FORMULA 1


Recommended Posts

"Pathetic" team lobbying has hurt F1, says Wolff

toto-wolff-mercedes-amg-f1-di-.jpg

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has slammed the “pathetic” lobbying from teams that he believes has led to Formula 1 suffering from races with extreme tyre management this year.
F1’s tyre supplier introduced softer compounds for 2018 but these have suffered from overheating and blistering at several tracks. 

Instead of high-degradation grands prix leading to multiple pitstops and more variety, races have been run at a slower pace as drivers try to manage their tyres. 

Pirelli introduced a 0.4mm thinner tread in Spain, France and Britain to combat this on high-speed tracks with new surfaces, having recorded blistering in pre-season testing at Barcelona.

It was intimated that it had been influenced by Mercedes and Ferrari blamed the change in tyres for its own failure to be as competitive in Spain. 

Sebastian Vettel then suffered blistering on the standard, thicker tyre in the post-race test and admitted Pirelli’s thinner tread was better.

Thinner-thread tyres will become the norm in 2019 and when asked if they will help with the blistering that has impacted so many races this year, Wolff said: “I think there is just people who have no clue, that get meddled into the discussion about how the tyres should look like, and how they should behave. 

“They should keep out of it, they should listen to the drivers and to the teams, and the teams shouldn't be opportunistic as they have been in the past, thinking that somebody has an advantage or disadvantage and then lobbying for a certain direction. 

Car of Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1 W09 EQ Power+ tyres in parc ferme

“This is what the story of this thing was, when you remember back six months ago, the discussion about the thinner tread.

“I mean, it's unbelievable that people said, 'Yeah, Mercedes wants them because they're blistering' and then at the next race another team was blistering and they couldn't even finish their stint properly.

“It's just pathetic how opportunism drives various stakeholders in this business, to push for a direction that is detrimental for the sport.”

Pirelli joined F1 and FIA delegates at a meeting of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association in the Brazilian GP paddock on Friday to discuss, among other things, the need for more durable tyres. 

Wolff said F1 had ended up going in “completely the wrong direction” with its demands.

“We have expressed our support for Pirelli because we know it is a difficult task to manage,” he said. 

“I think in the past years we have simply asked the wrong things from Pirelli, by making the compounds softer and softer and softer, trying to trigger degradation and therefore more pitstops.

“But when strategists have come up with the fastest race time, it's about managing those tyres and still try to achieve a one-stop or a two-stop sometimes.”

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 5.2k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

I have said it many times over the years, the FIA need to appoint stewards that are the same people for EVERY race. I have always felt that some stewards are biased toward "some" drivers (Of cour

F1 needs a Friday program including testing or the race tracks are going to lose a lot of ticket sales.  As a TV viewer, I find the Friday practice sessions quite enjoyable.   On par with the rest of

WILLIAMS CONFIRM SIROTKIN TO RACE AND KUBICA RESERVE Russian rookie Sergey Sirotkin will race for Williams this season after being chosen ahead of Polish rival Robert Kubica on Tuesday in wh

Engine failure was 'imminent' for Brazil winner Hamilton – Mercedes

image.jpg

Lewis Hamilton inherited the Brazilian Grand Prix lead when Max Verstappen was tipped into a spin. And it has emerged that lady luck came to Hamilton's side once more, with Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff revealing that the team were told that the engine was on the point of failing, only for technicians to find a solution remotely…

Hamilton looked in control in the opening laps at Interlagos, having eased into the lead from pole position. But an early stop for fresh boots on lap 19 – a move he conceded after the race may have been 'premature' – meant he had to do a long final stint on the mediums. In contrast, Verstappen was able to stretch his opening stint to lap 35, meaning he could take the faster softs when he eventually stopped.

That allowed the Red Bull driver to hunt Hamilton down, with Verstappen passing him with ease on the start-finish straight. At that point, the win looked to be his – until, that is, Esteban Ocon tipped the Dutchman into a spin when trying to unlap himself.

Hamilton snatched the lead and then absorbed the pressure to clinch his 10th victory of the season and ensure Mercedes won their fifth successive constructors’ championship. Throughout, though, that was tension on the pitwall.

“We had such a horrible race today,” said Wolff. “We have the engine guys here in the back and then we have them back at base, and what I could hear – because I have about 10 channels open! – on one of the 10 channels, the meeting channel, was ‘Lewis Hamilton power unit failure imminent, it’s going to fail within the next lap’.

“I put the volume up and I was like ‘Excuse me, what?’ And they said ‘Yeah, we’ve got a massive problem on the power unit, it’s going to fail next lap’. It didn’t fail next lap and I said, ‘When you guys have a minute, tell me what’s happening'. So I let them work.

“And they said, ‘Well our exhaust is just about to fail and we’re overshooting all the temperature limits’. So I said ‘What’s the fix?’ And they started to fix it by turning the whole thing down. The temperatures went down to below 1,000C, to 980C, but it’s still too high, and then he recovered another lap and that was truly horrible.”

Hamilton said it was 'not easy to see' Verstappen come 'flying by' to snatch the lead but conceded he had 'to think about the long game' in order to secure the constructors’ title.

“We were struggling,” added Hamilton. “We had problems with the engine. When Max had his crash, I came through and after that, I didn’t want to give it up again.

“I did everything I could to keep that gap to him. It was one of the toughest experiences I have had for some time but I enjoyed it, I love a challenge like that.”

Hamilton exploded with emotion on reaching parc ferme after his victory, the Briton leaping up over the barriers to embrace his Mercedes team crew. He then squatted down beside his car, with his helmet still on, and rested his head on the sidepod.

Explaining his reaction, Hamilton said: “I’m so happy. We are quite a conservative team. We win races, we’ve been fortunate to have a lot of success. When we win, people are quiet, happy but controlled. This time, it was great to see everyone’s energy.

“Everyone was biting their nails through the year, it is such an incredible effort for everyone. It was never a given [we would win]. We have just had to be plugging away. It should have a great impact on the end of the year and a great knock-on effect for next year.”

Victory for Hamilton gave him his 50th win in 99 races in the post-2014 turbo hybrid era, while his time at the front meant the Silver Arrows became the fifth constructor to lead 5,000 laps in Grand Prix history.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Vettel: My Brazil race ‘started bad’ – and ‘finished bad’

image.jpg

At the last round he saw his hopes of the 2018 drivers’ title end. And in Brazil on Sunday Sebastian Vettel watched his Ferrari team concede this year’s constructors’ crown to Mercedes too, after a lacklustre performance in which he finished a distant sixth at Interlagos, three places down on team mate Kimi Raikkonen.

Ferrari looked to have pulled a strategic masterstroke on Saturday, after qualifying both cars on the more durable soft tyres. But for Vettel at least, that gamble didn’t pay off as a slow getaway from second on the grid saw him passed by Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas – on the stickier supersoft rubber – into the first corner.

“The first part [of my start] was not so bad,” said Vettel. “But then the second part I think we just didn’t have the grip which I think is sort of part of the game when you are on a harder compound.

“But then I had nowhere to go – I think Valtteri and Lewis [Hamilton] worked together, and Lewis was a bit early on the brakes to give Valtteri the outside and then I couldn’t go anywhere.”

Things didn’t get any better for Vettel either, his race hampered by a sensor problem which made his car difficult to drive. On a day on which he conceded that Ferrari simply ‘were not quick enough’, the German was passed in rapid succession by Max Verstappen and then – after making a costly lock-up in Turn 4 – by Raikkonen.

Vettel jumped back ahead of his team mate in the first pit stops, but once it became clear that the Finn was able to extract far more pace from his SF71H, Ferrari opted to swap their drivers around, leaving the four-time champion to then fall back into the clutches of his former Red Bull partner Daniel Ricciardo, whom he was ultimately powerless to resist, despite putting up an entertaining fight for the watching fans.

“All in all, it was a bit of a tricky afternoon,” he concluded. “Obviously not happy at all, not a good day for us, losing out on the constructors’, but I’m happy that Kimi got on the podium at least. My race started quite bad – and finished quite bad!”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Raikkonen was less downbeat than Vettel, after a much stronger race in which he initially repassed Verstappen on the opening lap and then battled his way past compatriot Bottas to record his 12th podium of the season.

“A nice exciting race,” was Raikkonen’s take. “We had good battles throughout and the car was working well. The speed was there and we had no particular issues.

“The first set of tyres were very good at the start and I was really happy, but then I destroyed them a little bit trying to pass the Mercedes. Once we changed the tyres, the car was absolutely fine. We kind of knew that once we pitted we could have gone past them.

“After that, the behaviour of the car was still very good, but at that point we were a bit too late, as it had taken too long for us to get there. As for the strategy, we did what we thought was the best for us. We can always debate many things, but today we made the best of it.”

Ferrari’s result meant they had to watch Mercedes take the constructors’ crown for the fifth year in a row. The consolation? They have now scored more podiums than in 2017 with one race still remaining this year – and they recorded the fastest pit stop of the year with a stunning time of 1.97 seconds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm a Verstappen partisan, so I'm biased, but this nonsense about Ocon was merely unlapping himself is silly.  Surely he was facing blue flags all up the main straight.  The best outcome for Ocon is he's alongside Max thru turn 2, which puts him on an outside line thru Curva do Sol and back behind Max 10 times out of 10 by the time they get to Reta Oposta.

I cannot remember any time a driver has beat back a pass in turn 1 in Brazil with that line thru turns 2 and 3.

Oh well, that's racing.  Ocon's penalty was appropriate.  Max's penalty for the shoving match is also appropriate, he should not have done that.  And Lewis did a great job squeezing out 52 laps on those mediums.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lewis's front left tire looked like it had seconds of life left on it.  IMpressed he got as long as he did on them.

I kinda like the emotion there with Verstappen.  F1 is too stuffy typically for behavior like that.  Both punishments were appropriate.

I know we have 1 race left, but I'm already looking ahead to testing.  Really curious how the new aero rules will play out.  I just wish we could ditch these stupid hybrid engines.  They are just way too damned complicated.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, skalls said:

Lewis's front left tire looked like it had seconds of life left on it.  IMpressed he got as long as he did on them.

I kinda like the emotion there with Verstappen.  F1 is too stuffy typically for behavior like that.  Both punishments were appropriate.

I know we have 1 race left, but I'm already looking ahead to testing.  Really curious how the new aero rules will play out.  I just wish we could ditch these stupid hybrid engines.  They are just way too damned complicated.

I so agree. I long for the days of the fire breathing, banshee screaming NA V8s and V10s, but sadly I don't think F1 will ever go there again. They're too hung up on going green. 

...I really wanted to see Max getting his second win in a row. Ocon is jackass and deserved the max punishment. You don't fight with the leader as he's lapping you. I can only imagine the spectacle if he had done that to Hamilton, the darling of F1, lol. 

...Vettel has just got to get his head right. You can't win without confidence, and you can't act pissed at the world. I sometimes think the stewards give him a hard time but he also brings alot of it on himself. He's got to learn to keep his chin up stay mentally strong. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

BRAWN REPORT: MAX WILL LEARN FROM WHAT HAPPENED

2018-Brazilian-Grand-Prix-Race-photo-078.jpg

The 2018 season has produced some incredible moments of drama but few could surpass the explosive incident on lap 43 of the Brazilian Grand Prix when Max Verstappen, striding towards a dominant win, was bounced out of the lead in a moment of madness from Esteban Ocon.

The result handed Lewis Hamilton a somewhat fortunate win and Mercedes their fifth consecutive title. But as Formula 1’s Managing Director, Motorsport, Ross Brawn, explains it revealed much about Max still developing maturity and about Mercedes and Hamilton’s indomitable will to win…

“Over the past 10 years, no one has won the Brazilian Grand Prix from further back than the second row, but Max Verstappen came very close on Sunday. He started fifth and passed all four drivers who had started ahead of him, but it wasn’t enough to give him the win.

“The collision with Esteban Ocon came when the Frenchman was trying to unlap himself immediately after his pit stop and it cost Max dearly, sending him into a spin and leaving the door open for Hamilton. The Dutchman’s push in the closing stages was not enough to retake the lead and after that, Max vented his anger in parc ferme, making physical contact with Ocon. It was not an edifying sight and though understandable it was of course not justifiable.

“The incident with Ocon was a cruel moment, but in the aftermath Max showed he has made enormous progress in his career is still not able to manage his emotions in these situations, an essential next step. Having said that, one mustn’t forget he is still very young and while his conduct wasn’t justifiable we can all understand the frustration he felt after the incident and again at the end of the race, the outcome of which should not cancel out what was an amazing performance from the Dutchman. After all, it’s not every day you drive past two Ferraris and two Mercedes.

“I’m sure Max will learn from what happened and that everything that happened, including the penalty he was given, will contribute to his development as a driver and mainly as a man.

“And so we come to the other main protagonist of the key moment of the Brazilian Grand Prix, Esteban Ocon.

“While the Frenchman was entirely justified in wanting to unlap himself, given that he was clearly quicker at that moment, it has to be said there was no reason for him to take on Verstappen as though he was fighting for his first win in Formula 1. He deserved the 10-second stop and go penalty he was given in the race. Drivers must not forget they are role models for the fans and for youngsters who want to follow in their footsteps.

“I don’t think that Ocon, when he attacked Max during the race, was simply thinking of trying to get in the points. I believe it was more the case that he was caught up in the moment and didn’t think it through, maybe fighting to the death with the race leader might not have been the best plan, even when that driver is one with whom you had some spirited fights in the lower formulae. Overall, Sunday was a lesson for both Verstappen and Ocon, one they won’t forget in a hurry. It’s just another part of their learning curve.

“Mercedes has made a clean sweep of all the World Championship titles, Drivers’ and Constructors,’ over the five years that the hybrid-power Formula 1 format has been in existence.

“One can only have words of praise for what this team has achieved in that time. That goes especially for this year when the team run by Toto Wolff won, while finally facing a rival that was its equal and maybe even its better at the majority of races. It’s therefore an amazing achievement for the men and women of the Silver Arrows to have won both titles this year.

“Firstly, they knew not to rest on their laurels: I am well how aware how easy it is to believe that because you’ve won for so many years in a row, you can continue winning without much effort. But that’s not how it works: to a certain extent, every year you have to start all over again, clear in the knowledge that your opposition will have stepped up its game. It’s that approach that has seen Mercedes stay at the top over this five-year period.

“I know a lot of the people in the team as they were with me in the amazing times of Brawn GP in 2009 and then during the first four seasons as the official Mercedes team. I am particularly pleased for them, as they have always been so passionate about Formula 1 and even when they faced some complicated situations, they never gave up – and that has delivered this amazing run of wins.

“I also want to congratulate the two drivers: in Lewis’ case I did so at the Mexican Grand Prix, but again in Brazil he showed that he still has a strong will to win. As for Valtteri Bottas, he was a perfect team player and his loyalty deserves to be rewarded: that wasn’t possible in Brazil, but I’m sure he will try again in Abu Dhabi.

“For the first time, Lewis Hamilton has won a Grand Prix after taking the title. The race at Interlagos showed that Lewis can win even when his car is not the best of the field.

“This weekend, the Mercedes was not quickest in qualifying – Vettel could have been on pole but for mistakes on both his Q3 runs – nor in the race, when the Red Bulls definitely had a better turn of speed. And yet, Lewis managed to win, mainly because once again he did the best possible job of managing the car, with help from the pit wall.

“It looked a little tight in terms of the reliability of the power unit and tyre management during both stints, but Hamilton knew when to push, putting in quick laps, or even just quick sectors, and he knew when to manage the situation, adapting his pace to those of his rivals. That’s one of the skills that make Lewis such an incredible driver and he demonstrated that on so many occasions this year.

“It’s easy to say he won because Verstappen spun: but he was there, less than three seconds behind, poised to make the most of any opportunity that presented itself and in the end, when he did get his chance, he gave it his all to keep the Dutchman in his wake. There’s the incredible statistic that in this hybrid Formula 1 era, he has won 50 times from 99 starts, which means he has made an indelible mark on the sport.

“Once again we saw in Brazil that when the performance level of two cars are more or less the same, then overtaking is almost impossible. That raises the question as to how to make it easier to make a move on the car in front.

“During 2018, we have made significant progress in defining next year’s technical regulations, especially regarding they key area that is the front wing and in the last few weeks, we have worked out the fine details.

“Our simulation work and from what the teams with which we have worked closely on this tell us, the effects are tangible, even though we are well aware that the real proof will only come next March in the Australian Grand Prix. The changes introduced are a first important step, but not necessarily an exhaustive one, towards defining the new technical and sporting regulations that will shape the long-term future of Formula 1.

“It’s a foretaste of what we are defining for 2021 and we are pleased with what we have already achieved for 2019, but clearly we have high hopes, even in the short term. This year, Formula 1 produced some really exciting racing, I’m thinking immediately of Baku, Shanghai, Silverstone and Mexico City and there is every sign that there will be more of the same next year.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX FACES UNCERTAIN FUTURE

2018-Brazilian-Grand-Prix-FP1-P2-photos-012-1.jpg

Interlagos served up yet another tense and lively Formula 1 thriller on Sunday but the long-term future of the Brazilian Grand Prix remains uncertain.

The existing contract expires in 2020 and negotiations, difficult in the past due to demands for costly improvements of the atmospheric Sao Paulo circuit, may not prove to be straightforward.

The local government has said it intends to privatise the facility as part of plans to reduce public expenditures for the city.

Sao Paulo mayor Bruno Covas attended Sunday’s race and told reporters the city planned to push ahead with privatisation and secure the race’s future. A bill for that purpose needs to be approved in a second-round vote in the local assembly, with no date set.

“The race is important for the city, we have all the interest to keep it,” Covas said.

The final privatisation model, which has concerned some in Brazilian motor racing with a proposal for residential buildings on part of the site, is considered a key to the extension talks.

Some local drivers recently met Covas at City Hall to discuss the situation.

Interlagos is the only South American race on the calendar but Brazil no longer has any drivers competing in Formula One following the departure last year of 2008 overall runner-up Felipe Massa.

Sunday’s sellout race was won by five-time champion Lewis Hamilton, clinching the constructors’ title for Mercedes, after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was caught in a collision with Force India back-marker Esteban Ocon while leading.

That controversial incident proved a major talking point, with Verstappen angrily confronting Ocon afterwards and giving him several shoves.

Formula One, under the ownership of U.S.-based Liberty Media, has plans to expand the calendar and include new venues such as Vietnam as well as more races in the United States.

The sport’s commercial managing director Sean Bratches said last week that Formula 1 wanted to keep its ‘heritage races’ but also had to be run as a business.

A Formula 1 spokesman said there was no rush to secure a contract extension for Brazil and there was still plenty of time, “Brazil is an important country for F1.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ARRIVABENE: CONGRATULATIONS TO MERCEDES

MaurizioArrivabeneF1GrandPrixItalyQualifyingE_kQVfu9IABx.jpg

Ferrari departed Interlagos on Sunday evening disappointed that they failed to challenge for victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix, team chief Maurizio Arrivabene pointed to early issues with Sebastian Vettel’s car while congratulating Mercedes for clinching the constructors’ title.

Speaking after a tense race in which the Reds had no say on the outcome, Arrivabene said, “Unfortunately, even though Kimi finished on the podium, we were unable to reach our goal, which was to keep the battle going for the Constructors’ title.”

“Right from the formation lap, we became aware of a problem with a sensor on Seb’s car. This meant that, for the whole race, he had to run different settings to those we would have normally used and that made the car difficult to drive. Congratulations to Mercedes on taking the teams’ title,” added the Italian team chief.

Vettel did not complain about the technical issues, when he reviewed his race, “Obviously, this was not an easy race and I am not happy with sixth place. I tried to do my best, but the car was difficult to drive and I even struggled to drive on the straights.”

“However, I am happy that Kimi got to the podium, because it is a good result for us, even if we didn’t win the Constructors’ Championship. There’s not much to say as this year Mercedes has been stronger than us and we can only congratulate them.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dutch fans to get F1 TV Pro in first of its kind TV deal

jm1801jy472.jpg

Formula 1's Over-The-Top (OTT) service, F1 TV Pro, will be made available to viewers in the Netherlands from 2019 in a new deal struck between F1 and Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport – the first of its kind.

The streaming service is only available in select markets, with major fanbases in countries such as the Netherlands, Australia, Spain and the United Kingdom unable to receive the service due to existing broadcast deals.

However that will change from next season for the Netherlands at least as F1 has announced a first of its kind deal which will see its F1 TV Pro service – which gives fans a tailored stream, archive footage and more – co-branded in a partner deal with Ziggo Sport, allowing fans access to both its standard TV offering and a more in-depth streaming service.

"Formula 1 in the Netherlands has a long and rich history and thanks particularly to Max Verstappen it is enjoying another significant growth period," explained Ian Holmes, director of media rights at Formula 1.

"The ‘Orange Army’ descending on Spa and Spielberg has resonated around the world and more and more Dutch fans are engaging with the sport like never before. It is for this reason that our media rights extension agreement with Ziggo Sport is tremendously important.

"Ziggo have been delivering top quality F1 coverage for the last few years not just through their live event programming but also in their additional shoulder-content and I have every reason to believe that this will continue and grow.

"What is also ground-breaking is the incorporation of the F1 TV Pro OTT service that will now be available within the Dutch market. This will be a truly collaborative operation in that the service will be co-marketed and co-branded by F1 and Ziggo thus affording fans a combined offering like never before."

F1 boss Chase Carey recently teased the possibility of F1 TV Pro coming to more markets in 2019 alongside existing broadcast deals.

"One of the exciting opportunities we’re developing is with our traditional broadcasters, some of the deals we did, renewals we did for 2019, we’re partnering with them to partner and promote the OTT platform," said Carey.

“We’re working with them as opposed to against them, as I think it is compatible."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Daniel Ricciardo disappointed by close podium miss in Brazil GP

jm1811no225.jpg

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was left disappointed after narrowly missing out on the final spot on the podium to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Australian was forced to start 11th on the grid after taking a five-place grid penalty for a new turbocharger after a fire marshal in Mexico destroyed it via fire extinguisher into the exhaust pipe.

Ricciardo managed to charge through the midfield runners in quick succession and swiftly got onto the back of the leading pack with plenty of speed still in reserve.

A late pit-stop onto the yellow-marked soft tyre and used his superior pace to close back on the leaders, passing Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas in close-quarter battles as he charged tried to chase down Raikkonen.

"I’m happy with my race, I’m happy with all the team’s efforts but still a bit disappointed to just miss out on the podium," said Ricciardo.

"I caught Kimi and could see the podium but unfortunately it just wasn’t quite enough. The strategy was spot on once again so we can’t fault ourselves at all.

"I had fun and some great battles, especially my pass on Bottas. I told the team on the radio I was going for it and I made it stick.

"The battle with Seb was cool, I think we may be touched once or twice, but I’ve always respected him and the way he races. We’ve had some on-track battles before, at times it gets slightly heated, but I believe we know where each other’s limits are.

"It’s frustrating because every time we have a penalty we seem to have a fast car, if we started closer to the front I’m confident we could have had a really good result.

"It’s bittersweet I guess, we did well but if we had started where I qualified we could have done better, you can’t ask for much starting start from 11th.

"Anyway, I have no regrets from the race, I did all I could and I know the team did, so it is what it is. With the pace we had today I really have some optimism going to Abu Dhabi.

"I feel like that’s a stronger track for us than this, so maybe we can go there and drink some fake champagne."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lewis Hamilton: Max Verstappen's approach sometimes bites

jm1811no289.jpg

Lewis Hamilton believes Max Verstappen could have allowed Esteban Ocon more room, in the wake of the clash that cost the Dutchman a likely victory at Formula 1's Brazilian Grand Prix.

Verstappen had overtaken Hamilton for the lead of the race at Interlagos and was maintaining a three-second buffer when Esteban Ocon tried un-lapping himself through the Senna S a few laps later.

Ocon was equipped with fresh Supersoft tyres, having recently pitted, and had set a quicker lap time than leader Verstappen, who was running Soft rubber.

Verstappen and Ocon came to blows through the second part of the Senna S, with both spinning, in an incident that was pinned on the Force India driver by stewards.

Hamilton benefited from the incident to re-claim the lead and went on to win the race, having survived a reliability scare, finishing 1.4 seconds clear of the delayed Verstappen.

“I saw them racing but they weren’t racing for the same position,” said Hamilton.

“In my mind, I would have been in a different frame of mind.

“Fortunately he was able to keep going, no one got hurt, and they kept going, it’s a racing incident I guess.

“Max is that go-getter guy and every now and then it bites you.”

When pressed further on the clash, Hamilton said: “I'm pretty sure there is no rule that says you can't un-lap yourself, I've done it before.

“Ultimately when you're in Ocon's position, you've got nothing to lose, you want to get through and go much quicker with quicker tyres.

“You're trapped if you've got much quicker tyres and the guy in front isn't pushing flat out, which Max wasn't, he was saving his tyres.

“So he's cruising and holding him up, you're going to go for it and try get by and move yourself forwards, and I felt it was fair game for him to try and un-lap himself.

“Of course you don't want to cause an incident, but in those scenarios you give each other space, simple as that.

“It's so simple to give each other space, you can never assume the person is not up your inside because he is a backmarker and he is going to back off.

“You’ve got to assume and acknowledge the fact he might be there and leave extra space because he is actually in a different race to me.

“That's my opinion about it, so from my seat it felt like it wasn't 100 per cent one side, more like maybe a 60-40, who knows, I've not seen the bloody incident apart from replays.”

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hill says Verstappen's incidents remind him of Senna

Hill says Verstappen's incidents remind him of Senna

Former world champion Damon Hill says Max Verstappen reminds him of Ayrton Senna and reckons the Dutchman, like the Brazilian, will learn from his mistakes as a young F1 driver.
Red Bull driver Verstappen lost what looked like a certain victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix after crashing with Esteban Ocon while leading.

While Hill believes that Ocon was primarily at fault in the controversial collision with Verstappen, he says that a more experienced driver would have left enough margin than the Red Bull driver did, and not become involved in contact.

"There was another chap in F1 that used to occasionally bump into people when he needn't have done," Hill told Motorsport.com.

"I'm actually thinking of Senna. It's like there's a pattern that evolves when they are very young, and they don't understand.

"Clearly Ocon should not have got himself in a tangle situation with the race leader.

"But Max diced with him, instead of going, ‘What is this guy playing at? He's going to be difficult,' and waiting for a slightly less risky opportunity.

"I don't want to be critical of Max. It won't make a difference anyway, because he will continue to take risks and drives the way he drives, but he will learn, and eventually he will drive like Lewis has learned to drive now.

"And he will think this is so important, to win a race is so important and so valuable, you're not going to let silly things put it in jeopardy.

"He's got until he's 25, and then his frontal lobes will have fully connected. Basically now he hasn't got control of his frontal lobes, so he's driving on instinct!"

Hill acknowledged that Ocon had the right to unlap himself.

"That's a very interesting argument, and he's under pressure for time too," he said.

"But you have to take extreme care when you're involved in the battle for the lead, maybe even to the point of getting on the radio and asking, 'Can you explain to Red Bull that I'm trying to unlap himself.'

"But he'd only overtake him for a few laps, he'd pass him and then be re-passed a few laps later."

Former F1 driver Felipe Massa, who was working as a pundit for Brazilian TV at Interlagos, agreed that Verstappen could have left more room.

"For sure it was a bit strange to see Ocon trying to pass Verstappen at that moment of the race," he told Motorsport.com.

"And then I understood that Ocon had a new tyres. The rules say that if you are quicker you can overtake, but you need to take care, which is not what happened in the end.

"But also, and I'm not putting the fault on Max, maybe he could have taken a little bit more care than he did. Ocon risked too much, but maybe Max could have avoided it as well."

Regarding the subsequent confrontation in the FIA garage, Massa added: "You know Max, and when blood is getting a little bit hot, it can happen."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Villeneuve: Ocon an "embarrassment" for Verstappen clash

Villeneuve: Ocon an

Ex-Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has called Esteban Ocon an “embarrassment” after the Frenchman’s controversial collision with Max Verstappen in the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Ocon received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty after the clash at the Senna S with Verstappen while he was trying to unlap himself from the race leader.

Villeneuve also cited past incidents involving the Force India driver, and suggested that he lacks racecraft.

“Ocon is an embarrassment,” he told Motorsport.com. “That was ridiculous. And the worst bit is everyone has seen what happened, and on the radio not even a ‘sorry guys, I was wrong.’ It’s good to accept you’re wrong.

“You can unlap yourself, but do it properly. You’re not allowed to put the leader at risk at all. You don’t do something that loses time for the other driver, and is taking a risk.

"Overtaking on the straight and you’re in front is fine. But that looked like it was a battle for the lead.

“But also it shows he has no racecraft, zero racecraft whatsoever. All the incidents in the last two years where maybe it’s his fault, maybe it’s not, you can kind of think that maybe he was in the wrong, because he hasn’t read the race properly.

"And he never learns, because it’s never his fault, ever.”

Villeneuve said he had some sympathy for Verstappen, who was called to the stewards after pushing Ocon in the FIA garage after the race.

The Canadian added: “I thought he [Verstappen] was very restrained in his reaction. He didn’t even punch him!

"What do we want to see? We want to emotion, we want to see these gladiators. It was good to see that. And the other one is taller than him anyway!

“Max was amazing, and his overtaking early on without DRS, aggressive, clean. It’s a different Max. It looks like after Monaco he took [Daniel] Ricciardo’s talent, or what was good in Ricciardo as well.

"You already had the Max, and he got rid of what was nasty and took what was good from Ricciardo, and has really made a step. In the last few races he’s been very impressive.”

Force India defends Ocon

Force India team principal Otmar Szafnauer resolutely defended his driver, stressing that new tyres had given him pace and that he’s asked if he could pass Verstappen.

“Esteban was trying to unlap himself because at that point in the race he’s got a tyre advantage,” Szafnauer told Motorsport.com.

“Max is probably going five, six or seven slow laps to bring his tyres in, we can’t afford to be held up by anybody even though it’s the race leader. We have another race to run. We can’t afford to lose even a half a second a lap for six laps.

“So he asked, ‘Can I unlap myself?’ ‘Yeah, unlap yourself’ [came the reply]. 'You’ve got a tyre advantage, you’re faster'.

"Max knew he was there, because they went side-by-side into Turn 1. It didn’t happen in Turn 1, so he knows he’s there. Where else is he going to go if he takes the apex?”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gasly: Hartley should have passed me on merit

Gasly: Hartley should have passed me on merit

Toro Rosso Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly says that he defied team orders in the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix because he was racing teammate Brendon Hartley for position.
Gasly and Hartley were running very different strategies which resulted in Hartley closing rapidly on his teammate late in the race.

Although Gasly was running in 11th, out of the points, Hartley was coming under pressure from Renault's Carlos Sainz, and put in a request to the pitwall for the Toro Rossos to swap places.

"In the end, you know, we finished P11 and P13," Gasly told Motorsport.com. "I think it's different if you're in the top 10 and there's something to play for. Today there wasn't anything to play for - P11, P12, P13.

"I just think if you're in this position, you know, you should race.

"Plus he [Hartley] was on new supersoft tyres, I was dying with my mediums. I just told them [the pitwall] ‘OK, if he's that much faster then he can overtake me,' but for some reasons, I don't know, he didn't do it for 10 laps."

Hartley had more pace at that point because he had started on the medium tyre from 16th on the grid after being eliminated in Q1, then pitted for new supersofts on lap 49 of 71.

Gasly had made it to Q3, so he started on used supersofts, pitted for mediums on lap 29, then spent the next 25 laps under attack from Sainz until the Renault driver made a second pitstop.

As Sainz then caught the Toro Rossos, Gasly was instructed by his race engineer, Mattia Spini, to let Hartley by at Turn 4.

When he failed to comply, a furious radio exchange ensued.

"Is he going to let me by? Mate, what the f***'s going on?" asked Hartley.

Hamelin then suggested that Hartley use a different engine mode to get closer to Gasly and overtake, to which Hartley responded, "Mate, I'm right up his f***ing arse."

Gasly refused several instructions to move over, saying at one point, in a tone of great agitation, "It's not like we're fighting for the win".

With two laps to run, Hartley finally made it past - followed by Sainz - although the Toro Rosso drivers gave differing accounts as to whether Gasly capitulated or Hartley made the pass on merit.

"I was catching my teammate at a great rate of knots and I asked what would happen," Hartley told Motorsport.com.

"So there's obviously three different answers I'm going to get: we're racing each other, hold position or he'll let you by. I got the call that he would let me by, so I'm also defending from the car behind and trying to look after my tyres.

"I did an attack expecting to be let by on four or five occasions and it didn't happen. The rest I don't know. In the end I made the move cleanly, destroying my tyres in the meantime.

"When I've been asked to let him by, I do it, and I would have adjusted my race accordingly. If we're told to race I'm happy to do it, but if we're told otherwise… anyway, I'm happy with my race, and in the end I made the overtake fair and square."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MERCEDES SALUTE ABSENT LAUDA WITH RED CAP TRIBUTE

M180257.jpg

Mercedes team drivers, management and staff saluted recovering non-executive chairman Niki Lauda on Tuesday as Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton joined factory staff in celebrating their fifth straight constructors’ and drivers’ title double.

Hamilton, teammate Valtteri Bottas and Mercedes F1 bosses doffed red caps, similar to the one Lauda usually wears, to thank the absent Austrian, who had a lung transplant in August.

Team principal Toto Wolff told Reuters he would love to see Lauda, 69, return for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but it would depend on medical advice.

“I’m going to see him on Friday and I’m so happy to come back with the championship because he has been a strong part of this team,” he said.

“That’s why we toasted him with the red hats today. If he’s making it (to Abu Dhabi), great. But I am definitely looking forward to sharing a plane journey to Australia next year.”

Next season starts in Australia on March 17.

Wolff said he spoke with the triple world champion and team shareholder immediately after Mercedes won the constructors’ title in Brazil on Sunday for the fifth straight season.

That success equalled Ferrari’s five title doubles in a row from 1999-2004.

“I called him and he said: Thank you very much and I miss you guys. He was sad (not to be in Brazil) but I heard also from a friend that they celebrated in the hospital until 11 in the evening so I think he enjoyed the moment as well.”

Lauda left hospital at the end of October and is now in a rehabilitation clinic.

Hamilton said he had kept in regular contact with Lauda, who was instrumental in the Briton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes at the end of 2012, since the operation.

“He’s just fighting to get fit. It’s not a short journey to recovery for him but he’s massively determined to get back, and on a plane and start travelling again which he loves so much,” he told Reuters at the Mercedes engine factory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

HAMILTON: I DO BELIEVE THIS TEAM CAN DO IT AGAIN

Dr5Kb_sWoAAAbqE.jpg

Five-times Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton vowed to raise the bar further next year as he told Mercedes factory staff on Tuesday never to stop believing in what they can achieve.

Fresh from Brazil, where he won Sunday’s race and Mercedes completed a record-equalling fifth consecutive constructors’ and drivers’ title double, the Briton thanked the massed men and women driving the team’s success and set his sights on more.

He and Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas also joined in a red cap salute to absent non-executive chairman Niki Lauda, the Austrian three-times world champion who is recovering from a lung transplant in August.

“I do believe this team can do it again,” Hamilton told Reuters after being surrounded by staff seeking selfies and autographs, with five title-winning cars lined up outside the Brixworth high-performance engine facility.

“I do believe that we have the capability and there’s an opportunity there. It just depends how much work we put in from now until the start of the season.

“You’ve got to imagine the opposition is going to be raising the bar, Red Bull are going to be raising the bar with the change within their team. So we’ve got to take a step up.”

Hamilton has won 10 of 20 grands prix and taken 10 pole positions this season, with one race remaining in Abu Dhabi next week.

Closest rivals Ferrari won six with Red Bull — switching from Renault to Honda engines in 2019 — the rest in the toughest title battle Mercedes have fought since the V6 turbo hybrid era started in 2014.

Hamilton has barely put a wheel wrong, unlike Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel whose title challenge again fell apart, but the 33-year-old Briton still saw room for improvement.

“I’ve not been on top of everything. There’s always areas that you can understand and improve on,” he said after a team photograph with everyone raising their hands in a high five.

“But ultimately we have a really good foundation so we’ve just got to keep on building. It’s just about being strategic and being really selective and think how you go about the process.

“And as a driver myself individually I’ve just got to try and find where the weak areas are and see if I can improve it,” he added.

Team boss Toto Wolff told Reuters there had already been a discussion that morning with engineers about 2019, “We said: How can we get better next year, where are the areas to improve? I’d like to take it a step up.”

Hamilton had said in Brazil that returning to the factories would be emotional, telling every member of the team they should look in the mirror and say ‘I’m a legend’.

He added on Tuesday that meant taking pride in the achievements and celebrating, while avoiding complacency, “You’ve got to have that self-belief that you’ve got the ability and that you’re great and you can be great if you work towards it.”

“It is what is enabling us to do what we are doing and achieving. We have just done something quite legendary, collectively as a team. It’s not a bad thing to acknowledge how well we’ve done. Acknowledge it, absorb it and want to do better.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

HAMILTON: MAX IS SUCH AN AWESOME, YOUNG TALENT

verstappen-hamilton.jpg

Two drivers emerged this season head above the rest, Lewis Hamilton did what he is paid big money to do by hauling in another two Formula 1 titles for himself and his team, while young Max Verstappen stepped up to another level on track.

Ignoring the hullabaloo of the Esteban Ocon incident, Verstappen drove a superb race before and after that the unfortunate incident. Prior to Brazil he won with an impressive performance in Mexico, love him or not he is a mighty force in the sport, not only for his immense skills but also for the headlines he generates.

Hamilton, in the wake of winning his fifth world title and helping Mercedes to a fifth in a row constructors’ triumph, knows that with a strong package Verstappen will be a formidable force and a likely challenger to his crown.

“This year they’ve been incredibly strong and I can only imagine next year, they’re going to be even stronger,” Hamilton acknowledged in an interview with Sky F1.

“I think for the sport it will be great if Red Bull are more in the battle with Ferrari and Mercedes and we welcome any more teams. Max is driving really well this year. He’s such an awesome, young talent. I’m looking forward to many races with him.”

“At the weekend in Brazil, we had the engine problems so I didn’t feel I was really able to fight with him on track but I’m looking forward to the day that happens.”

Regarding the incident – between race leader at the time Verstappen and Ocon being lapped – that gifted him the lead and ultimately victory, Hamilton said, I saw it happen and it wasn’t something that… I wasn’t surprised by it or anything like that.”

“I saw them racing but they weren’t racing for the same position. In my mind, I would have been in a different frame of mind. Fortunately, he was able to keep going, no one got hurt, and they kept going, it’s a racing incident I guess. Max is that go-getter guy and every now and then it bites you,” opined Hamilton.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ALONSO: I LOOK FORWARD TO THE EMOTIONAL PART OF ABU DHABI

alonso.jpg

Love him or not, Formula 1 fans must feel some pain to see Fernando Alonso struggling way off the pace as he toils in a terrible McLaren as his career in the top flight comes to an end.

The season finale in Abu Dhabi will be Alonso’s final grand prix, he heads there with little hope of shining but intent on savouring the occasion.

Speaking after a dismal Brazilian Grand Prix, one in far too many below par races over the past four years, Alonso said of his expectations at the final race of the season in the UAE, he replied, “The positions will be where they will be…”

“We know Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull will be in the top six, and then Haas and Force India will be in the remaining top 10. Then will be Renault, Toro Rosso, McLaren, Williams in that mid-pack.”

“So we try to enjoy. The results will be not very important – it is more the emotional part of Abu Dhabi, what I am looking forward to,” explained the double Formula 1 World Champion.

Of his race, he recalled, “The start was good, there were a few incidents just ahead of us, as usual, as they keep bumping into each other. There’s a lot of debris flying off but no one retires, the cars seem indestructible.”

“You never know what it is going to happen, so we tried to take a gamble with the strategy, pitting really early to try and undercut the cars in front of us. But I think in the end, the way the medium tyres worked, our plan backfired, but that’s something we only found out at the end of the race.”

“So, the undercut we were trying to do didn’t work. Neither the strategy nor the pit stop worked well, but, in any case, I don’t think we had the pace to get into the points, so we didn’t lose an opportunity to score points or anything like it.”

During the race, after the pitstop fumble, the Spaniard barked into his radio: “No more radio for the rest of the race.”

When the lights go out on his career at around the same time the flood-lights switch off at Yas Marina Circuit, Alonso will have competed in 315 F1 races, with 97 podiums, 32 times a winner and twice World Champion in 2005 and 2006.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Renault retired Nico Hulkenberg to avoid Abu Dhabi setback

jm1811no372.jpg

Renault says it retired Nico Hulkenberg from the Brazilian Grand Prix as a precaution, in order to avoid a setback at next weekend’s Abu Dhabi finale.

Renault endured a low-key showing at the penultimate round of the season at Interlagos, with neither Hulkenberg – who crashed in practice – nor Carlos Sainz Jr. making Q3.

The pair battled on the opening lap and while Hulkenberg prevailed he was not on course for points when high engine temperatures sparked concern on the Renault pit wall.

“We struggled in qualifying and were unable to gain positions after the start,” said Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul.

“Neither car was able to harness our race pace which, although better than some of the cars ahead of us, was not sufficient to overtake them.

“We retired Nico as a precautionary measure due to excessive engine temperatures as we didn’t want to risk losing PU elements ahead of Abu Dhabi.

“There was little to lose from this approach given his position on track.”

Carlos Sainz Jr. went on to finish in 12th position.

“We knew coming to Brazil would be a tough weekend and ultimately we weren’t quick enough for points,” he said.

“We were able to gain three positions after another strong start and had some good, clean battles with Nico and other cars.

“When the race settled we kept pushing but we just didn’t have the pace so couldn’t make sufficient progress. I wanted more, so let’s work for that in Abu Dhabi.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Romain Grosjean: Haas job ‘amazing’ considering damage

jm1811no258.jpg

Romain Grosjean lauded Haas for an “amazing” job as it scored a double points finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix, in spite of the damage he sustained on the opening lap.

Grosjean made contact with Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson through the Senna S but continued to race towards the front of the midfield pack, coming home behind only Sauber’s Charles Leclerc in ‘Class B’ honours.

Grosjean was backed up by Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen, as the squad cut Renault’s advantage in the championship to 24 points, albeit with just one round remaining.

“I’m very happy, and very happy for the team,” said Grosjean.

“With the damage we had on the car following lap one, I’m impressed. We lacked about a second of downforce on the car. Being able to do those lap times, I think we did an amazing job on the setup. I’m very happy with that.

“I think without that, being best-of-the-rest would’ve easily been on our side.

“I’m happy we finished eighth and ninth. Even if we’re far from Renault in the points, double-points finishes in the two last races would be amazing going into the winter.”

Added Magnussen: “It was tough luck on the first lap. I made a good start and I got through Turns 1 and 2 very well.

“Then I was pushed out on Turn 4 and I lost a few positions there. I had to get those positions back and close the gap to Romain again. We stayed put from there.

“I’m happy for the team to get a double-points finish again. It’s good to bounce back from the tough luck we experienced when I didn’t really qualify where I should have. We did some damage limitation.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honda partners with IHI to boost turbo development

jm1808no223.jpg

Honda has partnered with Japan's IHI ahead of the 2019 Formula 1 season to boost the development of its turbo, as it seeks to win races with Red Bull next season.

The Japanese marque will for the first time supply two F1 teams in existing partner Toro Rosso and newcomer Red Bull.

Honda has worked with IHI since its return as an engine supplier in 2015, but this new deal involves a full technology partnership which will see the development of its turbo ramped up in order to accelerate gains in 2019.

"We are happy to enter into this partnership with Honda, one of the best engine manufacturers in the world," commented Yoshinori Kawasaki, vice president of Industrial Systems & General-Purpose Machinery Business Area at IHI Corporation.

"Through this new technical partnership, our aim is for the Honda PU to deliver the best possible performance, by accelerating development of the turbocharger.

"We hope that as from the 2019 season, Honda's power unit, using the IHI turbocharger, will deliver the sort of performance that thrilled motor sport fans back in the 80s and 90s."

Honda's Katsuhide Moriyama is hopeful the deal will bring a major step in performance, adding: "IHI is well established in the field of rotating machinery technology which it has developed through its shipbuilding and steam turbine business, which was established back in the 19th century.

"We expect this partnership to produce a notable step up in performance. Together, we will keep pushing to fight for wins."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

F1 teams load up on Hypersofts for Abu Dhabi GP

jm1814se351.jpg

Formula 1 teams have loaded up on Hypersoft tyres for next weekend’s concluding round of the 2018 season in Abu Dhabi.

Pirelli has nominated the three softest compounds from its range – the Hypersoft (pink), Ultrasoft (purple) and Supersoft (red) – in order to cope with the demands of the Yas Marina Circuit.

As per usual Pirelli mandates one set of each compound for the drivers, leaving them free choice for 10 of the 13 sets that they are allocated in order to get through the weekend’s action.

All of the front-runners will have eight sets of Hypersoft tyres available, with only minor variations between the Ultrasoft and Supersoft allocation.

Williams and Toro Rosso have adopted the most aggressive approach – choosing 10 sets of the pink-ringed rubber – while Renault, with seven, are at the other end of the scale.

Tyre degradation is not usually a major concern at the Yas Marina Circuit, with the race taking place at twilight, but the Hypersoft compound has shown high degradation at several events this year.

Under Formula 1 regulations one set of the Hypersofts must be cast aside for use only in Q3, while either the Ultrasofts or Supersofts must be run for one stint of the 55-lap Grand Prix.

unnamed.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whiting dismisses calls for weighbridge rule change

Whiting dismisses calls for weighbridge rule change

Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting has hit back at complaints over the FIA’s weighing procedure after Sebastian Vettel was punished for “destroying” the weighbridge at Interlagos last weekend.
Vettel was given a reprimand and fined €25,000 for failing to obey the instructions of officials after being called in for a random check at the beginning of Q2 for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

At that point Vettel had yet to set a laptime because Ferrari had ordered both him and teammate Kimi Raikkonen to abort their laps and pit for soft tyres, a tactical gamble the team expected to pay dividends in the race. Since time was of the essence, Vettel was understandably frustrated by the delay incurred by stopping at the weighbridge.

In the wake of Vettel’s penalty, Daniel Ricciardo described the current system as “unfair” and suggested that the rules should be changed such that drivers could only be called in after they had set a lap time.

But Whiting insisted that the teams should know the regulations and include the possibility of random checks in their strategic planning.  

“There will always be a risk you’re going to be stopped,” he said. 

“They [Ferrari] know that and should factor that in, which is what I’m always telling the teams. It would be something that they say: ‘If we do this, this is how long it will take, we might get stopped and have to add a minute there’. 

“It’s completely random. Jo [Bauer, technical delegate] seldom tries to stop the first car coming in, because in a short qualifying session like that the first car could be coming in with a mechanical problem, having just done half a lap. 

“To see two cars come in for strategic reasons after one lap is unusual. It’s just the way it goes.”

Whiting dismissed the notion of removing weight checks during qualifying on the grounds that the current system is fit for purpose. 

“They [the competitors] shouldn’t be underweight,” he told Motorsport.com. “We’ll always have random checks in qualifying.

“But what we do say is if the conditions are changeable - if they are coming in and changing tyres because it’s just rained a little bit - we would not stop anyone. That’s when we put up the change of climatic conditions [an official acknowledgement that the weather has undergone a significant change, triggering certain flexibilities granted by the regulations]. 

“We’ve said that once that happens we’re not going to weigh anybody else. They know if the conditions are clearly changeable, a drying track for example, we don’t pull them in for weighing.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How kind-on-tyres Red Bull nearly handed Verstappen Brazil win

image.jpg

Max Verstappen was interviewed on TV as he walked to his car on the Brazilian Grand Prix grid. Asked if he was going to win, he replied that a win was unrealistic from fifth but he was targeting the podium. Asked why a win was unrealistic, he reasoned that he wasn’t going to be able to pass four cars from two teams, because the teams could always use one car to delay him. Yet remarkably, he proceeded to pass all four of those cars on track, his Red Bull scything past the two Ferraris and two Mercedes to be in control of the race by half-distance. How was that even possible? It was to do with the black art of tyres. The Red Bull treated its rubber vastly better than the Mercedes or Ferrari and could run at a much harder pace without inducing blistering.

It’s absolutely vital that a tyre runs at the correct temperature – and that operating temperature window can be very narrow. If the tyre is too cool it will be rigid and gripless. Too hot and it will begin to melt and blister. That ‘goldilocks’ range is between around 100 and 140 degrees Celsius, depending on the compound. Formula 1 race engineers focus a huge amount of attention on getting the tyres into the appropriate window.

As Red Bull’s chief engineer Paul Monaghan explains: “What you are trying to do is get the tyres up to temperature quickly in qualifying and keep them there, but then not having that temperature punch through the roof in the race. It’s extremely difficult.”

image.jpg

The tyre trying to pull itself back into shape through the corners provides grip

The tyre consists of a core carcass, sidewall and tread. The tyre’s elasticity is a critical part in it generating grip. As the tyre is loaded up it bends and it is its reaction against that, as it tries to pull itself back into shape, which creates the opposing force that gives the grip. This is determined partly by the tyre’s structure and partly by how the tread bonds chemically with the surface of the track. For the tread to bond properly and stick itself to the track requires that it is at the correct temperature.

If the tyre’s construction is not supportive enough, the tyre’s surface will be overwhelmed. Either the compound will not reach the critical threshold at which it begins to bond, or it will overheat and go beyond the upper threshold. The tyre’s core needs to be at the correct temperature to have enough elasticity in it that it can bend and thereby support the tread. So there are two crucial but inter-related temperatures. The tyre blankets applied before the car leaves the garage initiate this heating process through the sidewalls and tread. But they can only do part of the job and cannot penetrate deeply enough into the tyre’s core to give it the required all-round temperature. The job has to be completed by the car putting the tyre under load out on track.

image.jpg

Mercedes' tyres did not look happy at the end of the Brazil race

It is important that the core and tread temperatures are evenly matched. If the core remains too cool and inflexible, it’s quite possible to overheat the tread which will mean very little grip is generated and therefore the core remains cool. So the whole process becomes a vicious cycle. Conversely, it is important that the compound is not too soft or hard for the demands of the track, otherwise its chemical bonding will either not be initiated fully or break down – and the resultant lack of cornering force will keep the core cool and inflexible.

Teams use the heat generated by the brakes and conduct it through the wheel rims to help generate tyre temperature. For qualifying, this is more critical for the fronts than the rears which can be brought up to temperature relatively easily because they are on the driven wheels. But generating the appropriate wheel rim temperature and keeping it from escalating after a few laps is a delicate balance – and hence the wheel rims have all sorts of cooling channels. The Mercedes rear wheel rim introduced in Spa is designed to act almost as an extractor fan, attempting to use the enhanced airflow to stabilise the rim temperatures.

image.jpg

Mercedes’ clever wheel rims are designed to stabilise temperatures

If the rubber overheats it will blister. The blisters can be internal and initiated in the core – or on the tread surface. Often, blisters on the surface have initiated in the core. Typically, they will form in a circumferential line around the tyre, where it is running at its hottest. This could be seen very clearly in images in Brazil of the front and rear tyres of both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. The degree of camber and castor – as well as the steering geometry – play a key role in determining which section of the tyre’s width is under the most stress and generating the most heat.

Front blistering is generally not as serious a problem in the race as rear blistering, as it can be more readily controlled by the driver – though they are often interrelated, as explained by a Mercedes engineer. “Blistering appears because you exceed a temperature, so the driver knows he has to look after the tyres. If you get front blisters it looks bad but you can drive on and it doesn’t hurt you dramatically. Rear blistering can be disastrous, so what the driver is purposely trying to do the whole time is load the front up in order to save the rear. The rear obviously has so much energy going into it – it’s got a huge engine pushing it along, whereas the front doesn’t have that.”

The combination of track characteristics and compounds will determine how susceptible a tyre is to blistering, as will the traits of the car and how it’s being driven. On Sunday, the Red Bull was far less prone to blistering its tyres than the Mercedes or Ferrari – hence Verstappen was able to run his race at a much faster pace than their drivers. The difference in tyre usage between cars is rarely as stark as was apparent on Sunday, but that mechanism is always at play.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Community Software by Invision Power Services, Inc.