookie season with the team.

By backing out of the Formula E deal, Massa is inadvertently confirming that his ‘retirement’ was indeed short-lived.

According to Marca correspondent Jaime Martin, the Brazilian veteran had agreed terms with a Formula E team, “The deal was done, but with Rosberg’s decision to quit, everything changed.”

Reports from Germany suggest that Mercedes will soon confirm Bottas as their driver for 2017, with an announcement that Massa will be staying at Williams to follow at the same time or shortly after.

Meanwhile media are speculating that part of the Bottas deal is Paddy Lowe leaving Mercedes to take up the role as team principal at Williams.

Auto Motor und Sport is claiming that Lowe is actively seeking to move as he is determined to head up a Formula 1 team and at Mercedes that won’t happen as Toto Wolff is firmly entrenched at the helm.

Thus a move by Lowe to Williams may well tick all the right boxes with regards to his ambitions and career path.

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RICCIARDO: I’M TRYING TO DO MY LITTLE PART IF I CAN AND HELP OUT

Daniel Ricciardo, known for his big smile and light-hearted demeanour, also has a serious side which has emerged as a result of his support of a programme helping people deal with depression

Ricciardo told Herald Sun, “I’ve got some friends who have gone through some stuff. There are a few people who have been closer to me so I’m trying to do my little part if I can and help out.’’

The Red Bull driver has lent his support to mental health advocacy group The Inner Ninja, set up by suicide attempt survivor Stefani Caminiti, to help make a difference off the track.

Ricciardo admitted, “To be honest it’s something that is quite new to me in terms of my understanding of it all. Only within the last six or so months I’ve lets say opened my eyes to it a bit more. It’s not something that many people talk about but it happens and it’s a big problem to a lot of people.’’

Caminiti revealed that she had battled depression and anxiety for much of her life and survived a suicide attempt in 2013, but she got her life on track and set up her Perth based foundation to help others.

“He’s been one of my biggest supporters,’’ said Caminiti. “We’ve been lifelong friends … he’s one of my great mates and I’m very lucky that he helped me.’”

Ricciardo dded, “It’s a big fight overcoming such a thing so I think the more people that have some of these issues, we’re trying to say get it out there and address it. And don’t let things bottle up for too long and make a small problem turn into a big one.”

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FORCE INDIA: WE’VE PASSED ALL OF OUR FIA TESTS

Force India are well on track with their 2017 Formula 1 challenger – designated the VJM10 – with the mandatory FIA tests completed well ahead of the first preseason test which gets underway at Barcelona on 27 February.

Speaking to Racer, chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer said, “We’re well on our way with the car. We’ve passed all of our FIA tests which is great, first try. All the crash tests – the roll hoop test, side intrusion test, front nose test – we’ve passed, which is great because it’s all new.”

“For the first time ever we laminated and built the tub itself in-house, which worked really well. There’s a few tests which happen on the chassis too and we’ve passed them all.”

“We always bought [the tub] in. It was laminated and manufactured with a close eye of Force India overlooking the manufacturing process but it was never in-house; this is our first year doing it in-house.”

The team were stars of the 2016 season, finishing fourth in the constructors’ championship and with one of the smallest budgets in the Formula 1 paddock.

Szafnauer believes that the team’s in-house manufacturing capabilities are vital to their campaign, “Now we have control ourselves we can cut down the manufacturing time and allow more design and development time. So that should help – a little bit anyway – the performance of the car. The later we can leave designing the tub and some of the other components, the better off we are.”

Force India will launch the VJM10 at Silverstone on 22 February.

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GROSJEAN: VERY GOOD MENTALITY AT HAAS

Romain Grosjean has revealed that Haas encourage their staff, including drivers, to push 100% and not to fear making errors in their quest for maximum performance.

Speaking to ESPN. Grosjean said of the working environment at Haas, “It’s a great atmosphere actually — it’s a very good mentality. Everyone is allowed to push; everyone is allowed to do mistakes. After Brazil I called Gene to apologise and say ‘I’m very sorry, I made a mistake’, and he told me ‘I’m sure you feel it as much as I do so no worries, we see you in two weeks in Abu Dhabi’.”

“I made a mistake, crashed the car on the laps to the grid, no one was happy, but there wasn’t finger pointing saying you did a big mistake, well don’t do it again but let’s go to the next race.”

“I would say that here, if someone does a mistake, [it’s] fine as long as he doesn’t repeat it and he moves forward. We are open and there is no non-discussed business. Everything is discussed with no finger pointing, with no problem, with no argument. You’ve made a mistake, move on, learn from it and let’s keep going.

“That for a new team is great because everybody is able to use their full potential, not thinking ‘Oh I’m going to stay at 80 percent because if I do a mistake it’s going to be bad’ — no, everyone does 100 percent and if we do a mistake then fine, just don’t do it again. Learn from it,” added Grosjean who will race for Haas team for a second year in 2017.

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RED BULL EXPANDS PARTENRSHIP WITH CITRIX

Press Release: In a sport where reaction time is crucial, a Formula One team’s ability to instantly respond to changing conditions – on track, on the pit wall and across a rapidly evolving development car battle, can spell the difference between victory and defeat.

Red Bull Racing is therefore delighted to announce that in the pursuit of that competitive advantage it is to expand its relationship with leading-edge software specialist Citrix, who will become an Innovation Partner of the team.

Red Bull Racing’s relationship with Citrix extends all the way back to 2007 and over the past decade the company’s expertise in virtualization and networking technology has helped the team to maintain its place at the forefront of F1 competition. That supplier relationship will now extend to become a deeper technical collaboration aimed at developing innovative integrations that further enhance the team’s capabilities.

Commenting on the stronger technical ties between the team and Citrix, Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner said: “The relationship with Citrix provides the Team with greater agility, enabling our engineers to work more effectively wherever they are in the world. Being able to innovate and react quickly to change is a crucial element of Formula One racing, and we see this extended relationship with Citrix as an opportunity to further support our engineers in developing greater car performance.”

Announcing the partnership at Citrix Summit, the company’s annual sales and partner conference in Anaheim California, Red Bull Racing’s Chief Information Officer, Matt Cadieux, said: “I am very pleased to be extending our relationship with Citrix today. Citrix and Red Bull Racing are two brands that both believe in transformation through innovation. Our achievements as partners has been proven over the years with successful technology implementations, and I look forward to sharing our story with a worldwide audience.”

Kirill Tatarinov, President and Chief Executive Officer, Citrix added: “Citrix and Red Bull Racing are two global brands that share a belief in high-quality performance and innovation. Being able to get that innovative and tech advantage is the difference between being on the podium or looking up at the other teams. We have provided leading technology to Red Bull Racing for ten years, and now we are taking this relationship to the next level.”

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Renault progress could tip balance in Mercedes fight, says Horner

Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes that if Renault can make a similar jump this winter as it did last year then it could let his team properly take the fight to Mercedes in 2017.

After encouraging progress in 2016, many are tipping Red Bull to be Mercedes' main challengers when all-new regulations are unleashed at the start of next season.

But Horner is more cautious about the situation, and thinks much depends on the development Renault can make – with the French car manufacturer preparing an all-new power unit for the upcoming season.

"They [Renault] are working very hard," said Horner. "If they can make the kind of gain that they made last winter, over this winter, then with the stability of the rules, hopefully that [power] convergence will start to happen.

"And, with the chassis hopefully playing a bigger role in the package, it may balance things up slightly.

"But it is all hypothetical as you don't know what everybody else has. All we can do is focus on the best job we can and worry about the others when we see them in Melbourne."

Horner is encouraged, however, by the rate of progress Red Bull made in 2016, having gone into the campaign downplaying its chances and ending it second overall in the constructors' championship.

"We came into the season with very low expectations, and being in the top five in the constructors' looked like it was going to be a challenge.

"So to have come away having finished second in the constructors' championship, third in the drivers' championship, having won two grands prix, pole position in Monte Carlo, 16 podiums, and having had Ricciardo complete every racing lap of the season with 100 percent reliability has been an enormous progression from 12 months ago.

"Despite new regulations coming along for 2017, which obviously are an unknown to everybody, we take an awful lot of benefits and positives out of [2016]."

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Honda set for Mercedes-style split turbine/compressor

Honda is poised to adopt the Mercedes philosophy of a split turbine and compressor with its 2017 Formula 1 engine as part of the revamp being planned for this season, sources have revealed.

The Japanese manufacturer and partner team McLaren have been tight-lipped about what was changing with its power unit for the season ahead as its bids to build on the lessons of its first two years back in F1.

However, last week McLaren technical director Tim Goss did confirm that there would be a new layout and architecture for the season ahead.

"The new power unit takes much of the learning from the past two seasons, but has been specifically redesigned for this season," he said.

Although no details of the redesign have been revealed, sources have confirmed that Honda's F1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa has given the green light to Honda moving away from the compact 'size zero' concept that has been used for the past two years.

That design – aimed at making the engine packaging as tight as possible – featured a split turbine and compressor situated within the confines of the V-bank of the internal combustion engine.

     

Believing that the advantages of that concept did not outweigh the drawbacks, for 2017 Honda has decided to go down the Mercedes route – which means the compressor being situated at one end of the engine while the turbo is located at the other.

Just like Mercedes has done too, the two elements of the turbo-charging system will be joined by a connecting shaft that runs between the inside of the V-bank.

As well as that, the water intercooler will be located in a niche between the chassis and the engine, which will significantly lower the power unit's centre of gravity.

Work on the changes are currently ongoing on Honda's test benches at Sakura in Japan.

Despite the dimensions of the power unit being slightly larger than before, it is understood that McLaren is still able to package a very tight rear-end to the MP4-32 around the rear.

As well as the packaging change, Honda has been focusing efforts on improving the internal combustion unit element of its package, with it feeling it had made good gains with energy recovery last year.

It is expected that Honda will adopt a multi-jet injector system to spray fuel inside the combustion chamber, similar to the Turbo Jet Ignition system that Ferrari has put to good use.

The extent of the changes to the Honda has been possible because F1 has scrapped the engine development token system for 2017 – which means that modifications to the power units are now unlimited.

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Williams F1 team's Claire Williams puzzled by 'pay driver' slurs

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams says she cannot understand the criticism surrounding Formula 1 drivers who bring financial support to the teams they race for.

European Formula 3 champion Lance Stroll will graduate to F1 with Williams this season, following a rapid rise through the single-seater ranks funded by his retail billionaire father Lawrence.

Stroll's financial support helped bankroll the Prema F3 team that powered him to the championship last season, during which Stroll underwent a development driver programme with Williams that mirrored the work it conducted with 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve before he joined F1.

F1 has often been criticised in recent times for promoting drivers with significant financial support over those with greater ability but less monetary might.

Williams said the loss of manufacturer backing and sponsors for many teams since the global financial crash of 2008 had changed the commercial model in F1, and argued the "negative connotation" around drivers bringing budgets to teams is unfair.

"With every driver in Formula 1 there are commercial considerations for any TP [team principal]," Williams said.

"[Fernando] Alonso comes with financial backing - maybe not personal but he attracts sponsors, Santander is there because of him; Jenson [Button] exactly the same thing; Sergio Perez.

"I don't understand why in this sport that is such big business, and where teams rely on having budgets in excess of a million sterling if they're to succeed, why there is such a negative connotation around having a driver that brings backing.

"And not only in Formula 1. Motorsport as a whole is such an expensive business - you don't get into the upper echelons unless you can find significant budgets to go racing.

"I don't know why people criticise drivers when they have financial backing, because if they didn't many teams in this sport wouldn't necessarily survive, and then the sport wouldn't survive.

"The commercial model in Formula 1 has changed.

"It's a much more expensive sport than it's ever been, so sometimes those situations are going to arise."

GIVE STROLL TIME TO PROVE HIS WORTH

Williams reckons those who consider it a risk for the team to be taking Stroll straight out of Formula 3 into F1 should "reserve judgement" on whether the 18-year-old has what it takes to succeed at the highest level of single-seater racing.

"Would you say the same about Max Verstappen and putting him in a Red Bull?" Williams countered when asked about Stroll's promotion.

"When it comes to Lance, I think out of courtesy we should reserve judgement.

"Considering his age he has achieved a huge amount - he's won every championship he's taken part in.

"Yes he's going to be a rookie, and yes he will make mistakes, but from everything we've seen he's a really fast learner.

"We should give the guy the chance to prove the talent, and prove he deserves the seat.

"We're a serious team and have serious ambitions - I wouldn't put him in the car if I didn't believe he could deliver."

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IS FERNANDO ALONSO RIGHT TO HAIL THE 2000S AS THE SPORT’S MOST POPULAR ERA?

Double Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso has triggered an interesting debate by asserting that the 2000s era of the sport was its most popular and – effectively – the peak.

In a recent interview, the McLaren driver outlined his thoughts on why he ranks that period – during which he won back-to-back titles for Renault in 2005 and 2006 – above the era of the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, another period that many consider to be a golden age for F1.

Giving his thoughts on the earlier era, when the likes of Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell fought for the championship, Alonso said: “Formula 1 at that time, it was very boring. If you see a race now from ’85, ’88 or ’92, you will sleep through the race because it was two McLarens, the fourth guy was lapped and there was 25 seconds between each car.

“There were 10 cars DNF because the reliability was so-so. Television figures, spectators are going down [in 2016], like it was in these boring years in the ’80s where Senna, Prost and these people were saving fuel, saving tyres and things like that, so it’s exactly the same boring as it was at that time.”

But when talking about the 2000s period, Alonso highlighted the interest in F1 through high TV figures and new races joining the calendar.

He said: “I think Formula 1 grew up a lot. A lot of manufacturers came into Formula 1 in the 2000s – BMW, Toyota, and there were many people coming. Television figures and the spectators were at the maximum.

“We opened Formula 1 to new countries – we raced in Korea, we raced in India, we raced in Singapore, two races in Spain – and that was the maximum. And we didn’t understand that situation, probably. The costs were very high, technology was very high, some manufacturers pulled out.”

During the 2000s era, a several major manufacturers entered the sport as team owners or engine partners and many of the lap records at tracks that have remained on the calendar since 2004 were clinched that season.

Ferrari and Michael Schumacher, who swept the board between 2000 and 2004, dominated the first five seasons of that decade. Then Alonso and Renault won their titles before Ferrari and McLaren fought over the 2007 and 2008 campaigns.

The final season of the 2000s era, 2009, featured a significant regulation change as F1 moved away from high downforce cars and reintroduced slick tyres. It followed the global financial crisis, which caused a number of manufacturers to pull out of the sport.

In the years that followed mid-race refuelling was banned and Pirelli’s high degradation tyres became the control rubber from the start of 2011.

In 2017, and for the first time in a generation, F1 is changing its rules to make the cars faster, not slower for safety reasons. The aim is to improve the show via aggressive-looking cars, lower laptimes and testing conditions for the drivers.

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MERCEDES: WE WISH PADDY WELL WITH HIS FUTURE ENDEAVOURS

Mercedes technical director Paddy Lowe has left Mercedes and is expected to join Williams despite his contract with the World Champion team set to run until May of this year.

Mercedes announced on their website: “Following three and a half very successful years, Paddy Lowe will be leaving Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport. He has now begun a period of garden leave.”

“The company’s Board wishes Paddy well with his future endeavours and thanks him for his significant contribution to the team’s achievements.”

“In the short term, our stable technical organisation will continue to operate under the proven and established leadership of our senior directors Aldo Costa (Engineering Director), Mark Ellis (Performance Director), Rob Thomas (Chief Operating Officer) and Geoff Willis (Technology Director).”

Head of Mercedes motorsport Toto Wolff commented, “Paddy has played an important part in our success during the past three and a half years and we thank him for his contribution to this significant chapter in Mercedes’ motorsport history.

“Success in Formula One is not about single individuals but about the strength in depth and technical capability of an organisation.

“We have the talent in place to continue our success of recent years and we plan to build upon it in 2017 and beyond.”

Lowe said, “I have had a fantastically successful and enjoyable three and a half years at Mercedes working with an incredible team of people. I am now looking forward to a new challenge and wish everyone well at Mercedes.”

Lowe’s departure comes amid Mercedes’ quest to sign Valtteri Bottas to replace retired Nico Rosberg which is now apparently a step closer to being confirmed.

The post Lowe will take up at Williams is yet to be confirmed, however it is expected that he will be the team principal, with Claire Williams taking over as President from her father Sir Frank Williams.

Lowe is expected to become a shareholder of the team.

The 54 year old Englishman, who was instrumental in Mercedes’ unprecedented success which began when he joined in 2013, started his Formula 1 career with Williams as Joint Head of Electronic in 1987.

He spent six years with the team, during which time he oversaw the development of active suspension which helped Nigel Mansell win the 1992 World Championship.

With Pat Symonds retiring, Lowe is likely to head up the technical department at Williams with immediate effect to lay the foundation for their next technical director who is rumoured to be Toro Rosso’s James Key. The latter will only be able to move to Williams at the end of this season.

It is unknown at this point if Lowe will also assume the role of team principal with immediate effect.

Williams have yet to comment on the matter.

Meanwhile it is expected that former Ferrari technical chief James Allison will replace Lowe at Mercedes.

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Nico Hulkenberg convinced switching to Renault is the right step

Nico Hulkenberg says he is convinced that his decision to switch from Force India to Renault for the 2017 season is a step in the right direction and will eventually pay off.

The German has taken a risk switching from a team which finished fourth in the standings behind only Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari, to join Renault which scored just eight points – 165 less than Force India – and finished ninth behind newcomers Haas.

However the Renault project is expected to make massive gains in 2017 as it completes its rebuilding programme.

Hulkenberg compared the switch to that of a new girlfriend following a long marriage and insists the move will be for the better.

"After my long 'marriage' with Force India I felt I needed a new girlfriend! Jokes aside, I am deeply grateful to Force India and left on an absolute high note," he told the official Formula 1 website.

"We had the most successful year in the history of Force India: P4 in the constructors' championship. That almost felt like dreaming the impossible dream – and the dream came true! Nevertheless, I am convinced that switching to a works team is the right step for me to achieve new successes. Both Renault and myself are challengers with good potential."

The German driver insists having manufacturer support is key to challenging for the championship as smaller teams will never have the power and budget to race at the very front.

"At Force India we were 'best of the rest' behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. But then again, we didn't have the prerequisites and sheer power of manufacturers, who enter the competition under completely different conditions.

"At Force India we turned a little into a lot. At Renault the next few years will be about turning a participant into a real contender – one that makes use of the advantages of a manufacturer in the best way possible to achieve the racing success of the past. And believe me, we will!"

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How a plane seat mix-up left Red Bull even more won over by Verstappen

When Max Verstappen was told that his business class seat back home from last year's Canadian Grand Prix had been double-booked, and that the only space left was down in economy by the toilets, you could have forgiven him for kicking up a fuss.

But if there is one thing that his team has learned from the Dutchman's arrival as a Formula 1 superstar, it is that his new-found status has not gone to his head.

So instead of moaning about what had happened, Verstappen shrugged his shoulders, realised that there are far more important things in life to get upset about it and got on with it.

For allied to his blistering speed on track, it is Verstappen's off-track attitude and enthusiasm that has won him great fans at Red Bull – and left the team confident that he and Daniel Ricciardo are well placed to not hit the self-destruct button if they find themselves fighting for the world champion hip in 2017.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner told Motorsport.com: "Max is very, very good - and he's so enthusiastic about everything. He's like a Labrador puppy that just wants to get into everything.

"Whether that's the history of the sport, whether that's what's going on in the junior formulas, or in karting, he loves his racing. He feels privileged to be a Formula 1 driver.

"There was an instance earlier in the year where flights from Montreal ended up getting double-booked and there were no business class seats available. So he ended up having to sit down by the toilets in economy.

"With others it would've been a major issue, but [with Max] it was no issue at all. We got: 'No problem, if that's what's available, I'll do it, I'll go down there'. And I think that's what's so refreshing about him. It's just enthusiasm for being a Formula 1 driver and doing what he does."

     

On-track tension

Of course, to suggest that Verstappen is so easy to deal with on all occasions would be wrong, because when the helmet is on, his determination and fighting spirit come out.

And there were times in 2016 when things did get difficult – like at the Hungarian Grand Prix when a pre-race agreement - that the Red Bull driver running second would drop back to hold the field up and help the lead car get away - fell by the wayside.

Instead, Verstappen stayed close to Ricciardo's gearbox and famously claimed on the team radio that he could not go any slower because he was already driving like his 'grandma'.

The incident caused tension at the time but overall Horner thinks that Verstappen and Ricciardo learned through last season how they need to behave.

["Hungary was] very minor," said Horner. "I mean, they work very well together. If you look, we switched the drivers around in Hockenheim. Everybody said that Max wasn't a team player, and that day demonstrated very clearly he was.

"And then of course the favour gets dealt back in Mexico. Just the way they've raced this year, whether it's the first turn at Hockenheim or many circuits that we've been to, they've been clean but fair.

"That's why I felt very comfortable letting the two of them race in Malaysia, even when it became for a grand prix victory after Lewis' engine issue. At no point has there been any concern about how those two race each other."

The bigger issue for Red Bull is dealing with the times when external factors – like the strategy call in Barcelona of the pit stop error in Monaco – ultimately hurt one driver more than the other.

"You know, issues happen," added Horner. "For me Barcelona was very straightforward, because that was just a straightforward strategy that on the day could go for you or against you. You know, Monaco hurt a lot more, it hurt the team just as much as it hurt Daniel.

"He could see that, he responded very positively to that. Very quickly after that... it didn't affect his season at all, I would say. He brushed himself down, got on with it and just drove some fantastic races."

  

Title rivals

But while Red Bull has come through a 2016 campaign without too many difficulties, things could become much harder if Verstappen and Ricciardo find themselves as rivals for a world championship.

F1 knows only too well – from the way that the Lewis Hamilton/Nico Rosberg relationship developed – how strong bonds can break apart totally when teammates become title contenders.

Horner is hopeful that the relationship between Ricciardo and Verstappen is strong enough to weather such circumstance – but he knows it would be foolish to expect things not to change.

When asked if it will be easy to keep things on an even keel if Ricciardo and Verstappen are gunning for the title, Horner said: "Probably not. But I think the biggest thing that exists between the two of them is a clear respect. They have great respect for each other.

"On top of that, they actually quite like each other. That's not a requirement from the team, it's just that they live in the same building in Monaco and Daniel has been a little bit like a big brother to Max, outside of the car.

"Inside the car, they're both as hungry as each other, they both want to win and they'll both race each other hard. But as long as it's hard but fair, that's fine by us."

Judging by the plane seat mix-up last year, though, Red Bull should not have too many worries about it having troublemakers inside its camp.

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New Formula 1 tyres for 2017 have 'very low degradation'

Formula 1's new tyres for 2017 are expected to feature 'very low degradation' based on early analysis carried out by supplier Pirelli.

As part of F1's wide-ranging technical changes for this season, bigger tyres have been introduced with new compounds aimed at reducing the need for tyre management in races.

Pirelli carried out 24 days of testing with modified 2015 cars from Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari last year, and it is optimistic that its new range will not suffer the same levels of performance drop-off as has often been the case since it returned to F1 in 2011.

"They are completely new compounds," Pirelli's F1 racing manager Mario Isola told Autosport's sister site Motorsport.com.

"We have encountered very low degradation, but these simulations are one thing.

"There will be a completely different performance window in which the teams will arrive in the second half of the season - where we often are on track with high temperatures."

As well as degradation, Pirelli believes it has also delivered on drivers' requests to make tyre temperatures easier to control.

Isola added: "On the few occasions there was overheating, it quickly returned to the optimum value.

"The drivers made specific requests to us about this - because if they were following another car in the race then they would lose downforce, slide more and then overheat their tyre.

"Our goal is for the tyre to return to a normal condition in a very short time, which will help improve grip.

"In testing we have seen that this target has been reached - but it needs to be verified on the actual cars, so we will wait for the first few races."

Isola accepts, however, that the data from the 2015 cars could be misleading because they "lacked a bit of performance".

Simulations of the Barcelona circuit suggest performance will jump from last year being full throttle for 50% of the lap in 2016, to 70% with 2017 machinery.

Turn 3 of the Spanish Grand Prix venue is also set to be roughly 20mph faster this year, based on early indications, turning it into a flat-out corner.

"Although the modified cars aimed to simulate the downforce levels we will find, we have not seen the true performance that we will have in 2017," he said.

"We have seen from the simulations that we have been sent by teams, based on patterns with the new cars, that the performance will be better than those we saw from the mule cars.

"This leads us to still have some question marks on the feedback that will come from the track in the first tests and the first few races of the world championship."

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ENTERTAINMENT OR TECHNOLOGY? LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE OF MOTORSPORT AT CES LAS VEGAS

Source: James Allen on F1

E-Sports looks like a great conduit to bring new fans and competitors into motorsport while autonomous cars will prompt the sport to take some tough decisions very soon; those are the conclusions after a weekend where motorsport was showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

On Saturday I moderated a panel discussion on the main stage in the CES on “Technology and Fan Accessibility”, featuring FIA president Jean Todt, Alejandro Agag, the CEO of Formula E and Zak Brown, who represented both McLaren Technology Group and Motorsport Network, which has just bought a stake in Formula E. A representative of Formula E sponsor Visa was also on the panel.

Also on Saturday the Formula E racers went head to head with the world’s leading drivers from ESports in a US$1 million E-Race. The race was won by another teenage Dutch racing sensation, Bono Huis, ahead of Formula E racer Felix Rosenqvist.

It was fascinating to see the real racers adapting; they had to drive in their socks, for example, as the brake pedal was very sensitive. They also had to adapt to braking without the aerodynamic effect of a real car.

Several of the ERacers present are part of Team Redline, a community of which Red Bull F1 star Max Verstappen is very much part.

ESports is developing into a huge business and engages millions of milennials around the world. It is well advanced in many game areas; motorsport games are technologically and graphically inferior at present, but developing quickly. For the FIA it brings in the chance to introduce a new level of licence holders and the federation has been working with Japanese Gran Turismo Creator Kazunori Yamauchi for two years to create an FIA certified Gran Turismo championship.

All around us at CES was evidence of a fast changing world; the Las Vegas Convention Centre looked more like Geneva Motor Show than a consumer electronics fair. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Chevrolet, Mercedes and Ford all had massive stands and autonomous self-drive vehicles were the clear focus.

Carlos Ghosn made a key note speech on Nissan’s stand about the importance of autonomous and electric vehicles in the future.

On the Mercedes stand not only were they talking about self-driving Mercedes vans and drones operating a delivery service for goods, like Amazon, but they also contemplated a future where people feel that car ownership is unnecessary and car sharing will become the norm, especially in cities in developed countries.

Car ownership in a country typically kicks in when per capita income reaches US$10,000 to $20,000. By 2025 India is projected to be the world’s third largest car maker and China is moving forward quickly on automotive. So the emerging markets will still have a strong appetite for car ownership.

By 2025 the emerging markets are projected to account for 78m new car sales a year whereas in the developed world the number will be dropping to 34m, from a peak of 37m in 2015, according to a report from Goldman Sachs. And 25% of those cars will be pure electric or plug in hybrid.

Meanwhile manufacturer spending on technology to make engines more fuel efficient will reach an average of $2,600 per vehicle by 2025, compared to just $270 in 2012.

The work that is going on currently in F1 on hybrid turbos, which has taken the competing manufacturers close to 50% thermal efficiency, is part of that work.
But there’s no disguising the fact that it’s a story that has left many F1 fans cold.

So the question must be faced – whether motorsport is an entertainment or a technology exercise? Of course it’s both, but which should be the dominant story?

Clearly entertainment is the answer as far as F1 is concerned. So it needs some strong decisions in the next few years to set it on the right path post 2020.

As Ross Brawn said in his book ‘Total Competition’:

Quote

 

“For F1 to succeed people have got to watch it. If people don’t watch it, F1 is in a vacuum and it will just disappear. They watch it because they want to see drivers racing against each other. They want to see all the entertainment.

“..I think that the technological element excites a lot of fans… You have got to have that technical element.”

 

This topic as well as the move away from people actually driving cars and the accompanying threat to motorsport were hot topics on the CES panel – as well as the opportunity for growth through ESports. Brown argued that society stopped riding horses and using them to pull carriages over 100 years ago, but horse racing and equestrianism are still very popular,

“People will always want to race cars,” said Brown. “Clearly autonomous cars are going to be the future for many of us for our daily commute. But people want to see the personalities and the competition.

“I mean what does baseball have to do with anything, other than it’s a great sport?

“So I think you’ll find that motorsports is always going to be an exciting sport, it’s here to stay and it’s only going to get stronger.”