F1 Formula 1 Gossip

[hard top]

Was Hamilton trying his hardest?

There was some suspicion after the race that perhaps Hamilton had not been pushing as hard against his team-mate as he might have been had it been Vettel in front of him, but he dismissed that afterwards.

Bottas said that Hamilton had told him during the team's post-race briefing that he had been pushing as hard as he could and the Briton confirmed that shortly afterwards.

"To get as close as I was showed I had good pace," Hamilton said, "but when you get to within 1.1-1.2secs the car just loses grip. I did a lot of rallying today."

Hamilton did indeed have good pace; he took 0.7secs out of Bottas on his first flying lap after his pit stop, but the Finn always did just enough to hold him off.

 

[hard top]

Tuesday 28 November

Mercedes are poised to open contract talks with Lewis Hamilton having stressed they foresee "no reason to doubt" an extension will be agreed with the F1 world champion.

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel says Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton was the "better man" this season but hopes the Italian team will "come back stronger" next year.

Ferrari are poised to lose a major sponsor in Santander at the end of 2017.

Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul has called on the team to ensure that in future they do not need crucial points to secure their season goals on the last race of the campaign. The French car manufacturer picked up a financial bonus after securing sixth spot in the constructors' championship at the season's final meet.

 

[hard top]

The Alfa Romeo brand is returning to Formula 1 for the first time since 1985 after agreeing a new partnership with the Swiss-based Sauber team.

Alfa Romeo won the first two F1 titles in 1950 and 1951 with Giuseppe 'Nino' Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio.

And it was a leading team in the pre-war predecessor of F1, the European championship, when it became synonymous with legendary drivers such as Tazio Nuvolari and Achille Varzi.

Ferrari itself started as an off-shoot of Alfa Romeo. Enzo Ferrari ran Alfa Romeo grand prix cars in the 1930s before the two parties fell out shortly before the Second World War. Ferrari started to race his own cars in 1947.

 

[hard top]

Thursday, 30 November

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen says the season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit became "boring" and more like an endurance race because of the need to save fuel.

Stoffel Vandoorne's handling problems during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix were caused by a piece of tape stuck in his McLaren car's diffuser, his race engineer has revealed.

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are not impressed with the new F1 logo. Hamilton disagrees with F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn and said the old logo was "iconic", while Vettel added he "liked the old one better".

​

 

[hard top]

​

Saturday, 2 December

F1 director Ross Brawn is targeting Porsche, Aston Martin and Lamborghini over the forthcoming seasons as he seeks to get more manufacturers involved in the sport.

F1 director Ross Brawn feels the sport's bosses have a "duty" to fix the unbalanced performance of teams on the grid without acting artificially.

Alfa Romeo's return to Formula 1 shows the value of the sport and suggests Ferrari will not follow through on threats to leave, according to Christian Horner.

Ricciardo says four-time world champion Hamilton would not have won his F1 titles if he was racing for a midfield team rather than Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton would be "very foolish to underestimate" Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo in the F1 2018 world championship battle, according to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

Hamilton won the psychological battle with Sebastian Vettel in 2017, according to Ricciardo.

 

[t-tony]

No s*** Ricciardo! I thought this guy had more sense than make a comment like that. Vetted would not have won 4 titles driving for Sauber instead of Red Bull. The best driver's get to drive the best cars. Always have, always will. T**t.

Tony.

 

[hard top]

Sauber has presented a revised livery concept for the 2018 Formula 1 season, during its official launch with Alfa Romeo at the latter's museum near Milan on Saturday.

Alfa Romeo is part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, of which Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne is CEO, with Sauber having opted to ditch its planned Honda supply for a strengthened partnership with FCA.

Alfa Romeo will act as the squad's title sponsor, with its branding set to feature extensively, marking its return to Formula 1 after a three-decade absence.

 

[hard top]

Kubica: No discount due to 'nice story'

Robert Kubica says his "nice story" will ultimately have no influence on whether Williams opts to recruit him full-time to a race seat in 2018.

Kubica competed in Formula 1 from 2006 and 2010 but a serious rally crash in early 2011 left him unable to continue in the sport, having sustained severe injuries to his right arm.

Kubica rebuilt his career on the rallying stage, taking the 2013 WRC2 title, and operated his own team from 2014 through to early 2016, competing in WRC.

 

[hard top]

Get to know... Max Verstappen

Describe your perfect day…
My perfect day is winning a Grand Prix!

What's the best decision you've ever made?
To start go-karting!

What's the biggest mistake you've ever made?
I guess crashing in the pit lane – in America in 2014 (Florida Winter Series).

Which is your favourite Grand Prix on the calendar?
Spa! It's because of the track itself, it's very flowing, not too much stop/start, and then with the fans around…

If you could add a circuit to the calendar, which would it be?
I would maybe like to try out Turkey, Istanbul Park.

Zandvoort or Assen?
I would go for Zandvoort.

Not just because of the Jumbo Race Day?
That has nothing to do with the track!

What's your best ever overtake?
I think Brazil (in 2016) in general, around the outside (of Nico Rosberg at Turn 3), because it was quite tricky, or Spa, around the outside (of Felipe Nasr at Blanchimont), or in go-karting, once I overtook two guys in one corner.

And that's just natural feeling? Can you plan these things?
Yeah, you start planning… You're like, 'OK, well my line is quite alright around the outside', then you say, 'Oh, I'm actually quite a lot faster', so you go for it. It's like instinct.

What's your best ever race?
Malaysia and Mexico (in 2017).

 

[hard top]

McLaren had a total of 380 grid-penalty places during a strained final year with Honda.​

Honda has reorganised its Formula 1 management team as it seeks to improve performance in 2018.

The move comes as Honda splits with McLaren following three years of failure and moves to a new engine supply partnership with Toro Rosso.

McLaren ultimately ran out of faith and patience with Honda despite the huge financial advantages of being the company's works partner, and negotiated a split. The team will pay for Renault engines next year.

 

[hard top]

​

THURSDAY 7 DECEMBER 2017

The 21-race 2018 Formula 1 calendar has been finalised, following Wednesday's meeting of the FIA's World Motor Sport Council in Paris.

Confirmed 2018 F1 calendar:

25 March – Australia (Melbourne)
8 April – Bahrain (Sakhir)
15 April – China (Shanghai)
29 April – Azerbaijan (Baku)
13 May – Spain (Barcelona)
27 May – Monaco (Monte Carlo)
10 June – Canada (Montréal)
24 June – France (Le Castellet)
1 July – Austria (Spielberg)
8 July – Britain (Silverstone)
22 July – Germany (Hockenheim)
29 July – Hungary (Budapest)
26 August – Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)
2 September – Italy (Monza)
16 September – Singapore (Marina Bay)
30 September – Russia (Sochi)
7 October – Japan (Suzuka)
21 October – USA (Austin)*
28 October – Mexico (Mexico City)
11 November – Brazil (Sao Paulo)
25 November – Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina)

*Subject to ASN approval

 

[hard top]

Engine penalty system adjusted for 2018

Formula 1's engine penalty system has been adjusted for the 2018 season, in a bid to simplify the process for spectators.

Under Formula 1 regulations, drivers receive either five- or 10-place grid penalties when they take on new engine components, the allocation of which has been reduced for 2018.

Drivers will be permitted three Internal Combustion Engines, MGU-Hs and Turbochargers, and two Energy Stores, MGU-Ks and Control Electronics for the 21-race schedule.

The grid penalty system received criticism at points in 2017 when several drivers were issued with an array of sanctions which could not be served, leading to confusion over the composition of the grid.

At the Italian Grand Prix, nine drivers received penalties, seven of which were engine related, with four of them larger than the size of the grid itself.

Under revised regulations, as soon as a driver sustains a 15-place drop, equivalent to taking on two new components, they will be sent to the back of the grid.

Should more than one driver receive such a penalty, they "will be arranged at the back of the grid in the order in which the offences were committed".

 

[Mint]

Engine penalty system adjusted for 2018

Formula 1's engine penalty system has been adjusted for the 2018 season, in a bid to simplify the process for spectators.

Under Formula 1 regulations, drivers receive either five- or 10-place grid penalties when they take on new engine components, the allocation of which has been reduced for 2018.

Drivers will be permitted three Internal Combustion Engines, MGU-Hs and Turbochargers, and two Energy Stores, MGU-Ks and Control Electronics for the 21-race schedule.

The grid penalty system received criticism at points in 2017 when several drivers were issued with an array of sanctions which could not be served, leading to confusion over the composition of the grid.

At the Italian Grand Prix, nine drivers received penalties, seven of which were engine related, with four of them larger than the size of the grid itself.

Under revised regulations, as soon as a driver sustains a 15-place drop, equivalent to taking on two new components, they will be sent to the back of the grid.

Should more than one driver receive such a penalty, they "will be arranged at the back of the grid in the order in which the offences were committed".

So the grid is still going to be fmcked up through no fault of the driver.

 

[hard top]

Lewis Hamilton says he does not have the desire to match Michael Schumacher.

Lewis Hamilton says he does not believe he will stay in Formula 1 long enough to beat Michael Schumacher's record of seven world titles.
Hamilton won his fourth title this year to move within one of Juan Manuel Fangio, but said he was not motivated by the idea of surpassing Schumacher.

The Mercedes driver said:
"I can't see it at the moment. Four more. It has taken me 10 years to achieve this four, I don't have that desire to match it. Matching Fangio could be quite cool."

"Being that I am going to be here for at least another couple of years, that is my goal to try and at least get that," Hamilton said, implying strongly that a new Mercedes contract to take him beyond the end of his current deal, which expires next year, was an inevitability.

"How I work with the team, how I drive the car, every time I drive the car and extract it from the car - that's what I feel inside defines me."

"When I was young I thought I would have a family at 28. When I got to 28 it all shifted. But it is difficult to say never."

"Maybe in a couple of years ' time I will be saying: 'I am going to go another 10 years.' I really hope that's not the case because I'll be with you guys until you are in Zimmer frames."


Argentine Fangio won five world titles in the 1950s, and is second to Schumacher - champion in 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 - in the all-time championship standings.

In terms of successes for the number of races in which he competed, Fangio is the most successful driver ever in championships, wins and pole positions.

 

[hard top]

Mercedes pays $4.6m in 2018 entry fees.

​

World Champions Mercedes paid over $4.6m in entry fees for the 2018 Formula 1 season, a reduction of over half a million on the previous campaign.

Mercedes, under new regulations, battled Ferrari in the opening half of the season, before pulling clear after the summer break, to clinch its fourth straight Constructors' crown.

An amended entry fee system, introduced in 2013, mandated every team to pay a flat entry fee of $516,128, indexed by the US CPI [Consumer Price Index], along with a sliding scale dependent on its success.

 

[hard top]

Formula 1 drivers have unanimously signed up to their union because of concerns over the future of the sport.

Alexander Wurz, chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, said the organisation had 100% membership "for maybe the first time in history".

Wurz said all drivers had now joined the GPDA because "F1 is entering a period of evolution, change and perhaps even a degree of turmoil.

"They recognise they must be united and represented to face that challenge."

World champions Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen were among those who had not officially joined the GPDA in recent years.

Wurz, a former F1 driver for the Benetton, McLaren and Williams, said the drivers wanted to "prevent any politics or power fights from ultimately compromising on-track performance. The drivers believe unity is fundamental for the sport's success".

 

[hard top]

Thursday, 21 December

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says contract talks with Lewis Hamilton are going well and he is confident the world champion will not walk out on the team unexpectedly, as Nico Rosberg did last December.

Former world champion Nico Rosberg is set to return to Formula 1 in 2018 - as a pundit for German broadcaster RTL.

Ex-Sauber Formula 1 driver Pascal Wehrlein could race for Mercedes in their DTM touring car team for 2018.

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne says Formula 1's sporting boss Ross Brawn acts like "Moses reading the Ten Commandments".

Kimi Raikkonen can "drive like a god", but 2018 is his last chance to show what he can do, added Marchionne.

 

[hard top]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1992330417683207

View: https://www.facebook.com/GPfanscom/videos/1992330417683207/
​

 

[hard top]

Fernando Alonso 'a little bit scared' by Daytona 24 Hours debut.

Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso says he was "a little bit scared" when he suffered two brake failures at close to 200 mph on his debut at the Daytona 24 Hours.

The Spaniard's race was hit by multiple problems and he finished 38th with co-drivers Lando Norris and Phil Hanson.

Alonso, 36, said: "You arrive at the first corner and you're at 300-310 km/h, then you hit the brakes and there are no brakes. Luckily you have a short cut."

 

[hard top]

​

Monday, 29 January

Fernando Alonso says the switch to Renault engines has made McLaren "very confident" for the season ahead. McLaren has made the change with the aim of returning to the podium for the first time since 2014.

Pirelli racing manager Mario Isola believes there will be lots of track evolution during the first two days of pre-season testing in Barcelona. The circuit has undergone a resurfacing project to ensure its place on the 2018 Moto GP calendar.

Max Verstappen sees Red Bull Racing chief Helmut Marko as his second racing father. In addition to his own father - Jos, a veteran of more than 100 grands prix - Verstappen admits he also seeks the advice of Marko on race weekends.

Force India's chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer believes the stability of his team's foundation is one of its biggest assets. The team has made no major changes over the winter - something Szafnauer insists is a strength.

Meanwhile, former Ferrari and Williams driver Felipe Massa is certainly taking advantage of his retirement with a spell on the slopes.