INDIA in F1

Category: Formula 1

  • Kimi sets a blistering lap to take Monza pole ahead of Vettel, and Hamilton

    Kimi sets a blistering lap to take Monza pole ahead of Vettel, and Hamilton

    Kimi Raikkonen takes pole at Monza on 1st Sept 2018. An FIA image

    Monza, 1 Sept 2018: Kimi Räikkönen edged team-mate Sebastian Vettel to head a front-row lock-out for Ferrari in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton finishing third ahead of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

    Räikkönen, whose last pole came at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix, set a time of 1:19.119 to not only take his 18th career pole position but also to shatter the Monza lap record set 14 years ago by Juan Pablo Montoya.

    The Finn set the early pace in Q1 with a time of 1:20.937, almost six tenths of a second clear of team-mate Vettel. The Ferraris were then split by Hamilton, who posted a time of 1:21.321.

    Vettel though then moved to the front with a time of 1:20.758 and on a second attempt worked his way down to a time of 1:20.542 to head the session, in front of Räikkönen who also made an improvement and Hamilton.

    Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo, who is facing a series of PU-related penalties for tomorrow’s race, completed just a single late run in the session, but it was enough to see the Australian through to Q2 in fourth place ahead of the second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen.

    At the other end of the order, in the drop zone as the session drew to a close were Williams’ Lance Stroll, McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne, the twin Toro Rossos of Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly and Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, who is also facing engine-related penalties tomorrow.

    And it was the Renault driver who managed to drag himself furthest up the order with a time good enough for 10th. Gasly and Stroll also hauled themselves out of danger with the Toro Rosso driver finishing in P12, four thousandths of a second ahead of the Williams man.

    Racing Point Force India’s Sergio Perez was eliminated in P16 ahead of Sauber’s Charles Leclerc, Hartley, the second Sauber of Marcus Ericsson and McLaren’s Vandoorne.

    At the start of Q2 is was Hamilton who set the early pace, the Briton becoming the first man to break into the 1m19s bracket with a lap of 1:19.798. Räikkönen slotted into P2, four tenths behind.

    Vettel, though, was again running faster than both and the German drew a huge cheer from the partisan crowd when he jumped to the top of the order with a first run time of 1:19.785, edging Hamilton by just over a hundredth of a second. Behind them, Bottas slotted into fourth ahead of Verstappen, Ocon, Renault’s Carlos Sainz, the Haas cars of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen and the Toro Rosso of Gasly.

    Vettel tightened his hold on top spot with his second run, this time lapping in 1:19.629 to make it into Q3 0.169s ahead of Hamilton, with Räikkönen third ahead of Verstappen who edged Bottas by just under a tenths of a second.

    Lance Stroll put in a good lap to make it into Q3 in P8, the first time he had appeared in Q3 since the Italian GP of 2017.

    Pierre Gasly, too, delivered an excellent final lap of the segment to make it through in P10.

    That meant that eliminated in 11th place was Magnussen, with Sirtoking exiting in P12 ahead of McLaren’s Fernando Alonso. Hulkenberg and Ricciardo failed to set times and were eliminated in P4 and P15 respectively.

    Vettel stranglehold on top spot ended in the first run of Q3 however. The German crossed the line in 1:19.497. Räikkonen was right behind him on track, however, and he edged past the German by four hundredths of a second. Hamilton though was running even faster and he claimed provisional pole with a time of 1:19.390.

    There was no stopping Ferrari on home soil, however, though it wasn’t Vettel who made jumped to the top, but Räikkonen.

    As Vettel dropped a wheel into the dirt on his lap, the Finn delivered a note-perfect performance on his final lap to shatter Juan Pablo Montoya’s absolute lap record for Monza of 1:19.525 set in 2004. Räikkönen’s pole, his first since Monaco 2017, was achieved with a lap of 1:19.199.

    Vettel completed a Ferrari front-row lock-out with his final lap of 1:19.280 while Mercedes will start from row two with Hamilton third ahead of Bottas. Verstappen took fifth place for Red Bull Racing ahead of Grosjean, Sainz, Ocon, Gasly and Stroll.

     

  • Vettel fastest; Ericsson emerges safe after a heavy crash in FP2

    Vettel fastest; Ericsson emerges safe after a heavy crash in FP2

    Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson survives a huge crash and escapes unhurt in FP2 session on Friday. An FIA image

    Sebastian Vettel eclipsed Ferrari team-mate Kimi Räikkönen by almost three tenths of a second to top a second practice session for the Italian Grand Prix that saw a Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson emerge unhurt for a heavy, high-speed crash.

    Just two minutes after the green light had appeared at the end of pit lane to signal the start of the session, Ericsson crashed out. At the start of his first flying lap the Swede’s Sauber snapped to the left under braking on the approach to Turn 1 after his DRS failed to close.

    His car spun into the barrier and then dug into the grass at the edge of the track. That sent him into a frightening barrel roll. Ericsson’s car eventually came to rest the right way up and he was able to climb out. He was swiftly taken to the medical centre where he was later given the all-clear.

    The crash brought out the red flags and there was a 20-minute delay as Ericsson’s wrecked car was removed and the debris cleared from the track.

     

    When running resumed, Vettel was quickly to the fore, the German posting a time of 1:21.716s on supersofts. That put him 0.157s ahead of head team-mate Kimi Räikkönen who was using soft compound Pirelli rubber.

    When the field undertook their qualifying simulations, Vettel, who was forced to abandon his first hot lap after running wide at Parabolica, was outpaced by Räikkönen who took top spot with a lap of 1:21.375.

    Vettel continued to push and on his fourth attempt jumped ahead of his team-mate to take the P1 slot with a time of 1m21.105s. Räikkönen finished the session 0.270s behind his team-mate.

    Third place in the session went to Vettel’s title rival Lewis Hamilton. The championship-leading Mercedes driver finished just 0.017s behind Räikkönen, with the Briton’s team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, four tenths of a second further back.

    Fifth and sixth places the session were taken by Red Bull Racing drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, with Dutchman Verstappen edging his Australian team-mate by 0.142s. Both men were over a second off the pace set by Vettel.

    Behind Ricciardo there was then a gap of more than six tenths of a second to best of the rest Racing Point Force India driver Esteban Ocon. The Frenchman finished the session 1.825s off the pace and 0.012s ahead of eighth-placed teammate Sergio Pérez.

    Sauber’s Charles Leclerc claimed ninth place with a late qualifying sim after his session was delayed by similar DRS problems to those suffered by his team-mate. Leclerc conducted two tests of his car’s drag reduction system after the restart but on both occasions the wing failed to work correctly. Sauber eventually rectified the problem and in all he was able to complete 20 laps. Tenth place in the session went to Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg.

    2018 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
    1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 27 1:21.105
    2 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 31 1:21.375 0.270
    3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 31 1:21.392 0.287
    4 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 35 1:21.803 0.698
    5 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 28 1:22.154 1.049
    6 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 28 1:22.296 1.191
    7 Esteban Ocon Force India 30 1:22.930 1.825
    8 Sergio Perez Force India 32 1:22.942 1.837
    9 Charles Leclerc Sauber 20 1:22.965 1.860
    10 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 30 1:23.063 1.958
    11 Romain Grosjean Haas 31 1:23.077 1.972
    12 Carlos Sainz Renault 32 1:23.193 2.088
    13 Kevin Magnussen Haas 28 1:23.233 2.128
    14 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 34 1:23.402 2.297
    15 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 28 1:23.514 2.409
    16 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 16 1:23.531 2.426
    17 Lance Stroll Williams 29 1:23.566 2.461
    18 Fernando Alonso McLaren 23 1:23.741 2.636
    19 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 30 1:24.084 2.979
    20 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 2

  • Perez heads rain-affected FP1

    Monza, 31 Aug 2018: Racing Point Force India driver Sergio Perez, topped a wet opening practice session for the Italian Grand, outpacing Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen by more than half a second. Perez’s team-mate Esteban Ocon took third place ahead of the Toro Rosso of Brendon Hartley on a timesheet given an unfamiliar look due to the conditions.

    After Räikkönen made a late improvement to take P1, Perez jumped to the top of the order with his final lap of the 90-minute session, as track conditions began to improve as the rain abated. The Mexican’s late lap prevented Hartley and Honda-powered Toro Rosso from setting the fastest time of the session.

    The session began in heavy rain, but both Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg were quick to take to the track. Ricciardo, though, was quickly back to the garage, complaining of low power. The Australian spent a short spell in the garage as his team checked for issues and he was able to rejoin the action shortly after the half hour mark and he would eventually climb to fifth on the timesheet behind Hartley and 1.2s adrift of Perez’s P1 time.

    As the session headed towards the half way point conditions began to improve and the times began to tumble, with the Mercedes cars of Lewis Hamilton and then Valtteri Bottas sitting at the top of the order.

    Max Verstappen then moved ahead of the Mercedes duo with a lap of 1:35.665. The Dutchman’s time, on a drying track, was good enough to allow him to hold onto top spot until Hartley arrived with a lap of 1:35.024 in the closing minutes, with teasm-mate Pierre Gasly slotting into P2.

    Ricciardo then split the Toro Rossos, with a lap of 1:35.207, before Räikkönen, Ocon and Perez demoted Hartley with last gasp laps on track that while still not dry enough for slicks, appeared to be rapidly approaching the crossover point from intermediate tyres.

    2018 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix – Free Practice 1
    1 Sergio Perez Force India 18 1:34.000
    2 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 28 1:34.550 0.550
    3 Esteban Ocon Force India 17 1:34.593 0.593
    4 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 17 1:35.024 1.024
    5 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 13 1:35.207 1.207
    6 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 19 1:35.438 1.438
    7 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 10 1:35.665 1.665
    8 Carlos Sainz Renault 15 1:35.995 1.995
    9 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 15 1:36.107 2.107
    10 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 8 1:36.238 2.238
    11 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 6 1:36.546 2.546
    12 Charles Leclerc Sauber 10 1:36.648 2.648
    13 Kevin Magnussen Haas 13 1:37.066 3.066
    14 Fernando Alonso McLaren 14 1:37.426 3.426
    15 Romain Grosjean Haas 13 1:37.683 3.683
    16 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 11 1:37.790 3.790
    17 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 4 1:37.867 3.867
    18 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 10 1:37.929 3.929
    19 Lance Stroll Williams 8 1:38.253 4.253
    20 Lando Norris McLaren 9 1:38.282 4.282

  • Ferrari as a partner, we benefit clearly from the engine: Ben Agathangelour of Haas

    Monza 31 Aug 2018: The following team representatives attended the FIA Friday press conference during the Formula One World Championship weekend at Monza:  Ben Agathangelour (Haas), Mattia Binotto (Ferrari), Aldo Costa (Mercedes), Simone Resta (Sauber)

    Ben, if we could start with you, great to have you with us. Very rainy and wet this morning. We know you were running your new floor because Romain Grosjean told us yesterday. Were you able to get to grips with it?

    Ben Agathangelour: I think things were clear already by the end of Spa to be honest, so here in the wet we’re not going to gain that much more this morning, so we’re taking it as a given that things are behaving as we saw by the end of Spa on one car.

    Tell us too about the relationship you have with Ferrari. Big upgrades to the power unit this year and you really seem to have benefited in many ways from Ferrari?

    BA: Obviously it’s an enormous strength to have Ferrari as a partner and we benefit clearly from the engine. The engine has made a huge step this year and I think we have been able to use it, maybe not so much so in the past. We’ve done a fair amount of our own development, the company is growing, so we’ve managed to extract from all parts of the budget.

    Q: Thank you Ben. Mattia, moving on to you: great victory for you and the team at Spa last weekend. Where do you think your advantage over Mercedes lay?

    Mattia Binotto: Difficult to answer. I’m always more keen to look at the whole package and not try to split it into different factors. I think the difference to Mercedes overall was very small at the end. They have been on pole in quali, so they have been the fastest car, as a matter of fact, and I think that in the race our pace was very similar. So to try to distinguish if there is a little difference, where it’s coming from, is a very difficult exercise. Our package is working well as a whole, from the aero, from the chassis, mechanicals and the power unit and I think that as well in terms of development we are all focused on all the areas.

    Q: Now it was this stage last year that Mercedes started to stretch its legs in the championship fight. Is Ferrari in a better position now than it was 12 months ago?

    MB: Certainly we are in a better position compared to ourselves, to start with, and if I consider Spa last year, for example, we were not as competitive as we have been this year. I think that since the very start of this season, since the launch of the car, we mentioned and we said that we focused our development in terms of efficiency and to make sure that our car could compete on medium-fast circuit types and I think that somehow we have achieved it. On circuits where efficiency is important, like Silverstone, like Spa, we got good results and I think that is a good base for the rest of the season. So again, compared to last year, I think we can count on a car, which is certainly better in efficiency today. There are still eight races to go, so it’s still long and it will be a long and difficult battle.

    Q: Thank you Mattia and good luck this weekend. Aldo, we’ve heard about the Ferrari challenge, how do you and Mercedes assess what Ferrari have done this year? Do you feel they are much closer to you than in the past?

    Aldo Costa: As Mattia was saying, the two cars are very, very close. Yeah, we would say closer than in the past. You mentioned about the last part of the season last year, where we stretched our legs; obviously we hope to stretch our legs again. But we have to see if Ferrari will allow us to do that. It’s a very close fight. Development on development, each race, and we will carry on introducing new performance elements and we will carry on developing the performance of the car as much as we can up to the last race really.

    Q: You have announced that you are stepping down as engineering director from the team at the end of this season, but you are going to remain as an advisor. What does that role entail, and how involved will you be with the racing team going forward?

    AC: It was, as you can imagine, something that was discussed a long time ago. After having enjoyed an unbelievable amount the experience in Mercedes in the current role – seven years in the UK, really, really fantastic – I did ask the team to start being not in the same position, having a bit more time for myself, for the family, back to Italy and we found together, discussing together, again an opportunity for other people to grow up, to develop the team, so this is what I’m doing, as well as the current role – developing the organisation, developing people, team, mentoring, and by the end of the year my main new function will be, as you said, technical advisor of the team. I will work for James, I will work for my current direct report that will grow up in terms of responsibility and I will carry on mentoring and I will carry on collaborating with the team, developing capability, developing process, but a bit less involved from the timing point of view. In my opinion after 31 years of Formula 1 it is the best compromise for me to carry on being very fully engaged but as well, on the personal, finding better equilibrium.

    And more time, as well, to indulge in your passion for driving Formula 1 cars?

    AC: Yeah, yeah! That’s a growing passion. I’m part of the Mercedes senior driver programme! It’s important to have a group of driver for the third age of the future, because of the world population, the average age is growing. Joking apart, I’m enjoying a lot driving cars. Mercedes gave me a big opportunity and a friend of mine, who you know very well, Paolo Barilla, gave me another opportunity to test a lot of cars, so yeah, it’s a very nice moment, a nice experience.

    Q: You are never too old, Aldo, so good luck with all of that. Simone, so, technical director of Sauber since the beginning of July. How’s it going? How’s life in Hinwil?

    Simone Resta: Well, how’s it going? I think it’s going pretty well. I’m happy with this new journey that just started at the beginning of July. I apologise if I show a lot of emotion, but new job, technical director here in Monza, in our country, is just a lot! With a lot of friends, with Aldo, who was my first boss at Ferrari, with Mattia, who has been a great colleague and a boss recently and also with Ben. It’s a lot, but I feel very happy with that and I think my experience in the Sauber-Alfa Romeo team that started at the beginning of July, I find it very interesting, a new challenge in a different role, there is a lot to learn but it is a good step for me, for my career.

    Q: The team is making a lot of progress this season. How competitive do you think you are going to be in the upcoming races?

    SR: If I was able to read the future probably I would do something different. Joking apart, the trend so far has been good. I think it’s fair to say that we are slowing down our development rate for the time being, and we are concentrating mostly on next year’s car, which is a big challenge but also a big opportunity for us to close even further the gap to the big ones. I hope we will be progressing a little bit in the next races and that we will be closer and closer to Q3 with both cars.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Mattia, earlier this year we had the FIA’s side of things when they were going through the Ferrari engine checks, just to make sure everything was OK. They had all their understanding of the energy recovery system, that sort of thing. Could you just give us your explanation of how complicated it was to satisfy everything the FIA wanted – and are you happy that you have now ticked every box you need to and you’re OK for the rest of the season?

    MB: Obviously, the power unit is a complex element and it has been since 2014. FIA is fully aware of our components and it is our duty as well each time FIA is not fully, let me say, convinced that there is something right or wrong for them to inspect, to understand better. I think it’s simply what happens at the time there is some questions: we answer; we explain and I think that’s what happens. That’s it. FIA certainly is happy, declaring our car legal at every single race, and on our side, honestly, fully happy at seeing the point is completely closed by them.

    Q: (Edd Straw – Autosport) Another question for Mattia. When you took over your current role, Ferrari was having a difficult season in 2016 – but we’ve seen huge progress since then. Can you just explain, in brief, how Ferrari has managed to turn around from that difficult position into its current position. This upward trajectory. And just explain a bit of your philosophy of how you issue technical leadership to the team to get that result.

    MB: Initially, I think it’s fair to say that our team, in terms of individuals, is very strong. We’ve got very high skills; it’s a fantastic team in that respect, whatever are the areas. And from the power unit to the chassis and to the aero. I think what we’re benefitting the last seasons is certainly stability in terms of the organisation, which in F1 is very important, because through the stability somehow you may start to set down a way of working, improve your procedures, your internal process. I think, relative to myself, I’m certainly not an expert in all the areas. 25 years of experience in F1; great time with Ferrari at the race track in the time of Michael Schumacher but always as a power unit man. When I grew up in that final role I think what for me what was important for me was to set the objectives but to make sure that the people were comfortable in their role, understood the internal process and work better not only as individuals but as a team. And where we’ve focussed all the effort is, I think, to make sure that the team was working properly as a team, and forgetting about the individuals. And that’s why, again, I think we are thinking about the car as a fully package, and not try to split down in terms of different components or units because we are a team and what is running is not a power unit or a wing but a full car. So, again, all the effort was to build the team as a team and set the right objectives, deal with them, try to be ambitious. I think that’s somehow what happened in the last two years.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, Racefans.net) Gentleman, this morning Michelin confirmed that they will not be tendering for the tyre supplier contract, and they gave as one of the reasons the fact that targeted deterioration goes against their objectives for a sustainable and well-engineers tyre. As engineers, how do you feel about that comment. All of you.

    BA: OK. I think we can see that the nature of the tyre that we currently run, everyone can see the nature in which racing is governed by the characteristics that we inherit. Obviously, it’s been a massive evolution in the sport over the last four or five years with respect to understanding and managing how we make use, and strategic use of the tyre behaviours that we find. I think ultimately I can’t speak for Michelin’s motivations: they’re a great company, I’ve certainly worked with them in the past and they were more than capable of delivering what their set objectives were – more than that I can’t speak on their behalf. Certainly, we’re just in the business of making best use of what we’re given.

    MB: Very difficult to judge and to comment. I know that the FIA is dealing with the tender; they are doing it by themselves and have started the process and are setting the targets. We have not been involved in the matter. So, without being involved, difficult to really to give a judgement, but I think as Ben meant. So, it was just mentioned that if Michelin does, somehow, make their choice, certainly they have gone, for them, what is the best choice.

    AC: My thought is that we are in front of this usual discussion between what is the best for the show and what is the best for the performance. Of course, for the performance, specifically of tyres, and the current situation is not the best, but for the show, according to the work that has been done, the discussions that we have done for many many years, this was the trend that the strategy group and the F1 community wanted to go. So then I think we need to define the objectives, the objectives need to be defined by the government or at the end by the people that are part of the strategy group and if for the good of the show, the good of the sport, we have to take a certain direction, the single tyre manufacturer has to follow. There are no other chances, really.

    SR: We just learn it now. All I can say is that we’ve got a lot of respect for Michelin history, for their story, for their technology and also for their decision. And if their strategy is not (inaudible) with the F1 business model, with the direction we’re trying to develop, I feel sorry for that but it’s one of the times that two roads cannot meet each other at some point.

    Q: (Sam Collins – RaceCar Engineering) There’s been talk in the media about the 2019 technical regulations having an even higher rear wing than was originally proposed in the draft regulations which have been amongst all of you so far. Is it a bit late to make changes like that and how would it affect the balance of your car?

    SR: I think it doesn’t look to be a dramatic change. Of course, having the rules defined as early as possible helps all of us to just lay down the (inaudible)  of the car and work developing it but ultimately I think everyone has got a big engineering group behind us and we can adapt to it and follow it. And especially in a case like that where it’s done for the purpose of safety, so to improve the safety of the driver.

    AC: Yeah, the changes that we are seeing for 2019, I think they were quite last minute changes but we are capable to develop a car in such a time frame so it’s not a big problem per se but the issue may come from the fact that if they will be effectively helping what is the aim, which means improving overtaking and improving the capability of the car to follow, we will have to see if the direction that we wanted to take is exactly what we will reach.

    MB: Relative to your question, is it too late or not for such a change, first we need to be honest: you cannot change the regulations if there is not unanimity from all the teams. Indeed the team have accepted it means that somehow we are able to manage and to (inaudible) the change so it’s not something that is imposed, it’s something that we are discussing through the technical working groups and we are all agreeing through our vote, so it has been accepted so whatever change, accepted or not, means we are accepting, we are able to (inaudible).

    BA: I think that particular example is just one of many in the way that exchanges happen between the teams and the FIA and actually, with respect to the rear wing in particular, although it was quite late, there was a fair amount of discussion that preceded it that indeed investigated alternative ways of increasing visibility, like reducing the rear wing box height. There was a general consensus that because development had been under way, we were dealing with a wing that fit a particular box and the fact that it shoots up by 50mm isn’t a game-changer, so the maturity, if you like, that precedes a decision is fair and we’re all familiar with that, we’re all party to that.

    Q: (Dominik Sharaf – Motorsport-Total.com) Mattia and Aldo: Liberty Media said that the 2021 engine regulations could be delayed because there is not enough interest by new manufacturers but we know that Porsche, for example, is waiting for a final decision and a final version of the regulations, to decide on their Formula One project. So who do you think should commit first: is it Formula One or new engine manufacturers?

    MB: Obviously having new manufacturers is always a good thing so if we are many and more manufacturers there’s more fighting in the championship which is something which is good. By 2020 the Concorde Agreement is finished and by 2021 we have the opportunity to have a new set of regulations on which we are working, together with the FIA and F1 Management. I think that obviously it’s not a matter of delaying or not, it’s a matter of setting something for 2021 which is necessary. Discussions are on-going, we’ve got regular meetings and I think that at the moment we are somehow close to define what we believe is the best compromise or the best solution for 2021.

    AC: So my thought: what we have got at the moment I think is a great power unit, it’s a very very efficient system, very modern in terms of layout, quite innovative. So really making something better, ruling something better is not that easy. There has been quite a lot of conversation about it and going in a direction and then coming back. It will take time to define something better for the sport and unfortunately if new manufacturers want to come, they are very very welcome but there is nothing else than competing with the current rules if the rules will stay the same or still waiting for more time for the new formula. There’s no other possibility.

    Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-Magazin.com) Aldo, it looked like Mercedes started with the stronger car at the beginning of the season but I think it’s fair to say that the last races, even for the results didn’t always show it, Ferrari had the better car. In which areas do you think Mercedes was out-developed by Ferrari?

    AC: Yeah, between race to race, there is always a variability of performance that is related to many many aspects: type of circuit, tyre management, key performance element of the car itself. So there is for sure… when two cars are very very close in terms of overall package, you will see anyway a variability. So we think we are very very close. We do not think we were particularly faster and we do not think we are particularly slower. As I said, it’s just a matter of variability of races. We see that Ferrari has done big progress in the power unit and we see that we have got two cars that are quite similar, both very competitive and as I said before, it will be a matter of introducing more development, solving more issues and being at the end the best car, not making mistakes, having good reliability will be key because not many results can we lose without impacting the final result, really.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, Racefans.net) Aldo, talking about your decision about becoming an advisor to the team, I know that you’re wearing a white shirt but when you wore a red shirt, Rory Byrne did something very very similar where he moved out, became an advisor. Is that your blueprint for this, where you will effectively take on a Rory Byrne-type role for Mercedes?

    AC: In terms of formal arrangement, maybe yes, yeah, such a type of arrangement but myself and Rory have two different experiences, we’ve got different areas of influence so we are different but more or less something like that.

     

  • Sergio Perez happy with the outcome for Force India

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Romain, welcome to Monza, but I would like to take back to last weekend in Spa where you scored for the fourth time in the last five races. It seems that you’re getting some momentum now in that Haas car, so I just wanted to ask what has changed and why are you happier with it now?

    Romain GROSJEAN: Good afternoon. I think the car has been quick since Melbourne to be fair. In the first part of the season I made some mistake that I shouldn’t have done and I got some bad luck as well – there were plenty of times where we could have been in the points. Recently the run is going well and I’m hoping that continues, but to be fair the car has been fast since race one. I think the first races were up and down and they shouldn’t have been that way.

    Q: Thank you. Sergio, if we could come to you now, please. You were instrumental in saving Force India, so tell us what the result at Spa last weekend meant to you and how it will likely impact on your future with the team?

    Sergio PÉREZ: It was great to see everyone so happy after the tension that we had, not knowing what was going on with all the jobs, including mine and so on. So it was great to get that kind of result for the team. It just shows the potential my team has and I was very proud of that performance. In terms of my position it doesn’t change. I’ve got a contract and I keep performing and I keep delivering at my best. I try to score as many points as possible for the team, to try to get us further up on the grid. It doesn’t change from that perspective.

    Q: Thank you and good luck for the weekend. Kimi, coming to you, a man who is seeking his 100th podium in Formula 1 this weekend. A lot of the tifosi here at Monza will be wondering what you’re doing next year, so the inevitable question: when will know more about your future?

    Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: I don’t know. At some point, that’s for sure. Probably you can expect anything in here, that’s what I’ve learned over the past, so yeah, we’ll see, I don’t know.

    Q: Do you want to come back for more, Kimi? Are you still enjoying the challenge of Formula 1?

    KR: I enjoy the racing; I don’t think that’s a secret. The rest not, but that’s part of the job. Do I want to race? Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t be here today. I don’t see that’s suddenly going to disappear. Who know, it might be, but I doubt it. Like I said, I don’t know, so we’ll see what happens.

    Q: Thank you Kimi, good luck this weekend. Sebastian, thanks for waiting, coming to you now. Spa was a dominant performance by you and Ferrari last weekend. Do you think that pace will translate to Monza this weekend, given the high-speed nature of the track?

    Sebastian VETTEL: I don’t know. I think in the end it was less dominant than you might think. In the end, we did well, and it’s good to see that we are able to improve our car. We had some bits and a new engine. So we’ll see. Monza in many ways is a bit similar to Spa, but then again obviously if you look at the track and the actual corners, not just the straights, it’s quite a bit different. We see in the past, I remember some good races here with great podiums but for sure we want more than a podium, but I think we will see what we get starting tomorrow and getting into the rhythm for the weekend.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Frédéric Ferret – l’Equipe) A question for Kimi and Sebastian. Can you tell us the feeling to be a Ferrari driver at Monza. And another question for Seb, what is the feeling when you win in Monza, even not for Ferrari?

    KR: Obviously the driving doesn’t change. It’s our home grand prix, so it’s more busy. We have a lot, a lot of support, a lot of tifosi here, so that obviously makes it a lot different. But if you purely talk pure driving, racing, it’s the same job than any other place. It just happens to be our home race. Obviously it’s an important race for us, for the team, as any race, but it’s for sure special. You feel it straight away when you come here, today or yesterday, in the show in Milan, it’s great. Hopefully we get a strong result from the team not just for us but for all the fans and tifosi.

    Sebastian winning here at Monza? Of course it’s 10 years since your first ever F1 victory?

    SV: Yeah, it depends which colour, or which engine you have in the back. I mean the first win was overwhelming in many regards. I didn’t realise at the time that I was obviously racing for an Italian team and had a Ferrari engine in the back, so I guess it was sort of OK for the crowd and they were happy too. I thought they were happy because it was me and it was a good race. But then two or three years after I won again in a different colour, they weren’t very happy, so I was wondering a bit what’s going on, because I hadn’t done anything wrong, quite the opposite. The story of Monza is in the heart of Italy and where all the tifosi are. I think the last podiums I had, in the right colour, were quite amazing and obviously it’s definitely something I want to achieve, to win here with Ferrari. Others have done it before me and I want to join them.

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Romain, Guenther told us earlier that both you guys will have the new floor, after changing last weekend. Can you just explain what the difference was last weekend between then and how you came to the decision to have it on your car here?

    RG: Yeah, so last weekend we both had the update on the car and we were not very competitive on Friday, so on Friday night we decided to revert one car to the old spec, just to see the difference and to try to understand and gather a lot of data, which we did. The guys went to the factory and discussed with the aerodynamic department and it was clear that the new package is a good step in a good direction and that we should run it. It does require a bit of adjusting in the set-up, which Kevin did over the weekend using it and which now we know, so I think now we are going to use that new package which should be more competitive.

    Q: (Adrian Rodriguez Huber – Agencia EFE) A question for Checo. After all this emotional rollercoaster, what do you expect this weekend here?

    SP: Yeah, I think we have a competitive car, we proved that in Belgium. We are coming to a similar track in terms of what you run around here, so I think we should be quite competitive, and the aim is still the same – to try to be the best of the rest and I think we have a good chance of doing that again.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, your greatest feeling here, is it pole in 2006, as you have not won here?

    KR: Hard to say. I don’t think it’s been very good over the years, but I always enjoy coming here. First of all, it’s a nice, great circuit, it has a lot of history. It’s close by from home, so easy to come. I had some good races here for sure, not perfect. I’ve been on the podium with Ferrari once or twice. That’s been good. Not exactly what we wanted but important, so yeah…

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, Racefans.net) Kimi, you’ve always struck us, over the last 18 years or whatever you’ve been in F1, as a very private individual, yet you recently authorized a biography. I’ve read some excerpts that have been translated and it seems to be fairly open about your lifestyle etc. Why are you willing to open yourself to the world like that?

    KR: Probably you had a wrong translation. What about that? No, how is it secret, because I lived through it and there have been an awful lot of stories about it, a lot of things. I don’t know how you think it’s such a secret. I don’t think… it’s something that I decided to do. It’s just a short story until now, it’s not such a big thing in my view. Like I said, I lived through it and it just happens to be now it’s in a book. Probably most of the things a lot of people know, maybe not all, but I don’t feel that there is something different in my view, but obviously probably for you guys it is different

    Q: (Daniel Horvath – Racingline.hu) Kimi, as the oldest driver on the grid, what’s your personal feeling, how long can you perform at this level?

    KR: Hard to know. I don’t feel that I drive any differently than 10 years ago. I think I drive pretty well, in my books at least, and that’s enough for me. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t feel I can drive as well as I feel that I should. That my tool to measure and decide when it’s enough. Who knows. I don’t know. Maybe I wake up one morning and I just don’t know how to go fast any more. I don’t think there is a time. It’s more feelings and how do you feel yourself doing it – good or bad. People always say that the speed will disappear but until this day I feel that it hasn’t disappeared for me. But maybe there is a morning you wake up and it’s just not there anymore. It could be like that but I don’t think you just put a date, you just turn this old or that and it’s just not there. If you have it, you have it and if not… that’s it.

    Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Seb, do you feel any greater pressure performing in front of the Ferrari fans and how important do you think a win here would be in terms of your championship chances and the momentum that a victory in front of the Ferrari fans would bring?

    SV: I don’t know. If you win you score more points than others, that always helps. You don’t have to be a genius to make that out. Obviously here for us it’s a different story, so I think it’s a bit isolated from the rest of the year in terms of how special it is for the whole team. There are a lot of friends, a lot of family from all the guys here. We are in Italy, in the home country of Ferrari and I think everybody, not just us drivers, not only the Ferrari drivers, everybody can feel and sense that there is something special going on and I think we have probably the two most special seats this weekend but there are a lot of seats and there will be a lot of people, so to be honesty, looking forward to it. Yesterday was a great way to start the weekend, with the event we had in the city and there were a lot of people and to see how excited they are is definitely different than any other race where I thought people were already excited, but they’re more excited here. So looking forward to getting out in the car and just to look for the same sort of satisfaction and feeling we had last weekend. The car is performing so we hope it stays that way and to make it even better.

    Q: (Fulvio Solms – Corriere dello Sport) A question for Sebastian. Why after your victory in Belgian nobody in your team, neither you nor anybody else, remembers so big a figure like Sergio Marchionne?

    SV: I don’t think that’s fair from you to say. One is the comments we give in the press but we are aware just how big he has been, not just for our team, but for the whole group behind and obviously knowing him he was a big supporter of Ferrari, of racing, and he was interested in going ahead and at some point you have to let things rest and look forward and I think that’s probably the way he wanted it to be and it’s probably a sign of respect, that you’re not trying to dig something up and especially in times like now, let things rest.

    Q: (Alessandro Sala – Tercer Equipo) Question for the men in red, the first one to Sebastian. If this year you should be World Champion, we should read next year ‘my five titles’ biography? And for Kimi, both Ferraris first row, at the beginning of the first variante, which should be your move if you are side-by-side with Sebastian?
    SV:     I’m not planning to write a book. I’m not sure I can compete with Kimi. I haven’t read it because it’s in Finnish but… yeah… I mean. If that would be an idea for the headline, obviously that would be great if it happens to be like that but there’s a lot of would and should and could. So, not interested at that point. Yeah, as I said, I don’t think my book is as exciting. Maybe need to wait more years.
    KR: I don’t know. We’ll see. Obviously our aim is to be with both cars in the front and then see how it plays out – but obviously we know what we can do. We can race each other and we always try to beat each other but to be fair at the same time. I don’t see anything different on that

    Q: (Giles Richards – The Guardian) Sebastian, given the advantage you enjoyed at Spa, is it something you think Mercedes can come back from – or do you think you’re going to hold that power advantage to the end of the season?
    SV:     Well, first of all, I find it quite nice that we get put in this position. I think people forget that maybe for the last five years, Mercedes has been absolutely dominant, especially in terms of power unit, and obviously, it’s nice from them to put us in that position because it means they believe they are not the strongest any more. So, it’s good to be up there with them and be a match but I don’t think we can take anything for granted. I don’t think we are anywhere near in the place they have been in the last years. So, I think we have to work hard to make things happen, and we are determined to work hard this weekend to put ourselves in the same position again, that we have a great pace in the weekend and especially in the race on Sunday.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) To Sebastian and Kimi, it’s more or less in the line of your last answer, Maurizio Arrivabene said that it’s very important for Ferrari to push Mercedes, they are not used to it over the last four years at least – but it’s also true that many people believe you have the best car, and many Italians say Ferrari has a great chance of being World Champion this year. If you go outside you hear this from many Italians. You feel this pressure that will exist?

    SV: Not really. We know our car best and I think we have a lot of people on board telling us how good our car is on which point of the track, at which point of the year, similar to other teams. I think we know what’s going on. We know we have a great car. I think we have a good car that seems to have worked so far on more or less every track. Some better, some a little but worse but I think we are aware we have a good package but we cannot rest on that. I think we need to make it happen. Kimi and myself in the car, all the engineering crew at the track, everybody back in Maranello to try to put everything together. So, I don’t think you can compare to maybe the position other people have been in years ago. It doesn’t matter, I’m also not keen to compare because we’re looking forwards and we want to do our thing. As I said, looking forward to getting in the car. It’s a great feeling when you step inside the car and you know that you can fight for first position, for the podium, for victory on Sunday. That’s what you want as a driver but for the rest I think it’s healthy not to overthink.

    KR: I don’t think there’s any more pressure. I think all the pressure is that we want to do well: ourselves; our team. So that’s normal pressure that we put unto ourselves and something that we want to achieve. So, I don’t know. Is our package best? One weekend yes, next might not be. It’s that close that small differences will dictate who’s fastest over that weekend or the race on Sundays. If you don’t get everything right, you might not win. So, it’s very close. Certain conditions; certain circuits, one is a bit better for one team and the next one for the other team. We’re talking small differences in the end result. So, we can only do our best and see what happens, where we end up on Sunday.

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Question for the two Ferrari drivers. Everyone’s talking about the engine improvement this year but it has been a collective growth from the team. Maybe not necessarily from last year but especially if you look back to 2016 when there wasn’t the progression from ’15 to ’16. So if you look at the work from 2016, how much has the team changed? Is it as much down to the way the team has reworked its structure as well as obviously improvements on the engine side.

    SV: Well, I think 2016 was a key year for us. Obviously it wasn’t great in terms of performance, especially after ’15, we finished second in the Constructors’, you naturally want to be closer, a lot closer and we were not. We lost a place. But I think in terms of setting ourselves up for the future ’16 was the most important year so far – at least since I’m with the team. Obviously ’17 we had a rule change that helped us to use that restructuring in general that’s been going on. I think we, since then, have been able to improve on all fronts. Whether it’s the car, the development throughout the season to keep the pace up; whether it’s engine power and its components. So, I think things are going in the right direction but I think the opponent that we had years ago was very , very strong, still is very, very strong but y’know it’s good to see we are getting stronger and, in some areas, maybe caught up. In some other areas maybe have a little bit of an edge. In the end that’s where we want to be – and beyond that. I think that’s our ambition: to be up there and to be at least on the level so we can fight for it and to keep that level throughout the year, and if there’s a gap then to increase that gap. I think that things are looking in the right way but saying that, we still have a lot of things that we can improve, and still have potential that can be unleashed, a lot of processes that I think can be improved, so we have to work and focus on those and go step-by-step.

    Kimi anything to add?

    KR: No.

    Q: (Jonathan McEvoy – Daily Mail) To Seb. Lewis made some remarks after the last race about that he couldn’t explain how fast your … how fast you were. Would you… I mean presumably you take this opportunity to say that everything in the Ferrari is above board and legal and b) does that give us a glimpse into Lewis’ mindset that he’s not quite sure how to deal with the Ferrari and the strength of it at the moment?

    SV: I don’t know. I think you need to ask him but I think he said in the press conference something with tricks – but then I think he said quite many times as well that he doesn’t want it to be interpreted in the wrong way and I think – maybe he did – I’m not so sure but  for all us, in terms of is the car legal or not, there’s the FIA responsible for it and I think we have several checks throughout the weekend to prove that. So as long as I don’t hear anything from that front then I believe it’s fine. Same for the others. So, as I said, maybe it’s more a question for him. And for us, it’s to keep out head down. If there’s something like momentum, then to use that momentum to make sure we go forwards.

    Q: (Ian Parkes – New York Times) Question to Seb and Kimi. Given the performance in Belgium from Ferrari, and given the comments that emanated from both Mercedes and Lewis post-race, do you think you have Mercedes worried for the first time in five seasons, for the rest of this season. And, if so, how can you play on that and make it to your advantage.

    SV: To be very honest with you, I don’t feel anything related to Mercedes. I feel Ferrari, and especially this weekend – and that’s what I want to enjoy. I don’t know in which state or mind they are. I think, y’know, we are obviously up against the best if you fight for the front positions. And Mercedes have proven to be the best over the last years. I think they have been for many reasons. What we want to do, obviously, is to beat them – so we need to be better than them. I think that’s what we need to focus on. In which shape they are, and so on, I think it’s more for them to answer. As I said, this weekend, I don’t feel anything with Mercedes. I feel Ferrari – so looking forwards to that.

    Kimi, anything to add?

    KR: No.

    Do you feel you’ve got Mercedes rattled?

    KR: I don’t know. You need to talk to them. Obviously, I don’t know. I’m not really interested in what their thoughts are. We do our stuff and try to do the best that we can and obviously improve and go forwards.

    Q: (Alessandro Bucci – ItaliaRacing.net) A question for each driver. Which is, or which are, your favourite Italian Grands Prix during your career.

    RG: I haven’t had really any good ones here! I try to remind… 2009: no. Where did we end up in ’12 and ’13? ’12 I didn’t race. ’13 I can’t remember. We were not very fast on low downforce. ’14 I’m not talking about… no, nothing outstanding here.

    SP: For me it was a great race 2012. Making it into the podium. Into the last laps, beating both Ferraris to the podium was a great race that I definitely remember well. Obviously the podium here is very special. It’s a nice experience. The atmosphere from the tifosi was very special, definitely. My biggest memory was 2012.

    KR: I enjoyed going to Imola also. Good racing. I don’t know. I’ve never had very good races at either places but that was a really nice circuit to race. It’s close by. I call it an Italian Grand Prix. Here, not one that would probably be better than the others. Some decent, let’s say.

    Seb, how about you?

    SV: Personal one, obviously 2008. I don’t think that… well, we’ll see, maybe there is a chance that something better comes up but when it comes to my racing here, I think 2008, the first win ever, it always stands out to be something special. The way it happened as well. Then in memory, or what I’ve heard about I think the ’88 Grand Prix will never be beaten in terms of importance for this country, for the tifosi, for racing here. And I remember, was there a race with three cars finishing close to each other? Was it the tightest finish? Five cars? That must have been a great race. I wasn’t there, obviously. By a long way! None of us what – but I think that must have been a great race to watch and follow. And then, as I said, the ’88, what it meant, obviously for Ferrari.

    Q: (Barbara Premoli – Motorinolimits.com) Question for Kimi. I know you won’t answer me –but I need only to see your expression. In Monza, we have always had a big announcement. So, we have to expect something? Lift the cap! Look at me.

    KR: Better glasses maybe? You need to talk to the team. It’s not up to me. That’s about it. Not my decision in the end.

    PART TWO: DRIVERS – Nico HULKENBERG (Renault) , Charles LECLERC (Alfa Romeo Sauber), Esteban OCON (Racing Point Force India), Sergey SIROTKIN (Williams)

    Q: Nico, can we start with you please and take a look back at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix and what happened at the start, specifically talking about the halo because opinion was divided about that prior to the start of the season, even among the drivers? Has your accident with Charles Leclerc changed your mind about the halo?

    Nico HULKENBERG: For sure. I think it’s proven pretty useful and a good device. Obviously we can only speculate what would have happened without it but it looked pretty clear from the point that the tyre marks were obviously all over the halo and from that point of view it’s done a very good job, to keep the head safe.

    Q: And looking ahead to this weekend, Nico, you’re carrying a ten place grid penalty but what do you think you can do in the Renault?

    NH: Yeah, it’s obviously not going to be an easy weekend, carrying that penalty. Monza, perhaps a difficult track for us but it is what it is. We approach this weekend open-minded and want to deliver a good weekend and specially have a good race on Sunday, regardless of where we start or how difficult it seems. It’s always fun to race around here so just look forward to getting back in the car tomorrow and start this weekend.

    Q: Charles, what was your over-riding emotion after the race on Sunday?

    Charles LECLERC: The frustration to have not finished the race, to be honest. I was just very frustrated because obviously in the last few races we have been quite unlucky. Then looking back at the images (of the accident) we can’t know what will have happened without it (the halo) but obviously I was quite happy to have it over my head and as Nico said, I think it deserves to be in Formula One now, whether it looks good or bad, I don’t think that matters any more.

    Q: And we’re at Monza, last European race of the year. There’s quite a lot of talk about next season. Just wondering if there’s any movement on what you’ll be doing in 2019?

    CL: For now, not really. For now, I didn’t have any information so I’m just waiting and hopefully I’ll be able to say soon.

    Q: Esteban, a lot of chat about 2019 this afternoon, so Spa last weekend was a spectacular result for you. Just talk us through your emotions after the race and how you feel it’s going to impact on your job prospects going forward?

    Esteban OCON: Well, thank you very much, first of all. Of course it was a fantastic weekend and a fantastic qualifying, obviously. After tough time, we are back in a great way. It brings joy to everyone in the team, the mechanics, the engineers, everybody was pushing hard and had tough times but that’s totally behind, everyone’s happy now and of course then the cherry on the cake, the fifth and sixth in the race. A good start from me as well and a good result in the end with 18 points and we couldn’t come back in a better way and start in a better way.

    Q: Sergey, if there are changes at Force India in 2019, there’s a chance they might affect Williams as well so what can you tell us about your job prospects going forward?

    Sergey SIROTKIN: Obviously I can follow on the changes that could probably happen. I’m afraid I don’t know much more than what I can read on the websites but in terms of myself, I think – I’ve said this a couple of times already – I think I quite clearly really know my position in the team. I think I’m quite happy with the job I’m doing for them. They know my position, they know what they can get from me so if you want a concrete answer I’m afraid not right now,  right here, but if I have any worries, I’m afraid (inaudible)

    Q: But it felt good to run in the points for the first time last weekend though?

    SS: It’s been good to run in the points but the best thing is that finally we have the pace to be fighting, not just me running there because of whatever happened, but because we had the pace for it. It has been a very good weekend. I think we can take a lot of positives from there.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, RaceFans.net) Nico, if we go back to Spa last year you are quoted as saying that you are totally anti the halo, not only because it looks stupid but the likelihood is minimal that an accident will happen in which a halo is actually helpful. Do you still agree with that statement?

    NH: I think… whilst I am still not a big fan of halo and the device, I have to see the facts and admit that it does bring something to Formula One, especially the safety that we appreciate in the car. Yeah, divided, mixed feelings about it still but it’s not down to me anyway. It is what it is.

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Esteban, the result last weekend, the performance in qualifying and the race, did that do anything for you in terms of settling you down for your short term future or are you now more confident about what’s going to happen to you between now and the end of this season, let alone 2019?

    EO: Well, I hope it does definitely help. As a driver, the only talk you can do is on the track anyway, so that’s what I’m trying to do at the moment but yeah, still no news, only rumours and talk so as soon as I know more, I will let you know.

    Q: (Daniel Majer – Origo.hu) Obviously Monza is all about speed and you were not racing under the V10 regulations but at that time, speed records were broken here. If you would chose just for this particular Grand Prix to switch to cars that are much faster in a straightline, would you do that or are the current ones OK?

    SS: Honestly, I didn’t know the cars and how they’ve been in those times but I think this year’s cars are quite quick in a straightline. Obviously they’re missing a lot of engine sound but from the pure speed-wise I don’t think they’re any slower than what they’ve been in whatever year you say with the V10s. So yeah, I wish I could try them a couple of times, but if I would swap them for the weekend I’m not sure.

    EO: For sure, the sound was amazing back in the days of the V10s, V12s, also V8s were very nice but the cars we are running now, they are breaking all the track records so I think they’re quick enough, 1000 horsepower, amazing speed, so yeah, it’s quite enough.

    CL: I think in the same way as Esteban. I think a bit more sound would be nice but again, I’m extremely happy about driving these cars. As you said, we’ve broken quite a lot of records this year; I think it’s one of the fastest cars – probably the fastest car – in F1’s history so very happy to be in this.

    NH: Yeah, nothing more to add. Mid-2000s, V10s?

    Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Charles, as an Alfa Romeo driver and member of the Ferrari Academy, what is your feeling driving in Monza this weekend?

    CL: It’s absolutely amazing. Also in the past few years, Monza has always been a track where I’ve always had a lot of support, first being part of the Ferrari Academy  of course and yeah, also this year arriving at the track this morning, you can really see that with the return of Alfa Romeo, an Italian brand, that there’s a lot of interest in us and a lot of people are here for us which is great to see. I actually had more support this morning here than I had the Thursday in Monaco so it feels a little bit like a home race and it definitely gives a big boost to the whole team.

    Q: (Fulvio Solms – Corriera dello Sport) Charles, you have a strong Italian side and spent so much time in this country. So which are your best and your worst memories of your Italian period?

    CL: My best memory, it’s probably my first ever car win that I’ve had in Italy, in Monza actually, here, in 2014. I can remember I had quite tough first races in car racing and finally I could manage to win my first race here in Monza, so that’s probably my best memory. My worst memory? I don’t have much, to be honest. Probably when my tyre went flat on the motorway next to Maranello, that wasn’t a great memory.

    Q: (Joe van Burik – Autocar NL) Charles, following the halo debate that’s gone on after Spa, I was wondering to get your thoughts if you’re more aware of driver safety in F1 following the accident of your friend Jules Bianchi?

    CL: Obviously it has been a big shock when I… when we all lost Jules. It was very sudden. I don’t really get the question. Can you repeat it? What do you want me to…?

    Q: (Joe van Burik – Autocar NL) Just wondering if you’re more aware of safety maybe added by the halo device, following that accident?

    CL: Speaking for Jules, it wouldn’t have helped anything because the cause was not… it was just a shock and the shock was too big. Then I believe that in certain circumstances it can help. If it helped or not at Spa I have no idea but in some circumstances it can help so I think it’s a good thing to have.

    Q: (Daniel Horvath – Racingline.hu) Charles, what about your future, when can we expect some news?

    CL: I have no news for now. As I said earlier I’m just waiting for some information and as soon as I know, I will let you know but for now I don’t know.

    Q: (Alex Roos – L’Equipe) Esteban, can you explain why Monza is a special GP and how it’s different from the other ones?

    EO: I think for a few reasons it’s the temple of speed so the speeds we are achieving are massive. Racing is good because of the long straight, the slipstream. We run low downforce and yeah, it makes great racing overall so that’s the technical part. And then the atmosphere is just very much different to anywhere and the tifosi are amazing fans and they give us a lot of support and they are here, then they are massively here, waiting for us when we arrive at the entrance. It’s such a happy and joyous… everyone’s happy to be here and you don’t live those moments at a Grand Prix everywhere like that and it’s very special.

    Q: (Barbara Premoli – Motorinolimits.com) Charles, can you explain to normal people like us how your body and mind reacts to a big shunt like the one we saw in Spa last week?

    CL: To be honest, I think it looked a lot bigger on TV than it actually was. I felt, obviously, Fernando going over me but it was not like it was a big big shock. So yeah, the only thing I had in my mind is that I was just hoping for some miracle that the car was not damaged enough to go back to the pits but obviously when I looked in the mirrors again I saw that everything was gone so I couldn’t… I just found a way to stop the car and that’s it. But yeah, the images look very spectacular but from inside the car it was not such a big shunt.

  • Force India quotes ahead of Monza race: F1

    Monza, 29 Aug 2018: Sahara Force India in its new avatar as Racing Point Force India began their debut with a stunning double point finish at the top and despite losing all the previous points made a stunning beginning to garner a healthy score in Belgium. As they move to the tricky but fastest circuit in Monza we have here the Drivers’ Eye:

    Sergio Perez: “I’m feeling really positive after such a strong weekend in Spa. The points we scored are very important and our performance across the entire weekend shows what a great group of people we have in this team. The car was quick and I was happy with our race pace. I think we came away with our maximum result all things considered.

    “I’m really motivated for the final eight races as well. I know we have new parts coming to the car and there is a feeling of excitement in the team. It’s going to be interesting to see how competitive we can be in Monza and whether we can continue with the speed we showed in Spa.

    “Monza is always special and I love the old-school track. It’s high-speed and narrow, and it’s important that we keep coming back to these classic circuits. I’ve had good results in Monza in the past and I just love the energy and passion of the crowd. It’s always a really special race.”

    Esteban Ocon: “I spent a lot of time in Italy when I was younger and I just love the country. I made a lot of friends so it’s always nice to see everybody again. Racing in Monza is something special because you can feel the huge love the locals have for motorsport. The atmosphere from the Tifosi is incredible – for all the drivers.

    “The track is only made up of 11 corners, but there are a lot of places that can catch you out. Parabolica is a really quick corner and it’s very difficult to get it just right. The same is true of the Lesmo corners. With the modern F1 cars, the Variante Ascari is also very nice to drive – you are almost flat out and need to be very precise.

    “We achieve some incredible speeds along the straights and I think the layout is going to suit our package. Last year I had a special race there: I was third on the grid and finished sixth, so I hope we can be in the points again this year.”

    Otmar Szafnauer said: “The last few weeks have been a period of transition for the team, but with the support of the Commercial Rights Holder, the FIA, and our fellow competitors we returned to competition in Spa. Getting some points on the board was the priority and to come away with fifth and sixth places was a wonderful reward for the entire team.

    “The new ownership gives us a welcome injection of stability and investment. We retain a wonderful group of people working back at base and trackside, and with the off-track distractions now behind us we can concentrate on doing what we do best – building cars and going racing. Our performance level in Spa was a real credit to the entire team. The sight of Esteban and Sergio challenging for the lead on lap one is an image that we will cherish.

    “We head to Monza determined to deliver more points. We need to keep up the momentum from Spa. Monza is all about top speed and stability on the brakes, and I think it will play to our strengths. Looking further ahead, we have more performance to introduce to the car over the next few events, hopefully starting from Singapore.”

  • Racing Point Force India smashes fundraising target for Breast Cancer Care

    Since partnering in May 2017, Racing Point Force India F1 Team has surpassed their halfway fundraising target by raising over £165,000 for UK-wide specialist-support charity Breast Cancer Care. They are on track to double this figure by the end of 2020.

    The innovative partnership between Racing Point Force India and Breast Cancer Care has forged a global platform for breast cancer by raising awareness of the disease within the Formula One arena for the first time. The partnership has inspired Formula One, fans and teams to increase awareness of breast cancer and to raise much-needed funds for Breast Cancer Care.

    Racing Point Force India aims to go further in their efforts by raising £250,000 for Breast Cancer Care by 2020. The most recent fundraising activities took place during the British leg of the Grand Prix at Silverstone. These ranged from auctions, raffles, car washes and collections, to water bottle donations in collaboration with their partner, the Best Water Technology Group.

    The partnership is raising vital awareness of breast cancer within the Formula One community by sharing inspiring stories of people affected by the disease. Four people’s names will be printed on the Racing Point Force India cars at various races throughout the season to raise awareness of the impact a diagnosis of breast cancer can have on an individual and their loved ones. The first two names were unveiled at the British Grand Prix: Carter Baldock-Hubbard and Stuart Weaver. Carter’s mother, Tina Baldock, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 14 weeks pregnant and gave birth to Carter just one week after finishing chemotherapy. Stuart Weaver, who is living with incurable secondary breast cancer, was delighted at the opportunity to raise awareness of breast cancer in men. The further two names will be revealed at the US Grand Prix in October.

    Steve Curnow, Commercial Director of Racing Point Force India: “We are immensely proud of what we have achieved so far in partnership with Breast Cancer Care. Their work is making a real difference for all those affected by breast cancer and we are doing our part to increase awareness not only of Breast Cancer Care’s contribution, but also of the personal stories of the individuals who have been touched by this disease. We will be renewing our efforts to raise funds for the charity, with our target of a quarter of a million pounds edging closer by the day, and we are looking forward to seeing the pink ribbon on our cars again soon.”

    Steve Lucas, Director of Fundraising and Marketing at Breast Cancer Care: “We are incredibly grateful to Racing Point Force India for going above and beyond with their support – not just with their fantastic fundraising but by honouring Tina, Carter and Stuart with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was a special day to remember for all involved that put people affected by breast cancer at the heart of the Formula One community. The £165,000 that Racing Point Force India have raised to date will help Breast Cancer Care to meet the increasing demand on our specialist-support services and bring us closer to being able to support the 619,000 currently living in the UK following a breast cancer diagnosis”.

    For more information about Breast Cancer Care, visit breastcancercare.org.uk

    About Breast Cancer Care 

    Breast Cancer Care is the only specialist UK wide charity providing support for women, men, family and friends affected by breast cancer. We’ve been caring for them, supporting them, and campaigning on their behalf since 1973.

    Today, we continue to offer a unique range of support including reliable information, one-to-one support over the phone and online from nurses and people who’ve been there. We also offer local group support across the UK.

    From the moment someone notices something isn’t right, through to their treatment and beyond, we’re there to help people affected by breast cancer feel more in control. breastcancercare.org.uk

    About Force India and Breast Cancer Care

    Force India and Breast Cancer Care’s three year partnership kicked off in May 2017 and is on track to achieve and even surpass its £250,000 fundraising target for Breast Cancer Care by 2020, with £120,000 already raised to support people affected by breast cancer.

    The innovative partnership has brought breast cancer into the Formula One arena and in front of a global audience for the first time. The aim is to continue uniting partners, fans and teams to raise awareness of breast cancer, as well as funds to support the increasing number of men, women and families affected by breast cancer.
    ends

  • Sebastian Vettel beats Hamilton; Verstappen third: Belgian GP

    Sebastian Vettel beats Hamilton; Verstappen third: Belgian GP


    Vettel celebrates after winning Belgian GP on Sunday. An FIA image

    Sebastian Vettel closed the gap on championship leader Lewis Hamilton with a controlled drive to the flag after overtaking the championship leader on a chaotic first lap defined by a Turn 1 collision that took out Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and Sauber’s Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen took the final podium spot Red Bull Racing.

    At the start, Vettel got away well to immediately put pole-sitter Hamilton under pressure. But behind chaos was unfolding. Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, starting from P18, locked up massively on the approach to La Source and slammed into the back of Fernando Alonso’s McLaren. The Spaniard’s car became airborne and after his front wing scythed through the rear wing of Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull, Alonso flew across the top of Charles Leclerc’s Sauber. Alonso and Leclerc were immediately ruled out of the race while Ricciardo limped back to the pits for repairs.

    There was more drama, in Turn 1 involving Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen. The Finn was hit by the out of control Ricciardo as they exited La Source and sustained a rear right puncture. He pitted at the end of the lap for a new set of Medium tyres. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas was also involved in a collision, running into the back of Lance Stroll’s Williams. Bottas too pitted for repairs.

    At the front, Vettel managed to get a run on Hamilton out of Raidillon and on the long Kemmel Straight the Ferrari stole the lead moments before the race was neutralised by the appearance of the Safety Car.

    When racing resumed on lap five, with Ricciardo back on track, but two laps down, following extensive repairs, Vettel held off Hamilton at the restart to retain the lead. Sergio Perez was now third ahead of Racing Point Force India team-mate Esteban Ocon.

    Ocon’s hold on fourth place wouldn’t last long however. Verstappen was already closing in and he passed the Frenchman with a good move down the inside into Les Combes.

    He repeated the overtake, though this time around the outside, to pass the Perez on lap 10 and the Red Bull driver quickly began to pull away from the pack as he tried to stay with leader Vettel and second-placed Hamilton.

    Further back, Bottas was on a charge and on lap 12, armed with quicker supersoft tyres, he passed Williams’ Sergey Sirotkin to claim 10th place and on lap 17 he breezed past Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson to take ninth place.

    At the front, Hamilton was now just 3.3s behind Vettel and lapping marginally quicker than the Ferrari, while Verstappen had slipped almost 14s behind the Mercedes. Perez was a further 11 seconds behind in fourth, with Ocon 4.2 adrift of his team-mate. The Haas cars of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen lay in sixth and seventh respectively, with Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly in eighth place ahead of Bottas.

    On lap 21, Hamilton attempted to undercut Vettel by pitting for soft tyres, but Vettel was alive to the threat and after a good in-lap he pitted for soft tyres on lap 22 and emerged in front. The pair were briefly separated by Verstappen, but Hamilton quickly dismissed the Red Bull driver and once again set off in pursuit of title rival Vettel.

    The chase was in vain, however. With the benefit of clear air, Vettel was able to eke out a gap and by lap 36 he had built a 5.1s gap to the Mercedes man, with Verstappen now almost 25s further back. The podium positions were sealed.

    The race was now about how far Bottas could climb up the order. After his second pit stop, the Finn found himself in P6 behind the Force Indias of Ocon and Perez.

    He made light work of catching Ocon and on lap 31 he breezed past the Frenchman on the Kemmel Straight and by lap 37 he was 3s behind Perez, with the Mexican being told the Mercedes driver would catch him on the last lap.

    Bottas wasn’t prepared to wait that long, however, and on lap 40 he closed up behind Perez on the run down from La Source and easily powered past the Force India man on the Kemmel Straight.

    And that was it. A little over four laps later Vettel took the flag for his 52nd career win ahead of Hamilton while Verstappen gave the huge crowd of Dutch fans something to cheer as scored his 16th career podium finish with third place.

    Behind Verstappen, Bottas took fourth spot, while Racing Point Force India scored their first championship points courtesy of Perez’s fifth place and Ocon’s sixth-place finish. Grosjean finished seventh ahead of Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen, Pierre Gasly scored two points for Toro Rosso with an excellent drive to ninth place and the final point on offer went to Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson.

    2018 Belgian Grand Prix – Race 
    1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 11.061
    3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 31.372
    4 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:03.605
    5 Sergio Perez Force India 1:11.023
    6 Esteban Ocon Force India 1:19.520
    7 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:25.953
    8 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:27.639
    9 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1:45.892
    10 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1 lap
    11 Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault 1 lap
    12 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 1 lap
    13 Lance Stroll Williams 1 lap
    14 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1 lap
    15 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1 lap
    16 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing
    17 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari
    18 Charles Leclerc Sauber
    19 Fernando Alonso McLaren
    20 Nico Hulkenberg Renault

  • Hamilton takes pole; Ocon, Perez put new Force Indias on P3 & P4 for a superb debut

    Hamilton takes pole; Ocon, Perez put new Force Indias on P3 & P4 for a superb debut

    Hamilton (centre) pole, Ocon (right) takes P3 at Belgian GP on Saturday. An FIA image

    Spa, 25 Aug 2018: Lewis Hamilton took his 77th career pole position at Spa-Francorchamps, making the most of difficult wet conditions in the final Q3 segment of qualifying to beat Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and surprise third-placed qualifier Esteban Ocon of Racing Point Force India to the front of the grid for the Belgian Grand Prix.

    In the early stages of Q1, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen led the way using soft tyres to set a time 1:42.585. He was joined on the yellow-banded rubber by team-mate Vettel, who slotted into P2, and the Mercedes drivers. Red Bull’s Verstappen then briefly split the red and silver cars, however, using supersofts to take P3 ahead of Hamilton.

    The championship leader soon moved to second spot, though, with a lap of 1:42.99 and with five minutes remaining Räikkönen sat in P1 ahead of Hamilton, Vettel and Verstappen.

    In the second Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas, who is set to start at the back of tomorrow’s grid due to engine penalties, was late to the action, only emerging in the final minutes of the session. Using supersoft tyres he jumped to P2 ahead of Hamilton with a lap of 1:42.805. The top five drivers, Räikkönen, Bottas, Hamilton, Vettel and Verstappen then stayed in the garages as the clock counted down.

    Bottas’ vault up the order left Sauber’s Marcus Ericssson, the McLarens of Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, and the Williams cars of Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin in the drop zone.

    And it was Ericsson who made the big jump in the final moments, with the Swede putting in a good lap of 1:43.846 to vault to tenth place.

    Elsewhere, Carlos Sainz was complaining of a lack of grip and it was the Renault driver who slipped down into the P16 slot vacated by Ericsson. Sainz was thus eliminated ahead of Alonso, Sirotkin, Stroll and Vandoorne.

    Raikkonen again set the pace early in Q2, posting a time of 1:41.627 to sit just under two tenths of a second clear of Hamilton, with Vettel a further three tenths of a second back.

    Vettel climbed to the top of the order in the final runs, with a lap of 1:41.501, while Raikkonen held on to second place ahead of Hamilton and Bottas. Verstappen went through to Q3 with a lap of 1:42.554 ahead of Racing Point Force India’s Sergio Perez and Haas’ Romain Grosjean, while Daniel Ricciardo was eighth in the second Red Bull ahead of the second Racing Point of Esteban Ocon and the second Haas of Kevin Magnussen.

    That meant that out went the Toro Rosso’s of 11th-placed Pierre Gasly and 12th-placed Brendon Hartley, while Sauber’s Charles Leclerc qualified in P13 ahead of Ericsson and Hulkenberg.

    The rain that had been threatening for some time eventually began to fall just as the field took to the track for the start of Q3, on slick tyres. The wet weather quickly intensified and by the end of opening laps the conditions were proving treacherous and as a slew of cars spun and rejoined all the drivers headed for the pit lane to move to intermediate tyres.

    The Red Bulls of the Verstappen and Ricciardo were first out on track again and Verstappen quickly moved into provisional pole position with a time of 2:02.849, while Ricciardo took P2, two seconds adrift of his team-mate thanks to a mid-lap off.

    Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen then moved to P1 with a lap of 2:02.671, while Ricciardo improved to apparently consolidate his hold on P3. Vettel then dropped the Red Bulls to P3 and P4 as he bypassed Raikkonen to take provisional pole with a lap of 2:02.446.

    The rain was now easing off, track conditions were rapidly improving and timing would be crucial. Raikkonen, along with the Red Bull drivers missed out on getting in a final lap and they were quickly eclipsed by Racing Point Force India’s Sergio Perez and Haas’ Romain Grosjean who jumped ahead of them.

    Hamilton then made the biggest improvement, vaulting to pole position with a lap of 1:58.179. Esteban Ocon also improved in the second Racing Point Force India and the Frenchman scored a career best qualifying result with third behind Hamilton and Vettel. Perez took fourth in the second Racing Point car ahead of Grosjean and Raikkonen, while Verstappen was forced to settle for seventh place, with Ricciardo in eighth position ahead of the second Haas’ of Kevin Magnussen and the second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. Bottas, who is set to take an engine-related grid penalty tomorrow didn’t set a time in Q3.

    2018 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix – Qualifying
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:58.179
    2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:58.905 0.726
    3 Esteban Ocon Racing Point Force India 2:01.851 3.672
    4 Sergio Perez Racing Point Force India 2:01.894 3.715
    5 Romain Grosjean Haas 2:02.122 3.943
    6 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 2:02.671 4.492
    7 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 2:02.769 4.590
    8 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 2:02.939 4.760
    9 Kevin Magnussen Haas 2:04.933 6.754
    10 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1:43.844
    11 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1:43.865
    12 Charles Leclerc Sauber 1:44.062
    13 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:44.301
    14 Carlos Sainz Renault 1:44.489
    15 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:44.917
    16 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 1:44.998
    17 Lance Stroll Williams 1:45.134
    18 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1:45.307
    19 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes
    20 Nico Hulkenberg Renault

  • Vettel quickest in FP3; Late crash for local hero, Vandoorne

    Vettel quickest in FP3; Late crash for local hero, Vandoorne

    Vettel quickest in FP3 on Saturday. An FIA image

    Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel topped the timesheet in final practice for the Belgian Grand Prix, finishing just six hundredths of a second ahead of team-mate Kimi Räikkönen in a session that was interrupted by a late crash for local hero Stoffel Vandoorne.

    The McLaren driver was on the hot lap of his qualifying simulation when he came across the slower Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas at the Raidillon corner. As Bottas took a wide line as he moved onto the Kemmel Straight, just as Vandoorne moved to pass the Mercedes around the outside. Vandoorne was pushed off track and immediately spun. He ended up against the barriers on the right side of the track, facing the wrong way, and the session was red-flagged.

    Bottas was quickly on the radio to explain that he had been unaware of the McLaren’s approach and the matter was set to be investigated after the session.

    Kimi Räikkönen set the early pace in the hour-long session, using supersoft tyres to set a time of 1:43.425. Vettel might have beaten that with his first run but the German lost time behind the slower Renault of Nico Hulkenberg.

    Räikkönen then held away until the Ferrari and Mercedes drivers went out on fresh sets of supersoft tyres.

    Raikkonen improved to initially hold the top spot with 20 minutes left on the clock as team-mate Vettel slotted into second place just 0.033s adrift of the Finn. Hamilton took third place.

    Vettel went for a second hot lap on the run and moved to top spot with a time of 1:42.661. Raikkonen followed suit but could only make a marginal improvement and he finished the session in second place, 0.063 behind the German.

    Those runs were then followed by Vandoorne’s crash. Following the resultant red flag period just two minutes of running remained and a queue of cars formed at the end of the pit lane. In the rush to take to track Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly spun at the pit exit but the Frenchman was able to recover and continue.

    Only a handful of drivers were able to make it across the line for a push lap before the chequered flag fell, ensuring that the top four order remained the same. Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, m,ade an improvement to 1:44.048 but stayed fifth.

    The Dutchman’s team-mate, Daniel Ricciardo, was sixth fastest, while Sauber’s Charles Leclerc took seventh place ahead of Racing Point Force India’s Sergio Perez, Hulkenberg and the second Racing Point car of Esteban Ocon.

    2018 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix – Free Practice 3 
    1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 13 1:42.661
    2 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 15 1:42.724 0.063
    3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 10 1:42.798 0.137
    4 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 13 1:43.464 0.803
    5 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 10 1:44.048 1.387
    6 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 13 1:44.479 1.818
    7 Charles Leclerc Sauber 12 1:44.963 2.302
    8 Sergio Perez Force India 10 1:45.341 2.680
    9 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 17 1:45.464 2.803
    10 Esteban Ocon Force India 13 1:45.485 2.824
    11 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 11 1:45.536 2.875
    12 Romain Grosjean Haas 12 1:45.814 3.153
    13 Carlos Sainz Renault 13 1:45.925 3.264
    14 Kevin Magnussen Haas 12 1:46.087 3.426
    15 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 16 1:46.182 3.521
    16 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 17 1:46.259 3.598
    17 Lance Stroll Williams 10 1:46.502 3.841
    18 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 11 1:46.630 3.969
    19 Fernando Alonso McLaren 16 1:46.942 4.281
    20 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 14 1:47.061 4.400