FORMULA 1

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Gasly: F1 tyres "not easy" thanks to new blanket limits

Pierre Gasly thinks Formula 1 drivers are going to race a tough time when coming out of the pits in cooler races, thanks to new tyre blanket temperature limits.
For 2019, the maximum temperate that rear tyres can be heated has been lowered from 100-degrees Centigrade to 80-degrees C.

Drivers struggled in winter testing coming out of the pits thanks to the change, and it was noticeable in the Australian Grand Prix that drivers had more of a headache on their out-laps.

Gasly lost the chance of a points scoring finish when he was overtaken by Daniil Kvyat on a lap out of the pits as he struggled to get his tyres up to temperature.

Asked by Motorsport.com if Kvyat got him because his tyres were too cold, Gasly said: "Yeah, basically I braked and I could feel already in Turn 1 I almost locked up.

"Then coming into Turn 3 I tried to brake later and I locked a bit the front. I think warmer tyres helped him [Kvyat] make the move."

With drivers having some difficulties in Australia, which enjoyed warm temperatures, Gasly thinks things could be especially tricky on cooler days.

"Clearly there's an impact, because I could feel going out of the box, the first two-three corners are clearly more snappy.

"I think it makes it a bit difficult, even though Australia was hotter. I think in cold conditions it's not going to be easy."

Kevin Magnussen was another driver who recognised the added challenge that had arrived thanks to the new tyre temperature limits.

"Yes, the rears are pretty tricky coming out of the pits," he said.

But not all drivers were convinced it had made that much of an impact. Lewis Hamilton said that his Mercedes had not felt too bad when it came out of the pits.

"The out-lap wasn't a problem," he said. "The tyres in general operate quite well in that region. Probably the blanket temperatures we used to have in the past were too high anyway."

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FIA confirms even stricter oil burn clampdown for 2020

The FIA has confirmed plans for an even stricter clampdown on oil burn in 2020, as the governing body moves to stop teams benefiting from the activity.
Ever since the turbo hybrid engines came in with a strict fuel limit, some manufacturers have tried to find ways to boost power through burning oil rather than petrol.

The FIA quickly cottoned on to what the engine makers were up to, and have made several moves over the years to limit the activity.

Teams currently have to operate with a strict limit of oil consumption of 0.6 litres per 100km, while for 2019 further rules were introduced to prevent teams exploiting oil burn in qualifying.

In particular, teams can no longer add oil or transfer it from an auxiliary oil tank to any part of the lubrication system during qualifying.

But with the FIA still feeling that teams are pushing the limits too much, it will half the amount of oil that can be burned – cutting back the allowed consumption to 0.3 litres per 100km. Teams were notified of this change over the winter.

The FIA's head of single-seater matters Nikolas Tombazis says the governing body is clear that any use by teams of oil burn as a way of boosting performance is not acceptable.

"The question of oil is simple," he told Motorsport.com. "The regulation states that the only fuel that can be burned is petrol, so the oil must be just a lubricant.

"We know that there is oil consumption, but in some cases that could contribute to the performance, which is not correct.

"We intervened and reduced consumption to 0.6 kg per 100 km, but in anticipation of next year we want to drop even further.

"When it comes down to such low consumption, it becomes clear that there will be no need to have an auxiliary tank in qualifying. So this is the novelty of 2019."

Teams have been informed that the FIA will base the oil consumption figure on any given distance taken as a multiple of a lap – to ensure they are not burning more during specific phases of the event.

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FESTIVAL OF SPEED TO PAY HOMAGE TO SCHUMACHER

The 2019 Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard will celebrate the record-breaking career of seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher, as friends, family and rivals come together to pay tribute to the sport’s greatest record-breaker.

This year marks not only 25 years since the great German clinched his first F1 title (at Adelaide in 1994) but also Michael Schumacher’s 50th birthday. Therefore to celebrate these milestones Goodwood will organise a special tribute to the Benetton, Ferrari, Jordan and Mercedes legend.

The celebration will span his entire career, expanding out from his incredible time in Formula 1 to his early years in sportscars and touring cars, and even back into the early days of his career in junior categories. As part of the celebration, Damon Hill will take to the hillclimb in one of his former rivals iconic cars.

With this year’s theme set as “Speed Kings – Motorsport’s Record Breakers” Michael’s incredible career is the perfect subject for a tribute.

Not only did he race in over 300 Grands Prix on his way to the record of seven World Championships, but on the way Schumacher also broke records for most wins (91), most wins with the same team (72), most wins in a season (13), most podiums (155), most fastest laps (77) and more.

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RIGHTS GROUPS URGE F1 AND FIA TO TAKE A STANCE IN BAHRAIN

Human rights groups called for Formula 1  and its governing body, the FIA, to seek the immediate release of a jailed female activist and blogger ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) were among 15 signatories to a letter sent to International Automobile Federation president Jean Todt.

In it they urged Formula One and the FIA to send a high-level delegation to visit Najah Yusuf, a mother of four now serving a three year sentence, and jailed reporter Ahmed Humaidan.

It said their prisons were only 20 and 24km away respectively from the Sakhir circuit south of the capital Manama.

The race, round two of the championship sanctioned by the FIA, is the biggest annual sporting event in Bahrain and one that pays tens of millions of dollars in hosting fees to Liberty Media-owned Formula One.

The race has been held since 2004, with the exception of 2011 when it was cancelled due to pro-democracy protests led mainly by Shi’ite Muslims in the Sunni-ruled country.

Protesters in Manama camped for days at the Pearl Roundabout, which became the centre of the rebellion. After a month, the government of Bahrain requested troops and police aid from the Gulf Cooperation Council.

On 14 March, 1,000 troops from Saudi Arabia and 500 troops from UAE entered Bahrain and crushed the uprising. A day later, King Hamad declared martial law and a three-month state of emergency.

Pearl Roundabout was cleared of protesters and the iconic statue at its center was destroyed. The state of emergency was lifted on 1 June.

During the 2012 race weekend (pictured above) plumes of black smoke drifted on the horizon as unrest flared up amid the Formula 1 circus being in town.

Ahead of this year’s race, Yusuf claimed she was tortured and sexually assaulted while under arrest and a week after posts against the 2017 race appeared on a Facebook account she co-managed.

Writing on the Guardian website on Wednesday, under the headline “every moment I spend in prison in Bahrain stains the reputation of F1”, she accused Bahrain’s ruling family of using the race to “whitewash its disregard for human rights.”

“During this period, Formula One has consistently ignored the abuses that occur,” she added.

The Bahrain authorities have said Yusuf’s conviction was unrelated to the grand prix.

“Najah Yusuf’s defence did not claim during her trial that her right to free speech had been infringed,” they said in a statement this month when the same rights groups wrote to Formula One expressing concern.

“Peaceful protests of any kind are protected by Bahrain´s constitution and do not constitute a crime.”

British peer Lord Scriven, who has discussed the situation with Formula One’s general counsel Sacha Woodward-Hill, told reporters at the HRW offices that the sport must show it did not operate in a ‘moral vacuum’.

He said the meeting with Woodward-Hill left him with some optimism, and Formula One had committed to a full independent investigation into the case, but ‘warm words are not enough’.

Scriven said that if Bahrain refused to grant access to Yusuf, that would be grounds to cancel the race.

“Even at this last minute, they have to take decisive actions,” he said. “I think this is a litmus test for F1 leadership.”

Scriven said that otherwise the rights groups would have to ‘turbocharge’ the campaign and try to engage the likes of Mercedes’ five-times F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton who counts members of the Bahraini royal family as his friends.

“If Sacha Woodward-Hill and the leadership don’t show they are serious, then it’s down to drivers and sponsors to actually take that moral, ethical and legal step to say ‘we will not drive and we will not participate’,” he said.

The Bahraini ruling family are heavily invested in Formula 1, not only building and upkeeping the venue to five-star standards. Through their investment company Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company they also own 56% of McLaren.

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ROSBERG: VERSTAPPEN A NARCISSIST LIKE YOU WRITE IN A DICTIONARY

The latest episode of Nico Rosberg’s always entertaining Beyond Victory podcast may kick a hornet’s nest after the 2016 Formula 1 World Champion labelled Red Bull superstar Max Verstappen a narcissist during a conversation with Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff.

Around the 30-minute mark during the hour-long chitchat, Rosberg declared: “If you take Verstappen, he is a narcissist like you would write it in the dictionary, I think. How can you not doubt yourself if you make the same mistake six times?”

“And the seventh time you still do the same but it happens to work because you have so much talent and then it turns around  into a huge success streak.”

“Being extremely narcissistic when you have the talent can be a powerful force and maybe even the most powerful,” reasoned Rosberg of the 21-year-old Dutchman.

Wolff was quick to defend Verstappen, “I think with Verstappen it’s different, there is a part in his life that we don’t see, and that is, the relationship with his father, Jos is giving his son very direct feedback, I don’t think he is holding back.”

“Max’s behaviour is self-confident in a way that he would even seem sometimes overconfident, but you must not forget he is very young. When he collided with Valtteri in Monza last year it was pretty obvious there was not enough space.”

“I watched a replay of the Monza Grand Prix, it was on Sky and Martin Brundle, who knows everything, says that was not enough space so it was clear but I think there is a certain degree of superconfidence that helps you in your ability to drive.”

“But I think the older he gets the more he matures he is going to get that angle under control.”

“If you remember how you were at nineteen, twenty – I know what I was, I would not be able to cross the road without risking an accident, I think that’s a different story. You need to consider the age,” added Wolff.

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GASLY’S DAZZLING DISPLAY IN BAHRAIN LAST YEAR

The 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix was a watershed race for Pierre Gasly, driving for Toro Rosso at the time, the Frenchman pulled off an unlikely fourth place finish, signalling both he and the team’s ambitions for a bright future.

Speaking to Mobil 1 The Grid, the 21-year-old reflects on a race to remember as he looks to build on last year’s performance with his new team for 2019, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.

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The calm before the storm – when 1994 looked like F1’s salvation

Nineteen Ninety-Four. For the Formula 1 observer, the Orwellian air is appropriate.

The season is viewed as a rancid low point. It started with tragedy, ended with controversy, and the intervening period was filled mostly with acrimony – from every source imaginable. Compared with the outset, F1 come the season’s end looked rather more than a year older.

And more starkly than you might think. Prior to this storm there was in fact, briefly, utterly incongruous calm. As, based on the 1994 season’s opening round at Interlagos in Brazil which was exactly 25 years ago today, it appeared the year was to be the scene of an F1 renaissance. However laughable that seems to hindsight.

It appeared that way unexpectedly too. Williams had creamed the previous two seasons and now for 1994 had triangulated much of what resistance it faced in that time by recruiting Ayrton Senna. Most foresaw a year of demonstration runs.

There was wider trepidation too. For this season various electronic ‘gizmos’ – such as traction control and active suspension – were banned while in-race refuelling was back after an 11-year absence.

Not too many regretted seeing the back of the gizmos, yet FIA President Max Mosley’s means of getting rid caused resentment. He dropped a bombshell in mid-1993 that in his view the systems didn’t conform to current rules let alone future ones (a technique of his that would become familiar). After some horse trading he gave the devices a stay of execution only until the year’s end.

Plenty doubted also the FIA’s ability to police the ban effectively, plus there was confusion about what was banned and what wasn’t. Also, as part of that panicked horse trading, refuelling returned, behest of Bernie Ecclestone who thought it good for ‘the show’. Many feared a holocaust in the pits.

Yet the expectation of a Senna-dominated year was broken almost alone by the unlikely source of Williams’ technical boss Patrick Head. “My feeling,” he stated as everyone headed out to Brazil, “is that this season will be the closest world championship for a very long time.”

It did not reflect mere healthy paranoia. Williams it transpired was under-cooked. The FW16 had appeared late, and in its early form was prone to snap oversteer particularly over bumps of which there are plenty at Interlagos.

As ever the explanation was obvious in hindsight. With the gizmo ban, Williams had the most to ‘un-learn’.

“To be honest,” said designer Adrian Newey later, “we made a bloody awful cock-up. The rear end grip problem was purely a set-up problem. We were learning about springs and dampers all over again after concentrating on active suspension for two years, whereas most people had been away for only one. We also had a rather silly aerodynamic problem – basically the front wing was too low.”

Senna put the car on pole at Interlagos, but his engineer David Brown insisted that “Williams wasn’t on pole...Ayrton was”.

Senna leads from pole...but for how long?

All of this might not have mattered, had not in the same moment a formidable foe stepped forward. Michael Schumacher had long served notice that he was F1’s next big thing, and this year his Benetton team was set to provide a car worthy of him. Unlike the Williams, the Benetton appeared early and flew immediately. Its Ford engine also was much improved, shoving out 14,000 revs.

Still the consensus remained Schumacher being Senna’s closest challenger was a relative assessment only. That was until Brazil’s race day, wherein the consensus was blown apart. For the first time in a long time, in a dry race at last, a non-Williams had the legs of Williams. Schumacher edged in on leader Senna early on, got ahead via a quicker first pitstop (something else that would become familiar in time) then once the final stops were done he had a lead of an incredible 9.2 seconds.

In the final stint Senna dug ever deeper and chipped back at Schumacher’s advantage, only to spin out with 16 laps left. He likely fell victim to the sort of snap oversteer Williams identified. Schumacher then won at a canter – perhaps surprisingly it was the only F1 race he won by a lap.

And for all of the resentment at how Mosley had effected it, the gizmo ban appeared to have had the desired effect. This included a clearly tightened competitive order. And unusual faces in unusual places.

One such unusual face was Footwork, née Arrows, which for much of its history was viewed as a midfield plodder only. But in Brazil it was clear that its new chassis was neat and much improved, as well as that its Ford HB engine didn’t have the weight and bulk of its Mugen-Honda predecessor. Gianni Morbidelli made good on it all by claiming a career-best sixth on the grid. His team-mate Christian Fittipaldi may have been in the vicinity too had the skies not opened before his second run in Saturday qualifying.

Morbidelli was one place shy on the grid of the amazing Heinz-Harald Frentzen, making his F1 debut in the Mercedes-powered Sauber. Frentzen had arrived from the Mercedes sportscar programme and after his prodigious effort here some noted that in sportcars Frentzen was often quicker than a certain team-mate named Michael Schumacher (though that turned out to be rather a myth).

The other Sauber, piloted by Karl Wendlinger, was two places back on the grid and he reckoned he would have been the one ahead but for an engine failure on Saturday morning. It all led Autosport to speculate about Sauber – itself a famous sportscar name – possibly replacing McLaren in F1’s ‘big four’ teams.

Many hearts were cheered also by the resurgent Tyrrells. With Yamaha power and Ukyo Katayama at the wheel it featured two common sources of mirth. But Ken Tyrrell reckoned that both were significantly better than the ‘93 Tyrrell chassis made them look, and with Harvey Postlethwaite and Jean-Claude Migeot back on board – the pair who designed the cars of Tyrrell’s previous renaissance in 1989-90 – that wrong was righted for ‘94. The car flew; Katayama started tenth and did even better on race day by storming to fifth place by the end. Mark Blundell in the other Tyrrell might have been even higher but his Sunday’s effort was ended early when his right-front wheel broke and sent him into a violent accident.

And perhaps the most unlikely interloper of all was that most famous band of triers Minardi. Its car was essentially a rehashed version of its ‘93 one yet veteran Michele Alboerto around Interlagos was making a sweet tune out of it, evidenced by him setting fourth-fastest time in Saturday morning practice. A few present in Brazil even wondered out loud why he hadn’t been considered for the McLaren seat that sat vacant for much of the off-season.

Lucklessly it wasn’t to convert into a representative grid slot, as the car required an engine change prior to the final qualifying session and by the time he could run rain had soaked the track. He started down in 22nd then his electrics failed early in the race. Alboreto nevertheless showed what might have been by setting third-quickest time in the warm up.

Jordan too despite by designer Gary Anderson’s admission having “screwed up” qualifying, got recompense with local boy Rubens Barrichello climbing to finish fourth in the race.

And while at Interlagos it was clear from the off that Senna and Schumacher were on another level, behind them a single second separated the qualifying best of Jean Alesi’s Ferrari in third and Eric Comas’s Larrousse in 13th. More likely suspects of Gerhard Berger’s Ferrari in 17th (admittedly hampered by technical problems) and Martin Brundle’s McLaren in 18th were even further back. The damp-but-drying warm up continued the theme with eight different teams in the top 10, including Wendlinger second and Blundell fourth.

“One of the FIA’s aims, in banning many of the electronic systems, appears to be bearing fruit,” said a satisfied Nigel Roebuck watching on. “Undeniably, the overall competitiveness of the field has been tightened”. John Watson, commentating for Eurosport, concurred. “[It’s] something we’re crying out for, regulation changes seem to be playing some part in bringing the field together...[It’s] very very competitive indeed, auguring for a great season in 1994.’”

As is often the case in F1, the optimism was fleeting. Most of these unlikely and less well-resourced challengers were hampered particularly by a series of mid-year rule changes that followed Imola’s harrowing events in round three. The field was blown apart once more.

And even among all of the cheer there was the odd portent in Brazil’s round one of what 1994 was to become notorious for; that Motor Sport magazine rather prophetically referred to as “clouds over the new dawn”.

First during the race there was a four-car accident of considerable violence, in which Jos Verstappen’s Benetton struck a blow on Brundle’s helmet, a knock that Brundle says still affects him. That no-one was injured more seriously was a matter of sheer mercy.

And this gave rise to another portent. The stewards decided that Eddie Irvine was at fault for the smash and he, eventually after an appeal, got a three-race ban. He was to be just the first of three drivers forced to sit out races in 1994. Underlining the season’s outlier status, following the season we’d wait close to 20 years for the next driver ban...

There was a third portent, as there was a post-race protest of Schumacher’s victorious Benetton. The bone of contention, perhaps oddly, was its bargeboards – now of course de rigueur but at the time fairly new. The regulations then said all parts of the car between the lines of the front and rear wheels visible from underneath had to be uniformly flat and impervious. As a consequence teams often added ‘shadow plates’ sticking out from the sides of the floor so that things like the mirrors could not be seen from underneath. But the Benettons in Interlagos had no such features covering its bargeboards, and Jordan reckoned this was a breach, and protested the winning car.

It probably had a point, but its method and timing miffed a few – Charlie Whiting indeed had invited all to raise any concerns they had at scrutineering earlier that weekend. Whatever was the case the stewards threw the protest out, and didn’t return Jordan’s protest deposit fee.

Little did we know that we’d have to get used to such spats in 1994. Particularly when it came to the pariah Benetton squad.

But all that lay in the future. As things were there appeared plenty to look forward to in 1994. Senna faced a major battle – in the classic new boy versus old hand mould – and had ceded a 10-point head start. This would be in front of a packed, unpredictable pack in which the underdog would have plenty of days. Even the refuelling fears looked overblown.

So all left Brazil in good heart, encouraged that they might after all get a season to remember. In the event though 1994 was to be a season that no one readily could forget, however much they wanted to.

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Formula 1 a 'step closer' to agreeing 2021 rules overhaul

Formula 1 has said it has taken a “step closer” to overhauling the championship and its rules for 2021 following a meeting of key stakeholders in London on Tuesday.

The commercial rights holders, the Liberty Media owned Formula One Group, said that F1’s new chapter will feature “new rules, governance structure, revenue distribution strategy, and cost controls”. And apparently yesterday’s meeting proved constructive in ensuring these changes are implemented from 2021 onwards.

Representatives of all 10 Formula 1 teams and engine manufacturers attended yesterday’s meeting, where a full framework was discussed for the future of the series. Also in attendance was the sport’s governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA).

While no specific details of any new plans or regulations have been disclosed by F1, the FIA or the teams, MotorsportWeek.com understands that yesterday’s meeting was positive, according to the Formula One Group (FOM).

Discussions are set to continue over the coming weeks, with various media outlets reporting that a final framework is not expected to be in place until May or June at the earliest.

“Over the past months, F1 bosses and the FIA have been working on a framework that includes new technical and sporting regulations, power unit rules, costs, governance and revenue distribution and this was presented on Tuesday,” read a statement from FOM.

“The day opened with a meeting of the Strategy Group and was followed by a meeting of the F1 Commission, bringing together all of the sport’s stakeholders to see how the vision has evolved almost a year on from the presentation F1 made to the FIA and teams in Bahrain last year.

“Ultimately, F1 wants to create great action and bring the cars closer together, make the drivers the heroes and make the business more sustainable.”

Whilst nothing specific has emerged from the London meeting, the seriousness in which the participants are taking matters is shown by the fact that nothing seems to have been leaked from either the Strategy Group or F1 Commission meetings. Whereas in the past, there have usually been leaks and rumours abounding; this time there is nothing…

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Feature: Bahrain Grand Prix - Form Guide

Who’s hot and who’s not in Bahrain? Ahead of the 2019 event this weekend, Motorsport Week takes a look at how teams and drivers have fared in recent years at the Sakhir International Circuit.

Wins 
Only two of the 20 drivers on the grid have savoured Formula 1 success in Bahrain – Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.

Vettel is the most successful driver at the venue and has triumphed with Ferrari across the past two years, adding to previous wins with Red Bull in 2012 and 2013. 

Related: Five key talking points ahead of the 2019 Bahrain GP

Reigning World Champion Hamilton, meanwhile, prevailed in a titanic tussle with Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in 2014, and followed it up with a more straightforward win in 2015. 

Podiums 
Seven racers on this year’s grid have mounted the podium places at the event.

Hamilton (7) and Vettel (5) are high up on the list but they’re both trumped by Kimi Raikkonen, who has taken eight top-three spots despite failing to mount the top step of the podium.

Raikkonen was third in 2005/06/07 before finishing runner-up in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016. 

Romain Grosjean joined Raikkonen on the podium in 2012 and 2013 while current title leader Valtteri Bottas placed third in 2017 and finished a close runner-up to Vettel 12 months ago.

Sergio Perez (2014) and Robert Kubica (2008) also have a Bahrain trophy in their collection. 

Poles 
Vettel and Hamilton again feature prominently on the list, with the Ferrari driver’s Q3 effort in 2018 putting him 3-2 ahead.

Vettel’s other poles came while racing for Red Bull in 2010 and 2012 while Hamilton took back-to-back poles in 2015 and 2016.

For Bottas his 2017 lap marked his maiden pole position and nine years previously it was Kubica’s turn; that 2008 stunner remains the only time it’s been a case of Pole on pole.  

What else? 
It isn’t a strong circuit for Red Bull – not in the hybrid era at least.

It has not taken a podium finish since Vettel’s 2013 victory and last year neither Verstappen nor Daniel Ricciardo made it past the early stages amid differing setbacks.

Haas led the midfield in Australia and it is surely well-placed to do so once more in Bahrain.

Twice in its three-year history it has claimed a fifth-place finish (Romain Grosjean, 2016; Kevin Magnussen, 2018) and it has never left the circuit empty-handed. 

But last year it was Toro Rosso that thrived. The Faenza-based squad has historically performed poorly in the country, failing to finish in the top 10 between 2006 and 2015. But Max Verstappen’s sixth in 2016 was followed last year by a stunning fourth for Pierre Gasly, comfortably the team’s best result of 2018.

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Third DRS zone added for Bahrain Grand Prix

A third DRS zone has been added to the Sakhir International Circuit for this weekend’s Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Formula 1 has typically used two DRS zones at most Grands Prix – experimenting with three in Australia and Canada last year – but a third will be introduced at Sakhir this weekend.

Drivers will have use of the system between Turns 3 and 4, with a detection point placed 50 metres before the apex of Turn 1.

It is in addition to the existing DRS zones at the venue, which have not been changed since last year.

These are placed along the pit straight and back straight, each with their own respective detection points.

The regulation changes introduced in Formula 1 this season means the effect of DRS is more powerful than in 2018

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Zandvoort local government gives green light for Dutch Grand Prix

The Dutch Grand Prix received a big boost to its hopes of returning to the Formula 1 calendar after receiving the green light from Zandvoort's local government.

Liberty Media has already signalled its desire to have a Dutch GP on the calendar to capitalise on the rising popularity of Max Verstappen and identified Zandvoort as the only viable circuit.

Zandvoort councillors voted unanimously to approve a small rise in the tourist tax by 50 cents a night to raise €4 million over four years, which will be invested into improving track access and local roads to cope with the expected traffic created by the race.

According to broadcaster NOS, the town's green political party, GroenLinks, also voted in favour of the race, given the promise to make it as environmentally friendly as possible.

"Zandvoort will live and breath Formula 1," commented alderman Ellen Verheij-de Haas. "This is something big and beautiful which we can be proud of." 

There are still hurdles for the circuit to leap if the race is to happen, including financing F1's hosting fee, which the Dutch government has already said it will not contribute to with public money, which means the circuit itself will need to find the necessary backing/sponsorship to fund it.

Liberty Media still needs to pass approval for a 2020 or 2021 event and the FIA will need to inspect the circuit to ensure it's up to Grade 1 status.

The last F1 race held at the circuit was won by Niki Lauda in 1985 and most recently hosted the DTM series, but lost its place on the 2019 calendar.

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Marko thinks cooling problems held Ferrari back in Australia

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko reckons the Ferrari Formula 1 team had to hold back its performance in the Australian Grand Prix because of cooling problems.
Ferrari endured a muted season-opening race as its pace-setting pre-season testing form translated into fourth and fifth on the road in Melbourne.

The Italian team says it has made "corrections" to what it feels contributed to its weak performance in Australia, and Marko believes it is engine related.

Marko told Motorsport.com: "It's quite clear that Ferrari has underperformed. And also Haas.

"We don't know exactly, but I think they just cut back on performance because they had cooling problems.

"The Haas was suddenly slower in relation [to the rest of the field compared to its long-run pace in pre-season testing]."

Sebastian Vettel faded dramatically during the Australian GP and Marko believes his lack of performance on fresher or softer tyres also pointed to a set-up related problem.

"One indication is that [Charles] Leclerc was faster with the white tyres [hards] than Vettel with the yellow ones [mediums]," said Marko.

"This means that something was wrong. Vettel only drove three halfway fast laps and then his pace dropped.

"Ferrari was no danger on the yellow tyre due to the temperature and their tyre degradation.

"We on the other hand did not have any issues with degradation and were not even on the limit."

Ferrari has adopted a different front-wing philosophy to Mercedes and Red Bull this season.

However, Marko dismissed the notion that this could have impacted how the Ferrari reacted to the bumpy Melbourne circuit compared to its rivals.

"I think that [theory] is overrated," said Marko. "The front wing more or less determines the concept of the car.

"But there are many other things in the front area that play a role as well.

"There are the different concepts, but in terms of race pace only [race winner Valtteri] Bottas was a step above the rest.

"Ferrari and [Red Bull] were on the same level."

Ferrari was Mercedes' most consistent challenger in 2017 and 2018, and came under scrutiny last year for its engine performance gains.

Marko said that another factor in Ferrari's performance was an apparent loss of a previous straightline speed advantage.

"The FIA reacted very well and closed several loopholes, or at least minimised them," he said.

"This means that these speed peaks, which Ferrari had on the last 25% or 30% of the straights, no longer exist. That's good."

[TheGipper]

Something was definitely funny with that Ferrari engine in Melbourne.  Watched some of the Vettel on board and there were a number of odd RPM drops in the straights.  That plus all the corner entry coasting they were doing and it seems like Marko is right.  Ferrari was obviously running the engine in some kind of low level safe mode in the race.

[In-A-Gadda-Davidoff]

I'm skeptical.   If Ferrari had engine temp issues at Melbourne, the predicted temps in Bahrain are almost identical to Melbourne.  It'll be interesting to see if there are any visual changes to either the front wing or bargeboards.  It just seems like a big task to complete in less than 2 weeks without throwing the aero package of the car out of whack.

 

[Cigar_83]

Interesting to read Ferrari's cooling issues.  Also I wonder what the new rules regs might be?1?

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FORMULA 1 STAKEHOLDERS QUIET ON LIBERTY’S 2021 ROAD-MAP

In the wake of Tuesday’s meeting involving Formula 1 stakeholders in London, where Liberty Media presented the next version of their road map for the top flight from 2021 and beyond, very little information has been leaked out as yet.

The official F1 website reported:

“In just over two years’ time, F1 is aiming to begin a new chapter in its illustrious history that will feature new rules, governance structure, revenue distribution strategy and cost controls. And on Tuesday in London, the championship took a step closer to making that happen from 2021 onwards.

“Over the past months, F1 bosses and the FIA have been working on a framework that includes new technical and sporting regulations, power unit rules, costs, governance and revenue distribution and this was presented on Tuesday.

“The day opened with a meeting of the Strategy Group and was followed by a meeting of the F1 Commission, bringing together all of the sport’s stakeholders to see how the vision has evolved almost a year on from the presentation F1 made to the FIA and teams in Bahrain last year.

“Ultimately, F1 wants to create great action and bring the cars closer together, make the drivers the heroes and make the business more sustainable.”

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BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX: DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE

FULL VERSION

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VETTEL: IT HASN’T BEEN EASY THESE PAST TWO WEEKS

Ferrari arrived in Melbourne on a high after Formula 1 testing that promised much but they departed despondent after being comprehensively trounced by Mercedes at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Since then, by all accounts, the Reds have been toiling hard at Maranello to reel in those lost ponies and

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, Vettel revealed, “The last couple of weeks have been very intense. I think we have some answers, but as always you never get all the answers because we never get the chance to go back and repeat.”

“Things move on, we’re here now in Bahrain on a different track, but I think we learned some stuff about the car and ourselves that should help us to be more competitive here. I think we are not in a position to be making promises, the truth is we need to wait and see.”

It was the worst start to the season for the German since he joined Ferrari in 2015 at race he had won in 2017 and 2018. It also marked an inauspicious start to Mattia Binotto’s reign as team principal.

Nevertheless, it is clear that despite the disappointment and concerns for the missing pace, Vettel is adamant that the team remains focused, “I think the team internally has been quite calm. It hasn’t been easy these past two weeks to try to understand and catch up.”

“Clearly there was something we were missing, as we had a very good car at pre-season testing. We are not sure where it went for the first race so we hope we have it back and have some answers to the problems.”

Most pundits have singled out the race in Australia as an anomaly, suggesting that the true pecking order will be revealed in Bahrain.

For Ferrari, there is nowhere to hide this weekend as Binotto assured the perplexed F1 world that we will see “corrections made” to the SF90 when it takes to the track in Bahrain.

“Whether we learnt the lessons will become clear here. In the end, looking back, we were slow pretty much everywhere, with the exception of high-speed corners. There was clearly something wrong with the car,” explained the four-time F1 World Champion.

He added later, “I love the trophy here in Bahrain. I think it’s the best of the season. It’s big and heavy, that’s the way it should be!”

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VERSTAPPEN: MERCEDES WERE SURPRISED BY THEIR OWN PACE

Fresh from a sensational third place in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is happy with the way the season started and suggested Mercedes surprise even themselves when they switched on their ‘Party-Mode’ for qualifying Down Under.

Before that, after Barcelona preseason testing the impression was that Ferrari had the best package while Mercedes cried wolf before unleashing their beast on Saturday afternoon in Melbourne. When the dust settled the silver cars were seven tenths faster than anything else in the field.

In his preview of the Bahrain weekend, Verstappen said, “We had a good start and I really enjoyed it. But we have to improve. I think that Mercedes were surprised by their own pace. Ferrari too, but unpleasantly surprised. We were sort of in the middle.”

Red Bull and their young superstar driver are relishing the new Honda partnership which got off to the kind of start they could only dream of, the Japanese giant celebrating on the podium for the first time in over a decade.

Verstappen continued, “Even before the pre-season, I was pretty confident because of the dyno results. During the tests it all felt good and we didn’t have many issues so I was already happy with what we had. Of course, you always have to wait how competitive we could be, but I think the outside world cared more about that.”

“We were quietly confident in the package, and in particular the engine. I think we showed in Australia we can overtake Ferrari on-track.”

While Mercedes were clearly ahead in qualy and race pace, while there was little to separate Red Bull and Ferrari but the nature Albert Park might have played against the Reds, benefitted Mercedes and flattered Red Bull.

The pecking order may alter during the first three races of the championship

Max explained, “Melbourne is a bit of odd track. Here in Bahrain, and next in China, we should have a better idea where things stand. I don’t know where we are, we’ll find out. We know we have to do better to really make a step forward. That’s what we’re focussing on, because we can always improve.”

As for the five-star strip of tarmac in the desert for this weekend’s race, Verstappen said, “The second sector is nice; the chicane, hairpin, being late on the brakes.”

“The track has a couple of nice bits where you can overtake. And the more top speed you have, the easier it is to get a tow, the easier it is to overtake.”

“Last year I tried to out-brake people from afar because otherwise, you wouldn’t stand a chance. Mistakes can happen then. But now we should have better chances,” concluded Verstappen.

The 20-year-old’s best result in Bahrain was sixth place with Toro Rosso in 2016, on the other three visits Verstappen retired from the race, including last year when both Red Bulls were out by lap three.

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ALONSO TO TEST FOR MCLAREN AND PIRELLI IN BAHRAIN

McLaren have confirmed that Fernando Alonso will test for the team after the Bahrain Grand Prix when teams remain at the venue for Formula 1 testing on Tuesday and Wednesday.

McLaren confirmed on Twitter that Alonso will drive the Pirelli ‘mule car’ on Tuesday, and then have a shot at the current spec car on Wednesday afternoon.

Regular drivers Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris will share duties, with the Spaniard in the car on Tuesday and Wednesday in the morning on both days. The young Briton will drive on Tuesday afternoon, and spend Wednesday testing the Pirelli mule car.

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SAINZ: THE CAR HAS NO WEAKNESSES APART FROM THE BASIC ONES

Carlos Sainz had the indignity of suffering the first engine failure of the 2019 Formula 1 season when the Renault power unit bolted to his McLaren went up in smoke and forced the Spaniard to park the smoking car at the entrance of the pits during the Australian Grand Prix.

Quizzed by reporters about the incident, Sainz confirmed that his car will have new MGU-K for the race weekend in Bahrain and hoped the cause was identified.

“Hopefully they have been looking at it for the past few days and they have found out,” he said during a media briefing at Sakhir. “Hopefully, they find the cause of the issue so we can put some solutions in place for this race.”

“If they work or not we will wait and see, but it is true we have had a couple of failures during testing so it is a weak point of the car and we need to keep working on it to make sure we don’t throw any more points because we threw a couple of them away in Australia.”

Despite a disappointing debut weekend in orange for the Spaniard he remains upbeat, “I think the car has no weaknesses apart from the basic ones, compared to the top teams. The power unit is strong in a straight line and we’ve done our steps forward, so I welcome that, but Lap 11 of race one is not good enough.”

Sainz qualified 18th for the race in Melbourne, tripping up in traffic during his hot lap, while rookie teammate Lando Norris did an impressive job to claim 8th in his first F1 qualifying.

After parking his smoking Renault, Sainz said, “This one hurts, but this is Formula 1. My season has started with a really unlucky weekend but hopefully we can start having more positive results from Bahrain onwards.”

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2019 F1 GAME TO BE RELEASED TWO MONTHS EARLIER THAN USUAL

Codemasters have announced that the release of the 2019 edition of the Formula 1 official videogame will be made a couple of months earlier than they have done so traditionally, and with it will add ‘bells and whistles’ such as livery customisation.

Press Release:

We are very happy to announce that F1 2019, the official videogame of the 2019 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, is coming a full two months earlier into the F1 season and will launch worldwide on Friday 28th June 2019!

To whet your appetite (just a little…) and celebrate today’s announcement we’ve released a trailer, which showcases some of the game’s brand new look and feel. You can check it out right here:

For those of you who might know the F1 calendar off by heart, this will, of course, mean that game will be released during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend and, unlike previous iterations, ahead of the British, German and Hungarian Grands Prix.

F1 2019 has been in development here at Codemasters for nearly two years, making it the most ambitious release in the franchise history and launches on PlayStation4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X and Windows PC (DVD and via Steam).

That’s not all though! Working in partnership with F1, for the first time ever, you’ll be able to get behind the wheel of a 2019 regulation car specifically designed in collaboration with F1’s technical team, headed up by Ross Brawn and Pat Symonds.

The car, which will be available in Multiplayer, adheres to the 2019 regulations and comes with a range of livery designs offering you a new level of personalisation. We’ll be looking at this in more detail in the near future, but for now, you can take a look at these right here:

The 2019 F1 Team liveries will also feature on the car in early marketing materials, but will be replaced by the final Team cars ahead of the games release. You can check these out at the bottom of the blog.

We know that you love the F1 racing franchise, and we want to build on the success of previous iterations and deliver to you an experience that rivals the quality and production values of the real-life sport and includes several new game features which will be revealed in the coming months (so make sure you do keep it here for more!)

We are absolutely delighted to be able to release F1 2019 earlier in the Formula 1 Season, so that the game can be played and enjoyed at the same time that the real-world championship picture is starting to form,” said Paul Jeal, F1 Franchise Director at Codemasters. “Our close relationship with Formula 1 has played a major part in achieving this key objective for the franchise. That in addition to our near two-year development cycle, has allowed us to develop some exciting new features and other firsts for the franchise that we can’t wait to share with our community in the coming months.”

“The exciting collaboration with Ross Brawn and Pat Symonds has created new levels of player personalisation in F1 2019 through the inclusion of the new regulation car,” said Lee Mather, F1 2019 Game Director at Codemasters. “With the continued growth of the F1 series, it’s great to give players more control and new levels of car and driver customisation and we can’t wait to talk more about this alongside the new multiplayer features in the coming months.”

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SCHUMACHER: I AM TOTALLY CONFIDENT I’M READY

Mick Schumacher feels comfortable being under the spotlight in the desert heat of Bahrain ahead of a landmark week in his young career and should get used to it if the media melee around him in the Sakhir paddock is anything to go by.

It will be an intense few days for the 20-year-old son of Formula 1 great Michael Schumacher reports Jerome Pugmire.

He will make his F2 debut for the Prema team this weekend and is then set to drive in his first F1 test for Ferrari on Tuesday.

Five of his famed father’s record seven F1 titles were won with Ferrari from 2000-2004 and also holds the record for F1 wins with 91, achieved during his first spell in the sport from 1991 until 2006.

One of his father’s trademarks as a driver was an unshakeable inner confidence, and Mick appears to have inherited those traits.

Asked if he can handle the pressure, the young Schumacher said he is up for the challenge, “Obviously I’m very happy about the whole thing but for now my focus is really on F2. I am totally confident I’m ready.”

“I’m really happy that we’re starting the F2 season now. The goal for me really is to learn as much as possible, to gain as much experience and then to deliver the best potential, the best performance.”

“I guess the personal development is that obviously, I’m getting older — I’m getting more used to this. Working with a lot of people helped me to develop and helped me to grow older, and just better and mature.”

Schumacher’s junior career was mostly under the radar by design, but after claiming the FIA Formula 3 title last year he shot to prominence and has been in the limelight ever since.

He explained the plan, “Using the experience that I had and the experience that I’ve got from the races, to use that in a good way. That was something I managed and was able to keep it through.”

“On that path and that period, I also had the feeling that I grew a lot as a person and really matured,” added the 20-year-old German.

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KUBICA: WE’RE LIMITED WITH SPARE PARTS AND EVERYTHING

Ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, the plight at Williams was highlighted by Robert Kubica when he revealed, that a lack of spare parts is adding to the team’s early-season woes prompting troubling questions regarding this once mighty team.

The manner in which Williams have slid to the bottom of the F1 pecking order is well documented, as is the failed Paddy Lowe ‘era’ at Grove that has led the team to the state-of-disarray it finds itself in, cruelly coinciding with Kubica’s remarkable journey back to the top flight.

Previewing round two of the championship in Manama, Kubica was refreshingly candid when he said, “Realistically speaking, again we are facing a challenging weekend. Knowing the difficulties we had in Australia, it is true that Bahrain is a different configuration and a different specification.”

“Still it is not that from one week to another there will be miracles. It’s not an easy situation also from a drivers’ point of view because we will be limited with spare parts and everything.”

“Look at what happened to me on the Friday in Australia in FP1… by going on top of one kerb I damaged the floor and we didn’t have parts to replace it. And this probably affected the whole weekend.”

The Pole explained how, after the race Down Under, floor damage was discovered on his car at the factory, “I was told it had no effect, but after reviewing data after the weekend, we believe it had a bigger effect than we thought.”

“On one hand, the team is trying to provide the best car for us to drive but on the other hand. I think in a perfect world you would have fresher parts starting the weekend, plus having some spare parts, and in a good state.”

“It puts the driver in a difficult position. Tomorrow the situation is like it is, you cannot go over the kerbs or you go over the kerbs but the risk is that the car will fall apart and then you have no parts to fit them.”

“We are already lacking performance, and we are adding another factor which is complicating our life. But I know in the factory everyone is working hard. We just need a bit more time to fix the issue.”

The lack of spare parts and the entire state of unreadiness has universally blamed on technical chief Paddy Lowe who has since abandoned ship after he failed to deliver the car on time, and then a proper lemon.

The FW42 is at least a month or more behind in terms of development and state of readiness, having started the season that way in Melbourne. That deadlines were missed so savagely suggests gross negligence from Lowe and his crew who delivered the unthinkable for this season: a car far worse than last year’s disaster.

Until Lowe speaks and sets the record straight he is shouldering most of the blame.

But, it is fair to ask how did insiders – specifically deputy team principal Claire Williams and her immediate lieutenants – not see these delays coming?

Surely there was a timeline that the team would have adhered to, with set deadlines that have to be met

Why were they ambushed by missing deadlines so crucial in the building of a race car?

Until someone speaks out on exactly the state of the affairs within the 16-times F1 World Champion team, speculation will continue to mount and questions will be asked of the leadership.

And of course, the obvious question few are asking lest they get a ban from the motorhome is: Are Williams struggling financially to keep the F1 operation afloat?

The loss of Martini as a title sponsor was substantial, and although Rokit mobile phone maker stepped in to replace the drinks purveyor, the money that will exchange hands is substantially less.

Last year the team had two pay drivers in the form of Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin, who together would have added around $30-million to the 2018 budget.

This year they have one pay driver in Kubica whose Polish backers are allegedly forking out $15-million to trundle around at the back of the grid, way off the pace and pretending they are in a race.

MIKA: Williams can blame Paddy all they like. It's one thing to design a bad car, but the problems don't lie just there.

Williams are financially strapped, no spares.... Can't blame Paddy Lowe for that. 

Leadership strapped, technically strapped.... Can't blame Paddy Lowe on that one either. 

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WOLFF: WE ARE STILL THE CHALLENGERS

Toto Wolff leads Mercedes to the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend believing that his team are still the challengers despite a convincing one-two in qualifying and race at the Formula 1 season opener in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago.

Prior to the Australian Grand Prix the consensus was that Ferrari had the edge over Mercedes, but that proved a fallacy as the World Champions cleaned up with hardly a challenge Down Under.

Heading to round two in the Bahrain desert this weekend, Wolff remains wary, “After the Barcelona test, we felt that we were the challengers. Whatever the Melbourne result says, our mindset hasn’t changed since then.”

“One race doesn’t determine the pecking order for the rest of the season. We need to extract every bit of performance from our package and keep on working hard to improve the car over the weekend to be competitive. We’ve had some great racing in recent years in Bahrain, so I’m looking forward to an exciting weekend.”

“We achieved the perfect score at the opening round of the 2019 Formula One season in Australia, but that doesn’t change our approach for the upcoming races. It’s a long season, we know we have a tough challenge on our hands and Toto is expecting a tight fight at the front of the field in Bahrain.”

“Claiming the maximum 44 points race from the first race was a fantastic result, we could not have asked for a better start to the season. But the fight has only just begun: Ferrari will try everything they can to hit back and Melbourne showed that Red Bull will have something to say in the fight, too.

“We’ve seen the potential of Ferrari’s package in Barcelona, so we expect them to come back strong in Bahrain, with Red Bull in the mix as well. We will see a very different race in Bahrain, where the weekend presents unique challenges, especially the change in conditions between the sessions.”

“FP1 and FP3 take place in the middle of the day when both the air and the track can be very hot; FP2, Qualifying and the Race, on the other hand, are held in the evening in considerably cooler temperatures.”

“These temperature swings make it very tricky to set up the car and find the right configuration for the sessions that really count,” added the Mercedes team chief.