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Hamilton wins in Hungary ahead of Vettel, Raikkonen: Hungarian GP
Hamilton wins on Sunday. An FIA image Budapest, 29 July 2018: Lewis Hamilton took his fifth win of 2018 with a comfortable drive to victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix, as Sebastian Vettel survived a late collision with the second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas to take second place ahead of Ferrari team-mate Kimi Räikkönen.
In the later stages of the race Bottas was then involved in a second collision, with red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and eventually finished fifth behind the Australian.
At the start, Räikkönen made the best start, but though he tried to pass polesitter Hamilton on the inside, Bottas came across and blocked the path. As the leaders swept through the first three corners, Vettel was then able to get ahead of his team-mate who had taken a wide line.
Behind them, Verstappen made a good start and passed Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly, while Renault’s Carlos Sainz, who had started fifth, slipped back to eighth. That meant that Verstappen held fifth place ahead of the Gasly, the fast-starting Haas of Kevin Magnussen, Sainz, the second Toro Rosso of Brendon Hartley and Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg.
Towards the rear of the field Daniel Ricciardo, in the second Red Bull, got away well but on the run to Turn 1, Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson collided with the Australian’s left rear wheel. There as no damage but Ricciardo dropped to P16.
There was worse news for Red Bull a few laps later when Max Verstappen slowed dramatically in Turn 3. He reported a loss of power and was told to pull over at Turn 6 and retire from the race.
Ricciardo was soon on the moved from 16th and by lap 10 he had climbed to 11th place, passing McLaren’s Fernando Alonso under DRS into Turn 1 at the start of the lap.
At the front Hamilton was building a gap, with the Briton 3.9s ahead of Bottas at the start of lap 10 and 6.2s clear of Vettel. Räikkönen was now a second behind his team-mate with Gasly in fifth place ahead of Magnussen and the second Renault of Sainz.
Sainz’s stay in P7 wouldn’t last long, however. Ricciardo’s march through the pack continued and having passed Hulkenberg and Hartley under DRS in Turn 1, he repeated the move on Sainz on lap 16, diving down the inside to steal P7.
The window for first stops was open at this point and prior to Ricciardo’s move on Sainz, both Räikkönen and Bottas had stopped for soft tyres.
Hamilton and Vettel, though, stayed on track. By lap 23 Hamilton had 7.3 seconds in hand over the German, who made a mistake and locked up at Turn 12. Bottas as now third, 27s behind Vettel, with Räikkönen fourth, almost four seconds clear of Gasly and with a stop in hand.
Vettel recovered from his laps and once again began to exert pressure on the ultrasoft-shod Hamilton. The German’s superior pace led to Mercedes pitting Hamilton on lap 25. He took on soft tyres and rejoined in P2 ahead of Bottas and 13.629s behind Vettel who continued to circulate.
Behind them Ricciardo continued to make progress and by lap 28 he was up to P5 having eased past Magnussen and Gasly. Räikkönen, meanwhile, was beginning to close on Bottas and on lap 30 Ferrari’s Finn was just 2.3s behind his Mercedes-driving compatriot.
Vettel was also encountering the traffic and the front his lead over Hamilton, who was in free air, began to shrink and on lap 36 he was just 10s ahead of the Mercedes man.
Räikkönen then backed out of the battle with Bottas and made a second stop, taking on more softs. He rejoined in P5 and immediately began setting purple times as he chased after Ricciardo who was still on starting soft tyres.
A lap after Räikkönen switched tyres, Vettel did the same. The German took on ultrasofts but there was a momentary problem with the front left and he emerged in third place behind Bottas.
Ricciardo was the last of the front runners to pit and the Red Bull driver took on a set of ultrasoft tyres at the end of lap 44. The effect was immediate and he was soon setting purple times as he tried to chase down Räikkönen.
Further back, behind sixth-placed Gasly and seventh-placed Magnussen, late pit stops had also benefited McLaren and after their stops, Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne were in eighth and ninth places respectively. It was too good to last, however, and on lap 51 Vandoorne slowed and pulled over at Turn 1 to retire. That boosted Sainz to P9 ahead of Grosjean.
At the front, on lap 55, Hamilton was now 13.7s ahead of Bottas. Vettel was desperately trying to find a way past the Finn but the longer he sat in the Mercedes’ wake the more damage was done to his tyres.
The German kept probing, however, and on lap 57 Bottas radioed through to say he was struggling with his rear tyres. Vettel closed to within DRS range of Bottas, but the Finn did a superb job of managing the gap and his tyres life to hold off the German for a long spell.
It came to an end on lap 65, however, as Vettel launched an attack around the outside into Turn 1. He made the move stick through Turn 2, but as they went into the next corner, Bottas collided with the rear of Vettel’s car.
Despite the showers of carbon fibre as elements of Bottas’ front wing disintegrated, Vettel suffered little damage and carried on to claim an eventual second place behind Hamilton. Räikkönen then swept past Bottas to take third.
In the final laps Bottas now fell back into the clutches of Ricciardo but when the Red Bull driver pounced, around the outside in Turn 1, Bottas went straight on into the side of Ricciardo’s car.
Both drivers were able to carry on but Mercedes soon instructed their driver the cede fourth place to Ricciardo due to the collision and the Australian completed a successful day with a 12-point haul. Bottas was left to take fifth place ahead of Gasly who handed Toro Rosso its best result since his fourth place in Bahrain earlier this season. Kevin Magnussen was seventh for Haas, while Fernando Alonso celebrated his 37th birthday with an good drive to eighth place. The final points positions were taken by Renault’s Carlos Sainz and Haas’ Romain Grosjean.
2018 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix – Race
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 17.123
3 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 20.101
4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 46.419
5 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 50.000
6 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1:13.273
7 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1 lap
8 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1 lap
9 Carlos Sainz Renault 1 lap
10 Romain Grosjean Haas 1 lap
11 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1 lap
12 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1 lap
13 Esteban Ocon Force India 1 lap
14 Sergio Perez Force India 1 lap
15 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 2 laps
16 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 2 laps
17 Lance Stroll Williams 2 laps
Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 21 laps
Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 65 laps
Charles Leclerc Sauberends/db
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Sanjay Takale moves to 13th in WRC 3 after Leg-2
Sanjay Takale action in WRC Neste Rally Finland. Photo: Honza Fronek Jyväskylä (Finland), 29 July 2018: A determined Sanjay Takale, making his debut in the FIA World Rally Championship, battled his way to 13th position in the WRC 3 category at the end of Leg-2 in the Neste Rally Finland on Saturday.
Pune-based Takale, along with British co-driver Darren Garrod, maintained a steady pace in the 2-Wheel Drive Ford Fiesta, prepared by Baltic Motorsports Promotion, through the day that was punctuated by eight Special Stages over 142.86 Kms to gain one spot from overnight 14th to 13th despite being docked time penalty.
Reflecting on the longest day of the Rally, Takale said: “We started the day well, but I received heavy time penalty in one of the Stages following a major crash. I was about to start the Stage when I was stopped by the Marshall even as ambulances were rushing in. I and a few other cars behind me had to wait for nearly an hour and we then proceeded to the next Stage. I was handed a time penalty for late reporting, though it was no fault of mine!”
Shrugging off the incident, Takale maintained his pace on the second loop of the Stages highlighted by high speed, blind crests followed immediately by corners. “No wonder that Rally Finland is known to be the fastest Rally in the World! It is very technical and the pace notes have to be spot-on because the terrain is very unforgiving as even the smallest mistake can prove costly,” explained Takale.
Sunday will see the competitors covering just 45.72 Kms over two Special Stages – Laukaa (11.74 Kms) and Ruuhimaki (11.12 Kms) – that will be run twice before the finish of the Rally.
ends/db
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Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja win Rally Finland: WRC Round 8
Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja today won Rally Finland, the eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship here on Sunday. In doing so, they become the first Estonians to win this spectacular high-speed event in 15 years, following Markko Märtin’s victory in 2003. It is Tänak’s fourth WRC career victory and their second win of the season, keeping the crew in the fight for the World Championship. Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen fought to the end in a titanic battle with third-placed Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila. The rivals went into the closing Power Stage split by just 2.5 seconds, but Østberg kept his cool and secured his best result in more than three years, also delivering a maiden WRC podium for his co-driver.
In the FIA World Rally Championships, Thierry Neuville, Nicolas Gilsoul and the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team continue to top the standings. With both Neuville and Sebastien Ogier not scoring highly, the Belgian only lost six points to the Frenchman with the gap between the pair coming down to 21 points. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Hyundai lost just a couple of points, but Toyota was the points-bagger, the Japanese marque taking a 40 point haul from the team’s home event to close the gap to second-placed M-Sport Ford to just one point.
Tänak led Rally Finland for virtually the entire event and has been supreme over the rollercoaster gravel stages. He could afford to ease the pace over today’s closing four stages, but nevertheless claimed the Power Stage win to notch up maximum points and a momentous victory on an event every driver wants to win. Østberg went into the day second overall, just 5.4 seconds ahead of Latvala and determined to hold position. He won the day’s opening stage to marginally extend his lead but the Finn hit back in the next two, winning both to leave them split by 2.5 seconds going into the Power Stage. The Norwegian superbly defended his advantage with second fastest time and claimed the position by 2.8 seconds. It was a near-perfect result for Toyota with Latvala also on the podium, the event only marred by the retirement of Esapekka Lappi from fourth position this morning when he went off the road and rolled.
Hayden Paddon was the highest Hyundai finisher in fourth overall, the Kiwi driver happy with his weekend despite always wanting more. He finished nearly 40 seconds ahead of Ogier, who moved ahead of team-mate Teemu Suninen when the Finn checked in late at the final regroup to aid the Frenchman’s points haul. The team’s third Fiesta WRC, in the hands of Elfyn Evans, finished seventh with Craig Breen eighth for Citroen. Thierry Neuville’s road position was always going to make his assault difficult and this, coupled with an early mistake, saw him ultimately finish ninth ahead of team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen who climbed back up the leaderboard to 10th following his Friday accident.
The FIA WRC 2 Championship was won by the all-Finnish crew of Eerik Pietarinen and Juhana Raitanen in a Škoda Fabia R5. Kalle Rovanperä had originally headed the category but when the youngster hit problems yesterday, Pietarinen was able to claim honours on home soil, despite Rovanperä winning each of today’s four stages. Ken Torn and Kuldar Sikk gave Estonia a double victory today with the win in the FIA Junior and WRC 3 Championships. After a close battle with Emil Bergkvist, they returned to Jyvaskyla with just 9.9 seconds in hand over the Swedes.
The ninth round of the FIA World Rally Championship moves from gravel to Tarmac and the ever-changing sealed surfaces of Rallye Deutschland (16-19 August).
Rally Finland – Final unofficial results (subject to final scrutineering)
1 Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 35min 18.1sec 2 Mads Østberg / Torstein Eriksen Citroen C3 WRC 2hr 35min 50.8sec 3 Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 35min 53.6sec 4 Hayden Paddon / Sebastian Marshall Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 36min 53.7sec 5 Sebastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 37min 33.1sec 6 Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 37min 37.3sec 7 Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 37min 47.6sec 8 Craig Breen / Scott Martin Citroen C3 WRC 2hr 38min 26.5sec 9 Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 39min 09.9sec 10 Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 43min 55.5sec -
Albon wins Budapest F2 sprint race; Arjun Maini 14th
Albon wins F2 Sprint race on Sunday at Hungaroring. An FIA image Thai driver takes lead in final five laps to win at the Hungaroring
Hungaroring, 29 July 2018: Alexander Albon took a magnificent victory in the FIA Formula 2 Championship race at Budapest, Hungary, hunting down long-time leader Luca Ghiotto and passing him with five laps to go to secure his third win of the season. Ghiotto followed the DAMS driver home, albeit 9.5s further down the road as Sergio Sette Camara took third place to complete the podium. Indian driver Arjun Maini finished 14th.
In increasingly hot conditions, Ghiotto kept his cool off the line to dart around the outside of Markelov and Sette Camara at the start, bolting into an early lead as Albon followed the Italian driver past the front-row starters. Immediately, a virtual safety car period emerged as a three-way tussle between Ralph Boschung, Roy Nissany and Alessio Lorandi left the Swiss driver off the road at turn 3, with Lorandi also retiring.
At the restart, Antonio Fuoco careened into the back of Sette Camara and broke his front wing, while the Brazilian driver darted past Markelov to elevate himself into the top three. Although Albon briefly threatened Ghiotto, the Italian managed to burst clear of the Thai driver and open up the gap to nullify the threat of DRS, setting fastest laps to cement his lead.
Markelov, looking to reclaim his lost positions, put Sette Camara under pressure. Attempting to make the difference at turn 1 with DRS, the Carlin driver calmly took to the inside line and forced Markelov to attempt the pass around the outside, ultimately keeping him at bay. Further down, the action was with the duelling pair of Lando Norris and Roberto Merhi, and despite trading blows were both able to catch up to Feature Race winner Nyck de Vries.
Having started well down the field following yesterday’s mechanical issues, George Russell began to make his way through the order to salvage something from the weekend, although Nicholas Latifi proved to be something of a cork in the bottle. The Canadian ran wide at turn 4 just after the midway point of the race, letting Russell and Louis Deletraz through to pursue the rest of the pack.
While Ghiotto had managed to fly off into a three second lead over Albon, the battle for fifth became fierce as de Vries did everything in his power to hold off Norris and Merhi, while simultaneously closing in on fourth-placed Markelov. By lap 20, the RUSSIAN TIME driver had been caught, and de Vries launched an attack at turn 1. Markelov defended from the Dutchman, but could do nothing as Norris powered around the outside of the pair of them in an impressive move. Merhi passed de Vries a few corners later, setting himself up for a lap 22 overtake on Markelov as the Russian began to visibly struggle with his tyres.
There were also signs that Ghiotto was beginning to feel the effects of tyre degradation, and Albon soon began to overturn his deficit to catch the Campos Vexatec Racing driver. At the start of lap 25, Albon made his move, keeping his foot planted on the throttle to cruise around the outside of Ghiotto at turn 1, scampering off into the distance. Meanwhile, Markelov began to drop down the order, falling victim to Aitken and Nirei Fukuzumi and going into the clutches of Gelael, Russell and Delétraz.
With tyre degradation now a factor, positions began to switch frequently, and Fukuzumi had preserved enough life in his tyres to pass Aitken into turn 2 and chase after de Vries. Albon, meanwhile, was chomping at the bit to extend his advantage and had opened up an almost-five second lead with two laps remaining. Continuing to push and extract the last drops of life from his tyres, Albon cruised across the line with Ghiotto almost ten seconds further back in second place.
Sette Camara came home in third place, having little to do after seeing off the threat of Markelov, while Norris collected fourth to cut Russell’s championship lead down to 12 points. Merhi finished fifth, while Fukuzumi beat de Vries to sixth in a photo finish across the line – the timing screens registering the Japanese driver ahead by 0.001s. Russell’s charge through the field yielded a point, as he beat Deletraz to eighth.
F2 now moves into its summer break, with the next round taking place at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium from the 24-26 August. Russell remains in the championship lead on 171 points, with Norris now 12 points behind on 159. Albon continues in third place, just 30 points behind Russell. Carlin reclaim the teams’ standings lead with 265 points, while ART are second with 232. DAMS return to third with 175 points, just one point ahead of Charouz Racing System.
2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship Round 8 – Budapest, Hungary – Sprint Race Provisional Classification
Driver Team 1 Alexander Albon DAMS 2 Luca Ghiotto Campos Vexatec Racing 3 Sergio Sette Camara Carlin 4 Lando Norris Carlin 5 Roberto Merhi MP Motorsport 6 Nirei Fukuzumi BWT Arden 7 Nyck de Vries PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing 8 George Russell ART Grand Prix 9 Louis Deletraz Charouz Racing System 10 Jack Aitken ART Grand Prix 11 Sean Gelael PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing 12 Tadasuke Makino RUSSIAN TIME 13 Artem Markelov RUSSIAN TIME 14 Arjun Maini Trident 15 Roy Nissany Campos Vexatec Racing 16 Nicholas Latifi DAMS 17 Antonio Fuoco Charouz Racing System — Maximilian Gunther BWT Arden — Alessio Lorandi Trident — Ralph Boschung MP Motorsport -
Lewis Hamilton takes pole in unpredictable wet qualifying: Hungarian GP
Lewis Hamilton put in a superb lap in difficult wet conditions at the Hungaroring to claim his 77th career pole position and his fifth of the season ahead of Mercedes’ team-mate and the Ferraris of Kimi Räikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.
A hugely unpredictable qualifying session began on a wet track due to earlier rain, and though there was no rain falling at the start of the session all driver started the session on intermediate tyres. That meant that the expected order was maintained as Kimi Räikkönen led the way ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.
However, as the rain held off, drivers began to move to slicks and when Carlos Sainz eclipsed the intermediate tyre times by more than two seconds the leading drivers also took on ultrasoft Pirelli tyres.
One of those who opted for a different strategy was Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian took to the circuit on soft tyres and as the clock counted down he see-sawed up and down the order, slipping into the drop zone in the final minutes of the session. He kept grinding out laps, however, and eventually climbed to P12 at the end of the session to make it through to Q2.
There was no such luck for McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne, though, as improvements elsewhere pushed him to P16 and out of the session ahead of Sauber’s Charles Leclerc, the Force Indias of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez and Williams’ Sergey Sirtokin. At the top of the order Sebastian Vettel took P1 ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with Bottas third ahead of Hamilton and Räikkönen.
Ricciardo was soon in trouble in Q2 as well. The Australian, along with McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, took to the track later than their rivals in Q2 and by the time they were into their runs on intermediates the rain was intensifying quickly.
Ricciardo’s opening time left him mired in the drop zone and as the rain became heavier and the intermediate tyres ceased to cope with the conditions, there was no way out of trouble.
Ricciardo and Alonso both continued to circle on full wet tyres but neither improved significantly and the Spaniard was eliminated in P11, while Ricciardo exited the session in P12. Behind them Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg also exited, in P13, with his team attributing his late entry to the session to a problem with the fuel bowser. Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson went out in P14, and the last man eliminated in Q2 was Williams’ Lance Stroll.
At the top of the order in the unpredictable conditions Vettel was quickest ahead of Renault’s Carlos Sainz and Verstappen, with Hamilton fourth. Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly was fifth ahead of Bottas, with the second Toro Rosso of Brendon Hartley seventh ahead of Räikkönen and the Haas cars of Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean.
The rain began to back off in Q3 and for the top 10 qualifiers it was a case of playing a waiting game as the track improved. And it was Lewis Hamilton who got his timing just right.
Kimi Räikkönen had established himself in provisional pole with a good lap of 1:36.186 early on. In the final runs it looked like he might hold onto it as team-mate Sebastian Vettel found an improvement, but not enough to rise above the Finn. Mercedes, though, had other ideas and Valtteri Bottas moved ahead with a time of 1:35.918. Hamilton though was just behind and the got the best out of the Mercedes in the conditions to post a time of 1:35.658 to take his 77thpole position.
Behind fourth-placed Vettel, Sainz qualified fifth, with Gasly in an excellent sixth for Toro Rosso. Verstappen could find no improvement in the final runs and so he qualified in seventh place ahead of the second Toro Rosso of Hartley. Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean qualified in ninth and 10th places respectively.
2018 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:35.658
2 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:35.918 0.260
3 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:36.186 0.528
4 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:36.210 0.552
5 Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault 1:36.743 1.085
6 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1:37.591 1.933
7 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:38.032 2.374
8 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1:38.128 2.470
9 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:39.858 4.200
10 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:40.593 4.935
11 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:35.214 –
12 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:36.442 0.784
13 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:36.506 0.848
14 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:37.075 1.417
15 Lance Stroll Williams –
16 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1:18.782 –
17 Charles Leclerc Sauber 1:18.817 –
18 Esteban Ocon Force India 1:19.142 –
19 Sergio Perez Force India 1:19.200 –
20 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 1:19.301.ends/db
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It’s going to be a big fight in the midfield; and our financial constraints are greater: Szafnauer
Otmar SZAFNAUER Sahara Force India’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) was invited to the FIA Friday Press Conference usually reserved for the Team Representatives along with Toto Wolff (Mercedes), Mario Isola (Pirelli).
Szafnauer has played an integral role in Sahara Force India’s improved performance since his arrival in October 2009. With the team performing much better than some of the teams with huge financial resources, the team is seen as an underdog punching above its weight and Szafnauer had certainly a hand in the team’s progress. Force India improved from being seventh in 2010 to sixth in 2011, which it retained for two more years in 2013 and 2014, after a bad year in 2012, before breaking into the top five in 2015 and then came its best finish of fourth in 2016 and 2017. It is also believed that Szafnauer also played a key role the team’s long-term agreement to use the Mercedes-Benz powertrain which they are using from 2014.
Press Conference Transcript:
Q: Otmar, in that very seat yesterday Esteban Ocon was telling us that there’s been a lot of interest in him for 2019. What can you tell us about his future?
Otmar SZAFNAUER: Well, I’m glad there’s interest, he’s a great driver and glad we chose him a couple of years ago and have helped him to progress to the point where others are interested. Just happy to say he’s our driver.
And in 2019?
OS: In truth, we haven’t decided yet. If I was to say this or that, I’d probably be proven wrong. Because that hasn’t been decided. He’s got a contract with us, so for us to… for him to go elsewhere we’d have to agree to that.
And a few words on Sergio Pérez’s future as well…
OS: Sergio, every year about this time we start talking to him about what he wants to do in the future. I don’t think it’s a secret that he goes year-by-year with us but that year-by-year has been five years now. Again, we like Sergio, the combination is great. I know a couple of years ago, maybe even last year, we had some issues but those have been resolved and they work really well together now. And as you can see, they’re very close in the points table, maybe one point apart. I think we’ve got a great driver line-up and long may it continue.
Q: Now Otmar, you’ve mentioned the financial constraints your team operates under and Pérez has mentioned it as well just this week. While Force India has always been excellent at performing under such constraints, is the situation now a little bit more critical?
OS: We’re used to operating under such constraints. I think the situation’s critical because the midfield’s gotten very competitive. Where last year probably at this time we enjoyed a bit of a gap to our midfield competitors, that doesn’t exist anymore and, depending on what racetrack we go to, some of our competitors are a bit quicker than we are, and at other ones we are a bit quicker than they are. So, it’s going to be a big fight in the midfield. If you have financial constraints – which I believe our constraints are great than some of our midfield competitors – it makes it harder. But we’re here to do the best we can and we’ll continue to push and try to get two points finishes and we’re still focussing on getting fourth again.
Q: Mario, there’s a test here at the Hungaroring next week. What’s on the agenda for Pirelli?
Mario ISOLA: We are developing our construction for 2019 and also we are planning to test some compounds. I’m talking about the second Toro Rosso car that is dedicated to our tyre testing. Obviously, teams are testing to check their own development. This is useful data for us to understand how our tyres are working. We had a test in Silverstone just after the race with the three cars and we collected quite a lot of data. We were very lucky because the weather conditions in Silverstone were very stable and sunny. So, we ran the test and I believe we have a new product of next year.
Q: The FIA published the tyre tender for 2020 onwards very recently. What are your thoughts on that?
MI: I’m analysing the document because it is… not complicated but I would say it is different to previous tenders because there are a lot of technical conditions in it. So, we are analysing the numbers that are in the tender. Obviously, we need some time to go that. It’s interesting, with the introduction of 18-inch tyres from 2021 and no more blankets. So, on the technical side, it is a challenge for sure.
Q: Toto, quick progress report, if we could, from FP1. Your cars only fifth and sixth, what conclusions should be drawn?
Toto WOLFF: Before we talk about this race weekend and FP1 session, I don’t want to go just back to business as usual because we are Mercedes and Ferrari are our great friends and at this stage I want to use the opportunity to say that we are feeling with Ferrari and feeling with the family and friends of Sergio and we as well are badly shocked by the events. He was a friend and ally. A great rival and competitor and will be dearly missed.
Coming back to the session that you mentioned. It is very early days. Hungary is always very different to all the other tracks. The heat is just kicking in and through the sessions now we need to learn how to set the car up, and understand how the tyres perform and then eventually, hopefully, be ready tomorrow afternoon.
Q: Driver contracts are done. How important is that stability for the team?
TW: The driver contracts were done a long time ago. At least it feels that way within Mercedes. Even though we didn’t have any signature and therefore nothing to announce. It felt that way since the early stages of the season. There weren’t any stumbling blocks to be negotiated, in so far as I don’t think there was any insecurity on the drivers’ side or our side about whether this would come together. Now it’s out in the open, we don’t get the questions any more from you guys – and that makes it a bit easier.
Q: I’m going to ask you another question about stability then. You’ve made some senior management changes recently. Why do you feel the need to make then now?
TW: Like in any company, you will have a situation where talent grows, develops and eventually comes up and, a few years ago, we identified that we don’t want to create bottlenecks for this upcoming talent and eventually lose them because they don’t see any opportunity any more in the team. The amazing thing we achieved with Aldo [Costa] and Mark Ellis was to identify, mentor and develop that talent. And we had a clear plan with them to eventually put them in positions where they would succeed these great engineers. And that is happening as we speak, over time, over the next 12 months. Mark and Aldo are going to step aside a little bit and this new, young generation of leaders will be coming up. But both of them will stay within the family in roles to be identified – or roles to be discussed in detail. Mark wants to take it a little bit easier. This is a sport that is all-consuming if you give it everything. Aldo wants to spend some time with the family but still be part of the Mercedes family. I’m very proud that we have achieved that transition and were the first team to kind of do that in a structured way.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Jonathan McEvoy – The Daily Mail) To Toto. I was wondering how you see Lewis’ mood. His mindset at the moment. He said this is the hardest race he’s been involved in. I don’t here, I mean this season and the Ferrari rivalry. That a). And b) his remarks about Sky. Would you rather your driver was going home after a race and watching that – or would you expect him to be out celebrating with some mates?
TW: The most important is that we give everybody his freedom to organise his time the way he feels, or she feels is right. And be non-judgemental. This is how I try to be within the team. We’re all different. Lewis is a four-time World Champion. He knows pretty well how to extract the maximum performance out of himself and, in so far, I think whatever he does after the race, whatever he feels like doing, is the right thing for him. And, he’s in a good frame of mind. We are all pushing very hard in this championship. The hardest we’ve done in the past because with Red Bull and Ferrari we have two competitors that we recognise as great organisations and in so far, I think his behaviour, the way he deals with it, is very authentic. He wears his heart on the sleeve. He gives you guys great content – because it polarises – and for me this is just fine.
Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Toto, last couple of years Force India has obviously been a good friend for you with Esteban and the opportunity that he’s had there. With the situation that the team’s in at the moment, do you see that as a viable option for next season, even or Esteban or another Mercedes junior in the form of George Russell?
TW: We are still very much friends. Otmar walks the dog and comes for breakfast in Oxford, in my place. So… that hasn’t changed. Force India is a team that we aligned with and we have a lot of exchange going on. It has been a great harbour and a great development place for some of the young drivers. They have taken decisions with us that at the time were courageous – like when Esteban was on nobody’s radar, Otmar and his guys took the decision to take him onboard and today everybody wants to have Esteban in the car. They are a good group of racers that punch above their weight. The way Otmar and his team have dealt with their liquidity struggles is amazing. Competing against some of the works teams and we just recognise that.
Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, Racefans.net) Toto, it’s no secret that Mercedes has nurtured Esteban through his junior career and also holds his contract, in fact he said so yesterday. Under what circumstances would you let him race with a foreign engine?
TW: I think that… We have picked Esteban up when Gravity fell apart and the first team that he was actually associated with was Renault. We at the time had just started our junior programme and it just felt right with Pascal and Esteban to give them a go. To date we are trying to set them a path that eventually will make them very successful long term; put then a position to be world champions maybe one day. But with Valtteri and Lewis we have a line-up that is stable, that works for us, and at that stage there is no opportunity within Mercedes and if he has an opportunity somewhere else to be successful as a racing driver and another team or constructor to be successful with Esteban, we wouldn’t want to stand in the way.
Q: (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) One of the grievances Lewis seemed to have was that he wasn’t recognised for what he did on Sunday in Hockenheim by the TV commentators. Do you think Lewis gets enough recognition for what he does and what he achieves?
TW: Positive headlines don’t sell any newspapers and don’t generate any clicks and I think that he is a polarising sportsman that sells papers. We could talk about philosophy and the digital revolution and the impact on it for a long time but I just think that in the now and here great achievements are never recognised in the way they should be recognised and in five or 10 years we will be looking back and saying we were part of an amazing driver’s journey that will fill books but this is just the way it goes and I think he knows that.
Q: (Luis Vasconcelos – Formula Press) For all three, this is the fifth year of these power unit regulations and certainly we are seeing some reliability issues, which is not to be expected at this stage. For Toto, is there is a technical explanation for this? Why are we having more problems, your cars, the Renaults, Ferrari had at the end of last year? For Otmar, in this area is there anything an independent team can do to prevent that, being caught out by that, and for Mario, is this a good change, that people are not criticising tyres or having problems with the tyres and blaming them and they are losing races for other reasons?
MI: Interesting question! No, I don’t think so. We try to do our best with the data we receive from the teams and obviously the hybrid power train is working in a different way and we adapt our product to that. I hope that we are not criticised, because we are supplying a good product not because they are having a problem with the power unit.
TW: The product is great.
MI: Thank you!
TW: We are being pushed by the competition. You’ve said that we are in the fifth year of these engines, which normally is a phase where the development slope flattens out; that would be the logic. Mature regulations, which also guarantee great competition because there are not big gaps between the power units any more. But this season is different. Ferrari has a great power unit and they are setting the benchmark from race to race, they are able to extract more, and this is making us push and obviously making Renault and Honda push and you just reach certain limits. But this fight and the rivalry is the reason why we are in Formula 1. We are trying to be the best ourselves and we recognise that, but this is one of the reasons why you see that we are reaching certain limits by just extracting the last millisecond of performance.
OS: My thoughts are that Mercedes have done a great job for us in the last five years; we have had great reliability from them. Your question was did we have an impact on the reliability. All installations are different. We get the power train from them but we have to cool it the way we want to cool it. We’ve got to supply it with fuel the way we want to supply it with fuel and some other things. So we do have an impact on that but predominantly it is the powertrain manufacturer that has an impact on reliability. They do a wonderful job, but as Toto says, we are pushing them now to extract more performance and sometimes that comes at the cost of reliability. It’s no secret that we are struggling on the straights to keep up with Haas and Sauber, so we’ve got to push these guys to gain that advantage back.
Q: (Brigitta Gyimesi – Motorsport Mania) Toto, Lewis’ qualifying issue at Hockenheim and the two problems that struck Mercedes in Austria seem to be very similar to each other. Are you concerned that this hydraulics issue might be a recurring problem that could bite you in the coming races?
TW: In Formula 1 you are never comfortable with anything, because you’re pushing the boundaries. We have seen similar effects by kerbs but the causes and consequences are totally different. We are on top of it, and we don’t expect any of these problems to come back. The outcome, the consequence of the hydraulic failure was the same but the cause was very different.
Q: (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) Otmar going back to what we were saying earlier about the critical situation for the team. Sergio referred to this yesterday. Was he referring to it being critical in sporting terms or critical in more fundamental terms, for the team’s survival financially. There have been reports out there about possibly going into administration. Can you just clarify that?
OS: Unfortunately, I don’t know what Checo meant by that, because I haven’t talked to him, but just to answer: there is a high correlation between critical financial situation and the sporting situation. The more money you have in this game, usually the better you do. But hopefully that will be solved soon and we’ll get back to operating in the normal manner that we are used to. We are just in this critical period, which might last a week or two, we have to keep our heads down, do the best we can here, go enjoy, after the test, enjoy our break and then come back fighting thereafter.
Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, Racefans.net) Otmar, your comments about what Toto’s just said, that they wouldn’t stand in the way of Esteban. Does your tripartite contract allow you release him to Renault?
OS: Sure. I mean, we can do whatever we want to do. It’s fine for him to go, but we have to agree to that. I’m sure Toto has persuasive tools, if that’s what we all want to do. We work well together. We had great discussions about Esteban when he came in and if it’s mutually beneficial then of course that’s what we are going to do. We won’t stand in his way. But first and foremost my job is to look after Force India, so I will be pushing to do what’s best for us.
Q: (Péter Vámosi – Racingline.hu) Question to all. Yesterday, during the press conference we were talking about a race for team bosses. How do you like the idea. Esteban and Valtteri that you, Toto, could be really good against Christian Horner?
OS: Is it team bosses or team bosses’ wives.
TW: Then I would be really good.
OS: Then Toto would win.
TW: If it was between team bosses’ wives I would win. The other thing is I am more ambitious than talented. But I think against Christian maybe it’s still enough.
Toto would you welcome such a race?
TW: I would be up for it, yeah, immediately. Let’s do that.
Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Otmar, on the Force India situation, how urgently does the team need fresh investment and when do you think that that could be likely?
OS: I think it’s imminent. I know there’s discussions going on in the background. I’m not privy to those because it’s a shareholder issue and I’m not a shareholder, otherwise I would know more. But it will be very soon.
Q: (Luis Vasconcelos – Formula Press) For the two team bosses: almost every team has a young drivers’ programme and obviously that has helped a lot of talent coming to Formula One, but do you think it’s still possible for somebody who’s not part of any young drivers’ programme from a Formula One team to make it independently to Formula One?
OS: We are his (Toto’s) young driver programme. Just kidding. I think it’s been like this for quite some time. You need talent in racing but you also need funding because even at the lower formulas, motor racing is not a cheap sport. So it’s great that Red Bull, Mercedes, Renault, Ferrari all have young driver programmes because they identify that talent and help them through, be it financially or guidance. Is it possible? Definitely. There are some people who come through who aren’t in a young driver programme. Is it likely? Maybe not as likely as it used to be. But it’s definitely possible.
TW: I think that the best guys will find us. We are looking at junior formulae, go-karting and if somebody really stands out, then all of us having a junior programme will eventually get in touch.
Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, Racefans.net) Toto, you’ve got an entrepreneurial nature. It’s probably no exaggeration to state that you’ve probably spent more time in this current role than you’ve spent in any other job in your life before. Could you see yourself taking equity stake in another team like Sauber or Force India, possibly, possibly even alongside your existing role?
TW: Thank you for the flowers! No. When I decided to take up the opportunity with Daimler and became a shareholder of the Mercedes F1 team and involved in the management of it, I had to relinquish all positions of potential conflict of interest and I sold my shares in HWA, as you know, and I also sold the shares in Williams and I will not, neither directly or indirectly, be involved in any other Formula One team.
Q: (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) Toto, you spoke fondly of Sergio Marchionne at the beginning and obviously Maurizio’s not here to talk about anything but I just wondered… they’ve obviously got a lot on their plate at the moment but when things do settle down, and given your experience and your involvement in negotiations with Formula One about the future, what do you think the main challenges will be for the new man, Camilleri, when he comes in?
TW: Sergio was a bigger personality than life, somebody that in the meetings and in the strategy group and in the negotiations with Formula One and FIA had the most powerful voice and these shoes are impossible to fill. With Ferrari, they have a management structure that remains unchanged. Maurizio was very much in charge for running the team and remains our sparring partner in the sport and Maurizio and Mattia and the group somehow are guaranteed that the Formula One team and the operations of the Formula One team is going to continue going forward like it has in the past. For negotiations with F1, Maurizio is also very much up to speed. He was part of most of the discussions, he represents Ferrari in the strategy group so I think it will give the new man coming in a lot of know-how and a lot of information and insofar I think he’s going to be able to catch up pretty quickly but obviously there was only one Sergio Marchionne.
Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Mario, going back to the tyre tender, Michelin have suggested that it’s a problem for them to do one year with 13 inch wheels and then move on to 18 inch wheels after that. Is that a concern for you or would you welcome that flexibility to go with one size and then move to another size in the same cycle?
MI: I believe that when you are in Formula One, you can never stop the development so in the statue of the change of size we just change the size, the width of our tyres two years ago and you must be ready to produce any tyre that the sport requires so it’s clearly a challenge, we are interested to apply for the tender. Now the request is to move to 18 inches in 2021, as I said, it’s a big technical challenge but we had many other big technical challenges in the past. If you accept to be here, you accept to put a lot of effort, resources, development and testing in the activity.
Q: (Rocio Andreina Romero Navarrete – Motorlat) Mr Szafnauer, how has the team evolved so fast in the last races? What changes have you made? We can see a difference compared to the start of the season to the mid-season results.
OS: Well, at the beginning of the year, we weren’t able to put all the developments on the car that we had discovered, so it’s taken us time to get the car to where it needs to be and then once you get the developments on the car, there’s a little bit of learning that happens too to extract the performance out of it. We’ve done that now, so I think we’re at a better place than at the beginning of this season and there’s still more to come. We’re not quite where we want to be, it’s tough in the midfield. We still have to push developments this year. Unfortunately the cars are changing a lot next year. The regulations have changed significantly again so we’ve got to make a decision at some point to stop this year’s development and start on next year’s which will happen soon, but we need to develop to a point where fourth in the championship is still possible but not at the great expense of next year’s car.
Q: (Peter Vamosi – Racingline.hu Two weeks ago, at the Slovakia-ring, two popular FIA series, WTCR and the European truck race championship, merged for a race weekend and it was a big success. What do you think? Is it a good idea to make something like that with Formula One also, maybe together with DTM or WEC, whatever?
TW: There are other good examples in the past where series have merged. I remember 15 years ago where Mario and I used to play in the Super Racing Weekend and the FIA GT and Endurance format with the European Touring Car championship and with all the Renault single-seater, junior feeder series, Renault two litres, World Series and it was a fantastic place to be, at the track with lots of audience. There were manufacturers engaged in each of the series, therefore lots of guests and hospitality, activities on the track and what you’ve seen in Slovakia-ring is a similar exercise. I think Formula One is bigger than all these series, much bigger than all these series but you mustn’t close your eyes, there could be opportunities out there to invite a series to race with us.
MI: I agree with Toto because it’s important to provide the spectators with a good show for all the weekend, not to stay here just for one hour of free practice or qualifying for Formula One and it’s good to have different series joining. Super Racing Weekend was a good example because it was a mix of sprint racing, endurance racing, single-seaters, touring cars which we have in Melbourne, we had the GTs; in Montreal we had the Ferrari Challenge so we already have in the race weekend a lot of support events that are giving the spectators the opportunity to see something different than Formula One.
OS: I’m not saying we forget but we should always remember that we do this for the fans so if the fans find it useful to do that then absolutely, we should look at it.
Q: (Peter Varkas – Auto Motor) For the team bosses: sometimes it’s crazy to see the rate of the development war between the top teams now. Toto, you had the engine upgrade in France, then in Austria the new aero package, then Ferrari responded at Silverstone with their new aero package, so is it fair to say that the rate of development this year is the highest ever so it’s even higher than before. And Otmar, if that is so, does it make the task for the midfield teams even harder because the top teams are getting all these developments and that makes it hard for the small teams to keep up?
OS: I’ve always said and I said it to everybody in our factory, this is a development race, that’s what we’re in and I think Formula One is at the pinnacle of that. We measure our development rate against the top teams, so we know where we start off. Do we develop as quickly as they do, are we falling behind and unfortunately, that’s what Formula One is and we’ve got to be prepared for that and you’ve got to have an organisation that’s prepared for that. You’ve got to have the tools in order to develop faster than your competition and that’s what it’s about. So unless the regulations significantly change, that’s how we go about our business.
TW: Yeah, I agree with your assessment. It’s the steepest development rate that we have seen in the last years, on the chassis and on the power unit side.
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Jehan Daruvala excels at the legendary Spa circuit, with a Pole, Fastest Lap and a victory
Jehan Daruvala flashing past the finish line while winning Race 1 at Spa on Friday. Spa (Belgium), 27 July 2018: Jehan Daruvala, the first Indian to win in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, once again set a new benchmark with pole position, fastest lap and race victory in Race 1 at the legendary Formula 1 circuit of Spa Francorchamps in Belgium.
Jehan Daruvala celebrates victory at Spa. The teenage racing sensation from Mumbai had a tense qualifying earlier yesterday, and began setting lap times with only five minutes left for the session to end. Jehan was fifth on the timesheets after his first lap and improved to provisional second on the next lap. On his third and last effort, Jehan gave it everything for a brilliant lap to bag pole position by 0.10 seconds ahead of the then championship leader Marcus Armstrong from New Zealand. Jehan managed to lap the 7 kms circuit in a time of 2:12.983, while Spaniard, Alex Palou was third, two-tenths behind Jehan.
Jehan unfortunately lost ground when the lights went off to start the race. His car bogged down and by the first corner Jehan had fallen to third. As the leaders accelerated out of the iconic Eau Rouge corner, Jehan took advantage of the slip stream and muscled his way into second. Soon, an incident behind the leaders brought out the safety car for two laps.
The race resumed with Alex Palou retaining his lead ahead of Jehan, who in turn faced no threat. Once again, out of Eau Rouge and onto the long Kemmel Straight, Jehan went around the outside of Palou to grab the race lead. Jehan thereafter had to ensure that he immediately put in a bit of a gap to avoid being overtaken once again due to the slip stream effect. He managed to do that successfully, opening up six-tenth advantage over Palou.
Jehan Daruvala on way to victory at Spa The former CIK FIA Asia Pacific Karting Champion continued his dominance over the rest of the field, pulling out over two-tenths of a lap over everyone else. The Spaniard too, did not face any challenges as the two leaders were in a class of their own, pulling away throughout.
Jehan then pulled off a series of fastest race laps to move out of Palou’s reach completely, before easing off a bit, at the end. The Sahara Force India Academy racer eventually won the race with a comfortable margin of 3.2 seconds ahead of Palou and a massive 11.9 seconds ahead of Estonian racer, Ralf Aron in third.
The victory was also Jehan’s fourth podium of 2018 in the FIA F3 series which is arguably one of the toughest stepping stones to reach Formula 1. “The start was not ideal, but I kept my cool as I knew we were quick. Once I was ahead, I just had to make sure I made no mistakes. A lot of credit goes to the team for all the effort that they have put in,” said Jehan after the win.
Jehan has a number of firsts to his credit such as the first Indian to win a Grand Prix (New Zealand Grand Prix in the Toyota Racing Series in 2017) as well as the only Indian to stand on the podium of any FIA World Championship (third in the FIA CIK World Karting Championship). Jehan also remains the only Indian to win titles in the FIA CIK Asia Pacific Karting Championship and British Karting Championship.
Jehan will start 12th and 4th for Race 2 and 3 respectively, later this weekend.
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Sanjay Takale set for WRC debut in Finland
Jyväskylä (Finland), 25 July 2018: India’s Sanjay Takale is all set for the drive of his life as he makes debut in the FIA World Rally Championship this weekend in the Neste Rally Finland. The Pune-based Takale along with co-driver Darren Garrod from Britain will be piloting a WRC 3-spec Ford Fiesta R2 (two-wheel drive) prepared by Baltic Motorsports Promotion team.
“After many years of participating in and winning international rallies, notably the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, I am now pursing my long-cherished dream of competing in the World Rally Championship as a registered driver in the WRC 3 category,” said Pune-based Takale.
Takale’s immediate target in Rally Finland is to complete the course that comprises of 23 Special Stages spread over 317.26 Kms. Over the four days of action, the competitors will cover a total distance of 1,427.49 Kms.
The Neste Rally Finland, which commences on Thursday night is considered the fastest event in the WRC calendar with average speeds upwards of 126Kmph, besides iconic jumps of Ruuhimäki Special Stage on Sunday.
“The weather forecast for the weekend is dry as it is summer here in Finland. So, I expect a fast and dry rally,” said Takale soon after finishing a test run in the Fiesta.
Takale’s quest for fresh challenges and ultimately realising his WRC dreams saw him shift focus on Europe. He participated in rallies in Iceland and Sweden before tying up with Latvia-based Baltic Motorsports Promotion on whose suggestion he took part in rallies in Latvia and Estonia to prepare for the WRC Finland round.
With BMP offering him a WRC registered car, Takale decided to participate in the Rally Finland to become first Indian registered driver in the WRC 3 category.
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Vicky Chandhok re-elected president of FIA APRC Working Group
Vicky Chandhok. File photo by INDIAinF1 Chennai, 24 July 2018: India’s Vicky Chandhok was unanimously re-elected President of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship Working Group for a second two-year term at the annual meeting in Johor, Malaysia, on Monday, July 23.
Vicky Chandhok said: “It was a bit of a surprise that I was unanimously requested to continue as President for another term. Rallying continues its upward trend in the region and I am honoured to continue what we started two years ago. Our focus will be on expanding to new regions and continue growing the sport at the grass root level.”
Representatives from Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Indonesia among others attend the meeting and the elections. Also present was Wayne Christie, President of the FIA Rally Commission to share FIA’s thoughts on the future of rallying and to also understand the challenges faced by the APRC and look at possible solutions for the future.
The members present felt that since the APRC was going through many challenges, it needed continuity at the helm, especially with the plans afoot to meet manufacturers in Japan and China.
Deviating from the norms, they requested outgoing Vicky Chandhok who was not a candidate for the post to accept the Presidency for another term. Takahito Sugita (Japan) will serve as the Vice-President. Stalwarts Tengku Shaharin Abu Bakar (Malaysia) and Willard Martin (New Zealand) will serve on the executive committee along with Sugita and Chandhok.
Wayne Christie of the FIA requested Chandhok to join the FIA Regional Rally Working Group which will meet in Paris on August 21 to discuss all the FIA Regional Championships.
The Working Group meeting also put forward revised regulations, a Media plan and a tentative calendar of six events for 2019 which will be finalised in September of this year. India figures in the list of possible 2019 events.
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WRC moves to 1000-Lakes Rally in Finland
File photo ahead of WRC Finland Rally. Photo: FIA Budapest, 24 July 2018: Neste Rally Finland is one of the all-time classics on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar, where fearless and, at times, blind commitment rewards the bravest. The event, one of the quickest in the series, presents blisteringly fast smooth gravel roads, but it is the massive stomach-churning jumps and blind crests that characterise what is affectionately known as the Finnish Grand Prix.
The ‘1000 Lakes Rally’, as it was originally termed, dates back to 1951, when it was launched as a means of deciding the Finnish entries for Rallye Monte-Carlo. It first ran in the WRC in its inaugural season in 1973 and has been staged each year since, largely dominated by Finnish drivers who have won 55 of the 67 editions.
The hard-packed gravel roads provide a mix of wide and flowing, narrow and more technical sections and, such is their smooth nature, mechanical issues are rare. It is an event where writing and delivering pace notes is even more critical as blind crests often hide the following corners and knowing where to position the car before these jumps is a real art form. As is mastering the ‘normal’ jumps to ensure the car doesn’t take off like an airplane.
As the series moves into its second half, Thierry Neuville heads the Championship standings by 27 points, the Belgian going into round eight with a lead bigger than any advantage anyone has held over multiple FIA World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier in the last five years. Both have three wins apiece this season, with third-placed Ott Tänak the only other driver to have won an event. His team-mate Esapekka Lappi, fourth in the standings, will doubtless be looking to repeat his stunning performance of 2017, where he claimed his maiden WRC win on home soil. Hyundai heads the Manufacturers’ Championship standings, and all four makes will be fielding three-car entries in Finland, Khalid Al Qassimi also joining Mads Østberg and Craig Breen in the Citroën squad. The FIA WRC 2 Championship category has an impressive 18 entries and as series frontrunners, Pontus Tidemand and Jan Kopecky will not be competing, their rivals will be looking to close the gap in the title fight. In its penultimate round, 15 crews make up the FIA Junior WRC Championship field, with a further three solely in the similar two-wheel drive FIA WRC 3 Championship category.
Five stages will be broadcast live on television: both runs through Harju (SS1 and SS11), SS17 on Saturday and the two Ruuhimäki stages on Sunday, the second counting as the Power Stage. All stages are however available live on WRC All Live on the WRC+ platform.
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