FORMULA 1

[MIKA27]

WILLIAMS IN CRISIS WITH THE WORST F1 CAR ON THE GRID

Williams are enduring what could become the worst period in their illustrious history, with a new car that is simply not good enough for their two young drivers who were never on the pace during the .

The  of Paddy Lowe at Williams a couple of years ago heralded a new era for the longtime under-performing outfit. Head-hunted from Mercedes Lowe was going to raise the technical game at Grove.

Afterall they have Mercedes power units that have dominated the sport, which by their own admission is the  and power that the works team have, thus the 2 or 2.5 seconds deficit to the pacesetters must be down to severely flawed design. 

For this they hired highly rated ex-Ferrari designer Dirk de Beer, his arrival invariably triggered great expectations for this year’s FW41, the first fruit of the work of the Lowe led tech team. But what they have delivered for their drivers is the slowest car on the 2018 grid.

It is well known that Lance Stroll’s billionaire father  has pumped in a substantial amount of money into the team for the privilege of his son to be on the Formula 1 grid with them. Stroll senior and Lowe were seen in animated conversation (photos above) in the Bahrain paddock.

In the other garage Sergey Sirotkin and his minders, who  of $15-million to the team, will no doubt not be happy with what they are paying for at the moment.

The inexperienced pair were back of the pack all weekend long, in the race they were the last of the finishers, Stroll crossing the line in 16th with Sirotkin in his slipstream, the pair about 2o seconds behind the next best Haas of Romain Grosjean in 14th and almost two laps behind the leaders.

A day earlier Stroll qualified last, 2.5 seconds down on the pole-winning time, his teammate Sirotkin was a tenth faster in 18th.

After  Stroll was visibly despondent when he told reporters, “It has been a really hard weekend. It was disappointing for the team with both cars out in Q1 and it was not ideal.”

“A lot of things are wrong. The balance isn’t there, the grip is not high enough and we need more speed, so we need everything to go quicker.”

After the weekend in Australia, Stroll declared the car  to drive and doubted that he would be able to perform with the car. Bahrain has now confirmed the nightmare to be real.

His teammate Sirotkin said, “The pace was OK but we cannot follow other cars. It’s something we definitely need to improve. It’s a big problem on the first lap as it’s impossible to fight people without damaging the front tyre.”

Lowe is aware that a crisis is either happening or looming for the Grove outfit, “There’s a lot of things to understand. We’ve got to go away and work very hard on that. At least we have more data now.”

“Something’s gone wrong since Melbourne. Even there we weren’t in great shape – but nothing like today. We’ll see what we can learn in the next few days before we arrived in China.

“There’s nothing obvious – we’ve done all the obvious things. If we knew the answer we wouldn’t be in this situation right now. We’re just not looking quick,” admitted Lowe.

Reserve driver Robert Kubica gave more insight when he told ORF , “Our pace is simply not good enough. We could already see that we had problems during testing in Barcelona. Lance did a good job in Melbourne, but the problems have remained since then.”

Williams made their Formula 1 debut as a constructor at the 1978 Argentine Grand Prix. Since then they have made 679 starts, won nine Formula 1 constructor’s world championship titles, seven drivers’ titles, 114 race victories and 128 pole positions.

They last scored a F1 victory at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, when Pastor Maldonado took his first Grand Prix victory on the day. It was the team’s first race victory since the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix.

MIKA: Why does everyone assume that 'A" team has a Mercedes engine so it must drive just as fast?

What about Chassis, aero, drivers that are experienced to develop the car with the team? 

[MIKA27]

RAIKKONEN SLAMMED FOR BAD ATTITUDE AFTER INJURING MECHANIC

Fans have lashed out at Kimi Raikkonen’s apparent callous attitude when returning to his pit garage after striking down mechanic Francesco Cigarini during a botched pitstop at the .

The  which resulted in Raikkonen leaving his marks before the mechanics had removed the left rear wheel, as the Ferrari pulled away the wheel struck Cigarini to the ground in agony. 

While his colleagues attended to him on the floor of the pitlane, in front of the Ferrari box, Raikkonen parked the Ferrari 50 metres down the pitlane, got out, threw the steering wheel into the car and stormed back to the pits with hardly a glance at his stricken teammate who was later hospitalised and underwent a successful surgery.

After the race Ferrari were  for the blunder by FIA stewards.

In the post-race interview Raikkonen was typically cool on the matter, “I don’t know what shape he is in. It is not great for him. I go when the light is green. Not much to say. We did not finish the race, so it is not great but this is what happens sometimes.”

The attitude incensed fans who set Twitter alight with their disdain.

On Friday the veteran Finn also irked the Formula 1 community when asked his opinion on the future of the sport, he replied, “I don’t know what they’re doing now. I know very little about it and I’m not interested in it, so we’ll see what they say. It’s in many years’ time anyhow. I doubt I’ll be here so it doesn’t really bother me.”

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON: IT WAS QUITE RISKY

It was a one forever moment when Lewis Hamilton, with aid of a slipstream, DRS wide open and his Mercedes flat-out, elected to hug the end of the pitwall and the inside line to power past three rivals and on his way to third place in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The reigning F1 World Champion started the race from ninth on the grid. Thanks to a great car over the years mid-pack mayhem is not familiar territory for the Briton. Thus it was no surprise that he was overly cautious during despite colliding with Max Verstappen exiting the first turn on the opening lap.

The Mercedes survived and Hamilton composed himself during the two-lap safety car period that ensued to clear the broken Red Bulls.

When it went green again, he was immediately a man on the move. On the main straight with Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon in close contention and battling among themselves he pounced.

It was a very brave and opportunist Hamilton who opted to go around the trio by hugging the inside all the way to the tight right-hander and emerging ahead – from ninth to sixth in a hundred hair-raising metres.

After the race, Hamilton was more relieved the move did not end up in tears than impressed with himself, “It’s not an easy manoeuvre to pull off – it’s quite risky. But I’d lost so much ground at the start, you know, I was trying to be cautious.”

“I had a lot of people ahead and it’s a long, long race. So I was trying to take it easy and I lost a lot of ground at the start, so I needed to come back. The 3-in-1 manoeuvre was very helpful, but unfortunately not enough to get close enough.”

It was a case of damage limitation for the reigning F1 World Champion, who ended up finishing third behind winner and championship leader Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

Hamilton continued, “Valtteri was asked if he wished the race was a lap more. I wish the race was another four or five laps longer. Then I probably would have been in the mix and been able to fight with them [Vettel and Bottas].”

“It was definitely the best result we could have got, but I’ve lost a lot of points in the last two races. We’re hoping for better things in the races to come. But I am really happy with the result,” added Hamilton whose third place gave him a F1 record-equalling 27th consecutive points finish.

[MIKA27]

ERICSSON: AN AMAZING FEELING TO BE BACK IN THE POINTS

Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson ended the longest points-scoring drought on the current Formula 1 starting grid by finishing in ninth place at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Swede had gone 49 races, dating back to the 2015 Italian Grand Prix when he also finished ninth, since he last scored a point.

Ericsson said afterwards, “It is an amazing feeling to be back in the points, especially this early into the season, as a start to our new chapter with Alfa Romeo. It is a great reward to everyone at the racetrack and back at the factory.”

“The strategy we had today was good, and it was a challenge to make it all the way to the end of the race with the tyres and fuel we had. I had to be clever as a driver and pick the right fights to make sure that I do not use the tyres too much.”

“It was a great team effort. I am very happy, very pleased, and I look forward to continuing on this positive path,” beamed Ericsson.

Team boss Frederic Vasseur added, “Congratulations to Marcus for the strong race. He put in a huge effort over the winter to be able to show everyone that he is able to deliver. It is a great accomplishment for him.”

Sunday’s points lifted Sauber off the bottom of the standings and up to eighth of 10 teams. Williams are now the only team yet to score this season.

Now in his fifth year in Formula One, Ericsson has scored only 11 points from 78 starts — still less than the number of penalty points (13) he has incurred to date for driving infringements.

The Swede, whose backers are influential within the Swiss team, has been with Sauber since 2015 after a debut season with now-defunct Caterham.

His place for this season remained uncertain until the team finally confirmed last December that he would be staying to partner Monegasque rookie and Formula Two champion Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc, a Ferrari protege, has yet to score in his first two races.

[MIKA27]

MERCEDES HEAD TO CHINA SEEKING REVENGE

For the second race in a row, Sebastian Vettel celebrated on victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix while Formula 1 world champions Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton rued yet another one that got away and head to China with revenge vital.

By winning at Sakhir, after his season-opening success in Australia, the German became the first Ferrari driver since Michael Schumacher in 2004 to take the first two races of a season.

Since 1982, when Alain Prost started strongly but lost out in the title race to Keke Rosberg, every driver who has won the first two races of a season has been crowned champion at year-end.

But Vettel, a four times world champion and keen student of F1 history, knows the battle is just beginning and he cannot put too much faith in statistics.

“They had less races in 1982, so probably…I don’t believe in all those things,” the German said after the floodlit race at Sakhir. “Sometimes they work for you, sometimes against you.

“We have a very very long season ahead of us. It’s clear that we need to improve, we have to improve our car, our package. I guess everybody’s trying to do the same so the competition is very high.”

Vettel will also be well aware that the calendar has possibly flattered him.

The Ferrari driver also won in Australia and Bahrain last season, when China was the second round of the championship rather than the third, but his title challenge imploded later in the campaign.

Hamilton was second in Australia and Bahrain last year, however, compared with a second and third so far.

If Hamilton loses out again next weekend in Shanghai, a race that he has won five times previously and that Mercedes has won in five of the last six years, then there will be serious concern in Brackley and Stuttgart.

In Bahrain, Valtteri Bottas finished second for Mercedes after chasing down Vettel in the closing laps when the Ferrari driver was on badly worn soft tyres. The gap at the end was 0.699 of a second; close but not close enough.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff told reporters afterwards that his team felt sure they had a winning tyre strategy.

That was because Bottas and Hamilton were on mediums that could go to the end whereas Vettel had to decide whether to pit again and lose the lead or stay out and risk running out of rubber.

“This was the moment where I would say probably 90 percent probability was on us winning and we lost that,” said Wolff.

He recognised however that Ferrari had swept the front row in qualifying when Mercedes were not good enough, with Hamilton also having a five place penalty for a gearbox change that left him lining up in ninth.

That setback cost Hamilton – who missed out on victory in Australia after a virtual safety car period played into Ferrari’s hands – any chance of winning.

And that was cause for concern for a team that have won the past four drivers’ and constructors’ titles but are now second behind Ferrari.

“The points that you don’t make are the ones that could decide the championship,” added Wolff.

MIKA: I'm a Mercedes man, but I enjoy seeing Ferrari and other teams competing with these guys so far. I still hope Mercedes do well, but it's nice to see teams making Mercedes work and earn the points thus far.

[MIKA27]

Valtteri Bottas disappointed, but encouraged by race pace

Valtteri Bottas expressed disappointment at his narrow defeat at the Bahrain Grand Prix – but also exuded optimism at Mercedes’ race pace.

Bottas qualified third at Sakhir, with Sebastian Vettel leading a front-row lockout for Ferrari, but moved into second at the start, at the expense of Kimi Raikkonen.

Bottas slipped adrift of Vettel after the first stint, the gap hovering around six seconds, but was equipped with Mediums, as opposed to the Softs employed by Ferrari.

Bottas used his longer-lasting compound to effect by closing down Vettel during the closing stages and began the final lap within a second of his rival, though was unable to produce an overtaking chance, and came home as runner-up.

“The race is 57 laps and Sebastian got to the flag the quickest so they won,” said Bottas.

“Of course, it’s disappointing once it comes down to being so close and once you’re catching up to somebody with that kind of rate.

“I have to say that the last three laps, once I started getting closer and closer, my tyres started to go off and the last lap was really, really difficult and I actually had a couple of big moments.

“It’s disappointing, but I think what is positive is that actually the race pace we had was more competent and we could put a bit more pressure on them than we expected to.”

Expanding on his slender opportunity on the final lap, Bottas said: “Once I was approaching Turn 1 for the last time behind him, and having probably the best opportunity I think I was going to have I saw that he definitely knew what I was going to do or maybe do.

“I saw him before he started braking, he turned inside. I kind of braked later as well than normal and saw that he was going to block it so… And he didn’t go wide or anything and he still had a good run to Turn 4 so he was awake.

“He knew that was his place to defend and I was maybe going to try something there so… gutted.”

[MIKA27]

Opportunity lost due to start clash - Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez believes any opportunity of a strong finish in the Bahrain Grand Prix was lost after his first lap clash with the Toro Rosso of Brendon Hartley.

During the opening lap Perez had tried to go around the outside of Hartley into Turn 4, only for the Toro Rosso driver to lock up and and tag the Force India, pitching the car around leaving him facing the wrong direction. 

During the formation lap, the pair had already made mistakes after the Mexican driver overtook the Kiwi and failed to give the place back on their way to the grid, this led to both drivers receiving time penalties after the race had ended.

"It feels like an opportunity lost because my race was effectively over on lap one," said Perez. "We knew how important it was to stay out of trouble, but there was nothing I could do to avoid what happened. I made a pretty good start, but Brendon [Hartley] lost control of his car and spun me around. I had a lot of damage to the floor and that cost me performance for the rest of the race.

"Despite that, I nearly made it back into the points, but in the end, there was no chance to do it. We can look at some positives: it was a fun race, with lots of battles and we are making progress with the car. I hope we can continue the good work and be quicker in China, where we will hopefully get more performance from our package."

Force India's chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer, believes Perez was an innocent victim in his clash with Hartley and commended Perez on his 12th place finish on the track before the time penalty was applied, despite driving what he described as a significantly damaged car.

"Sergio’s race was compromised heavily by the contact with Hartley on the opening lap where we were simply the innocent victim. There was big contact, which damaged the floor quite significantly and impacted performance. The spin dropped him to the back of the field and a slow puncture forced him to pit early and adopt a two-stop strategy. To recover to P12 was a tremendous effort in the circumstances."

[MIKA27]

Fernando Alonso urges McLaren to raise its game

Fernando Alonso has urged McLaren to raise its game and asserted that the team “cannot underperform again” after a low-key showing at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Alonso placed fifth at the season-opening race in Australia, accepting that his result was slightly fortuitous, but challenged McLaren to close on Formula 1’s top three teams.

However, Alonso was knocked out in Q2 – having only just scraped through Q1 – in Bahrain, and went on to take seventh place, the bulk of his gains coming courtesy of a strong opening lap.

Successive points finishes has left Alonso fourth in the Drivers’ Championship – with McLaren third – but the Spaniard is aware that the team must improve on its Bahrain display.

“Looking at the overall picture of the weekend, we struggled in every session and had quite a poor qualifying,” said Alonso, who described his race recovery as “positive.” 

“Having 16 points after two races is promising, but at the same time we know that this weekend was not good enough in terms of performance, so we need to raise our game.

“We just cannot underperform again. We know that we have the potential, and that the car has some good things and bad things which we need to make sure we improve as soon as possible.”

Stoffel Vandoorne, meanwhile, cut an upbeat figure, having bounced back from a disastrous getaway to collect eighth place.

“I had a terrible start, a lot of wheel-spin off the line and found myself sitting there in absolute last after Turn 1,” he said.

“From there we made a great recovery, and to finish eighth and have both cars in the points again is very pleasing. 

“We always knew our race pace was going to be better than our qualifying pace and we proved that again.

“We overtook a lot of cars on track and made some very bold overtaking moves into Turn 1.

“For me it was an amazing race and I enjoyed some great fighting, so I’m pretty happy.”

[MIKA27]

Nico Hulkenberg: Sixth maximum possible for Renault in Bahrain GP

Nico Hulkenberg reckons sixth position in the Bahrain Grand Prix was the maximum result possible for Renault, as he was unable to overhaul midfield rivals.

Hulkenberg’s time in Q2 would have been quick enough for fifth on the grid, but his Q3 effort was slower, leaving him seventh, from where he felt stronger race pace would assist his cause.

However, Hulkenberg was second-best on a first-lap battle against Kevin Magnussen and remained behind the Dane, as Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly cruised clear of both the Haas and Renault driver.

Sixth place for Hulkenberg equalled Renault’s best result since its return to Formula 1 in 2016, and the German felt that no more was possible under current circumstances.

“We got the maximum from the race, which is a good positive,” he said.

“We didn’t quite have the pace to compete with the cars ahead of us and that leaves me a little disappointed, so it’s clear the midfield fight is very close.

“It was a busy race and our main focus was fuel saving whilst still trying to race other cars and I think we managed that quite well.”

Team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. finished outside of the points as a late move from Esteban Ocon relegated him to 11th position.

“I was surviving in the end there with very tired Soft tyres and having to do a lot of fuel saving,” he said.

“We need to analyse what happened at the start because I had too much wheel spin and from there onwards the race was compromised.

“I was stuck in traffic after both stops and we couldn’t really do a lot from there.”

[MIKA27]

Ricciardo: Bahrain DNF shows F1 "rips your heart out"

A dejected Daniel Ricciardo says the implosion of Red Bull’s Bahrain Grand Prix within the first two laps shows how Formula 1 “can rip your heart out”.
Max Verstappen picked up a puncture while passing Lewis Hamilton at the start of the second lap, which caused gearbox damage that led to his swift retirement, and moments later Ricciardo stopped from fourth position.

Red Bull believes a Renault energy store failure triggered a sudden loss of power as Ricciardo entered the Turn 8 hairpin.

Ricciardo said: “Being out so early in a race is just the worst feeling, especially when it’s a night race and you are up all day waiting for those two hours and after two minutes it’s over. 

“This sport can rip your heart out, it’s brutal sometimes.”

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said after the Australian GP that Ricciardo recording the fastest lap of that race was the only genuine indicator of the team’s performance. 

Ricciardo said he got another serious glimpse of its potential in the opening lap-and-a-bit in Bahrain.  

“The weekend was going pretty good for us and I really believe our race car was even better,” said Ricciardo.  “I know I only did one lap but I could already see Kimi sliding on the rear tyres. 

“I really felt like we were going to be in with a good chance, which makes it even more frustrating.”

Red Bull had been expected to challenge for victory after recording the strongest long-run pace on Friday but its double DNF leaves it fourth in the constructors’ championship, behind McLaren.

Horner called it a “bittersweet” start to the year and said the race was “brutally frustrating”. 

“I genuinely believe the last couple of races we’ve had a car capable of beating Ferrari and we don’t have the points to show for it,” he said.

“To have both cars retired within two laps is hugely frustrating. We’ve given a lot of points away today. 

“The energy store issue is under investigation but if that is the root cause it’s the second one we’ve had this year, one in pre-season one today [on Sunday].

“That’s an element beyond our control, and a racing incident between two competitive drivers. 

“F1 is full of ifs, buts and maybes. The only solace we can take is once we again we genuinely feel we had a shot at a competitive race.”

[MIKA27]

Sirotkin: "We looked like idiots" in Bahrain

Formula 1 rookie Sergey Sirotkin says that he and his Williams team "looked like idiots" after a poor Bahrain Grand Prix.
Sirotkin and teammate Lance Stroll started 18th and 20th, and finished in the reverse order on the road in 16th and 17th, although they subsequently gained places from time penalties handed to Sergio Perez and Brendon Hartley.

Despite the lack of pace from the car – which was slower than last year – Sirotkin tried to be upbeat.

"A tough feeling after a tough weekend," said the Russian.

"I know we looked like idiots from the outside, this is quite obvious to me.

"And probably the fact that I tried to find some positive in it will sound a bit weird, but I do see some positives.

"Partly for me, partly for the job I did as a driver. Partly with the learning I did as a driver, and learning we did as a team. I see some positives.

"Yes, we definitely looked bad in the results in the race, probably even worse than in qualifying. It is better not even to think about it.

"But the good point is that even if it went worse that it was, at least we kind of see more, start to understand the things more. Even if it goes worse we start to understand why is this and why is that."

Sirotkin said the poor form came as a surprise.

"If you just look at the car, we all agree that it looks like well detailed and well designed car.

"We obviously know, because we build the car, we know even more from the inside, so for us it is very big surprise, why we don't get the numbers we want to get, why they are not coming."

Williams technical boss Paddy Lowe admitted that he's struggling to get to the bottom of what's gone wrong with the package, and says that it's time for the team to pull together.

"There's a lot of things to understand," he told Motorsport.com. "We've got to go away and work very hard on that. At least we have more data now.

"Something's gone wrong since Melbourne. Even there we weren't in great shape – but nothing like today. We'll see what we can learn in the next few days before we arrive in China.

"There's nothing obvious – we've done all the obvious things. If we knew the answer we wouldn't be in this situation right now. We're just not looking quick.

"It's a time for the team to pull together, stay calm and go away and do the right amount of work in the right areas and see what we can do for China."

[MIKA27]

Verstappen responds to Hamilton “dickhead” gibe

Max Verstappen has shrugged off Lewis Hamilton’s remark in the drivers’ room ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix podium ceremony, after being shown a clip of the moment Hamilton reacted to their collision.
Hamilton was heard calling Verstappen “a dickhead”, prompting questions about it in the post-race press conference – when Sebastian Vettel leapt to Hamilton’s defence.

Appearing on the Dutch TV show Peptalk on Ziggo Sport on Monday night, Verstappen was shown this clip via Skype in his hotel room in Bahrain. 

After hearing what was said, Verstappen remarked: “He is just out of the car there. Then those things can happen. If you are just out of the car, you are still full of adrenaline, so yeah.”

Verstappen refuted suggestions that he’d been too impatient in his move on Hamilton, which gave him a puncture and damaged his differential, ultimately forcing him to retire.

“I was really close behind and there was a chance to overtake, so I thought it was a good opportunity,” he said. “Our car was great. Then I’m not going to stay behind him. 

“I knew we had a very good car for the race, so I knew we would be able to fight them.” 

When asked if he was worried about Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo’s exit with a sudden electrical failure, Verstappen replied: “I think I had the same problem during testing. After that it didn’t return, but unfortunately this time in the race it did.

“I think overall it’s reasonably OK. The situation is better than last year, that’s for sure. But yeah, it’s not ideal.”

[Bartolomeo]

Glad to see a Ferrari win, good race, sometimes those desert races are boring but this was exciting until the end

[MIKA27]

9 hours ago, Bartolomeo said:

Glad to see a Ferrari win, good race, sometimes those desert races are boring but this was exciting until the end

Totally agree mate!

I'm not looking forward to China, normally thats always been boring IMO. Who knows how that will pan out?  

[MIKA27]

ALLISON: WE WERE TOO SLOW TO RECOGNISE THE THREAT

Mercedes technical director James Allison acknowledged that his team were caught out by Ferrari’s race strategy that allowed Sebastian to win the Bahrain Grand Prix, admitting his team erred in not reacting early enough to the Italian team’s bluff.

When Vettel emerged from his first pitstop with the yellow band Pirelli soft tyres the general expectation was that he would stop a second time later in the race. But as the race evolved Ferrari decided to keep Vettel out and risk the soft tyrs rather than relinquish the lead for a fresh tyre pitstop and chase thereafter.

It was a touch and go call and coupled to Vettel’s tenacity and mastery, he made the tyres last a staggering 39 laps.

By the time the penny dropped it was too late, although credit to Valtteri Bottas for giving chase. But his final stab at the lead was ineffective and Vettel bagged maximum points for his efforts.

In his Bahrain debrief Allison acknowledged,”Valtteri did manage to close in on Vettel, with three laps to go we were hard up against his bumper, but we were not quite good enough to get past him.”

“Probably if the race had been a lap or two longer would have been a different outcome. We left our charge a little bit too late and weren’t able to get the win.”

“We were probably a little too slow to recognise the threat that Sebastian was actually going to take those soft tyres all the way to the flag.”

“Valtteri did not hold back at any point in the race. He was pushing as hard as he could in the race as hard as we felt he could in order to get the best out of the tyres.”

“We could have guided him to push a little harder earlier, but Valtteri was putting down a very good lick even then and in the end when he finally caught Vettel he was giving it absolutely full beans,” we just ran out of road and not enough laps to get the race win.

“Had we been slightly quicker to react to it we would probably have kept more pressure on him in the laps, sort of 35 to 45 and we might have had a better outcome as a result. We expected him to stop again but he did very, very well in nursing those tyres all the way to the flag.”

Allison also revealed that with Hamilton starting from ninth was on a different strategy to teammate Bottas up in third. The Briton’s plan was to one stop, while the Finn was going for a two-stop race, but as the evening panned out the Mercedes pitwall opted to one stop both their cars.

It is refreshing that Mercedes give fans access to Allison’s honest debriefs that lay bare his team’s shortcomings and reading between the lines it’s apparent they see Bahrain as another missed opportunity.

At the same time the, Silver Arrows will be concerned that their strategy tools are leading them astray, because by their own admission they were outsmarted by Ferrari as they were two weeks earlier in Australia

[MIKA27]

PORSCHE LMP1 BREAKS FORMULA 1 LAP RECORD AT SPA

A full-blown unrestricted version of the Le Mans-winning Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 car was unleashed around Spa-Francorchamps in the capable of hands of Neel Jani and he took the opportunity to smash the outright lap record around the hallowed venue.

Porsche rounded up Neel Jani, Timo Bernhard and Andre Lotterer to put the unrestricted LMP1 919 designated ‘Evo’ through its paces around the seven-kilometre grand prix configuration of the Spa circuit.

At around 10:20 am on Monday morning, in nearly ideal conditions, Jani set the best lap time of 1.41.770, which was  0.783 of a second faster than Lewis Hamilton’s pole-winning lap time of 1.42.553 in his Mercedes last year.

During his record-breaking run, Jani reached a top speed of 359 kph in the 919 and completed the lap at an average speed of 245.61 kph.

The Swiss driver said afterwards, “The 919 Evo is brutally impressive. Definitely the fastest car I’ve ever driven. The grip level is a completely new dimension for me. I could not imagine anything like that before.”

“The reactions required on a single lap with the 919 Evo are so fast that the demand for responsiveness is very different to what I am used to in  WEC.”

“Not only are we faster than the F1 pole position of 2017, the lap was also 12 seconds faster than our WEC pole position winning lap from last year! The race engineers have done a great job and Michelin’s tyre was a sensation. Many thanks to Porsche for this experience,” added Jani.

For the record, Porsche gave their engineers carte blanche to showcase the full potential of the ‘retired’ Porsche 919 Hybrid, unrestricted by the strict fuel flow limitations and other WEC rules that curb performance. In other words a 919 on steroids and an engineer’s Valhalla.

The basis of the Evo project was the 2017 Le Mans 24 hour winning Porsche 919 with mods:

• The powertrain hardware and related appendages remained untouched.
• Tweaks to the aerodynamics were made to increase aero efficiency including a larger front diffuser, optimised floorboard and stronger rear wing.
• A four-wheel brake-by-wire system was installed.
• Power assisted steering was added. 
• Chassis and bodywork were strengthened where possible.
• Wing modified to allow DRS.
• Michelin provided sets of extra sticky rubber for the hot laps.

The Evo version of the 919 was built for one flying lap, thus things such as windscreen wipers, water bottle, the lighting system, the pneumatic jack and various sensors were removed. Thus when they wheeled it out onto the tarmac in the Ardennes the 919 was 40 kgs trimmer than it was last year at Le Mans.

In the end, someone had to deliver the goods and on the day Jani stood up to deliver a sublime lap that made him the fastest man ever around Spa Francorchamps and the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo the fastest road race car in the world.

Porsche LMP1 program chief Fritz Enzinger, said, “It was an absolutely fantastic lap – an outstanding driving performance from Neel and the result of great engineering. Beating the track lap record impressively proves the ultimate performance of the most innovative racing car of its time.”

 

[MIKA27]

MCLAREN GROUP STREAMLINED INTO THREE DIVISIONS

McLaren Group announced today that they have added a third division to the organisation which is now structured into three distinct operations: Applied Technologies, Automotive and Racing.

Zak Brown will be in charge of racing, with Eric Boullier as Racing Director reporting to him as will Chief Marketing Officer John Allert.

McLaren Press Statement:

Following the merger of McLaren Automotive and McLaren Technology Group in July 2017 to enhance synergies, the McLaren Group has announced several further developments in the company’s operational structure to bring greater efficiency and simplification to the business.

Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, McLaren Group Executive Chairman, explained: “The work of the past year at a corporate level has been focused on structuring and positioning McLaren for growth.”

He continued: “These latest developments are a natural consequence of that work and are designed to bring greater simplicity and clarity to the structure and leadership of the group.”

The McLaren Group previously consisted of two divisions: McLaren Technology Group, which comprised McLaren Racing, McLaren Applied Technologies, and McLaren Marketing; and McLaren Automotive.

The McLaren Group is now formed of three clear divisions: Applied Technologies, Automotive and Racing. Leadership of the business is simplified, with each division led by a CEO. The layer of McLaren Technology Group is being dissolved from the corporate structure.

The Executive Committee (ExCom), comprising Shaikh Mohammed and Mansour Ojjeh, will continue in its overseeing role.

Jonathan Neale becomes Chief Operating Officer of the McLaren Group. Zak Brown becomes CEO, McLaren Racing. Mike Flewitt continues as CEO, McLaren Automotive. A new CEO of McLaren Applied Technologies is being recruited and will be announced in due course.

Eric Boullier, Racing Director, will report directly to Zak Brown, while John Allert, Chief Marketing Officer, continues to oversee the company’s marketing function, reporting into Zak Brown as before.

In line with the group’s global vision as a leading sport and technology powerhouse, this structure underpins the McLaren Group’s scope for growth: for the brand, its products, services and operations.

[MIKA27]

BRAWN: PERFORMANCE GAP IN F1 IS A SHAME

While Formula 1 wallows in the aftermath of a riveting Bahrain Grand Prix, the cruel reality is that the gap between the top three teams and the rest is alarming and according to motorsport chief Ross Brawn needs to be addressed.

Speaking ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, Brawn said of the first two races of the season, “It’s a shame that we were pretty much watching two grands prix: one conducted in the absence of Red Bull was a battle between two teams, Ferrari and Mercedes, and then there was a race involving everybody else.”

Brawn also noted, “Just six drivers completed the full 57 laps and the gap between third-placed Hamilton and fourth-placed Gasly there was a huge 55 seconds.”

“However, the size of the performance gap is not surprising when you consider that out of last year’s 60 podium places, just one went to a driver not driving a Ferrari, Mercedes or Red Bull – Lance Stroll, for Williams in Baku.”

“It is further proof that we need to do something. It is one of the goals outlined in our vision for the Formula 1 of the future, which we presented to the teams and to the FIA last Friday in Bahrain.”

“Along with the organising body, we want to work on achieving this to make this sport even more spectacular and appealing,” insisted Brawn.

[MIKA27]

MERCEDES: WE GO TO CHINA TO RIGHT SOME WRONGS

Preseason testing and the early pace in Australia of Mercedes had many in the Formula 1 paddock fearing another walkover of a season, but two rounds down the road they have yet to win a race and on each occasion, they were beaten fair and square when victory could have been theirs.

Speaking ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend Mercedes chief Toto Wolff pulled no punches, “This is not the start to the 2018 season we had hoped for. For two races in a row, we did damage limitation with one car and lost the win with the other.”

“Both races were decided by fine margins, but that doesn’t make it any better; in fact, it probably makes it more frustrating.”

The competition is extremely close in 2018 and Melbourne was already a strong reminder that there is absolutely no margin for imperfections or mistakes in this year’s title fight.”

“While we saw a completely different race in Bahrain and lost for different reasons, the message stayed the same: In order to win this year, we need to bring our A game.”

Bahrain was supposed to suit the W09, but Ferrari locked out the front row with Sebastian Vettel on pole and only misfortune denied Kimi Raikkonen a podium on the day.

Wolff explained, “I think our team showed the right reaction after the chequered flag in Bahrain: instead of being satisfied with the double podium finish, everyone realised that P2 and P3 was the minimum result we should expect with both Red Bulls and Kimi out of the race.”

“So we started to analyse what went wrong in Bahrain in order to improve for China and come back stronger. We’re quite happy that this is a back-to-back race as that means that we won’t have to wait long to get racing again.”

“Shanghai has been a good track for us in the past, so hopefully we will get the chance to right some of the wrongs of the past weeks and show a performance that is worthy of Mercedes,” concluded the Mercedes chief.

[MIKA27]

RENAULT PREVIEW THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX

Renault Sport Formula 1 Team previews the third race weekend of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship season, the Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit.

Cyril Abiteboul, managing director, Renault Sport Racing: “Shanghai is an important race for the team. As well as keeping our on-track momentum moving forward, our off-track activation will equally be important. We have an expansive programme with DRAC (Renault’s joint venture in China) and Renault Sport Formula One Team’s partner, Tmall. I’m really looking forward to getting over to China and seeing how everything unfolds.”

Nico Hülkenberg: “We head to China with things to work on. Every track is different and I’m sure China will bring its own challenges. We’ll go there aiming to keep improving. Historically, in China, looking after the tyres has been hard work. The first few corners are notorious for tyre-deg and later on in the lap, turn 13 is another long right-hander that takes even more life out of them.”

Carlos Sainz: “Last year’s race was certainly one of my more memorable Grand Prix. It was a risky decision to start the race on dry tyres and everyone else on Intermediates. I had a tricky start, I could barely get off the line on a damp track and then had a spin at turn 3. Happily, risks sometimes pay off and I capitalised to finish seventh. It was definitely an interesting one!”

[MIKA27]

SAUBER DRIVERS PREVIEW THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX

The Alfa Romeo F1 Team is heading to China feeling positive for the second leg of the first back-to-back races on the calendar.

Marcus Ericsson is determined to maintain the momentum from the strong performance shown in Bahrain, where he finished in P9 and scored the first two points of the season.

Charles Leclerc gained experience at Sakhir, and after two competitors received penalties, he was promoted to P12 (from P14). The Monegasque is looking forward to discovering the Shanghai International Circuit, a demanding track with changes of acceleration and deceleration within winding turns and high-speed straights.

The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 team has progressed to the 8th place in the 2018 Constructors Championship – Marcus Ericsson currently holds P12, while rookie Charles Leclerc is in P16.

Marcus Ericsson: “I am going to Shanghai feeling really positive. After some difficult times, it is good to be back in the points. It is motivating for the whole team and feels like a good start to a new chapter for us. The track in Shanghai is a fun one to drive. It has a good mix of all different types of corners and features one of the longest straights of the year, followed by a hairpin. We will have to set up the car for all types of speed ranges and corners, which will be a good challenge. It is also always fun to see the enthusiastic Chinese fans there. I can’t wait to be back on track.”

Charles Leclerc: “I look forward to going to our next race in China. It was a good race for the team in Bahrain last weekend, with Marcus scoring two points. Now that we have started seeing our potential we are all motivated and eager to continue on this positive path. This will be the third Formula 1 Grand Prix for me, and I am feeling more confident in the car. I have never driven on the circuit at Shanghai before, so it will be an interesting experience that will allow me to continue gaining more experience as a driver. The track looks amazing and the fans are always very passionate. Let’s see what is possible for us there.”

Track facts: Designed by architects Hermann Tilke and Peter Wahl, the Shanghai International Circuit has the longest straight on the whole race calendar, where a good top speed is important. The track has an interesting mix of low, medium and high-speed corners. In addition to that, it has several technical sections with corner complexes where unique corners, such as T1 and T13, lead straight into further corners requiring a good car balance and precise driving. Good traction is a must.

MIKA: 90% of Tilkes tracks are boring AF.... COTA is the exception but China is certainly boring.

[MIKA27]

HAAS PREVIEW THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX

The third-year Haas F1 Team heads into the third round of the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship this Sunday at Shanghai International Circuit intent on showcasing its speed in the Chinese Grand Prix.

Fresh off a fifth-place finish in last Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix where driver Kevin Magnussen equaled Haas F1 Team’s best result in its still young history, the American squad comes into Shanghai with points to show for the speed it has displayed since winter testing in late February and early March at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya.

The resulting 10 points from Magnussen’s Bahrain Grand Prix effort placed Haas F1 Team seventh in the constructor standings after two races, where it sits eight points ahead of eighth-place Sauber and only two points behind sixth-place Toro Rosso.

Magnussen and teammate Romain Grosjean have consistently placed their Haas VF-18s near the top of the midfield, even mixing it up among the sport’s Big Three of Scuderia Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull. In addition to Magnussen’s fifth-place drive in Bahrain, he has qualified sixth and seventh, respectively, in each of this year’s first two races. Grosjean, meanwhile, owns a seventh-place qualifying effort in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

After a double DNF (Did Not Finish) in Australia where 22 potential points went poof as Magnussen had been running fourth and Grosjean fifth before succumbing to loose wheels, Bahrain provided tangible evidence that Haas F1 Team’s speed was substantive.

If the third time truly is the charm, then the Chinese Grand Prix bodes well for Haas F1 Team. Grosjean and Magnussen rightly carry optimism and experience into China. Grosjean has six career Formula One starts at the 5.451-kilometer (3.387-mile), 16-turn circuit. Three times he has finished in the points, with his best result being a sixth-place drive in 2012. And in last year’s Chinese Grand Prix, Grosjean just missed a point-paying result, as he finished 11th. Magnussen has three starts at Shanghai, and his best came in last year’s contest when he finished eighth to score his first points as a member of Haas F1 Team.

Achieving points in China will involve continuing the pace set in Australia and Bahrain while solving the conundrum presented by Shanghai’s “snail corners” and its massive backstraight. It’s a track that features plenty of yin-yang characteristics where balance is key.

The snail corners both look like a snail and force drive

Team Principal, Guenther Steiner

China marks the second part of the season’s first slate of back-to-back races as the series heads straight from Bahrain to China. With both being flyaway races, how difficult are the logistics of moving a team across continents when you only have two days to pack up from one venue and arrive at another?
Steiner: “It’s not easy. It’s challenging, especially at the beginning of the season. It’s more difficult because you have a limited amount of spares, so you need to be very careful what you send to Bahrain and that you’ve got enough to go on to China. It’s not easy having a back-to-back at the beginning of the season, but we always say we’re the best, and that’s why we need to get it done, and that involves people working hard.”

Finding and then holding onto the tires’ proper operating window proved a challenge last year. How has it been so far this year?
Steiner: “It is still a challenge. I think we know a little bit more, but a lot of it is down to experience. We’re building up our data base. It’s still the biggest engineering project we have to sort out on a weekend.”

For the first time in recent memory, Pirelli isn’t bringing a sequential set of tire compounds. There’s a jump between the Yellow soft tire and the Purple ultrasoft, with the Red supersoft not a part of Pirelli’s lineup. How drastic is the difference between the soft and ultrasoft, and will drivers and their engineers miss that gradual change between compounds?
Steiner: “I would say it’s not a big issue – you just adapt to it. How big the delta will be – we’ll just find that out when we get to the track. This is what you’ve got. There are big deltas normally between an ultrasoft and a hypersoft anyway. So, I don’t think it will be a problem. It is, for sure, always an engineering challenge, but whatever we put on there, it is always difficult to get them to work and get the best out of them.”

Overtaking, or a lack thereof has been a topic of late. What would you like to see happen to encourage more overtaking during a race?
Steiner: “We shouldn’t judge a season after just a couple of races. I would like to see at least four races under our belt, because we shouldn’t jump to a conclusion after the early races of the season. Working to make the cars more overtaking friendly – it’s a good idea, but also we should avoid knee-jerk reactions.”

Are expanding the DRS zones one way to increase overtaking opportunities? What are the pros and cons to that?
Steiner: “I think it betters the situation, but it’s marginal. It will never make up for having a car that is better suited to overtaking. Yes, it enhances the overtaking opportunities, but it does not drastically change them or better them.”

Another DRS-related change to aid overtaking that’s being discussed is outfitting cars with a larger rear wing flap, thereby creating a larger effect when DRS is activated. What are your thoughts on that idea?
Steiner: “Again, we shouldn’t judge after just a few races. I think if it is done with plenty of notice to change aerodynamic devices, I’m okay with that. Normally, when we make decisions to implement them quickly, we’ve always created more problems than benefits. So, let’s study them properly, let’s think about it, and then do something or do nothing.”

When your drivers are behind another car, what does the “dirty air” or turbulence from that car do to their car? How does it affect their racecar?
Steiner: “Following another car, basically the front wing gets no air, therefore you lose front-end downforce, which makes you understeer everywhere.”

So, after talking about operating windows for your tires and DRS zones for overtaking, how does Shanghai shape up in terms of finding the right tire balance and being able to overtake?
Steiner: “To find the tire operating window is always difficult. It’s a challenge at every racetrack. Normally, our car likes it better when it’s warm, so China is not likely to be one of our favorites. We will try hard to get them to work.”

Romain Grosjean

Finding and then holding onto the tires’ proper operating window proved a challenge last year. How has it been so far this year?
Grosjean: “It’s still a challenge and it’s still really what makes the car go fast or not. We put a lot of effort into that, and we’ve got some good people helping us to make sure we do that right.”

For the first time in recent memory, Pirelli isn’t bringing a sequential set of tire compounds. There’s a jump between the Yellow soft tire and the Purple ultrasoft, with the Red supersoft not a part of Pirelli’s lineup. How drastic is the difference between the soft and ultrasoft, and will you miss that gradual change between compounds?
Grosjean: “I guess it’s going to open strategies, especially if there’s quite a lot of degradation on the ultrasofts. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do. In China, the weather can be challenging – it can be cold or hot. A lot will depend on that.”

Overtaking, or a lack thereof has been a topic of late. What would you like to see happen to encourage more overtaking during a race?
Grosjean: “I think that’s something Formula One is working on. Clearly, it’s not easy to overtake, but we know that Melbourne’s one of the trickiest circuits to overtake on. I don’t think we need to jump to conclusions. We can wait a few races to see how it goes.”

Are expanding the DRS zones one way to increase overtaking opportunities? What are the pros and cons to that?
Grosjean: “There are no cons, only pros. You just go faster in a straight line, and yes, it’s a way to do it, clearly.”

When you’re behind another car, what does the “dirty air” or turbulence from that car do to your car? How does it affect the feel of your racecar?
Grosjean: “You lose downforce, as if you have a smaller wing on your car. You slide more, and when you slide more, the tires overheat. When that happens, the grip goes even more, which means you slide even more. It’s a cycle. That’s basically what’s happening. Normally, you lose a bit more of front end than rear end. Generally, it just feels like you’re on a lighter downforce package.”

So, after talking about operating windows for your tires and DRS zones for overtaking, how does Shanghai shape up in terms of finding the right tire balance and being able to overtake?
Grosjean: “Overtaking in China is always pretty good – it’s always exciting. The balance is really difficult to find because there’s a lot of demands on the front tires, which makes it tricky. One of the main concerns is trying to find a way to get the best from the front tires.”

In six career Formula One races at Shanghai International Circuit, you’ve had three point-paying finishes and all of them came from a top-10 starting spot. It shows how important qualifying is, but it also seems to showcase your talents. Is there something about Shanghai that plays to your strengths?
Grosjean: “No. Shanghai is a tricky track because it’s very different from the early stages in the year. It’s a front-limited circuit, meaning that the car needs to work well with front tires. If it doesn’t, then it gets very tricky. Overtaking in Shanghai is not impossible. There’s the long backstraight with DRS helping overtaking maneuvers. In general, if the car is good in qualifying, the race should be quite good. If not, then in the race you’re going to struggle. If you qualify in the top-10, you should finish in the top-10. If you’re not, then it’s harder. I’ve had good cars in Shanghai, therefore I’ve been able to score points.”

What is your favourite part of Shanghai International Circuit and why?
Grosjean: “I like the high-speed corners at (turns) five and six. It’s just an amazing part.”

Is there a specific portion of Shanghai International Circuit that is more challenging than other aspects of the track?
Grosjean: “Yes, turns one, two and three. It’s very challenging. There’s a lot of demand on the front tires, and it’s not easy to find the perfect lane. Then being up on the backstraight, that long right-hand side corner, going onto the throttle, as well, is important because you’ve got one-and-a-half kilometer of straight line. You need to be as early as possible on the power.”

Explain a lap around Shanghai International Circuit, especially now after having competed there with the faster, current-generation car.
Grosjean: “The biggest difference with the current-generation car is the entry speed into turn one, the minimum speed between turns five and six, and the braking at the end of the straight lines, which is very late. Those are the spots where you really feel the difference in the current cars.”

Kevin Magnussen

Finding and then holding onto the tires’ proper operating window proved a challenge last year. How has it been so far this year?
Magnussen: “The tires are different for this year, but it’s still no less of a challenge. It’s the biggest thing about performance.”

For the first time in recent memory, Pirelli isn’t bringing a sequential set of tire compounds. There’s a jump between the Yellow soft tire and the Purple ultrasoft, with the Red supersoft not a part of Pirelli’s lineup. How drastic is the difference between the soft and ultrasoft, and will you miss that gradual change between compounds?
Magnussen: “It’s an interesting tire situation. It’s not one that I’ve experienced before. I think it will be an exciting thing for the race. Who knows, it might be that the ultrasoft is fine as a race tire but, theoretically, it shouldn’t be a race tire – it’s a qualifying tire. The top-10 will be starting on it, so it’ll spice the race up a little bit.”

Overtaking, or a lack thereof has been a topic of late. What would you like to see happen to encourage more overtaking during a race?
Magnussen: “I think it’s all to do with the tracks. We see some tracks where overtaking is all fine. Of course, it has to do with the aero on the cars, but some tracks are fine, so it’s not always bad.”

Are expanding the DRS zones one way to increase overtaking opportunities? What are the pros and cons to that?
Magnussen: “It’s not something I think about, to be honest.”

When you’re behind another car, what does the “dirty air” or turbulence from that car do to your car? How does it affect the feel of your racecar?
Magnussen: “You lose downforce in the slipstream of another car. With some cars you lose front end, some you lose rear – good cars you lose just overall and not as much. Our car is alright.”

So, after talking about operating windows for your tires and DRS zones for overtaking, how does Shanghai shape up in terms of finding the right tire balance and being able to overtake?
Magnussen: “Shanghai is a really good circuit to overtake. It always offers lots of opportunities.”

You finished eighth in last year’s Chinese Grand Prix to score your first points for Haas F1 Team and your first points since the 2016 Singapore Grand Prix where you finished 10th. How rewarding was that finish and did you feel that it vindicated your move to Haas F1 Team?
Magnussen: “I don’t think it was only that. In Australia, I had a good feeling being with the team. Of course, it was good to start scoring points early on in the season.”

What is your favourite part of Shanghai International Circuit and why?
Magnussen: v“My favorite part is turns seven and eight – the fast ones in the middle. It’s a pretty good section of the track.”

Is there a specific portion of Shanghai International Circuit that is more challenging than other aspects of the track?
Magnussen: “Turns one, two and three. It’s a pretty unique place, where you enter so fast and then have to stop the car in the corner all the way down to low speed.”

Explain a lap around Shanghai International Circuit, especially now after having competed there with the faster, current-generation car.
Magnussen: “It just has a unique flow with lots of opportunities to overtake.”

[MIKA27]

ESPN to go commercial-free for remainder of 2018 F1 season

US broadcaster ESPN has announced that Formula 1 action will be free from commercials for the remainder of the 2018 season.

ESPN picked up coverage of Formula 1 in the United States after previous broadcaster NBC Sports opted not to renew its contract.

ESPN runs Sky Sports’ coverage, which includes practice, qualifying and the races, as well as its build-up show, and came in for criticism during the Australian Grand Prix after it encountered technical issues, prompting an apology.

ESPN trialled a commercial-free broadcast during the Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend and confirmed on Tuesday that it will retain that approach for the rest of the year.

“We intend to present the F1 races in this way for the balance of the 2018 season," said Burke Magnus, ESPN Executive Vice President, Programming & Scheduling.

"F1 fans are passionate and we listened to a lot of feedback from them. The fans are very informed and the feedback we received was both polite and constructive. It helped us.

"We don't have a completely finished product but we're very happy with the way the changes after Australia were received. We'll continue to keep working to make it better for the fans."

[MIKA27]

Honda lifted by best Formula 1 result since 2008

Honda F1 chief Toyoharu Tanabe hailed Pierre Gasly’s result at the Bahrain Grand Prix as the engine supplier captured its highest finish since 2008.

Gasly emerged as comfortably the lead midfield runner in both qualifying and race trim, setting the sixth-best time across one lap, which netted him fifth on the grid.

From there, the Frenchman maintained position at the start and moved into fourth place later on when Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen retired.

Gasly preserved the place through to the chequered flag, and it marked Honda’s best result in the sport in almost a decade, when Rubens Barrichello took a podium at the 2008 British Grand Prix.

It did not finish higher than fifth during its three-year partnership with McLaren, from 2015 to 2017, and was not present in the sport from 2009 through 2014.

The result came in only Honda’s second event as Toro Rosso’s engine supplier, having partnered with the Faenza-based operation in the wake of its split from McLaren.

“Special congratulations must go to Pierre who drove brilliantly all weekend to finish fourth, to give Honda its highest finish since we returned to Formula 1 in 2015,” said Tanabe.

“Brendon [Hartley] drove very well to fight back from a 10-second penalty, but unfortunately it was enough to drop him out of the points. 

“In the weeks since our difficulties at the Australian Grand Prix, everyone in the team, at the track and back in the UK and Japan, has worked very hard and this nice result is a well-deserved reward for all our efforts.

“We feel we have made some progress, improving our reliability and it is also clear that the aero updates introduced here worked really well.”

Gasly’s result lifted Toro Rosso to sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

[MIKA27]

Copenhagen narrowly votes in favour of F1 impact study

Although a Formula 1 race on the streets of the Danish capital Copenhagen is far from a done deal, the local city council has voted in favour of pushing ahead with the project.

The matter of conducting a study into the impact an F1 street race would have on the city was put to a vote of the 55-member Borgerrepræsentationen (city council) last week and narrowly passed with 28-27 in favour.

That means the project can now continue to the next stage with an impact study to be conducted on the benefits a race would have on the local economy, with hopes it would substantially boost tourism and the marketing of Copenhagen.

It's been proposed that a city centre street circuit will be used, making use of the Knippelsbro bridge and the Langebro bridge (pictured) which cross over a waterway splitting the Zealand island and the Amager island and will therefore be the first circuit to incorporate two bridge sections.

Former MP Jyllands-Posten said the track had been run past F1 circuit designer Hermann Tilke and was confident it would minimise disruption to the city.

"The track we have submitted to Formula 1 is not with complete certainty the final version, but it is the basis, and if there are any changes they will be minimal.

"The track has been approved by Hermann Tilke. The proposed route has far fewer obstacles than he expected, considering it is a track in the middle of a city."

Liberty Media is believed to have signed off on a preliminary agreement to host a race in 2020 pending approval by the city council. However it faces a hurdle in the form of a rival bid by Formula E, which is hoping to sway the council into picking the all-electric series instead.