FORMULA 1

[MIKA27]

11 hours ago, skalls said:

Who would red bull replace gasly with though?  Would they trust kyvat with that seat again?

Best option would be to poach Ocon but I'm not sure Mercedes would give him up.   As an aside I think he's a solid driver but he's not better then VB.

Well that is the question but I wouldn't rule Ocon out.

What if VB delivers this season, what if VB wins the WDC if he keeps up the performance, at least regular podiums much like Nico in 2016? Mercedes would keep both VB and LH so I'm sure Ocon would jump at an opportunity to drive for a top team.

Then again, RBR have their junior team, I'm sure there's no shortage of talent waiting.

[In-A-Gadda-Davidoff]

16 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

Well that is the question but I wouldn't rule Ocon out.

What if VB delivers this season, what if VB wins the WDC if he keeps up the performance, at least regular podiums much like Nico in 2016? Mercedes would keep both VB and LH so I'm sure Ocon would jump at an opportunity to drive for a top team.

Then again, RBR have their junior team, I'm sure there's no shortage of talent waiting.

I wouldn't rule out Red Bull trying to poach Ocon.  I'm interested to see how things play out with Bottas at the end of the season if he contends for a championship this year.  Valtteri's "To whom it may concern" comment could have been directed at doubters in general, but could it have been aimed at Toto and the wingman comment?  Bottas is only signed through the season with an option for 2020.  

[MIKA27]

MERCEDES AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX DEBRIEF

Chief Strategist James Vowles answers your questions from the 2019 Australian Grand Prix – including how Valtteri Bottas won the race and why Lewis Hamilton sustained damage to his floor.

[MIKA27]

SPONSOR HAILS NETFLIX F1 SERIES AS PHENOMENALLY SUCCESSFUL

Netflix’s riveting behind-the-scenes ‘Drive to Survive’ Formula 1 documentary has been a huge success that could change the way broadcasters engage with audiences, one of the sport’s top sponsors said on Tuesday.

The 10-part series, made in conjunction with Formula 1 and covering the 2018 championship, was released ahead of last weekend’s Australian season-opener in Melbourne.

Filmed without the cooperation of world champions Mercedes and rivals Ferrari, it focuses on those further down the starting grid such as the U.S.-owned Haas team and their principal Guenther Steiner.

“I think it’s phenomenally successful, certainly from our perspective,” Heineken’s sponsorship lead for F1 Ben Pincus said at an Advertising Week Europe panel discussion on the ‘resurgence of Formula One’.

“It’s fascinating how you can tell a story without actually ever featuring any on-track action, and a story that in some respects is more compelling and more engaging to your less hard-core fan,” he added.

“I think it’s been a great success…it’s getting people thinking differently about how they broadcast, how they engage with audiences.

“It makes you think about stuff that you might take for granted being really interesting and appealing to others.”

Pincus suggested Formula One’s ‘traditional linear broadcasters’ could grow their audiences by adopting some of Netflix’s story-telling techniques when it comes to the off-track action.

Red Bull Racing’s head of marketing Oliver Hughes said it seemed like 90 percent of those on his flight to Melbourne had been watching the series.

He added that Red Bull, who feature prominently in parting ways with Renault and Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo, had given the Netflix cameras good access and would be even more welcoming for a second season now in the works.

“We entered it with pretty open eyes and a huge amount of trust and our view is that for this year we’ll be more into it than we were last season,” he said.

“We gave access that was enough to be credible but we could have given more. I think the teams that gave more, especially in the midfield, have provided a really interesting story.”

Yath Gangakumaran, Formula One’s director of corporate strategy and business development, said Netflix did not give viewing figures but had “told us it’s gone down very well.”

MIKA: I loved this series, binge watched the whole 10 episodes over a weekend.

Here's hoping Mercedes and Ferrari cooperate for season 2.

[MIKA27]

TODT: F1 FANTASTIC FOR MOTORSPORT DEVELOPMENT IN VIETNAM

FIA President Jean Todt hailed next year’s inaugural Vietnamese Grand Prix in Hanoi as a great opportunity to open doors for people with “a passion” for motorsport in Southeast Asia.

The communist Vietnamese capital will get its first taste of the high-octane glitz and glamour of Formula 1 when it hosts its first grand prix from April next year as the sport bids to tap into new markets in the region.

Todt said he hoped Vietnamese fans seeing the likes of five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel battling wheel-to-wheel on the streets of Hanoi would lead to an explosion of in interest in racing of all kinds in football-mad Vietnam.

“It’s… fantastic for the development of the motorsport in Vietnam and in the region,” Todt, who president of motorsport’s world governing body the FIA, told reporters on Wednesday at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new street circuit in Hanoi.

“I really hope that soon here will also be facilities to host karting, drifting,” he added.

Todt hopes the event will breed a new generation of Vietnamese drivers, “You have young people, talented with a passion for motorsports, that’s why I think it’s very important to involve very quickly a new category of motorsport.”

The 5.6 kilometre (3.5 mile) street track will incorporate existing and yet-to-be-built roads in the My Dinh area of Hanoi near the national sports stadium, about 13 kilometres from the city centre.

Organisers said they decided against holding the race in Hanoi’s historical Old Quarter because of logistical challenges and steep costs.

Hanoi has bet big on the event’s popularity, signing a 10-year multi-million-dollar deal with Formula One last year reported in state media to be costing Vietnam $60 million per year.

Vietnam said it will not dip into government coffers to pay for the event but instead has secured full financial backing from the country’s largest private conglomerate VinGroup.

“F1 is always considered the king of all races… we have designed a challenging street circuit imprinted with Vietnamese identity and architecture,” VinGroup deputy chairman Nguyen Viet Quang said at the ceremony.

Vietnam is hoping to emulate the popularity of Singapore’s glittering night race and fill a void in the region left after Malaysia pulled the plug on its long-standing race in 2017 for cost reasons.

Malaysia’s government, who had bankrolled the event since its inception at Sepang in 1999, said they were no longer prepared to shell out $67 million a year.

Hanoi will hope avoid the problems that dogged Formula One’s ventures into South Korea in 2010 and India in 2011.

The first Korean Grand Prix was staged at the southern town of Yeongnam in 2010 under a deal supposed to last until 2016.

But the annual event haemorrhaged money from the outset, with collated losses of around $170 million and the plug was pulled in 2013.

The Indian Grand Prix at Greater Noida was doomed by the government failing to recognise it as a sport, which increased the tax bill for organisers already shelling out an estimated $50 million per race, and dwindling crowds turned off at the lack of a home-grown driver.

It was run just three times, with Vettel winning on every occasion.

[MIKA27]

HAKKINEN: INTERESTING TO SEE HOW HAMILTON RESPONDS

Mika Hakkinen believes that fellow Flying Finn Valtteri Bottas has rid himself of the ‘wingman’ label after his stellar victory at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, but at the same time is intrigued to see how Lewis Hamilton bounces back from his biggest race day trouncing in a long time.

Hakkinen wrote in his Unibet Insider column, “The Australian Grand Prix showed, Bottas is much more than just a wingman. After a difficult 2018, he has pressed the reset button and come out fighting.”

“Valtteri gave Lewis a proper fight for pole position on Saturday and then made a perfect start from the dirty side of the grid to take the lead and control the race from start to finish. What a perfect start to 2019 for him, and a massive boost to his confidence.”

“He also scored a World Championship point for setting the fastest lap, which is a new rule announced just before Melbourne.”

“Valtteri made it very clear on the team radio that he wanted that extra point and, although his new race engineer Riccardo Musconi told him to just take things easy, he went for it. So did the other main competitors, but Valtteri was the one who achieved it. Another psychological boost.”

“It was nice to hear the little radio message aimed at his critics after the race. He knows he has the talent, has focused himself on getting the season off to a strong start and turned all the negative energy from his critics into a powerful mindset.”

“Talking to Mark Webber on the podium after the race Valtteri said this was one of the most straightforward wins of his life. I know that feeling. The success suddenly seems so easy, but it is only made possible by the lessons you learn along the way.”

“It will be interesting to see how Hamilton responds to this result because we know he is not interested in finishing second, especially to his teammate.”

“Lewis will be hoping that Valtteri’s success is a one-off, but should this be repeated in Bahrain or China it will be fascinating to watch how the team dynamic changes. This battle is only just starting,” added Hakkinen.

For the first time in his career, Bottas heads to the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend leading the championship and will look to sustain the momentum at a venue where he has twice finished on the podium but never on the top step.

MIKA: If Bottas keeps winning and or besting Hamilton, the real lewis will come out, much like the Lewis that was with Nico.

Lewis is all smiles when he's winning, but even coming P2, you can see he gets cut. It's fair in some way IMHO being that you're there to win, but sportsmanship shouldn't shine for only when you're winning, be humble when you don't. 

[MIKA27]

Sebastian Vettel: Ferrari will bounce back from subdued start

Sebastian Vettel has asserted that Ferrari will bounce back from its subdued start to the 2019 Formula 1 campaign, stressing its SF90 has untapped potential.

Ferrari led the way through pre-season testing and was expected to contend for a third straight Australian Grand Prix victory, but was off the pace throughout the weekend.

Vettel qualified seven-tenths behind Lewis Hamilton and was overhauled in race trim by the Honda-powered Red Bull of Max Verstappen, while Mercedes went on to register a 1-2 finish.

Vettel led a 4-5 for Ferrari and the team conceded in the immediate aftermath of the race that it was at a loss to explain its performance deficit.

“I think we have all the tools, all the ingredients that we need,” asserted Vettel.

“We have a good car, we know it. This weekend we didn’t, overall we’re not competitive enough, but we will be back. 

“Last year we left winter testing with problems on the car. It wasn’t behaving the way we wanted it, the way it should.

“This year was the opposite, the car was behaving the way we expected and it felt very good.

“That’s why we came here last year and the balance wasn’t right, because we had to cover up. We had a very poor rear end last year and felt we had to trim the car towards understeer a lot. That didn’t feel great.

“We managed for this weekend last year, and the race pace was fine, but we weren’t there in qualifying. We got lucky in the race, but I think by Bahrain we had fixed all our issues from winter testing last year in the first race, and that’s why I think we all of a sudden unlocked a lot more pace for last year.

“This year, the problem that we have has nothing to do with what we have seen last year.

“Still all the car and all the numbers and so on make sense also this weekend, but clearly we’re missing something.

“Right now, we don’t have an answer, but we need to get back, have a good look, and I’m sure we’ll find something because we know that the car is better than what we’ve seen, not just [in the race] but the whole weekend.”

Team-mate Charles Leclerc also expressed confidence that Ferrari will be more competitive in the coming events.

“In the end, I think as seen, it’s not like we arrived with a very different car to testing, it’s not like Mercedes is either has come with very different cars, so I think the car is there,” said Leclerc.

“In the past, it has been seen quite a lot of times that [Melbourne] is quite a strange track and it’s not always very representative of the real performance of all the cars here in Australia.

“So I’m confident that we can come back. How much? We don’t know, this we’ll only know in two weeks but yeah I’m confident.”

[MIKA27]

Renault adamant it has much more pace to unlock

Renault’s display through the Australian Grand Prix was not representative of the inherent performance of the R.S.19, according to team boss Cyril Abiteboul.

Renault, fourth in last year’s Constructors’ Championship, has targeted reeling in Formula 1’s top three teams but was in the midst of the midfield action in Melbourne.

Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo failed to make Q3, qualifying 11th and 12th respectively, while the Australian’s home race was wrecked by sustaining front-wing damage on the run to Turn 1.

Hulkenberg went on to finish seventh, behind only Haas’ Kevin Magnussen in the midfield scrap but classified only marginally in front of a gaggle of other midfield racers.

“We have mixed feelings and a contrast of positive and negatives,” said Abiteboul.

“The main negative was qualifying, where we had a number of issues that impacted our potential and starting position.

“That made Daniel’s first race complex and we tried to recover positions at the start but we ultimately had to retire his car due to the damage.

“Nico managed to turn around the situation and had a very strong race. He was very smart and drove a good race to finish seventh.

“We know the car has much more pace than we have shown, especially in qualifying.

“It will be the priority of the next race to extract more from the initial platform with a smoother execution across the weekend while we work on our planned upgrades.”

[MIKA27]

FIA knows Whiting's "shoes are impossible to fill" - Wolff

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff thinks the FIA will find it "impossible" to replace Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting with a single person, following his shock death ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

Whiting passed away in his sleep on the Thursday before the F1 season opener, with the FIA putting in place emergency measures to get through the Melbourne weekend without him.

While motor racing's governing body is now trying to finalise a plan for what it does in the longer term, Wolff says that F1's chiefs are waking up to just how difficult it will be to cover off everything that Whiting did.

"I think his [Charlie's] shoes are impossible to fill," said Wolff.

"I had a chat with Ross Brawn on the way to the [grid] photo and the minute of silence, and he said they just discovered how much Charlie was doing.

"[This includes] trivialities like, are the cameras in dangerous positions. This is what Ross mentioned to me. A bunch of tasks, and I didn't have any direction with the race director in the race.

"Certainly there will be tough decisions to take in the future, and I think it's impossible to replace Charlie. But whoever takes up that job, we need to support them."

The FIA used the experienced Michael Masi, who was set to be F2 and F3 race director this year, as Whiting's stand in at the Australian Grand Prix.

It is unclear if he will continue in the role for the short term, or the governing body will look for somebody else.

FIA president Jean Todt said last weekend that talks would involve F1's teams about how best to move forward.

"We are going to work very closely with the F1 teams and we have started to think," said Todt. "Our team in Geneva is trying to see what we are going to implement for the future."

 

[MIKA27]

Leclerc already pushing Ferrari engineers hard

Charles Leclerc established a "good starting point" on his Ferrari Formula 1 debut and is already pushing its engineers "hard", according to his new team boss Mattia Binotto.
Leclerc was signed to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari after just one year in F1 with Sauber.

He finished fifth, just behind four-time world champion teammate Sebastian Vettel after being denied a chance to attack him late on, in his debut in last weekend's Australian Grand Prix.

Asked by Motorsport.com to appraise Leclerc's first weekend for Ferrari, Binotto said: "I'm happy, I'm happy the way he's behaving as a team player.

"Not only as a driver, he's very helpful for the team. He [is] very involved trying to do his best, pushing the engineers hard to try to do [get] even them to improve themselves and to have a better car.

"If we judge his entire weekend it's a pretty strong one. His qualy wasn't perfect, he's aware of it, but I think he drove well also in Q1, Q2.

"Maybe not perfect in Q3, but generally speaking he had a good weekend. His second stint was also performing well.

"I'm happy with the way he's approaching the first race and it's a good starting point."

The dynamic between Leclerc and Vettel has been highlighted by many F1 figures as a key storyline in 2019.

Leclerc, on a better strategy than Vettel, would likely have been able to pass his new teammate for fourth and beaten him at the first attempt had Ferrari not chosen to adopt a zero-risk approach at the end of the grand prix.

Vettel reiterated his belief that Leclerc will "put a lot of pressure on me the whole season" when asked by Motorsport.com to consider Leclerc's debut and his own first start for Ferrari back in 2015.

"For Charles, obviously it's a dream coming true - similar to me, [but] obviously at a different point in his career," said Vettel.

"It's quite nice to be that young and join a big team like that.

"I think he's done really well from what I've seen so far, he will put a lot of pressure on me the whole season.

"I'm aware of that and I think it will be very close.

"He's very talented, I want to meet his parents and congratulate them because by the looks of it they brought up a nice boy, and a fast driver too.

"I'm sure we'll have tough and tight battles this year, but more than anything I hope we have a lot of fun together."

[MIKA27]

ANOMALY EXCUSE MEANS FERRARI HAVE NOWHERE TO HIDE IN BAHRAIN

In the wake of the Australian Grand Prix weekend, the word “anomaly” has been overused ad nauseam, but those using it as an excuse have only until next Sunday to establish if their Formula 1 season-opening post mortems are indeed correct.

Former Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali is one that believes that in Bahrain, next weekend, the Reds will find their absent pace and the balance of power will be restored.

But the truth is the ‘anomaly’ excuse is the one flung out by the Albert Park losers to explain how Mercedes were seven tenths faster than their closest rivals on Sunday, while at the end of the race Ferrari were 57 seconds adrift of winner Valtteri Bottas

Not even a podium for the Reds whose drivers Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc finished the opening race in fourth and fifth respectively.

The boys in Silver, always eager to perpetuate the myth of their phantom struggles are no doubt content that the ‘anomaly’ theory is being purveyed as fact

The reality is that when the dust flies in the Manama desert next weekend, there is nowhere to hide for Ferrari whose chief Mattia Binotto claims what we saw in Melbourne was not the real deal.

Backing him up when reflecting on the race, Domenicali told Speedweek, “That was a difficult weekend. Ferrari were unable to show the normal level of performance and thus did not do their role as favourites any justice, but let us not forget that Melbourne often has its own quirks.

“That’s why Bahrain is the more reliable gauge for me. In Australia, the car was too slow, whether it was the tires or the chassis or the engine, I don’t know. If I look at the speed and the lap times, then it is clear – something was not normal.

“But we should not overreact now. What’s really going on, we will know in Bahrain,” added the man who joined Ferrari in 1991, before taking over from Jean Todt team chief at Maranello in 2007.

While Domenicali is calling for no panic, the defeat Down Under has not gone down well in Italy, the tifosi no doubt waiting for the duel in the desert with great anticipation.

On the other side of the coin, Ferrari insider, a tifosi as well as noted Italian F1 ‘poet’ and author of Profondo Rosso column – Leo Turrini – is not buying the ‘anomaly’ excuse.

He started by writing after the Melbourne massacre: “I believe my love for the Cavallino is well known. It is a feeling that has always accompanied me and will always accompany me.”

“The performance (so to speak) of in Melbourne was objectively indefensible and all the more reason why unexpected. Due to an old propensity for caution, I had not taken to the preseason testing hype. Fan yes, naive no.”

“But the gap is an ocean, between the lie of the ‘half-second advantage per lap’ before the race and the huge difference at the end Australian Grand Prix!”

“Therefore, precisely because of its brutal obscenity, I do not consider Albert Park verdict credible. There must be something abnormal, a horse does not become a donkey in a few days.”

Turrini is not buying the Melbourne ‘anomaly’ theory, “I do not believe in the surprise result of an atypical race track. F1 has been racing in Melbourne since 1996.”

“On asphalt, wind and blah, blah the teams have all kinds of information. The circuit has nothing to do with it. It’s okay to evoke it as an excuse because there are things that Binotto can’t say in public, it would do the competition a favour.

The columnist then goes on to argue that the team may have taken the wrong design philosophy with the new car, but remains confident, “I have a lot of faith in the team. Binotto was technical director of the Reds in 2017 and 2018, when competitive cars were produced at Maranello.”

“In Bahrain, on a track that is not atypical, all doubt will be removed. In the desert dunes, a Ferrari Duna version, the worst Fiat of the last century, would push us to depression. A Ferrari that is Ferrari, is the least we can hope for,” added Turrini.

[MIKA27]

BOTTAS: BOTH ME AND LEWIS ARE HERE TO FIGHT

A ‘reloaded’ Valtteri Bottas drew first blood with a commanding victory at the Australian Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver bagging 26 points – one for the fastest lap – as he opened his 2019 Formula 1 World Championship campaign in the best way possible.

In doing so he has broken the comfort zone of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton who had no answer to his teammate on race day, his cause exacerbated by damage to his car.

Whatever the case, he now has to respond to a ‘hostile’ teammate for the first time since 2016, setting the stage for an internal battle for supremacy which the driver of car #77 intends winning.

He made it clear during his slow-down lap that he relished shutting up his detractors. The Bottas 2.0 we saw at Albert Park is going to be interesting to watch. An unexpected development early on in a season packed with sideshows.

Last year Bottas was winless, having to cede sure victory to his teammate in Russia, an afternoon which earned him the ‘wingman’ badge which he so dreads.

Speaking after his finest hour in Melbourne, Bottas told reporters, “We are all starting a new season with zero points, we are here to fight, both me and Lewis will want to fight this season, for sure, against each other and against everyone and we are still one team so no point in thinking about those kinds of things.”

“Porridge” was the answer the Finn gave when asked what he had for breakfast on Sunday, but for sure it was more than what his chef whips up for him when he wakes up that has resulted in the new look Bottas.

He explained, “Every year you learn as a person, you learn about yourself, what works for you, what doesn’t work for you in terms of preparation and what preparation includes: how you rest, how you spend your free time, how you do the training, how much training, what kind, all those kind of things, travel plans, all sorts.”

“So just trying to optimise everything for this year, try to maximise every single thing that is possible. I don’t know, it’s quite difficult to explain what’s been going on here last winter, inside of my head and definitely something changed in terms of the way I feel about things in life in general and in racing, but that’s all in my thoughts. I felt good in the car. That’s all that matters.”

With Mercedes threatening to dominate once again this season, F1 needs Bottas to keep his form and raise it when required as at the end of the day we might only have that battle for the world title as Ferrari went AWOL and Red Bull are almost there, but not quite.

Furthermore, Mercedes probably (or typically?) will have more in reserve for their lads increasing the chance of it being a two-driver race between their lads as opposed to the Hamilton walkover of last year.

According to latest odds from SBD, “Hamilton is still the favorite to win the Bahrain GP with odds set at +160 while number two goes to Bottas (+200).”

“Bottas showed that he was a strong competitor in Australia where he was faster than Hamilton from turn one on so it’s a good argument that Bottas is still being undervalued.”

[MIKA27]

Disneyland run to kick-start Renault's French GP show runs

Renault will carry out show runs through 15 French towns and cities through April and May as part of the build-up to this year’s Formula 1 French Grand Prix.

France returned to the calendar last year after a decade-long absence, with Paul Ricard taking on hosting duties for the first time since 1990.

Renault will demonstrate its 2012-spec E20 Formula 1 car, and the Renault Sport R.S.01, across various locations in the country, beginning with a two-day show at Disneyland Paris early next month.

The manufacturer will provide free-to-access F1 Villages, offering activities such as Virtual Reality simulators, pit stop workshops, reflex tests and educational conferences.

Race drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg, along with tester Sergey Sirotkin, will be in attendance at selected events.

“This roadshow tour continues to expand throughout the country with, this year, the exceptional participation of 15 cities from six different regions,” said French GP chief Christian Estrosi.

“I warmly thank the presidents of the Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions, the partners who are accompanying us on this tour, as well as the mayors of the 14 municipalities that are hosting us for this unique event in the world.

“I look forward to meeting you there to share this preview of the Formula 1 Grand Prix de France.”

It marks the second successive year in which Renault has organised the series of events in its native France.

The French Grand Prix will take place on June 23.

Renault's French Grand Prix roadshow:

6th & 7th April: Disneyland Park Paris
April 20: Marck (Pas-de-Calais)
April 26: Pierre-Bénite (Rhône)
April 27: Gap (Hautes-Alpes)
April 28: Valence (Drôme)
May 1: Nice (Alpes-Maritimes)
May 2: Auron (Alpes-Maritimes)
May 3: Châteaurenard (Bouches-du-Rhône)
May 4: Salon-de-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône)
May 5: Toulon (Var)
May 8: Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône)
May 9: TBA
May 10: Sisteron (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence)
May 11: La Londe-les-Maures (Var)
May 12: Saint-Raphaël (Var)

[MIKA27]

Pirelli to bring softest tyres to Monaco GP

Pirelli has confirmed that its 2019-spec C5 compound will be used at a Grand Prix for the first time in Monaco.

Pirelli has altered its naming system for 2019 and has five dry-weather compounds named C1 to C5, increasing in softness and wear, having dropped the previous 'rainbow range' approach.

The three nominated compounds at each Grand Prix are referred to as Hard (white), Medium (yellow) and Soft (red).

For Monaco Pirelli has nominated the C3, C4 and C5, the first time that the softest compound from its range will be used at a Grand Prix in 2019.

As per usual each driver will receive one set of each of the Soft, Medium and Hard tyres from Pirelli, and is then permitted free choice for the remaining 10 sets of their 13-set allocation.

Either the Medium or Hard tyres must be run for one stint of the Grand Prix, if dry conditions prevail, while one set of the Softs must be used only in Q3.

Pirelli will also bring the softest compounds from its range to the following event in Canada.

[MIKA27]

Construction of Vietnam Grand Prix F1 circuit begins

Construction of the circuit that will host next year’s Vietnam Grand Prix has officially begun in the capital city of Hanoi.

Formula 1 confirmed last November that the championship will visit Vietnam for the first time in 2020, with a provisional April date pencilled into the calendar.

The circuit, totalling 5.565km and featuring 22 corners, will be a semi-permanent street circuit whose sections have taken inspiration from other venues across the world.  

Ground was broken at the venue this week, with FIA President Jean Todt, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung and Vice Chairman and CEO of race promoter Vingroup Nguyen Viet Quang among the attendees.

The venue is set to be completed by March 2020.

The circuit – which also features a 1.5km long straight – has been designed by Hermann Tilke’s company and will incorporate part of the My Dinh Sports Complex.

A Formula 1 statement added that “activation areas such as F1 Fan Zone and the F1 Village will incorporate the Hanoian and Vietnamese culture.”

Vietnam is currently the only addition to the 2020 Formula 1 calendar, though championship officials remain keen to add events in The Netherlands and the United States.

Zandvoort has until the end of the current month to unearth the funding it needs while Liberty Media is still striving to add the Miami Grand Prix, which was initially set to debut in 2019.

Five current Grands Prix – Spain, Britain, Germany, Italy and Mexico – do not currently hold contracts beyond the end of 2019.

[MIKA27]

Why Mercedes sees Red Bull-Honda as a threat in F1 2019

Red Bull's partnership with Honda began with a podium in Formula 1's Australian Grand Prix, and led to Toto Wolff declaring that the pairing will "become a threat" to Mercedes.
Max Verstappen was able to split the Ferraris in qualifying and then took Honda to its first podium in 11 years after a pre-season in which Red Bull regularly sung the praises of its new engine partner.

Edd Straw and Scott Mitchell join Glenn Freeman to discuss Red Bull-Honda's Melbourne performance and the prospects for the team in 2019.

[MIKA27]

No-nonsense Albon "really impressed" Toro Rosso in Melbourne

Toro Rosso technical director Jody Egginton says that the Italian team was impressed by Alex Albon on his Formula 1 debut, describing the Thai-British driver’s approach as “not emotional” and “methodical.”

Albon, who had not driven an F1 car until last month’s shakedown, qualified 13th in Melbourne, ahead of experienced teammate Daniel Kvyat.

He finished 14th in the race, having suffered from brake overheating issues early on.

Although he was well outside the points, the team was pleased with how he tackled his first weekend.

“He did a really solid job,” Egginton told Motorsport.com. “At the start of the race he had to manage his brakes for a while, but he bounced back from that. He learned a lot in terms of tyre management, and how to run the race.

“It’s probably the first time he’s experienced blue flags as well. He’s done a tidy job and given a good account of himself, and at least as solid as some of the other rookies.

“He’s good, he’s methodical, he’s not emotional, and he’s learning so quickly. I’m really impressed so far. I’m sure we can carry on with that trajectory. He knows Bahrain, so I expect another step there.”

[MIKA27]

F1 teams can't "run our businesses" without 2021 clarity

Haas Formula 1 boss Gunther Steiner says that the teams need clarity on plans for the championship's 2021 regulations.
A meeting of the Strategy Group, where ideas are discussed and voted on by F1, the FIA and the six top teams, will be held next Tuesday in London.

This will be followed by a meeting of the F1 commission, where votes are undertaken involving all stakeholders.

FIA president Jean Todt has indicated that progress has been made on 2021, and said that will be apparent at the meetings.

“We need clarity, because there is a lot of talk going on,” said Steiner when asked by Motorsport.com. “I think now Chase [Carey, F1 CEO] is ready to present something to us, and let’s see what he presents, and go from there.

"I don’t know what is in there. We all talk between each other’s backs, so I don’t know in the end what F1 has come up with.”

Asked if the wait for hard information, given that teams need to know what rules they will run under, was frustrating, he said: “I don't know if 'frustrating' is the right word.

"We need to get to the point where we know what is going to happen in the future, otherwise we cannot run our business.

“You cannot start to develop if you have no technical regulations. For us everything starts at least a year or 18 months early. Now we are only 21 months away from that season.

"So you haven’t got a lot of time left. I think they realise that, and that's why they’ve said, ‘We need to come out with something'.’

“But there are a lot of things, the governance, the budget cap, the technical regulations. If we get it all done in one meeting, good for us. Yeah, good luck.”

Asked if teams were being informed about some elements of the technical package – the recent gearbox cassette tender is one of the few details in the public domain – Steiner said: “Yeah, but we are hearing about it. It’s not a done deal.

"Nothing's a done deal. No package. Hopefully we get something on March 26.”

[MIKA27]

Alfa Romeo hands F1 development role to Correa

Formula 2 racer Juan Manuel Correa has been signed by the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team as a development driver for 2019.

Correa will drive for the Sauber Junior Team in F2 this year – an outfit run by Czech team Charouz Racing System – having graduated from the GP3 Series in which he finished 12th in his rookie year. 

He struggled in GP3 with the Jenzer team, but was ahead of his teammate David Beckmann, before the later switched teams and immediately began winning races with Trident Racing. 

American driver Correa partners Ferrari Academy racer Ilott at the Sauber Junior Team this year, and the 19-year-old called the deal a "privilege".

“To have received this opportunity, and to be a part of such an iconic team and brand in motorsports, Formula 1 in particular, is a privilege for any driver,” said Correa. 

“I will do my best to honor the opportunity I have been given and want to thank Fred [Vasseur, team boss] and the entire Alfa Romeo Racing Team for having me. 

“I’m excited for what the future has to hold.”

Vasseur added: “We are happy to announce that Juan Manuel Correa has joined Alfa Romeo Racing. 

“Juan Manuel will be taking on a new challenge with our Team as our Development Driver and we look forward to further advancing his skills in support of his progress as a racing driver.”

Alfa Romeo already has fellow F2 racer Tatiana Calderon on the books as test driver.

[MIKA27]

Mercedes will continue to evaluate rivals' aero concepts

Mercedes will continue its evaluation of Ferrari's different aero concept, despite its success in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
There was much intrigue following the launch of the 2019 cars about the vastly different front wing concepts that Mercedes and Ferrari introduced.

While Mercedes had pursued a maximum downforce approach with high flaps, Ferrari has opted for a design that swooped down towards the end plate to better manage airflow around the front tyres.

Mercedes admitted that if it had needed to change over to the Ferrari concept it was a project that would take several months, as it would require an almost total aerodynamic rethink.

But while the pressure to make a change is now off after Mercedes delivered a 1-2 finish in Melbourne last weekend, team boss Toto Wolff says the outfit needs to remain open-minded about what other teams are doing.

That is why he has not ruled out bringing updates that shift Mercedes more towards the Ferrari concept later in the campaign, if it proves to be better for the longer term.

"I think you need to evaluate all the various philosophies that are out there," said Wolff, when asked by Motorsport.com about whether or not Mercedes would still evaluate the Ferrari concept.

"You must stay open-minded and humble about your own way. But, at the same time, you must follow what you think is right and don't let yourselves be confused.

"We just look at the various concepts and continued to stick to our philosophy. But you might see different aero parts throughout the season at different tracks."

[Lotusguy]

Construction of Vietnam Grand Prix F1 circuit begins

The circuit – which also features a 1.5km long straight – has been designed by Hermann Tilke’s company and will incorporate part of the My Dinh Sports Complex.

Noooooooooooo - not another G’damn Tilke track!!!

[MIKA27]

1 hour ago, Lotusguy said:

 

Noooooooooooo - not another G’damn Tilke track!!!

 

My sentiments EXACTLY!!!!! 

[MIKA27]

BROWN: IF F1 IS NOT FAIR AND COST EFFECTIVE WE COULD LEAVE

As the Formula 1 world waits for Tuesday when Liberty Media combine with the FIA to present a blueprint for the future of the sport at the highest level as much hinges on what F! CEO Chase Carey, FIA President Jean Todt and their men unravel in a couple of days time in London.

While the three grandee teams protect their interests with the ferocity of bulldogs, the former grandee outfits and minnows are demanding a bigger slice of the pie and a level playing field or F1 will become increasingly unattractive for racing teams.

McLaren is a legacy outfit which has fallen on hard times and where they are now, a Renault customer team, the prospect of wins are nil and even podiums are a pipe-dream.

The sport is divided into two clear cut divisions with Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull in the top tier, while the seven other teams – Renault, McLaren, Williams, Toro Rosso, Haas, Alfa Romeo and Racing Point – making up the ‘second division’ – the gap between the ‘haves and the have nots’ is around 1.5 seconds per lap (or more) in qualy to about one second in race trim.

In racing terms that is a huge margin which is virtually impossible to eradicate, with the current rules in place the big teams get bigger while the rest struggle to survive on the crumbs and

Thus no surprise team chief Zak Brown seeks a new dispensation for his team from the powers that be when he told the Guardian, “For McLaren, it has to tick two boxes: to be financially viable and to be able to fight fairly and competitively.”

“If it wasn’t that, we would seriously have to consider our position in F1. That’s not a position we want to be in. People throw it out there as a negotiating tactic but this has to be a fiscally responsible, competitive racing team and, if we feel the new rules don’t put us in that situation, we would have to review our participation in F1.”

“Revenue distribution should be more balanced, should be performance oriented. To a lesser degree than today, there should be recognition for your history.”

“We all agree Ferrari is the biggest name and should be remunerated as such but not at the level that it is and you also should not be able to put that money into the racing,” argued Brown.

With dominant power units and budgets north of half a billion dollars, there is a growing concern that Ferrari and Mercedes are colluding to keep the playing field tilted towards them at the expense of Formula 1 as a whole.

Hence, what is tabled in London on Tuesday to the sport’s stakeholders will provide a glimpse into how far Liberty Media and the FIA will go the pacify the Big Three while attempting to address the numerous issues that the rest of the grid have. A tough ask.

Last week in Melbourne, during a joint press conference with Carey, Todt revealed, “We should be ready with the global package. On the commercial side, the financial side, which is the responsibility of Formula 1, we have the cost control which is a new initiative which is quite well advanced.”

“We have the engine regulations which have been sent to the teams a few days ago. And we have the chassis regulations and we have the governance.”

“So those are all the different chapters which we are working and we should be in a position to have the final package to discuss with the teams on those opportunities on the 26th of March.”

Carey also remains optimistic, “I think there’s a general agreement on the direction we’re going with everything. We’ve got 10 teams so we’ve got 10 different views on the details. So that’s part of what thrashing this out is.”

“It’s not unique in the world to try to find the right compromises but I think directionally we’re excited about the opportunity to really provide a platform the sport can really from 2021 take off,” added the F1 supremo.

[MIKA27]

JOHANSSON: INDEPENDENT TEAMS ARE THE CLOWNS IN THE SHOW

Stefan Johansson has kicked the hornet’s nest in a long and detailed document entitled “Make Racing Awesome Again” in which he outlines the problems facing Formula 1 in an era of three teams ruling the roost.

With 12 grand prix podiums to his name and having driven for the likes of Shadow, Tyrrell, Toleman, Ferrari, McLaren and Ligier coupled to his vast experience in a large variety of series, he is amply qualified to present his view of the sport and he has done so eloquently, with great effort and well-thought-out detail.

Regarding the prime problem facing our sport, Johansson explained in the manifesto, “Adding the hybrid component to the powertrain has done more damage than all the other rule changes combined in my opinion.”

“It seems that in order to meet the politically correct agenda that is now creeping in to every facet of life, it’s somehow been decided that this is the future of automotive engineering and needs to be part of Formula One as well.”

“Pushed by the manufacturers (under the premise of wanting the formula to have relevance to the manufacturer’s production lineup) who put pressure on the FIA, Formula One had to follow, along with the WEC.”

“Interestingly, both series are now completely controlled and dominated by the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s and would not survive in their current formats without the money being poured in by the manufacturers competing.”

“The privateer or independent teams are now just the clowns that make up the show in both series and have no realistic chance of ever winning a race. So, this means we are stuck with three teams in F1 and currently only one team in the WEC that have any chance of winning.”

“This seems an incredibly high trade-off just to be doing the politically correct thing. By introducing this rule and subsequently allowing the manufacturers to effectively take control of both series, it will take some major undoing to get things back on the right track again.”

“What we have now is an engine formula that is turning manufacturers away rather than inviting them to join, which is a very dangerous path. As we all know from past experiences, it’s only a matter of a board decision for any manufacturer, except Ferrari, to stop any racing program if it doesn’t suit their purpose for whatever reason.”

“None of them have any real emotional attachment to racing, which has been shown by Toyota, Honda and BMW who all pulled out of F1 within a few years of each other.”

He also adds, “In order to arrive at a situation that has the right balance between ECONOMICS, COMPETITION, ENTERTAINMENT and RELEVANCE – it’s important to first identify the individual areas that matter the most and focus on getting these right and at the same time eliminate the areas that matters the least.”

Johansson has unequivocally singled out the manufacturers as the cancer of our sport and then goes on to outline an intriguing and plausible vision for the sport while the powers that be tango with the three elephants in the room.

His document pinpoints the issues and proffers sensible solutions with the over-riding theme being the banishing of stupidly expensive technology solely conceived to shave a few hundredths here and there with no relevance to the real world.

Making a mockery of these unnecessary expenses, Johansson cited this example among many: “To put things in perspective, a top F1 team’s brake budget is nearly equivalent to a winning IndyCar full season budget. No one can see or relate to the insanely complicated brake ducting systems each team now must develop, all for nothing in the end.”

[MIKA27]

HORNER: BAHRAIN WILL REFLECT THE REAL F1 PECKING ORDER

While Red Bull enjoyed a strong weekend at the Australian Grand Prix, powered by Honda for the first time, a podium was their reward at the season opener but team chief Christian Horner is not getting carried away.

Max Verstappen finally gave us a glimpse of what Honda had when he qualified fourth in Melbourne, then a day later he finished third, well and truly beating Ferrari in the process and with Mercedes in their sights.

In an interview with Motorsport-Total, Horner played down expectations in the wake of the unexpected result, “It’s way too early to talk about the championship. But the podium was a great moment for Honda.”

“The race at Albert Park is also not a yardstick for the pecking order in Formula 1 because the track has a special characteristic.”

“Mercedes surprised with its pace and Ferrari disappointed. Whether this is really a trend can only be assessed after the race in Bahrain. We are proud of the performance and are satisfied with the Honda product.”

“Hopefully, this is the start of a strong season. It was just one race, but it was a good start. We have to build on this positive energy.”

Perhaps the only flaw in an otherwise strong start to the team’s campaign was Pierre Gasly whose first race for the team was underwhelming, while the Blues did not help his cause by botching his qualifying.

As a result of the telling off he got for trashing the car on the penultimate day of testing in Barcelona, the Frenchman arrived Down Under on the back foot.

But Horner is not concerned, “It’s still early days for his here. There’s always pressure in Formula 1, but I think he drove a good race.”

“He worked his way into the weekend and gave good feedback. We know he has the pace. We just have to give him a little time, then it’ll work out,” predicted Horner.