FORMULA 1

[CrankYanker]

Very frustrating to see Haas bow out with problems in the pits.  I look forward to them coming back in the next race.  Good to see Vettel out front at the start of the season. I always liked him over at Red Bull and the controversy with Mark Webber.  

 

[BrightonCorgi]

4 hours ago, CrankYanker said:

Very frustrating to see Haas bow out with problems in the pits.  I look forward to them coming back in the next race. 

Haas window of opportunity is short, so the first 4-5 races are their best attempt at solid points.  Once the arms race starts, it's going to be hard for Haas to keep up.

[CrankYanker]

With only 3 engines this year, how do you think that effects strategy for teams?  Hamilton pulled up with less than 10 laps to go because he knew he didn't have enough for Vettel.  

[Bartolomeo]

Glad to see Ferrari win

gutted to see Haas step on their dick....twice

ESPN coverage sucked w Brit commentators very vanilla, no post race choice given to us like NBC

Great to see Haas perform well, let’s hope it continues next race w pits issued worked out

glad to see Ferrari win

[Martin_F]

17 minutes ago, CrankYanker said:

With only 3 engines this year, how do you think that effects strategy for teams?  Hamilton pulled up with less than 10 laps to go because he knew he didn't have enough for Vettel.  

I think Melbourne is notoriously bad for overtaking. If it was a different track, he might have put up more of a fight. 

But I do think engine conservation was part of that decision. If it would have been the last race of the engine cycle, he would have tried harder. Especially since by that point, we would have a better understanding of championship implications.

[MIKA27]

2 hours ago, Bartolomeo said:

Glad to see Ferrari win

gutted to see Haas step on their dick....twice

ESPN coverage sucked w Brit commentators very vanilla, no post race choice given to us like NBC

Great to see Haas perform well, let’s hope it continues next race w pits issued worked out

glad to see Ferrari win

Ferrari won last years season opener too and then fizzled. I really hope they make the season mega close. 

I'd love to see HAAS get a podium, doesn't matter what position. If Sauber could do it several years ago, HAAS can also. Their package looks brilliant this season and I agree with @BrightonCorgi about the arms race, so hope they get in there for the next 4 or 5 races to grab the points before the big boys ramp up their developments. 

[MIKA27]

STROLL: WE CANNOT PERFORM WITH THIS CAR

Williams endured among their worst ever weekends in Formula 1 at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after which their 19-year-old driver Lance Stroll slammed the team’s new car after toiling hard all day to finish 14th, second last of all the cars that finished.

Much was expected of the FW31 penned by Dirk de Beer under the technical leadership of Paddy Lowe, but it appears that the pair and their team have delivered a lemon for their teenage driver Stroll and rookie Sergey Sirotkin.

Stroll, who has last year’s car as a benchmark, did not mince his words when he told Journal de Montreal, “We cannot perform with this car, it’s as simple as that.”

“The team made a mistake during practice on Friday and I had to stop my car at the edge of the track. We lost precious time. And then Sunday, nothing has been smooth, quite the contrary.”

During the early second half of the race the Williams driver had to succumb to Charles Leclerc in the Sauber, supposedly the last team in the pecking order.

Stroll had problems finding the correct engine mapping so that he could attack or defend when the need arose, “I could not find it. We were in the wrong mode on the first lap and that is the reason Ocon got me.”

“We also have none of the extra power we need for the safety car restart which is where I lost the place to Leclerc. We are just basically trying to get the car to the end of the race instead of racing.”

“There was a lot going on today with big issues that cost us a lot of race time. I hope we can find the solution before Bahrain.”

Technical chief Lowe explained issues they faced with Stroll during the race, “In Lance’s case, we were struggling a lot with pace throughout the afternoon. Like a number of other teams, we’re managing fuel consumption.”

“Our fight was for 13th and unfortunately Lance lost the position to Leclerc under the safety car restart. He had a number of attempts to retake the position but with managing temperatures, we had to drop back two or three times and we never made it stick,” added Lowe.

As a result of a seriously below par weekend, Williams have a problem on their hands as Stroll is not an ordinary pay driver. It is his billionaire father Lawrence Stroll that has bankrolled his son’s career from the junior categories and into Formula 1.

Stroll senior spent an estimated €40-million to get the teenager from karting to the Formula 1 grid with by far the largest chunk of it flowing into the Williams coffers.

In other words, the Stroll’s pack a mighty punch with Williams and right now Junior is not in the type of race winning kit he has been accustomed throughout his racing career which began in his pre-teens. And it is obvious that Junior is not happy…

The only real solace the Canadian can take from the weekend in Melbourne is that it was even worse for Sergey Sirotkin in the sister Williams who endured an underwhelming grand prix debut, no doubt not aided by the handful of a car that he has at his disposal. He retired on lap five with brake issues.

MIKA: Are we sure it's the car? I mean seriously... When people talk about package in F1, it's not always JUST the car but driver included IMO.

With Stroll and a Rookie, I don't feel Williams are serious about their season. If these guys don't perform, don't be surprised to see Kubica step up.

[MIKA27]

MARKO: MERCEDES IS PLAYING GAMES WITH EVERYONE

Helmut Marko cut a forlorn figure after witnessing his Red Bull team getting trounced in the season-opening  and laments the fact that Mercedes were cruising to yet another dominant victory until they botched their strategy and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel stole a victory that even he termed .

Marko told reporters after the race in Melbourne, “Mercedes is playing games with everyone. They can play with their power modes how far ahead they are, but this time they apparently got it wrong and are too far ahead.”

“I said to Ferrari: Mercedes is five tenths [of a second] ahead and they said no, but everyone has been sleeping. With that engine, no one can beat Mercedes. They’re in a different world.”

“Our car is very good and that’s why we’re close but with these engine regulations, it will remain the same until 2021.”

“Even Ferrari is waking up now. They start to realise that they will never catch Mercedes with these engines. We need engine parity, which was always promised to us. These engines are much further apart than three percent apart. so the FIA has to act now.”

At the Albert Park opener, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth while teammate Max Verstappen crossed the line in sixth.

McLaren chief Eric Boullier echoed the sentiments to Marca, “Mercedes produced a very strong power unit from the start and reaching their level is difficult.”

“Now we need Liberty Media and the FIA to take action to close the gap and have more cars fighting on the track,” added Boullier whose team switched from  starting this season.

MIKA: Mercedes have done the better job at developing, it's as simple as that.

RBR won what, 4 WDC's, didn't hear them complain then. Ferrari have done the same also in the early 2000's with Schumacher. Why is Mercedes any different?

[MIKA27]

VERSTAPPEN: AS A VIEWER I WOULD HAVE TURNED OFF THE TV

Max Verstappen has taken a stab at the  which he implied was boring, while lamenting that overtaking at the Albert Park circuit is almost impossible despite all the gizmos, such as DRS, at their disposal to boost during the race.

Verstappen was a victim of the phenomenon during a race where he slipped down the order , but a serious comeback drive was thwarted by the lack of opportunities to overtake. It was a problem up and down the field, no matter how much faster the following car was getting an overtake was almost impossible.

Verstappen told reporters, “It was like Monaco. Even if you are a second or a second and a half faster, you still cannot pass. As a viewer, I would have turned off the TV. And until something changes, it will stay that way.”

“Do they have to change the circuit? I think they should do something about the cars, because in the past, overtaking was no problem here,” added Verstappen.

The Red Bull driver was not alone among the drivers who also lamented the situation that prevails with the current generation Formula 1 cars.

Valtteri Bottas who started down the order due to grid penalties also found making progress tough, “Unfortunately, we just couldn’t make anything out of it because it is so difficult to overtake on this track.”

Force India’s Sergio Perez echoed the Mercedes driver, “Overtaking in Melbourne is very difficult – you could see the same with Bottas who couldn’t pass me during the first stint.”

[MIKA27]

VETTEL: MERCEDES IS NOT MORE SPECIAL THAN LAST YEAR

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel has weighed into the Mercedes “party mode” debate by suggesting he is not so sure they actually have a bigger advantage than they had last year while resisting a chance to exact revenge on Lewis Hamilton in the aftermath of the world champion’s “wipe your smile off your face” quip.

During qualifying, Vettel got going in Q2 and at that time looked set to challenge for pole, but in Q3 Hamilton  the Albert Park lap record as he blitzed his way to the top spot start for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, lapping a massive seven-tenths faster than his closest rival. It was a huge advantage which stunned the paddock.

Reflecting on the  weekend after his victory, Vettel was not overly impressed with what his rivals unleashed in Melbourne and observed, “[Mercedes] didn’t do anything special – not more than they did last year, probably even a bit less by the looks of it.”

“I think they did turn it up for Q3 but not by seven tenths. Probably if you look at qualifying carefully, it’s fair to say they were quick in Q1, quicker than us, Lewis was quick in Q2 and then his second run, I don’t know, something happened.”

“So, his last run in Q3 was the only proper run at the end, and he had a clean run, and I don’t think the gain that he had in time was down to engine.”

“Probably a tenth, a little bit more, but not seven tenths. So, the credit is for his lap that he did and not for the engine power,” acknowledged Vettel.

A day earlier Hamilton and Vettel engaged in a frosty exchange when the Mercedes driver said he enjoyed “wiping the smile off” the German’s face,

Credit to Vettel for not using the opportunity after winning the race to exact verbal revenge, when asked if in the wake of his rival’s comment victory was sweeter, Vettel said, “Not really. He said he was joking and I believe him.”

“I don’t think we need to go on that sort of level. It’s fine as long as we joke with each other and apart from a point last year, we don’t have a problem with each other.”

“Even if we are very different persons, I think we share – all of us – a common passion and that makes us quite equal again.”

“We love racing and we try to do our best, once we’re in the car and beat all the others. In that regard, I don’t see why we shouldn’t get on with each other,” added Vettel.

[BrightonCorgi]

Looks like Ferrari is doing their best to rid any hint of Marlboro on their car.  First time without a white wing in like 20 years.

[MIKA27]

PARTY MODES, MISTAKES, EXCUSES AND HUMILITY

Round 1 of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship season is done and dusted as Bahrain beckons, it’s worth reminiscing on what turned out to be an intriguing weekend in Australia, a strange Grand prix of two halves – something of a bore fest early on followed by a drama-packed second half.

Much has been written about Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton’s mega-lap in qualifying which was good for pole by 0.7 of a second, but on race day, Lewis and Mercedes were among the big losers because it was their race to lose and they did just that.

Toto Wolff’s “” excuse was out from left-field and awkward, even  their former driver and world champ turned pundit Nico Rosberg.

Human error – collective or solo – is human and forgivable, it’s only F1 not a world war guys! Again look at Haas…

For sure second will be a bitter pill to swallow for Merc but they leave Melbourne knowing that in the W09 they have the best piece of kit on the grid by a country mile.

Valtteri’s  in Q3 brutally revealed his shortcomings at the wheel of said car. The weekend will have seen the Finn’s shares plummet perhaps to the lowest nadir of his career so far in silver. 

Lewis will bounce back as he tends to do, but the Merc guys must come clean on the ‘‘ that none of their customers seem to know how to find. Please send them the manual!

While they wallow in self-confidence Toto and his merry band should take a look around at their customer teams and be alarmed at how pitiful they were at the lakeside park. All four of them – white ones and pink ones – at the wrong end of proceedings.

Force India’s fall has been dramatic and one can only hope it was an Albert Park exclusive glitch, while Williams were a total shambles. But those are stories for another day.

Ferrari were not alone when they were shocked by the pace of Lewis Hamilton whose pole-winning lap time was seven-tenths faster than Kimi Raikkonen in the best of the two red cars. When the time popped onto the timing screens that afternoon, Formula 1 took a collective sigh of disbelief.

Nevertheless, credit to Ferrari chief Maurizio Arrivabene who has a knack of rallying his men in times of need, they pulled a rabbit out the hat as they capitalised on the Mercedes “software bug or an algorithm” strategy problem.

More like a masterstroke by Ferrari that will be a lesson in humility for the world champs who were searching for answers that were not at all hidden.

But Arrivabene was not getting too excited: “We must stay calm. It’s only the first race. But there are those who speak and there are those who do the facts. I do not put myself in the middle of a skirmish between drivers, I just say that the race is on Sunday, the points are on Sunday and on Sunday we scored the points.”

Sebastian Vettel, in the wake of Hamilton’s “” quip, must be applauded for not being tempted to milk the situation. The door was open after the race on the podium and in the presser, but he did not walk through it. Classy gesture.

Not sure if Hamilton had the savvy to appreciate the message in the reconciliatory act by his rival, but it must be said that immediately after the race the Briton was honourable in defeat, in parc ferme congratulating his arch-rival for the win. Humble pie had been eaten by the reigning world champ. Respect.

Kimi was in good form all weekend, outqualifying Seb and then showed strong pace in the early stages of the race. As usual, the veteran Finn looked strained on the podium, but as an avid Kimi-Smile-Spotter I did notice twitches of bewilderment, surely he was asking: WTF am I doing on the third step and not the top step… again!

My logic – and perhaps his – is that his pace was handy early on, Merc messed so up so next would be Kimi? No. Seb goes by and Kimi rejoined in third-placed where he stayed until the black and white waved at the end of it all. Maybe that’s why afterwards he seemed more aloof than normal.

In the aftermath of a sweet victory, the boys at Ferrari are no fools and they know that they were gifted this win, they will take it, but they tackle the rest of the season knowing that their car is good but at this stage no match for the Mercedes.

So Ferrari as underdogs giving it to Mercedes gave me pleasure because it only augments the anticipation of the second episode of this 21 round contest in the Bahrain desert. 

[MIKA27]

LES MISERABLES AND OTHER STORIES

Williams, Force India, Toro Rosso and Sauber had varying fortunes at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the common denominator that emerged from the weekend is that the eight drivers in these teams will not be racing for wins, podiums are highly unlikely and points will be very hard to come by

How bad is the Williams FW41? Very bad!

For me the most disappointing of all was the woeful time Williams and their drivers endured in Melbourne. Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin – the least experienced pair on the grid and in the team because of the bags full of money they brought along for the ride – have been handed a lemon of a car from the drawing board of the highly rated Dirk de Beer, overseen by Paddy Lowe, their first car with the team.

Silliness all around in the Williams camp, a team which has such an illustrious history, once a true superpower now reduced to a shadow of its former self and got so smart with their car design that they appear to have even fooled themselves.

The FW41 was about 1.6 seconds slower than the Mercedes W09 in qualy and Stroll’s fastest lap in the race was two seconds off Hamilton’s best.

Maybe it’s the drivers? Stroll is a newcomer with only one season under his belt, Sirotkin is a rookie and their test driver Robert Kubica has been out of touch with Formula 1 for half a dozen years.

Can the trio deliver the input to develop a competitive F1 car? More importantly, can their drivers guide the team out of the hole they have designed for themselves?

These are grim times at Williams with Martini pulling the plug at the end of the season and now they may have let down their big money paying drivers with an awkward car. Going to be intersting to see how the billionaires go about their business in forthcoming months.

On the evidence of Melbourne, the Williams lads look destined to spend a year at the wrong end of the field and unless their ‘clever guys’ can find that magic button to sort out their sorry woes it will be a season of misery for the once mighty champions.

The force was not with them in Melbourne

Perhaps the only slight consolation for the Grove outfit is the fact that fellow Mercedes powered Force India also endured a disappointing and well below par weekend.

Force India were easily the Best of the Rest last year and rightfully admired for their fourth place in the constructors’ championship with one of the most modest budgets on the grid, but in the space of a few months they have gone from hero to zero and appear to in freefall.

Like Williams, Force India were also in the region of 1.6 of a second off the Silver Arrows pace in qualifying, maybe a tad less in the race, but were simply never on it all weekend long. 

Sergio Perez and Esteban Perez toiled hard to finish 11th and 12th respectively way behind the worst of the Silver Arrows, thus suggesting that their technical team have got their sums wrong with the design of the VJM11.

Force India chief Bob Fernley lamented after the race, “Ultimately we didn’t have the pace this weekend to fight in the top ten and so we’ve ended our day on the cusp of the points. It’s early days in the season and with twenty races to go there will be plenty of opportunities to develop this car and show our strengths.”

Truth and corporate optimism combined from Fernley, as if the other teams will be standing still!

Force India are potentially F1’s version of Leicester City, but that was then. Right now they look deep in the relegation zone and they must be hoping that Albert Park was merely a hiccup and in Bahrain the force will be with them again…

The Toro Rossa-Honda fairytale turns dark

Toro Rosso and Honda were the feel-good story of the preseason, but when it really mattered the fairytale turned decidedly dark during their first grand prix weekend at the season opener Down Under.

They must have forgotten where they packed the engines they used in Barcelona earlier this month in Japan because what they gave Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley to work with in Australia was abysmal. The pair were almost constantly in the bottom quarter of the four-speed traps dotted around the circuit.

Gasly had to retire on lap 15 with an MGU-H problem, while  Hartley was forced into an early pitstop after flat-spotting his tyres. He was on the backfoot thereafter and in his defence, he simply had no ammo to use to challenge anyone. He finished last of the cars running at the end of the race, one lap down on the winner.

Sadly Honda did not find that elusive ‘magic button’ over the winter, instead they still have work a great deal of work to do with two Formula 1 newcomers to guide them out of the rut.

The struggles of their junior team will not have escaped the big bulls in the energy drinks camp. The Japanese manufacturer is seen as an option for Red Bull when and if they decide to ditch Renault. After Melbourne, it is more than likely that Messrs. Mateschitz, Marko and Horner will not have been impressed with what they saw.

Did Sauber forget their new Ferrari engines at home?

They may have because they were not much better than they were last year despite running the latest version of the prancing horse badged power unit. In other words, the same piece of kit that Kimi and Seb have bolted to their cars. 

In fairness, it is early days for the Swiss team but they still have a steep mountain to climb.

For me personally, it was great to see the badge back in Formula 1 action again. But in truth, only time will tell if they can demagnetize themselves from the back of the grid.

[MIKA27]

Pierre Gasly says Toro Rosso Honda engine issue is a 'pain in the ass'

Despite it looking like Honda had make a dramatic step forward over the winter after the way that the Toro Rosso drivers had performed during both Barcelona tests, it all came to nought when both cars failed to get out of Q1 during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday afternoon.

And things only got worse when the lights went out for the main event on Sunday with Pierre Gasly making an early exit and Brendon Hartley finishing last on the road, the only driver to be lapped!

Needless to say both drivers were very unhappy after the race, in particular Gasly who now only has two power trains to last him until the end of the year.

"For sure I'm not going to lie, it's a pain in the ass to have it but that's how it is and everyone will try to just make it as smooth as possible for the next races," Gasly said. "I think the regulation is tough for everyone. Testing went well with no issues at all so it was looking very good, so it's just a shame that we faced it now.

"I would rather have it on the last day of testing and then come here with no issues. For sure it's not going to be easy, it means probably at some point we will have a penalty but I don't really want to think about it now. I just want to think about the next race and have a good weekend."

But Gasly was not totally downbeat, especially after the positive performance that the team and their Japanese engine manufacturer put on during the two Spanish tests.

"We knew that it was the sort of situation we could face but of course after the testing we were optimistic. I think we should stay optimistic about the season because it's not because we had one issue now that we're going to have one every race weekend.

"But the main thing is we just need to understand exactly what caused the issue. It's not nice for anyone in the team, for Honda, for Toro Rosso and also for us drivers so I'm sure they will try to understand and just make sure that we don't have these sort of issues for the next races."

[MIKA27]

Renault: Six cars in points validates reliability push

Renault says having all six of the cars that it powers scoring points at the Australian Grand Prix validates its decision to prioritise reliability during the off-season.

Renault has frequently struggled to balance performance and reliability in the hybrid era, and suffered a spate of issues in the closing events of 2017.

As a consequence Renault opted to work on its reliability over the winter, its decision facilitated by Formula 1’s reduction in the number of permitted components, before adding performance later on.

At the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the six cars with Renault power units finished between fourth and 10th, its run interrupted by eighth-placed interloper Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes).

It marked the first time since 1986 that six Renault-powered cars classified inside the top 10 at a race, prompting Managing Director Cyril Abiteboul to hail the step forward.

“It’s a satisfying result, not perfect by any means, but it shows we’re in line with our targets of making progress,” he said.

“Clearly, for a good result, everything must be smooth, from pit-stops to reliability and this finish illustrates a solid start to the season.

“Our focus on reliability has been illustrated with all Renault-powered cars finishing inside the top 10, which is a good positive.

“We know it’s going to be extra tight in the midfield battle, and that motivates us to keep working hard.”

Nico Hulkenberg was the lead representative from Renault’s factory operation as he took seventh position.

“We should be pretty happy,” he said. “The pace of the car was strong and competitive, but we know we still have a lot of work to do.

“I’m happy with how the weekend has progressed, Friday wasn’t great for me, but we’ve turned it into a decent result and a satisfying Sunday.

“We got lucky with retirements, but also unlucky with the Safety Car, but that’s racing and taking six points home is a just reward for the team’s hard work.”

[MIKA27]

Raikkonen plays down prickly radio exchange

Kimi Raikkonen insists he wasn't suprised by the tactics that put Sebastian Vettel ahead in Australia despite a prickly exchange with his race engineer.

Raikkonen was running second behind Lewis Hamilton when the duo pitted in Melbourne, dropping behind Vettel who had yet to stop.

The timing of a Virtual Safety Car meant the German was able to pit and rejoin the race in the lead. Hamilton was second and Raikkonen on the final step of the podium

That resulted in a tense exchange with his race engineer Carlo Santi.

Quote

Santi: We need a little bit more pace Kimi, Seb is lapping 28.5 Yourself 28.7.
Raikkonen: Has he not stopped yet?
Santi: Not yet, not yet
Raikkonen: **** you tell me now? You first say to me that you are not in a hurry. Don't **** me up with this!
Santi: We are fine Kimi, 28.5 is the target, 28.5.

The Finn, though, has denied that he was surprised by the tactics that saw Vettel take the lead, and the win.

"Not really," he said when asked about it.

"The only thing I was surprised because we were talking on the radio that they didn’t let me know what he was doing.

"Obviously we talked before the race and there were hundreds of options what we can do and that was his best option and no threat from behind.

"He would obviously take a chance because he had nothing else to lose at that point, safe in third place so it would work out well.

"I wasn’t really surprised what they did. I was surprised that we didn’t – at one point – know exactly."

MIKA: Everyone knew somehow Seb would get preferential treatment as always at Ferrari.

 

[MIKA27]

Australian Grand Prix - Behind the scenes

 

[ayepatz]

6 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

Raikkonen plays down prickly radio exchange

Kimi Raikkonen insists he wasn't suprised by the tactics that put Sebastian Vettel ahead in Australia despite a prickly exchange with his race engineer.

Raikkonen was running second behind Lewis Hamilton when the duo pitted in Melbourne, dropping behind Vettel who had yet to stop.

The timing of a Virtual Safety Car meant the German was able to pit and rejoin the race in the lead. Hamilton was second and Raikkonen on the final step of the podium

That resulted in a tense exchange with his race engineer Carlo Santi.

The Finn, though, has denied that he was surprised by the tactics that saw Vettel take the lead, and the win.

"Not really," he said when asked about it.

"The only thing I was surprised because we were talking on the radio that they didn’t let me know what he was doing.

"Obviously we talked before the race and there were hundreds of options what we can do and that was his best option and no threat from behind.

"He would obviously take a chance because he had nothing else to lose at that point, safe in third place so it would work out well.

"I wasn’t really surprised what they did. I was surprised that we didn’t – at one point – know exactly."

MIKA: Everyone knew somehow Seb would get preferential treatment as always at Ferrari.

 

Haha! Ok, if Kimi says it’s dodgy, that’s good enough for me! He knows what he’s doing, after all. ?

[MIKA27]

48 HOUR HIGHLIGHTS AT F1 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX | NICO ROSBERG | RACEVLOG

 

[MIKA27]

Mercedes not "opportunistic" in F1 rules battle - Wolff

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insists the German car manufacturer is not trying to be 'opportunistic' in pushing for what it wants in future Formula 1 engine rules.
The German car manufacturer has joined Renault and Ferrari in opposing on cost grounds a bold shake-up to regulations that was proposed by F1 owners Liberty Media and the FIA last year.

This stance prompted rivals to suggest that the manufacturers did not want anything to change because they were trying to protect their competitive advantage.

Wolff has denied that is the case, though, and says that a compromise proposal that has been given to the FIA and Liberty could actually make things harder for his team than an all-new powerplant.

Pushed on accusations that Mercedes is resisting change to stay in front, Wolff told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung : "You can't be such a super-opportunist. That will bite you one day.

"For us, a change in the engine regulations would even be desirable because we assume that our structure works at Mercedes.

"To avoid a transformation of performance, we would like to start again from scratch. But that would be expensive. We therefore call for the rules to be more or less maintained.

"In two years' time there will be only marginal differences in performance between the now competing engine manufacturers. Renault will close up this season. And Honda took a big leap."

Although the FIA and Liberty are having to balance the interests of the current manufacturers against potential new entrants, Wolff thinks it would be a mistake to create rules that would guarantee outsiders easy success.

"The entry level is high, as in any competition at a certain level. But no one should insist on being competitive from the outset by changing the rules," added Wolff.

"We also had a difficult phase in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and we only managed one victory in this time. What kind of service would that be to Formula 1 if you cut the rules in such a way that a beginner immediately climbs right up to the front? Good for them if it works like that.

"But I can only warn against artificial levelling. After all, the competing teams have earned their place with hard work and high investments."

Although no details of the compromise proposal from the manufacturers has been revealed, Wolff has suggested that using more standard parts has been proposed to help in drive down costs to help new entrants.

"We think that certain components should be released for distribution and standardized," he said. "In addition, the engine speed should be allowed to increase and the fuel flow should be increased.

"Standard parts should be considered where a new entrant may not want to develop. We would make our technology available or standardise it."

Mercedes still committed

Wolff's comments come against the backdrop of renewed talk of a potential breakaway championship if Mercedes and Ferrari do not get what they want from new rules.

Last weekend, however, Mercedes chairman Dieter Zetsche was clear about how committed the German car manufacturer was to the current F1.

Writing on Linkedin, he said: "People often ask me if Formula 1 is really still relevant. Isn't it just a relic of the past given climate change, rising e-mobility and the self-driving future of mobility? I'm sure some of you have come over these discussions, too.

"From my perspective Formula 1 is absolutely relevant! And maybe more so today than ever."

Zetsche cites F1's technology breeding ground with hybrids, business lessons from running a team and the emotions of the sport as key factors in keeping the sport attractive.

"Formula 1 plays on some of the most fundamental human emotions: passion (for your favourite team or driver), dislike (for the other teams), agony (over a lost race) or euphoria (when it goes well) – along with the sensory experience that comes from the speed of the cars and roar of the engines.

"Formula 1 can provide everything one needs for a perfectly entertaining weekend. All that's why Mercedes keeps investing in racing."

[MIKA27]

F1 must make effort to solve overtaking problem, says Brawn

Ross Brawn says the Australian Grand Prix missed the “vital ingredient” of overtaking and that the problem won’t be fixed until Formula 1 takes a structured approach towards rectifying it.
Only five overtakes were completed in the season-opening race following the first lap and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen said he would have turned the TV off rather than watch a “worthless” grand prix. 

It came despite the fact the Albert Park track, known for being difficult to pass on, was bolstered with a third DRS zone in the hope of improving the wheel-to-wheel action.

Brawn, F1’s managing director of motorsports, admits that F1 missed out on a number of exciting battles in Australia because of the inability to overtake. 

“One vital ingredient was missing, namely overtaking, as there were really very few passing moves in this opening round,” he said.

“It's vital that the cars are capable of getting close to one another and racing wheel to wheel. 

“When there is only a small speed gap between two cars then it's almost impossible for the pursuer to get close enough to mount an attack. 

“We saw that yesterday with [Lewis] Hamilton and [Sebastien] Vettel, Verstappen and [Kevin] Magnussen and again the Dutchman and [Fernando] Alonso and with [Daniel] Ricciardo and [Kimi] Raikkonen.

"Think of how much wheel-to-wheel dicing we missed out on. And, for the very first time, we even had a third DRS zone specifically to increase the chances of overtaking.”

F1’s current regulations were introduced in 2017 and played a part in the number of overtakes falling by almost 50 percent in its first year.

Brawn had set up a panel of independent panel of experts to better F1, including improving overtaking, and he says that a structured approach is needed to fix on-track passing.

“Until we take a structured approach to the problem, we won't really make any progress,” said Brawn. 

“One of our aims, which we are looking at with the FIA and the teams is that, for 2021, we want to have cars that allow drivers to really fight one another on track. 

“To that end, the FIA and F1 are carrying out an aerodynamic research programme with two car models, both in the windtunnel and using CFD. 

“We need to evolve a car design that achieves close to the level of performance we now see but permits wheel-to-wheel action.”

Brawn added that pleasing fans is a big incentive to improve overtaking. 

“Formula 1 fans want to see a better show and overtaking is the most exciting and spectacular element you can have on track,” he said.

“The whole Formula 1 community must make an effort to satisfy this need because the fans are our biggest asset.”

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MERCEDES VOW TO BOUNCE BACK EVEN STRONGER

Mercedes have vowed to bounce back even stronger in Bahrain in ten days after throwing away the 2018 season-opening Australian Grand Prix to Ferrari, with team boss Toto Wolff admitting it was tough to take.

Sebastian Vettel got the jump on world champion Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes blundered their calculations on the Ferrari ace’s pit stop under Virtual Safety Car (VSC) conditions.

Vettel went on to keep Hamilton at bay for his second straight win in Melbourne and third overall.

It’s a defeat that sticks in the craw of Mercedes and team principal Wolff, who is determined the champion team will not repeat the same error again.

“This was one that got away and it’s a bitter pill for us all to swallow,” lamented Wolff. “Following Lewis’s pit stop, we believed that we had the scenarios of both the safety car and the virtual safety car covered so that Sebastian could not pit and come out ahead of Lewis on track.”

“We should have been several seconds safe, then suddenly saw on the TV screens that we were not. Of course, under the VSC sometimes you benefit and sometimes you lose out – but it was clearly a problem on our side and we need to analyse that to understand what happened and correct it.”

Wolff said what was particularly frustrating was that Mercedes had the pace to win the Melbourne race, “Lewis was in control through the opening stint, then after the pit stop as well, and looked on course for a strong victory but it wasn’t to be.”

“Congratulations to Ferrari on their win. For us, it’s a tough one to take, but there are lots of lessons to be learned so we can come back stronger next time.”

Mercedes have already set their sights on the second race of the season in Bahrain on 8 April.

Hamilton said he was bewildered to find himself behind as Vettel emerged from the pits to hold on to the lead around the notoriously-restrictive Albert Park street circuit, “I did everything I could, but it’s not what anyone expected to happen.”

“I’m still in a little bit of disbelief as I don’t really understand what happened yet. At least in my heart, I know that I gave everything this weekend. I’m sure the team is feeling pain right now but we will regroup and we’ll work on it.”

For his part, Vettel believes Ferrari’s 2018 car is not currently “a true match” for Mercedes, despite having won the first race.

Vettel and teammate Kimi Raikkonen had been unable to challenge Hamilton in Melbourne qualifying, both finishing almost seven-tenths of a second off the defending champion.

The German conceded he was “a bit lucky” to win, and admitted Ferrari was not yet where it wanted to be, “If you look at the gaps the whole weekend, we are not yet a true match [for Mercedes], therefore at this point we know that we are not yet where we want to be, because we want to be fastest.”

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HORNER: WE’D LIKE TO GO TO LEWIS’ PARTY

Christian Horner has admitted that his Red Bull team covet the Mercedes ‘party mode’ that gained instant fame during the season-opening Australian Grand Prix weekend while suggesting Formula 1 a tweak to Formula 1 rules that would discourage the world champions from using their ‘weapon’ during qualifying.

After qualifying at Albert Park, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff admitted the maxed-out ‘party mode’ was used during Hamilton’s jaw-dropping pole-winning time, a massive seven tenths clear of his closest rival at the end of qualifying.

Horner pointed out, “Lewis’ time came predominantly between Q2 and Q3. They have a qualy mode that they don’t need to use in the earlier parts of qualifying, because why stress the engine?”

And proposed a ‘cure’ to discourage Mercedes from using it, “Like you have parc ferme when the cars leave for qualifying, maybe engine modes should be the same from the moment you leave the garage to the end of the grand prix,”

After the race of the season, evidence suggests that Mercedes have the upper hand again in the engine power battle, with Ferrari possibly on the same level or a step down, but Renault are still lacking in the horsepower department.

Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen finished fourth and sixth respectively in the race on Sunday, never seriously challenging Ferrari or Mercedes during the course of the weekend.

Horner pointed out, “You only have to look [at Saturday’s] speed traps where all the Renault engines were grouped together with varying amounts of downforce on the car. That is where we need to make progress.”

“There are bits in the pipeline. Renault are not divulging everything that they’re up to but it’s certainly something that we’re pushing for.”

“We’ve got one lap [in clean air] in the grand prix to judge our pace on which Daniel set the fastest lap of the race on. I think we have a quick race car, it’s just unfortunate on this track not to be able to use it.

“Taking the positives out of the weekend, it’s the first time in the hybrid era we have got two cars to the finish [in Melbourne]. We got the fastest lap of the race, and that wasn’t through putting a set of ultrasofts on – it was genuine pace. I think we have a quick race car.”

“The negative for us is still the deficit in qualifying. The party mode, we’d like to go to Lewis’ party,” quipped the Red Bull F1 team chief.

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STEINER: NO ONE WILL BE FIRED

It was going to be the Haas team’s greatest moment, perhaps their first podium… but instead the Australian Grand Prix went horribly wrong at around mid-distance when both cars were sent out with loose wheels thanks to wheelnut sheering during their pitstops.

The drivers were clearly gutted and the unfortunate mechanics were visibly distraught in the team pit garage after Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen were forced to park their cars.

Until that moment it had easily been their finest showing since their arrival on the scene in 2016, clearly, the Best of the Rest (behind the big three teams) and a sniff of a podium on the day will have enhanced the bitterness.

But heads will not roll team chief Guenther Steiner told Blick, “The responsible people know that it was their fault. They know the impact wrenches, the wheelnut and the hubs are the same as in 2017. No one will be fired.”

He added, “Maybe it was just the pressure that was too big during the two most important pitstops since our entry in 2016. We now have to work harder with the same crew.”

“The car is very good – which is why we can fly to Bahrain optimistic and all other races too. The very positive tests in Barcelona also surprised us!” admitted the Haas team chief.

Kevin Magnussen, the first victim of the blunder, said afterwards,“It’s a very tough one to swallow for the whole team. We’ll get on top again. We’ll fight back. I’m beyond disappointed right now, but we’ll get over it.”

There were touching images of Romain Grosjean, after abandoning his car and returning to the pits, comforting the aggrieved mechanic outside the team garage.

The Frenchman saw the positives, “I ‘ve never had such a good car in Formula 1 before. That’s the only consolation on such a black Sunday!”

“It’s a lot of points lost, but if we can repeat that performance over and over, we’re going to forget this very quickly,” added Grosjean.

 

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Stoffel Vandoorne lifted by McLaren's pace compared to Red Bull, Renault

Stoffel Vandoorne says McLaren has “massive potential” for the remainder of 2018 after an encouraging display at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

McLaren endured a disrupted test programme in the build-up to the first round of the year, as it got up to speed with new power unit partner Renault, following three lacklustre seasons with Honda.

Vandoorne and team-mate Fernando Alonso were knocked out of Q2 on Saturday, but both rose to score points, as Alonso claimed fifth, in front of Max Verstappen, Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas.

Vandoorne, meanwhile, beat an ill-feeling Carlos Sainz Jr. to ninth position, and reckons McLaren can take heart from its performance, believing substantial gains are on the horizon.

“It’s a great result for the team to have both cars in the points,” said Vandoorne.

“It’s a big contrast from last year, and I think there’s massive potential for the future.

“We know there is more to come from us this season, and the partnership with Renault is still very new.

“This was our first race, we know that there are new parts coming over the next couple of Grands Prix, and I really hope we can show that on track too.

“The baseline is good, we have something to work with and now we need to keep improving and deliver more performance, and ultimately points. 

“Our performance in the race was pretty good – we were fighting with the Renault and Red Bull cars which is positive, and we think there is definitely some margin for progression.

“It’s a great start to the season, and after this race I feel there’s a lot of potential for the future. We need to be ambitious as a team, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s around the corner.”

McLaren holds fourth position in the Constructors’ Championship, having bagged 12 points in Australia – equalling the biggest haul it took from a single race in its three-year spell with Honda.