INDIA in F1

Tag: F1

  • Chance for Sahara Force India fans to go behind the scenes at its HQ in Silverstone

    Chance for Sahara Force India fans to go behind the scenes at its HQ in Silverstone

    Sahara Force India headquarters at Silverstone. A Force India image

    Silverstone, 7 Feb 2017: Sahara Force India is offering fans the unique opportunity to step through the doors of a Formula One team and experience the passion, excitement and exhilaration of the world’s fastest sport, the team announced through its website and through the twitter handle.

    Opening the doors to its usually secretive HQ, the team brings fans into the pulsating heart of our Silverstone base, just opposite the famous gates of the British GP circus. Discover where our VJM10 is designed and manufactured: on your tour, you will see all stages of this process, including the normally off-limits design office, inspection departments, proof testing, machining, composite manufacture, sub assembly, race bays, our simulator and of course, the cars themselves*.

    Discover just what it takes to go racing 20 times a year in one of the most competitive stages in the world – and get ready to Feel the Force!

    The tour will take approximately 90 minutes and includes refreshments and a gift. There will be a photo opportunity with an F1 car.

    Dates available for the next three months are as follows:

    February – Friday 24th
    March – Friday 3rd, 10th and Thursday 23rd and Friday 31st
    April – Thursday 6th and 13ths, Friday 21st and Thursday 27th

    For information and to get in touch, contact Rachel Moroney – rachel.moroney@forceindiaf1-tours.com.

  • Foresight & Vision partner with Sahara Force India

    Foresight & Vision partner with Sahara Force India

    Silverstone, 6 Feb 2017: Sahara Force India is pleased to welcome eyewear specialists, Foresight & Vision, as a partner for the 2017 season.
    The partnership will introduce eyewear brands, Eye Respect and LDNR, to the high profile world of Formula One racing with the Sahara Force India drivers and team members wearing a range of sunglasses at race events.
    The Eye Respect and LDNR brands combine fashion and practicality. Crafted by leading designers and made by hand, the brands have become a firm favourite for discerning users of spectacles andsunglasses.
    LDNR logos will appear on the team’s new car, the VJM10, as well as on the drivers’ race suits.
    Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director, Sahara Force India: “I’m very excited to begin our collaboration with Foresight & Vision. Formula One is the most glamorous global sport and a great match for a fashion brand. Eye Respect and LDNR have developed a wonderful range of glasses and sunglasses, which combine colour, style and elegance – the perfect addition to the Formula One paddock.”
    Jonathan van Blerk, CEO and Creative Director, Foresight & Vision: “Working with Sahara Force India is a perfect fit for our brand. We share their fighting spirit and we always strive to punch above our weight as we develop our eyewear brands. The Formula One environment gives us a fantastic opportunity to tell the world about our products and I’m truly delighted to begin our partnership with Sahara Force India.”
    eom/Sahara Force India press release

    Eye Respect Sahara Force India F1 Team Photoshoot.
    2nd February 2017.
    Silverstone, UK

  • FIA welcomes Liberty Media

    Paris, 24 Jan 2017: In a statement released on Tuesday, FIA, said: “The world governing body of motor sport, the FIA wishes to thank the outgoing CEO of the Formula One Group, Bernie Ecclestone for more than 40 years of dedication to the FIA Formula One World Championship and as a member of both the F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council.The FIA was responsible for creating Formula One when it established the first regulations for the category in 1946.”

    The Federation remains committed to regulating the FIA Formula One World Championship fairly, safely, and in the best interests of the sport – as it has strived to do since its inception 67 years ago.

    The FIA President, Jean Todt, congratulated the new owners of the Formula One Group, Liberty Media Corporation.

    “As Formula One’s governing body, the FIA would like to welcome the new CEO, Chase Carey and his entire team to the Championship.

    “The whole FIA organisation is looking forward to working closely together, with the common goal of improving and growing the sport further with the support of the highly recognised skills of Liberty Media Corporation in the media and sport domains.”

    eom

  • Bernie’s 40-year reign comes to an end as Liberty appoints Chase Carey as CEO

    Formula 1 Appoints Chase Carey as Chief Executive Officer and Bernie Ecclestone as Chairman Emeritus

    ENGLEWOOD, Colo. & LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Liberty Media Corporation (“Liberty Media”) (Nasdaq: LSXMA, LSXMB, LSXMK, BATRA, BATRK, LMCA, LMCK) and Delta Topco, the parent company of Formula 1 (Delta Topco herein referred to as “Formula 1” or “F1”) announced today that Liberty Media has completed its previously announced acquisition of F1, the iconic global motorsports business, from a consortium of sellers (the “Selling Shareholders”). F1 has appointed Chase Carey as Chief Executive Officer of F1, in addition to his existing role as Chairman, and Bernie Ecclestone as Chairman Emeritus of F1. Bernie Ecclestone, who has given valuable service to F1 over many years, will be available as a source of advice for the board of F1.

    Greg Maffei, President and CEO of Liberty Media Corporation, commented:

    “We are delighted to have completed the acquisition of F1 and that Chase will lead this business as CEO. There is an enormous opportunity to grow the sport, and we have every confidence that Chase, with his abilities and experience, is the right person to achieve this. I’d like to thank Bernie Ecclestone, who becomes Chairman Emeritus, for his tremendous success in building this remarkable global sport.”

    Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO of F1, said:

    “I am excited to be taking on the additional role of CEO. F1 has huge potential with multiple untapped opportunities. I have enjoyed hearing from the fans, teams, FIA, promoters and sponsors on their ideas and hopes for the sport. We will work with all of these partners to enhance the racing experience and add new dimensions to the sport and we look forward to sharing these plans overtime.”

    “I would like to recognise and thank Bernie for his leadership over the decades. The sport is what it is today because of him and the talented team of executives he has led, and he will always be part of the F1 family. Bernie’s role as Chairman Emeritus befits his tremendous contribution to the sport and I am grateful for his continued insight and guidance as we build F1 for long-term success and the enjoyment of all those involved.”

    Bernie Ecclestone, Chairman Emeritus of F1, added:

    “I’m proud of the business that I built over the last 40 years and all that I have achieved with Formula 1, and would like to thank all of the promoters, teams, sponsors and television companies that I have worked with. I’m very pleased that the business has been acquired by Liberty and that it intends to invest in the future of F1. I am sure that Chase will execute his role in a way that will benefit the sport.”

    The consideration for Liberty Media’s acquisition of 100% of the shares of F1(1) was comprised of cash and newly issued Series C shares of the Liberty Media Group tracking stock (“LMCK”) and a debt instrument exchangeable into shares of LMCK. The transaction price represents an enterprise value for F1 of $8.0 billion and an equity value of $4.4 billion(2).

    With the completion of the acquisition, the Liberty Media Group will shortly be renamed the Formula One Group and the ticker symbols for the Series A, Series B and Series C Liberty Media Grouptracking stocks will be changed from LMC (A/B/K), respectively, to FWON (A/B/K), respectively, soon after the group name change has become effective. Liberty Media expects the group name change and the symbol change to occur later this week. F1 will remain based in London and Greg Maffei will be Deputy Chair of the board of F1.

    The Selling Shareholders received a mix of consideration comprising: $3.05 billion in cash, approximately 56 million newly issued shares of LMCK and a $351 million exchangeable debt instrument to be issued by F1 and exchangeable into shares of LMCK. The cash component of the acquisition was funded from cash on hand at the Liberty Media Group. The newly issued LMCK shares are subject to market co-ordination and lock-up agreements.

    F1, along with $4.1 billion of existing F1 debt (which is non-recourse to Liberty Media) and $0.7 billion in F1 cash(3), is attributed to the Liberty Media Group tracking stock.

    Concurrently with the consummation of the acquisition, certain third party investors subscribed for $1.55 billion of newly issued shares of LMCK at a price of $25.00 per share. The proceeds from this investment were used to increase the cash portion of the aggregate consideration payable to the Selling Shareholders. The third parties are Coatue Management, L.L.C., D. E. Shaw Group, JANA Partners LLC, Ruane, Cunniff & Goldfarb Inc., Soroban Capital Partners LP, SPO Advisory Corp., andViking Global Investors LP (collectively the “Third Party Investors”).

    Also concurrently with the completion of the acquisition, Liberty Media used the net proceeds of its previously announced cash convertible senior notes offering to increase the cash consideration payable to the Selling Shareholders by approximately $400 million for total cash consideration of $3.05 billion and retain in treasury the approximately 19 million shares that would otherwise have been issuable to the Selling Shareholders based on the per share purchase price of $21.26. These LMCK shares will be reserved by Liberty for possible sale to the F1 teams. To the extent such shares are not sold to F1 teams within six months following the closing of the F1 acquisition, the shares will be retired.

    The aggregate number of LMCK shares issued at the F1 closing was allocated as follows: approximately 56 million to the Selling Shareholders, 62 million to the third party investors and approximately 19 million into treasury. Following the completion of the acquisition, there are approximately 217 million shares of LMCK common stock outstanding (pro-forma for the dilutive impact of the $351 million LMCK exchangeable security and excluding the aforementioned approximate 19 million shares retained in treasury). Following the completion of the F1 acquisition and the issuance of shares to the Third Party Investors (excluding the potential issuance of those shares retained in treasury), the Third Party Investors in the aggregate own approximately 29%(4)of the Liberty Media Group’s outstanding equity and the Selling Shareholders own approximately 33%(4) of the Liberty Media Group’s outstanding equity and have board representation at F1 to support Liberty Media in continuing to develop the full potential of the sport.

    Liberty Media’s President and CEO, Greg Maffei and Formula 1’s Chairman and CEO, Chase Carey will be appearing on the CNBC television program “Squawk Box” from 7:00 am ET to 9:00 am ET on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 to discuss the completion of the acquisition in more detail. During their appearance, Mr. Maffei and Mr. Carey may make observations regarding Liberty Media’s and Formula 1’s financial performance and outlook and the impact of current economic trends.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the acquisition of Formula 1, the expected benefits of the transaction, the renaming of the Liberty Media Group and the corresponding change in ticker symbols and other matters that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements involve many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These forward looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Liberty Media expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Liberty Media’s expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Please refer to the publicly filed documents of Liberty Media, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, for risks and uncertainties related to Liberty Media’s business which may affect the statements made in this press release.

    About Liberty Media Corporation

    Liberty Media Corporation operates and owns interests in a broad range of media, communications and entertainment businesses. Those businesses are attributed to three tracking stock groups: the Liberty SiriusXM Group, the Braves Group and the Liberty Media Group. The businesses and assets attributed to the Liberty SiriusXM Group (Nasdaq: LSXMA, LSXMB, LSXMK) include Liberty Media’s interest in SiriusXM. The businesses and assets attributed to the Braves Group (Nasdaq: BATRA, BATRK) include Liberty Media’s subsidiary Braves Holdings, LLC. The businesses and assets attributed to the Liberty Media Group (Nasdaq: LMCA, LMCK) consist of all of Liberty Media’s businesses and assets other than those attributed to the Liberty SiriusXM Group and the Braves Group, including Formula 1, Liberty Media’s interest in Live Nation Entertainment, and minority equity investments in Time Warner Inc. and Viacom.

    About Formula 1

    Formula 1®, which began in 1950, is the world’s most prestigious motor racing competition and is the world’s most popular annual sporting series. In 2016 it was watched by 400 million unique television viewers from over 200 territories. The 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship(TM) ran from March to November and spanned 21 races in 21 countries across five continents. Formula One World Championship Limited is part of Formula 1, and holds the exclusive commercial rights to the FIA Formula One World Championship(TM).

    Formula 1 is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: LSXMA, LSXMB, LSXMK, BATRA, BATRK, LMCA, LMCK) attributed to the Liberty Media Group tracking stock. With the completion of the acquisition of Formula 1 announced today, Liberty Media announced that the Liberty Media Group will shortly be renamed the Formula One Group and the ticker symbols for the Series A, Series B and Series C Liberty Media Group tracking stocks are expected to be changed from LMC (A/B/K), respectively, to FWON (A/B/K), respectively.

    For more information on Formula 1® visit www.formula1.com.

     References cited above:
    (1) Other than a nominal number of shares held by certain Formula 1 teams.
    (2) Calculated at time of transaction announcement.
    (3) Formula 1 cash and debt balances as of 7/31/2016.
    (4) Calculated based on the undiluted share count as of 12/31/2016 and inclusive of the dilutive impact of the $351 million Exchangeable

  • Bottas joins Mercedes, to race along with Hamilton in 2017

    It’s now official: Valtteri Bottas will drive for the Silver Arrows alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2017. Valtteri met his new colleagues this Monday at the team factory in Brackley, a Mercedes AMG Petronas release said.

    Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will race for the Silver Arrows in 2017

    • Valtteri Bottas becomes the 11th driver to compete in Formula One with the Silver Arrows
    • Nico Rosberg accepts ambassadorial role with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport
    • Toto Wolff: “It’s time to see how Valtteri can step up to challenge for wins and Championships”
    • Valtteri Bottas: “I’m grateful to Mercedes for trusting my skills and giving me this opportunity”

    It’s been 45 days since Nico Rosberg dropped the bombshell of his immediate retirement from Formula One. And it left the team with a conundrum: how to best fill the vacant seat alongside three-time champion Lewis Hamilton in order to defend the Constructors’ Championship?

    Following six weeks of detailed evaluation, deliberation and negotiation, the answer can now be confirmed officially: we signed Valtteri Bottas this morning. The 27-year-old native of Nastola, Finland has completed four seasons in Formula One with Williams, making 77 starts and scoring 9 career podiums so far.

    “Sometimes in life, unexpected circumstances provide interesting opportunities. Nico’s decision in December was a big surprise – certainly a challenging situation for the team to handle. But weathering the storm makes you more resilient and we see this as another opportunity for the team to grow,” explained Toto Wolff as he introduced the fourth driver to race for the Silver Arrows in the modern era.

    “Valtteri is a no-nonsense guy: down to earth, straightforward and very focused. Pretty Finnish, to be honest, and a great fit for us. He has an impressive track record in the junior categories and nine podiums in F1. But now it’s time for the next level, to see how he can step up to challenge for race wins and for Championships. We know that we are already behind the curve in terms of preparations for the new season, so we’ve got a busy programme to get him integrated into the team. One thing is for sure: as I know Valtteri, he will give it everything.”

    Valtteri was cautiously optimistic when he met his new team-mates in the factory today. “It’s very exciting times for me,” he grinned. “I think it’s going to take a while to understand that this is really happening. It’s definitely another dream come true, to race in another team with such great history – especially in the recent years, which have been so impressive. I’m really proud to become a part of that and grateful to everyone at Mercedes for trusting my skills and giving me this opportunity.

    “I’ve had a really warm welcome so far. Of course, I have a lot more people to meet and new faces to remember. But initially everything has felt very good. I’m really impressed with the facilities and I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone better. My first experience with Mercedes power was in F3 back in 2009 and, of course, I know the Power Unit well from the last three years with Williams. But there are a lot of new things to learn with the car and also with how the team operates at the factory, in testing and at the races.”

    The scale of the challenge ahead cannot be underestimated. New aerodynamic regulations mean a reset for the entire field and there is genuine uncertainty about which team will emerge on top; Valtteri is paired with probably the most ferociously fast team-mate in the sport, Lewis Hamilton; and there are just 70 days until the red lights go out at the start of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

    “We have confidence in Valtteri’s ability and it’s one of the reasons that he is the driver we set our sights on this winter,” continued Toto. “The next weeks will be busy as we work to build relationships so Valtteri understands the team and the car. But that’s an exciting challenge that will bring us fresh energy and a new dynamic between the drivers. And, of course, we’re working hard to give Lewis and Valtteri the car they need to do the job.”

    Valtteri is under no illusions about the task ahead: “I’m ready to work hard, to prove myself to the team and to prove my skills. It’s going to be a challenging season and joining a new team makes it more work than normal. But I’m 100% ready for that. I’m training hard to be at my physical best because it will be much tougher with these new cars. I always set the bar really high, so my target is to perform from the first race. I’m full of energy and ready to get to work for this year and hopefully many more to come with Mercedes.”

    The agreement for Valtteri to join Mercedes has not happened in isolation. With today’s announcements that Pascal Wehrlein will join Sauber for 2017, and that Felipe Massa will return to Williams, the final pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place for this year. And that has only been possible thanks to positive working relationships between all the teams involved in a complex chain of negotiations.

    “On behalf of Mercedes, I must thank Williams for their cooperation in allowing Valtteri to make this move – and also Monisha and Sauber for their patience during the past weeks,” concluded Toto. “It’s been a busy day in the driver market and I am pleased to know that Pascal will be racing at Sauber to continue his development in F1. He had a good first season with Manor and we feel this is the right path for him in the sport. It’s satisfying to have both of our Young Drivers taking on new challenges in F1 this year, with Esteban also racing at Force India. We’ll be following their progress closely; I’m sure we’ve got an exciting season ahead of us.”

    From Valtteri, too, there were warm words for his friends and colleagues at Williams: “I had a great seven years there, starting as a test driver in 2010. I’m very proud of what we achieved together and I leave with some very good memories. My debut in F1, my first points and nine podiums all came with the guys and girls at Grove, so I must say a big thanks to everyone and I wish them all the very best for the future.”

    As Valtteri now begins a busy week of technical and physical preparations for the new season, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport is pleased to confirm that Nico has accepted an ambassadorial role with the team for 2017.

    His first commitment will be tomorrow, in Geneva, alongside former team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) on behalf of team partner IWC Schaffhausen.

    ends

  • Nico’s Formula Won

    Abu Dhabi: With the season poised to end in a grand finale at the Desert destination, Autotrack was present to witness history as Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Nico Rosberg just managed to not only thwart the tough tactics of teammate Lewis Hamilton but also got a well-deserved second place with some astute, error-less driving which was enough for him to take his maiden World Driver’s Championship despite Hamilton winning here in the last GP of the season.

    In full-blown donuts, he soaked in smoke and joy, and as it turned out a week later, it was his last F1 race, as the German champion decided to quit the sport. Winning the championship was his life-time goal and that achieved, he retired. The last two years, despite Mercedes’ domination Rosberg could not win the championship as his teammate Hamilton beat him on both occasions and it was Formula None for the German. Now it’s Formula Won as the German was on the top of the world.

    He also became the first father-son duo to have both won the F1 Drivers’ Championship. The year was completely dominated by the German manufacturer who comfortably won the Constructors’ championship. The two drivers won 19 of the 21 races held in 2016 between them.

    The other big news for India is the 4th place in the Constructor’s Championship for Sahara Force India. The driver duo of German Nico Hulkenberg and Mexican Sergio Perez performed consistently and upped the ante in the second half after the upgrades in Barcelona to seal the important 4th place. Perez finished 7th scoring 101 points while Hulkenberg was 9th with 72 points in his last season with Force India. Perez got two third places at Monaco and Baku but Hulkenberg was unlucky to miss podium finishes, especially at Spa, Belgium, and his points do not justify his vast contribution to the team. Frenchman Esteban Ocon moves to Force India from Manor for 2017 to replace Hulkenberg.

    “The team’s performance is worth 10 times the achievement as we operate with a fraction of the budgets that the top-three teams have at their disposal,’’ said Vijay Mallya, the team Principal, in a chat with Autotrack a couple of seasons back when the team finished fifth. This year he could not attend the races except the one near the team’s base in Silverstone due to his travel restrictions. “His vision and his ability to make the resources available to the team was the reason for this success. The entire team is motivated and worked hard and its a true team achievement and we will continue to fight and lead the midfield,’’ told deputy team boss Robert `Bob’ Fernley to this magazine. Three cheers to the team as it keeps the Indian flag flying at F1.

    With new regulations, the season begins in Australia on March 26, 2017.

    Text: David Bodapati, Photos: Srinivasa Krishnan

    Note: This story first appeared in Autotrack magazine in the Jan-Feb 2017 issue.

    ends

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Pat Symonds to step down as Williams’ Chief Technical Officer

    Pat Symonds to step down as Williams’ Chief Technical Officer

    Groove (Oxfordshire), 20 Dec 2016: Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC (Ticker: WGF1) today announced that Pat Symonds will be stepping down from the role of Chief Technical Officer of WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING at the end of 2016.

    Pat joined Williams towards the end of the 2013 Formula One season on a three-year contract, and in that time has helped oversee a strong turn around in the team’s performances on the race track, with 14 podiums secured over the past three seasons. Pat will be departing on 31st December 2016.
    Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal, said; “Pat has been a tremendous asset to this team over the past three years. Pat’s appointment was the start of a major restructuring exercise, and he has been pivotal in reshaping Williams into what is a much stronger racing team today. I would like to thank him for all of his hard work and commitment during that time. We now look to the future and will be announcing details regarding the team’s technical leadership in due course.”
    eom/Williams Martini Racing press release

    Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
    Saturday 15 March 2014.
    Pat Symonds, Chief Technical Officer, Williams F1.
    World Copyright: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Photographic
  • A dream fulfilled: Nico Rosberg retires

    A dream fulfilled: Nico Rosberg retires

    File photo of Nico Rosberg at the Abu Dhabi GP. Rosberg announced his retirement on Friday. Image by Srinivasa Krishnan V
    File photo of Nico Rosberg at the Abu Dhabi GP. Rosberg announced his retirement on Friday. Image by Srinivasa Krishnan V

    Vienna (Austria), 2 Dec 2016: 

    • Nico Rosberg to stop racing in Formula One with immediate effect;
    • The first reigning World Champion to end his career since Alain Prost in 1993;
    • Nico Rosberg: “My proudest achievement to be World Champion with the Silver Arrows”;
    • Toto Wolff: “A brave decision which proves Nico’s strength of character.”

    2016 FIA Formula One World Champion elect Nico Rosberg today announced that he will stop racing in Formula One with immediate effect.

    In an emotional address prior to the 2016 FIA Prize Giving in Vienna, Austria, Nico revealed the reasons behind his decision, which was reached following his crowning achievement in Abu Dhabi last Sunday.

    Nico has competed in a total of 206 Grands Prix and won 23 of them, placing him joint 12th on the all-time list alongside Nelson Piquet. He has scored 30 pole positions (8th all time) and 20 fastest laps.

    Last Sunday in Abu Dhabi, he became the first German driver to win a Formula One World Championship at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow.

    Nico Rosberg:

    “Since 25 years in racing, it has been my dream, my ‘one thing’ to become Formula One World Champion. Through the hard work, the pain, the sacrifices, this has been my target. And now I’ve made it. I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right. My strongest emotion right now is deep gratitude to everybody who supported me to make that dream happen.

    “This season, I tell you, it was so damn tough. I pushed like crazy in every area after the disappointments of the last two years; they fuelled my motivation to levels I had never experienced before. And of course that had an impact on the ones I love, too – it was a whole family effort of sacrifice, putting everything behind our target. I cannot find enough words to thank my wife Vivian; she has been incredible. She understood that this year was the big one, our opportunity to do it, and created the space for me to get full recovery between every race, looking after our daughter each night, taking over when things got tough and putting our championship first.

    “When I won the race in Suzuka, from the moment when the destiny of the title was in my own hands, the big pressure started and I began to think about ending my racing career if I became World Champion. On Sunday morning in Abu Dhabi, I knew that it could be my last race and that feeling cleared my head before the start. I wanted to enjoy every part of the experience, knowing it might be the last time… and then the lights went out and I had the most intense 55 laps of my life. I took my decision on Monday evening. After reflecting for a day, the first people I told were Vivian and Georg (Nolte, from Nico’s management team), followed by Toto.

    “The only thing that makes this decision in any way difficult for me is because I am putting my racing family into a tough situation. But Toto understood. He knew straight away that I was completely convinced and that reassured me. My proudest achievement in racing will always be to have won the world championship with this incredible team of people, the Silver Arrows.

    “Now, I’m just here to enjoy the moment. There is time to savour the next weeks, to reflect on the season and to enjoy every experience that comes my way. After that, I will turn the next corner in my life and see what it has in store for me…”

    Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Toto Wolff:

    “This is a brave decision by Nico and testament to the strength of his character. He has chosen to leave at the pinnacle of his career, as World Champion, having achieved his childhood dream. The clarity of his judgement meant I accepted his decision straight away when he told me.

    “It’s impossible to capture the essence of a person in a few short words. But Nico has a special combination of natural talent and fighting spirit that have brought him to where he is today. Throughout his career, people have thought he was on a golden path to success just because his father was a World Champion; in fact, I think in some ways that made the challenge greater – and meant he had to fight even harder with the weight of expectation on his shoulders.

    “With Mercedes, Nico has been a relentless competitor, bouncing back from tough times in an inspirational way, and he earned the respect of the sport with his tenacity, his fighting spirit and his grace under pressure. Since 2010, he has poured competitive energy into our team and we have grown stronger because of it. We simply say ‘thank you’ for the incredible contribution he has made to our success, alongside two of the all-time great drivers, Michael and Lewis.

    “For the team, this is an unexpected situation but also an exciting one. We are going into a new era of technical regulations and there is a free Mercedes cockpit for the seasons ahead. We will take the necessary time to evaluate our options and then find the right path for our future.”

  • Rosberg wins 2016 F1 Drivers Championship

    Rosberg wins 2016 F1 Drivers Championship

    From Amol S Gokhale

    Yas Marina (Abu Dhabi), 27 Nov 2016: Nico Rosberg was crowned 2016 Formula One World Champion as he finished second behind team-mate and title rival Lewis Hamilton at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel was third for Ferrari.

    Nico Rosberg after winning the 2016 drivers world title at Yas Marina on Sunday. An FIA image
    Nico Rosberg after winning the 2016 drivers world title at Yas Marina on Sunday. An FIA image

    Hamilton took the win he needed in the race but despite a hugely tense finish in which the leading Mercedes drivers were hunted down Sebastian Vettel, Rosberg clung on to second to win the title by just five points.

    Both Hamilton and Rosberg got away well at the start and the pair slotted into first and second respectively. Behind them Daniel Ricciardo bogged down at the start and was quickly passed for third place by Kimi Raikkonen.

    There was trouble too for the other Red Bull driver, Max Verstappen. The Dutchman collided with Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg in Turn One and the Red Bull was pitched into a spin. Verstappen dropped to P22 but quickly began to fight back, rising to P15 by the end of lap four.

    As the first round of pit stop began, triggered by leader Hamilton who took on soft tyres, Verstappen flew up the order and by the time Rosberg made his stop for soft tyres the Dutchman was in P2 behind Hamilton.

    Lapping around half a second off the pace of the race leading Mercedes, Verstappen began to hold up Rosberg, resulting in the German starting lap 17 2.8s adrift of his team-mate. Behind the top three Raikkonen now held fourth ahead of Ricciardo, Vettel, the Force Indias of Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez, Williams’ Felipe Massa and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso.

    Earlier, on lap 14, Jenson Button, in the second McLaren, had the 305th and, according to him, final race of his F1 career ended by a steering fault.

    On lap 20 Mercedes informed Rosberg that he needed to pass Verstappen to keep his race under control and the German responded immediately ROS diving down the inside of Verstappen’s car in Turn 8. The Dutchman resisted the attack but ultimately Rosberg, carrying a bit more speed, got the job done as they head for Turn 11.

    Verstappen promptly made his first stop, for soft tyres. That resulted in Mercedes then informing Rosberg that they believed Verstappen would attempt to run to the end of the race on the set and that to guarantee P2 Rosberg would need to up his pace over the following three laps. Again the German obliged, immediately setting the fastest tour of the race to that point.

    By lap 28, as leader Hamilton made his final stop, for more soft tyres, Rosberg has 25s in hand over Verstappen. That was deemed enough to call the German in for his final stop and after taking on more soft tyres on lap 30 he emerged behind Hamilton, but crucially was 3.9s ahead of Verstappen.

    With only one pit stop made, Vettel led the race, and the German decided to go long on his second set of tyres. He nursed the soft compound set until lap 37 and then took on supersofts in the hope of catching strugglers in the final part of the race. He emerged in P6 and set off after team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

    In the meantime Hamilton’s pace began to flag. The Mercedes pit wall questioned his lap times and the defending champion briefly ran quicker but a few laps later he again began to slow, with the result that Rosberg was slowly being pushed back towards Verstappen. On lap 38 the gap between the Red Bull driver and the Mercedes man was 3.4s.

    It wasn’t Verstappen who was the threat though. On new supersofts Vettel’s began to surge forward. He quickly claimed the scalp of Raikkonen and lapping up to two seconds quicker than those ahead he swiftly caught up to the front four.

    On lap 46 he was inside DRS range of fourth placed Ricciardo and Mercedes were on the radio telling Hamilton to increase his pace due to the “imminent threat”.

    The messaging became more insistent as Vettel’s loomed, with Hamilton being told: “Ok Lewis, this is an instruction: we need a 45.1 for the win.” The terse response was “suggest you let us race”, but Rosberg was now on the other channel asking why the pace was so slow and requesting that he be allowed to pass Hamilton.

    The situation became even more critical when Vettel blasted past Verstappen and with four laps remained edged inside half a second of Rosberg.

    Hamilton was told by Mercedes engineering chief Paddy Lowe that he needed to up the pace. Hamilton responded that he was leading and quite comfortable. The final laps became ever more tense.

    Vettel attacked on the penultimate lap, trying to overtake Rosberg into Turn 11. The German resisted though and that was it. Vettel stood off on the final lap and a little under two minutes later Hamilton took his 10thwin of the year but the bigger prize – the FIA Formula World Championship title – went to the man in second place, Nico Rosberg.

    Vettel finished the season with his seventh podium of the season, while Verstappen finished fourth ahead of Ricciardo. Sixth place went to Raikkonen, while Hulkenberg signed off on his time with Force India with seventh place ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez. Ninth place went the retiring Felipe Massa and the final point went to McLaren’s Fernando Alonso.

    eom/FIA press release

  • Hamilton takes pole ahead of Rosberg

    Hamilton takes pole ahead of Rosberg

    Yas Marina (Abu Dhabi), 26 Nov 2016: Lewis Hamilton will start tomorrow’s title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from pole position after beating championship rival Nico Rosberg in qualifying by three tenths of a second. The drivers standings leader will start second ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

    The Mercedes drivers were on track early in Q1 and Hamilton laid down a heavy gauntlet by posting a superb lap of 1:39 487. Rosberg followed his team-mate across the line but with the German admitting over the radio that it wasn’t a good lap and that he had “made two mistakes” he ended up a full second behind Hamilton.

    No one else could get close to the defending champion’s time, however. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen came closest, the Finn finishing 0.851 adrift of Hamilton. Only two other drivers got to within a second of the Briton.

    At the other end of the time sheet, Toro Rosso, which had been hampered by brake and tyre issues over the weekend, saw both its drivers eliminated in the first segment. Daniil Kvyat dropped out in P17, with team-mate Carlos Sainz eliminated in 21st place. Behind Kvyat, Kevin Magnussen, in his last race weekend for Renault, finished in P18 ahead of Sauber’s Felipe Nasr and Manor’s Esteban Ocon. Behind Sainz, Marcus Ericsson was ruled our of Q2 in 22nd position.

    Hamilton was quickly into the ascendancy in Q2 too. The Mercedes driver set the benchmark at 1:39.382. Rosberg could not match the time but got closer to his rival than in Q1 and with a time of 1:39.490 he finished 0.108 behind his rival.

    This place went Raikkonen, who finished ahead of Verstappen, Vettel and Ricciardo.

    As the final runs began, Fernando Alonso was the closest to a Q3 spot of those in the drop zone. And the McLaren driver found the extra reserve of pace he needed. His lap of 1:41.044 was good enough to earn him tenth spot behind Felipe Massa who is making his final grand prix appearance this weekend.

    Alonso’ rise meant that Massa’s Williams tea-mate Valtteri Bottas was eliminated in P11 ahead of McLaren’s Jenson Button, who is also set for the final grand prix of his career tomorrow. Eliminated in P13 was Haas’ Esteban Gutierrez with the Mexican finishing ahead of team-mate Romain Grosjean, Renault’s Jolyon Palmer and Wehrlein.

    Hamilton continued to set the pace in the early part of Q3, lapping in 1:39.013 to end the first runs 0.346 ahead of Rosberg who could only manage a lap of 1:39.359. Behind them Raikkonen was best of the rest ahead of Ricciardo, Verstappen and Vettel.

    Hamilton after taking pole in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. An FIA image
    Hamilton after taking pole in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. An FIA image

    2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Qualifying
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:39.487 1:39.382 1:38.755
    2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:40.511 1:39.490 1:39.058
    3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:41.002 1:40.429 1:39.589
    4 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:40.338 1:39.629 1:39.604
    5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:40.341 1:40.034 1:39.661
    6 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:40.424 1:39.903 1:39.818
    7 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:41.000 1:40.709 1:40.501
    8 Sergio Perez Force India 1:40.864 1:40.743 1:40.519
    9 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:41.616 1:41.044 1:41.106
    10 Felipe Massa Williams 1:41.157 1:40.858 1:41.213
    11 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:41.192 1:41.084
    12 Jenson Button McLaren 1:41.158 1:41.272
    13 Esteban Gutierrez Haas 1:41.639 1:41.480
    14 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:41.467 1:41.564
    15 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:41.775 1:41.820
    16 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:41.886 1:41.995
    17 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:42.003
    18 Kevin Magnussen Renault 1:42.142
    19 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:42.247
    20 Esteban Ocon Manor 1:42.286
    21 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:42.393
    22 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:42.637.

    eom/FIA press release